2660/Friend Faces and Home Bases

Friend Faces and Home Bases
Date of Scene:	28 July 2020
Location:	Suite 04: Barnes - Triskelion
Synopsis:	Peggy brings strange candy back from her last overseas mission. She and Bucky talk about his potential current assignments, Lili is spoiled, and eventually jet lag wins the day and Peg falls asleep on Bucky's couch.
Cast of Characters:	James Barnes, Peggy Carter

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James Barnes has posed:
Buck exists in a very strange limbo. Functionally, he's almost like a prisoner of SHIELD's. There are trackers implanted in his arm, he informs those in charge of Triskelion security when he comes and goes...and there are still plenty of agents who don't trust the dark haired man.

But he manages, nonetheless, to live a fairly peaceful life outside of missions. The apartment he shares with his dog is proof of that. IT's spartan and plain, almost no personal touches save for those needed for the dog herself. A bed in the living room, by his couch. A little crate that's clearly her toy chest, with bones and balls and things to tug on. The only real things that might give any indication of Bucky himself are the record player, all 1930s design with cathedral arch speakers and dark wood, and a trio of bookshelves crammed with books.

The man himself is slouched on the couch, with the dog sprawled across his lap getting belly rubs. They are watching on the wallscreen, ridiculously enough, one of the silent Rin Tin Tin movies.

Peggy Carter has posed:
While Peggy didn't exactly call ahead, maybe she should have, SHIELD systems probably notify him that someone is coming? Never the less, there's a polite knock on his door, once Peg finds the right apartment, and she's standing right outside his apartment with a tired, but earnest, smile on her features. She's got a paper bag in her right arm and is wearing a dress that looks straight out of the 40s, something far more comfortable than modern clothing. Her usual red lipstick and soft waves in tact, she really has barely changed since he knew her back in the day. Or, more so, as she's gettinc comfortable with being in this reality, she's letting herself go back to her most comfortable state. And that's her early career.

"I...hope this isn't a bad time? I just got back from my first over seas assignment and... well... It was good to be out there. But it's...good to be home. And there was no one else to share strange candy with.." She nods towards the bag with a wiry smile.

James Barnes has posed:
The door hushes open - its security systems go beyond lock and key, meant to contain something like Winter for at least a little, if needed. Buck's behind it, but before him is Lili, who apparently scented or heard Peggy's arrival and is betraying the sheer delight it's hard to coax out of James in any open fashion these days. She's waggling her tail so hard she's practically doing some sort of horizontal dog hula and whining in delight.

Not that he doesn't smile, gently, and usher her in. "We're always glad ta see ya," he says, the Brooklyn accent more in evidence than usual. "C'mon in. Where'd they send ya? Want something to eat or drink?" Then that pale gaze falls to the candy. "What kinna candy? I mean, I always got told never to take candy from strangers...."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Lucky I'm not a stranger then. And no where with gift shops... somewhere quite frozen and remote, a base of some sorts. Clearing out old tech. It was... boring, truth be told, until the occupants came home." Peggy is favoring her left arm just a little, perhaps she took some sort of injury but it's hidden beenath the sleeve of her three quarters length sleeved cargidan that rests over her dress. Her right arm is fine, though, and she sets down the bag of duty free cookies. "But, we flew through Iceland... How do you feel about salt licorice?"

She also has several swiss chocolates, some weird pickled things, lots of strange licorice, and an array of weird Kitkat like things. Oh, and Aquavit, if he likes to drink. All the usual duty free goodies from Iceland.

Once her arms are free, she finally looks down and kneels immediately to go and give Lili-Marlene all the love the over excited pup deserves, "Oh yes, hullo, my luv, yes, I know...I missed you too. Goodness, calm, sweetling... I promise you I am not that exciting." Peggy states, laughter behind her voice. For a few moments, genuinely happy laughter.

James Barnes has posed:
"I dunno that I ever had it," Buck admits, after a moment of a kind of inward-turned look that she'll no doubt already have figured out is him consulting memory banks he's in no wise sure of. A nod to confirm that, to himself if not to her. Then he's admiring the gifts. "Thanks," he says, grinning. "Who showed up? Not HYDRA, eh?"

Lili accepts pettings and then promptly rolls over and offers her golden furred belly. "Oh, man, she thinks you're a sucker. She only does that to people she really likes."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"...I'm not a *sucker*, I just... happen to be very fond of sweet dogs who take care of my friends. Besides, I did work with Howard for decades. You develop a hard skin to pouting from pretty faces when working with that man." Peggy smirks red lips, but is still eagerly, gently scratching at Lili's belly, kneeling on the floor there, her skirts spread about her in a manner that is decidely not very modern. Just a sort of elegance in clothing that really wasn't there in modern styles.

"If it was HYDRA, it was low level agents. No one of import. But they definitely had stolen tech from at least three countries and were... " She trails off, suddenly not certain Bucky needs to hear about various experiments on ice, "... committing at least two war crimes. So, we handled the matter. Got out mostly in tact. I'm still ... getting a bit up to snuff."

James Barnes has posed:
"You know, his kid does the exact same thing. Like they're both so convinced they're the most charming, irresistible guys on the face of God's green earth," Buck says, voice dry. There's a distant affection there, though, not diminished by the end it all came to. He's watching Peggy with a kind of pleased admiration.

The little beat of silence makes him cock his head, give her that old sharp-eyed look. "You can't tell me 'cause'a clearance? Or 'cause you don't wanna wake the nightmares up?" he asks, bluntly. "Yeah, it's a helluva learnin' curve, isn't it?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
That quite straight forward question gains her dark eyes. She gives Lili's chin one last scratch and then carefully stands up. It's only on standing that the very slightly favoring of her right ankle might be noticed, but she's clearly so much stronger than she was, and the few injuries are from a fight, not a long recovery. She's so much closer to her old self.

However, she won't lie to him or dance around the reasons she hesitates with her answer. "...Honestly? The second. I won't say we share clearance but... any mission I go on, I'd want you there. I want you to know what I'm working on...when you're up to coming with me, I want us out there together. But I'd rather not bring home stories which are going to haunt you into the night, when you didn't even get out into the field to see them."

James Barnes has posed:
Buck gives the answer serious consideration. For all his lightning reflexes and the vestige of the old smart-mouth New York wit, he's a lot more deliberate these days. Neither hurt nor offense in his face, as he takes a piece of the licorice, unwraps it, and pops it in his cheek to chew.

Finally, he says, "I understand. It's okay. But....this stuff is already there, and I do work for SHIELD. Might as well tell me. They might be sending me out on it soon, whatever it is. I do still go on missions. They just can't make me a full Agent because technically, that requires having never committed certain crimes, crimes that this body, at least, most certainly did."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Salt licorice is exactly what it sounds like, the strong flavor of sweet anise beneath a hit of strong salt tack. It's something you either love or hate. Peggy, apparently, loves it. She unwraps one of her own pieces, popping it past red lips with a motion that is momentarily savoring and probably would have gotten a bit of a dirty joke from him back in the day. But she's watching him far more seriously, the subject at hand heaver than some strange salt tack.

"...Alright. Fair enough. And, if they are HYDRA and I end up going back... I'd want you there. I'll admit to being cross that they cannot separate things you were brainwashed to do from your own actions..." She actually looks more than a little pissed on that, but she's trying to swallow her temper down before it gets away from her. "They were experimenting on polar mammals. Either as a step before humans, or to make weapons out of cold adapted, hearty animals. The usual rounds of super soldier serums and strength serums... it was... Strange."

James Barnes has posed:
Buck has the expression of someone who doesn't entirely know what he thinks of it. Though the jury is tending positive, by the way that look slowly lightens. Chewing almost meditatively. "Man, this is weird, but I like it," he settles on, finally.

"Here's the thing," Buck says, still in that even. "HYDRA still has its hooks in me. We don't know that we've dealt with all the triggers and traps they installed. It's not a matter of judgement and guilt so much as it is making sure that I don't kill more agents." Then he's listening to her explanation, and shuddering with disgust. Lili's come up to alert, rolled onto her belly like a sphinx, but she hasn't gotten up to come to him. He shoots the dog that wry look. "I'm okay, girl."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"We could go sit on a couch like some high school kids making dinner out of strange candy and talk about it... then she could join us and stop giving you that worried look she's so good at." Peggy offers with an arched brow, finally daring to kick off her high heels. That's a bit easier to walk and more comfortable for just relaxing in his house. And she does let herself relax around him, by inches, but it's getting there. That's more than she does with almost anyone else.

So, she plops down on his couch, the other strange candies there. "Oh... and also..." Swedish dog Biscuits. She has no clue waht makes them special, but she got them, "Didn't leave her out either." She carefully begins to pry open the package with neat red nails as she offers quieter. "Then, I guess we just bring you on missions with agents who can handle themselves. Like myself. Like Steve. If you want to go out... I want you out there."

James Barnes has posed:
Buck's laugh, one of them, anyway, is still that rusty little chuckle that makes him sound like he's got an IQ of about 3. "Sounds good. Nobody here to make me eat my veggies....though I still do." He gestures her towards the couch. "Ladies first."

Once Peggy's seated, he gets them both glasses of water, which he sets down on the coffee table. Then he's settling in to his own corner of the couch. Lili is apparently reassured, and comes over to demand more petting from Peggy.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Petting, and fancy, Duty Free dog biscuits. "Just one for now. Some of us should be responsible adults in the room and, apparently, Lili, that is you." Peggy mutters with a sideways grin to the dog, letting her settle in on the couch near before handing over one of the fancy Swedish dog treats she got.

She then looks back to Bucky, his laugh getting a real smile from her, her shoulders relaxing just another inch. Anything that was an echoing reminder of times they were more themselves is a salve of reassurance nowadays. "Do you....want to get back out there more? Knowing you might see shit like that...? Knowing more... things could happen, if you really think there's more commands in that head of yours?"

James Barnes has posed:
"She's like the dog nanny in Peter Pan," Buck opines, as he shakes a biscuit out of the package, hands it off to the Shepherd. "She really is."

As the dog crunches away at it, tail wagging, he says, "Of course. I can't just....sit on my hands and wait for other people to deal with HYDRA. Not when I have skills that most don't. There's a kind of...symmetry at turning their own tools against them. Fighting is what I do, and I'm good at it. I was good at it even before HYDRA got me. I just don't want to be turned against my own side, is all." HE flicks a look at her sidelong, from under his lashes.

Peggy Carter has posed:
As he settles on the couch, Peggy lets herself move just a bit closer. It's a way they've sat before, her arm brushing against his warm arm. Shoulder to shoulder. Not quite sprawled against each other, but enough to be actual, human contact. She doesn't say anything for a moment as she just takes in the warmth of someone else close to her. Someone she trusts. There's so few and.. life was sometimes very lonely.

"Then...I'll start making a fuss about it. Any time I'm going out, I want you there. I fight better with you and Steve than half these young people I don't know and didn't... learn tactics the way we did. We'll be more effective anyway and... well.. if the worst happens, I made you hesitate once. We'll handle it again and bring you back. We simply... Will." It sounds so much easier than it actually is, but when Peggy gets determined to do something, it's hard to talk her out of it.

James Barnes has posed:
One of the very few he lets touch him at all. Oh, James endures medical checkups and the contact necessary for training....but almost no one who isn't Steve touches him. But here, he hitches a little closer. Literally shoulder to shoulder, and liking it, by his exppression.

"Good," he says. "It helps me to be around the people I knew before Winter existed. You and Steve....you know Bucky. It's like you're anchors. I think it'd be safer for that. I think we can do this." For all the tentativeness of his phrasing, he sounds very defnite, indeed.

Peggy Carter has posed:
As Peggy feels him actually hit a little closer, something tightens in her chest. She's not going to get overjoyed or teary eyed about it, but there is a small impulse. He does still touch her. He's letting himself relax into this as much as she's letting herself. If anything, it actually gives her permission to relax a bit more. They were doing this. They could trust each other. They were alone with only Lili to judge and, for the first time in a while, Peggy exhales entirely that slight, tense breath she's always holding. She lets her head sink to the side, temple resting on his collarbone. When she lets out all that tension, suddenly, she actually realizes just how exhausted she is.

"That makes sense. Even at the worst of it... you knew my voice. And it's like muscle memory. You've operated on a team with us earlier in your life than you ever did with them. Once you use those muscles again... it'll be like going home. When I make my next report, I'm going to be...Firm..." That's a nice way of saying a stubborn bitch, "About demanding you're on the next team."

James Barnes has posed:
An animal permitting itself to be tamed. She touches the buried layer of memories from the war, before Winter existed, before HYDRA. There's an answering sigh from him, and he puts an arm around her shoulder, in turn.

"Exactly," he says, grinning. Not looking at her, that'd require him craning his neck uncomfortably, but gazing at the still image of Rin Tin Tin posing nobly on a rock. "No one can ever resist you," he teases. "'specially not in this organization you founded."

Peggy Carter has posed:
There's the arm. Ages ago, she'd be swatting at him and calling him fresh. But that was a literal lifetime ago and now the scent of him is somehow familiar, everything a comfort of just letting go instead of having to live up to the eternally famous 'Director' title. Peggy exhales a low, slow breath and sinks down into that grasp, not giving an inch of objection.

"That...sounds like an excellent plan to me. For the morning, perhaps. Tonight, this... is rather nice." She admits, but the tone of her voice is half asleep. Jet lagged and actually relaxed, it's very likely she's going to nod off against him right then and there. Not that she'd admit it.

James Barnes has posed:
Familiarity, even if his scent is overlaid with warm metal, strong enough to calm them both - the comfort of the known and reliable. "Just relax," he says, mildly. "You just got back, you can afford to rest a little. I bet you're jetlagged like nobody's business. I'm here, I'll keep watch."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"... oh.. Yes, you are probably right. Every inch of me thinks it's about 2 am. I don't suppose a touch of a nap would... Hurt." Peggy mutters, searching for any excuse and truly finding none. This felt comfortable, she knew she was safe, and the warm press of both Bucky and Lili-Marlene near was soporific in it's comfort. It's a matter of minutes, but she does actually let her guard down just enough to drop into a genuine sleep against him. It's probably the first time in their lives he's seen her this relaxed, this close, though they'd napped in the back of convoys and bunkers before. Somehow, this was different.