InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Sanity is overrated."

vαи dyиє (punches) wrote in avengers_logs,
@ 2018-07-02 07:23:00

Entry tags:

-complete, hope van dyne, nick fury

Who: Hope & Fury
What: Running into each other after work one day
When: Recently~
Where: A not-pretentious bar
Rating: Green

After a long day researching, working those science chops (something she hadn't done in awhile given her duties at Pym Tech), Hope wasn't really one to unwind in a club - the kind where you were grinding up on everyone else as lights flashed like alien UFO beams and the bass rattled your teeth. No, she preferred places with their own special charm. Dirty charm.

The bar she walked into was an actual dive bar, nothing hipster posing as such. A good dive bar left you feeling the slightest twinge of concern for personal safety (provided you didn’t carry multiple weapons on you or know how to snap someone's neck with your thighs). It was all about the old, blinking sign out front and gin and tonics in oftentimes dirty glass for cheap prices, no windows, fake wood paneling, a brick exterior that never answered the perpetual are they open/closed? question.

Hopefully most would assume closed. She didn't feel like dealing with people though she was aware she looked out of place in a finely-tailored suit and bright red lipstick. Picking a seat at the bar, she ordered one of those gin and tonics - but made sure the glass was clean, thanks.

She'd taken one sip when the inevitable interruption came. "Rough day?" asked 'Chad,' as he invaded her personal space - actually, she didn't know if is name was Chad or not but he was wearing a pink polo shirt and khakis so he looked about as out of place as she did.

Hope rolled her eyes. Why could a woman who was alone not even have a drink without being accosted, honestly?

A long day deserved a long drink. At his favourite dive, he found it interesting to see how many people he knew came and went from there. Of course, it's proximity to Stark's buildings probably helped. Or maybe it was that cosmic fucking thing, kicking in again. Either way, Fury wasn't surprised to see Hope in the bar, nor was he surprised to see her be hit on by some undesirable.

Normally, he would have ignored it, and watched her handle it, but he'd overheard Chad and his buddies bragging about the GHB they had in their pockets.

Disgusting.

Finishing his drink in one fast swallow, he walked up to the bar. "Sorry to make you wait, Hope. Bathroom break and all." He gave the guy a pointed stare until he slinked back to the hole he came from. "And now I think I might sit here, if that's alright."

Hope did a double take, surprised by the intervention - it was welcomed though, don't get her wrong. Though she knew she could shut 'Chad' down with a well-placed punch to the throat, she had to admit that Nick Fury cut an intimidating figure. That was Nick Fury, right? Ever since crash-landing in this alternate reality, she hadn't really gotten out as much as she should have. And her SHIELD dealings were based off of what she read, what she heard, and the stories her father would tell her (those were pretty damn biased though, come on). But at any rate, no wonder the slimeball known as Chad (Trevor? Zack?) fucked right off.

"Sure thing," she flashed a grateful smile and motioned to the seat beside her. "What can I get you? Next one's on me, for ensuring that I didn't have to choke someone out this evening." Though she supposed the night was young. Maybe it would happen yet.

Nick gave her an undecipherable look before sitting down with a short nod. "Draft. Whatever's cold," he said to the bartender. It didn't matter to him what he drank, to be honest. Over the years, through countless operations, he'd learned that taking what's local and ready was better than anything fancy.

Black strong coffee. Unwatered liquor. Cold beer.

Simple was better.

"I don't know that we've ever formally met, although I know of you, and I'm sure you know of me." This was said without any arrogance. It was simply a fact: Nick Fury knew of everyone, and he expected to be known in return. "Nick Fury. Pleasure to formally meet you, Ms. Van Dyne."

"I've heard of you, yeah. Nice to meet you in person, Nick Fury." Hope held out her hand for an official greeting shake - slender, neck-snapping; her hands were deceptively small and she could probably use a manicure. Given that her training regimen required a lot of punching, that meant calluses and chipped nails. A spa day was definitely in order.

Provided that the end of the world wasn't actually a thing. Maybe she could get some more info on that right now. He had to be working on it, right? SHIELD, such as it was (a reforming organization?) had to be involved.

She picked up her drink and took a sip - it was cool and refreshing, good for an evening that was somewhat muggy. Summer was teetering ever the more closer. "I've been burning a lot of the midnight oil, researching molecular anomalies lately. I don't suppose Tony mentioned it?"

"I make it a point to speak to Tony as rarely as possible," Nick said, with a slight grin. "But if you're asking if I know what's going on, the answer is a natural 'yes'. I always know what's happening." He took a drink and thought a bit on what she was saying. "Molecular anomalies." The words rolled on his tongue while he tried to piece it out. He'd long wondered if this new universe was affecting them more than psychologically.

"Are we talking in people or in general?"

Translation: enhanced humans or the state of the world.

Hope chuckled huskily, finishing off her drink - and she went for another, because it was Happy Hour and she wanted to be happy, damnit. Besides, if she needed to, she could just Uber home - but generally she thought she'd be alright. She was a woman who could hold her liquor.

"Oh, no, we're talking in general," she assured. "Layers in the atmosphere, that's what I'm studying - and the changes in the molecular structure. Usually the higher you go in the atmosphere the more change there is, but I was seeing a lot of change at even the lower levels. I mean, rapid change."

She shrugged, receiving her second drink with a thanks. The sweetness of the tonic counteracted the bitterness - or the taste of Christmas trees, really. Nice and complex. Scott was like Fury, he probably would have just gone for a simple cold beer as well. "According to Dr. Strange, it's a tear in the fabric of reality - he tried to stop the flow, but can't. So the conundrum becomes stopping future ones."

Again, according to Stephen. Admittedly, Hope didn't always understand the mystic angle - but she did her best to wrap her mind around it all.

Fury could respect that. He too was trying to stop any further problems, but in a more tangible way. Scientists and their work had always been of an interest to him, but in a practical sense.

Theory was good but fucking useless without proof.

"Future ones," he repeated. "As in it will definitely happen, and not simply speculated."

"Definitely going to happen," Hope sighed. "That's the thing, I can postulate about how to fix it - but there doesn't seem to be a fix, or at least an obvious one." She hated the idea that they basically had to wait for the bomb to drop before doing anything (that seemed a little...defeatist?) but she wasn't the one in charge. All she could do was make suggestions, keep herself alert, and keep others informed of what she found. And be ready to suit up at a moment's notice.

Hey, sounded fun, right? She toasted Nick with her glass. "I guess it can't get any worse? Or maybe it can. We'll see." The thrill of it all.

"My dear," Nick said somberly as he clinked his glass with hers, "it can always get worse. Always."

He finished his drink and reached for his jacket and hat. "The question is: what are we going to do about it? The only thing we can control is our reactions." His fedora firmly in place, he tipped it slightly. "And on that note, I have some work to finish off. It was a pleasure, Ms Van Dyne. I hope to see you again soon."

She guessed that was true. Pessimists unite - Hope could always use a kindred spirit or two around here. "Oh, I'm sure I'll be seeing you," she wiggled her fingers in a goodbye, as Nick gathered his things to take his leave. "Take care."

Well, she may as well finish her drink and then take off too - hopefully she could get in a few moments of peace before the inevitable inevitably got worse.