Owner Pose
Helena Bertinelli The holiday chaos had recently wound down. Not that the world wasn't still plunged into chaos, in the least, but there was one less reason to be distracted or concerned.
For Helena the end of the holidays signaled the return to teaching. That was its own form of chaos to be certain but it was a known quotient and that made it a welcome distraction from everything else going on, or wrong, with the world. She had no intentions of ending her moonlighting vigilantism, either. While things were jumping off the rails in New York City, she intended to help keep Gotham at least a few notches closer to safe what with all of the refugees seeking to get clear of everything.

When the invitation to meet Clint Barton for coffee some weeks after their random meeting and spontaneous dinner before Christmas, she was a little surprised to hear from the Avenger, but pleased as well. She had accepted and made her way to the coffee shop a few minutes before the agreed upon time. Stepping inside, she moved toward the counter to look over the menu thoughtfully.
Clint Barton It had been awhile, but you know...

Avengers gotta Avenge!

Clint had just finished a string of missions that took him all over the world, but he had some time to kill, some free time to spare, and honestly? He wanted to spend it with Helena. So he sent her a text that went along the lines of:

'Hey Helena. Sorry it took me so long. Coffee? Know a great place in Gotham?'

When she apparently replied in positivity, Clint was actually surprised and more than a little happy! So, Clint had made his way down there and while she was at the coutner looking over the menu, she'll feel a hand rest briefly on her shoulder as he smiled at her. "Hey. Good to see ya, sorry it's been taking me so long to get back to you. The job is...relentless." He smiles at her.

"How are you?"
Helena Bertinelli Helena Bertinelli turned at the hand. The instinctive look in her eyes was that of someone trained to defend themselves. But as quickly as that happened, it was over, and she offered a smile and a light laugh instead. "Yeah, I can imagine. Teaching is not so different - though maybe little less of a risk to my well-being. Usually. This is Gotham after all."

Another smile "I'm good thanks. Yourself? Glad to see you're in one piece given some of the things going on these days."
Clint Barton "Heh, yeah. It's been pretty wild. Angels and all that, but the world has been going pretty quickly to crap. Avengers haven't been called in yet, and from what I hear? The stuff that's being swung around is...well, above the normal bow and arrow fare." Clint smiles at Helena, but he nods. "Heh. I feel like you're the badass teacher who could take 'em." Clint gives her a playful nudge.

"But I've been good, all and all. You been keeping safe?" Clint asks her. "Also, are you more of a booth person or a table person?"
Helena Bertinelli Helena Bertinelli smirks, "I'm just a teacher who happens to have grown up in a Mafia family. We learned to look after ourselves early on." Her gaze turns distant, "..long time ago.." she blinks back to the present and frowns, "Yeah.. pretty sure they never actually meant that angels would be coming back when they taught about us about them at Saint Augusta's. Just wow, right?" She shrugs, "whatever you want. Tables are fine with me." She side eyes him, "no dancing" she jokes before moving toward the counter to prepare to order. "Thinking it's a cappuccino sort of day..." she says as she taps her lip thoughtfully.
Clint Barton "Heh. I just grew up in a corrupt carnival where I learned to shoot real good." Clint smirks at her. "Can't imagine what it's like. Not sure if I want to imagine what it would've been like. But...I'm happy you seem all the better for it." Clint smiles at her playfully, but he nods. "Yeah. Pretty wild business."

He smirks at her. "Can't help thinking about it. But, if anyone's dancing on a table, hoping its you." He casually flirts, but otherwise, he approaches the counter with her to prepare his order. "I'll take a basic coffee, black. and whatever she would like." He mentions as he pulls out his wallet, as if to suggest he's buying.

"Every day is a cappuccino day."
Helena Bertinelli Helena Bertinelli shoots a glance at him, "You just like to live on the edge, don't you Mr. Barton?" she asks with a smirk. A nod to the barista, "Yes, please. A cappuccino for me." Then to Clint for offering to pay, "Thank you" she says with a smile.

Stepping aside to wait for the drinks to be prepared she casually crosses her arms over her stomach, idly watching the activity behind the counter. "Yeah. Can't say growing up was half as glamorous as they paint it in Hollywood. But.. we don't get to decide those things for ourselves as a kid, hmm?"
Clint Barton Clint seems to look amused. "I try my best." He teases her playfully, and she seems to approve of him paying this time. Once upon a time, Helena paid dinner for both of them. Apparently it was enough to get him this! But, he shrugs a little bit as he finishes ordering his coffee.

"Well, I was thinking it was more like Scarface rather than Godfather." He tells her with a bit of a smirk. "No kid gets to decide things. Honestly, I wish it was different at least a little bit, but, well, what can you do. So...I guess the question is, how does a former member, willing or no, of the mafia get a job as a teacher?"
Helena Bertinelli Helena Bertinelli sips at her coffee and smirks, "It... was more like Taxi Driver really." She shrugs, "I was a kid, not a member. Just in the Family, never part of it. It's no secret. It was all over the Gotham news at the time. Another branch of the Family wanted mine dead. I witnessed the hitman killing my family. I was too scared to scream so they didn't find me. My uncle found out I was alive and whisked me off to Sicily for protection. Took me years of therapy to try to get past all that. I got into teaching to help kids. It's helped me some in return so.. no complaints. I love that I can help kids have chances I never did. Or that I can be there to help guide them. And it was as far from my past as I could get. I returned to Gotham just to prove to myself that my past doesn't define me."

She looks over, "Everyone's got a tough story. Mine's just a bit more vivid than some."
Clint Barton With some serious expresson on his face, Clint is watching and listening to Helena. She mentions that she was a kid, and that she had to witness the deaths of her entire family. No jokes are made, no flirtatious comments, not 'good thing you made it out', he just listens to her as she shares her tale of woe. Her uncle found her and took her off to Sicily for some protection.

It was a tough life. Though she tries to help kids get better chances, explains why she became a teacher. "Everyone has a story, you're right. It's up to us though if the story ends happily or not." He tells her with a little bit of a smile.
Helena Bertinelli Helena Bertinelli shrugs, "Happiness is over rated. Just finding a sense of self-worth. Something lasting we can contribute to." She glances out the window with a shrug of her shoulder. "Happiness is nice but it's like chasing money. How much is ever enough for someone?" She looks back, "So teaching does it for me. I have a purpose. I get some happiness from it. Life goes on." She pauses then asks curiously, "What about you? From dark carnival to Avenger? How did that work?"
Clint Barton Clint shrugs.

"I wouldn't say it's overrated. Only, you can't put a price on happiness. Money is temporary, but happiness? Liking what you have and learning from the mistakes? That's pretty worthwhile to me." He chuckles. Though curiously, she asks him about carnival to Avenger.

"Abusive dad, travelling circus that happened to double as a crime syndicate. Did some petty thieving and some other misdemeanors, ended up getting found by SHIELD." He shrugs. "Honestly, nothing major."