4175/THIS IS A TITLE!

THIS IS A TITLE!
Date of Scene:	30 March 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	War Machine, Captain America

---

War Machine has posed:
     It's early evening in the city of New York, the sun is shining the birds are singing and the skies are a dull overcast grey. There's a cool breeze blowing over this part of the city carrying with it the familiar cents of hot-dog vendors peddling their wares and family owned restaurants. For a man living off a SHIELD budget he certainly lives right in the heart of down-town.

     Here even a small studio apartment will set you back a little fortune. The apartments are cramped overpriced and right in the heart of everything with some of the most well to do New Yorkers gathered about. There's no reasonable way he could afford anything more then a closet in a place like this. So as Cap wanders through the halls of this very nice apartment complex it should be a wonder that he's living in a suite on the top floor. The view out over the city must be incredible for this place.

     The front desk was well staffed security was fairly tight, there was valet parking and an actual doorman at the front of the building. The place is much more the sort of establishment someone could imagine someone like Tony living in rather then a SHIELD agent. Rhode's apartment door is at the end of the hallway the numbers embossed in gold lettering a rather fancy knocker on the door itself.

Captain America has posed:
    The check in at the front desk was pretty easy as Steve Rogers walked up to the doorman and gave a small smile. There was a brief exchange between the two, just a check of security likely and assuredly they would have contacted the penthouse to make sure that Colonel Rhodes was present and accepting guests. But once that was settled he was waved towards one of the elevators and took it up.
    The doors opened with the sound of a bell and revealed that distinctly Manhattan opulence for social elite in the area. It was enough to get the kid from Brookly to pause and quirk an eyebrow. He makes a small 'hnh' sound to himself as he starts down that hall, reaching that door at the end of it with the golden letters. He lifts a hand and raps his knuckles upon it, making the choice to perhaps not use the knocker for some reason lost in the annals of time.
    Once that's done he waits there, hands in the pockets of his jeans as he rocks back on his heels, looking upwards thoughtfully for a moment, then back to the door.

War Machine has posed:
     There's some time spent waiting before the door creaks open fully. On the other side stands Col Rhodes dressed in a pair of blue jeans and and a simple MARINES T-shirt. He's perfectly shaven and once he recognizes the face his stance loosens up a bit. "Not used to people making house calls cap." Leaning against the frame of the door.

     He opens the rest of the door allowing a peak into the massive penthouse sweet set up much more like a house. This place is fairly opulent as one might expect from the rest of the building. The far wall has a massive sweeping window. It's clear in every direction this was built for someone far more wealthy then good old Rhodes. There's just one problem. The massive window that should have a perfect view of the city? Instead has the perfect view of a big old office building that's managed to almost completely block out any hope of even being able to catch a glimpse of what was no doubt at one point an almost perfect view.

     The furniture and whatnot is certainly opulent of that there's no doubt, but it's 1940's opulent and looks like it hasn't been upgraded since. It definitely gives off less a vibe of a place that had been built to resemble the 40's and more a place actually built in the 40's no one ever had the money or time to upgrade. The microwave stands out as a recent addition just sat on the corner of one of the tabletops a cheap little thing bought at a thrift store. Actually a fair bit of the furniture here looks like it doesn't belong, purchased instead at a thrift-store.

Captain America has posed:
    "Colonel Rhodes," Steve gives a nod as he stands there with his baseball hat tucked into the back pocket of his jeans and his brown leather jacket settled on is shoulders comfortably. He looks past the man for a moment, but only just as his gaze returns to the man. "I was thinking I'd stop by. I spoke briefly with Tony and he told me something of what happened."
    He doesn't step into the room since, of course, he hasn't been invited. But he gives the marine a short sharp nod. "And I wanted you to know that if you need anything, or someone to talk to about things that I've been told I can listen alright." He gives a small slight smile, "And failing that I know a few folks that are better at it than I am."

War Machine has posed:
     "Figures Tony'd be involved." Rhodes steps out of the doorway, motioning to Rogers. "Well come on in." He turns to face the room slightly. "Not about to leave you standing out in the hallway." His feet start to carry him along and he walks further into the apartment. "Me casa ey su casa and all that."

     His hands go down deep into the pockets of his pants as he walks along, and should Cap enter in he'd pass by a side room which looks to have been recently repainted a light pink, and turned into a little girls room. A dark skinned six yearold sets in the corner of the room doodling on a piece of paper in silence. She looks up for a minute as Cap passes by before just going back to her drawings.

     "Think you're probably the first person who's bothered to track me down here." He moves into the kitchen going to grab a few drinks for the both of them. "Try not to advertise the fact I live here, He slides a soda across the bar top towards the end of it near the door they'd come in from. It winds up stopped by a small bucket that appears to be catching a leak from the ceiling which has had a small hole cut out from it to reveal a leaking pipe. "Draws too many questions."

Captain America has posed:
    Steve holds his hand up in a small wave and a smile towards the six year old as he steps further into the room. But then his attention returns to Rhodey as the man speaks and he gives a nod at the comment about him finding the man there. "Well, I'm not exactly a detective. It was in the records I took a look at." And, of course, just for the address.
    He steps further into the room near that bar and takes up a spot close where he can lean against it somewhat and watch James as they converse. "How are you doing?" He asks as he looks to the man, tilting his head to the side. "Tony's concerned. Wants to do right by you. Why don't you tell me what happened in your own words?" Knowing that sometimes the Starks have been known to... embellish.

War Machine has posed:
     "You know when you put it like that, starts to be a bit surprising I don't have people show up every week from work." Rhodey comments before cracking open an ice cold bottle of Dr.Fizz. "Not great." It was a massive understatement as he kicked back a bit of the carbonated contents of the can. It was a knockoff of Dr.Pepper, tasted close enough to the real deal but just enough you could tell what it was going for. There was something distinctly cheap about it. "Of course he is."

     He leans back against the counter allowing himself to slouch as he tries to relax, almost entirely recovered from his injuries. "Didn't hear anything from my sister for six years and out of the blue she starts calling me." Not making direct eye contact with rogers instead looking up to the exposed light bulb illuminating the room. "It's all static, can't understand a word of it, so I push it out of my head." He shrugs his shoulders. "Turns out Tony tracks her down to some crack den on the wrong side of town, and someone's been blocking her signal." He swirls the can for a moment before taking a sip. "I got careless." His finger traces the sides of the lid.

     "Walked head first into a trap and wound up getting shot in the gut." His expression hardens somewhat as he can watch it happening in his mind. "Bastard smiled at me and through Lila right through the window of the apartment." He clearly doesn't like talking about it his hand is shaking even though his voice is calm, there's a clear reserved rage in his body language. "No hesitation, no big speech, just tossed her, tossed his own daughter like a ragdoll through the glass and shot my sister in the back." He slowly starts to subconsciously crush the can in his hand. "All I could do is hold my intestines in, and watch him smile at me..." He trails off a bit. "He smiled at me Steve."

Captain America has posed:
    While Rhodey is speaking, Steve is watching him closely, not as if looking for any tell-tale sign... just more paying attention. He'll stay there, leaning partially against the bar, following along with the man's story and frowning at the mention of the pilot becoming careless.
    But then he speaks of the injury and Steve gives a nod, he was aware of that part. It was this part that is new to him and it registers in his eyes as he looks towards Rhodey. His lips curve down but he maintains the silence. He listens to what Rhodey must go through simply to be conjuring the memories forth and giving them voice. A deep breath is taken at the last, exhaled slowly as he extends a hand to the man's shoulder. "I'm sorry that happened to you, James. To your sister and her child." A glance is given over to the youth drawing and he says quietly, "You have my condolences... and my sympathy."
    He looks back and then there's a sternness there. "What do you know of the investigation? Who is working it?"

War Machine has posed:
     "Yeah." Is all Rhodey says at first. He takes a long sip from the now malformed can in his hand, obviously uncomfortable with the whole thing. "Once again Tony came in and saved the day while I cradled my dieing sister and tried to keep my insides from becoming outsides." The only reason it's a cola and not a beer is because he knows exactly where drinking angry will lead him, and it's not a fun place. He saw the news reports on Punisher. He wasn't about to go that route. There wasn't ever any coming back from that route.

     "Everyone else is doing a fine job of investigating." He takes another sip. "Probably have him in a jail cell by the end of the weak and I'll never even know till it's over." He pauses sounding somewhat... bitter, or maybe that's just the anger talking. "Like always." He looks down from that lightbulb and back to the table.

     "I know every time I think I have some new lead I find out late everyone else is already five steps ahead." Another longer sip before he just smashes the empty can and tosses it into the nearby trash can. "Doesn't matter what I do everyone else has it under control." Hands go deep down into his pockets. "Feels great living in the shadow of giants, really does."

Captain America has posed:
    "Colonel," Steve's voice has that timbre to it that speaks of a man who is drawing himself together, gathering his thoughts. His brow knits together as he looks away for a moment, his eyes falling once again upon that young girl who is drawing away and focusing upon what she can bring forth from her imagination that likely has her pushing away the real. A technique he's not entirely unfamiliar with.
    Looking back to the marine he says levelly, "I'm not going to tell you what you should do. Not going to tell you how you should feel." He frowns a little and rests a hand on the grieving man's shoulder. "I can just tell you that I know how you feel. That there have been times when... I've not been able to help someone I love. When sometimes I've seen people and things that make me feel just like I'm still that kid from Brooklyn."
    A small shake of his head is given then he draws his hand back and says calmly. "It... never gets easier or better. There's always going to be someone or something out there that you can't handle alone. There are beings out there that make Thor look like a buck private."
    He lifts a hand to rub at the back of his neck then says, "Times like that you do what you can. Sometimes that's working with others to do what you need to. Others... it's taking stock of your loved ones and those around you. And being there for them." A glance is given over to his niece, but then he looks back and smiles faintly. "But what do I know?"

War Machine has posed:
     There's a long, long silence from Rhodes as Cap speaks. His eyes locked on the counter. He doesn't move doesn't speak barely even blinks as cap talks. His expression is flat as he thinks. For a time even after cap finishes he's just lost in processing. "Steve." He finally says. "Ever wonder why I spent so much time in the middle east?" He pauses. "Why I joined SHIELD, and left everything."

     It's not exactly easy for him to say as he walks over towards a nearby chair, just setting his hand on the back of it while he watches his Niece play with her crayons drawing who else: Iron Man. It's a pretty good Iron Man at that. For her age she's doing excellent work the drawing looks more like a schematic style then it has any right to be.

     "I left because I got tired of that feeling being my every day." His body language is a bit tense as he speaks. "We're both soldiers, we know combat, know loss, it's a fact of war." His eyes get that far off look. "But how it would feel to always be that kid from Brooklyn?" He allows his shoulders to drop slightly. "Where every week without fail you're reminded how helpless and frail you really are." There's an acceptance on his face. "Tony's my brother, best one I could ever ask for and I wouldn't trade him for anyone." There's no hesitation in his voice as he says it. "If I had to I'd die for him without a second thought."

     "But every week I was with him he'd get attacked by some flavor of the week big bad, and I'd wind up sticking to the sidelines doing whatever I can to help." He pauses. "In the end what I was doing was just getting in the way." Another pause longer then before. "When it finally clicked how little I actually mattered to the outcome, I applied for duty in Afghanistan signed on with SHIELD and just left everything else back stateside." He looks back to Steve. "You know how it feels to be reminded of just how helpless you are day in, and day out. How at any moment your best friend might get his head cut off by some twenty headed monster and all you can do is sit back and cheer him on?"

Captain America has posed:
    A nod is given in return as Rhodey speaks and he listens to the man give his reasons and explanation. Another deep breath is drawn and then he holds up a hand, "I understand that feeling, Colonel." He holds up his hands as if to hold off any objection, "But right now at the least you have responsibilities beyond yourself and beyond Stark."
    That having been said he adjusts the hang of his jacket with the sweep of one hand and then reaches to the back pocket to take out the baseball hat, leaving it in one hand. "But if things start to go down and you need someone to have your back, let me know." That said he gives a nod and starts to turn back towards the door.

War Machine has posed:
     Rhodes nods his head. He's quiet for a moment before following right behind him. As they pass the young girls room he leans in for a moment. "Hey, Lila, you see who's leaving?" He asks for a moment. "If you want to give him that drawing now's your last chance." He's trying to sound up and happy but it's a bit forced. He does recognize at least a bit of the responsibility.

     Finally she comes up to a stand and walks over towards the door for a moment finally recognizing something before she runs over to a drawer in her room. She grabs out a piece of paper and runs back over before Steve has the chance to quite leave and just hands him a sheet of paper. It's a crayon drawing of the Avengers with her wearing what looks to be just a onesie and a domino mask. She doesn't say a single word just silently looking up at him and holding out the sheet of craft paper.

Captain America has posed:
    Turning as Rhodey calls out to little Lila, Steve smiles to her and kneels down as she gets close enough. He holds out a hand and accepts the small piece of paper into his hand and gives it a look, then the smile reaches his eyes fully as he meets her gaze and tells her, "This looks great, Lila. Thank you so much." He starts to fold up the picture as he says, "The girl in the front looks like she's super brave and ready to take on the world."
    He looks at the drawing again, then he tucks it away. But his brow knits as he digs around inside of that inner jacket pocket and produces a small pad of paper that's only perhaps three inches and some by almost five inches. It just has a small blue cover and he flips it open as he extends it to her.
    "I sometimes like to draw too. Looks like we have the same friends." The first image is of Dr. Banner, smiling as he's talking to Iron Man in full armor. There's an image of the Wasp floating over a fountain, and the Black Widow with an enigmatic smile. Most of them are scribblings, perhaps made quickly in the few moments he has to himself, but they're his. And now they're hers.
    Rising he lifts a hand towards Rhodey, "Why don't you guys come by the manor some time." He looks down at her and offers, "Thor makes the best turkey drumsticks." But at that he opens the door.

War Machine has posed:
     Lila smiles broadly at Steve's reaction but doesn't say a word. She's captivated by the works he's already made looking at them closely as she tilts her head slightly to the side positively beaming. Just even being able to talk to the man is enough to send a smile to her face.

     When Cap turns to Rhodes he extends out his hand to grasp it the rest of the way. There's an attempt made at least to play the part, and he gives a small smile. "Well I'll have to give it some thought, but somebody can only come along if she can manage to finish all her homework, and do well on her test Monday." Far from used to being anything near a parent. The whole thing just feels awkward for him.

     Lila's smile fades for a moment as she slumps slightly at the thought of having to do her homework. But Steve's comment manages to illicit... an actual laugh from her. It's the most emotion Rhodey's been able to get out of her since she started living with him, and the closest thing to words he's ever heard out of her. "Have a safe trip Rogers, and thanks." He leans down to pick up Lila hoisting her up to shoulder level with a little bit of effort before coming back to a stand. "I seriously mean that." He nods firmly. "Semper Fi."

Captain America has posed:
    Stepping into the hallway, Cap walks backwards for a few steps as he waves to them both. "Thank you, marine." Cap smiles a bit and winks at Lila, then he offers the reply of, "Oo-rah." But not quite as emphatic as he might have heard in the past. He turns back around and continues down the hallway, pulling the baseball hat on and then saying over his shoulder. "Take care."
    Then he continues on down the hall, and eventually he'll get to that elevator. After a bit longer he's gone.