[OPEN]

[anotheroldsoldier]

who: Bucky Barnes & OPEN
what: Catch-all for the month. Carnivale-adjacent and Perimeter Guard prompts. If you want something specific, hit me up at nekky
when: July
where: Around
warnings: None at the moment.


i. Carnivale Food Trucks
[One of the few things Bucky Barnes finds enjoyment in around here, at these monthly parties that he may or may not have any kind of personal attachment to, is the food. There's always something new to try, even after a year plus on the moon. It's become something of a hobby to try the strangest dishes he can find on offer, and it means, happily, that he rarely ever has to cook for himself. Not that he'd have the time. He's on his way to work today, dressed in his uniform, sweltering a little in his black t-shirt and camo pants, and he's waiting in line at a food truck he hasn't seen before - some new start-up offering fusion dishes.

The line is very, very long, and his time before he's late for his patrol is running very short.] Do you know if the food is even worth the wait at this place? [He was really hoping for something good to take for his lunch later.]

ii. Babysitting
[Okay, it's not really babysitting. Except it kind of is. Bucky is a more senior Squad Captain these days, after over a year of service, and he's often assigned other duties than his normal patrols and emergency rescue missions, as-needed. Today, he's supervising a small group of young rookie recruits on their first foray outside the walls. They are, needless to say, an excited bunch, poring over their equipment and constantly straying off-path to look at a cool plant or chase after an interesting animal. Bucky weathers it all with a bland look of exasperation, occasionally calling out an order,] Don't eat that, it's poison. Check your field guide. Leave the goddamn butterflies alone, they bite.

[After a little while walking along behind the group at a sedate pace, he turns to other person assigned to supervision duties, and remarks blandly,] They're like kids in a candy store, except if the candy could murder them. If one of 'em gets killed, you think they'll stop putting me on babysitting duty?

iii. Rescue Mission
[Sometime during the month, actual duty calls. It's right in the middle of a vicious summer storm when a botanist goes missing out past the outer walls, sometime in the early hours of the AM. Bucky and another person (maybe someone in Search and Rescue, maybe not - at this hour, the important thing is finding someone available) get the call to come in not long after, and within an hour, they're geared up and sent out in search of the missing man. Time is critical at this stage: the longer it takes them to get out there to his last known location, the longer it takes to find him, the more likely he is to be a corpse when they get there.

The rain and the heat are oppressive out in the jungle. This deep into it, the canopy blocks out a lot of the downpour, but there are patches where it pours through in waterfalls, leaving tiny lakes and marshy ground. Treacherous conditions for somebody more used to a lab than the field.

Bucky's boots are soaked. His feet squish wetly in his socks as he comes to a stop in a small clearing, crouching down to look at the thick, wet layer of undergrowth.] This is his last-reported GPS location. The tracker probably fell off him somewhere around... here.

iv. Wildcard

Comments

Closed to Tony Stark (MCU)

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky has a lot more important things on his mind than Carnivale this month. After the kidnappings and everything else that's gone on the last several weeks, he'd rather relax for a while. Catch up with friends in quieter settings. Tony is one of the people Bucky is closest to in this place, or that's how it feels, after all the man did for him during the outbreak. He owes him.

Stopping by with food doesn't make up for much, but it's a start. He's got a few bags of take-out on his arm, enough to feed an army (or enough to feed two hungry men and give Tony some leftovers for his fridge), when he knocks on the door of the workshop.]

I brought dinner. I thought we could try this Chinese fusion place. Like hell if I can pronounce what it's fused with, so must be good, right?

[buildsomething]

[ Tony has been...well hermiting, a little. Between the revelations of his new memories and then the kidnappings immediately after, he hadn't really had a chance to process everything. Still hasn't, if he's honest, but that's more of a choice than a circumstance. Maybe deflection isn't the best reaction, but it is his default.

So maybe he hasn't gotten out as much as he should. But there are a surprising number of people who seemed determined to come to him these days. Case in point, the one at his door. It swings open before Tony can open his mouth, but he can't say he's unhappy to see Bucky in the doorway. ]

Is that really how you choose your food? Based on if you can pronounce it? You must eat a lot of Polish.

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky's noticed a little bit that Tony doesn't seem to get out a lot lately. Maybe not as much as other people, considering he doesn't get out a whole lot himself except for work or going to the gym, but that isn't even unusual for him. Either way, he's happy to go to Tony, because it isn't good for either of them to completely close off from other people. He makes his way into the workshop when Tony opens the door, shooting him a wry smile as he sets the bags down on the nearest cleared table and starts pulling out takeout containers.]

I speak fluent Russian. Polish ain't that bad. Closer to Ukrainian, but Ukrainian is close to Russian. [It's really when he gets into alien languages that things become hard to pronounce.] For the record, I pick out of a hat. It's good to try new things. [He pulls out a takeout box of some kind of purplish dumplings and holds it out with a pair of chopsticks.] Try these.

[buildsomething]

[ He gets a dry look for his troubles, but Tony wanders over to claim one of the offered dumplings without too much in the way of complaint. He is actually kind of hungry, imagine that. ]

Until you run into something not meant for human consumption, sure.

[ Or maybe that's not much of an issue with him. Either way, Tony shrugs and pops the dumpling into his mouth. Not bad. ]

Did you need something or you just got too much food and decided to share?

[anotheroldsoldier]

Hey, nothing's killed me so far. [For Bucky "how many times have I died again" Barnes, that means he's doing excellently, thank you very much. Satisfied that Tony has tried one of the odd purple dumplings, he pulls out a container of fried rice with some unidentifiable poultry in it, and shoots him a wry smile.]

Do I need a reason to visit my current favorite Stark? [He did help keep Bucky mostly alive during the whole outbreak mess, so. Current favorite.] Thought you could use some food, maybe some company.

i

[massivesword]

[There's an overly-tall man with white hair and a clashing red theme to his clothes waiting in the line with Bucky, but he seems to be losing patience with the whole idea of being polite. He also has a sword strapped to his back that is twice the size it probably ought to be. No one needs to walk around with something that blatantly large. He smiles at the question.]

With a line like this, you'd think these guys were handing out gold coins and not food. Better stock up when you get the chance.

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky would be lying if he said he hadn't been giving that massive sword a slight side-eye. Who the hell carries a weapon like that around a street fair? Someone compensating for something. Sure, Bucky is packing heat (because he's always packing heat), but at least he concealed-carries. C'mon man.]

What've they got on the menu? [He glances him up and down for a minute. The guy is tall. Granted, most men around here are taller than Bucky, but still.] You can see over the crowd, help a guy out here.

[massivesword]

See over the crowd, sure, but that doesn't mean I can see what's past 'em.

[Although he doesn't seem to be complaining as much as teasing Bucky. Hey, if he has to be there, then he might as well have fun.]

Looks like some kind of fried thing. Couple of them, actually. Hey! That one looks kinda good.

[He's so helpful.]

[anotheroldsoldier]

You must get a kick outta being helpful. [It's stated very flatly, with a roll of his eyes.] Most of these stalls are hawkin' fried food. [Whatever this one in particular is serving smells good, but the line is crazy. Maybe it's not even worth it.]

Closed to Yuri Plisetsky

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Sometime later in the month, he and Yuri have arranged to take a camping trip out past the walls, just to get out of the city and practice a few survival skills that have been covered in Yuri's training. Bucky's packed a little heavier than he would if it were anyone else, but you can hardly tell; he's just got the one pack with some necessities. It shouldn't even be a very long trip, but it'll be nice to get away from the crowds and spend some time with Yuri one-on-one.

Yuri, who is getting married in December. It still feels rushed to him, but he's been trying not to bring up any of his concerns as long as the kid still seems happy.

They've been hiking for a handful of hours at this point, in the wet July heat, conversation easy and mostly related to the trip, Bucky pointing out various plants he's learned about, marking spots he's had run-ins with creatures while he's been out here. The trail he's chosen is a familiar one; he patrols along here sometimes, when he's not stationed closer to the walls. He stops at a stream for a brief respite, kneeling down to scoop up a handful of water and splash it on his face and neck.] Reapply the bug spray if you need it. The mosquitoes out here are silver-dollar-sized and hungry. I've seen 'em drain a rat the size of my fist in ten minutes.

[bespredel]

[ Maybe it was cheating for Yuri to lope along after the other in his tiger form, but it was a hell of a lot easier to hike along like that than it was as a human. And besides, his senses were so much more acute when he was soft and white and furry. It wasn't as if he couldn't keep up conversation either; that was one of the bonuses of the boon he had asked for- that he was able to keep his ability to speak no matter what form he was in.

Currently though, he was still human. Breathing steadily as his hair clung to his face, sticky with the heat and humidity of the jungle, damp with the sweat of exertion from hiking a mostly upward incline for the past hour. He was half tempted to throw himself into the pool before them, just for some respite from the heat of the jungle- but he knew it wouldn't last for long, and the misery of having wet clothes that wouldn't properly dry would have been it's own kind of special hell. ]

How the fuck do people live in this shit? [ Yuri grumbled, shifting with a sigh to pull his backpack around and drop it in front of his feet, squating down to undo the zip and dig around for the suggested bug spray. It definitely wasn't going to help with the sticky-feeling factor; but Bucky was right. The last thing he wanted to deal with was the discomfort caused by giant moon mosquitoes. ]

I'll take Russian winter over jungle humidity any day.

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky just doesn't understand how that's any better. Tigers aren't really made for this kind of heat, are they? Maybe it's easier going with four feet. He vaguely wonders if he should have found an easier path to hike up, but this is as much a learning opportunity as it is a chance at spending a little time together. It's a good chance for Yuri to practice some survival skills, which will in turn help Bucky sleep better at night, because god knows the kid is going to volunteer for missions as he pleases and do as he wants.

Bucky is a bit less out of breath, but otherwise, he's just as sweaty and damp, his short hair sticking to his head, his t-shirt soaked. Moisture beads on the metal of his new arm - a gift from Tony for Prijata, a nice upgrade over his previous one, and at least the mechanisms are staying relatively cool inside.] Not much choice in most cases. [He answers dryly, lips quirking up as he splashes a little more water on his neck. It's better than the stickiness of sweat.]

Speak for yourself. I spent two days in Yakutsk in January once. [Despite his very generic midwestern American accent, he says the Russian city name easily, like a native Russian.] I've had enough of the cold for about six lifetimes, personally.

[bespredel]

[ With all of the fur he carried as a Tiger, it really wasn't that much better- but somehow, he felt like it was a little bit easier. Maybe it was psychosomatic, but it hardly mattered so long as he felt like it was an improvement, right? Still, there was a reason that he was hiking in that moment not as a tiger, but as his usual, normal self.

Finding the bug spray, he closed his eyes and grimaced as he sprayed himself down, coughing and gagging at the smell, before shoving it back into his bag and blinking through the haze. He huffed, sighing as he stared at the contents of his survival pack, far removed from what he would have normally would have brought along... It really was the basics, no fancy outfits or overpriced designer jeans. They didn't have a place here. He was here to learn how to survive on his own, if the worst ever happened. They hadn't even packed much in the way of food- with the expectation that they would hunt for it.

Yuri was getting pretty good at that, at least as a tiger anyway. He still had some work when it came to hunting as himself. ]

Point, but also- ugh.

[ He groaned, pulling his hair out of the tie to shake it out for a moment. It helped for a minute, but didn't offer much relief for long, before Yuri was working to tie it back behind his head once more. ]

Yakutsk? Really? [ He eyed the other a moment, before frowning and pulling his bag back onto his shoulders. ] I've never been there. But I'm still not the Ice Tiger of Russia for nothing.

ii

[wit_and_sword]

[More junior members were always paired with the more senior during these outtings, so that both would know how to wrangle the cadets when the current ones weren't so green. It had been Elizabeth's turn to assist one of the other guards-though to look at him, she wondered if she might have to protect the cadets less from the environment and more from Barnes.

Which, did not stop the hint of a smirk she gave him either.] They might, but of course, they might also chain you to a desk for filing work as punishment.

[Not that she could blame his actions. Lydia and Kitty could be just as bad at that age, and they were only two people. She turned to address the group, her tone turning serious.] Go ahead and eat that on a dare. It is one less person to watch if you end up in the clinic vomiting up your insides!

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Bucky waves off the suggestion of desk work with all the confidence of someone who only does field work, and has for a long time now. The Captain wouldn't take him off field work even as punishment, not when his paperwork is halfway useless as it is.] That'd just make more work for the desk jockeys. [And then, sharper, in a drill sergeant's voice, as the young ones' antics grow to actual potential danger (he's familiar with what they're daring each other to eat, it's serious):] Ten-hut! Back in formation, all of you! I will turn this convoy around and you can all do sprints until sunset!

[As they start snapping back into an orderly formation, Bucky grumbles softer,] If you'da told me I'd be on this end one day, I'd have laughed in your face. My drill sergeant would laugh himself sick right now.

[wit_and_sword]

[If she were more like Jane, Elizabeth would sympathize with the collective groan that came with the threat of sprints. She wasn't her sister though, and the threat was no different then what she went through during her training.]

She didn't really know exactly what a drill sergeant was, but she could understand the context of what he was saying.] In all fairness, I do not believe any of us even considered ending up here, let along wrangling cadets.

[anotheroldsoldier]

Guess you've got a point there. [On a moon wrangling teenage cadets during a glorified nature walk is not at all where he thought he'd end up. He thought he'd end up dead over the Atlantic, though, so theoretically this should be better.

He's halfway thinking he'd rather have the buzz bomb.] What'd you do to piss Apple off enough to get stuck on this little jaunt?

Closed to Steve Rogers (616)

[anotheroldsoldier]

[It's a rare day off for the both of them, which means household chores, sometimes cooking meals instead of eating takeout, and just existing in each other's spaces for a while. It's too hot to do anything outside in the middle of the day right now (the arm gets a little warm sometimes without the fake-skin coverup), so Bucky has settled for sitting on the cool tile in the kitchen, toolbox out, fixing the wobbling kitchen table leg, which had gotten knocked askew by a large man bumping into it at some point. Which one of them it was, it's hard to say. Either way, it's driving him crazy.]

If you're making lunch sometime soon, warm up some of that fried rice in the fridge. It's behind the spinach in the crisper drawer. [Where he hid it. To keep Steve from eating it all without him.]

[livingsymbol]

[Steve is, unsurprisingly, spending his day off keeping active. He comes back from a round in their gym, looking satisfied with himself, which means he's spent too much time beating up some of their new equipment. At least it gives Tony something to do.

He raises an eyebrow when Bucky mentions the fried rice, exploring the fridge and eventually digging out the box of take out, which he produces with a sightly judgmental look. He didn't see that earlier.]

You're keeping rice in the crisper now? Anything else I should know about in here?

[He smirks a little, moving toward the microwave to reheat the rice.]

Where did you get this from? I don't remember seeing this box a day ago. Then again, I wasn't looking in the right place.

[Steve doesn't press the point too hard, but he can't help giving his friend a bit of a hard time. And he might go looking for a snack stash later. It's a tempting thought.]

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Judge all you like, Steve. Bucky looks innocent, cross-legged on the floor with a few tools spread out on the linoleum.] Nothin' else in the crisper, now that you know about it. And nothin' elsewhere I'm gonna tell you about. [He shakes his screwdriver at Steve, a grin tugging at the edges of his mouth, trying to look stern.]

If I left it where you could see it, you'd finish it off without me. It's from that new place, best goddamn fried rice I've ever eaten. [Good enough to hide from his best friend and roommate. He'll share, but damn it, there is no worse feeling than looking for something specific in the fridge to find out it's already gone.]

You have any more plans for the day? I can clear out for a little while if you wanted to have company over.

[livingsymbol]

[Are you saying he steals your food that often, Bucky? He... just finds food, okay? He gets hungry and has to fill up because he's got a metabolism to support!

Steve heats up the rice and digs out some cold leftover chicken while he's at it to add to the meal.]

Mm, so is this your secret? Am I finding out something I shouldn't know?

[Steve chuckles, bringing the bowls over once everything is reheated.]

No, no real plans yet. I'm taking the day off. I guess I needed some time to think.

iii

[otherflash]

[ Wally can't say that having to endure the sweltering heat and a storm that doesn't appear to have any intentions of letting up anytime soon while he treks through the jungle looking for a missing botanist is how he expected (or wanted) to spend the very early hours of his morning.

But with both Jon and Damian taking the portal home, he told those in charge he could help out if anything important happened during the night since he no longer had the boys to look after, and that is why he finds himself accompanying Bucky for this way too early rescue operation rather than sleeping like a normal person. ]

That figures. [ Of course, the tracker would have fallen off. It can never be that easy. ] I gotta say things aren't really stacking up in our botanist's favor here.

[ Sighing, he gently peels off the half-mask of his Flash uniform that has been sticking uncomfortably to his face thanks to the heat and rain. They might have a little reprieve from the latter courtesy of the canopy, but he's still soaked to the bone. The wet track and limited lighting aren't exactly ideal conditions for a speedster to operate in, either. ]

I'd have a quick look around, but I'd probably just run into a tree or something. [ He pauses, just long enough to reach into the side pocket of the bag slung over his shoulder to retrieve a protein bar. It'll have to serve as his breakfast for now. ] Think we'll be able to find any footprints or tracks?

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Search and Rescue is a lot of this, unfortunately. Bucky is used to it by now, and it barely interrupted his sleep cycle to be dragged out of bed at ass o' clock in the AM. Nobody ever gets lost at convenient times. Sucks.]

Not thus far, no. [He says gravely, poking around in the dead leaves for a bit until he comes up with the tiny tracking device. It's shorted out from the rain, probably why it let go of the botanist's lapel and fell off. Bucky frowns at it for a moment.] Yeah, don't risk it. Ground's too marshy for good traction anyway. Hopefully means we'll find some footprints, though, figure out what direction he was going.

[Wet mud is good for very little, but showing the way something has gone is one of those things it does best. Straightening, he casts his eyes around the small clearing, trying to calculate in his head what he would do if he were a botanist with very few survival skills.] If you had no idea what you were doin' out here, and it started pissing down rain like this, what would you do?

[otherflash]

[ Wally is more than happy to let Bucky take the lead on this. Not only does the man have more experience with the Search and Rescue thing, Wally was on the fence about joining the group after he arrived in this strange place until their conversation on the network, but tracking people the old fashion way really isn't his style.

Tilting his head to the side, he crosses his arms over the front of his chest as he ponders the question Bucky has tossed his way. What would he do if he was in the botanist's shoes? ]

Assuming the many things out here that would see me as a midnight snack haven't found me, I'd probably look for some cover for the night. Trying to make it back to the city in the storm would be insane, and staying out in the open wouldn't be any smarter.

[ He suddenly spins in a half-circle, the water beneath his feet kicking up from the action, trying to get a sense of direction. He's more than a little familiar with this particular area thanks to his runs around the moon. After a moment, he points the unopened protein bar in his hand in a direction that happens to be northeast of their current location. ]

If I remember correctly, there's a little cave about a half-a-mile that way. I don't know if our friend is aware of it, but it would probably be his best bet for surviving the night. [ He offers a little shrug. ] Couldn't hurt to take a look?

[anotheroldsoldier]

No signs of blood or a struggle, so we'll assume he hasn't been made a midnight snack yet. [Bucky muses, possibly a little too casually considering the subject matter, but that's just how he deals with heavy stuff. Besides, he really isn't finding any signs of an attack here. The clearing is mostly undisturbed, there are no broken branches and the carpet of dead leaves and foliage that covers the forest floor hasn't been kicked up.

He watches Wally for a moment, mentally following along. Northeast, huh? He takes a few steps that way, eyes training on the ground, and the trees at waist height. Finally, in a patch of mud not covered by dead leaves - half a footprint, mostly shoe-shaped, filling in with water from the rain.] I think you might be right. I've got half a footprint here, he must've headed this way.

If we're lucky, he'll have found the cave and he'll still be there.