12454/Ladyhawk

Ladyhawk
Date of Scene:	15 November 2020
Location:	The Coffee Bean - Manhattan
Synopsis:	Zinda and Steve meet up for coffee
Cast of Characters:	Lady Blackhawk, Captain America

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Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda Blake has a layover in New York, and reaches out to an old friend. With his Avengers affiliation it's an outside chance at best, so she's pleasantly surprised with the text reply. She chooses the time and he chooses the place, which has Zinda walking into the Manhattan coffee shop.

She's in uniform, or at least in her Blackhawk uniform. Cap and jacket, knee boots and short skirt, Zinda looks like she stepped right off of a recruitment poster. Catching the attention of one of the kids behind the counter, she calls out loudly. "Ah'm meetin' a friend in a bit, an' we're gonna need a fresh pot."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers isn't in his uniform, it attracts too much attention, although plenty of people recognize him even without the suit. Steve is wearing a brown bomber jacket, a USA t-shirt and a pair of jeans. A blue baseball cap is pulled down a bit over his face, but he's clean shaven and almost boyish looking in spite of his years.

"Zinda. My god. I'd marvel at how young you seem, but somehow a lot of us seemed to have managed that feat," he says, gesturing for the two of them to sit down in a booth.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda turns at the familiar sound of his voice, and laughs as she turns to look. "Yeah, you ain't lookin' so bad yerself, Steve." She follows his lead, settling in naturally on his left. Old habits. Just like her sliding into the booth first.

"Hell, Ah'm jus' glad you could make time for an old war vet. Busy fella like you..." She pulls the cap off and sets it on the seat beside her with a wink. "Ah ain't flyin' out until mornin' so Ah thought I'd catch a cab downtown."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers shakes his head, "Of course I would make time for you. Yes, I'm busy, but sometimes what I'm busy with is just, uh, busywork. Or keeping in shape for the next serious problem," he says.

"Glad to hear you're still in the air. I guess the story of how I'm still alive and kicking is pretty well known. So what's your story?"

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda shrugs at the question, looking thoughtful for a moment. They've chatted a few times before, but never really sat down to TALK-talk. "Ah really ain't sure, an' that's the gospel truth. One minute its September 1st, 1945 an' Ah'm on patrol south of Japan. Next thing Ah know it's September 1st, 2022 an' Ah'm bein' talked down by an F-22."

She looks down at the table for a moment, then. "They called it a 'time anomaly' or somethin'. Been pickin' up pieces ever since. The Blackhawks... mah old Squadron... became Blackhawk Freight."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers nods. He'd seen as much from her files, of course, but it's always good to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. Not to mention that she might tell him things that wouldn't make a file. Not that he would betray her trust.

"Time anomaly. Sounds better than being flash frozen in an ice cube," he says wryly. "How are you settling into the world, then? I know I'm still making adjustments," he says, smiling when the coffee is placed down for them and he pours himself a cup.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda looks up with the girl brings coffee. "Leave the pot, sugah." she offers softly. No sugar, she takes her coffee black. "Settlin' in alright, really. Gettin' better an' better, too. Turns out Ah'm a shareholder of Blackhawk Freight, which gives me enough walkin'-around money to buy and fix up some old birds."

Watching the waitress depart, Zinda waits a few moments before she continues. "Ah got mahself a new little gig now, too. Flyin' transport sometimes, an' even somethin' a little... more." Blonde brows waggle at the last.

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers takes a sip of his coffee. "Sounds like you landed in clover. It can be hard for the...chronologically-displaced to find decent work. My work, of course, is the same as it ever was and the pay still isn't great, but I can put most things on the company credit card."

The waggled eyebrows draw a grin, "And just what kind of mischief does that mean? You always did have a penchant for the unconventional."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda tilts her head at that, slowly swirling her coffee mug with that coy little smile. "Y'all can't tell your Avengers friends..." she begins. Of course Zinda can't know that Oracle is Barbara Gordon, and that she's on a first-name basis with Skye Johnson.

"Let's jus' say a few weeks ago Ah' was flyin' a gunship on a covert-ops detail. Infiltration an' extraction. With fire-support."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers nods, "Good. And I can tell them a lot, but I don't tell them things others tell me in confidence. I don't have any secrets, but other people do and I try to respect that where I can," he says.

"Sounds like you're knee-deep in the action once again. And somehow, despite the war being long over, there's more fighting to do than ever."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda hand-waves and chuckles softly. "Sorta in a grey area, but it's all fer a good cause, Ah promise." she replies. "Non-lethals... smoke an' flash... beanbag rounds... that sorta thing." The blonde pauses, then adds. "Sorta like your Avengers, Ah'd expect."

Zinda raises her coffee for a slow sip, then, blue eyes meeting Steve's. "The world ain't as simple as it once was, Steve. Good guys, bad guys, we knew who was who back then. Not things are... blurry. Muddy. Conflicts are still there, but it ain't neat and clean like it was."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers sighs, "So people keep telling me. Maybe I'm crazy to think that some of the old values still apply. But I can't help it. I've got to do what I think is right, even if other people think I'm old-fashioned and antiquated. There are worse things in the world to be called," he says, meeting her gaze steadily.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda lowers her coffee with a slow nod, looking thoughtful. "It's nice bein' able to talk with someone else who understands." she replies, her voice losing that sassy edge for a moment. "An' there ain't nothin' wrong with havin' old-fashioned values." Full lips twitch into a smile, then. "No matter what else people say, we did it right back then, Steve. We did it right."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers smiles, "Well, on a lot of things we did. Some of the rest, well...I like to think I was more enlightened than most, but I probably didn't understand the way some other people suffered as well as I should have. I was too dedicated to an ideal version of America to see some of the cracks. But I've learned a lot as I've emerged today. And I still think the heart of what I've alwasy believed in still matters. I just have more work to do on that front than I thought," he says.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda's gaze lowers to her coffee, then. "Maybe that's why it jus' seems more complicated now." she replies. "Did we not see it back then, or did we jus' believe all the hype? Either way, without a REAL war it's more like one mission at a time, now. But at least there's a warm bed between, an' we get a decent night's sleep every now an' then."
She grins at the last.

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers grins, "I will take my room over in the Mansion over any of the tents I slept in back then. I slept half sunk in the mud a couple of times. Sometimes I almost miss that, the cameraderie. Go back to my room and it's just me lookin' at myself in the mirror and facin' another day. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to share a barracks with Tony Stark. I can't imagine what hours he keeps."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda laughs softly at that, nodding vigorously. "From what Ah read in th' papers, Ah ain't sure Ah'd wanna share a hand towel with Tony Stark." She leans in a bit, then, lowered voice murmuring behind one hand. "But it ain't about the -hours- he keeps, if ya' know what Ah mean. Back in OUR day they had shots for that kinda thing..."
She leans back again, then adds. "Got Blackhawk Island up an' runnin' again. Refurbished, an' updated. But Ah sleep in a lotta airport hotels these days."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers flushes a bit, "I remember, although I...never had to partake myself. I knew a few soldiers in the day with such issues. If Tony has those, he keeps it close to the vest. I hope he's being careful, though," he says. The idea of Tony Stark being careful doesn't SEEM very likely.

"I'd like to come visit sometime. I imagine it's an interesting place."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Lady Blackhawk looks up then, and she nods. "Well we don't get a lotta company these days, but Ah make exceptions. Open invitation, of course. Anytime -Captain America- wants to visit." She winks again. "You'll need a ride t'get there, Ah expect. Jus' gimme a call and Ah'll come pick you up."

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers smiles, "I do find the name does open doors now and again. Closes a few, too, but nowhere I'd want to go anyway," he says. "Most of what keeps me busy probably makes the news. Avengers, keeping an eye on the city and the world, going from threat to threat. I've been trying to make a little time to draw and pretend I have a social life of late."

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
Zinda tilts her head a little, then. "Tell you what, though. Ah'll show you around the Island, but Ah'm gonna ask for a favor in return." Pause. "Jus' a little one. See, Ah got hold of some TV footage a little while ago. Saw one of those fancy little jets y'all fly for the Avengers...." Both brows lift, then, and she gives a hopeful smile.

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers laughs, "Ah, I see. Well, given that you're an old friend, I'm sure I can get you a pass to the hangar. Tony is very paranoid about corporate espionage, though, so if you're thinking of swiping any proprietary knowledge, just make sure to leave me out of it," he says with a wry grin of his own.

Lady Blackhawk has posed:
The little laugh returns and Zinda raises up enough to lean across the table and kiss his cheek. "It'll be our lil' secret. Promise." she replies. Of course he's talking about letting her see in the hangar and she's talking about taking a quinjet for a ride...

Details, details.

Captain America has posed:
Steve Rogers accepts the kiss with a hint of a blush and a smile, "Something like that, yes," he says. He takes a long sip of his coffee and starts to gather his things, "Well, it's been good to see you. Seriously, your face goes a long way towards making me feel a little more like I belong here," he says. "I do have things to attend, but I'll let you know when I can secure that pass for you."