First Entrance: Maria Hill

[holds_her_own]

Great, more paperwork.


A woman of average height and medium build, wearing a blue uniform and sidearm, walks in. Her eyes shift around the room, hand darting for her weapon.


"Anyone mind explaining what the fuck is going on? I'm armed, and extremely annoyed."


It's worse than dangerous.


Welcome to Milliways, Agent Hill.


[OoC: Eventually, Hill will make her way to the Bar and receive the note Clint left for her, so if you'd prefer to skip past the Welcome To Milliways chat, I'm cool with that! If you have any questions about Hill, see here, and I'm also on AIM and in crackchat as LordoLorien. Thanks! ETA: As of 3am EST, I'm heading to bed. Consider this post open to new tags indefinitely. Thank you, everyone! ♥]

Comments

[redintheledger]

"Maria!"

It's not actually a shout. It's just a very emphasized name that Romanoff is using to get Hill to not call her Romanoff.

(She's wearing dark grey suit pants, a blue blouse, the kind of sensible and boring heels that Agent Romanoff only wears with sensible, boring clothes when she's being someone else. Or talking to INTERPOL.)

"So you found Milliways," she continues once she's closer. Despite the quietly pleased note in her voice, her eyes are more resigned. "I can explain, but you might want to step out of the doorway..."

[holds_her_own]

She swivels in the direction of the other agent.

Quick assessment delivers the needed intel. Uncommon first-name greeting, civvies that scream undercover, personality and gait that back up that assessment.

Hill relaxes at once.

"Nadine!" she grins. "You could say I just stumbled in."

The laughter doesn't fit quite right, and in a quieter tone she lilts:

"Explain?"

She does, however, holster her sidearm and move further into the room.

[redintheledger]

"It's a lot to explain, so why don't we grab a booth? Milliways is...complicated."

To put it mildly.

"The boss comes here, too," she adds, still in speaking quietly.

[holds_her_own]

She looks sharp at that.

"After you."

Her hand will stay at her thigh, just in case.

[redintheledger]

There are few people she trusts at her back - fortunately, Hill is one of them.

She leads them to a nearby booth, and slides onto the seat.

"First thing you should, we're not in our world anymore. Time doesn't run while we're here, so you're not going to be missing."

[holds_her_own]

"What kind of security threat to SHIELD are we talking about?"

It's the first question on her mind, and until she knows the answer it'll be difficult concentrating on anything else.

"Off-world? Or a disturbance in the space-time continuum?"

[redintheledger]

"The portals are randomly appearing, although after the initial appearance, they seem to be able to be controlled a little according to intent of the visitor. From what I've heard, that's one way only. The front door will lead back to where a person entered from. Risk is if they bring back anyone with them. And more...off-universe than off-world."

Beat.

"The boss seems to find it acceptable."

[holds_her_own]

Her eyes narrow.

"Suggesting a venue sentience?"

Or a consciousness uplink?

"What's the risk of being followed?"

If Director Fury comes here, then there's no chance it hasn't already been vetted. Still, Hill would be remiss not to do her due diligence.

[redintheledger]

"Well, the Bar itself is an AI....not the place, the...piece of furniture. Sentience is a possibility. And I'd say the risk is similar to other bars. You just have to be careful."

Her mouth curves wryly.

"Very careful, sometimes things can be released here. Hate to see them in our world."

[holds_her_own]

Her lips twitch.

"Interesting."

She looks across the room at the bar itself, long enough to catch a few orders materializing out of what looks like thin air.

"What kind of things?"

[redintheledger]

"A few days ago it was creepy, magic-infected sentient toys. They apparently came in from another world that had magic because the boy wasn't paying attention. That was resolved," she adds, then she pauses.

She cants her head a little.

"Sapient. There was an intelligence there. Sentience is an imprecise term."








On the plus side of linguistic/geeky tangents, Romanoff obviously feels comfortable enough doing so.

[holds_her_own]

Hill side-eyes her.

"My mistake."

For those trained in dealing with Hill, they'll notice the minute signs of smiling without her lips actually moving.

Nataliya Romanova, the Scholar.

"How long have you been coming here?"

[redintheledger]

She smiles back, a tiny amount, but the question prompts a hesitation.

She's not, usually, a person who hesitates.

"Roughly three months," she says.




"That I remember."

[holds_her_own]

"And ... the boss knows?"

She's careful not to call him by name, taking another sweep of the room.

[redintheledger]

"He does. So does Coulson, and Barton." She regards Hill evenly, letting the other agent do the visual sweep. "Barton left a note with the Bar."

[holds_her_own]

She arches an eyebrow.

"How thoughtful."

Good. Something about knowing key members of SHIELD are here puts her at ease.

To be fair, it's mostly Coulson and Romanoff. She always knows where they stand.

"Did he file a report?"

[redintheledger]

"Of course." It's Barton, of course there is a report. The man might hate paperwork, but he's a professional. "Ask the boss about it."

Pause.

"Barton and I have a cover here. We're married."

They are, technically, married anyway, but it's mostly a note of next of kin, and office gossip.

"As a bar, Milliways is not without its creeps."

[holds_her_own]

That eyebrow? Arches even higher.

"Congratulations."

Beat.

"I didn't get you anything."

[redintheledger]

Romanoff? Could try and justify herself further, with creeps and being married is an excellent barrier when one is being a mild-mannered civilian, and it all sounds too much like justification, so she just smiles.

"I wouldn't say no to a new wok or gun-safe."

[holds_her_own]

She smirks.

"I'll make a note."

Finally, she spreads her feet a little and lets herself relax, keeping most of her focus on Romanoff.

"So, Nadine, I would think you get your fill of the weird out there," she nods over her shoulder toward the door. "This place sounds like work."

[redintheledger]

"Maybe if I worked in a speculative fiction novel," she says, and her expression is complicated. Partly wary, partly...delighted.

"Be careful of costume changes. I think I was Cinderella for a day. Someone blonde in an enormous light blue gown."

[holds_her_own]

It's a really good thing nobody's been by to serve them yet, because that's the kind of admission that could make even the scariest SHIELD agent choke on her drink.

"Come again?"

She heard you.

She just wants to hear you say it again.

[redintheledger]

Serene (and she does serene well, it's that deep voice of hers),

"Costume changes. Maybe one April Fools you could be Snow White."

[holds_her_own]

She narrows a Look at Romanoff.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Mostly because she has no clue how the hell else to take it.

"Fairest in all the land. That's me."

Dry. So dry.

[redintheledger]

"And you can sing the blue-birds and deer from the forest," she continues.

"With your dulcet tones."

Butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.