14687/Welcome Home?

Welcome Home?
Date of Scene:	31 January 2023
Location:	5A 51st Floor, Four Freedoms Plaza
Synopsis:	Skye tries to recruit Nick as a consultant by...telling him what a horrible agent he would make.
Cast of Characters:	Phantasm (Drago), Quake

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Nick Drago has posed:
It's been just a little over two weeks since Bucky let Nick know that there was no perceived risk towards him anymore. While welcome news it is taken with a grain of salt because, they have been wrong before. So with an aire of caution Nick did move out of the Trisk. But not back to Wade's condo. Instead Nick made a bit of a lateral move by going to the apartment he had moved into when the situation had just begun: Four Freedoms Plaza.

Despite being there for some time already, there's not a single item in the dresser that came with the apartment. Save for the groceries, notebooks, and sketchbooks, everything is still bagged or boxed.

The apartment is quiet. The TV while on is muted, allowing for closed caption to convey what's going on the TV. This would be fine if Nick was watching the TV but instead he is sitting on the bed, looking through a folder of paperwork.

Guess he'll have to watch the news later to find out what tomorrow's weather will be like. Bet it's 'cold'.

Skye Johnson has posed:
Skye had heard of Nick leaving SHIELD. And today was a bit of a job for her. Frankly she had assumed Bucky would be on it, but for some reason the job landed on her desk. Weird, but okay. Perhaps coming from her it would sound official, rather then Bucky.

Of course maybe Bucky wasn't in on this. That could be the other reason. Without arguing the pros and cons of it, getting his seal of approval might have been the reason as well.

Bucky was quite adamant about keeping his friend safe (if they weren't in trouble already)!

Other than that, Skye thought a welcoming home gift would break the ice. Knocking on the door she hoped she picked the right bottle to welcome him back to his regular routine.. sort of.

Nick Drago has posed:
With the TV muted and Nick doing quiet things, the knock fills the studio. Pale eyes stare at the door while his hands move. One moves the folder to the side, setting it upon the bed. The other holds the edge of one page to where it quietly slides out of the folder. The two hands join forces, rolling up the paper into a roll before he gets off the bed.

Was he expecting visitors?

Bucky would have called ahead. Lucifer and Sinister didn't need doors. The musician makes his way over to the door, taking care not to make a betraying sound before he can peek through the peephole.

There is a moment of looking before he steps back. "Who is it?"

Skye Johnson has posed:
Without giving the heads up that she was coming, he might not be here. But the odds of him taking off were reduced. After all, Fury did want her to ask him a pretty big question. Well, perhaps a small question..

"It's Skye. You know, Agent Skye?" She knew he had heard of her before, after all, the numbers of missions that she was included on with Bucky at the head. (Fury's pain in the asses to be exact.) But remembering her 2nd mission for the night, she needed to be more formal. "I thought you could use a welcome home gift?"

Which she held out to be seen by the peephole. "See? Good stuff." Or at least she'd been told. Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whiskey, to be exact.

Nick Drago has posed:
With the name and voice confirming the visual, Nick sighs. "In a bit." He responds back.

To Skye's side of the door she is treated to the sound of multiple locks, chains, and bolts being undone. The door opens partly, revealing yet another chain still in place. The door pops shut once more before a final rattle is sounded.

The door opens once more, this time wide enough to allow a Skye passage. "Come in."

Skye Johnson has posed:
Skye has to smirk at the number of locks being opened.

"Not that I'm used to physical locks, but electronic looks? Oh yeah. You wouldn't be able to keep me out electronically. Good thing I'm not a cat burglar." No, she is more dangerous than that.

Once the locks are released, she walks into Nick's 'home'. Whereupon she presented him with the whiskey. "I had the lady at the store recommend it. Sort of a 'For Fuck's Sakes, I Am Finally Going Home' present. Only I didn't curse when I explained it to her. Just that you've been gone a long time and you should feel welcomed. Here."

She handed the bottle to him.

Nick Drago has posed:
After Skye steps into the apartment, the door is closed with a bolt slid into place. Not QUITE as many locks as when he's by himself. He looks to the bottle being offered and reaches over to take it.

"Thanks." Nick replies, looking to the bottle, "I'm not quite home yet but getting there." He turns, walking over to the kitchen to set the bottle down on the counter. "You want any?" He offers, "I got some glasses. Could open it up right now."

Skye Johnson has posed:
"Of course!" Skye wasn't a hard drinker, but occasionally she did take a nip or two. Especially when occasion warranted it.

"Well, you are more than half way back, I would imagine. Bucky, and SHIELD have removed your shadows. So, that should tell you something? How does it feel?"

Nick Drago has posed:
To the confirmation, Nick nods, reaching into a cabinet to pull out two glasses. Quite possibly something else that came with the apartment. Who knows. The glasses clink as they're set beside each other on the counter while Nick works on the bottle.

Skye's question gets a moment of thought. "Bucky mentioned something like that before I moved out. Things, still kind of feel the same. But I imagine that'll change over time. Once I can get back into some semblance of a routine." He admits.

The musician pauses before he actually opens the bottle when he considers something. The bottle is held up in display, "So you know, If this is being used as an indirect excuse to discuss the agent thing, I've already heard words about it from Bucky and Cap and a suggestion from Clint prior to that. Its still a 'no'."

Skye Johnson has posed:
"Trust me, if I were going to ask you to be an agent, SHIELD would have footed the bill for that scotch. That very expensive scotch, I might add." Skye shrugs. "I'm not going to ask you to be an agent. Some day, you should hear my story about my joining SHIELD. It's a doozy."

A pause. And then..

"But since you have brought SHIELD up, I am here for something different that is business."

Nick Drago has posed:
When Skye confirms that she is NOT going to do the agent sales pitch, he goes back to opening the bottle. By the time Skye mentions there is business to discuss, the bottle's already been opened.

Blink. Blink.

Nick looks to the opened bottle for a few moments before shrugging and turning to pour each of them a drink.

He turns, handing a glass to Skye before he turns back, gathering up the rolled up sheet of paper in one hand and the glass in the other. Moving over to the bed, he tosses the page upon the folder before moving over to the kitchen table, tugging out one of the folding chairs to sit. "So, not agent, but SHIELD related..." He pauses, "Are Bucky and Clint ok?"

Skye Johnson has posed:
A laugh escapes Skye. "I don't really know, to tell the truth. I mean, Bucky was sort of okay with the idea of you joining SHIELD as an agent. Though that may have been a joke?"

She takes her glasas and holds it for a moment.

"Fury asked me to ask you if you wanted something not so formal. He thinks you are still valuable, and I have to agree with him. You've been a victim of HYDRA for how long, and they haven't got you yet. And quite frankly, your popularity lets you into so many things that it would be harder for us to get invites."

She takes a drink, and continues. "You've got friends in the supernatural. And we don't. At least not as good of information as you do. We don't need you aas an agent, frankly. But we sure as shit could use you as a consultant."

Nick Drago has posed:
As Skye dismisses the agent talk before as some form of joke and nothing that could ever be considered as a serious offer, Nick rolls his eyes and takes a long sip of the alcohol. He blinks and looks to it. Not quite as tasty as the Asgardian Rum but he's not drunk after a shot of this.

He takes another sip as Skye brings up the consultant proposal. The glass lowers. "I already said that I don't mind helping. If you guys need help with something, yeah- you can call an ask. If that' what you mean, then yeah. Consultant's fine."

Nick looks to the glass, "Although, the popularity probably took a nose dive with all the cancellations. Wade's looking into some possible approaches. Five Times Novel's on their American tour right now, so maybe we can get our hooked back in traveling with them. In terms of security, they're probably one of the better options. Also gives time to figure out how the hell we're going to make up for the missed international dates.

Minus Latveria. Doom went out of his way to make sure that concert went on as scheduled.

Skye Johnson has posed:
"So they did tell you about the consultancy. I'm here to make it formal. And to be sure that you understand that we won't be asking you to join as an agent - now or ever. I mean we flirt with the law sometimes. But you have more leeway to get into places that we can't. We need people like you.'

Skye grins.

Nick Drago has posed:
"Well no they didn't mention Consultant," Nick clarifies, "I just said to Bucky and Cap that I was willing to help out from time to time and I was NOT going to do the agent thing."

He lifts up the glass, "Do you know how messed up that would be if I did anyways? All this bullshit was from another group trying to recruit their own agents."

He shakes his head pausing to take another sip, lowering the glass. "...It's not a good environment for me to be in 24-7. I like you guys but I need to get back to what works."

Skye Johnson has posed:
"Trust me, you are more valuable to us just as you are, than being an agent. You don't have the oomph that we need as an agent anyways. I mean, I could picture you as an agent heading for the wall too soon."

Skye takes a big swig of her drink, while she thinks.

"Not to put you down, but, come on, how many times did you ditch your shadows to go back.." And back again. "To your old way of living." Sort of. "Bucky, and Clint, and a whole lot of us, we do it because we don't have the sort of lives that most people have. We do things because we can when nobody else can. You can be out with the public in ways we can't."

She shrugs. "In a way, we are envious of you. Well, people like you. Everyone has their own talent. Yours isn't to be hidden away. At least I don't think so?"

Nick Drago has posed:
"Hey, a sizable chunk of the shadows I ditched was because they were being stupid." Nick gives off in protest. "I mean, I may not be an expert but at LEAST give shadow duty to someone who can shadow. Wearing a suit in a crowd where everyone else is wearing jeans and a tee, that's not blending in. And I stopped ditching Agent Bob when he learned to start wearing street clothes."

Long time ago. PRETTY certain that's not the agent's name but that's the name he got. But that's not the point.

Skye Johnson has posed:
"I don't mean you couldn't do the work! Far from it." Skye shakes her head. "In fact, the opposite. And, yeah, some were up their asses thinking that you were a stupid rock star that they didn't have to be extra careful."

She rolled her eyes.

"I think he's the one I shot when I was undercover with HYDRA? Or someone similar.. You know, though, there are agents and AGENTS, if you know the difference. They looked at me differently when I came back to SHIELD. Mind you I had my picture up on the wall as one of the top ten people in the world to arrest."

"All to say, as an outsider, you can do so much more for us - or not, depending how you feel on the given day - then if you were one of us. Think about it. and get back to us?"

Nick Drago has posed:
Nick tilts his head, "...But I already said yes to the consultant thing."

Skye Johnson has posed:
"Good then. My job is done here. And now the drinking begins in earnest. Well, one. I still have to get home!" Skye lifts her half empty glass to mime clinking.

Nick Drago has posed:
Matter resolved, Nick's lip twists to a slight smirk as he lifts up his own glass to share in the toast. "Here's to the- " He pauses, editing the toast in his mind, "-continuation of a beautiful friendship."