[oom] make up some simple lies and compromise

[from_the_outside]

They gather, bright and early, back in the conference room that's beginning to feel downright familiar: T'Challa, Nakia, Shuri, Okoye, Ayo, Steve, Bucky, and herself, with a speak in the middle of the table for Fury's call. With the celebration behind them, everyone looks a little tired but focused: there's no time to lose. The first meet is tomorrow, and they have to be ready.

But first, they need to get everyone on the same page. 

Once all the attendees are sitting with their choice of coffee or tea or water in front of them, and once Fury has called in, T'Challa looks around the table, meeting everyone's eyes briefly before speaking. "Thank you all for being here," he begins, and nods to Steve. "Particularly you, Captain Rogers. Your assistance in this matter is much appreciated."

Sitting back again, he looks to Okoye and Ayo. "General. Where do we stand on the intelligence we have gathered and analyzed?"

Comments

[from_the_outside]

She sets her coffee cup down and picks up the book Bucky had been reading the night before. "Payment for the sample," she says, and holds it out. "Plus your finder's fee."

Only once "payment" and "sample" have changed hands does she relax back into herself and turn to look at Steve. "Good job," she tells him, then turns back to Bucky.

"How'd he do?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Pretty good," he agrees, relaxing back into himself. The small smile he gives Steve is a little rueful. "It's hard to find the right balance between being in someone's face and being a silent guard presence."

He glances at Nakia. "Your impression?"

[from_the_outside]

"Not bad at all," Nakia says, giving Steve an encouraging smile as he sinks into one of the other armchairs.

"Thanks," he says, wry. "It's surprisingly hard to stand there and not say anything." He looks at Sharon and adds, quickly, "It's not that I don't trust you to do the talking. It's just..."

"I know," Sharon tells him. "Don't worry about it. The good news is you'll only have to be Ryan Devlin for an hour, two at the most, and it should mostly be just like that. Nothing to it."

He gives her a wry half-smile and turns back to Bucky. "All finished with the Dora?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"It's harder when they poke at you, trying to get a reaction," Bucky observes - and there's more than a hint of bitter experience underlying his tone. "Professionals won't, as much, but amateurs and people with confidence issues will. You know. Bullies."

He nods. "For now, anyway. They've got a jeep ready for you to use to get around tomorrow. It's been stripped of anything identifying, and it won't be bugged."

[from_the_outside]

Sharon, who has definitely poked at him more than once to try and get a reaction, just looks at Steve. "They probably will try to bully us," she says. "Or Irma, at least. Just remember that if this were a real meet, they want what we have more than we want what they have. Ambe might be an amateur, but I'm willing to bet his distributor is a little more professional and more likely to be amenable. But if things go wrong, really wrong, the play is to get out as fast as possible. Fighting is a last resort. Okay?"

She holds his gaze until he nods, then turns back to Bucky.

"Good," she says. "But I assume we'll have some of Shuri's earpieces. Is Ayo setting up reinforcements in case things go south?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Yes to both," Bucky tells them. "We weren't sure if they'd have a scanner that'd pick surveillance tech up, but the earpieces are designed to avoid that problem." He shakes his head, a hint of admiration clear. "Just another one of Shuri's tricks."

"Anyway, we'll be tapped into the circuit so that we can track and respond if it comes to it." He glances at Sharon, then at Steve. "Hopefully it won't."

Steve meets his eyes and holds his glance, steady and reassuring as he says, "It won't."

[from_the_outside]

"It won't," she agrees, looking back and forth between them and smiling slightly before catching Nakia's eye. Her friend looks pleased as she pushes herself up from her seat at the table.

"Good work, Captain Rogers," she tells Steve, then gives Sharon's shoulder a squeeze. "I must go find T'Challa and update him on our progress. Dinner later?"

Sharon nods, and Nakia gives them all a last smile before vanishing from the room.

[nerves_of_ice]

"In any case," he drawls, as Nakia leaves, "if the secret Avenger thing doesn't end up working for you, you've got a new career path all figured out."

Steve groans, and Bucky laughs.

[from_the_outside]

There's more to do, of course; there always is and the three of them all have important tasks to take care of. But for the most part, they can do so together, so they do. Working on Steve's cover. Theorizing possible outcomes for the meet and determining best solutions to them.

And later, dinner with T'Challa and Nakia and Shuri that feels very like that first welcome meal that Sharon had here, before another long evening spent lingering in each others' company.

But she doesn't fall asleep on Steve's couch, this time. She bows out early: the day will get started before they know it.