6639/The Family You Choose

The Family You Choose
Date of Scene:	24 February 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Bucky is officially brought into the fold, and plans are made to have a talk with one Mr. Frank Castle about cease and desist.
Cast of Characters:	Quake, Winter Soldier, Melinda May, Hawkeye (Barton)

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Quake has posed:
Skye cooked dinner. Yes, Skye. She has three dishes that she makes reliably: Baked chicken; Pasta; and handmade, pulled noodle ramen. Anything else is pretty hit or miss, but it's better than the cup'o'ramen she started with. And tonight, Skye has invited Bucky to dinner.

Okay, Skye has invited more than Bucky to dinner, but she's not telling him that. Yet. She's left word that she'd love a chance to reconnect, and shoot the shit, and she won't subject him to the frou-frou beer (yes, she knows that rumour is out there, to bring your own because the Barton-Johnson's have poor taste in beer *ahem*).

She's just not informing him that she's invited May along as well...

Skye >> Don't worry, I've got real beer. Just don't tell Clint. He'll think I'm cheating on him. Meal's on me. Trying a new dish to surprise him. See you at 8!

Then she waits.

Winter Soldier has posed:
There was another encounter with Frank. No civilians died, but it's just confirmed Buck's opinion that he's now that heavily armed Captain Ahab's particular white whale. He's gone to ground at the Triskelion, and staunchly refused to stir. Steve can mop his own damn floors for a while.

But this is a dinner within SHIELD's own cloisters, so he's agreed to come. Buck shows up promptly, with his service dog, Lili the German Shepherd at his side. He's brought chocolate as a dessert offering. Even ramen is better for being followed by Godiva, right? He's in casual clothes - long sleeved t-shirt and jeans.

Melinda May has posed:
May arrives precisely on time, and for the second time in a row she's entered Skye's quarters to see a dog here. At least this one she already knew about. "Skye. Barnes." She holds out a thing of beer that she's brought as her contribution to the dinner -- a generic store six-pack container holding six bottles with different colored caps and even made from different colors of glass. The sides of the container are high enough, though, to conceal what the bottles really are.

"How are you both this evening?"

Quake has posed:
Skye has ensconsed Bucky on the couch, with a beer - yes, the good stuff, though she's totally drinking frou-frou stuff herself. She, herself, is in the kitchen, where decently fine smells of cooking can be had, and while she's gotten quite proficient with the ramen deal, tonight it's roast chicken.

"Hey, May. Make yourself comfortable. I'm trying to figure out if the vegetables are done." The frowny sound to her voice suggests the vegetables for dinner are at risk of being underdone, or a tad crispier than everyone would like. Cooking is not Skye's forte. Despite continuing classes.

"It'll be about fiiii-uh... ten.. soon. It will be soon."

The chicken, should any care to peek, is already out of the oven, resting, and isn't burnt, so there will be ediblke food regardless of the adventures of the vegetables.

Winter Soldier has posed:
"You know, I could cook sometime," Buck offers, with a hopeful little lilt. "I'm a good cook. Steve can vouch for me." They grew up in the Depression. What does their opinion of good food consist of?

Then there's May. "Hi," he says, with a wave of the metal hand. "May." Lili's apparently somewhat offduty - she's not wearing her vest. So she offers a thump of her tail on the floor. "I'm okay. How 'bout you?" He does seem in decent shape. Frank didn't do any real damage, this time. He heaves himself up to go check on the vegetables for her.

Melinda May has posed:
May is only too happy to let Bucky rescue Skye's cooking tonight as she opts to settle on the couch near Lili, whom she addresses since the other two are in the kitchen. "He treating you okay? If he ever stops, just let me know."

She doesn't relax completely, because May, but she's probably about as relaxed as she usually gets. She doesn't have to ask what Skye's cooking, she can smell the chicken.

Quake has posed:
Skye's first instinct is to say no to Bucky's help - it was her treat, after all, but then again, the point of this little get together was to impart upon the man that he had a place in all their lives, if not SHIELD proper, so she relents.

"Help? I know how to make the chicken. The rest of this is all Greek. How do I know what's tender and what's crunchy?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
There's that look that Bucky has - usually it's pointed at Steve, when he's said something more than usually suicidally brave. Like he's genuinely unsure if that was a joke. "Uh," he says. "Try to cut it with the edge of a fork. See how it reacts. You can roast it a bit in the chicken drippings, it'll be good."

Lili favors May with a big dog grin, eyes squinted, ears back. She seems happy, at least. Glossy with good health, and well-groomed. Steve was right, it seems.

Melinda May has posed:
May gives Lili a pat on the head and a brief and gentle tug on one ear, then stands again. "Want me to set the table while you finish up in there, Skye?" That gives her something to do that's helpful and NOT in the kitchen in everyone's way. Maybe.

Of course, everyone knew that simple social pleasantries like a relaxing dinner can't last forever around her. This might vie for the quickest she's fallen back on work. "Barnes. I heard you encountered an adversary again."

Quake has posed:
Skye gives Bucky a look like he's suggested she's grown another head while she wans't looking. "I can what?" Because she's not got any clue what he means about roasting the whats in the chicken whosits. "They're vegetables. I don't eat them. How do I know if they're done or not?"

No. Really. Vegetables were a recent addition to her palate, and she generally took hers in the form of pizza toppings and/or ramen fixings.

"Please, May?" Grateful for the offer of something that isn't focused on her cooking, or lack of skills thereof - even if they were miles better now than a year ago. This meal would be edible. Likely tasty, too, if a bit harried.

When May brings up work - and work she specifically knows is one Frank Castle, Skye lets May handle things for the moment, watching Bucky carefully for signs of bolting.

Winter Soldier has posed:
No, he doesn't bolt. For a bit, he's content to demonstrate how you can put vegetables with the chicken you mean to roast and cook them simultaneously. A little olive oil helps. All the better to let him gather his thoughts. "It depends on how you're cooking them," he says. "You'll see."

Finally, a look over his shoulder at May. "Yeah. Lexington Avenue Station. I wanted to see how well he could track me in public transit - and get some footage of him that Skye here could use." Like Frank Castle is in fact a gun-toting Sasquatch. He was an urban cryptid for decades himself, after all. "He did seem to have some scruples when it came to hurting civilians. But the man's completely Section 8 where I'm concerned." Does that slang even make sense now? He doesn't remember.

Melinda May has posed:
Even if it's not, May still gets the gist. "Good job gathering the intel. I'm thinking it's about time we plan to have a chat with this individual. Before he loses those scruples and starts taking down civilians to get at you."

She moves about to set the table, reaching into the kitchen just far enough to get the plates and silverware from their places, and very carefully keeping her opinions about Skye's admission about vegetables to herself.

At least it seems like the kid's finally learning.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint had been down at the gym on an extended training session and only caught the notice about dinner when he grabbed his phone out of his locker. Stashing his training weapons, he made his way up to the suite in his workout gear and came through the door with a: "Hey, what smells good in here?" and a smile as his gaze falls on Lilli.

He gives her a pat then makes his way to the the kitchen and leans against the doorway. "Hey, sorry I'm late, was doing a bit of training." He looks it too, he somehow managed to pick up some bruises along the way. "How's dinner coming?"

Quake has posed:
"How am I supposed to cook something I don't eat," Skye continues to grumble, checking the state of the veggies that have been cooking. "They taste like vegetables!" Which is to say, suspect in her mind. "Here," she thrusts a fork at Bucky. "You try them."

Because as far as she's concerned they've cooked long enough, thank-you very much, and she'd rather be eating.

The chicken, it should be noted, is perfectly cooked.

"His name is Frank Castle," Skye informs, peeking out from the kitchenette at May. "We actually have a decent set of files on him now that we know who he is. Not really a nice guy, but I know a friend of his as it happens."

Clint comes in and she smiles at him. "Hey Hotshot. You haven't missed dinner yet, though had thought you'd gotten lost out there in the wilds of the world. May just set the table. I'm making Bucky do the vegetables." She says vegetables like she were talking about inviting a Head of Hydra to join them. "Next time I'm making rice."

Which would be a whole new foray into cooking, but she has it in her mind that it has to be easier than vegetables.

Winter Soldier has posed:
A taste of what Skye's offering, then "Undercooked, underseasoned," is his considered assessment Buck is roasting the vegetables, in some of the juice from the chicken. He's busy there, but he looks up to give Clint an upnod. "Former Marine," he adds, with a faint note of...something in his voice. But then, Buck's from the era when the Corp was a bunch of juiced-up leathernecks, at least in the public's perception. Not yet the Few, the Proud. "So this kind of attempted murder is a habit of his?"

Melinda May has posed:
May looks over and nods a greeting at Clint as he arrives, then squeezes past him to get a fourth place setting's worth of plate and silverware. "Castle. I know I've heard that name before. That makes it even more imperative in my mind that we have a chat with him, and sooner rather than later."

Skye's offhand comment about making rice amuses May highly. She's not going to offer to help. Let's see if the kid can figure it out on her own in less than ... three tries.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Great," Clint says about not missing dinner. "Hey Buck, May," he greets as well before giving Skye a look. Signing ~You? Vegitables?~ There's a smirk to go with the question.

The name Castle rings a bell. "Ugh. Heard of him. Psycho who goes around killing criminals, calls himself the Punisher," Clint rolls his eyes."Never me him, but know him by reputation. Sort of an underworld boogie man. He's van guy?"

Quake has posed:
"Got it in one Hotshot," Skye grins at Clint, of Frank. "Almost think you were you know, an Agent or something with that bullseye there. He's our van man. Thanks to Buck there, we got some footage. So van man isn't just a generic crazy. He's club med crazy."

Skye abdicates vegetable duty to Bucky. "May was just asking about him. Everyone likes bagged salad, right?"

Because that's the salad she's got. Bagged. It looked simpler than making her own, and by that point in her grocery shopping experience, Skye just wanted out of there and to be done. "I bought some dressings too. Something white and creamy, and this brown stuff that was on sale." (Caesar, and Balsamic respectively).

Winter Soldier has posed:
May may not volunteer to help. Buck has that look on his face - like he sees an animal he's going to have to put out of its misery. Wordlessly, he pats Skye's shoulder. It's meant to be reassuring.

"You all can talk to him. I'll sit that one out. I tried to tell him about how I'm ...healed now. He wasn't interested in hearing it."

Melinda May has posed:
"I'm going to hope that having a chat with Mr. Castle is just that easy. If he's not willing to just walk in to have a talk with us, we might need you to play bait, Barnes. But I'm fully expecting that that will not be the case." Other than possibly playing bait, May has no intention of forcing Bucky to be anywhere near Castle, especially with as dangerous as the man has proven himself to be in the past.

With the table set and Skye still faffing about finishing dinner, she returns to the living room to hang out with Lili. Oh, salad dressing.

"Put them both on the table and we can decide as we want," is her suggestion.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Weird, right?" Clint says grinning at Skye's teasing.

"I'm with May, Castle is going to be hard to just talk to, if his rep stands. I mean there's all sorts of law enforcement after him already along with some superheroes. So a trap might be the way to go. Plus," he gives a look to Bucky. "If he was gunning for me, I'd want a shot at a little payback."

Quake has posed:
While Bucky attends to the vegetables, Skye carves the chicken. It's not a finessed job, but given her approach to side dishes, it's surprisingly adequate. Chicken, salad, and salad dressings are brought to the table.

"He's not exactly known for being reasonable," Skye points out. May is likely aware; Bucky's met the man; Clint, it would seem at least has a good idea. "We might want to discuss how we're going to have that little talk.. but," she peeks back in the kitchen, "Veggies done? Or close enough? Figure we can talk about details and the other thing over dinner."

The other thing being Bucky's status in SHIELD.

Winter Soldier has posed:
"Few minutes more," Buck says. "Bait, maybe. ..this guy's had two tries at me. He may be crazy, but he ain't dumb. Next time, odds are excellent he'll snipe me, if that's within his capabilities. I imagine it is - he was recon, if I remember the file right."

Another check, and he's satisfied enough...at least with the vegetables. "This guy's a fanatic, a wanna-be crusader. Fear and money aren't going to move him. You put me in front of him and try to get between us, he'll go through you all, or try to." His voice is flat, matter of fact...and there's that opacity behind the blue eyes. Almost dull. "So what're we gonna say to him that he's gonna listen to?" He looks at each of them in turn, a long, level glance. "Are you willing to watch me kill him? It's gonna be like two mad dogs biting each other." A shake of his head at Clint. "It's not payback. Someone said that revenge is like trying to throw a hot coal at someone - you're gonna burn your own hand off before you do any damage." Lili's come forward to insinuate herself under his human hand. "There's no payback. If there were, I'd be dead a hundred times over, what I've done. This guy is the living manifestation of what 'payback' does. Even if we don't kill him, he just keeps going until he runs up against something big enough to take him down."

Melinda May has posed:
"I'm not willing to watch either of you die, Barnes. But if I have to choose between him and you..." May settles at the table then looks at Bucky squarely. "I will always choose one of my SHIELD agents over some rogue element." And don't ever forget that, 'cause she doesn't say stuff like that often.

The fact that Lili invaded the kitchen to check on her human is proof enough that this topic needs to change. "So if you don't think that acting as bait will work, we'll find another way."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint frowns at Bucky's words, "Yeah, fair point," he says about well, all of it. Frank really wasn't the sort to listen to reason and well, payback had its downsides.

He sighs, "Anyhow, if we do find a way to come at him, I'm game to run backup. For now though, I'll go get cleaned up before dinner," he says looking at his workout clothes still damp with sweat. "Back in a bit."

He wanders off giving Lili a pat on his way out.

Quake has posed:
Skye, for her part May-speaks well enough to know both that whether Bucky knows it or not, he's been given 'the speech' (and may now need dissemination of that fact), and that the topic of Bucky as bait is over. In fact, given Lili, Skye isn't sure they shouldn't wander away from the topic of Frank altogether at the moment.

Clint is given a hug, sweat-drenched clothes and all, before he wanders off to clean up for dinner. She's not surprised when he not only doesn't return later, but a quick check confirms he's passed out on the bed and won't be joining them for food. Leftovers will be saved for him. That will suffice.

"We'll figure something out," Skye tells May. "I'll look over the files again and see if maybe there's a way." She's wondering if Micro and she might have a little chat.

When the veggies are declared edible and done, they're gathered and put on the table and everyone is told to dig in and not hold on ceremony.

"So, Bucky," she mouths around a bite of chicken, "Not to sideswipe you or anything, but I asked May to dinner with us for a reason." A reason that wasn't Frank Castle, but again, birds and stones. Since May and Bucky were both here now, it had made sense to bring Frank up. "I was hoping we could all talk about you and SHIELD?"

She sounds apologetically hopeful.

Winter Soldier has posed:
He's served himself, down to the napkin in the lap. Lili's seated herself at his side, properly attentive. No begging. Buck's chewing methodically through a mouthful of chicken when Skye says that, only to pause in mid-chew.

He doesn't choke or cough, but it takes an effort of will, spurred by a canine head on his leg, to start again. Then he swallows hastily, takes a mouthful of water. "Yeah?" he says, in that toneless voice again. It's not much of a coping strategy, darting behind that prisoner's reserve like a soldier seeking cover from enemy fire, but it's what he has. Not as effective as it once was, though, with that furry barometer of his mood right there.

Melinda May has posed:
May serves up a plate, which she promptly carries into the kitchen to cover and set aside for Clint, then returns to fix herself a plate. She returns in time to see Lili again doing something that proves Barnes' unease with the topic at hand.

"Let me state it plainly, Barnes. You're under no obligation to do anything you don't want, and SHIELD will still be there to protect you." She doesn't even have to mention Rogers. His presence and assistance is a given. "But. If -- and only if -- you want to use your skills to help, we'll be happy to have them." And she will slap down ANYONE that tries to make Barnes work for SHIELD if he doesn't ask for it on his own.

Quake has posed:
Skye pokes around her plate while May speak, notably pushing her vegetable back and forth contemplating them. Bucky really did most of the work there, odds are they'll be tasty, even if Skye really isn't a vegetable kinda girl. Not that she's a meat and potatoes girl either. She's kind of a cold coffee, candy bars, and cup'o'ramen nutritionally. Bad habits from years of hacking. Real food is still a bit of a challenge to appreciate.

"Uh.." Well, there was no gentle way around this. "Thing is," Skye says softly, but brightly, "We haven't really discussed Bucky's position here at SHIELD. I mean, not just helping out, but you know, how he fits in." Pointedly looking at May first, and then Bucky himself, "His security checks cleared and I was wondering where I was putting them. You know, like Agent or Consultant?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
It's May who gets the incredulous look first. What else is he gonna do with his skillset? Drive a school bus? Push a broom? Buck shakes his head at her - not so much in refusal as a kind of disbelief. SHIELD may be willing to let him go sit on a beach somewhere and enjoy retirement. The rest of the world....not so much. But after a moment he bobs his head in a nod. "Understood." That's something - that there's a least a little clot of people willing to defend his autonomy. Not least of which Captain Meatball.

Then he looks to Skye....with exactly the same timing as Lili does. They do say that humans and their animals grow more alike through time. "I....in terms of skills, SHIELD's pretty much the only place for me. And the only place I trust to not do their best to find a way to redo the programming." He sips from his water glass, the chicken forgotten for the moment. "But I've killed a lot of agents. Lotta stars on the wall in Virginia 'cause of me. Is the rank and file going to put up with this? After all these tries?" Lili's looking up at him again, and he's ruffling her ears absently. There's that bleakness in his face - someone's doing that awful pragmatic set of calculations. The one that realizes that the math works out best when he's gone. Lili whines at him, softly, and he scratches under her chin.

Melinda May has posed:
May starts to mentally figure where Bucky would fit best when he makes the comment about the stars on the wall in Virginia, and she sets her fork down.
"Every agent in SHIELD knows that your actions before you managed to break away from Hydra were under coercion." Her words are completely serious, but her tone still maintains that same level calmness as always. "If they hold that against you, I will hold it against them when their next anti-coercion certifications roll around. Each and every one them -- yes, Skye and me as well -- has been given a taste of exactly the kinds of torture tactics groups like Hydra employ. The fact that you are here with your mind even slightly intact means you've earned far more than just token respect from all of us. And if anyone, and I do mean anyone, makes you feel like anything less than a survivor, I want to know. Immediately."

She picks up her fork again. "Is that understood, Sargeant Barnes?"

Quake has posed:
Yeah. About that. Skye's little sojourn under Hydra torture wasn't so very long ago that she's not frowning as May mentions it. And, it wasn't like she had a bit of a coloured past of her own. Not to mention the entire Tidepool mission most of SHIELD believed her to be a traitor (she wasn't sure there weren't still a few grudges held over that).

"Seriously, Bucky. It's okay. What May says. If they want to be assholes about it, you got us. Team.. Well, some spiffy codename I'll think of later."

Winter Soldier has posed:
Lili decides that the best way to encourage Bucky is to lay a paw on his leg and pat him. In Soviet Russia, dog pets you! He looks down at her, bemused. All the better to hide the way his throat has a suspicious lump in it.

But he looks up after managing to work it back down, and nods. "Understood," he says, and his voice is very low indeed. Apparently their assurances are enough. Lili pats him again.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint makes his way back from the shower, barefoot, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He's sticking his hearing aid in his right ear as he makes his enterance.

No smiles or waves this time with the serious vibe to the room. Just a quick sign to Skye: ~What did I miss~ The look he gives with it makes the series of gestures a question.

Melinda May has posed:
At the quiet 'understood' from Bucky, May simply nods and starts in on her meal. Seeing Clint pass by, she offers a very out-of-practice reply telling him there's a plate in the chicken for him.

Speaking of, the chicken is superb, Skye clearly has that one under her belt. Then she takes a bite of the vegetables and...

She goes still for a moment, then looks at Bucky and says with even more gravitas than her previous words, "You need to tell me how you cooked these."

Quake has posed:
The chicken is good. Skye knows that because she's eating the chicken. The vegetables? Still being given the 'aliens on my plate' treatment. Periodically pushed about with her fork and considered, only to be discarded as a notion. There are rumours she once ate some, but those are only rumours, and while she has some salad on her plate as well, the amount of salad dressing on it suggests she either isn't planning on eating that either, or likes a little lettuce with her dressing.

Either way, May's reaction to the vegetables is given a disbelieving look. Because vegetables.

Clint's arrival distracts her, though, fingers flashing a ~Bucky just got added into the fold. How'd we end up being those people?~ Because somehow Skye and Clint's had become where everyone gathered. Or at least the small circle of intimates that Bucky had just been enveloped in.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Buck doesn't seem to've noticed the signing...or he's at least feigning ignorance of it. There's a funny, tremulous little smile at May's question. "Kinna roasted 'em with olive oil, pepper, salt, and the chicken juices." He turns his pale gaze on Skye. "I should teach you about how herbs and spices work. Anything's better with the right seasoning or sauces." The change of subject is enough to divert him, at least a little. Lili, satisfied she won't need to lick tears off of him this time, settles back down before giving Clint a thump of her tail in greeting.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint takes in both sets of signs with a nod and one universally applicable sign: the thumbs up. It works for both and Clint wanders into the kitchen giving Lilli a pat on the way past. Once he has food he makes his way back and grabs a seat.

"Right, but they're vegitables, seems like a lot of," he takes a bite, chews and swallows. "Actually, nevermind, I take that back." He grabs another bite chewing happily.

"You can do the vegitables at the next SHIELD dinner too," he adds, with a nod for Bucky, by way of welcoming him into the fold.

Melinda May has posed:
May considers Bucky's response. She is most definitely going to try adding chicken juices next time. That, and she's glad that they've managed to steer the table conversation back away from waters that are dangerous to Barnes' sense of calm. And with that in mind, she then adds to the dark-haired man, "I think I need to see what you do with potatoes. And maybe rice."

Then with a glance toward Skye as Clint joins them at the table, she says perhaps a bit sternly, "Skye, eat your vegetables. You know how much I hate sounding like the 'Ninja Nanny' Lewis insists that I am."

Quake has posed:
"Vegetables," Skye says in disbelief. "Tasty."

Because VEGETABLES.

Though he might have a point about the seasonings thing. Chicken, she'd found out, you don't want to do anything with. It liked to bask in its own juices and preen about the glory of its simplicity. Ramen, however, had all these complex nuances that came from a bit of this, and a dash of that. Then again, Skye /liked/ ramen. Vegetables? Enh. Not so much.

"I'd maybe be willing to give it a try?" As in if he was actually offering cooking lessons, she supposed it couldn't hurt. Though he might not be as happy about the deal when he saw the hacker in the kitchen. Domestic was not a word associated with Skye.

Skye and Clint had their maid's number on speed dial. That alone should tell you all you need to know.

Winter Soldier has posed:
"Yeah," Buck says, guilelessly. "They're good, if they're fresh and you prepare 'em right. I like cooking. I like eating good food....and when I grew up, I had to cook a lot. My mom died when I was young, and I had a younger sister and my dad worked. Also, Steve only had his mom, and she worked really hard, and Steve was sick a lot. So it was easiest to kind of...pool resources and make things together. Sometimes we were at Steve's place, sometimes at mine. That way the adults had something good to come home to, and Steve and Becky weren't left alone."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Man, hard to imagine you and Steve as kids," Clint says with a grin. "Gathered around the stove making dinner for your folks... you've been Bucky and Cap since before me and my brother were doing the same," he shakes his head and takes a bite of food. "Miss it? The old days?" he asks.

He falls silent after that smirking as Skye actually seems interested in learning to *gasp* cook vegitables. Well almost silent, he does take a moment to quip. "You brought me food after Skye left, May, you are /definitely/ ninja nanny."

Melinda May has posed:
At Bucky's explanation, May makes a mental note to make sure his quarters have at least adequate cooking space like this place has. "I really only do a decent job of cooking things like char siu bao, ga rang muoi, okonomiyaki, sticky rice... things that these two," she gestures at Skye and Clint, "don't comprehend much less consider edible."

Clint's comment about Steve and Bucky as kids is hopefully a pleasant aside, though she looks at the archer flatly when he quips at her. "I guess it's never going to happen again, then, is it?"

Was that a veiled threat?

Quake has posed:
Skye makes a snort of sound. "Yeah, all I got out of my parents dying was a bad orphanage experience and a taste for cup'o'ramen." She grins at Bucky to show there are no hard feelings about that matter.

May gets a /look/. "Hey! You live in a van for a decade and see what you learn to appreciate as foodstuffs. And I learned to pull noodles. That has to count for something."

Skye, as it happens, when properly motived, could actually do the job. It just was hard to motivate her domestically.

"And I'm not sure you didn't make some of those things up.

She considers Clint as he mentions when she left. "She did? Damn, that's.. I'm sorry about that Hotshot. Probably wasn't great when I got kidnapped either. But hey - you actually know how to cook." Some things.

"None of this, though, is actually getting us a plan on how to deal with man in the van." Seeing as she's reminded, thinking about her living space prior to coming to SHIELD. "We set up a meeting and have a chat with him. Thoughts on where?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
At that, there's that funny little smile of Bucky's. Like he's half-afraid it'll be provocation for something worse to happen to him. "I remember when Steve was a rickety little punk who couldn't stay out of fights. Nevermind his terrible asthma and awful balance. But yeah. A lot of times he was too weak to stand long, but he and Rebecca got along, so he'd watch her or help her with her schoolwork while I cooked. When we grew up, money was really scarce so we had to know how to stretch what we had. I miss it," he admits, without any hesitation at all. "Even the war, hard as it may be to believe." Back when he was just Bucky and the Winter Soldier wasn't even someone's terrible idea.

May gets a nod. "I'd eat all that. I'm not really fussy. I like to try new stuff."

Then there's mention of Frank, and the smile vanishes again. "How's that gonna work?" he asks, voice gone neutral. "I mean, I bet we can find somewhere neutral enough, but.....how're you gonna get him to the table at all?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint stops shoveling food into his mouth while Bucky talks, nodding, and occasionally smiling at some of it (like the idea of sickly Steve getting into fights and not backing down). "Knew I liked Cap for a reason," he says with a nod. "And yeah, I can get missing the war, never been to one, but there's been some hairy times with the Avengers, and here with SHIELD where as bad as it was, wouldn't want to be anywhere else than with my people."

He gives Bucky a nod, then at May's remarks said, "Wait did I say Ninja Nanny? Sorry, must have been thinking of something else," he says, he's definitely not saying no to future food delivery.

"And no worries, Keyboard, we got through it," Clint says with a quiet, steady smile to Skye, encompassing the kidnapping and the whole Rising Tide mess. He grins then, teasing: "But if you want me to balance things, next time I'm kidnapped I'll try not to escape as quickly." Okay Skye and Nat rescued him, but he had /tried/ to escape. That counts right?""

"We wanting somewhere public or private? If we want private, there's my old place in Brooklyn. Provided SHIELD's willing to foot the bill for damages."

Melinda May has posed:
Back to business talk. May's okay with that. "Not the Triskelion. Too many variables." And civilians or near-civilians. May's nowhere near that trusting. Then Clint offers his old Brooklyn residence. "That could work, Barton. And yes, SHIELD would cover any damages. I'd also want the building emptied of civilians, just in case." She's pretty sure that a 'possible gas leak' excuse could be made easily enough. Other alphabet agencies do it all the time.

"Barnes, I don't want you to be anywhere near this operation, just in case." Though, if he chooses to set up a sniper next several hundred yards out, that wouldn't be 'near' at all. At the very least, she wants to know WHY this man is after Barnes like a beagle after pizza.

Quake has posed:
Skye blinks at Clint. "You mean the same apartment you were going to offer Kate?" He has a point, though. It's a place. It's nuetral. It's only linked to them all by virtue of the fact that Clint once lived there.

She casually remarks, "There's a pizza joint next door. I can set something up." Not to mention the area is riddled with rooftops just ripe for vigilante justice.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Buck does not protest. Not even a smirk. No prairie-dogging again until they've gotten better intel on this guy. He's devoted himself to working through his dinner....trying to pay attention to it. It's so easy to eat like it's just a refuelling process, but he's working on that 'real boy' thing all the time, so...

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Now that they're talking business Clint's food lays ignored as the archer nods. "Yeah, we definitely want those people out of there, they've been through enough," he says. "We'll get them clear, and if Castle wants something more open the roof has easy access and the talk can go down there."

As for Bucky, Clint says, "Can always get you on overwatch from the Trisk. R&D has some new stealth drones we can use to keep an eye on things. Despite what I said earlier, you're right, good to keep you out of the line of fire, but you've still got skills we could use. Make sure Castle isn't going to try and pull something stupid."

Quake has posed:
"Depending on what we want set up," Skye says thoughtfully, "couple of different scenarios could go down."

She's remembering the layout. The number of other tenants in the building. SHIELD had worked with worse.

Melinda May has posed:
Overwatch via drone. May nods at this, very much liking Clint's suggestion. "I'll work up some mission parameters for this. Barton, Skye, give me details about the building. Barnes, I like the drone idea. Would you be willing to work with R&D to learn how to pilot those and use them to monitor the meeting?"

And then, as if to remind the others that this is a MEAL, she very pointedly takes a forkful of chicken and vegetables while giving the others chances to reply.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Buck takes a long gulp of water, before nodding. "Sure," he says, mildly. "I'd be delighted to." Good to be able to help. Hell, to listen in, maybe. Like some sort of assassin teleconference.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
May's example does jog Clint's memory. "Right, food," he says picking up his knife and fork again. "I've got the plans to the place around somewhere," he says of his building. Before adding after a beat: "Had to defend it from Russian gangsters one time, long story, anyhow I've got us covered there. Anyhow, the one last thing I can think of is, how do we find the guy to deliver the invite?" he asks the group.

Quake has posed:
Skye smirks. "I... know a guy who knows the guy. Now that I know it's Mr. Castle, turns out we have a friend in common. The invite is the easy part. Trust me."

Skye, as it happens, still has a load of her former hacker contacts, and more than a few darknet holes and untracable accounts.. for just such purposes as this.

Melinda May has posed:
Why oh why isn't May surprised? Because she just isn't. "Then we have a way to start. Enough work talk for now." She stands and disappears into the kitchen, returning a moment later with the oddly mismatched sixpack of beer she brought. "That disgusting frou frou beer has GOT to go. So I brought a selection of possible replacements."

They're all microbrewery beers, all based on European beers from different regions across Austria, Germany, and Poland.

Winter Soldier has posed:
"The boss has spoken," Buck says, solemnly. Apparently he's accepted that he's one of the pack, for good. He takes a scrap of chicken, feeds it to Lili, who licks her whiskers and wags her tail, delighted. "You know, I got no palate for beer," he admits. "Never drank much of it."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Well that's that settled then," Clint says when it turns out Skye knows someone who knows Castle. "Is there anyone you don't know?'" he asks her before tucking into his food.

As May arrives with the beer, Clint shakes his head. "Sure, we'll give them a try, but I think I can speak for us both when I say, the Frou-Frou stays, it's tradition."

Bucky's remark earns raised brows. "Really? What do you drink? We can probably provide."

Quake has posed:
Skye gives Clint a considered look before answering smartly, "The President. But I bet I could break into their system if I tried." She actually sounds like she means it, too.

As for May's suggestion that the frou-frou has to go.. there's a mock aghast look from the young woman (a look Clint would recognize as her talking to Merida look) as she grabs up her bottle of beer and holds it to her chest, murmuring, "Don't listen to what the nasty Assistant Director says. She has no clue what she's talking about. You're safe with us."

It doesn't, one should note, stop her from taking a random bottle from the pack that May has brought.

"Yeah, Buck. We're equal opportunity alcohol providers. And, soft drinks if that's what does it for you. The beer is kinda tradition. It's how we... met." She grins knowingly at Clint.

Melinda May has posed:
May shrugs at Bucky's admission. "I don't care much for beer either. These two..." Well, there goes Skye with her antics. "Worry me some days," she finishes flatly. But, she lets them do what they will with the beer.

"If you ever want a decent cup of hot tea, Barnes, let me know." It's almost like she's implying other people can't make decent hot tea.