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The day begins again, and post parade, post holiday, the place is still a mess. Shopping for Christmas begins, as it has now for the last 31 years, and the sales are on! Tourists getting the 'best buys' from places in Manhattan, swearing that whatever it is they're buying is 'unique'… until, of course, the merchant hangs another in its place the moment the customer departs for another buy, another bargain.
Police presence is still high, as is FBI… but this doesn't seem to bother one Charles Bernard Barton any. He's in a dark suit, white shirt, black skinny tie, and looks as if he's had something of a haircut and a shave. Beard isn't gone, but he's a whole lot more 'kempt' than he has been in some time. Blue eyes keep an eye out on activity, but it doesn't seem to change his path as he makes his way slowly towards the restaurant cluster. Can smell the char siu already, coming off the hanging pigs in the window!
*
Inside one of the restaurants sits Steve Rogers, Captain America. He's in no mood for festivities, to be sure, given what has just happened to the President. That being said, a man's got to eat. He's just moved back into the Baxter Building and hasn't had the chance to go grocery shopping. When you move in the day before Thanksgiving, those sorts of things are likely to happen.
He is by himself, seated in front of a plate of food while reading the newspaper. He's wearing a black turtleneck to fend off the cold, with a pair of blue jeans and a cream colored jacket.
*
Barney is probably in a select group that isn't really mourning the passing of the president. (If he had played his cards right, he might have been the one who got the contract to pull the trigger, or at least taken out both Oswald or Ruby in the ensuing hours.) He's played the game for some time, and there isn't a minute of sleep lost over any of them.
On his path, Barney pulls out a pack of cigarettes, lights one with a book of matches from some hotel in the city, waves it out, and puts the rest of the pack and book back into his pocket. A pull is taken on the cigarette as he makes his turn into said restaurant, and while the air seems to be 'pushing ever forward', he gets that 'vibe' off of Steve. Not a word is spoken to the man yet, instead going up to the counter. "Uh.."
Barney starts his order in English, "Pint of pork fried rice," but quickly turns into fluent Mandarin for the rest of the order. It doesn't seem too terribly out of the ordinary to the clerk behind the counter, though, as she flashes bright, white teeth and nods quickly; a conversation in the making! Once completed, Barney looks around again, takes another pull from his cigarette, and empties the ash on the floor.
*
Once Steve hears Barney's words, his trunk twists so that his eyes can get a better view. Yep. Barton. The naughty one. Though he's on hiatus from SHIELD, Steve still gets some of the updates and he knows enough not to brandish his fork and knife and stick it in Barton's throat. For whatever reason, and reasons he's not sure of, Clint's brother is not in lock up any longer.
Why Peggy makes the decisions Peggy does is and has been beyond him. She is the leader and he is the soldier and he buries those feelings down. Instead, his head gives a nod over to the table, inviting the assassin over.
*
The wave-over in the form of a nod is acknowledged, and Barney takes the few steps to pull a chair out and slide into it, cigarette temporarily put between lips to keep his hands free. Once down, it's taken into his left hand, and smoke is blown away from Steve's direction. "Hey. Should probably say 'sorry for your loss'." Ash is knocked off the tip again, and he looks away, then back. "Place has been hoppin' ever since."
*
"Yeah," Steve says sadly. "He was a good guy. Got the chance to talk to the new one and it's just not the same. He has all the subtlety of a bear," he adds with a smirk. He brings the cup of coffee up to his lips and then holds it just below his chin. "Have a feeling things are going to get worse before they get better." He gives Barton an upwards nod, "They let you out. Must mean you made some concessions. And that they think you're valuable."
*
Barney looks as if he's going to simply shrug it all off. Life, death.. eh. "He's got friends." Why did that sound more ominous than it should have been? "Him and J. Edgar?" He brings fingers up to wind index and middle finger together in a show. "That's not to mention the HUAC." House Un-American Committee. "Things are gonna get interesting." Everyone knows about Mob and Robert Kennedy too, right? No.. maybe not…
A chuckle sounds from the man and he looks up, waiting for that tea pot that all the 'fancy' restaurants get. Nope. Not here. "Yeah. Mention a few names and she sat right up." Barney looks back at Steve and gives a one-sided shrug. "Howard Stark. Who knew?"
*
"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure I know anything about Loki, or if Asgard is even a real place. Maybe he just did this to up the ante and get people to believe him. It'd be a lot nicer if this was conspiracy free, if Loki was the killer, and we could put him behind bars for a long, long time." As long as Steve has been alive, though, things have never been that easy.
"Howard vouched for you?" Steve chuckles and shakes his head, "How in the world do you and Howard know each other?"
*
Speaking of Loki…
"I asked my baby bro this, and he didn't really have an answer." Barney's voice lowers a little, "If she wants somethin' done, can she actually go through with it?" He half-smiles before he sits back. "Heard that name before. Heard that he's not really immortal. Could actually be killed." You go long, take the shot, leave.
Barney can smell the food being cooked, the smells permeate the room. The cigarette is stubbed out in the little red, plastic ashtray on the table, and he leans forward, his head dropping. There's a gleam in his eye, as if he's enjoying it. "Vouch for me? Aw, hell no. He was a target. Some idiot got to him first, though, and botched the job. Brake-lines." And Howard is still alive.
*
"Well, I'm glad he's not dead." Pause. "Howard, I mean," Steve says, motioning with his coffee cup in his hand as the gal comes to refill it. "As far as Loki, I'm hoping he can be captured as opposed to put to death. Seen enough bloodshed for one week."
*
And here comes the bowl of pork fried rice with a side of BBQ boneless pork. Some beef lo mein to round out the meal, and the check. A couple of plates are set down in assumption, and the server leaves after the cup of coffee is refilled.
Barney shrugs, "Coulda paid rent for a year." At the very least. "And groceries. Maybe a new bike." He pauses before he offers a smile, "Good to hear about your friend, though." Means one day, maybe? If he's not working for SHIELD anymore, that is. (And he's still alive, more to the point.)
A spoonful of rice ends upon a plate, some BBQ pork, lo-mein, and he gesture with said spoon in the Cap's direction. "Have some," before he settles it down again. "I swear. Always tellin' people to eat. What the fuck."
The spoon is put down and his own fork is taken. First bite, Barney's silent before, "Captured. You think he's gonna talk? Easier just to put a hole in his head and walk away."
*
"Just finished," Steve says with a grin. "But if I'm starting to look skinny it's because of exercise and not because I'm underfed." He exhales and twists his mouth, before he shakes his head unconvinced. "Maybe that's easier, but probably not more beneficial. You need to get as much information out of him as possible. The man loves to talk. He's shown that."
*
Barney shrugs as the offer is refused, but with reason, and he digs into his a little more. "Yeah," comes between bites, "All depends on whether or not what he says can be confirmed." Even he knows that. "And it's a balance.. he worth more alive than dead? Show that he can die, and you have a world that figures that they can handle anything that comes their way, no sweat. Show you need him, and everyone figures he's tellin' the truth. No body likes that. Not Johnson. Not the 'Agency' or 'Bureau' or the HUAC."
He grins soon after, and he sits up a little, the fork relaxed, if only for a moment. "But, not my job to figure this shit out. If it was, I'd be gettin' a steady check."
*
"Well," Steve says as he takes another sip of coffee. "It might be mine. I just signed up for Act-F. Unfortunately, the check is steady but the pay isn't that great. That being said, at least it's something to do and a way to help. Seems like the world needs a lot of help these days."
*
The rice is mixed in with the noodles and the pork, all in a way that really shouldn't be done, and for all the Chinese the man spoke, Barney is eating with fork and soon enough, a spoon comes to the rescue as well. "Yeah, good luck with that. The Russians are ready to nuke us to hell and back, the Chinese are gonna take over Vietnam.. oh.. sorry.. the North Vietnamese is gonna take over Vietnam, and .. you know what? You figure we'd take the fucking hint to pull our asses out of there when the goddamned French Foreign Legion bugs out?" Nope. Not that smart.
"That.. thing. Act-F? We make our own goddamned problems. Good luck fixing them.. but you know.. Clint might like somethin' like that. He's one of the good guys."
*
"Man, the President got shot and you want to worry about Vietnam? There are bigger issues these days. I mean, in all likelihood we're being invaded by forces outside this world: Us, the Russians, the Chinese, and even the Vietnamese. Most people can't even find that on a map. There are bigger issues here that we need to deal with and need to deal with immediately."
*
Barney looks at Steve with an even expression. A single-sided shrug rises before he says, "Target of opportunity. All depends on how much people can hate. You hate one side more than another? All's fair." Still, not in his job description, and the chinese food is really good here!
"Just don't get my baby brother killed while you're doin' it." Please. Did Barney actually say 'Please'? Hell no. "Would suck." A lot.
*