14231/El Diablo

El Diablo
Date of Scene:	25 March 2022
Location:	In Dreams
Synopsis:	Clint gets a brief reprieve from the consequences of the warehouse. Diablo likes them apples.
Cast of Characters:	Phantasm (Drago), Hawkeye (Barton)

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Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
What a wild time it was. There had been a distress call which led to the need to exctract one Clint Barton. Nick, who by virtue of staying at the Trisk due to 'other things', ended up tagging along. Fortunately, phantasms do have a nifty exit plan available to them and Nick used that upon reaching the dangling Clint.

They were quite fortunate with where they ended up. Of the various random dreams to fall into. The quiet simplicity of a ranch was a welcome sight. Grassy fields, a barn in the distance with wooden fencing extending all the way out to their landing area was the first thing seen. To the other side of the fence they're near, there is a fence nearby with a rather spirited horse behind it, The black coat and the general mannerisms working well to explain the sign indicating his name to be 'Diablo'.

Well. At least Nick got to see the welcome sight. As he found out, Clint had checked out while in the warehouse. So rather than having someone able to walk with him, this little Phantasm is stuck playing the waiting game.

He had shifted his form to that of a raven, making it easier to maintain constant contact by being able to just sit on top of the unconcious Avenger. At least it's nice out.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
After a time, Hawkeye starts to stir, indicating that he's coming back from wherever he was. His eyes slowly open, revealing the strange environment where he finds himself. A ranch. Really? Last he remembers, he was hanging around in an abandoned warehouse turned battlefield, and quite at the end of his rope, hrm, chain actually.

Slowly raising his head to get a better view of his surroundings, a hand reaches for his forehead. Strange, that nasty cut is gone. And the ribs do not feel like they are all busted.

It actually looks like a ranch, it /feels/ like one, complemented with the required horse. For a moment, the archer wonders if this is yet another temporal glitch or trick sent him back to meet with Two-Gun Kid back in Tombstone. And then, he finally notices the black raven. Right there, sitting on him.

"Right, guess I finally bought the farm. Hey you, birdie, are you expecting to eat my guts? You wouldn't be the first to try. And fail."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As Clint starts to stir, the 26 inch tall corvid tilts its head in assessment. Not a sound is made as the raven patiently waits for Clint to get his bearings. There's no need to throw everything at the guy at once after all.

Once he is addressed, the oddness begins. First, the bird takes a breath. He then proceeds to talk, making sure to get to the point quickly. "Keep contact with me while you're here." The bird cautions, "Or you could end up ejected into some place else and I won't be able to guarantee where."

That's not ominous at all.

The beak twists to display a smile, "Ok. key point there. Other notes. You're in someone else's dream. It's not your dream. But you can control what you can do in this dream."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
A look of surprise appears on the archer's face, at being addressed by a raven. But years of experience with the Avengers taught him to expect the unexpected, and more.

"It has the merit to be clear," Clint replies at the recommendations made to him, slowly moving to stand. Even if he half believes what a raven just told him, he'll try not to break the contact, since it seems so important. /Ejected into some place else/, no thank you, sir. Here will do.

Now standing, the view around looks quite nice, especially to a Iowa native. There's no one else around, so the horse quickly gets his attention. It's been ages since last if rode, and this is a fine horse.

"Kay, got it, someone's else dream. Can we change the rating, say from PG13 to something else?" As he chuckles at his own humour, the archer walks toward the fence.

Glancing over at the raven, he raises an eyebrow, "I hope you have a name. /Raven/ is taken, and well, you don't exactly look like her."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As Clint starts to make his way to stand, the raven calmly walks up the archer's torso to find a perch upon Clint's shoulder. It seems like the best perch to pick while giving Clint sufficient mobility.

"Right now I'm a phantasm, so Phantasm should be fine." He pauses, "Or you could just call me Nick like before."

The bird looks over to the horse as Clint approaches it. "It's not your dream so you can't just change it on a whim. But, by interacting with it in the right way you might be able to cause the dreamer to alter it for you. This dream seems ok for a rest for the moment. When you're ready to go, I can find us a path to get you to someplace NOT warehouse ish."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
It took some time for his mind to chase the fog away, but now Clint links the dots. Raven, he's seen him before. Oh yeah, on that space station that Stark - of course - succeeded in destroying.

Clint's large shoulders surely offer a stable perch to the raven, which should provide enough stability to keep him from falling and loose contact as the archer slowly climbs over the fence, sitting on it, gently whistling to get the horse's attention.

"Ah yes, Nick, sorry, I was kinda lost for a moment. I rarely wake up in someone's dream, y'see? Then it figures that I'll wake up in a world of pain, as usual." Despite the grin on his face, the archer isn't so sure about it all. Yes, it /is/ peaceful and quiet. So far. Which is rather unnerving. From experience, peaceful and quiet rarely last more than ten minutes.

"Come here, Diablo," he softly beacons the horse, whose name was clearly indicated on a sign. "Is he not a beauty?"

As he speaks quietly, Clint climbs down the fence, entering the corral, stepping towards the horse, and stopping far enough from him to let the animal assess the intruder.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The bird nods, seeming RATHER STABLE as Clint starts climbing around. "Well, I rarely end up pulling unconcious people into dreams either." Nick admits, "But considering what was going on at the warehouse, it seemed a bit necessary. As for the pain. Well, quirks of being phantasmed is you lose your sense of touch, smell, and taste. Considering how you were looking, I do not envy how you're going to be feeling when you get back."

The horse is indeed a beauty, the well groomed, black coat stands out amoungst the lush green of the grass. The sunlight also contributes to the visual as it gives off a bit of a glisten.

Hearing the voice, the horse looks towards Clint, the front hooves shift up, kicking up dirt from the grass below.

"Judging from the amount of detail in the horse, I'd say the dreamer likely spends a lot of time watching horses in some sense." Nick glances around, "But the grass is off, so maybe not working at a ranch related. Avid watcher of Animal Planet maybe? Mind you, the horse may not actually act LIKE a horse but the dreamer's idea of how it might act."

As the raven speaks, Diablo rears up on it's hind legs, giving a loud whiny.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Standing still, Clint keeps looking at the horse, trying his best not to look menacing - which might not be quite possible with a two-foot black raven perched on his shoulder. And a talking one at that.

"Yeah, can't say I look forward to wakin' up," the archer replies in a sigh, "But for now, I feel no pain. Which, if I follow the /dream logic/, means that Diablo here cannot hurt me. Perfect." As he speaks, Clint glances around, silently agreeing that the grass is quite off. And there's no water, nothing to drink or eat for the horse.

Dream world, magic, all this shit, isn't really Hawkeye's gig. Space and time travel, yeah, he got his share of them. But dreams? What did Nick say yet about influencing the dream?

Slowly, Clint extends his arm opposite the raven's perch, palm up, toward the horse. "Can I like, /influence/ having an apple in my hand?" he asks his companion.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Well..." The raven responds, the drawl of the voice giving a bit of a warning tone, "If you want to get TECHNICAL, you can still get damaged IN the dream. So you still don't want to go running into the line of fire if you end up in some battle dream."

The bird considers the horse and Clint's question. "...The apple would be a part of you if you created one. You can't do projectiles so once the horse made a move for it, it'd vanish the moment the horse took it from you. If you want to try, The best way to do this is to pull one from your pocket."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The archer groans under his breath, "It figures. There's no escaping pain. Ever."

At least, he was right in assuming that the dream can be influenced in some way. Cautious to not make any brisk movement, Clint slowly brings his hand to a side pocket of his vest. How does it work? Right, think you have an apple in your pocket, and retrieve it. Simple enough, right.

And voila! Apple in hand - gawd this is fun! - the archer extends his hand again, this time with an apple, which he offers to the horse. "Come here, Diablo," he beacons the animal.

For a moment, the archer glances over at Nick, a large grin on his face. Hopefully, his companion isn't a telepath, for right now, the archer has some other ideas of things he'd like to pull out of his dream pocket, wondering if this would also work with people as well.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"What can I say? Dreams are weird like that." Nick replies with a sigh. He's staying reasonably still, just focusing on maintaining contact and answering questions, "But, keeps you humble. I guess."

The horse's front hooves hit the ground and lift up again as the creature rears back once more. Upon the presentation of the apple in Clint's hand, the behavior slows after a few more hops. Wait, What? An Apple? The horse settles, slowly walking towards Clint. The creature observes the man, and then looks to the apple.

Nick watches curiously to see how Clint does with the presentation of the apple, observing as Clint shows it to the horse along with its reaction. "Ok. good." The bird comments, tone low but betraying a bit of approval to the methodology being used, "It appears the dreamer has accepted the apple's presence so they might take over maintaining the image long enough for the horse to eat it."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The constant smile on Clint's face doesn't only denote his content with how this dream experience works, but mostly how Diablo reacts to his offer. Seldom are those who know that the archer /loves/ horses and horse riding. Some of the best times he ever had were while riding in the sunset along his pal Kid.

The arm remains extended, with the offering well in view.

"Too bad it's all a dream," Clint states, keeping his voice low so to not startle the horse, "He's a fine ride, I'm sure. Maybe, who knows, I might dream of him. Or come back to this dream." He pauses for a moment, his eyes on the fine horse. "It's some power you've got there, Nick. I bet Fury has his good eye on you, hey?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The raven nods as he watches the horse eat the apple in Clint's hand. As it lifts off the palm it becomes apparent the dreamer has indeed taken over the responsibilty for the object. He waits a bit to allow Clint time to enjoy the moment before he speaks up.

"Well, I could give you some tips on how to make lucid dreaming easier after we get back if you'd like." Nick offers.

The beakish smile fades to the mention of Fury and powers, "...I don't know. Never met the guy. I'm just a guest until some other matters can be resolved. I had to register at the time so... maybe?"

Mood somewhat ruined, the bird sighs, "Okay. Uh, before we go popping back to reality can you recall how bad you were hurt before we came in? Are you going to need a full out hospital visit?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
And the apple is gone, accepted. The archer waits for the horse to back off, not trying to touch the animal.

"Yeah, I've got a shitload of AARs to read about it. One thing is sure, you can do things he'd like to put into good use, if you know what I mean." Does he? The archer, unsure of how much Nick knows about SHIELD's activities, doesn't add more to this comment.

Slowly turning around, returning to the fence, Clint tries to remember how badly injured he was. Even the mere thought of it makes him cringe. "Bad cuts, lots of bruises, maybe a couple cracked ribs, nothing much. I'll be fine home, with some coffee and Tylenols."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Diablo finishes chewing the apple. Eyes set on the now empty hand. There's a 'prrffffft' of derision coming from the horse's nose before he turns, trotting off.

Nick watches the horse head off, but listening to Clint's commentary. "AARs?" He repeats, not really sure what the acronym stands for.

"...I don't mind helping from time to time but- I'd like to have my life back." He pauses, "Well, the parts that weren't being manipulated."

The bird shakes his head. "Ok I don't know where you live, so compromise and plop you down at the Trisk? I'll even keep you phantasmed until you can get the Tylenol within reach."

He might be an asshole at times, but he's not that much of one.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The reply is short and clear, "Not the Trisk," Clint replies, "Anywhere in Brooklyn, Williamsburg, I'll find my way home from there. Or else, the Avengers Mansion. Whichever."

There's no way he's going back to SHIELD right away, heck, and have the med team fuss over him, captive, for days? Over his dead body, and still.

"After Action Reports," he explains, starting to climb the fence. "Y'know, danged reports I can't care to write, and am supposed to read? I've been away for a while, so I'm not really up to date on what's happening. You say, someone's manipulating you? Geez. You know whom?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"No Trisk." Nick confirms, giving a birdy tilt of the head. "Okay. Well, I think I could get you close to the mansion then." He offers, "There's a couple of repetitive dreamers in the area that makes that section of the city easy to aim for."

He grows quiet, considering the other question. "Was." Nick corrects, "...Well. I think. It's a complicated story and I don't know if there are any more pieces. I haven't even gotten my head around what we got. Bucky's working on something to try and clean up the mess that got uncovered but..." He pauses, "Until the mess is cleaned up, I'd take anything DHS says with a grain of salt."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Confirmed," Clint replies, "Lots of dreamers around the Avengers."

On that, he sits on the fence, waiting to see how it goes about with the trip back home. He's not looking too much to waking up in pain, but hey, it will neither be the first time, nor the last time.

"Ah, you've got Bucky on it, that's good. Count on him to clean things properly! Well, either way, if I can help you with anything, I'm quite easy to find. Well, most of the time, anyway. I'll be happy to help you as much as I can."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick nods to the assessment of Bucky. "He's a good friend," he agrees, "A little overprotective at times but- I'm glad for him. And thank you." The bird rubs his wings together. "But let's first get you back to where you can start mending. I'll at least keep you phantasmed until you get to the front door. Sound good?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
With a nod, Clint shows he's ready to wake up. "It's a deal, Nick."

Without being prompted to do it, he does anyway close his eyes, as he was instructed on the way to, hrm, to this oneiric place. "I kind of enjoyed it, but frankly, I won't make a habit of trading cracked ribs for a dream. Let's get this show on the road."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick chuckles at the comment, "Well fortunately cracked ribs are not a requirement. Just a helpful phantasm. Or Strange. He can do a lot of things..." He tilts his head forward, looking to Clint's face. Seeing that the man has already done the eyes bit, he nods to the unwatching Avenger.

The head turns, looking to the distance. "When I say now. Hop off the fence but lean towards your right."

.
.
."Now!"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
While it sounds kind of weird - lean towards the right? - Hawkeye does as indicated, and hops off the fence.

Opening his eyes, he quickly recognizes the surroundings, just in front of the Avengers Mansion. Hopefully, no Avenger's around to witness his sorry state on arrival.

Glancing at his shoulder, he notices that Nick is still there. "You've got good aim," the archer notes, "I'll be fine from here. Really. I'll ride the pain, it's only a couple sore ribs. Oh, and thanks for the extraction. That was definitively different!"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The bird glances around, checking for any possible looky lous before looking back to Clint, "Yeah. Sometimes you get lucky on the proximity. As for the extration, sorry about the hiccups. I'm still not sure why Iron Man was flying near you if he was supposed to be distracting them from you but..." Nick shakes his head, "Still you got out so- oh well." The bird lifts up a wing in a wave, "Heal up quickly!"

With that, the bird hops off of Clint, spreading its wings to give the semblance of flying while Clint is hit with his missing senses.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
And it is true, what Nick said. The minute his companion left, Clint was hit by the pain, all of it, all at once. Everywhere. A swear escapes his lips, as he tries to maintain an upright position. And yes, the cut on his forehead starts to bleed anew.

"Shit, that hurts," he groans, succeeding in keeping an upright, almost normal, pace as he heads for the Mansion. Hopefully, Jarvis won't notice the blood and alert everyone. Not that they would be surprised, surely Tony reported the events at the warehouse.

Soon, Tylenol are located and put to good use. As he finally lies down in his quarters, Hawkeye cannot but wonder where his dreams will lead him.

Hey, it would be nice to go for a ride on El Diablo!