16138/Partners in Pizza

Partners in Pizza
Date of Scene:	21 October 2023
Location:	Johns Pizza
Synopsis:	Natasha and Clint go out for pizza.
Cast of Characters:	Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff

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Clint Barton has posed:
    John's Pizza. It was pretty damn good, you know? For a possibly Italian place, then again John was one of those funny names. Biblical and spanning several cultures and nationalities. Clint really didn't care, he just knew the Pizza near the apartment at John's was really good. A good place to meet up for a lunch or dinner, especially with an old friend and companion.

    Clint had been busy training some Shield recruits and missed a few missions because of this. He'd also been planning some escapades with the Young Avengers after meeting up with his protege, Kate Bishop recently. So he invited Nat, his Boss and friend, for a few slices at a place he trusted and knew to be good.

    Of course he was already sitting at a table, drinking a bottle of generic pilsner.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Pizza isn't particularly something that Natasha enjoys. But, it's good to spend some social time with Clint in a way that's not related to SHIELD or the Avengers. He is a friend, after all. And he tends to do better in a more relaxed atmoshpere. Which means that Natasha joins him in something that he prefers. In this time, it's pizza.
    She joins him over, wearing a sweatshirt and Jeans. The sweatshirt has an old and faded Justice League picture on it of the team's lineup when they formed. "Clint." SHe would wave a hand while jogging towards him.

Clint Barton has posed:
    Clint is dressed more or less in a casual way. Flannel long sleeve and a pair of jeans. His native sunglasses never far away in-case the sun were to get a bit too much.

    There's a smirk as his blue eyes land on Nat. A wave in return to her as she jogs over to him. He sits up, engaging his attention fully. "Hey Nat. What's up? You want a beer or something?" He asks, taking a sip of his own. There was never any pressure with Clint to try something she didn't want to but it was rude not to offer.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would give a nod over at Clint, "No, thank you on the beer." It did little for her and her preferences ran a little more towards the Russian end of teh alcohol spectrum. "So, waht's on the agenda this afternoon? how are things with Clea?" SHe would inquire over while going to fold her hands together.
    "And I'll le tyou order for us. This is on me." That was the polite thing after all - to let Clint decide what to recommend here.

Clint Barton has posed:
    "Things with Clea are great. We're not exactly advertising our situation but... kind of hard to hide it from you all when it's as obvious as it is. Living together and all." Clint responds with a smirk and a wink. "I didn't really have much planned. Rare day off and all. Figured I'd just get some food with my friend and go catch up on reports later."

    He waves down the server and give them an order. "We'll just take a small peperoni and mushroom... and bring an order of Bruchetta Bread and Caprasi Salad. Think she might actually like that." Clint chuckles as he teases Nat, knowing she's not a huge fan of Pizza. "How are you? Are yo ugetting enough time off?" he asks. He knows how hard she works.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would nod at Clint, "Of course. I'm glad that you're happy wtih one another. Her history is.. You're probably familair with it far more than I am." Natasha had just read her profile, after all. Accurate or not as it was. And a profile was a rather clinical thing.
    "I'm glad that you're doing well with her. You both deserve happiness. And I function efficiently." Natasha existed purely for her duties. There was little else for her.

Clint Barton has posed:
    "I'm aware of her past, yes." Clint nods with a frown, "She's very worried her uncle would come after me if our relationship went public." It was tough being the live in Boyfriend of the Queen of the Dark Realm. Clint could hold his own, but against magic users was another story.

    "Come on Nat, you've got to get out and get some you time. Are you actually doing anything outside of work?" He knows exactly how she is and this is probably what drove her crazy about Clint. His insistence that she get away from her existence.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would nod, "Her uncle is.. Extremely dangerous." On a level with Brainiac from what Natasha could understand. Dangerous in completely different ways, but just as much of one. "He's something more for the Sorceror Supreme to deal with." With the rest of them acting purely as support.
    "No." Her answer is simple to 'anything outside of work'. Since when has she ever?

Clint Barton has posed:
    "So I'm told." Clint offers to the details around Clea's Uncle. "You think maybe if Tony build me a suit I could take the guy on?" He wonders aloud, smirk forming on his lips before he takes another sip of beer.

    "How did I know you were going to say that?" Clint offers. "You're still Human, Nat. You need to blow off some steam. Go out, go... dancing or something. I don't know. Take that Sniper with you. She looks like she needs to get out more too."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would consider for a moment as if taking the question seriously. "I don't think that any of Tony's available equipment, even if he had the specialists and knowledge to do so, would be of any use." SOme things even Iron Man was not capable of standing against.
    "This has been my function since I was a child. I have no need to change it or do otherwise." There was the phrase 'old dog, new tricks' and Natasha had been at war since she was six or seven.

Clint Barton has posed:
    Clint was not a sore loser. He wasn't even a bombastic winner. He knew he'd lose his argument against Nat regarding her proclivity towards work and no play. Then again, Hawkeye was also stubborn. "Exactly they groomed you into a machine and you can't turn it off. I'm begging you, just try it. For me? You switched sides for a reason back in the day. It wasn't just because the work load was better."

    "Bugger... I suppose I'll just have to train that much harder." Not that it would help but when did Clint ever give up.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would nod, "Exactly." She had long since come to accept it. SHe was a weapon. She would keep on fighting until the day she could no longer. And that day would be the one she likely died and did not come back from it. "There is no way for that, Clint. It is too late." That was the way it would be. She had her own nightmares over that. That she would never share on teh matter.

Clint Barton has posed:
    Clint was quiet for a moment. The Caprese Salad and Buscetta Bread came then. The server dropping it off with another beer for Clint who was busy polishing off his first one. There is contemplation as he thinks over her words. "It doesn't make your life invalid, Nat. Just know that." He would leave it at that. He wasn't going to push her over the edge because well... perhaps that'd be better done in the sparring room where they wouldn't destroy tables as they parleyed. THe kinetic language of Violence was always something they understood.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would go to take a slice of the pizza, "No, it does not." She had no psychological issues with it. "It has always been this way. It always shall, it changes nothing." She was fatalistic and cynical - i twas the Russian method of mental survival after all. That had been drilled into her, that she had experienced. "I function. That is all I need to do."

Clint Barton has posed:
    Perhaps it was that East and West mentality that really seperated them. Clint knew what it was like to be brainwashed. It happened when Loki invaded back in the day. He struggled with the fear of it ever happening again and constantly trained his mind to keep if from happening. He was still just human after all.

    "Yet here you are hanging out with your old pal and former one time nemisis Clint Barton, eating pizza and enjoying some good old fashioned Americana." He winks, knowing there's a desire down there for more than just her duties. He stuffs a piece of buscetta bread in his mouth and chews gingerly. "Clea and I should havve you over to the aparetment sometime. She's actually a decent cook."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would smile, "you are a friend, Clint. I don't want to lose that." She was a professional - but she had learned not to cast away emotional tethers. Even if it would always just be friendship with those few she was connected with. And she was mostly human. In the same way that Steve was. Sort of.
    "I would enjoy that. I'm not sure when any of us would have the time, but I'd enjoy trying it sometime." Trying to figure out an opportunity for all three to be together at once might as well involve time travel to make it work

Clint Barton has posed:
    "We'll make it happen, Nat." He offers after swallowing the rest of his food. "You won't loose that. No matter what. I promise that. You're a friend, you're family. You're my sister and there's no way I won't ever have your back." He raises his bottle of beer and gives her a salute before taking a long swig.

    "Have you been by the Young Avenger's yet? I was talking to Kate the other Day. I'm thinking of taking them on a camping trip or something. Get them out into nature. Do some team building stuff."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would shake her head, "No, I've not made the attempt. If they wish to get in contact with me, they can. If you wish to refer them to me for training or coordination, that is acceptable. I have some mutual contacts with them through Nadia but I've had little interactions with them beyond that." The few of them she had done things with, at least.
    "And we'll always have one another's backs."

Clint Barton has posed:
    "I'll talk to Kate about it. She's involved with the Titan's too I think. Though I'm worried. She's at a cross roads with her father and her own visibility as a public figure with her money. I wasn't about to point her to Tony as someone to take a an example of when dealing with that kind of thing." Clint smirks. Flaunting it about certainly didn't go hand in hand with stealthy archer and assasin.

    There is a nod of solidarity to her commitment. "Yes we will."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would nod and frown for a moment. "That's ultimately her decision on how to handle it. One can give her advise and recommend things.. But she has to decide what's right for it on her own. And I'm never sure whether recommending Tony for anything emotional is the best way to go." A light dig aimed over at Tony while he's not around to snark at her.

Clint Barton has posed:
    Clint laughs, "Her box seat is across from his at Yankee Stadium you know. I can't wait to make obscene jestures across the stadium at him." Just a day in the life of Tony and Clint, poor man and rich man. Genious and Class Clown. Clint had the snark though, perhaps not as much as Tony.

    He eats another bit of bread and grabs a slice of pizza finally. "You like the Pizza?" He asks.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanova would smile over, "The pizza is fine. And I'm sure that Kate has an excellent mentor in you. And I also think that it will help you a great deal. Having someone you can train and establish a bond with."

Clint Barton has posed:
    "Yeah, she's a good kid." Clint says with a smile, wolfing dowin that slice of pizza only to wash it down with beer.