6637/=See, I told you.

=See, I told you.
Date of Scene:	20 June 2021
Location:	Central Park
Synopsis:	Bucky keeps his word and shows up with Captain America (...and Sam) to convince Cael that he was telling the truth about HYDRA. She's convinced, but Bucky isn't happy with the turn the conversation took.
Cast of Characters:	James Barnes, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Cael Becker

---

James Barnes has posed:
    Next day, twenty-four hours since happenstance, or was it fate, brought Cael and Bucky back into one another's paths. He's here, just like he said he would be, and he's not alone. In fact, he's not alone by two. He's brought along, not only Steven Rogers, but Sam Wilson too! Seems the Winter Soldier is keeping better company these days.
    The three of them are near THE bench. "So, yeah, this kid... she saved my ass without a thought to her own safety once, when I was..." On the run, free for a fleeting moment. Never mind that it was only a few more hours until they caught up to him again, it still *matters*. "I need her to believe it, I need her to be safe. You two? You're my references." What *is* he going on about? He hadn't really taken time to explain because he's pretty sure they'd have blown a gasket over what he's about to say next. "She's FBI now and... I warned her about HYDRA, I told her all of it." At least tearing that bandaid off in public gives him a fighting chance of not getting ripped up one side and down the other by the two of them. ...for the moment.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve's listening with an impassive expression while Bucky fills them in. He dressed down accordingly; a long-sleeved shirt worn loosely button and with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. Jeans and carpenter boots help add to his everyman vibe, and a worn old ball cap with the classic Dodger's "B" on it keeps his features slightly hidden.

As the tale goes on, Steve glances at Sam, then back at Bucky. Arms remain loosely folded across his chest. "So this girl made you a while back," Steve echoes. "Now she's a Fed, and you told her about HYDRA." He shakes his head in minute frustration. "Buck, how do you know she /isn't/ HYDRA? I wouldn't put it past them to run a con on you with a ..." Lips thin. "Pretty girl in need of a rescue."

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Given that Sam Wilson has been very much MIA for the past, say, week? He's fine with showing up in civvies, as bidden. He's really not advertising the fact that the Falcon is stateside... or still alive, even, though he's kind of banking on HYDRA's preference for splinter cells to keep that pretense up. That's how they do the "cut off one head" yadda yadda yadda, at least to his understanding. Best to keep things on the down low for the time being. So yeah, he's here, leaning up against a tree in jeans and a t-shirt, sunglasses pushed up on top of his head. And he's quiet.

    Which is not a usual Sam kind of thing to be, but there's a certain tightness to his features, like he hasn't quite managed to transition out of mission-mode yet. He's pretty impassively taking in what Bucky's telling them, meeting Steve's look with a steady but closed-off one of his own.

    "Then we take her out," he says. "If she's HYDRA, we take her out."

    His head tips back to thunk against the trunk of his chosen shade-tree, and his jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. "But she's probably not HYDRA," he says, mostly because he wants to believe it. And then he looks at Bucky. "Right?"

James Barnes has posed:
    "Because Steve, she saved me FROM Hydra in 2014," Bucky explains. "She was just a kid, running with a bunch of gangbangers. I guess... I convinced her to turn State's and now she's here. She didn't make me, she had no clue who I was, what I was. She thought my name was Devan." Devan Saunders, it's an alias he still uses today from time to time, but then he used it because he... didn't remember his real name. He glances over Steve's shoulder, right shoulder. That thousand yard stare. "They caught up with me anyway, later that night," barely a whisper, lower than even the whispers of them all thus far. He snaps back before he goes too far gone and says, "She's not HYDRA." Slow down and back up Buck. He decides to start from the beginning.
    "I was in Phoenix Arizona. I'd gotten away, I dunno how, it's not all... there. They'd found me, had me cornered, she pulled up in her car... threw the door open, I got in. We talked, she was scared kid, afraid to stay... afraid to go."
    He remembers it, most of it, but what's still fuzzy makes it difficult to explain like a normal person would explain. Finally he gives a frustrated sigh and a firm, "She's NOT HYDRA."

Cael Becker has posed:
    As the trio approach the aforementioned bench, Cael happens to be approaching from the other direction - dressed in jeans, a casual polo shirt, and a leather jacket - as opposed to her jogging gear from the day before. The outfit is finished off with a pair of boots, and a simple silver chain that disappears under her shirt. As she spots the trio talking, she slows her step - taking in the features of each men, and giving them an opportunity for a few last quiet comments before she's within hearing range. There's a wary, almost cautious look on her features - but hell if it doesn't look like Barnes followed up on his claim that he could cause /Captain America/ to appear. Though Sam, with his hat and his glasses she's having a little more trouble IDing at a distance.
    "Sargeant Barnes," she says by way of greeting as she gets closer. "A man of your word, it seems. Captain Rogers," she extends a hand towards the man. "Cael Becker, FBI." Her gaze then goes Sam - her expression thoughtful for a moment before she finally lands, uncertainly, on, "...Falcon?" Shit. What was the guy's real name. You should know this stuff, Cael...

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve winces minutely at the earnestness in Bucky's voice. The insistence. This goes beyond just a judgement call; it's a soldier thing. Not about being right or wrong. Being trusted implicitly and going with the moment, and worrying about the consequences after the dust settles. The soft tread of shoes on grass catches his attention while Cael's still out of earshot. He locks eyes with Bucky and a silent conversation is held between the two men.

Bucky apparently wins; Steve's shoulders loosen-ever-so-slightly and he emits an inaudible sigh of acquiescence.

Steve turns his shoulders to include Cael in the little circle, and it's her turn for a flickering scrutiny from those suddenly intense true-blue eyes. Everything from her stride, to her posture, to the weight of her clothing and how she's carrying a weapon or concealing one.

Finally Steve stares Cael full in the face for a long beat. Whatever he sees there, it doesn't trigger a hostile reaction. His arms relax and he lifts one hand to Cael in an offered handshake.

"Agent Becker," Steve says with a cordial nod. "Good to finally meet you. You obviously know my friend Sam Wilson here," he adds, and claps Sam's shoulder. Just polite? Or Steve picking up on Cael's hesitation. "We're not here as Avengers today. Just as concerned friends."

Steve looks to Bucky and nods once. Until and unless this train crashes, Steve's backing Bucky's play.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    It's only the lack of enhanced hearing that has Sam slower on the uptake regarding Cael's approach than everyone else but it doesn't take him long after, as hyperaware as he is right now. He straightens, moving away from the tree and closer to Steve and Bucky, almost unconscious in the way he's angling himself into place in case any potential surprise attacks might come from a flanking position.

    He's tense right down to his bones, but he's quick to make his expression more open and his posture less... well, less like he's expecting things to go south at any moment. "Hey, you managed to remember me at all while I'm standing next to the Star Spangled Man with the Plan, that's fine." Despite it all, his smile is easy-going, and there's humor in his voice. He reaches out to shake her hand. "I'll take what I can get."

    Just like Steve, afterward he falls back, giving the floor to Bucky.

    His arms fold over his chest as he looks out to the tree line, scanning for potential movement. Sam is still putting some effort into not looking openly on edge but even though Steve's just said they're not here as their suited up version, anyone who wanders by will recognize them (or at least one of them) as Avengers.

James Barnes has posed:
    Does Bucky eever lose? Happy wif... no, that's not right. But seriously, does he ever lose when it's so abundantly clear to Steve that something's important to him? He holds Steve's gaze with his own, his brow furrowed just a little, just a tiny crease there. Those pale blue eyes are earnest, certain, unwaevering.
    "Well, I neever lied to you, Cael." It's true, mostly, other than that one little bit about being a Military experiment back then, but even that wasn't exactly a lie. "*Eeverything* I've told you is the truth."
    For his part today, Bucky Barnes is, once again, playing the part of possible college student in his NYU hoodie - purple and white, a white baseball cap that holds his hair underneath, purple riding gloves, a pair of faded jeans and a pair of white and purple Adidas. He even shaved. He could easily pass for an oeverworked, oever-stressed grad student. He even has the dark circles under the eyes.
    "The Secretary of Defense, HYDRA infiltrating SHIELD and painting us the bad guys, our people being trapped... all of it, it's all true, Cael. I need you to believe me, believe us because I just want you to be safe." Why? Because she's *one* thing he did right during all those years in the cold. In his mind, she's one tiny little piece of the redemption he tries so hard to find eevery day of his life.

Cael Becker has posed:
    There's a momentary flicker of embarrassment on her features as Steve provides the name she was struggling to dredge up - even as Sam dismisses her error as unimportant. "Of course - Sergeant Wilson, a pleasure to meet you, as well." Her hand was indeed offered to him as well, before her attention fixes back on Bucky.
    "And if I don't take your word for it, my life is in danger?" she asks - a note of skepticism coloring her tone as she tries turning the situtation over in her mind - trying to make everything fit into place, to make //sense//. Looking for the flaw that would reveal any lies. "I mean, it's the whole 'Secretary of Defense being a Russian plant and framing SHIELD' thing that just..."
    She looks to Steve and Sam here, searching their features, trying to understand //their// take on all of this. "I mean, no offense meant, Sergeant Barnes, but it sounds insane. And perhaps part of me //hopes// that..." he's off his rocker, and that the government isn't that badly compromised.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve gives Cael an even look. "It's true," Steve confirms. "Every word of it. You're Organized Crime, right? Mob Squad?" Cap apparently has some friends in the FBI. "How many times has Homeland Security landed on a bust and seized the cargo before you could validate it? How many times did suits walk in with heavy-duty clearances and take prisoners off your hands before you'd even fingerprinted them?"

"You have to understand, Agent Becker-- they're everywhere," Steve says, in all seriousness. Everything about his expression and posture backs up his words. Like he's channeling something close to divine truth. "Sam and I have been going all over the world trying to hamstring them where we could. And then they hit SHIELD hard and fast. It was too surgical to not be an inside job. Section heads detained, oversight committees dissolved. Inspector General officers suddenly finding *years* worth of deficiencies in sections that had sterling service records."

Steve grimaces. "They're not just in SHIELD. They're everywhere."

Sam Wilson has posed:
    "Just Sam, I'm a civilian now," he corrects, head tipping to acknowledge the half-truth of it, as their hands meet in the space between them. "Same to you."

    He nods at the salient points necessary for him to back up what Steve's saying, though he doesn't cut in until near the end. "The whole structure is compromised. Agents we thought were trustworthy, good people--they don't just wake up one day and decide to stab you in the back." At his own unfortunate turn of phrase he frowns, eyes going tight. Little bit too close to home, there. "What I'm saying is you don't organize this kind of operation overnight. Whatever their end game is, they've been planning this a long time. And keeping something like that under wraps takes more resources than what SHIELD can bring to bear on its own.

    Sam pauses, and it's not for dramatic effect. This is a lot, all at once, and even he needs a second to grapple with the enormity of it. "It's all true. Everything Buck," then he clarifies for Cael's sake, "Everything Sergeant Barnes said."

James Barnes has posed:
    Well, honestly, if SHIELD can't fix this mess? Everyone's life, as they know it, is in danger. "Immediate, no, not if you keep your head down and your mouth shut," Bucky admits quietly. "But... if we don't make this right, if we can't find a way to fix it? Nothing will ever be the same again." ...because HYDRA will actually finally manage to do it, they'll really manage to take over the world.
    He sucks in a breath and lets it out slowly when Steve is there, backing him up, standing at his side and explaining all the things in a way Cael will understand. Then Sam's got his six too. These are his *people*.
    Wait... he has *people*. Sometimes, when he's lost in the darkness of his own mind, he honestly forgets that fact. Other times, like now, it becomes so abundantly clear that it *almost* makes him feel like he has to be a worthy person if people like them are *his people*. It makes him want to hold his head just a little higher, makes him not so eager to take that hat off and hide behind that curtain of hair...
    "I just want you to be ready, At least he didn't say 'See, I told you.'

Cael Becker has posed:
    Well... fuck. Cael's gaze flicks between all three of them, her expression almost defiant for a moment as she tries to make sense of everything they're saying, tries to find a //different// explination for it. They weren't lying - or at least she didn't believe they were. They believed their words. ...maybe there's something in the water in the Avenger's tower?
    Eventually, though, she lets out a sigh and lifts a hand to run it through short, blonde hair. "Fuck me," she mutters, despite her current company. Almost instantly, though, her back straightens a little, her shoulders setting back as she asks simply, "How can I help?" It seems that simply being 'ready and wary' is not really cutting it with her.

James Barnes has posed:
    Well, since Bucky isn't an Avenger, that nixes that! Her question gets an immediate, strong, emotional response from him. "Nuh-uh, nothing, not a damned thing," he blurts out. "No. You keep your mouth shut and your head down, that's what you do. I didn't tell you all of this to drag you into the pit *with us*. I told you so you can stay clear of the crumbling sides." Nope, no way... absolutely not, forget it... just no. NO! *He* won't be offering her ways to get herself mixed up directly in the madness. The entire little rant is delivered along with BuckyStare(tm) at it's full and complete withering glory.
    He's an ass like that. Maybe the others won't be, they're not as... invested in her safety.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Buck."

The single word contains a long and unspoken remonstration, and Steve gives him a level look. "Easy."

Steve looks at Sam for thoughts; the Falcon has a good eye for people and their core instincts. The wry resignation on Steve's face speaks volumes about what -he- thinks Cael will do after the meeting ends. None of it sounds like 'quietly ignoring this', from his expression.

"I'm pretty sure you're not going to be able to keep a field op from doing her job, Bucky. Not short of hog-tying her on a slow ship bound for China."

Steve looks back at Cael. "We're pretty confident that HYDRA's using the New York docks from time to time. They do a bit of everything; guns, drugs, human trafficking, you name it. We just don't know who's helping them, if they'r Russians or Italians or some cartel guys breaking knees for side pay. If you get wind of something coming through, something that is big enough for security but isn't related to the families-- let us know."

Sam Wilson has posed:
    In the soundtrack of Sam's life--right now it's basically some art student's recording of themselves screaming on a loop for 12 hours because that's the only thing that even begins to feel appropriate--this is a true record-scratch moment.

    "Wait. Why did you invite her out here?" Sam does a literal double-take like he expects someone to burst out the bushes with a camera and tell him he's been punk'd. Which would at least be preferable to someone to burst out of the bushes with a gun.

    Maybe?

    He knows that it's not a good thing for him to be unsure about that, but it gets shelved. Here's to hoping he screwed that shelf into the studs instead of drywall.

    Okay Sam. Deep breath. "HYDRA thinks I'm dead right now and I'd like to keep it that way to avoid, I don't know, maybe another assassination attempt or something even worse, so I really need you to tell me we're out here right now getting help--that we definitely need--and not--" He cuts himself off there, because that whole deep breath thing didn't take the first time. Luckily, his second try works a hell of a lot better. A quick roll of his neck helps too.

    His attention shifts to Steve, and after a long moment, he nods. He waits until Steve's given his own overview before he steps forward. "Just keep your head down. Nothing's changed, right? That's what you have to convince everyone around you of. Even the people you think you can trust with your life. Don't talk about it--hell, don't even think about it too hard when you're around other people. Just be prepared. And if things go south, you run. Even if it's just that tickle at the back of your neck, grab your go-bag," he's assuming here with some confidence that she already has one, "And go to ground. There's a number you can call--Steve?"

    There's a momentary break where Steve pulls out a notepad and pencil to write it down.

    "Use it. Ask for Lily. The countersign's 'good girl'. Waveoff is 'bad girl'."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve shoots Sam an exasperated sidelong glance. "Forgot your notepad, Airman?" The rhetorical question is a good-natured ribbing to break up the momentary tension, and he hands the scrap of paper to Cael.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    "Left it in my other pants in *Puerta Vallarta*," Sam snips back, smiling as he looks away.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Maybe in another set of circumstances, Bucky could successfully stare her down. But how threatening can that gaze really be when his obvious intention is to protect her? Cael meets his eyes with a stubborn set to her jaw and subtly raised eyebrows, her arms crossing over her chest. Bring it, Winter-man.
    "Oh, fun, so I sit quietly in the corner, put my fingers in my ears, and go 'lalalala' while the world goes to shit?" she counters. "What the hell did I go through all this training and earn this badge for? I don't have any plans to get killed - but unless someone's been putting something in your water to make you all paranoid and crazy, it sounds like you boys can use all the hell you can muster."
    Her attention shifts then to Steve, and to Sam - nodding to Steve's suggestion. "That's definitely something I can keep my eyes open for," she agrees. And the offered paper is accepted, studied, and then carefully tucked into an interior pocket of her jacket - because of course she made sure her jacket has interior pockets. "If I learn anything I think is helpful - I'll certainly call," she agrees. Her lips quirk with amusement before she adds, "And I definitely know how to keep things close to the chest." Not just because of her work with the agency, either.
    Her gaze flicks towards Bucky again before she asks, "Just how much did you tell them about how we met?" she asks - with a distinct subtext. Just how much of her identity did he compromise?
    I mean. I guess if you're going to compromise your identity - you could do worse than to trust Captain America with that secret?

James Barnes has posed:
    Don't tempt him or Cael might wake up tomorrow hog-tied on a slow boat to China! He responds to the reproach from Steve and that level look with a little snarl of an expression, lip curled at one corner, nose wrinkled on the same side - it's a silent thing at least.
    But he's frustrated with the turn of conversation and it's painfully obvious. Gloved hands clench into fists at his sides and relax again, curl, relax, curl again, relax again. Then the fingers of his right hand tap, one at a time, against his thumb. One two three four, one two three four, the hand movement is rhythmic and consistent.
    Then he starts pacing.
    Of course he knows Steve's right, but he also knows that this girl *cannot* die... ever... no, well that's unrealistic, but she can't die *soon*. Hell, even that's irrational. He *has* to keep her safe, has to, has to, has to.
    Truth be told, his irrational *need* to keep one of the very very few things he did that was *good* in all those years safe, is making him look a little deranged.
    It's not a new look for him, particularly with Steve and Sam.
    "Because she has to stay safe," those words are snarled in Sam's direction.
    Not even the banter between his friends is working to pull him back like it normally might. That deeply furrowed brow over those intense pale blues is like a big read DANGER DANGER beacon flashing.
    "Enough, but not that... that's yours to tell," he growls at Cael.

DANGER DANGER.
    She's the ONE good thing that he *remembers*.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve keeps a wary eye on Bucky. Not that Bucky's going to necessarily -do- anything, but... well, it's just a little too much like a rattlesnake winding itself up for any sane person to completely ignore, either.

Cael gets another look, though. The implications of her exchange with Bucky are probably of some interest... but Bucky's already on the ragged edge, it seems.

"Let's not get into it right now," Steve suggests, to break the tension. "You've got a lot to absorb and unpack. And you'll probably spend at least a few hours wondering if all three of us have swiss cheese for brains," he adds, with a lopsided smile. "Check in with us next week," he says, nodding at the scrap of paper. "Remember the countersigns. If all's good, we'll set a meet and talk a bit more. If things are going bad.... well, we'll meet, but it's going to be somewhere a lot more dank than a Starbucks."

He offers Cael a handshake again. "I know it's no fun being kept in the dark, Agent. I wish we could do this some other way. I appreciate you taking the chance you have on Sam 'nd myself."

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Bucky's emotional reaction to Steve and Sam not following his script for this encounter is obvious and Sam's not even looking at the man right now. He can't really hear the squeak of leather as Bucky clenches his fists but there's enough tension in the air anyway that it doesn't really matter, and then Bucky starts pacing, which comes in loud and clear.

    "HYDRA's trying to take over the world, Buck," he says without looking back. "How safe's she gonna be if they win?"

    Even given that he's got the bristly supersoldier equivalent of a bear making his displeasure known right behind him, Sam is completely calm. "Yeah," he says when Cael confirms she knows how to play this, "I know you can."

    He turns back to face Bucky though after, and then lifts his hands slightly, aiming in the general realm of soothing. "Look, this is not a problem we can punch our way through, no matter how much you might like to try." And to his credit he does at least glance in Steve's way as he says that, because this is not a pattern he's seen in just *one* of the two supersoldiers he happens to maintain a friendship with, but in this instance it's mostly aimed at Bucky. "The people we can trust has dwindled down to a number that I am really not comfortable with, but you have someone standing right here that you do who's willing to help. And she's right about us needing it."

    That's it. Sam has said what he wants to say, and he gives a slow shake of his head and shrug to confirm he knows very little--next to nothing--about Cael. Which means he's banking on Bucky being right about her, here.

    "What, you know about Starbucks now, old man? Do I have to hear about how expensive coffee is nowadays?" Sam shoots Steve a smile that's tight but trying, and he echoes the appreciation Steve gives to Cael with a "Thanks, it means a lot," as well.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Nothing about my life has been about staying safe, Barnes. Sure - I could move to... Wisconsin and buy myself a... cheese farm. Put a rocking chair on the porch and sit around knitting..." there's a brief pause before Cael summons some of these words out of the air, trying to decide what normal, sane people do to stay safe, "...tea cozies. But that's not me." What the hell is a tea cozy, anyways?
    As the man clearly gets increasingly worked up, she does look to the other two. She's had very little experience with the man - honestly, probably less than an hour total - and she's not entirely clear on just how unstable he might be. It's clear his behavior is starting to make her a little uneasy.
    Her attention shifts back to Steve as she adds, "Hours? You're being overly generous to yourself there, sir. Several days, minimum, trying to figure out if all three of you are insane or not." And trying to figure out how to do so without triggering any programs watching for certain search phrases. 'Nord VPN' is not going to be enough identity protection for this sort of thing. That's the sort of thing Alis would have been better at...
    She looks between Sam and Steve - a wry smile on her lips before she adds, "You know - it was actually this guy," she nods her head to James, "who somehow convinced me that you don't just stand by and watch while bad things happen. You have to do something about it."

James Barnes has posed:
    Bucky stops pacing. In fact, he just stops moving at all other than to reach up and pull of his baseball cap. That long hair of his falls a little in front of his face. He looks down at his left hand. His hair falls more over his face, hiding most of it from view now.
    It's hard, really really hard, for him - for just about anyone - to look deep enough inside themselves to find the difficult answers. It's definitely not a skill Bucky has in spades, figuring out what sets him off and why. But this time...
    "You're the one thing I did that made a difference," the words are soft, but not much softer than most of the conversation. They're a little flat, maybe a little... confused. Like he's not entirely sure he's getting it right. When he looks up again and his hair falls away enough to reveal his eyes, there's that shadow of suffering there that she saw then, that she saw last night.
    "Do whatever you're gonna do, I can't stop it. But I won't condone it." Still unreasonable, maybe a little irrational, but at least he's not coiled like a snake ready to pounce?
    "I'll be at that hotdog stand we passed on the way in when you guys're done." He turns and walks away, putting the cap back on as he goes, but leaving that long hair down.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve watches Bucky pacing away and shakes his head a couple times. "Don't take it personally," he advises Cael. "But do be careful. There's a lot of ways this can go wrong. Bucky--" he nods at his friend's departing back-- "trusts your instincts. Trusts you. That's good enough for me; that should be good enough for you, too."

He turns and walks after Bucky, giving Sam a clap on the arm to let him know where he's going and to catch up when he can.

Sam Wilson has posed:
    Sam mouths the words "tea cozies" with a furrowed brow, but he doesn't chase after Cael's peculiar definition of normal. Hell, he flies around with what is basically a jet engine strapped to his back fighting androids, aliens, and wizards, so who's he to go around judging how other people define normal? It's not like he knows.

    Man. Still hits kind of weird all this time later when he stops to think about it.

    "Look," he says, once it's just him and Cael. Agent to agent, no super serum or metal arms. "This is a real shitshow, and I'm not going to stand here and tell you not to get mixed up in it. You make your own decisions. Just be careful."

    For a second he hesitates, a subtle twist of his body like he's about to leave too. "And don't forget that HYDRA started out as literal Nazis. If they find you they might kill you, but they got up to some really nasty stuff during World War 2 and I can say from first-hand experience that nothing's changed. Trust your gut." He nods at Cael, offers a brief shake of his hand and even manages to bust out a winning Wilson smile, before like always he's gotta work to catch up with Steve.

    At least they're not on a run.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "So let me make a difference," Cael counters - and for once, there's a hint of gentleness to her voice. She flashes Bucky a brief smile and it seems - however briefly they may have met in life - it had somehow made quite an impression on both of them.
    She lets out a sigh as he leaves, looking back Steve as she adds, "Nothing there to take personally." As he moves off to catch up with Bucky, she calls in his wake, "It was an honor to meet you, sir." It's the closest she's ever going to get to 'fan girling' - a concept that just doesn't exist in her genetic make-up.
    Once she's alone with Sam she remarks wryly, "You know, the best case scenerio here was that you guys //would// show up like he'd promised," well, that Captain America would, "and that you'd tell me he was completely insane. I was really, honestly hoping for that. I'll watch my back - and I'll see what I can find. But if this does go south somehow, make sure he knows I make my own decisions. And none of it was his fault. Pound it into his thick skull until it sticks." She offers a small, slightly sad smile and a nod. "Good luck out there," she adds, before turning to walk away.
    //Shit//. Shit. Now what?