2012-09-09 Meeting Of The Hawkeyes

There are a handful of coffee bars and delis that Clint prefers to this one. But they all know him there, and he wants to be somewhat incognito. He also has seemed to have developed a mutant ability to choose the exact wrong time to set meetings, as he's currently watching news roll in about the rash of Zombot attacks across the nation. Nothing he, as an individual can do about that, but doesn't stop him from feeling responsible. He had sort of taken the Zombot case on for SHIELD, and thus far? He'd done a piss-poor job of containing it.
But no time to focus on that, while Clint sits and sips his Americano, wearing a Yankees baseball cap, a pair of sunglasses, a faded rolling stones T-shirt and blue jeans. He looks around for any sign of the young fellow archer he recently put an ad seeking the company of--using the secret code that Fury had developed for the two of them to make a meet.
We don't talk about how Fury had to explain the historical reference to Barton. He's never been much of a fan of Spartan history.
The fact that the meeting was scheduled for so soon.... Well, suffice to say that part of Kate Bishop is not sure if she should go. Oh by and large she knows that she not only should, but she has to, but the fact that it's happening like this, has her a little on edge.
And yet, despite that nagging bit of doubt, Kate does arrive at the coffee shop, and possibly even arrives a few minutes earlier than expected. As she arrives though it's not in costume. Instead... She's dressed to impress. Her hair is done rather nicely. Her shirt, pants, purse, and shoes are all designer. She's even got a pair of sunglasses on that look a bit like the ones she wears while 'in costume'. And yet all of that, much like her choice of lipstick color is all purple. The same shade as her costume is, making it look almost like she's not only trying to 'dress to impress', but make it clear that she's the same person as the 'Hawkeye' that Clint might of heard about.
And yet as she glances about, she quirks an eyebrow at the man wearing the hat, before without even asking if the seat is taken, she sits down.
"If you shout 'This is Madness', I'll shout 'No... This is Sparta'."
A few more reports are read before Clint looks up to have a well-dressed young woman standing before him. "What?" he says, mainly because it takes his brain a second to recongize the reference. Soon enough though, it does sink in and he shifts in his seat, sitting up and lifting his coffee to his mouth. "Right, sorry. Take a seat, server should be by soon to get your order."
He pauses, waiting for the mystery woman to get comfortable before he finally asks, "Do I get to know your name?" He pauses. "Your /real/ name?"
There's a chuckle at that from the woman in purple as she takes off her sunglasses, folds them, and slowly sets them down on the table.
"If you are who I believe you are, I'm surprised that you don't know already. no insult meant, but your employers are well known for being able to find things out when they want to."
Yeah. Kate just had to bring that up. Sorry.
"Besides, it's not like I know your name... Your real name either."
Clint raises a brow at that, shaking his head as he takes a long drag of his coffee. "I don't like to abuse my power. If you were a terrorist or some other form of bad guy? Sure, your rights are suspect as far as I'm concerned. But you?" He shrugs a bit. "I'm sure I could have found out; I know ten seconds into this conversation you were at the shit-show yesterday, and from there it just comes an easy photo recognition game with the old DMV database." He taps his own shades. "Though the glasses would make that more complicated, good call there."
He pauses again, and then reaches up to remove his stunners and set them down onto the table himself, though the cap does stay on. "As far as my name goes? Clint Barton. But you can call me Hawkeye. Now. Your turn."
"Bishop. Katherine Bishop, usually I prefer Kate though. But you can call me Hawkeye as well."
Yes, as that's said, Kate sits back, and tries to think for a moment or two while watching Clint. What she thinks about is the name. Clint Barton. She's trying to place it. To see if she knows it from anywhere. Anywhere at all.
At the same time though, she's keeping an eye on Clint. It's as if she's trying to gauge him to see if he shows any recognition to her name.
"And yeah. I was at the show last night. And as for the 'sunglasses' I wore last night... I'll say they weren't exactly sunglasses, and I'll leave it at that for now."
Clint hasn't exactly made his existence a secret. But he's also not an Avenger, and covert operatives for SHIELD, even if they do use public identities, aren't exactly front page news when men in their longjohns fly overhead. Which suits him just fine.
"Not sunglasses?" Clint says, lifting a brow at that before breaking into an amused smirk. "Don't tell me you got aim assists in those things. Not only has my name been stolen, it's been stolen by a cheater." His tone is good-natured enough, and he does offer a playful wink as he draw more coffee. "And Kate Bishop...sounds familiar." He attempts to roll through his rolodex memory, eventually coming up, "Aren't you one of those famous-for-being-famous crowd? Neveau heiress?"
His grin softens slightly as he considers this and finally asks, with a slight more flat tone, "Why are you doing this?" The nature of their meeting makes the 'this' pretty much self-explanatory.
There's a snort and an eyeroll at the mention of an aim assist, as Kate shakes her head.
"I don't cheat. But those 'sunglasses' as you call them are actually a form of night vision when activated. I just tend to leave them on when I'm in costume since they're the closest thing I use to a mask. Plus it's easier than having to fish them out when I need them."
Then there's a pause, as Kate takes a slow, deep breath. Part of this breath is to remain clam, and part of it is to buy her a second or two before saying what ever it is that she says next.
"And I do it because I have to. I'm not stupid. Or crazy. Or a thrill seeker, if that's what you're thinking. I'm doing this because someone has to, and it makes a difference."
Then her eyes close.
"And if you want to call me part of that 'crowd', I won't deny it. Not that most of them..."
"Never mind."
Clint is quick to shake his head. "No, go ahead, speak your mind," he insists. "I have a rule that if you censor yourself, it best be to spare the feelings the person you're talking to, and even then, only if you /care/ about their feelings." He shrugs. "I doubt anything you said about the high-life socialite existence would really offendme."
He purses his lips before nodding his head. "Okay, I am going to make an executive decision and say night vision is acceptable for members of the Hawkeye club," he muses. "And I don't likely need to tell you this, but no, you don't /need/ to do this. You actually have a pretty good life waiting for you. You are the very definition of someone who doesn't /have/ to do anything you don't want to do."
He pauses and realizes that may have come off as a bit snide and judgmental, so he adds an amendment. "But I respect that you're doing the right thing besides all that," he says before waving down the serve. "One more of these please," he says before nodding towards Kate. "And whatever the lady wants."
You're wrong. This is something that I have to do." is said in a matter of fact manner. It's not rushed, or angry, or anything. It's just said as a statement of simple fact. "Trust me on that."
She doesn't say anything more regarding any of that as the waiter arrives, but as Clint adds that last little bit, the woman in purple says, "Tea. Oolong if you have it. What ever you think is best if you don't."
Then, and only after the server heads away does Kate speak up again.
But when she does speak up again, it's with a smile.
"I take it you're not going to try any more to try and talk me out of this if you're calling this 'The Hawkeye Club'. And as for people from my 'social circle', I'll simply say there's a lot of ways that most of them could be doing a lot more to help, and most don't even bother to try. And those that do only do enough to make themselves feel good, usually without doing any real good."
Clint looks a bit surprised with the forceful response to his claim she doesn't have to do anything. He lets that go for the moment, remaining silent through Kate's order and beyond. "Well," he says slowly, shifting in his chair slightly. "I could try to sit here and say that it is too dangerous, you're too young, and that you're going to get yourself killed," he says, listing off all the typical reasons to not get into heroing. "But I try not to be a hypocrit if I can avoid it, and I started younger than you are now, and when I did, I wasn't exactly on the side of good," he admits with a shrug. "I figured if you got your head on straight, take proper precautions and understand the risks? Have at it."
He smiles as the server returns with their tea and coffee, taking a long gulp from his hot beverage of choice. Like Kate, he waits for the server to get our of earshot before adding, "Just don't do anything extremely stupid. Would tarnish the Hawkeye brand," he jokes.
Unable to help herself, Kate does make a slight joke in regards to that statement.
"Odds are knowing Agent Harper is probably tarnishing enough."
Then there's an almost sigh as the woman in purple nods.
"Look.... I freely admit that I'm just starting out. I take what precautions I can, and for the moment I'm only really doing what I do in a very limited area. Last night was the first time I've done anything outside of that area. So if you want to offer any advice, feel free. But for now, I'm trying to do what I can to help. That's all."
Clint nearly spit-takes at the line about Harper before falling into a peel of laughter. Yes, this girl is alright. "He's harmless," Clint says with a grin. "For the most part. And his heart is in the right place believe it or not. Just not sure about the rest of him."
He cants his head to one side, pursing his lips. "You're actually doing pretty good given your level of experience," he says evenly. "You have your patrols, which it sounds like you keep to. That's good. You also are trying to keep private life from public life. An option, honestly, I wish I had." A pause. "Hell, any sort of private life would be nice." Clint-pout as he checks his phone to see if any more Zombots have popped up in the last fifteen minutes.
He looks up from the handset to look at Kate. "So the only sage advice I'd offer that you haven't figured out for yourself? Make sure you do your research. Don't run into a situation that you don't understand, I mean truly understand, upside down and inside out. Because the moment you're caught flatfooted?" He shrugs. "Game set match, hit the big shower in the sky."
In other words, Kate was freakin insanely lucky the other night when she encountered 'skull guy' (Hey! She doesn't know who Frank Castle is, sorry). Sure he didn't try to shoot her, but still...
"Understood. Better than you'd imagine." is said, as Kate sounds like she knows what Clint is saying from personal experience. Possibly even experience that predates her putting on a 'costume'.
"And I'll try."
Then there's a quirked eyebrow at that 'phone call'.
"Something important come up...?"
Clint offers a tired smile at the question. "Always," he says before he shrugs. "Not exactly top secret, though. Those undead bastards that attacked the Strutters show? Yeah, they're popping up all over the place now. Local authorities and heroes are doing their best to combat the problem, but it seems Claw was looking for his perfect oppurtunity to pop off, and he finally found it."
He looks around the area, chewing on his bottom lip lightly. "I...knew this was coming," he admits, before shaking his head. "Well, not this. There is no way I could have foreseen something this big, but...we knew about them. Before yesterday, how we were able to shut them down so quickly when we got word they'd made their big public move."
He glances back towards Kate with a sheepish grin. "That's another bit of advice. If you can save the day before it becomes a matter of public record? Always for the best."
There is a nod at that, before Kate takes a sip of her tea.
"If you need help stopping things before they become a problem, or more help with this, all you have to do is ask and I'm more than ready to help."
Yeah, as soon as that's said, even Kate blinks.
"Even if I'm not sure how much help I can offer. I just barely took one of those things down last night."
At that Clint breaks into a wide grin and slowly pulls out two copies of his card, reading simply 'Clint Barton', with a New York area phone number and the SHIELD emblem. He slides both cards towards Kate, flipping one to the blank side before tapping it. "Number," he says before leaning back and sipping his coffee. AFter finishing his sip, he adds, "If you're going to be taking my name, you damn well better believe that I'm going to be keeping tabs on you Miss Bishop."
There's an eyeroll at Clint as he does things the hard way. After all, Kate does have access to some pretty fun 'toys'. The least of which is her smart phone. After all, why write a number down on the blank side of a business card, when all you have to do is pull out said smart phone, open an app, and then set the phone on the table.
"If you'd just put your phone next to mine for a second please...?"
Why? Because if Clint does, he'll find an entry on his cell phone in a moment or two after being set there, with her contact information.
And yes, Kate still pockets the business card. Or to be more exact, she slides it into her purse.
"I'd expect nothing less of you, Agent Barton. But I would appreciate it if you didn't give that information to anyone else, or tell anyone else who I am. As is, I was fully ready to give Agent Harper the number to a phone sex line if he tried to get my number.... And besides, I do have family that I want to keep separate from my... Activities."
Clint raises an eyebrow, grumbles something about technology then blinks. "God, I've been hanging around Tasha too long," he murmers, fully to hismelf as he pulls out his phone and bumps it near the other.
Sure enough, his device fills in with the precious contact information for Kate Bishop. He takes up the handset and swiftly changes the name on the phone--Kate Barton.
He holds it up to show Kate. "Don't worry, not attempting to adopt you. But if anyone else happens to be rifling through my phone? A, they'll get a severe talking to by me, and they won't find anything connecting me to either the other Hawkeye or Kate Bishop." He slides the handset back into his pocket and smirks. "Careful, I suspect that Harper already knows all of those by heart," he teases. Ah, even without him here, Roy is fun to give shit to.
"..."
Adopt? As Kate reads that screen, she snickers out loud.
"Adopt? No. I wouldn't think that at all. But with the sudden name change like that, I'm going to have to make the joke about you harboring other... Ideas for me that might end up with my taking your name. After all, don't most guys dream about 'marrying rich'?"
Then there's another snicker.
"Maybe. But if Harper really has a kid, maybe not. After all, I'd hate to think what would happen if a kid up and walked in on him using one of those."
Then though, she tilts her head at Clint.
"But that's besides the point. All of that. To be honest, I came here fully expecting you to try and shut me down. especially if you found out who I am."
Clint raises a slow eyebrow at that. "Sorry, I don't date 16 year olds, let alone marry them," he counters. Yes, he knows he's low-balling the younger archer's age, but hey, he has to break that tension somehow. "And the kid is real. I'm half surprised he hasn't subjected you to the sickeningly sweet pictorial yet."
Clint then raises an eyebrow at the talk of trying to shut her down, shaking his head. "Kate...I'm not here to try to tell you how to live your life, how you want to spend it. And honestly? You're doing good. While I might not be officially allowed to condone or support vigilantism, I do support fighting the good fight, especially if you feel a sense of resposiblity to do it."
He shrugs his shoulders. "I will admit to being a little put off when I heard you were using my tried and true moniker, but I also recognize that is the downside of playing behind the scenes. And from what we've been able to gather about each other?" He shrugs. "You got a lot of potential, and I'd rather stoke that flame rather than stamp it out. Clear?"
The guess in regards to her age causes Kate to roll her eyes again, before she shakes her head and picks up her sunglasses with one hand. But she doesn't put them on. Instead she slips them into her purse.
"Thanks. I think. And if you were put off, imagine how I felt. I'd never heard of you, been only at this a few days, and then I suddenly had /Nick Fury/ in front of me, telling me that I'm using your name? Talk about a moment where I felt tiny, and like I should run and hide..."
Clint reaches down and finishes off his coffee. "You should," he says as he sets his mug down and stands from his seat, picking up his own shade and placing them on his face. (Hey, he left his purse at home.) "But if you got this particular hero madness business going on anyway? I suppose I should what I can to keep you alive long enough to enjoy it."
He raises a pair of fingers to his head to offer a short and snappy salute. "God speed, Kate Bishop. We'll be in touch." And with that, he starts to walk off, whistling as he goes.
Kate may notice he didn't leave any cash behind for the check. Hey, she's rich.
And as Clint salutes, Kate can't help but smile and nod back in return.
And yet, as Clint walks away, Kate does have a bit of a random thought...
. o O (It's almost too bad that Sue's seeing someone. Otherwise I'd have to introduce him to her... Not that we really need /TWO/ Hawkeyes in the family.) O o .
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