9608/Off-Leash

Off-Leash
Date of Scene:	16 October 2019
Location:	Central Park, Manhattan
Synopsis:	Barnes meets Hvedrungr the wolf, and lady Sif.
Cast of Characters:	Winter Soldier, Loki, Sif

---

Winter Soldier has posed:
The evenings are chilly, now. Makes it easier for the arm to be concealed. So Buck's just another guy out on one of the Park's big lawns, late enough that the off-leash rules are in effect. He's in an army parka, jeans, boots. And he's got one of those dog-ball throwers that let you scoop up and throw the ball without touching a slobbery surface.

In this case, both thrower and balls are made out of glow in the dark plastic, more visible in the dimness. At the moments, he's just sent one rocketing off down the lawn, the Shepherd running at full stretch to get it.

Loki has posed:
A sleek black dog, that looks far more like wolf, comes across the lawns of the park like a silent shadow. A bright white blaze on chest and forehead, eyes bright blue, it trots parallel across the path, and then observes Bucky quietly.

Then, it approaches. Body language is confident, fearless, but non-aggressive, though the size of the animal is possibly enough to make anyone uncomfortable. If there's a collar, it's hidden in the thick ruff of fur around the neck of the creature.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Lili the Shepherd comes prancing back, head held high, glowing ball in her jaws. She's trotting around, as if taunting Bucky with it. I have a ball and you don't!

Only, Bucky does. He's settling it into the cup of the thrower when the other beast appears....and instantly, he's summoning Lili to his side. The last thing he needs is some other dog getting aggressive with his service dog. But his tone is amiable, as he says, "Hey there, buddy. Who do you belong to?" The wolf looks too glossy, too healthy to be a stray.....and those blue eyes might indicate Husky blood.

Loki has posed:
The wolf comes directly over, now, still non-aggressive, though the posturing is a bit on the alpha-dog side: tail is raised, head up. He approaches, his husky-like bright blue eyes lingering over the ball launcher in what may read as a curious way: or perhaps just checking what Bucky has in his hands. There is then a look at Lili, as he continues to approach, with full confidence. Still, no signs of aggression, no growls: the wolf is entirely silent, ears forward.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Lili is directed to sit at his side, on his left hand. Obediently, she does, though she's got her nose up, sniffing....and her tail is thumping. It smells like that guy! I love that guy! He's nice! Though she looks up at Bucky, aware that he doesn't usually smell that happy in that guy's presence.

"You wanna play fetch?" Buck wonders, holding out the ball in the holder, to let the wolf sniff it. Because surely that's what the Trickster Prince of Asgard is there for. A rousing game of Fetch.

There might even be belly rubs afterward.

Loki has posed:
Perhaps this can be the first time that Bucky can smell happy in Loki's presence? Loki, while shapeshifted, must be very interesting to the Shepherd: it's Loki's scent: he didn't modify it enough to truly mask himself, but he did put enough into it, as his shapeshift is actually very literally a wolf, to smell like a real wolf, not a fake one. So yes, the scent is 'nice person' but it is also 'wolf'.

Loki watches the ball as it is brought down in front of him -- no, that's not accurate. He watches Bucky's face, though nose is near the ball when it's offered. He doesn't get excited by the ball, but he does sit down, as if well-mannered and trained to do that. Or just very intelligent.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Lili's looking back and forth, expectantly. There is the ball. The ball is for throwing. Surely Bucky will throw the ball. Tail going a mile a minute....and Buck notes this. "Wow, he's impressed you....and you're even fixed," he says, laughing.

Seeing that there is no answering play-bow, no sign of excitement, he reaches back and settles the ball thrower on the little pack he has slung over his shoulders. Then he's offering his human hand out, held low. Like he'll scratch under the wolf's chin, if the wolf doesn't bridle or offer aggression. "Hey there, big guy," he croons.

Loki has posed:
Incidentally, Loki has done weirder things than this. And it will be so much more entertaining to observe Bucky's response later, should he choose to reveal. For now, he's observing (spying) on what the status is with one of his personal servants.

The wolf allows the petting, though it is in a rather regal way, head lifted. He then moves to lay on his stomach near where Bucky is standing, observing Lili's bouncing excitement with a serenity of a very well-behaved animal. Bucky seems to have two dogs now, by all appearances.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Yeah. Everyone knows where Sleipnir came from, after all.

Buck's gentle, the nails on his human hand long enough to be good for scratching. And the wolf gets a thorough scratching over - jaw and chin and ruff. The latter being inspected in hopes of a collar or a chip, no doubt - he even passes fingertips firmly along the upper spine and shoulders, in search of the latter. "Where's your master, buddy?" he wonders, keeping his voice low, soothing.

Lili, in turn, has lain down, but her tail is still waving.

Loki has posed:
Lili is now visually inspected more, and the large black tail moves finally, answering her with encouragement. The wolf doesn't need her to send up some alarms, after all. He gives a low little woof at her, leaning playful, friendly: his ears are still forward, though his manner is still pretty dominant.

There's no chip or collar on the big wolf, his condition is fairly healthy, but not perfect, he's maybe a bit skinny, or recently had an illness, but he's over it, it appears. He doesn't answer Bucky's question - not yet. He's befriending Lili first.

Winter Soldier has posed:
She keeps looking back and forth at Bucky, at the wolf. "All right, girl," he says, relenting. "He seems healthy and friendly. You wanna play, you can." A gesture releases her, and she's instantly zooming around wolf and cyborg, dashing up to Loki to offer a bow of invitation. Chase me, chase me.

To the wolf, he says, "You wanna come home with us? I....well, I've got somewhere you could go, with a yard. A friend's house. We could figure out who you belonged to...."

Loki has posed:
The wolf watches her bowing and bouncing, her moving around them in a tight circle. But then he looks to Bucky attentively: much like a very well trained animal might to get permission before doing something.

Or perhaps looking at him to see if he's really this sort of person. It's a very interesting difference in what Loki has sseen from the cyborg in the past: quite a different persona with the animals. He doesn't react to being invited home, of course: that would be revealing. And another location might be better than Central Park.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Bucky unguarded - the remnants of the boy from Brooklyn, Steve's friend, and not merely the wreckage of HYDRA's creation. He's easy in the presence of the dog and the 'wolf', even smiling a little, in a way he never is in human company (well, save maybe Steve, sometimes). "You can play, too, boy," he says, flapping his human hand.

Then he's unslinging the pack - more like a schoolkid's backpack than a real hiker's pack - and rummaging. "Or d'you want a treat?"

Because he who has drunk the mead of immortals and feasted at the All-Father's table is going to go for a Milkbone.

Loki has posed:
Playing, or dog treats. That's an easy choice. The wolf entirely ignores all of the speech - after all, he clearly doesn't speak human, and instead seems to (a bit belatedly) accept the permission to move towrads Lili in a rather impressively large bound, bumping her with his shoulder. It's playful only, he's of no intent to hurt her, of course. And besides, it works as a good distraction, to play with the other dog a little.

Truth be known, anyway? Loki likes animals, and has always gotten on very well with them.

Winter Soldier has posed:
She's agog, of course, racing around him, letting him bowl her over, before she tries to return the compliment. Even Lili herself isn't distracted by the treats. Metal human carries treats all the time, she knows this.

Buck's apparently unoffended by the rejection. He restows the pouch of treats, even settles down to sit cross-legged on the cool grass, grinning. "Play nice, kids," he admonishes.

Loki has posed:
Pretending to ignore Bucky is easy, and besides, nobody here is judging him. A magical part of shapeshifting and being such an actor is to enjoy some of the roles. There's nothing saying he even has to reveal who he is: he can just spy, as originally intended. He bounces over Lili, harmlessly biting her ruff, encouraging her to run, for some chase.

Winter Soldier has posed:
So, the Trickster Prince is in wolf form....and he's out there running around with Lili, who is off-leash and off-duty and having the absolute time of her life. Bucky's just sitting cross-legged on the grass, his backpack sitting by him, enjoying the spectacle. The arm's hidden by his army jacket and a glove - he might be any young man with his dog.

Sif has posed:
Hide and seek becomes a far more difficult game when one's quarry disappears off-world. Not in the mead halls -- not in the palace -- not even in the garden, though Sif lingered to appreciate it briefly. No, elsewhere.

As such, blink one moment --

And blink the next, and there's a tall presence not but a few yards away from Bucky, at an angle to be noted in the peripheral first. The Aesir woman stands still upon the slope of the lawn and...stares...at the dogs. Her long dark hair, lustrous with bluish undertones, falls half over one shoulder against silvery armor subtly gleaming like starlight. Beneath it, red battle-leathers to protect skin. Her boots rise to her knees, sturdily laced. At her hip, what appears to be a sword, and it's here than one fingertip begins to tap-tap-tap upon its pommel. The other hand rests upon her hip.

Her beauty is there, bladed, sharp, refined, and her glacially-blue eyes slide to Bucky after a moment. "Excuse me, good sir, are those...your dogs?"

Might as well ask. She might be mistaken in identification.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Less than a heartbeat, and that boy is gone. What gets to his feet is the assassin, hand already going for the pistol at the small of his back. There with the swiftness of a magician's trick - coiled as if ready in expectation of an attack. A whistle summons Lili to his side, and she obeys, leaving off her romping to come bounding to him.

"She," A cut of his eyes indicates the Shepherd, "Is. I dunno who he belongs to. He just showed up a little while ago." Buck's gaze is wary - wolf-feral, in his own way.

Loki has posed:
The big black wolf orients immediately on the arrival, hearing and smelling the Aesir as she arrives. He immediately stops playing, turned, entirely distracted by the Asgardian's appearance. Which means Lili probably bounces and pranced around him while he stops entirely. But then Lili is going back to Bucky. Pale blue eyes from the wolf 'husky' take in both Bucky and the woman, nose moving a small amount.

Someone familiar with animals might recognize that he's possibly taking on a defensive manner: protective of Sif perhaps? - and he crosses towards Sif, in a smooth trot. He's a beautiful black male wolf, blaze of white on forehead and chest, posture confident, alpha wolfdog.

Sif has posed:
Not unfamiliar with causing people to react by drawing weaponry, Sif lets her eyes fall to the pistol and then rise to the young man's face. She sighs to herself even as she sees the approach of the darkly-furred wolfdog.

"I apologize, young sir. I understand that I did not announce my arrival to avoid causing issue." Her face turns towards the black wolf and her hand gracefully drops from her hip to unfurl towards him in silent offered greeting.

"I sought to...appreciate the Park and its inhabitants. It has been some time since I walked its paths. It is a gem within a city of steel towers." Her gaze returns to Bucky. "Allow me to introduce myself properly in my error. I am the Lady Sif, she of the Warriors Three, Princess of Vanaheim, and Shield-Maiden to the royal family of Asgard." Her incline of chin is everything polite. The Aesir in her armor doesn't even seem to consider executing a curtsey.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Nor does Bucky. ....has he ever curtseyed?

Yes. But you have to get Peggy drunk to hear the story.

Buck regards her for a long, silent moment, face expressionless. Then he relents, vanishing the pistol as if it really were sleight of hand. Next thing you know, he'll pull a dove out of his backpack. "No offense taken." And hey, he didn't shoot her.

He even bows a little, in turn. "I'm James Barnes, Agent of SHIELD." Apparently not inclined to advertise that he's also the Trickster's sometime minion. "An honor to meet you."

Loki has posed:
The wolf observes Sif adjust what she was saying, without comment or expression on the dark furred face. He observes her hand - maybe sniffing it, maybe not? - but then prowls around behind her legs, in a smooth pace. He comes around the other side, clearly deciding to be familiar with her. She's here, and he'll make the best of it, by sitting just to her left, and then eying Lili, in her similar position by Bucky.

Sif has posed:
"Ah, SHIELD. I am familiar with your Midgardian government agency. I am friends with Agent Darcy," the Princess explains, her expression still proper and fairly neutral. If anything, the glance down at the black wolfdog briefly threatens a smile on her lips. It ghosts about their corners before she looks back up to Bucky again.

"It is indeed an honor to meet you, Agent Barnes. All whom I know to belong to SHIELD are of great heart and prowess upon the field of battle. I have fought beside SHIELD's agents before." If Bucky has ever perused the past files of incidents labled 'Really, Really Weird', he might remember that, apparently, the Asgardian Goddess of War had once deigned to assist SHIELD in matters.

"But do not let me interrupt their play. As I said, I merely wished to appreciate all present." Her eyes fall to the darkly-flurred wolf again and now there's an amused and overtly fond smile towards him.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Even more mollified, it seems. Another little fraction of tension unknots in him. "Thank you, ma'am." Ooh, she's been promoted to 'ma'am'. Apparently he has read those files.

Of course he has.

"I've encountered a few Asgardians before. King Thor is a friend of my friend Steve. And....Prince Loki." Cut the neutrality with a knife.

Then he gives Lili a look, bids her go play again. Now she comes sidling over to Sif. Hey. Hey. You could pet me. You could. Buck gives the wolf a look. "Looks like he's decided he's yours."

Loki has posed:
Wolves don't roll their eyes and stay in character, so this wolf doesn't do that. He does get up and move near Sif's legs, then behind her: throwing his weight against her legs somewhat, 'accidentally' intended to push her off balance. So /there/, Sif. So there.

The wolf pretends to not have done anything at all on purpose, tail in a slow, even sweep, betraying some amusement there. Smart animal.

Particularly focused in his intelligent stare as Bucky makes the declaration of ownership: bright blue eyes analyze both the human and Asgardian. How did this joke end up being about HIM, exactly?!

Sif has posed:
"I know of Captain Rogers, yes. I have heard many things about him as of late, but he appears to be a great courage and -- "

Sif isn't expecting the weight against the back of her knees and does have to step heavily to one side. Turning at the waist, the wolf is given an arched eyebrow before the Vanir Princess frankly smirks.

"I do not pretend to claim control of him. He will ever be his own creature. When he gifts me with his presence and his time, I am grateful for it." She does kneel down, however, to greet the effervescent Lili with a natural animal handling ability herself. Little cooing sounds leave her as the Asgardian begins baby-talking at the German shepherd in what must be a very ancient near-Norse tongue.

"Yes, it is excellent to meet your acquaintance too, young lady," she murmurs, seeming to find the exact right spot to make Lili most delighted with her nails -- maybe Lili told Sif herself! AllSpeak can be a wondrous thing.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Lili is all but melting into a happy puddle of fur. All of the people who smell like this understand Dog, and they're all so nice! Though....if they can wear proper forms, why don't they all? Since the nice man is now a nice dog, right there. For Lili, at least, has sussed out what her human is missing.

Buck's eyes widen. "You know him?" he says, looking to the wolf. "Who does he belong to?"

Sif has posed:
Sif glances up from scruffling at Lili's jawline. Every scritch ekes out maximum pleasure. She's still smiling to herself, more at the German shepherd than at the expression on Bucky's face.

"I did say he belongs to himself, Agent Barnes. I believe in the freedom of choice for all living creatures," replies the Valkyrie in a gentle voice almost musically soothing. Her smile deepens a touch.

"Though he is a noble specimen, is he not? I am quite impressed with the luster of his fur."

Winter Soldier has posed:
Lili is literally drooling with happiness. "Fair enough. But most Midgardians aren't gonna buy that," Buck warns. "What's his name? Or....what should I call him? What'll he answer to, anyhow?"

Looking to the wolf, now. "Yeah. He's kinna skinny, though. I wonder if his people don't feed him enough."

Loki has posed:
The wolf seems to have a jealousy issue, though, as he moves across Lili's path, bullying his way through in between them, to have his lustrous coat get proper attention to his thick ruff of neck fur. There's no growl, though, but the move was pretty deliberate.

But wolf he remains... because there's still interesting information here - from both of them!

Sif has posed:
"He looks perfectly content to me." Another low note of amusement wends through Sif's reply to Agent Barnes as she then indulges the coal-furred wolf in slow and methodical runs of her nails to comb through it. There's a respectful element to the motions rather than the friendly brisk scratching Lili //was// receiving.

"I suppose he might respond to 'Hvedrungr' if you must address him formally," the Princess contiues, glancing up at Bucky again. It's a name in ancient Norse yet, roughly translated by the best of scholars to 'the roarer' -- he of scintillating, great pride.

Loki has posed:
The wolf seems disinterested in the name - or perhaps some other emotion. He looks at Sif, moves past her, again pushing his weight against her leg-- and then slips away through a portal, the exact same way that Sif arrived. The wolf, it seems, has decided to magically disappear back to Asgard - or wherever he came from.

Sif has posed:
Straightening up in a slow and graceful manner upon realizing the black wolf is departing, Sif looks to Bucky once more.

"It was a pleasure making you acquaintance, Agent Barnes. I look forwards to speaking with you again. Perhaps I shall stop by your SHIELD headquarters and seek you out. It would be good to greet other friends there." He gets a final nod of her head before the dark-haired Vanir then seems to step simply out of existence, through the portal opened by the wolf.

It leaves the Soldier and his dog to play once more uninterrupted by the machinations of the gods.