12735/In the heart of Winter

In the heart of Winter
Date of Scene:	16 February 2021
Location:	Bushwick (Mutant Town), Brooklyn
Synopsis:	In the dark of winter, we think of what matters to us. Bucky meets up with Shannon, Piotr and Sam outside of the Club Evolution. Lilli makes new friends and earns a treat.
Cast of Characters:	Winter Soldier, Nightingale, Colossus, Cannonball

---

Winter Soldier has posed:
    There have been eyes in Bushwick. Eyes cold as winter ice, as blue as the frost of deepest Siberia. They're in the snow as it drifts around the streets, on the roofs as it settles, in the alleys as it drains away come the warmth of sunnier days. But the eyes, the eyes never leave.

    Others have been around, visibly and openly. Avengers have made themselves known, the X-men patrolled, the men and women in blue of the NYPD as they keep what peace they can. One other has been in the area just as long, staying out of sight, staying in the shadows... When the domestic terrorists return to the area, they'll find the cold of winter waiting for them.

    Currently, these blue eyes are lurking in an alley next to Club Evolution, while the Winter Soldier remains in the shadows. Unconcerned, and seemingly unguided, a German Shepherd called Lilli trots up to the service exit and sits down. Patiently.

Nightingale has posed:
     Normal was relative of late in Bushwick. Someone or other always seemed ready to stir the pot in the heart of Mutant Town. Cures. Antidotes. Explosions beneath the streets.

     And yet somehow, life seemed to go on.

     Wrapped in a black woolen, hooded opera cloak with red satin lining, a winged figure slips out of the service exit, dressed smartly in soft black boots, pressed black slacks, and a stylish white button-down blouse. Her hair was pinned up in a bun at the back of her head, save for one ice-blue braid just a few shades darker than her eyes, dangling at the left side of her face, bedecked with three small silver beads. She's just pulling on some gloves, her breath frozen into a cloud of mist in front of her face.

Colossus has posed:
Colossus wears his steel whenever he's in the area, wary of taking a dart out of the blue. He suspects that those responsible have more sense than to poke their heads in too often, given the response they've gotten from both the X-men and the Avengers. But bigotry isn't always rational.

Today, he's serving as Shannon's escort. Perhaps bodyguard would be a better word, but he felt the young woman might need his support and presence coming back to a place of trauma, even if she was being brave about the matter. "The place seems almost haunted, in this cold." he says.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    On cue, as Shannon and Colossus step out, Lilly stands up and trots over, just a happy dog doing happy dog things, running a circle around the two and barking excitedly. Is she a good girl? Of course she is, and she knows it, knows it to the very core of her being. It radiates from her, even in this cold, running another lap around Shannon and Piotr before sloping off towards the alley, giving one final bark on her way.

Nightingale has posed:
     "And this is coming from one who called a place just as cold, home," Shannon teased, a wry half-smile on her face as she peers up at Colossus. Letting out a long sigh, she looks around the alleyway, to the tops of nearby buildings, and to one in particular. There, her gaze lingers perhaps a bit longer than normal, her expression caught between remembered shock, and a smile that bore a hint of... pride?

     But, just as she opens her mouth to say something more, there is the barking of a very excited German Shepherd dancing around the two, almost as if laughing. She could not help but laugh in kind, turning about to try and keep the dog in her sight--as well as possibly locate the owner. "Well, hello there! Aren't you a beauty!"

Colossus has posed:
Colossus nods, "Perhaps it is because it was the farm and its desolation was part of its charm. Here, it only reminds me that the streets should be filled with happy people, that this place should feel more alive, instead of huddled in fear."

The dog draws a half-smile from Piotr, his somber mood lightened a bit by its antics, "Greetings to you, comrade canine," he says.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "You have to tell her she's a good girl." The voice seems to come from nowhere in the alley, although it's readily familiar to both mutants. The eyes reveal themselves first, seeming to float in mid-air until Bucky steps into the light, dressed in his typical combat outfit, but without the mask. "She knows she's a good girl..." he says giving her neck an affectionate pat as she loops around him and hurries back to Shannon and Piotr "... but you have to tell her, or she'll wonder why you didn't. Canine logic. Simple, pure. Better than human logic most of the time."

    There is the shadow of a smile as he takes in the others, giving a brief nod to Colossus. "Tovarish."

    His glance over to Shannon is a bit longer, and the smile returns once more. "Good to see you well."

Nightingale has posed:
     Laughing as she crouches down, Shannon slips one glove off to offer her hand to Lilli. "And you are a good girl, you beauty, yes you are! You remind me so much of another dog. His name is Bear." Affectionate scratches behind the ear are given, and it would seem that she is quite content to be on petting duty for the moment. "Animals make so much more sense than people sometimes. I just don't understand hate, even now."

     Smiling as she looks up at Colossus and Winter Soldier, she nods. "Thank you. It's... been trying." Looking to Bucky in particular, there is something of a twinkle in her eye. One can almost see the gears in her head turning as she has to think something through, the words a bit slow but the pronunciation hopefully understandable as she speaks. "Vse yeshche smotrite svoy yazyk?"

Colossus has posed:
"Your Russian is getting better," he says to Shannon, "I hope things have been calm in the area, friend. The people here have been through enough already. I will only truly feel better once we have apprehended those responsible, however," he says. "It is not right. This place was meant to be a sanctuary, where those outcast by the world could support one another. Instead, it has become almost a trap, a shooting gallery where the worst humanity has to offer exerts its prejudice," he sighs.

"But yes, we can find comfort in each other, animal and otherwise," he says. "Has there been any further details uncovered?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Vo vse vremena." Bucky intones, semi-gravely. Some things have to be said in Russian. "You've got a gift for languages. Good." Including the universal language that seems to be understood by all dogs, as Lilli tries her level best to lick Shannon's face.

    "I've been around, my friend, for a while now. I remember other times when people have banded together in the same area for mutual protection. Strangely that always seems to go one way, for a while." It's even odds he's talking about this city north of 110th street, or even as far afield and historically removed as Warsaw. "So lately I've been hanging around here, making sure nobody came looking for more trouble. I assure you, they'd have found plenty."

    As for further details... he seems uncomfortable about that. "Some. You know how it is, some things move slowly." Pause. "Steam rollers. Glaciers. Continents." All things which are, it must be noted, unstoppable. And inevitable.

Nightingale has posed:
     Lilli's quest to bestow doggy kisses upon Shannon is met with rounding success, enough so to knock the winged girl onto her backside and simply hug the pretty pooch around the neck. "What a good girl you are. You just keep your person out of trouble. If that's possible."

     The eyes that meet Colossus', in that moment, seem relatively free of shadows, and a few years younger, and she dips her head. "Spasibo. It's been fun to learn, and nice that you'll have someone else to speak it with."

     As she continues scratching Lilli's ears, now knocked back on her backside, she turns her head to look up at Bucky, tilting her head. "Something I've been meaning to ask you. Are you the agent Barnes that Cap mentioned once, several months ago?"

Colossus has posed:
Colossus tends to keep to himself and, despite being an X-man, isn't as well versed in the who's who of superheroism as Shannon is. He has seen the Soldier do his part in peace and war like, however, both in person and in the footage he's seen of the conflicts here.

"I find myself coming here more and more myself. I have difficulty th inking about the danger these people face and what I can do to help. About what kind of difference I might have made if I'd been there for some of the earlier battles," he says, reaching out and putting a hand on Shannon's shoulder. "I might have saved much grief."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Happy human? Happy Lilli! Ear scritching merits more doggie kisses, tail a-wagging when she's called a good girl again. But then she's always had a knack for cheering people up. Especially those who needed it most.

    "Hard to say, but there's a good chance that I am, yes. Unless he knows another Agent Barnes that I don't know of." It's as close as Bucky has ever come to admitting his actual name to those outside of SHIELD, and even that's taken some doing.

    Piotr gets another nod. "I feel the same way. But then we are men of harsh winters in harsh lands, where every opportunity to help another must be taken. That unfortunately means that, eventually, there are too many to help. And then you have to make the hard choice. Who do you help? Who has to struggle through the winter on their own? There's never a good answer, and there's always regret."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie has stayed a bit later than the others, making sure everything is done and lights are off, alarms are on and that type of thing. So now Sam comes out and locks the door, seeing movement movement by the service entrance, he heads that way.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Someone had very wise words for that sort of thing," Shannon says, nudging Lilli to give her a little bit of room in order to get to her feet. All the while, though, she keeps one hand occupied with ear-scritching duties, which keeps a smile on her face. "After my first massive failure in the field, a teacher told me you're lucky if you can save one in five. Just think of the one and not the other four." Pausing, her smile widens a bit further. "A mutual friend also told me around that same time, that if we don't find a way to keep moving forward, how many others will die instead?"

     She brushes her hand off then, and fixes Bucky with a warm smile, and kind eyes. "It seems thanks are long overdue to you, then, sir." Extending her hand towards him, her smile widens. "If you remember a Samuel Morgan, you helped him get his service dog, Bear. That made him incredibly happy and did a great deal of good. I'd asked Cap if he'd relay thanks, but always hoped to thank you myself as well, for helping my friend."

Colossus has posed:
Colossus smiles, "I know all of this, of course. But knowing a thing and feeling a thing are not always the same. My mind knows that I cannot be everywhere - my heart holds me responsible for missing out on protecting my fellows. My gift is one that makes me...formidable," he says, flexing an organic steel hand. "So, then, must my responsibilities be just as formidable," he says.

He notices movement and sees Sam approaching them, raising that same hand in greeting, "Hail to you, friend Sam."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Steve's very good at that inspiring people thing. That's why he's a Captain and I'm a Lieutenant. I don't have to worry about saying the right thing at the right time, just do the right thing at the right time." Bucky shrugs. "Occasionally I say the right things, but it's entirely by accident." Hmmm.

    Looking down at Lilli, he nods as he seems to recognise the name. "Lilli liked him. That's all I needed to know. Some debts... some history needs to be cleared, for a man to be able to move forward. Sometimes we need a bit of help, when logic fails us, or logic gets in the way. That's when it's wise to appeal to simpler logic, purer logic." Lilli barks happily and gives Shannon one last lick, before trotting over to Piotr. "Especially when there are doors we'd rather not open."

    With great care, Bucky extends his metallic hand towards Piotr. "I know, tovarish. But never let the winter freeze your heart, da? It's cold enough as it is, summer will come again. And when the summer sun shines through the window, look at the faces of those who made it through winter because of your help. Let that feeling warm you for the winter to come." What was that again about saying the right things? Right...

    The man in the alley with Shannon and Piotr isn't large. He's much smaller than Colossus, and yet he has the impression of looming simply by existing. Eyes turn to the newer shadow joining the group. "I mean these people no harm, friend."

Nightingale has posed:
     The next words out of Shannon's mouth trip from her lips perhaps just a little -too- readily, as she calls Bucky right out. "Der'mo. Vy polny etogo." She just grins at him, shaking her head. "You can't convince me you don't say the right things at the right time, especially hearing that."

     Motion out of the corner of her eye catches her attention, and she turns to look at Sam, smiling and waving. "Hey there, big bro. Lights finally out?" She keeps one ear on the exchange between Colossus and Winter Soldier, peering at the latter with increased respect, perhaps even a touch of admiration, as she listens.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods his head a bit as he hears the man saying he was not there to cause trouble and Pitor and Shannon calling out to them As he walks up, he looks to Bucky, and says "If you had ment them harm, I think I would have probably heard the beyargs by now." He offers with a grin. He looks to Shannon "Yea, and Got a few things this weekend added tot he lost and found box, so added them to this weeks storage.

Colossus has posed:
Colossus takes the offered hands and shake it, "The best we can do is the best we can do,' he says simply and nods. "Shannon, don't tell me you are a secret member of the Guthrie clan. I had only just begun to get the siblings kept track of," he says with a bit of a smirk.

Relaxed though he seems to be, he still keep an eye on the area around them, craning his massive head. He's feeling at ease, for a moment. This is too often when things begin to go wrong.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    This time there is a touch of frost in the voice when Bucky responds to Shannon. "Sledi za yazykom..." But whatever freezing might have happened thaws rapidly, as Bucky slaps Piotr on the opposite arm with his own, more fleshy hand. "The best we can do is pretty good, my friend. More than what most could hope for. Never forget that." And yet for all that, he still hadn't introduced himself. Probably for the best.

    Lilli, never one to miss an opportunity, bounds over to Sam and sits down, tail wagging, looking up at him with puppy eyes of such pathos that you could imagine she'd never seen a human being before. A great actress, is our Lilli.

    The Winter Soldier is also keeping an eye out. Shadows, rooftops, angles, reflections... all those simple checks that seem to come natural to those who are used to trouble finding them. "All the same, it's best to start off on the right foot. Especially this close to your club, I'd rather you didn't get the wrong impression of me."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks down at the dog, and smiles "Ok, if I give her a bit of home made jerky, not overly spicy and made of venison." He offers about it. He does reach down letting the dog smell his hands, and if she seems ok with it squats down to give her a bit of scritching "Well hello there."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon's cheeks brighten in hue, and it's not from the chill in the air. Her voice is more than a little sheepish, as is her smile, as she replies to Bucky. "Prostite, ser. But in my defense, you have more of a gift for the right words at the right time than you think."

     Her smile widens and lessens the look of chagrin, though this time one wing furls around in front of her face to hide that smile. "You'll be lucky if she doesn't bowl you over with doggy kisses there, big bro. She's such a sweetheart... a good girl."

     Colossus is favored with a rather amused look, and she shrugs, eyes now twinkling. "Not by blood, but very early on, Sam took me under his wing, and so did the rest of the clan. They've been a blessing and a joy."

Colossus has posed:
Colossus nods slightly, "Ah, under his wing. The puns, they are mighty," he says.

He is not sure what to say, now, so he just stands there, awkwardly, his massive frame overshadowing the rest.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Ears perk up, a wagging tail wags all the more, all the classic signs that Lilli has perfectly understood what Sam just said, and is pre-empting the decision about to be made. And, sure enough, she knows her human very well, as Bucky can't help but smile and nod. "Go on. You'll be her favorite person for at least five minutes, and she's earned a treat." That is one happy dog...

    Bucky, for his part, turns a bit more serious and mentions quietly to Piotr "When I know more, when the time comes for the glacier to move... would you like to know? I think we both have a score to settle with these terrorists."

    But who can stay frosty at the sight of that wing restored? Quite a bit of residual anger drains away.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will reach into a pocket pulling out a ziplock bag of jerky, he pulls out a piece and offers it to the canine. He does hold the bag out in offer to the humans as well. "Ah don't think she wants to knock me over, Ah think I am good. After the dog has the jerky he does pet her a bit more "Ah do miss having a dog."

Nightingale has posed:
     For her part, Shannon gladly accepts the offer of jerky, plucking a smaller piece from the bag and nibbling on the edges. "Thanks. This is always good stuff... ma Guthrie send up her latest care package?" She smiles, tilting her head and thinking a moment. "Let me know when you're getting ready to send one to her, and I'll make sure to add a batch of snickerdoodles for the whole clan."

     Turning to Bucky, she just crosses her arms, but extends one wing playfully in his direction. "And you, sir, be glad I don't know where you live, or you would likewise be favored with a similar gift of sweets."

     Turning to Colossus, she just looks up. And up. And up. Craning her neck a bit in teasing fashion, she smiles. "And you, Mr. Rasputin, your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to be a taste tester for the latest back of baked goodies when we get back home. What say you?"

Colossus has posed:
Colossus smiles to Shannon, "I would, of course, be honored," he says with a very pleased expression indeed, his gleaming features catching a bit of the light.

He nods firmly to Bucky, "Yes, I would like an opportunity to pay my personal respects to these tormentors. I haven't managed to get my hands on any of them yet and I would...relish the opportunity," he says.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    An eyebrow lifts, a smile appears around the corner of Bucky's mouth when he's being offered baked goods in exchange for revealing where he goes when he's not around. "Tempting. Very tempting."

    Lilli doesn't need to resist temptation, and chomps down the jerky with glee. It must be good stuff, judging by the sight and sound of her obvious enjoyment. This earns Sam a lick afterwards.

    Another nod to Piotr. "Done. Before we consider summer, we'll bring the cold of the darkest winter to them. After that, we can warm our hands by the fire." Even odds he'll even bring the Vodka for afterwards.

    "I leave everyone in your capable hands, my friend. I will see you soon." And at that he turns, giving a nod to Sam in passing... and stopping at the mouth of the alley, turning to look over his shoulder. "Oh, and tell Ororo I haven't forgotten."

    On that cryptic note he turns the corner and is gone, followed a few moments later by Lilli, traipsing after him without a care in the world.