17729/I thought you'd never ask.

I thought you'd never ask.
Date of Scene:	22 April 2024
Location:	The Corral
Synopsis:	It's been a trying few days and Bucky retreats to the one place he wants to be the when everywhere else is the last place he wants to be, The Corral and the arms of Opal Moirai.
Cast of Characters:	James Barnes, Opal Moirai

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James Barnes has posed:
Sometimes, the shit gets too deep. Sometimes the last place Bucky wants to be is at the Triskelion with a bunch of agents. Sometimes the last place he wants to be is at home alone. One place that is never the last place he wants to be is The Corral.

It's definitely a whole lot less when Opal's out of town, but it's still a whole lot more than most places. He's comfortable here, he feels safe here, he's not alone here.

But tonight he might as well be. Rather than being behind the bar doing the hustle and bustle dance of tending it, Bucky's sitting on the other side, at the end of it, drinking alone. Shit's been real deep the past few days.

Opal Moirai has posed:
Opal Moirai has been out of town for a few weeks, with the excuse of visiting her sister. What she didn't say is that her sister is also an empowered immortal like herself, and that she currently lives in Taiwan.

The door opens and the blonde walks into her bar, wearing a denim skirt along with boots and a cowboy hat. The checked shirt is unbuttoned with the tails tied together strategically for decency.

Upon entering she looks the place over, perhaps searching for someone. Yes, there he is. She makes for the bar, weaving through the crowd on her way towards Bucky.

James Barnes has posed:
Sitting there, lost in thought, Bucky almost misses Opal's approach... almost. Maybe it's the scene or her perfume, or just the familiar way she moves, but he catches something that draws his attention toward her.

...and he smiles. James Barnes doesn't smile often. Even when he does it never quite reaches his baby blues the way it does for Opal.

He pushes himself up off his stool and meets her half way. Without a word, he pulls her close for a hug that lifts her off her feet while murmuring, "I missed you."

The weight of those three words when he speaks them are likely enough to let her know that 'something's' happened.

Opal Moirai has posed:
Opal Moirai grunts at the tight hug, returning the embrace as best she can. The blonde laughs as well, and the sound is genuine.

Then she hears those words, and more importantly the tone behind them.

Opal gazes into his eyes, peering over her customary shades. "Jade sends her best." she murmurs softly, boots still off the floor when she kisses him tenderly on the lips.

The bartender and the other staff definitely notice the boss' return, but they also know not to gawk. Although knowing smiles are definitely exchanged.

James Barnes has posed:
He's drawn into that kiss and almost takes it from tender to not appropriate for work, but Bucky stops himself just shy of it. He sets her back down firmly on the ground but isn't quite willing to break contact just yet. His right hand stays around her waist, just at the small of her back.

"How are things in her part of the world?" he asks, small talk to avoid the real talk he probably needs but doesn't want. Talking to Opal is even easier than talking to Steve most of the time. Opal's not one to just blindly believe everything is going to be okay and tell him that.

But that's also why he sometimes has a hard time getting started in with the hard talk.

"You look great." Bucky means it too, even if it is another way to stall.

Opal Moirai has posed:
Opal Moirai grins, nudging her hat back into place after the enthusiastic kiss. Boots scuff on hardwood as she replies. "Same as they've been for a while, now; uncertain, but quiet."

She knows he's stalling, and she knows that something has been eating at him. But she also knows that his heart is still good.

Both arms still draped over his shoulders, she runs fingers through his hair and just peers at him for a moment. "Let's go and sit down, James. Out here or somewhere more quiet?"

James Barnes has posed:
"More quiet," he offers softly in return. He has those little lines in his brow, the ones that everyone else typically sees as scowling. But it's not always that, sometimes it's just Bucky being pensive or even sad. The only true way to see the difference is knowing where to look in his eyes.

He moves his hand from the small of Opal's back and trails it down her arm, to her hand. He takes her hand in his and leads her toward the front door. "Quiet's not always a good thing," he backtracks to her sister. "Usually means a storm's coming."

Opal Moirai has posed:
Opal Moirai laces fingers with his own, letting him lead the way out of the bustling bar. A quick glance to the bartender gets a return nod before the two slip out.

All of the staff at the Corral are ex-military, trained to react to the smallest signs. Bucky knows it, but not a lot of others. At least not a lot of others who don't make mistakes inside.

A few steps out into the parking lot, Opal squeezes his hand slowly as they walk together in the growing darkness. "So tell me about your storm."

James Barnes has posed:
Bucky sucks in a breath just to blow it out slowly. "1967, I don't think I ever told you about Blackstone Hollow," is where he begins. "Or maybe I mentioned it in passing at some point. Anyway, I had three good months there with a family, the Foresters." Good months, she'd know what that meant - especially going all the way back to '67. Three months free from HYDRA's grasp.

"I honestly didn't even remember them until a few years back." Sometimes the memories that bleed through don't wake him up sweating and screaming, sometimes they're good memories. "But once I did, once I started getting flashes, I found the Foresters and started keeping an eye on them from a distance. Things are... something is..." He reaches up to scrub a hand over a scruffy cheek - hasn't shaved in a few days.

"I guess I should just start from the beginning?"

Opal Moirai has posed:
Opal Moirai tucks the shades into her cleavage now that they're out under the night sky, walking slowly to match his steps. "1967... no, I don't recall hearing about Blackstone Hollow." she murmurs. And yes, she definitely understands what he means by 'good' months.

Opal wets her lips, looking carefully over at him to gauge his expression. "You went back to watch the Foresters?"

As a former agent herself, Opal knows that is always a mistake. Never look back, always move forward. Too easy for people to catch your trail if you backtrack.

"Yes, please start at the beginning."

James Barnes has posed:
"I thought I could escape into the mountains in West Virgina." He still hasn't let go of her hand. Bucky's voice is soft and distant and his hold on her feels almost like Opal is the only thing that's keeping him from getting too swept away by the past.

"I didn't even know who I was running from. I just knew I was running and I needed supplies. I ran into Isiah Forester on my way into a dot on the map called Blackstone Hollow. His family didn't have much, next to nothing really, but they found room at their table and food enough for a stranger. That meal turned into three months. I worked the coal mine with Isiah, came home to a warm meal fixed by Rose, his wife. They had a daughter, Ruthie, that was about twelve, a son Isiah the third - Trip and a grandson, Robert James - RJ."

When his voice starts to waver, when he feels himself slipping into that dangerous place that turns his vision red around the edges, he steps closer to Opal, taking her other hand into his left - cold beneath the leather glove covering it.

Opal Moirai has posed:
Opal Moirai listens... it's something she does very well. Giving his hand a light squeeze, she offers softly. "Sometimes we all need to just run..." she begins

The story unfolds, then Bucky's voice begins to falter. She turns to face him when he takes her other hand, head tilting upward to gaze more deeply into his eyes now. In a soft, reassuring voice, she says.

"Tell me what happened, James."

James Barnes has posed:
"Isiah died a little over a week ago. They said his heart gave out when he got the news that RJ was missing in the mines. Trip went missing just two weeks before RJ. Rose... she's all alone."

Another thing that no one else ever sees from Bucky is the brightness of his blue eyes tearing up as he speaks. He never lets the tears fall, but they're there.

"I pulled together a team to go looking for the missing miners - sixteen total in a few months. We found them, Opal. But they weren't human anymore, at least not entirely. They have Trip at the Avenger's Mansion along with a few of the others. They're trying to see if they can figure out what was done to them and fix it. Someone's experimenting on people in the Appalachian mountains in West Virginia."

People he loves, despite his short time with them, experiments making them 'not human' anymore. It's all hitting more than a little too close to home.

Opal Moirai has posed:
Opal Moirai's brows lift at that. Lips purse. Her gaze hardens. "Do you... do the Avengers know who is doing this? Who is behind it, I mean. It sounds like a group we're both familiar with, but I wouldn't necessarily jump to conclusions."

She gives both of his hands a slow squeeze, then. Opal knows that this could be a trigger moment for him. Something to push him over the edge, to let the Soldier loose for a while.

And she knows that he doesn't want that.

"Tell me, James, what is the plan?" she asks softly.

James Barnes has posed:
Don't think his mind didn't immediately go there, because it did. It's still partly there. But, "It doesn't seem like their MO. These men were, they've been mutated into something... like they've been altered to be half human, half animal - bats to be specific."

Another breath taken just to blow it out slowly. "I don't know, we don't really have one yet. I didn't include the Avengers entirely. Not all of them. Or SHIELD. Just a few people. I think first is figuring out what's happened to them and if they can be saved, trying to figure out where this is happening because it wasn't near enough to the mines that we found it the night we went out there." His tone's turned to agitated, talking too fast, stumbling over words.

Finally, he's just had enough talking about it, thinking about it. For the moment anyway. Small doses is all he can take when he's in this state of 'limbo' without action. She's not wrong, if something isn't figured out soon, Winter may come out to play.

Opal Moirai has posed:
Opal Moirai has seen him this way before; she knows all the signs. A small smile touches her lips and she squeezes both of his hands. This isn't his forte, the planning and the strategizing. No, Bucky is a man of action.

"Let me know if I can be of any help with this." she offers, putting her own network on the table as well.

And once the offer is made, she puts a very different one on the table. "Stay with me tonight, James." And although he is the one who needs it, she makes it sound like she is.

James Barnes has posed:
When the offer is made, Bucky wraps his arms around Opal and lifts her off the ground once again. This time, he doesn't hold back. This time it doesn't matter if the kiss is not safe for work. Worst that can happen is a few drunks stumble out of the bar and make childish noises in their direction or tell them to get a room.

This time, Bucky kisses her like a woman wants to be kissed, like there's nothing else in the entire world he would rather be doing.

When he finally breaks it, he touches his forehead to hers and murmurs, "I thought you'd never ask."