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Tweak says, "i am not the one!"

preston rawlings, psychic accountant (ex_clerk820) wrote in rooms,
@ 2014-04-01 20:14:00

Entry tags:

!hotel, *log, bucky barnes, natasha romanoff, peggy carter, preston rawlings, shae o'malley, steve rogers

[Marvel Spies Meet n' Greet. The Hotel.]
[After his conversation with Steve, Natasha, and Bucky, Preston agreed to meet in the hotel as a sort of unofficial representative of the new arrivals. Most of the new arrivals were not at all interested in being represented, but Preston, being Preston, and a secret optimistic bureaucrat at heart, wanted everyone to avoid outright antagonism if at all possible.

It being Captain America coming to the meet played a big part in the reality of him standing there, looking so much the Boring Official White Guy in a Suit that it hurt, and trying not to imagine all the ways this could go wrong depend on which version of these people were here. But Preston had the advantage of remembering Tony's opinions on Steve, if not really Natasha and Bucky, and despite the complete catastrophe of the threats of file-pulling and dossiers, he was willing to go on faith.

A little faith. The rest of him was all non-faith, and non-faith was experience, cynicism, and maybe a dash of recent trauma thanks to the last attempt on his life, which happened only hours before he ended up in the hotel for good. He thought about Saint as he rounded the corner, grateful that the guy isn't going to be around on this date. The non-faith is taking the form of Gwen in his ear and watching from his lapel, and probably a couple more spies lurking around the lobby just in case things went bad. Preston would have preferred everyone stayed safely anonymous, but he wasn't about to order people around if they wanted to show up.

He glanced around nervously, hoping Reece wasn't waiting around feeling trigger-happy, conflicted about whether he wanted to see Shae, who he didn't really know that well. On the one hand more faces meant less alone. On the other hand more faces could get shot (or, more likely 'brought in for questioning') if this was a bad idea.

Preston sighed, shook out his jacket, and sat on one of the dusty cushions in the hotel lobby.]

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foundling
2014-04-02 03:48 am UTC (link)

[Experience was important. It was informative and gave perspective, but no matter his experience, or in spite of it, Steve was a man of faith. He didn't blindly trust, but he took a man at his word, especially when there was no other word to take.

He suited up, red, white, and blue in a banner of patriotism and a different kind of flag—one of, at one time, hope, perhaps. He made his way to the door, Natasha, Bucky, and Peggy with him, and he prepared himself.

Steve was a soldier, first and foremost. He wasn't a diplomat. He had done a few things wrong on his introduction, he realized now, and he hoped to remedy that; he just hoped that what this anonymous man wanted too. He had no idea the Vegas men and women expected interrogation. He didn't expect them to take him at his word, and he understood there would be people posted in clandestine locations to act as the man's eyes, but he wasn't the snatch and torture kind of guy.

Captain America asked questions, he even gave orders if he had to, but he didn't snatch and torture. If they thought that, they didn't know who they were dealing with. The threats to pull files hadn't been intended to scare. They hadn't even really been threats, but, as everyone assured him, that's just how spies were.

Into the dust of the lobby, he strides, a smile playing on his lips, but the eyes alert and watchful. With some caution and his shield on his arm, Steve approached the anonymous man with the blond hair and green tie where he sat. Respectfully, with one uniformed arm extended, Steve speaks.] Sir. Steve Rogers.

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ex_clerk820
2014-04-02 03:51 am UTC (link)

[Preston stood up, respectful. The cut high on his forehead wasn't enough for a bandage, and even if it had been Preston would have taken it off, because he wasn't going to stand there with a bandaid in front of this guy. He moved like every military man Preston had ever met, something to do with the way they held their shoulders over their feet, and Preston was reassured not by Steve's respectful tone (easily fabricated) but by the transparency of his features.

And Steve was really handsome. Really really. A lot. Preston tried to be very professional and not notice, but he was tilting his head to look up slightly and Preston was used to being the tall awkward one that tried to look sideways at people so he didn't glare down his awful beak of a nose.

The handshake with strong, which Preston expected. He turned to face Steve, respectful as well, and shook his hand. He kept looking from the star on Steve's chest to his shield.]

Wow. You, uh... look ready for battle. Thanks for coming.

[He smiled weakly. Preston had a thick Boston accent he usually managed to overcome if he spoke slowly enough, but it kept dripping in since he was distracted by captain muscle and the potential of spontaneous imprisonment.]

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clearmyledger
2014-04-02 03:54 am UTC (link)

[Natasha was through the door immediately on Steve's heels, trusting Bucky to take up the rear behind Carter. As she stepped in, jade eyes swept the area quickly before they made their way to the lobby, taking in all that she saw and filing it all away. Outwardly, the redhead seemed casual, completely at ease, and once they reached the lobby itself she broke away from their small group just a little, stepping to one side so she could view all the entrances and exist. She was armed, but not obviously; dressed in simple black jeans and a gray tanktop, with a tan leather jacket over it all that just skimmed her hips, no one would know that she carried at least one gun, two clips, a knife and a tazer.

She just liked to be prepared, considering they didn't know exactly who they'd be meeting here - and after the talks through the journals, well, Natasha had no problem being ready for anything.

As Steve spoke to the man, she swept the room once more before shifting her gaze to the greeter, carefully measuring but not judging. Rather than speak, she gave a cool nod of greeting. There was no indication of her thoughts on his reaction to Steve, but hey - that's why he enters the room first.]

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Hotel: meet n' greet

foundling
2014-04-02 04:07 am UTC (link)

[Steve looked down at himself, a little bashful, smiling a little more as he shook the man's hand.] Not battle, sir. Just making an entrance. Didn't want you confusing me with someone else. It's been known to happen.

[The man speaks lightly, good-naturedly, but he sizes the stranger up, noting the weak smile and the well-hidden nervousness that showed in the flit of eyes from here to there. The accent he could place, because thankfully that much hadn't changed in his lost years.]

Boston, huh? So I suppose you're a Red Sox fan. [Whatever Natasha was doing, or anyone else, Steve focused his attention on the man with no name. He tried to puzzle out what it was the other side hoped to get out of this. It wasn't a face to a name, since they had that already. Maybe it was agreement to be agreeable. Captain America nodded.] Thanks for coming, too. I know this is [...] a stretch, a leap of faith on your part, and I appreciate that.

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Re: Hotel: meet n' greet

ex_clerk820
2014-04-02 04:19 am UTC (link)

[Preston's blue eyes grew an edge of disbelief as Steve claimed he had been mistaken for someone else before. This guy had to be kidding. Look at the boy scout smile. The haircut! The muscles. Were said people blind?

More was explained as the red-head made her entrance. Dear God, were these people all supernaturally beautiful? Preston blinked three times and tried not to stare, managing instead only to meet Natasha's eyes and read there a guarded measuring he'd seen a billion times before. She reminded him a lot of Max, which probably meant the two didn't get along, and the thought made Preston a little depressed. Chances were good he, and the rest of the "Deadlist" as they called themselves, were not likely to get along with very many people that easily in the near future.]

Hi. [The redhead gets a nod of greeting but he's not going to let her stand back there and pretend he doesn't see her. He recognized Natasha from Tony's description (most of which was an embittered/enamored inner dialogue). Hello, professional spy.]

[Back to Steve as he took his hand back, and Preston's weak smile grew a little bit of heart.] Everyone from Boston is required to be a Red Sox fan. If they find out otherwise they string people up from flagpoles in front of Fenway. I'm hoping your town isn't the same way. [And there's Preston's professional, making a solid appearance at the bottom of the second inning. Preston gestured at the dusty but comfortable chairs drawn up around a scarred coffee table covered in dust.] Have a seat, Captain.

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Re: Hotel: meet n' greet

foundling
2014-04-02 04:31 am UTC (link)

This is Agent Romanoff. [Steve knows, in part, that Natasha didn't and wouldn't want an introduction, but he makes the call to do it anyway. It's not to trample on her own desires for herself, but mainly to encourage and catalyze connection, or so Steve hopes. It's easier with names. Not to mention, the stranger surely knew the famous Black Widow. Natasha was one hell of a spy, but she wasn't unknown, and here in her everyday, she was all the more obvious in her determined understatement. Steve smiles for her.]

My town? Ah, my town happens to be Brooklyn, so, uh. [He grins at that, taking a seat as offered. It can be annoying to sit in the suit, but, ah well. He's wary of where his back is turned, but he doesn't go out of his way for a better seat. Instead, he draws the shield up and balances it against his knees. With a few fingers, he peels the mask back into its hooded state. It's easier to breathe that way. It kills the illusion for some, he knows.] I hope you don't mind. It can get a little stuffy.

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Re: Hotel: meet n' greet

shomalley
2014-04-02 04:41 am UTC (link)

[Shae had been in lobby for a good fifteen minutes before Preston got there. As she had promised, she was wearing a hat with her hair shoved up under it. Why she wanted to come, she had no idea, she didn't know Preston really but part of her couldn't let him face these people alone. Maybe it was her way of making up for what she'd done when she'd compromised Steve. Hell maybe she just wanted to see Captain America. Trying to look as if she belonged there, she opened the book she'd brought with her and started reading, only looking up when the elevator door opened and Preston walked out. Not long after that, the other contingent arrived. Shae nearly dropped her book when she saw that Captain America was indeed dressed like well..Captain America. Seriously? This was going to be interesting. She shifted a bit so she could hear and wondered if Preston had spotted her. She didn't think so but if he had, he hadn't given it away.]

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Re: Hotel: meet n' greet

gunsandlipstick
2014-04-02 06:07 am UTC (link)

[Peggy followed soon behind, and while the hotel lobby does not jar her in the way it should outwardly, Peggy does give a moment of consideration to the surroundings, enough to linger and let Agent Romanoff and Steve make their way to the lobby. Never having a shared mind with someone in the Hotel, she has never actually seen anything like this. She has seen plenty in her lifetime, but a hotel with doors that open to different worlds (including her own) was something new, something that had her take moments to glance around before heading down to the lobby.

She is out of military grades, but there is a crispness to her appearance -- black patent leather heels, a clean white blouse buttoned up to an appropriate place, a deep brown pencil skirt. Her loose curls are pinned back from her face, and her lips are rouge red. She comes upon the scene in that signature commanding officer stiffness, suitcase in hand. A brief glance for the nervous man who brought them here and for Steve in his red, white and blue.] Agent Margaret Carter.

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Re: Hotel: meet n' greet

foundling
2014-04-02 06:58 am UTC (link)

[Steve notices the woman in the hat, because, well, the hotel is usually empty, and a woman with a book, seated nearby, giving no notice to Captain America and Black Widow arriving... was suspicious. It's not an arrogant thought, but a practical one. He looks at her, briefly, then turns his attention back to the circle of worn-out chairs.

If she's part of a contingency plan, that's fine with him.

When Peggy introduces herself, Steve can't help but (okay, somewhat unprofessionally) smile at her. She looks good in her entirely practical and appropriate outfit and her red lipstick. He gestures toward her freely.] Agent Carter has worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. -- almost since its inception, alongside Howard Stark, and she's a damn good with a gun.

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Re: Hotel: meet n' greet

wintercame
2014-04-02 02:50 pm UTC (link)

[Bucky follows the rest of them, taking up the rear, blue eyes quickly doing a sweep of the area. He's paranoid and trained for noticing the things other people didn't, and he assumed a group of spies weren't coming in blind. He'd be disappointed if they did. His arm was extremely conspicuous when it was showing so instead it was covered up like usual with a long jacket and gloves. He didn't wear flashy clothes, choosing instead to look like he could blend into the crowd without any trouble.

But for someone who knew how to read people, there were shadows in his eyes, a coldness that came with trauma and experience and constant suspicion. Still, he had at least a tolerable conversation with the man briefly, so he nodded firmly in his direction.] Bucky Barnes.

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Re: Hotel: meet n' greet

ex_clerk820
2014-04-03 12:26 am UTC (link)

[Preston was aware of Shae, but all that was really important was that nobody there got a really good look at her, and there wasn't any reason for them to do so unless it all went horribly wrong. He took a little bit of comfort from the idea that he had allies around somewhere and he tried not to fuss about their welfare, even in his head. Judging from the first few minutes of conversation, no "horribly wrong" was immediately pending. He hoped. Preston was terrible at fieldwork. He kept treating this like interdepartmental cooperation. It's what it felt like to him.

Preston was very aware of things like style and hemlines (not that there was any evidence in his own assembled but otherwise unremarkable appearance, and he figured Peggy for high-level military intelligence as soon as she walked up. Again it was the stride and the shoulders, except he was extremely impressed by the height of her heels, which said something about her total comfort with her appearance. Preston envied that. He nodded politely at Peggy and indicated more seats. If nobody sat down, he wasn't planning on being offended.

Bucky was a little more worrisome. Preston read the old tolerance for violence in the soldier's eyes, and there was a toughness about him that reminded Preston of foot soldiers just off the planes from the desert. Such men were to be treated with respect and caution, and the faint touch of sympathy to Preston's alert, knowing eyes was fleeting but easily present. A second nod, and he turned back to Steve.]

Good to meet you all. Ash is a good name for me, right now. [And, to trained spies, the use of Preston's birthname on his own lips tended to be confusing. The body tells were a mix of screaming truth and total lie. He hated being called 'ash,' but it was helpful.]

Tell me what you're most worried about in our world. [He used 'our' intentionally. A glance at Peggy.] Nothing classified. Just generally.

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Re: Hotel: meet n' greet

foundling
2014-04-03 03:56 am UTC (link)

Ash. It's a pleasure. [Does he notice the tell? Only partially. He knows he's not getting the entire truth, but he can sense a part of it there. But he can't make heads or tails of it at the moment.

Steve is still seated. He leans forward, elbows on his symbolic blue knees (blue stood for perseverance, justice, and vigilance), to engage more actively in the conversation. If they're done with introductions and all. Captain America's expression is a mixture of concern and earnestness. With the mask gone, he's all the more easier to read too, which is either a strategic move on his part to engender more trust, or he really was just hot. He dips his head forward only briefly to try to straighten the gold of his hair back into place.] That's -- ah, a loaded question. Our general worries are for the safety of the people of our planet. We've been attacked recently, several times over, by forces big enough for SHIELD to call in myself, Tony Stark, Thor, Dr. Banner, and Agents Romanoff and Barton.

[Here he pauses. He straightens his spine and sits up in the chair. The air of the lobby filters in sunlight and dust, and tickles his nose. Steve rubs an eye.] I apologize for any offense I caused in my [...] post.

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Re: Hotel: meet n' greet

ex_clerk820
2014-04-06 06:15 am UTC (link)

[Preston's expression twisted slightly, as if in pain. He fucking hated being called Ash. It's so undeniably him, though. It's the best truth/lie he's got.]

None of us are big forces. We're all just people. I don't know how much we could help. [Preston's right hand came up toward his temple, like he wanted to massage a headache, but then he stopped himself and dropped his hand into his lap.

Preston raised his eyebrows at Steve's apology. Interesting.] That's nice of you. Thank you. [Preston knew how to accept apologies gracefully. He never grinds salt into the wound, but he waited to see if Steve wants to address it further, his expression open to the idea.]

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