14647/Away from the cats for XMas

Away from the cats for XMas
Date of Scene:	30 December 2022
Location:	Apartment 3A, Marcy House
Synopsis:	Skye and Clint have their own little Christmas
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Barton), Quake

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Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
With all the rumours about a possible unofficial mission after Christmas - one lead by the Winter Soldier - Clint had wanted to stop by his apartment to make sure that everything was okay there and give small presents to his tenants. The visit also included checking on the work done by his brother Barney in the basement.

And while he was there, Hawkeye had decided to stay overnight on Christmas Eve. Right, this place would definitely look better with a fireplace - even a fake one. Of course, Clint had invited Skye for the night and for the occasion, he even bought a new comforter to place on the new couch. Yes, gone is the old creaky couch, this new one being way more comfortable.

Not being a huge fan of Christmas, the archer has only added a single plastic Christmas tree, of about one foot tall, that keeps changing colors. It is expected that once the batteries die, it will be quickly discarded. For now, it rests in the middle of the coffee table.

Clint is busy in the kitchen area, which consists of a half countertop, a sink and a stove that is most likely older than the archer himself.

Quake has posed:
With all their friends working at various places in the world, bar Bucky, and Nick, Skye had volunteered to take shifts over the Christmas and New Years Eve vacation. There was Clint, but other than celebrating with him, Skye didn't give a crap about Christmas. After all, other than her birthday, it was the single most depressing holiday for orphans.

Most of the time growing up she didn't get presents. Well, one gift, rapped up, for a girl 0-4 years old. Not very good. And when she was older, in the group home, whatever she got was taken away by the older girls. Sometimes with a beating.

Her life was exactly what you might imagine the worst. Thus she ran away at the earliest age she could. Another reason she didn't like holidays. In her life they did not exist.

Walking up to Clint's apartment, with two coffees, and Gino's pizza, she rapped on the door with her boot. "Help me, please. Gino says hi, and I think he put some extra food in our bag? It's heavy? Who knows!"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Hearing the rapping on the door, Clint quickly goes to open the door, grabbing the pizza box and the bag.

"And hi to you, Gino," the archer replies, before placing a light kiss on Skye's cheek. "Glad you could make it, but hey, you can't do all the night shifts at the Trisk. C'mon in. Try the couch, let me know what you think. Brand new."

As he speaks, the archer returns to the kitchen corner to place the pizza box and bag on the countertop before looking for paper plates.

Paper plates in hand, Clint returns to the living room area - which is in fact, just the middle of the apartment where there is a couch and a coffee table. Handing the bag from Gino to Skye, he sits down on the couch.

"I wonder what he sends us."

Quake has posed:
Skye was used to his house. They still paid the housekeeper for hers, but his? They let their hair hang down, so to speak. It was a mess, but they liked it that way!

"Gino was closing up for the day - holiday hours. So, your guess is as good as mine. Though I wouldn't be unhappy if he sent me home with the wings." Mmm honey garlic! Hot sauce! Teriyaki!

As he brought the paper plates, she pulled out containers from the bag. "And I not working *all* the midnight shifts!" But pretty much. "You aren't unhappy with me, are you?"

She was right, wings! Plus garlic bread. Pasta. Dill pickles. If they had it, Gino packed it today. And for dessert Tiramisu. Holy cow! "I think he has forgiven us. And then some!"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Maybe on the mess side of things, but this apartment doesn't have cats! Although the archer got used to the feline residents of the Brownstone House apartment, the same could not always be said of the cats being used to Clint.

"Damn, Gino must really love us," Clint says, laughing as he watches all the food being taken out of the bag.

That said, coffee in hand, Clint smiles at Skye. "I dunno how and why I would be mad, Skye. You do what you want to do, which makes me even happier that you came."

The pizza box is opened, and Clint helps himself with a slice of pizza before it gets too cool. "See?" he points at the lone plastic Christmas tree on the coffee table, "I even decorated. Wonders won't cease."

Quake has posed:
"Well, it's not like everyone has a home to go to." Especially the agents amongst Skye's grouping. "But some do. I don't. Well, there's you. And tada, I'm here!"

She helps herself to two slices of pizza, and a helping of everything to boot. "Besides, Fury insisted I leave early tonight, and not come in tomorrow. Or the next day. I mean, he can't help if I do some work at home, but he can see to it that I am not on the property."

"Which reminds me.." Skye opens her jacket and pulls out a fairly flat bookish shaped parcel, and puts it under the tree. "I know in the past I have gotten you things that you have wanted, or needed.." Bows and arrows, and their accoutrements. "But not this year. I think you'll like it anyway."

That done, she munches on her dinner.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Oh! A gift! Who doesn't like a present? Smiling, Clint reaches for his jeans pocket to retrieve a small box, wich is places under the tree.

"I also got you something special," he says, "Made specifically for you."

And then, the archer grabs another slice of pizza.

Silent for a moment, Clint muses, "No work tomorrow. Geez. We'll have to find a way to pass time. Hrm. Whatabout Boxing Day shopping?"

Quake has posed:
"Boxing day shopping.. hrm. It has a certain appeal." Skye smirks, and then blinks. "Wait a minute. You got me a gift that was made especially for me?"

You just know that she was tempted to put away her dinner plate, mostly untouched, to figure out what was in the box.. Okay, to unwrap the parcel. Let's be honest.

"We could shake them and see if we can guess. Just saying."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Laughing, Clint almost chockes on his pizza. Of course, he knows how she loves presents, well, his at least. By the size of the box, she already can guess that it's not chocloates.

"Go ahead, shake it babe," the archer laughs, "You won't find out."

As for himself, he's in no hurry to get his present, enjoying too much to see her reaction.

"I was thinking between meal and dessert for the unwrapping, but it's yours, you do what you want."

Quake has posed:
Skye sticks out her tongue at Clint. "Meanie! But I bet you'll never guess what yours is as well."

She doesn't like presents. Except for Clint's.

"Fine. We'll eat our supper like grownups." Though, she can not be said to eat slowly. Finally they are done with the meal portion. She even held back to have another slice of pizza, and some wings. "I may leave the tiramisu for a midnight snack."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The main meal is quickly done, what with them being both SHIELD agents, they are used to eat quickly whenever they can while on missions. Not to mention, that pizza and wings are best when hot, which is about to not be the case anymore. All in all, they reach this time when presents beg to be opened.

"I have no clue, hrm. Lemme guess. Socks? A tie? Wait, gloves?"

Of course he is teasing her, but she also knows that whatever she gives him will be appreciated. They are like this, simple with simple happiness.

Quake has posed:
Skye rolls her eyes. "It's flat, not something squishy. But if you want, I can return the actual present for socks. It would be a lot cheaper."

She pretends to take his gift and put it aside.

"Though, I'm sure that once you see this you might change your mind." Yes, she is teasing him.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
This is a game that two can play. Nodding, Clint calmly takes the small box and pretends to put it back in his pocket. Laughing, he then offers it to Skye.

"Alright, let's make an exchange. Like I said, this has been specially crafted for you, and returning it would require that I rent a spacecraft."

And this is also teasing, to have her even more curious.

Quake has posed:
"Well, I know it's not a star." But it could have been made of stars. "Alright, we switch. And your clue is throughout the years there have been these made."

Not very helpful in the big picture.

Skye made the exchange.

For the most part she is stumped. After all, it is only a tiny wee little box. And given that clue it wasn't something for her laptop - which has her frowning. After shaking the box - to no avail - she admits, she's out of guesses.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint raises his eyebrows, trying to make sense of the clue Skye provided. What could it be? Not being into antiques, a fact that she very well knows too, makes it even more intriguing.

The archer takes the present, and feels that it is mostly in the form of a small box that would have no cover. Light bumps cover what would be the flat side of it.

"Alright. Three, two, one, go!"

And then, Clint quickly removes the wrapping. For a moment, he is speechless as he uncovers - literally - a display box, the size of a book - showcasing nothing. There are empty slots that obviously are made to hold items, but such items aren't in the display. Instead, there are a few sheets of papers folded atop the display.

"Okay," Clint says, dubitative, "So, hrm. Nice display."

Grinning, Clint takes the piece of paper and starts reading. As he reads, a large grin appears on his face, the kind of grin he would sport when going out on a mission. The one grin he would offer in response to a challenge.

"Oh! Challenge accepted, Keyboard! Scavenger hunt, I so love the idea."

Quake has posed:
As Clint opens his present, Skye worries at her lower lip. After all, she might have misjudged this present entirely. Even she had her doubts, seeing as the people she had talked to (in person, or on the computer) could only give her the basics. Nobody had tried to collect they way she hoped that Clint would have at the end of this. Whether by mythos, fact, or fiction, she had gathered what she was told would be one of the stellar collections of arrowheads /if/ he was able to do it.

Maybe he will, or maybe he won't, but he had the beginnings of a scavenger hunt.

When he grinned, she let her breath out. "You like it? I even arranged with Fury to have some time off for the hardest ones to procure. Well, if they can be found. I mean some of them are storied and quite possibly they don't exist."

Then it was her turn.

Ripping the wrapping she found a box that was easily open. Within the box was a pendant of green, held onto a delicate chain. Delicate meaning not thick chains, not delicate that Skye would be afraid to wear it. (Never mind that she wasn't a prissy girl!) Running her fingers around the chain she could tell it was strong.

"It is durable for me, isn't it? Simple, yet elegant.. and, of course, the pendant is green." She grins. "Not purple? I mean, it's from you, and you know you love purple." To the point, one of their couches at the Greenwich flat was from his room from the Avenger's mansion, and was purple. Very.. very purple. "It's beautiful."

She isn't aware of the surprise yet!

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
While still holding the display box as if it was a treasure - well, it WILL be on once he finishes the hunt - Clint nods, "Like it? Dang, I LOVE it, can't wait to start on the quest!" So this is it, for him, it is a quest and he aims to finish it, with Skye by his side.

"Don't worry about the chain," Clint explains, "I got the best possible, strong metal available still not too heavy, a variant of the surgival steel. But wait, hold it in the palm of your hand."

Well, he wasn't so sure how it worked, but his friend assured him that it would. And he trusts her skills there.

"It is a special stone, I picked it up by New Bifrost in New Asgard. I knew it would make a perfect pendant, but it has a special touch to it."

Quake has posed:
Skye blinks several times. Hold the pendant? Okay.. though she's not convinced (even though it comes from New Asgard. ..Then again, things that her mother has sent often are one thing on the outside, and a different thing on the inside.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Hoping to see if the magic will work - to see it is to believe it, they say - Clint waits. Meanwhile, he places his present on the coffee table and places the tiramisu on paper plates. Granted, he's not a fan of sugary stuff, but Gino's dessert can be seen as a delicious exception. Plus, it is Christmas after all.

Quake has posed:
With Clint it could be anything. Including a joke.

But then again this was the same man who had bought her a bouquet of pink roses to be let back into her life. Pink wasn't the colour of love; it was the colour of admiration.. and gratitude.

Holding onto the chain in one hand, and the pendant with the other, she waited. ..and waited.. and was just about to give up, when..

Her fingers happened to catch the binary code. Something that made her smile. Perfect Clint, you always found the right thing to use as a gift. When suddenly, in Clint's voice, all around her, she heard:

~Always believe in yourself, as I believe in you.~

That was the inscription.

"Did you hear that? Were you pulling my leg?" After all, she could hear the tiniest fraction of sound - whether from Clint, or something else.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint Barton doesn't have a great hearing sense. He has always been plagued with that, and despite all attemps to improve his hearing, it remains just basic. So no, he did not hear it.

"No, I didn't hear it," the archer admits, "It's meant to be low, like a whisper. But I know what it says. And I agree with what it says."

Of course, he does, since he recorded the message.

"I had a friend of mine code it and all. You like it? It's really a one in the kind, Asgardian stone with your own personalized recording."

Quake has posed:
"I love it." Skye shakes her head in disbelief. "You have a friend who speaks computerese, and does magic?" *boggles*

Mind you, she's got something different to thank him by. To hell with the tiramisu. And then can certainly talk about his friend, and where she'd got the scavenger hunt later. Heck, when they were in the bedroom, Barney could have supper as well. Just don't be knocking on the bedroom door.

Maybe they should put a sock on the doorknob to reiterate to stay out..