15180/Avengers Gotta Eat

Avengers Gotta Eat
Date of Scene:	19 June 2023
Location:	Avengers Mansion - Kitchen
Synopsis:	A small group of Avengers seeks out food in the Mansion, and end up having a discussion for dinner instead.
Cast of Characters:	James Barnes, Clea, Bruce Banner, Janet van Dyne

---

James Barnes has posed:
    It's dinner time. There's definitely some means to how a group as diverse as the Avengers are provided meals on the daily, but whatever that is doesn't seem to involve the kitchen today. Maybe it's pizza day, or a decent grouping of the team has gone out together for shwarma, but the result is the same: an empty kitchen.

    An empty kitchen sans one shadowy figure who slinks in, looking back and forth carefully to ensure the coast is clear before he makes his move. Bucky wrenches open the fridge with his metal arm and stares into its depths for a long moment. Possibly someone is planning a summer cookout soon based on the contents, which consists of just about enough meat to feed a very hungry group of lions. Or at least one Asgardian, Bucky supposes. Time passes, and slowly he shuts the fridge.

    Then he repeats the process over at the pantry, arms thrown wide as he pulls the doors open. It's packed full, exactly the same way as the fridge, and Bucky sighs as he pulls out a box of bougie granola. With chia seeds, and flax. He's not sure how long he stands there with the box in his hands, staring at it with a faint shake of his head.

Clea has posed:
Clea's been keeping to her room mostly, but she's came out for snacks. She's been all weird since London and then other things. And moody Faltine's tended to set things on fire, so she had spared everyone that. She's dressed in a pair of ripped up black jeans and a threadbare dark purple shirt as she floats into the kitchen. The only thing that heralds her arrival is the opening of the door, no footsteps.

She peeks in when she notices there are others, "Is it a bad time?" the white haired woman asks as the door closes behind her.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce sighed as he walked around the mansion, seemingly oblivious to others as he immersed himself in his work. Dressed in his usual attire, he held a device connected to the main computer in one hand and a slowly beeping device in the other. Each number that scrolled by on the latter was followed by the word "failure." Bruce moved almost aimlessly, traversing the halls and empty rooms, deep in thought. He frowned as he checked the test summary on the device. He had promised Fury results, but detecting anti-matter was proving to be a challenge. According to the established scientific principles, it should have been detectable through its effects on light and gravity. Bruce had already exhaustively explored all electromagnetic radiation connections, finding nothing. It seemed impossible.

Bruce had the computers meticulously analyze a century's worth of gravity and magnetic disturbances, hoping to establish a baseline that could be used to detect anomalies. As he roamed with the beeping device, he stumbled upon something intriguing. In his attempt to create a scanner to identify disturbances within a specific area, the device had detected something. Bruce followed its signal until he reached the kitchen, completely unaware of James's presence. His attention fixated on the device, he unknowingly approached James and inadvertently scanned his arm, causing the device to emit a different tone.

Suddenly realizing his mistake, Bruce quickly looked up, registering that the arm was connected to a person. "Oh... Sorry!" he apologized immediately, a small smile forming on his face. He extended his hand in a gesture of greeting, only to realize that his hands were full. "Sorry about that... Bruce Banner," he introduced himself, instinctively sharing his name as he was often surrounded by unfamiliar faces and felt somewhat shy in such situations.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Contrary to the Faltine's silent approach, there's really no missing Janet's arrival at the mansion. Cell phone, clicking heels, a familiar stern cadence to her voice-- the socialite's clearly not completely off the clock yet, and walks into the mansion with her phone to her ear and her faithful assistant hustling around to open doors and lurk in her shadow. "That's all fine, as long as the factory gets the new machines by next month. If the shippers can't do it, buy a freaking boat yourself if you have to. Just get it to Lahore."

She looks up at the others and wiggles the fingers of her free hand. "Uh-huh. Okay. Bye." The call ends with a beep and Janet throws her phone into her purse and tosses the bag on the counter. "You would not *believe* what a pain it is to ship machinery from Taiwan to Pakistan. Nothing but tariffs and pirates. Anyone want to bring a private army to the Gulf of Oman?" she asks rather rhetorically. The socialite walks around Bruce, carefully resting fingertips on his arm so she doesn't startle him, and flashes the scientist a brilliant, friendly smile.

Her assistant is dismissed with a muttered word and a wave, and he dutifully fades into the background and exits the room. Janet's clad a black skirtsuit with an hourglass fit and subtle flaring around her hips. Her blouse is a startling contrast in hazard yellow, and it matches her yellow patent pumps and the purse on the counter. "I was hoping someone was cooking dinner. I'm starving and can't make up my mind for what." She walks over to Bucky and looks at the box in his hands. "Granola? This is rabbit food," she complains, and wrinkles her nose up at him.

James Barnes has posed:
    The door opening causes Bucky to turn, but only for a brief second, just checking his sightlines. Clea is a familiar face, not an enemy, so him turning his back on her is a sign of trust. Not a huge amount of trust, because that's not really something Bucky is capable of, but it *is* a non-zero amount.

    He's still holding the box of granola. Pouring a handful out into his palm, he puts it into his mouth, chews, and... chews some more. Then the box goes back into the pantry. "Nope," he says once he doesn't have food in his mouth any more, because he has those old-fashioned manners.

    Still balefully considering the pantry when Bruce arrives with the scanner, Bucky goes very, very still. "Did... you just scan me?" he asks, voice halting. There's a pause. "If it's positive, the Soviets did it." Then he steps to the side, allowing Bruce full access to the stored goods in case he has more scanning to do.

    Wait, was that a joke?

    He nods once to Janet and then adds a, "I've eaten worse, but that was during the Depression," before he proceeds to just snag an apple from a basket on the counter. "And it wasn't that much worse."

Clea has posed:
Clea dips her head to Bucky before she moves to the fridge to grab a soda and a bottle of water. She wasn't picky with caffeine. "Doctor Banner." she greets Bruce when he comes in, but for the moment she retreats to one of the seats in the kitchen and pulls out her phone. "I think he did scan you." she nods to Bucky about Bruce's scanning.

She gives a smile to Janet, "I'm not sure if they're doing that yet. Though I might order a pizza." she chuckles to that as she settles in to scroll through her phone and get in some socialization.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce's brow furrowed as he inspected the device in his hands. "Jarvis, you mistakenly inputted Vibranium," he lamented with a sigh. However, an automated voice resonated from the datapad, kindly correcting Bruce's error. "Perhaps it is a shared anomaly, Dr. Banner, and it was you who made these specific changes," the voice interjected, addressing any inaccuracies in Bruce's previous statement.

Shifting his gaze to James, Bruce attempted to elucidate the situation. "The frequency at which dark matter affects magnetism is quite specific, yet it appears that your arm possesses a similar frequency," he explained. Pausing briefly, he glanced at the handheld device displaying a history of failed results. "Alternatively, I may have inadvertently created a new type of vibranium detector," he remarked, sounding as though this invention held low priority for him.

Upon spotting Clea, Bruce's frown transformed into a slight smile. He nodded in her direction, tucking the device into his pocket after turning it off. Meeting her gaze, he expressed his relief, "I'm glad to see you're still around after that party." He briefly glanced down at his datapad to jot down some notes before stowing it away. Turning his attention back to Clea, he continued, "I apologize for being preoccupied with this anti-matter project. Is everything alright? I didn't get a chance to ask." As he finished speaking, his eyes shifted to Janet. "We need to have a conversation as well," he added, his tone noticeably warmer.

Naturally, Bruce had a favor to ask, and he was delighted to encounter Janet. He smiled at her and inquired, "Do you happen to know where I could obtain... let's say, around five milligrams of anti-matter?" He chuckled softly, aware of the immense power such an amount possessed. Even a with such a small quantity, if weaponized, could have serious consequences. However, it was necessary for Bruce to acquire it in order to build what he needed for Fury's mission.

Finally, Bruce let out a sigh. "And yes, I did scan him," he admitted, a hint of amusement in his voice. "But it wasn't invasive... I recall the rules from last time," he reassured, glancing at both Clea and James. "I suppose I'll leave the jokes to him," he added with a wry smile.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet rolls her eyes a little theatrically at James and favors him with a tolerant smile. "You are just as bad as Steve," she informs him with a fond amusement, and gives his squishy arm a squeeze. She fishes a drink out of the refidgerator and goes to sit next to Clea, lifting her hips up onto the stool and crossing her legs neatly at the knee. "Bruce, I'm not Hank's messenger service," she reminds him with a calm patience. "But even I know we don't have that much antimatter on hand. We've been getting it from CERN like everyone else, and we're on the waitlist just like everyone else. You might ask Nadia though," she suggests with a polite shoulder shrug. "GIRL's in the middle of a retooling process for something or other. If you can work out the logistics of getting the lab set up with her, I bet she'd be amenable to working something out. Failing that-- ask Reed. No, scratch that, ask *Sue*," she amends, with an upflicked fingertip.

Janet looks over Clea's shoulder and taps on the screen to scroll it faster. "Do you have Federici's on here? I can send my assistant out to get it if you don't," she offers. "Best pie in Manhattan."

James Barnes has posed:
    Right. Beverages. Bucky settles on a drink as well, to go along with his apple, which already has a big bite taken out of it. "I better be, he doesn't get to be the only old geezer around here any more," he says, and then he joins Janet and Clea by taking a seat.

    The science stuff doesn't go over his head, precisely. Bucky's got a broad base of knowledge to pull from, so he gets some of it. But he mostly lets Bruce do all the talking, with a nod here or there. "I get it. Us centenarians are hard to resist," he says, leaning back in his seat to crack open... a soda. Might as well not waste alcohol on him, what with the whole supersoldier metabolism. "For science experiments, I mean."

    He opens his mouth to continue, but then seems to think better of it, and takes another bite from his apple. CRUNCH. Then he nods several times in Clea's direction after Janet mentions Federici's. Yes, that. Bucky supports that.

Clea has posed:
Clea gives a smile to Bruce, "Yeah. I'm here for the moment. I've got some things to track down in London, but I'll do that on not Avenger time." she admits. "Nothing for you to be worried about though, I've got things handled." she assures him on that. She gives a look up to Janet and she shakes her head, "Not heard of them, but if it's what is the best then maybe I'll order for the house." she grins to that.

"Do you all want some pizza?" she asks the others. Clea was sometimes someone who spoke little, so this is a new situation for her.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce nodded, reflecting on the situation. "Oh... right, of course. I apologize, Janet. I was asking for your input, not his," he clarified, recognizing that Janet held her own expertise and was not merely a messenger. "GIRL?" he questioned, not recalling if he had heard that particular name before. Nevertheless, he made a mental note of the names, aware of a few he was familiar with. After jotting them down, he nodded at Janet. "See, I'm glad I asked," he remarked, acknowledging the value of her insights. "It's for the Director of SHIELD, so I'm certain they would be willing to assist, not only for the mission but also for the potential scientific knowledge it could provide," he added, emphasizing his belief in the importance of learning and expanding scientific understanding.

Bruce glanced down at his datapad and absentmindedly informed James, "Apparently, a group called Intergang is manufacturing a substantial amount of anti-matter with the potential to devastate cities. While they haven't started distributing it yet, there are concerns about it being sold and spread. They needed someone to locate it." He quickly flicked through his results, recognizing that the most crucial aspect was finding the source rather than dwelling on the details. He smiled faintly and joked with James, "The government already knows better than to mess with me," chuckling lightly as he made light of his reputation.

Finally, Bruce looked up and acknowledged Clea with a nod, ensuring she knew he heard her despite being engrossed in his work. "Alright, but don't forget... you're an Avenger now, which means you don't have to face things alone," he stated, affirming the support of their team. He nodded to her as he stowed away the device. "I'm good with pizza, just no anchovies," Bruce declared, indicating that he was temporarily setting aside the challenges he was currently facing and focusing on the lighter aspect of the moment.

Clea has posed:
Clea decides that she's going to order everyone pizza and she steps out to do so!

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"Sure, if you're buying," Janet teases Clea, and hides her teasing grin behind a sip of her soda.

The socialite shifts her weight and leans forward on her elbows when Bucky sits down so he's got enough room to spread out and be comfortable. Despite her simmering animosity with Steve, Janet's never given Bucky any grief over his friendship with Captain America.

Janet instead gives Bruce a thoughtful, narrow-eyed look. "Yeah, GIRL? Our all-female subsidiary of Pym Technologies? My daughter's research company?" She exhales at him with a long-suffering weariness. "Bruce, I love you like a brother, but you really need to get out of the lab more," she advises him. "Nadia would die of excitement if you asked her for a lab tour, I promise you."

"But it sounds like one of Fury's resident nerds is giving you guys some bad intelligence. There's no way this 'Intergang', which is a dumb sounding group if I ever heard of one, is making 'substantial quantities' of anti-matter. I know you and Hank and Reed think lab materials grow on trees, but antimatter isn't exactly a budget line item expense. You sure they aren't *stealing* it from somewhere?" she prompts him, and lifts a brow at the skinny scientist.

James Barnes has posed:
    "Pizza," Bucky affirms with another nod, and voices a quick, "I'll eat whatever," before Clea has stepped out. It's the truth, he's not picky, though frankly he does agree with Bruce that anchovies are a suboptimal pizza topping. Still, the whole living through the Depression thing means he'll eat it.

    If the granola experience is anything to go by, though, he'll definitely do a little bit of complaining if given the chance.

    The mention of Intergang gets his interest, and he leans forward a little bit, into the space Janet has kindly given him to settle in. "Well, I can't help you come up with any kind of hi-tech way of tracking it, but you give me the details on their last known location and I can see what I can find," he offers.

    Then he moves back a bit so the flow of conversation between Janet and Bruce can happen without his interference. He's got an apple to eat, after all, which should hopefully tide him over until the pizza arrives.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce took a seat and rubbed his head, reflecting on the passing of time. "Wow... little Nadia is all grown up, running her own group," he remarked with a chuckle, realizing how quickly time had flown by without his notice. He sincerely hoped he hadn't worked with her already and failed to recognize her, as it would be quite embarrassing for him once again. After a moment of consideration, he added, "I'll have to ask her. I'm really curious to see how much she has progressed academically. I'm sure she could give Tony a run for his money by now," he said, smiling at the thought and momentarily lost in his own musings.

However, his expression turned somber as he confided in Janet. "I've been the Hulk a lot lately. Missing weeks, not just days," he admitted, a trace of worry evident in his voice. "But I'll make time, because those kids are our future, right?" He attempted to give another weak smile, but the weight of his thoughts on the matter saddened him, realizing that one day he might not be able to change back.

Letting out a sigh, Bruce leaned back, allowing his mind to focus on what he knew about the truth or fiction of the situation, which wasn't much. This shift in focus offered him a temporary respite from the seriousness of the topic. "Doctor Necker seemed quite convinced. Apparently, she had a confrontation with some of their robot companions," he shrugged, acknowledging his own difficulty in discerning when people were lying to him. "You might be right, Janet, but Fury seemed convinced, and he's not easily deceived for long," he added, turning his attention to Bucky.

"Well, I would suggest speaking to Doctor Necker. She should still be at SHIELD if you hurry, although I doubt they'll conduct all the tests I recommended," he advised, sighing and mumbling, "Everyone is so quick to sacrifice their own health for the country's sake. Who cares about their well-being?" He shook his head, recognizing the prevailing mentality.

Returning his gaze to Janet, Bruce continued, "I wish I had more information for you, but I only know my part, and for the sake of safety, I have to assume it really is out there." He paused, letting his words hang in the air before concluding, "I hope you're right, Janet."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet flexes her fingers at Bruce in something that is almost apologetic but not quite. "Hey, tell you what-- if you figure out *how* they're making cheap antimatter, come tell me," she bids him, and flashes another dazzling grin. "I'd love to chop a few million dollars out of the annual operating budget for two major research centers. You nerds have expensive tastes."

She settles back in her seat and looks at Bucky, then gives him a nudge with her elbow. "Speaking of the kids, have you spent any time with the girls?" she asks of him. "I know you and Nadia are square these days, and I know Natasha's spent a good amount of time helping to untangle that whole mess of the Red Room. I bet if you went in there slowly and made some personal connections, you could help some of them unpack those old demons. You'd be proud of what Nadia's done there," she assures him.

James Barnes has posed:
    Sitting silently, the next CHOMP Bucky takes from his apple is much more sedate so as to not interrupt. "I'll get in touch with my SHIELD contacts. If there's a way I can help, we'll figure something out," he says when Bruce addresses him, but for the most part he's quiet.

    Of course, when Janet brings up the Red Room, that has him shifting in his seat, not quite uncomfortable but definitely feeling the weight of that place just by mention of its name. He blows out a steadying breath and takes a long drink from his soda, before he crumples the now-empty can in his metal hand. "I'll stay as far away from that as possible, then. Wouldn't want to cause any backsliding."

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce chuckled and shook his head at Janet's remark. "Sometimes you worry me too," he admitted, before swiftly continuing, "But I couldn't turn down some new equipment for the lab. Technology has come a long way, and the realm of science has expanded. Just don't get too lost in making coins, alright? We only need one Stark," he teased, his tone light and joking. Deep down, he genuinely wanted to help, even if Tony Stark could be a handful at times.

He nodded at James with a small smile. "If you need anything from me, just let me know. Though I'm a doctor, not a fighter," he remarked, humor lacing his words. Bruce then focused his attention on Janet and James, listening intently to their conversation. Although he didn't understand the full history between them, he remained attentive to show respect. He looked at James quietly and glanced at his arm, harboring unspoken questions. Bruce knew the feeling of being treated as the Hulk when he was just Bruce Banner, and he understood how certain memories could be painful to recall.

Instead of delving into those inquiries, he commented, "I'm actually impressed I haven't received the 'deer in headlights' look from you. Janet, I expect to understand, but I'm glad that new team members seem to bring their own knowledge and expertise to the table." Bruce recognized the value of diverse perspectives and welcomed the addition of individuals with unique skills to the team.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"No, Buck, I--" Janet exhales a little wearily. "That's the -opposite- of what I meant. I think the girls have come far enough along that maybe it's time to build a little, I don't know. Relationship with them. Mentor/mentee thing. Natasha's one of 'them', you know? She went through it like they did. You were an outside authority figure. But they've grown up and developed their own identities and personalities. Yeah, when we first brought them to the States it was a little touchy," she acknowledges. "But it'd be good for them to see you as a human being. And you can see that in the long run, they turned out okay." She gives him another gentle bump with her elbow, but this one more encouraging than intending to jostle him. And when she can catch his eye, Janet flashes one of her encouraging, megawatt-bright smiles at the former assassin.

"Look, why don't you both make a day of it?" she suggests to Bruce and Bucky. "Set it up with Nadia. Bucky you can tell everyone you're security to keep Bruce in line, and Bruce, you can tell everyone you're there in case Bucky gets out of hand. Ask the girls about their latest research projects, clip a few articles from Guns & Ammo, and they'll eat you two up."

"I'll even pay for pizza if you do," she offers, as a last-minute bribe.

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky seems to stew on this for some time, everything that Janet's explained. Even her signature smile doesn't get so much as a facial twitch, but after a moment his brows draw together into a furrow. He overhand tosses his apple core into the trash can and then folds his arms together on the table. Finally, he sighs.

    "Yeah, okay," he says, quietly. Then, with a bit more of his normal vocalization level, "I'm in. No bribery required." Though he does lean back in his seat to look towards the door, where Clea had vanished through to order them said bribe. Of course it wasn't a bribe then, when she'd originally offered.

    He stands up, chair scrapping lightly along the floor, and returns to the fridge. That whole thing about alcohol being wasted on him? Well, he uses his metal hand to flip off the cap of a beer bottle and takes his seat again with his new beverage.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce watches Janet explain and listens, observing the two as he never really had time for TV, but here he was experiencing some of those weirder dramas firsthand. Bruce wouldn't be surprised if James went into a coma and an evil twin appeared, plotting against the team. He would help to stop it and, of course, get Bucky back, but such events didn't surprise him anymore - that was just life as an Avenger. Analytically studying Janet and James, Bruce observes their faces and listens to their emotions, or lack thereof. It's an interesting topic that he lacks sufficient information on, but he can see that at least Janet believes it to be a good thing.

Bruce listens as James agrees, and he has no problem visiting Nadia and the others either, so it's not an issue for him. Speaking up, Bruce says, "Though if you're going with me, please try not to smell like beer," noting James' choice of beverage. "We should present a professional outlook as we have a responsibility to be their seniors," he adds, smiling a bit nervously, acknowledging his smaller stature compared to James. "It might also make things a bit awkward for you, from what little I've heard about the situation," he quickly adds, hoping to give James a reason of his own.

Then a small grin crosses Bruce's face. "Though... I think a doctor's hours are a bit better than a pizza delivery," he notes with a solemn nod. "Could you help me gather some information on a person? I don't mean highly classified documents, just general information. Someone caught my attention at the fair, and I want to follow up with them. I could do it myself, but I'm so busy that I don't have the time to go through the necessary processes. I had almost forgot, though I could ask someone else if it is an issue."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"Don't do it /today/, Bruce, call and make an appointment," Janet bids him. "I know it's a pain in the rear but she's not just doing pure research these days, she's running a multi-million dollar business with a few hundred employees. Plus she'll probably want a little time to rally the troops, so to speak, give everyone a pep talk and work out how they'll feel about it," she observes.

When Bucky returns with the beer, Janet watches him take a sip. When the bottle hits the table again she reaches over and makes a pinchy-finger motion for the base of the bottle so she can hopefully 'steal it' and take a sip, turning her most appealing green-eyed gaze up at the super-soldier.

"I don't think anyone's expecting you two to show up in a suit and tie," she continues, looking from Bucky to Bruce. "Or be all professional and rigid. Just... be yourselves. Get excited about their work. Ask questions. These girls aren't soldiers anymore. Well, okay, some of them are," she allows, "but most of them are just trying to figure out who they want to be when they grow up. And the rest of them will want you to see that they're doing their best, -and- that there isn't some impossible standard to achieve. Just... y'know, /encourage/ them. Show them you're proud. That's all they want, really."

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky makes a show of deliberately opening his hand so that Janet can, indeed, steal his beer. Might as well let her have it, since it's wasted on him. "I don't have a drinking problem," he says for Bruce's benefit. Though that makes him pause. "Okay, I have a problem with drinking, in that I can't get drunk. So don't worry about it."

    This time when he stands again, the chair doesn't make so much as a whisper against the ground, and he looks towards the door. "I'm going to go check on that pizza, maybe see if anyone else is around to help us eat it once it gets here." He approaches the door, but then Bucky stops, one hand on the doorknob. "Sure, just send me the details and I can track them down, get some basic info on them." Bruce gets a nod, and then Bucky's stepping out through the door, letting it fall closed behind him. Once again, silently.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Bruce smiles nervously. "I wasn't just going to drop in tonight," he says, although Janet had caught him as he would of walked in with James as they made their way to their destination. After Janet explains the reasons behind it, Bruce realizes that it would have been silly to do it any other way and that it should be done right. "I will..." he begins, then looks at James. "We will see what we can do about the suit, though," he notes to Janet, smiling a bit. "If you really want to make a good first impression, Tony has always told me one thing: Wear a suit." He nods to James, acknowledging the answer regarding drinking, and gives a small smile. "Thank you. I'm sorry if it seems a bit strict, but I don't really get the chance to visit often," he explains, hoping James understands that Bruce wants to ensure things go well.

As James leaves, Bruce turns back to Janet with a small grin. "We'll talk about the suit thing later, don't worry. I'm sure despite his cold, mean-looking exterior, he's a good guy. It should be fun." He then gets up as well. "But I've put off my experiments for as long as I dare. Thank you for the talk, as usual. It was very enlightening, as you always bring up the important stuff." Bruce gives her a small wave before heading out.