14366/Barking Mad

Barking Mad
Date of Scene:	08 May 2022
Location:	Harry's Hideaway (Bar), Salem Centre
Synopsis:	Sarah informs Bucky he looks like a cyborg assassin in front of Nick. Bucky does not deny this. Wait... What?
Cast of Characters:	Winter Soldier, Phantasm (Drago), Sarah Connor

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Winter Soldier has posed:
    Vintage. It's the best you can say for the car that pulls into the lot by Harry's Hideaway, perhaps pausing to take in its other virtues... hard wearing, impossible to break, still going after all this time. But vintage, absolutely vintage. Lovingly restored, possibly, because how many original Willis Jeeps are still rolling around outside of museums or enthusiast reanactor parades? And all of those virtues can probably be ascribed to to driver, who has elected to drive all the way with the windshield down. Because he could, and Bucky was certainly cognisant of entertaining his passengers.

    Well, two out of three.

    As he kills the engine with a final roar, and engages the parking brake with its distinctive squeal, these two passengers are looking around with their usual happy, tongue lolling experssions. New places, new scents, new things to explore! And there was wind when the box on wheels was moving, such wind!

    The pair, identified as Bear and Lilli according to their collars, jump out of the backseat after being unbuckled. Safety first, even for German Shepherds!

    "Hey, mind taking these two inside while I put the tarp on? Don't want anyone to get any funny ideas about hotwiring this thing." Ah yes, this is asked of the third passenger. The human one.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
No matter the term used to describe Bucky's ride, it will always be better than the term used to describe Nick's:

Nonexistent.

Living most of his life in New York with a lot of others just handling travel arrangements for other places. Nick could easily count on one hand the number of times he has EVER had to drive a car. And perhaps that's why Bucky's willing to drive Nick around. Because that rocker doesn't insist on taking the wheel.

As Nick gets out of the car, he takes the leashes of the two well behaved doggos and nods to Bucky. "Sure." The entertainer agrees, "I'll try and get us a table too."

Task in mind Nick heads into the pet friendly venue, which turns out to be rather quiet at the moment. But then again.

It IS Mother's Day.

With the exception of the period of shirtlessness, Nick's attire is much more relaxed than it was yesterday. Instead of the suit he is wearing Jeans and a tee, making no effort to hide the old scar on his forearm. Even the ponytail is a little messier than yesterday, mainly due to it being a last second decision in the face of windows down driving.

A glance is given each way before he settles upon a table off to the corner where there's a limit to the amount of foot traffic in the area. As the dogs scoot in, settling under the table, Nick sits down. Man these are well behaved puppers.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Harry's is not the place to bring your mother. It also wasn't Sarah's idea to be working, but she /is/ the new girl, so she lucked out and worked a double shift. What? She already ruined her Sunday - Mother's Day. What's a few more hours? Besides she fully expected to switch shifts often, and may as well get brownie points early!

The door to Harry's opened with a quiet sound. 'Nobody likes bells or whistles. Damn magicians. So high strung. And don't get me started on the X-Men. Keep it quiet. Don't stare. Bring the food hot and the beer cold.' Was all she got in the form of on the job training.

So there Sarah was buffing the glasses and filling the condiments. The usual sorts of 'keeping busy' on a day when there isn't much to do.

"Be right with yoooo.." Damn. Nick. FUUUUCK.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    A few minutes later, after both dogs have settled under the table and begun looking at the place with supreme canine interest, the mystery man enters. The same one from months ago. Dressed differently, sure, but clearly the same one.

    James Buchanan Barnes, Bucky to his few friends, comes through the door in about as relaxed a manner as he can contrive, but still he stops just inside to take off his sunglasses after taking a few moments to glance around. Hmm. Nearly empty. And then his blue eyes take in Sarah. A familiar face. Absolutely familiar, even after that single encounter now so long ago, in a different part of the state. Small world.

    Making no comment, the man heads over to the table currently claimed by Nick and his two canine charges, neither of which seem alarmed at his approach. In fact, the moment he sits, there is at least one doggie head in his lap demanding a fuss, which is gladly given.

    Gladly, but without stealing all his attention. There's plenty of reflective surfaces around, and his gaze returns again and again to Sarah.

    "Ever been here before?" the mystery man asks of Nick, clearly acquainted with the rock star. Is Nick in danger? Has he been fooled by the very realistic looking exterior of an advanced Cyberdyne Systems model? "Nice place, food's always good."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Being settled, Nick grabbed one of the plastic lined menus resting against the napkin dispenser. It's a short menu but being his times coming here could usually be described with the terms 'once','blue', and 'moon', it's still a good idea to check for any changes.

The familiar voice without the familiar context draws up Nick's eyes, a brow lifts in response. "...Uh. Hi."

If there was going to be any further conversation with Sarah, it is bitten back as the door opening draws Nick's attention to Bucky. As the larger man sits down and Lilli shows Bucky some love, the musician sets the menu back down on the tabletop.

"Well, I never DROVE here but..." Nick replies to the question. Hinting to other methods of travel, "I've been here a few times before. But, infrequent enough the menu could have changed."

Spoiler alert: It hasn't changed.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Oh that man.. robot.. terminator.. whatever he is walked in and plunked his caboose with Nick. How could Sarah warn Nick on one hand and avoid him on the other??

There was the rub!

And dammit she just *got* this job!!

Pulling up two menus (really just a piece of paper with today's specials on it, she proceeded to serve the table. "Look, I'm new here, and I don't want any trouble." She addresses Nick, but was really looking at Bucky. "Don't order the soup. They're out."

They didn't even have any at the start of the day. Some 'out'.

She still looked at Bucky.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    There is a moment, a long moment in fact, in which the man looks at Sarah. His eyes have that glint of winter ice in them, the gaze not even broken by a single blink. And then, as if by magic, a smile appears. "No trouble, Miss Baum."

    There must be something going on, because Lilli now has both her front legs upon Bucky's lap and seems to be trying to nudge him under the chin, while Bear has brazenly climbed onto the seat next to Bucky and is leaning against him while looking up at his face. "Never any trouble with these two around, I can assure you."

    And with both dogs now claiming a spot next to him on the seat, he has to reach for the menu with his arms around both of them, giving the laminated paper only a cursory glance. "I'll have the Harry Burger, with fries, apple pie to follow. And whatever's on tap."

    The smile hasn't faded. "Is it still Miss Baum or do you prefer Miss Connor?" It's said softly enough that he doubts anyone nearby can hear it, aside from Nick. But it's clear that, whoever mystery man is, he knows. And isn't doing anything about it right now.

    Because of dogs.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As Sarah brings over the specials listing and sets them down over the regular menu, he glances down to them.

And then Bear's sitting on the seat next to Bucky. A glance is given to Bear for a few moments before Nick looks back to the specials. Nope. Nothing standing out there. "So much for the soup and sandwich." He mutters, shaking his head. When Bucky asks Sarah about which last name she's going under now, his complaints halt. Eyes look up, guaging the reaction of the server.

Why does this exchange have the same vibes as yesterday?

Sarah Connor has posed:
FUUUUUCK.

Yet.. the dogs (which she wasn't very certain were allowed here?) were treating him like.. a human?? Something didn't make sense. But he did know her name - her /actual/ name. Nick either knew before now, or this friend was putting it out there for Sarah and Nick.

What the fuck?? This made no sense.

"So you know." Her voice was pitched just to them. "Who are you really? You act like a terminator, and yet you don't." Now she looks between both men.

At least she wasn't as icy as she had been the last time. So much for progress?

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "What's a terminator?"

    There's genuine puzzlement in Bucky's voice, and he even glances at Nick as if expecting some form of clarification for a form of modern day vernacular that has somehow passed him by. In fact, with a puzzle shake of the head, Bucky even digs out his trusty notebook and makes a note to himself at the bottom of a page to look the term up. Modern times, he may never adapt. But he also leans back after that, his arms around the dogs, who seem quite fond of him. And protective, for some reason. That certainly appears to be mutual.

    "I knew when I saw you a few months back. Got a memory for faces, famous for it." Usually for other reasons. "But you can ask my friend here, I'm very understanding of people who don't want to be found for one reason or the other. So I didn't tell anyone about it."

    Extricate right arm from around Bear, lean forward, offer hand (with glove) to Sarah. "James Barnes."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Whether Nick knew before Bucky brought it up or not is left as a mystery for the moment. He is certainly not providing the answer at the moment, but he didn't seem that surprised with the other name being offered up. Then again, it could also be a sign of general common sense. Person speaks of being chased by murdering robots and hiding from them. Stands to reason fake names are involved. Seems reasonable, right?

Now when Sarah states the possibility of Bucky being a terminator, the expression changes a bit. Nick's lips press together tightly, forming a thin, weak smile. He rests an arm on the table, the other hand lifts up, covering his mouth while the thumb moves, wiping away a tear of laughter threatening to escape from the side of the eye.

Right. This is serious stuff.

And then Bucky asks what a Terminator is.

The head tilts downwards, eyes getting covered by the open hand as Nick considers the stated question. "Not a common knowledge thing," Nick states, now rubbing the sides of his head. He glances up, looking to Sarah, "Do you want to field that question for him?"

Sarah Connor has posed:
Now, when Sarah was putting on a face (she usually was) she had practised her smiles, and her handshakes.. but this? Real Sarah? For a moment she just /stared/ at the hand.

Then she turned to Nick. "This is your friend?"

Either this James was fantastic at pretending. Or, and it was a big or, he really was just.. James. He might have something about him not quite right, but he wasn't a terminator.

"A terminator isn't a human. It's basically an autonomous cyborg that can be virtually indestructible. Usually an assassin. A soldier. An infiltrator." She faces James as she explains it to him.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    So Bucky sits there for a few moments, hand outstretched, and not getting the response he was expecting. No handshake... too forward? Wrong decade? At any rate, his smile just gets fractionally wider in a self deprecating way, and then the hand is withdrawn. "Brings back memories..."

    Mostly of the late 1930's.

    And then the term is explained to him, although he doesn't seem to make a note of it in his notebook. Instead he nods during the explanation, and then offers his dazzling smile again. "Oh. Right. Don't worry, I'm not a cyborg." Smile. Blink. That was, technically speaking, a lie. And for the truly paranoid, that shows in his expression, with that unnecessary blink.

    Because, when you get right down to it, the Winter Soldier is all of those things. The dogs get another fond squeeze and fuss, and are then instructed to get back down under the table.

    "I can see why you might think that though. And I apologise if I ever gave the impression that I'm somehow... not human."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
When Sarah asks Nick to confirm Bucky's friends status, she gets a nod in response. At the moment he's not trusting the words that will come out of his mouth.

Tilting his head back up, his hand rests over his mouth as he rests his head, looking between the pair having the conversation.

Sarah Connor has posed:
"I don't know /what/ you are, but you're not truly human either. " Sarah was almost certain she was only on the right track. She was /good/ at telling and ferreting out lies. Very good. Hell in a roundabout way she was all those things except a cyborg.

There were liars. And then there were LIARS.

Something made her think that James was a LIAR. Just not a terminator.

She turns back to Nick. "You're here of your own free will?" Yes, she asks him that in front of James. Something tells him if he twitches wrong Sarah would automatically produce a gun and blow Bucky away. Where she hides her big gun isn't important right now. It's the aura she gives off.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "I swear it's this decade. This never used to be a problem." Bucky sighs and leans back again, his arms along the length of the back rest of the booth. He catches the look, and gives a shrug in return. He has that aura about him that seems to imply that he's either not worried about being shot, or that attempting it would be a tremendously bad idea.

    But he keeps his hands visible. Visible, yet gloved.

    "Nick..." and now Bucky looks at his friend with a very grave expression. One so grave that it's probably false. "... I know you like a joke, but I think now is not the time for it. So don't tell her about how I dragged you into the car and have you guarded by these two ferocious guard dogs..." who, by the way, appear to have fallen asleep under the table "... and no matter what happens, don't tell her about Nicaragua."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Oh for Christ's sake."

Well so much for not speaking.

Nick lowers his hand, looking over to Sarah, "Yes. He drove us here. All we want is some food and drinks at a bar where everyone DOESN'T know your name and the dogs get a bit of socialization." He gestures to the two sleeping dogs. Nick pauses, looking over to Bucky. 'Cheers. TV series from the 80s.'

He looks back to Sarah, "He's very much human. Stop telling him otherwise. People don't like that."

The musician pauses, looking to Bucky "And WHY would I tell her about Nicaragua?"

Nick shakes his head in disgust, "It was clearly Guatemala."

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah makes a face.

Oh, she would like to tell both of them off. James for lying. And Nick for pissing her off. Didn't he know that she was trying to protect him?? This was another reason why she didn't make friends!

"Sure. One Harry Burger with fries and pint on the side. And you. Still want the soup and sandwich, sans the soup?" A pause. "Which one? After all, the flags are similar.. if you don't know them."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "It was a bad joke. Sorry, I get like that when I'm hungry." Which is Bucky's lesser known special move. Everyone knows of the Barnes Stare. Quite a few people have met their demise at the business end of the Barnes Kick. But this is something far more special, far rarer... the Barnes Bounce. And then the gloves come off. Literally.

    It's the left hand that's the dead giveaway. Not only is it clearly metal, it's clearly of an unusual alloy, silver and streaked with golden accents. Most people can't tell the difference between regular steel and Vibranium, but there it is. And he's moving it just like a normal hand. "Most people freak out when they see the arm, so I wear the gloves and long sleeves. I move like a trained killer because that's what I was. So I'm a cyborg assassin. And I haven't been in Nicaragua for a very long time, and I don't remember a lot of it. Too many people shooting at me at the time to really appreciate the scenery. Can we try this again?"

    Again he leans fowards, extending his right hand towards Sarah. "Hello. I'm James Barnes, agent of SHIELD. I come here a lot, ask Harry. A pleasure to meet you."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Nick grumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose as she brings up soup and sandwich but without soup. That just kills the point

As Bucky pulls off the glove to reveal the nature of his hand, the musician looks unblinkingly to it and then over to Sarah. "Shit happened, he lost an arm. He got a prosthetic. There. Explained."

He looks down to the menu for a moment, considering the options before he glances back up, "You know what, we'll keep it simple. Same as him so in all that's Two Harry Burgers with fries, two pints, and two apple pies. He glances under the table, "And maybe some water, no ice in to go cups for the dogs?"

Sarah Connor has posed:
What is it with SHIELD? Has she got a bullseye between her eyes that makes them attracted to her?

But he did say he kept his mouth shut over her real name.

When his arm is shown, without the gloves, Sarah takes a minute. He was everything she thought, but not a terminator. Actually she relaxes after a moment. "Okay. Weird.." Like Cameron. But almost trustworthy - almost.

Really? Sarah should be creating another category for people who she does not trust implicitly, but could work with. Such a weird concept for her.

"Central America is the place to go if you don't want to be found." Sarah looks at Bucky's hand, and decides to shake it. "I know."

Then she nodded. "Two of the orders. Something for the dogs. Got it."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    The shake is firm, but friendly. And accompanied by a smile, although the expression seems to still be punctuated by those eyes. Is Bucky thinking the same thing? Hmmm. And if so, what does that make Nick? How do the dogs fit in? Why is it called a Harry burger if it's not made of Harry? Such mysteries!

    "Thanks Sarah." And in an undertone "I've always preferred Eastern Europe or East Africa. Just as easy to disappear, less mosquitoes."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Hungry.

Right now the conversation is making Nick hungry.

With the general understanding of the order relayed back, Nick nods. "Yes. That." He sets the menu back where he found it while handing the specials menus back to Sarah. He lets out a sigh, smiling at the prospect that they may actually get to eat and drink here.