9993/Planning a Raid

Planning a Raid
Date of Scene:	11 November 2019
Location:	Operations, The Triskelion
Synopsis:	Clint approaches May about a mission. Discussion in the office becomes dinner with Vi to talk about the upcoming intel-gathering, and to meet Clint's cats.
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Barton), Melinda May, Vi

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Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Since the meeting with Vi, Clint had been looking deeper into the camp she'd been raised in, working out some planned ingress and egress points, and trying to find out more details of what they might be facing if they launched a raid. Info was hard to come by, most of it by the satellites under Skye's control, but they lacked human intel beyond what they'd gotten from Vi.

All the same Clint was putting in uncharacteristic hours on this op, digging up every lead he could, which may have more than a little to do with his big empty house, seeing as Skye was still off on that search for her mother. Though, despite the hours and the isolation, Clint looks reasonably well-rested when he comes to May's office and knocks to be admitted, files in hand.

Melinda May has posed:
May is there in Operations as has somehow become 'normal'. She's speaking with one of the many analysts about, and with a nod sends the agent on their way. When Clint knocks, she speaks up for him to enter and waits for him to settle in and offer said files.

"This is about what you've been doing lately, I take it?" She doesn't open the files promptly, knowing that Clint likely has to explain a bit of what's contained therein before she can make sense of the actual collected data. "How are the cats handling so much time without their human servants?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint hands over the files and takes a seat.

"That's right. Ward is technically running point on this but I've had the free time to spend on it," Clint explains about the work load. "And yeah, this is what we have so far about the base and how we're looking at getting in. Looks like the best way in through the outgoing and incoming supply trucks, they're about as vulnerable as the place gets, though, good money Hydra knows that too, so they'll be watching."

There's a smile about the cats. "They're surviving, I get mobbed when I get home though, and they just sort of follow me through the house."

Melinda May has posed:
Now May opens the file and starts to peruse the data listed there. "Are you wanting to get in and out quietly, or do you not care about making a lot of noise?" She can think of ways to make either happen, and which agents to tap for either scenario... or both. "What is the ultimate goal of this infiltration? Intel gathering, or getting innocents out and razing the place?" She personally is entirely okay with the latter.

"Sounds like I'll have to start dropping by more often, then, if they're that insistent on attention." Or maybe send Barnes over there. She knows the cats get along well enough with Lili.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"We've made promises to the girl, Vi, that we'd try to get everyone out of there," Clint explains, though he knows such promises were subject to the needs of SHIELD and the greater good. "Which means we'll have to get loud at some point, but I think a quiet ingress would be best, slip in with the trucks, get things set up before we drop a strike team on them. But before that, we might need to get inside and get some more intel on the ground, Vi was part of a group of orphans in the camp that spent most of their time scrounging and hiding, if we could get in and make contact, I think they might have a wealth of intel about what's been going on there more recently.

Clint nods, "You'd be welcome May, the place is feeling sort of empty without Skye around, I dunno, it's always been a big place but somehow having her there made it seem full," he says before he smiles. "Don't worry, that's as sappy as I plan to get today. And yeah, Bucky and Lili would be great to see as well, the cats think Lili is one of them, just bigger."

Melinda May has posed:
May listens to Clint's assessment, nodding. "That sounds workable. And I will want to speak with Vi at some point. Do you consider her safe enough to bring by the house, or should I arrange to meet someplace neutral?" She studies the file's information more closely. "Gather intel and allies first. If anyone can get orphans to trust them and offer what they know..." She doesn't finish that statement. She doesn't need to.

"The cats just think Lili is a giant, self-ambulatory, heated bed. And yes, I'll be by, then. I'm guessing that the fridge is nothing but condiments by now, as well. I'll bring groceries." Which usually means she'll cook.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint considers where he puts Vi on the scale of people he'd trust, before he smiles, "If Skye had been at that first meeting Vi would already be invited over for dinner," he says with a grin. "So, yeah, I'd say she's good to bring to the house, might make her feel more comfortable as well, by the sound of it, what Hydra has set up there is like one of those North Korean work camps, Vi and the kids she ran with haven't known anywhere else so as long as we don't overwhelm her rolling out the welcome mat is the best approach." Not to mention the most decent, she'd been through hell.

The vote of confidence is met with a nod, "Sort of my thing isn't it?" he says with a smile. "If we go into talk to the orphans, we might need Vi's help, but I am not sure if it's a good idea to bring her with us or not, maybe just having her in my ear would help, we'll see as we gather more intel."

There's a snort. "I am pretty sure that's how they see me too. A walking heated bed," he says of the cats. "And hey, there's ramen... I think," if there was it was the packages he and Skye kept in the bedside table as a bit of a running gag. "But any help you can offer in the food department will not go unappreciated."

Melinda May has posed:
With a thoughtful expression, May nods. "Tell me when to be there, then, and I'll fix dinner. Something simple by the sounds of it. And we can discuss plans and logistics with her at that time." As much as the young woman's disposition will allow, of course. She's also very much planning on the cats helping with putting Vi at ease. Pets are surprisingly good at that.

"If I need to, I put my comm in her ear myself." Shouldn't be a problem linking the young woman in, though, so long as she's with Overwatch for that initial infiltration. "I'm also considering tapping Barnes to participate in this." Which, of course, is entirely dependent on the man accepting a request to assist. May only ever orders him to do things after he's stated he's willing to join in.

May's mental grocery list is already compiling, and a holiday gift list as well. She's seen a few things that might be useful for said cats...

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"I'll make contact and find out when we can make this happen," Clint promises as he stands leaving the files with May. "And Barnes is a good choice, he'll definitely be on side with wrecking Hydra's shop and getting people out of their control."

"Anyhow, I should be in touch before the end of the day with the time," Clint says before taking his leave.

By the next day, he'd made the arrangements for Vi to come to his and Skye's brownstone in Greenwich for supper time briefing with May. The two story brownstone is immaculate thanks to the work of their cleaning service and when she arrives May is naturally given the run of the kitchen to get things ready for their guests, while the cats mill about in hopes of some of the human food being sent their way in tribute.

For his part, Clint is there dressed causally as with the last briefing, t-shirt, jeans bare feet, in all the feeling was meant to be casual and relaxed.

Melinda May has posed:
May doesn't do the bare feet thing, especially not when she's in the kitchen cooking. The cats are likely losing their little furry brains, though, as she's just pulled a roast out of the oven to rest while she finishes the sides and lets some bread warm in the heat still retained in the oven. "Last time," she actually says to the noisy little furbeasts, "no. I put onions and garlic in the roast."

She is THIS close to having Clint lock them in a bedroom at least until the cooking is done. She really doesn't want to trip over the orange one again.

Vi has posed:
Vi will be disappointed when she shows up and sees him in bare feet when she wore boots. Though she's starting to get used to the footwear. And as cold as it is becoming, they definitely have their uses.

The car pulls up, an agent walking her up to the door. The girl is nineteen, with dark hair, and wearing jeans and a warm sweater. She's not as scrawny as she was when she came off the freighter, the difference of a few weeks with steady cooking and exercise making a difference.

She holds her hands clasped lightly in front of herself as she looks around the area. Her second glimpse of 'normal' life, though this place in the city is far different than the Grey family home that Jean took her to. She looks at the agent, who nods to her reassuringly and then rings the bell for her.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint gives a hiss at the cats, "Grant, Randy leave May alone," he tells them, but neither do more than look back scornfully over their shoulders.

Clint sighs, "See what I have to deal with?" he asks the deputy director.

That's when the doorbell rings and Clint trapes barefoot to the door to admit their guest, the smells of roast following him to the door and beyond.

Seeing Vi, he smiles, "C'mon in, hope you're hungry," he says nodding a greeting to the agent as well. "Well get a doggy bag together for you," he promises the guy, after all he's got to stay outside and run security for them.

He steps aside for Vi to enter though, calling down the hall to the kitchen, "Hey, Vi's here."

Melinda May has posed:
Perfect timing. May is just setting the warmed bread on the table when Clint calls out that Vi is here. "Welcome, Vi. I was about to start some tea. What would you like to drink?" She tries to make it more subtle than usual, but she does spend a second or three studying the young woman. She's wearing boots as well, if that reassures the younger woman, and she mutters something in Mandarin to the two cats twining around her ankles.

<< If either of you gets on this table, I will get out my Cambodian recipe book. >>

Vi has posed:
Vi smiles as she sees Clint at the door. "Hello. I hope that you are doing well," she says. "You have... a very lovely home," she adds of the home she really hasn't seen yet because she's still standing outside of the doorway. Though the girl herself doesn't quite catch that mistake and is secretly proud she remembered these parts of the socialization simulations that she'd reviewed hastily before coming over. Programs originally made for X-23.

Vi steps inside as Clint makes way for her, giving her a glimpse of city living. The smell is noticed right away, her head tilting to the side a bit, not able to place the scent. Vi turns to give a little wave goodbye to the agent. He was nice, and played a bunch of radio stations for her on the hour-long drive into the city. "Goodbye," she tells him before the door shuts.

Vi looks from Clint to May, lowering her eyes when the unfamiliar woman looks over towards her. She doesn't do it as much as she did when she first got here, but still is prone to avoiding too much eye contact when she's nervous. "Hello," she says towards May. "Water would be fine. Please," she asks quietly. Vi has a bit of an Eastern European accent. It's not too far from what the Maximoff's have.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Thanks," Clint smiles. "Wait until you see the inside," he jokes lightly as he leads her inside.

"Bye, I'll have the radio ready for your ride back," the agent says giving her a smile before the door closes.

Leading the way into the kitchen, Clint asks May, "Do I want to know what you said?" he asks since he didn't speak Chinese beyond the few basic phrases he'd learned on his trip. "Tea for me May," he says about the drinks before getting to the introductions. "Deputy Director May this is Vi, Vi, this is Deputy Director May."

Melinda May has posed:
May nods to Vi and carefully heads back into the kitchen, one cat trotting after her talking the whole way, the other staying at the table and sniffing up at the foodstuffs there. She returns quickly enough with a water glass in one hand and a squat little reddish clay teapot in the other... and the cat still meowing after her. There are already little ceramic shotglasses on the table that somewhat match the teapot.

"Have a seat, everything is ready." She's never really been one to stand on ceremony when it comes to meals. The tea, however, that is clearly a thing.

Vi has posed:
Vi gives a soft smile to May as Clint introduces them officially. Her eyes go to the cats that are drawing the others attention. She looks at them for a few moments before something clicks. "You keep them as pets?" she asks them quietly. "Are they friendly?" she asks, her head tilting in an expression of curiosity.

As May directs them to the seats, she moves over to one, looking over at Clint and making sure he's doing the same so she knows she isn't doing something wrong. She takes a seat only after he does, resting her hands into her lap. Vi watches what transpires with the teapot with interest.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint nods, "Yeah," he says to Vi. "They're pets, the black one is Grant and the orange one is Randy and they're friendly enough if you want to say hello," he says giving Vi an encouraging smile.

As for the seating, Clint takes one and nods to Vi to do the same, while letting May handle the tea, he seems used to her rituals around the drink and actually quite enjoys them. "Anyhow, May wanted a chance to get to know you and well, around here, this is how we do that, with food at my place," he says. "My girlfriend Skye, calls it Chez Miscreant, it's a little bit of a joke."

Melinda May has posed:
"Don't Grant try to claim your lap during dinner. He'll take it as a chance to try and steal food off of your plate." May settles into her chair as well and uncovers the roast, giving the tea just a little longer before pouring into the tiny cup in front of Clint.

"Let me know if you'd like a sample of the tea. I promise, I won't be offended if you don't care for it." She pours for herself as well, nodding to Clint to start serving up the roast.

Vi has posed:
Vi watches the cats and how they go right over to the people. When she finally reaches down her hand, there's the sense she hasn't had this interaction with a cat before. She doesn't seem afraid of them, just a little surprised they would react to her like this.

Assuming Grant comes over to her, Vi watches as he rubs his jaws against her hand. It makes the young woman grin and she turns her fingers over to run over his head, then softly ruffle through his fur. "He's so soft," she says quietly. And clean. But then everything here is clean.

Vi sits back up as May is seeing to the tea. She glances to Clint and then back to the tea. "I would like to try it, if I may?" she asks quietly. "I have only had tea a few times," she says quietly. She rests her hands back in her lap. "What did you wish to know about me?" she asks.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Grant does indeed rub against her hand, purring contentedly at the attention while Clint watches with a pleased look on his face, "Little charmer," he says to the cat. "Which is funny, because he's named after Agent Ward, who well, isn't exactly charming," he offers with a grin. "Yeah, he really is, his belly is even softer but wouldn't risk that, he's not a fan of belly rubs."

Then it's on to serving the roast cutting smallish portions for each of them to let Vi ease into things. He knows they must feed her well enough at the school she's at, how could they not given the high end reputation of the place, but at the same time he's trying not to overwhelm.

Melinda May has posed:
May promptly pours into a third small cup for Vi. "There are almost countless varieties of tea available, but this is the one I always reach for first. It's not too overwhemling to the palate." Which also makes it a good tea to accompany a meal.

She is not at all surprised that Grant-cat is already pouring on the charm, and when Randy hops up on the remaining empty chair at the table she pulls it farther in with one foot to keep the little moocher from trying to use it as a vantage point.

And now, while Clint is serving up the roast, May takes a small sip of her tea and finally gets down to business. "Well, Clint has told me a bit about where you came from, and there are others still there that deserve the same chance you've been given."

Vi has posed:
Vi doesn't try to pet Grant's belly, but she does peek down at the cats. "We didn't have pets," she says quietly. But she's familiar with cats at least, it seems.

Vi takes the offered cup of tea, picking it up and inhaling the scent. She takes a small sip from it. "It's good. Much stronger than what I've had before," she says softly. "Much nicer too," the teen adds.

She gives Clint a grateful smile as he puts the meant before her. "What kind of meat is this?" she inquires quietly, her tone curious.

Vi looks back to May as she brings up where Vi is from. "Yes," she says in that soft, Eastern European accent. "No one ever gets out of there. They should know the rest of the world is like this. Some of them do. Most? There are people brought in from time to time. When there aren't enough workers. I never believed the rumors of the stories they told about where they came from, though," Vi says.

She glances from Clint, and back to May. "I'd like to help them get out, if I can?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"May is our expert on tea," Clint says to Vi. "I pretty much drink whatever she serves."

"And not surprised you didn't have pets in the camp, I am guessing food was in too short of supply for that sort of thing," he says with a look towards Grant and Randy. He couldn't imagine being hungry enough to think of them as food but he knew that sort of thing happened in the world.

"Beef," he says with a look for confirmation from May. "With garlic and onions. Guessing that's another thing you guys didn't have in the camp."

"We'd love your help," Clint says moving on to the task at hand. "We were wondering about trying to get someone in the camp to speak to the other orphans, try to get some intel before we make a move to free everyone, think that'll work and if so, what's the best way to reach out to them?"

Melinda May has posed:
May notes what's in the roast for Clint, also pointing out the sides and the warm bread with butter, and over the rest of the meal the three of them -- despite feline interruptions -- work out how Vi can best help with gathering intel about the camp she came from, and more importantly, the eventual raid to free everyone still there.

And, likely not at all subtly, May sneaks a little taste of butter to each of the cats.