7678/On

On
Date of Scene:	30 May 2019
Location:	Clint and Skye's, Greenwich Village
Synopsis:	Peggy drops by with curry. Thankfully there's enough for three as Bucky shows up too. He arranges a shopping trip with Peggy to Target. Skye is horrified.
Cast of Characters:	Quake, Peggy Carter, Winter Soldier

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Quake has posed:
Time was running out. It wasn't that they didn't have it, but every day ticked inexoribly to the point where they'd have to strike. They were playing an exquisite game of cat and mouse with Zola and Hydra, and sooner or later something had to give.

Skye's talk with May had helped. As had a good meal and a catnap. Now, she was ensconsed in her livingroom, feet up on the couch, watching sims of their code run through over and over, tweaking the thing for the minutest of improvements on reaction. She still wasn't pleased, but there was progress.

Peggy Carter has posed:
While Peggy's mainly living in the Triskelion (rumors she moved into the same suite as Bucky??), it's not a safe place to talk about any of this. And sometimes, she just wants to talk about planning. Or scream about just how angry she is that this happened to SHIELD, how she feels like she failed them... A dozen other things. So, she comes armed with a bag full of curry (proper British curry from a pub someone recommended, so one's mileage may vary on the taste) and a hopeful knock at Skye's front door.

She still hasn't gone shopping. Part of her is avoiding it, part of her says there are just too many things to do. So, she's in a pair of SHIELD issue sweat slacks and a t-shirt, her usual get up for going to the gym or doing pretty much anything these days. Occasionally, she'll borrow a pair of jeans from Bucky. Over all she's not much arsed about getting fancy clothes.

Quake has posed:
"Nobody I know would knock," Skye calls out. "They'd just come in, but I'm warning you, I'm armed."

She doesn't even look up from her laptop. Truth be told, if Peggy has made any sort of familiar Peggy noises, she already knows it's Peggy thanks to her hearing. And if not, she really is capable of blasting someone away. Besides, her neighbours wouldn't just walk in, they'd speak up. As far as Skye is concerned it's win-win, even if it is also a little bit risky.

Her only concession is she sits up and swings her legs over the side of the couch so that she's now sitting up and able to see the door and whomever walks in. Should they.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Well, I'm not quite certain how well we really know each other, so I found it polite to knock." Peggy recognizes that voice and does the polite thing, which is to still respond but also not open that door when a paranoid woman could immediately shoot her away. "So...Might I come in?" She inquires lightly, shifting the bag of curry onto her other hip and rolling eyes upwards to look for some sort of camera or something to wave at. Of course, she'd probably never find it nowadays. They aren't the huge blocky things of her hey-day.

Quake has posed:
There's a crooked little smirk from Skye, "You got invited here once. You're part of the team. If the door isn't locked and you can pick it if it is, you're invited. Hey Peggy."

With a small sigh, and surprisingly, Skye sets her laptop aside, though she continues to let it run its programs.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Not while I'm carrying curry!" Peggy teases lightly at the comment of picking the lock. But the door is open. She turns the knob with her free hand and picks her way into the room, still looking just a bit wary as she enters the room. Paranoia runs deep in all of them, and she's just double checking that there's no blasts coming her direction for having the audacity to knock!

"There's a lovely pub down the street. Has some of the best curry in the city, I was told. Properly hot. Thought I'd bring over some dinner..." Since they gave her a SHIELD expense account to pick up some spare clothing. Of course, she got food to share instead of actually shopping.

Quake has posed:
"Ooo, do I like curry?" Skye isn't sure. Her repertoire of foods isn't all that extensive. Witness the campaign to get her to eat things other than ramen and cold coffee. "What the hell. I already ate vegetable soup today - do not tell Bucky that - so what's curry going to do?"

She makes a gesture at one of the other seats. "Oh, wait, do we need utensils? They're in the kitchen. One of the drawers. I think the one by the sink."

Yes, Skye just told Peggy Carter, former Director of SHIELD, to go get her own damn fork and bring one for Skye as well.

Winter Soldier has posed:
There's the click of claws, the jingle of a collar tag, and panting breath. Lili precedes her human by a little, tail up, ears perked, eyes bright, as she comes nosing in behind Peggy. She's cheerful. Her Service Cyborg.....well, Buck is Buck. He doesn't really do cheerful, these days. He spots Peggy ....and his stolen jeans, and his stolen belt....and his stolen shirt, nodding to himself as if he were fairly certain of the thief. "Carter," he says, mildly, "We're gonna go shopping."

Peggy Carter has posed:
She'd been SUPPOSED to go shopping each day this week but always somehow managed to deftly avoid doing such, even if that means she's in his stolen jeans, belt, a SHIELD t-shirt and sweat shirt over top. She looks almost frumpy in the not quite fitting clothing, but Peggy Carter has enough hourglass curves to even show through the frump. "Lili!" She breathes out happily. Almost a coo. Don't call it a coo. She'd knee someone in the gut for every saying she 'coos'. But the dog gets something close, as her hand drops to scratch at the shepard's scruff before she flashes a smile to Bucky. "...there's more to do in life than go shopping, James." She huffs. Another dodge.

Then she's weaving her way through to the kitchen, not bothered in the least as she's told to get a fork. "Do you like spicy food? If not, there is an order of green curry in here, it should be a bit more mild. And you REALLY should eat more than soup, Johnson. If you were ever on rations, well... You'd learn how damn lucky you are to have a curry pub right down the street." She sets the bag down and starts putting out plates, one for Barnes too. She doesn't even ask if he wants to eat.

Quake has posed:
"I like spicy," Skye says. At least she had in China. She ate all the spicy. And one of the things she'd found, having been introduced to real ramen, was that it came in many, many, MANY flvours. Not to mention the chef at the restaurant she and Clint frequented liked Skye and made dishes just for her.

"Oh hey, Lili. Did you bring your - oh hi, Bucky. And ew, shopping? That's a fate worse than death, Buck. You don't look the sort."

Winter Soldier has posed:
Buck peers between them, bemused. He's not really surprised they hate it - they're both women with far too much to do. "Carter, that's my Cyclones shirt you're wearing. And my jeans. And my belt. You need clothes." Lili's loving on Peggy. Apparently she's decided that Peggy is her secondary charge.

"It's not about shopping for fun, I'm not tryin'a take you somewhere as a distraction. Steal my jeans if you wanna, but you can't keep raiding the Triskelion's gym clothes stash. C'mon, this weekend I'll getcha set up. There's one little department store that'll have all you need." Yeah, the Winter Soldier is taking Agent Carter to Target.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Department store?" Peggy wrinkles her nose at the thought, "They have all those...women who try to ply you with perfume or be personal shoppers. Then the tailors pushing their services on you... Ah, ghastly places." Peggy clearly hasn't been to a department store in 50 years and, even then, she seemingly spent most her time in probably very high end ones like Nordstroms or the like. Being director of an international agency means one doesn't go to stores like Target. Not that they necessarily existed back then. "Lili. Not your food." She doesn't exactly chide the girl, but she's got that firm mom voice going on there.

Then she's coming out of the kitchen, three plates balanced carefully in hand. Both red and green curry for Skye, so she can try each. Green curry for herself, and a proper red curry just like that one pub they went to in England far too many years ago for Bucky. Each of them has a generous portion of naan and some chutney as well. "Dinner's on. I cooked." She winks teasingly, setting the plates down in front of them. "Skye, the red is a touch spicier. The green has a coconut milk base, I do believe. You should try both. I hope they're good... The Goggle recommended this place."

Quake has posed:
"I know a cute little goth place," Skye offers helpfully. "Not that you really look the type." Whatever that means.

Skye's plate is taken and peered at, surprisingly without suspicion. "So this chunky stuff, I'm betting it's a fruit?" Cool fruits to temper hot spices she's at least heard of, even if she's not terribly sold on fruits. "And ew, Peggy, he's got a point. You can't live in the althletics gear forever. We could probably find you some place that doesn't treat you like a commission. Really depends on how much money you want to spend. I actually know a couple of seamstresses."

Yes, Skye actually said that. Seamstresses. Skye knows some. So there.

"Google, Peg. It's just Google." Grinning as she rips a piece of bread and dips it into the red curry first, taking a hearty bite.

Winter Soldier has posed:
He takes his curry matter of factly, sits down to eat it, after pouring water for Lili in a little unfolding water dish. Buck takes his time - there's a kind of painful deliberation. He's not going to wolf it or inhale...but it's clear eating like a civilized person takes conscious effort.

He shakes that dark head - his hair's past his shoulders, on the rare occasion he doesn't have it bound back. "Nah, nothin' like that. Closer to Woolworth's. Place called Target. There's other places to go, though, if you want, but yeah, it'll be a step up." He tears off a piece of the naan. "I need to go shopping anyhow....and I usually go into town on Saturdays. Take Lili here to a dog park, go to the bookstore..."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy blinks a moment in confusion, "Yes... The google. On the internet. I mean... It might have been on the yelp directory thing, but that's where I looked it up." Peggy has caught onto USING the internet fairly quickly, but discussing it and exactly grokking it all hasn't quite settled in yet. She slips off her shoes, so she's not putting them on Skye's furniture, and settles in between the woman and Bucky to get comfortable and eat. She does somehow look a bit more relaxed for Bucky and Lili's presence. As if a touch of home has made all of this a little more tolerable.

"And yes, the chutney is fruit. Mango, I think...I don't know. Daniel did all the cooking. This is how I cooked. Make a phone call and pick it up." She's not really joking. And she's still wearing her wedding ring, even if he's long dead. Her dark eyes flicker back over to Bucky before she can dwell too much on the little thoughts that gut her the moment she sinks into them. "...Target? Like Woolworths? I guess that's not overly awful. Alright... If you're going in anyway. I suppose it wouldn't be too awful to get out."

Quake has posed:
Skye looks more than mildly horrified when Bucky mentions Target. "Oh god, you have to be fucking kidding me. Target? That's like.. like the shittiest fast food of clothing shopping ever." Mind you, Peggy doesn't currently look like a fashion maven. With a roll of eyes that says shopping is /not/ her idea of a fun time, but if she must, Skye mutters, "I know some places. Little off the beaten track shops that won't treat you like meat and will have a better selection than Target. Might not be business suits, but that's what the big name stores are for, and you're on your own there. I wore a skirt once and never again."

Mind, the skirt had been SHIELD issued, and once Skye had learned she could wear pants that sucker had been thrown in the back of her closet to rot.

She gives a wicked little grin at Peggy's admission of how she cooked, "Sounds like my kind of cooking." Even if she had taken classes.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Bucky rolls his eyes. "It's not that bad. Bad is Wal-Mart. I tried a set of their shirts once, I ripped right through 'em like Dr. Banner when he gets mad. Target holds together okay." Well, durability *would* be his criteria - he still hews to that severe plainness in dress. Doeshe even own anything colorful that isn't one of his several Cyclones t-shirts? To Peggy, he says, "Even if you don't like their clothes, they have toiletries, things like that - they're sorta partially a grocery, too. You can come with me, see what you think."

Then he's looking between them again. "Clearly, I need to cook for the both of you. Good stuff's in season now. D'you all like Italian? I'm good at that." One of those sly little looks at Skye. "Tomatoes don't scare ya, do they?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
Fast food clothing seems just a bit boggling to her, but the huge, cheap chain stores were really only starting to creep up the coast when she disappeared, so that's probably not a surprise. She looks between the two, quietly picking at her food with the motions of someone who hasn't been hungry in days but knows she needs to eat, so she's giving it a try. She still doesn't have much interest in it, no matter how good it is. The review was right, at least.

"We'll give it a go, Buck. I don't think I'd want something too personal anyway. I just need... Well, I guess I can't continue stealing your clothes. Steve would have a fit." Though a crack of amusement crosses her lips at the thought of what Steve might say or do at Peggy completely dressed in his stolen duds.

She takes another bite of her food before setting the plate aside and reaching out for Lili. The canine's a far better companion than uninteresting food.

Quake has posed:
Skye shrugs as her offer of help is discarded in favour of Target, only to furrow her brow at Bucky. "Tomatoes. Those are the sauce, right? Like on pizza. Or in a can for spaghetti?"

Hey! She knew how to make spaghetti. Mostly. Kind of. Unlike Peggy, Skye eats - surprisingly, as Skye in work mode generally forgets to. She must still be riding the wave of that talk May gave to her earlier in the day. This makes meal two today!

Winter Soldier has posed:
Peggy's lack of appetite conjures up that little stitch of a frown between his brows. He doesn't poke at her about it, though. "It'll be a start. Once you've had a chance to look around, see what people wear now....which ain't much," he adds, ruefully. A snort at Peggy's comment. "You can steal all you want. You'll just be more comfortable in better stuff."

As an example, he plucks at his t-shirt's hem, and explains to Skye, "Back in our day, t-shirts were underwear. They were never the only layer a man wore on his upper body, not outside the house, anyhow. I still feel weird going out like this, sometimes."

Then there's that comment, and he purses his lips at Skye, though amusement still gleams in the pale eyes. "Among other things. But you can do really good stuff with fresh ones. We'll try you on bruschetta. Bread with chopped tomatoes, basil....it's real good." Lili scooches closer to Peggy, lays a head on her knee.

Peggy Carter has posed:
That head does help. A slight easing of Peg's shoulders and her fingertips just starting a slow brush through the fur behind Lili's ears and down the scruff of her neck. Focusing and relaxing at the same time. It made the stress of just thinking of buying new clothes, of accepting she was stuck here for good, a little less. "... I somehow doubt most of us are complaining about seeing you or Steve in nothing but undershirts. Just because they are decorated more nowadays doesn't make them any less... Revealing." It was like watching your mom flirt. And yes, she did consider t-shirts revealing.

"Skirts aren't all that bad either. Easier to fight in that pants if you don't care how much leg you're flashing. But then, I think I ended up in fights while wearing a skirt and high heels in the war more often than boots. It was a rare day in hell they let me in a men's uniform. Just got used to it, towards the end..."

Quake has posed:
"Skirts," Skye says with a shudder. "Seriously don't understand them." Mind you, Skye didn't grow up in the era Peggy had, and living on the streets, you wore what you found - unisex was a lot easier to find than being fussy and feminine. Besides, nobody could accuse Skye of being like most other girls. She just didn't grok the whole 'girl' thing. Not really.

Bucky gets a very suspicious look. "So, this brushetta stuff. If I try it and I don't like it, that's the end of it, right? No tricks. No tossing in other vegetables and jumping out and saying 'ha!' at me? Just choped up tomatoes and basil - that's green stuff, right?" Basil had shown up on ramen. She'd eaten it. It had tasted good in the context of ramen. But this? Skye wasn't sure about it.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Lili's giving Peggy the full treatment - ears pinned back, dog smile, big, soft brown eyes. Doing her job. Steve's gift to both of them. Buck only watches sidelong, lest it be too obvious.

Well, he was the one to bring up that aspect of it. As Peggy makes that comment about revealing, he actually blushes. She's old enough to understand how he feels....and read it in a way that the 21est century agents don't. He nods at Peggy in sympathy.

Then to Skye, he says, "I'll make it in front of you. It might have a few mores seasonings. Basil's an herb. I'll find a good recipe."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Well, Lili is doing her job most excellently, because while Peggy has fallen quiet, she's not entirely stuck in her head. She's just doing her best to relax and maybe even pick at her food a bit more. Listening to the interplay between the two was relaxing, the gentle teasing that is often found between soldiers. "...I suppose the skirts are better than the plaid. This era's clothing... Everyone seems to wear it so tight. Leaves nothing to the imagination. I cannot imagine it's comfortable." THere is definitely a 50 year old woman trapped in that 30-something looking Peggy somewhere. She might also be trying to save Bucky from blushing TOO hard.