7/24 Instance: Hail Piedra!

[Svartfreja]

Timelined for a few days after [Instance]Compromising Positions.


<Shaw> "You have reached your destination." The flat voice of the GPS announced his arrival in the viper's den, though Sebastian was far from impressed at first blush. It was a warehouse, conspicuous only by its inconspicuousness, in an old industrial area.

<Shaw> The Aston was certainly out of place in this broken-down block, and for not the first time he wished he had ditched the vehicle. But, it was free of trackers and he'd taken a rather scenic route to this... place. He sighed and craned his neck over the dash to look the place over.

<Viper> The security system had picked up his approach some time ago - Viper had been down to Jessica's room to collect her and arrived at the door in plenty of time to greet him. She gave the nod to the security team to open the shutters to allow him inside and watched with mild amusement, arms crossed over her chest.

<Jessica> Jess has been anxiously anticipating Sebastian's arrival and Sharky had grown somewhat impatient in the process because she hadn't felt like playing with him. The tiny silver dog had therefore followed her when she left her room and was now yapping excitedly at the entrance, tail wagging.

<Shaw> His eyebrows went up at the same time as the shutters and he snagged his lower lip between his teeth. And there was Sarkissian, looking bored. It was Jessica that drew his attention, however, and he got out of the car, flipping his keys in his hand. "What, no valet?"

<Viper> Viper raised an eyebrow, "Correct me if I am wrong, but I had assumed you would rather not allow one of my employees into your vehicle."

<Jessica> Jess hurried to him, preceded by Sharky, throwing her arms around his shoulders when she reached him.

<Shaw> Hello, love, he sent, catching her and laughing softly at the excited barking and bouncing of her pet. After closing his eyes to enjoy their embrace for a moment, he looked back at Sarkissian. "I had assumed they would wind up in there no matter my wishes on the subject, so we can drop the pretense."

<Viper> "And here I was expecting a lecture about boundaries," Viper gestured one of her minions to get on with it, "But today has been rather full of unexpected happenings so I shouldn't be surprised. Do come in, won't you? There's a terrible draught."

<Jessica> Jess burrowed into his neck a little, breathing him in, I was worried you'd change your mind...

<Shaw> He smirked at Sarkissian, taking his time holding his wife. Pulling back enough to meet her eyes, he brushed his fingers over her cheek. Of course not.

<Jessica> She gave him a small smile then glanced down at Sharky who was now wiggling his little behind because the tailwag was not sufficiant. "I think someone missed you."

<Shaw> "Yes, and I see you," he told the creature, then gave Jess a quick kiss and crouched to give it some attention.

<Jessica> Sharky fell over in his overexcitement and wriggled all the more, Jess giggled. "He was freaking out before you even pulled up."

<Viper> Viper rolled her eyes and decided a hint was needed, hitting the controls to start the shutter closing.

<Shaw> He laughed despite himself and scratched Sharky behind his ears and even suffered allowing the silver dog to jump up on him. Picking Sharky up, he noticed Sarkissian's impatience and with one hand reached inside the car and grabbed his bag.

<Shaw> After giving the minion a thorough assessment, he flipped the keys to the younger man.

<Viper> The keys were fumbled and Viper tutted, turning to head back into the building proper. They would catch up and she would be warmer.

<Jessica> Jess led the way back inside, finding it hard to keep the grin off her face.

<Shaw> Sebastian raised an eyebrow at the bungling and dismissed it, offering Jess his free hand as he caught up. Is all her help so... impressive?

<Jessica> Jess glanced over her shoulder at the agent in question, Oh no, he's just... special.

<Shaw> I would make a threat of what I could do to him should he scratch it, but I suspect it would pale in comparison to his daily treatment from Sarkissian. His mental tone was highly amused and he finally had to fend off Sharky's attempts to lick his face.

<Jessica> Oh God, it's hilarious. You'll enjoy the daily episodes as much as I do, I'm sure, She reached to take Sharky so he had at least a hand free, "Calm down! I know you're happy but jeez..." She headed up the steps to the walkway either side of the wide open entry way and opened a door.

<Shaw> He took the opportunity to look around, still unimpressed so far. How much of this place did she sanitize before my arrival?

<Jessica> Sanitise? You mean clear out and move to another base? Nothing, as far as I know. We don't know how long you're going to be here for so that could be a pain in the ass for her if it was a long time... she's very 'hands on'.... And there she was waiting for them in the hallway.

<Shaw> Interesting, he observed, irritated that Sarkissian was lurking.

<Viper> "Nice of you to join me," Viper pressed another button on the wall and elevator doors opened in front of her, "The majority of this hub is underground. If you wish to return to the surface at any time, my staff will be glad to direct you, it is easy to get lost when there are very few visual clues."

<Viper> She stepped into the elevator ahead of them, "There are a few rules that you will follow whilst a guest in my facility, I'm sure you understand."

<Shaw> "I warn you, while I'm accustomed to blindfolds at times in the club, I draw the line at restraints outside of the bedroom," he said, looking down his nose at Sarkissian.

<Viper> Viper laughed, "Oh you do flatter yourself," she waved it off, "My rules are simple enough. I just don't want you wandering around and poking your nose into places it does not belong. I'm sure you would have the same concerns if someone was to come into your place of buisness."

<Jessica> Jess tugged Sebastian into the elevator so they could go down into the facility properly and he could get settled in their room.

<Shaw> "I doubt I want to wander around your facility... Viper." It almost pained him to actually call her by her preferred name. "I'm certain I can find better ways to pass my time." He let Jess drag him in and let go of her hand to snake his arm around her waist and rest his hand on her belly.

<Viper> "Perhaps, but you will need to eat sooner or later. I do not operate a room service. The temptation may be too much for you," she turned her attention to Jessica, "I trust you can keep him out of trouble, yes?"

<Jessica> Jess nodded, "I can manage.... It's basically everywhere but our room, the canteen, and Julia's lab anyway... Even the hormones can't make me forget that."

<Shaw> "I'm certain Jessica will keep me well in hand," he said with a smirk.

<Viper> "Make sure she does." The elevator came to a stop and the door opened in front of them, Viper paused by a small screen on the other side of the door, fingers gliding over the virtual keypad at speed. When she was done, she turned to them, reaching a hand into her pocket.

<Shaw> He was vaguely surprised she hadn't had him or his bag searched, although he suspected she probably had scanners to do the job for her. Nonetheless, he watched her movement, not bothering to hide his sour expression.

<Viper> "Please wear this when you are out of your room," she offered out a small pinbadge, "It will prevent you being targeted by automated security."

<Jessica> "You want that," Jess assured him, "That agent upstairs forgot his one morning and lost a toe."

<Shaw> Sebastian gave Sarkissian a long, wary stare before he reached out for the badge. "I am rather fond of my appendages."

<Viper> "Don't worry, we're very good at growing them back," Viper smirked as he took the badge.

<Shaw> He didn't dignify that with a response, just bared his teeth at the woman as he took the badge, looked it over, then pinned it on.

<Viper> "I never envisaged a time when you would wear one of those with permission," Viper turned to lead them on down the hall, "But, just in case you have any ideas, if you try to harm me in any way, the security system has an automatic override. I like to take precautions - sometimes SHIELD think they can get their people in here without my noticing. It's adorable."

<Jessica> Jess took Sebastian's hand and gave it a squeeze, It's not all that scary here, really. I promise.

<Shaw> The corner of his mouth ticced, but he walked in silence with Jess for a time. "I suppose, Sarkissian, that I should offer you my gratitude, but I believe I will save it until we've successfully escaped your hospitality."

<Viper> "Escape?" Viper glanced over her shoulder at him, eyebrow raised, "You make it sound like I'm holding you prisoner. As I recall, this was your idea."

<Jessica> "She's got you there..." Jess muttered with a small grin, nuzzling his shoulder.

<Shaw> He shot Jess a half-hearted glare from the corner of his eye. "It was, after a fashion, but we will see how things play out, I suppose."

<Viper> "As long as you follow my rules and let my people go about their business, you will have nothing to fear from your stay here," Viper stopped outside a door and opened it for them, "Your room."

<Jessica> Jess peered over her shoulder, surprised to see all her things already in there just the way she had them laid out in the room she'd had on her own. Efficiant.

<Shaw> "Yes, I plan to tackle your minions in the halls to keep them from growing appendages." He waved a dismissive hand at Sarkissian, curious why Jessica was curious about her own room.

<Jessica> Jess giggled, her sensitive nose picking up something else. Pie. "Ooooh..." everything else was forgotten as she made for the treasure on the small coffee table.

<Shaw> He lost Jessica to the room and the object on it, which he realized seemed to be a pie. Confused, he looked back to Sarkissian.

<Viper> Viper raised an eyebrow at him, "If you wish to share that with her, I'd suggest you move quickly," she turned her attention to Jessica then, "I will see you tomorrow afternoon for our appointment. I have a field test to conduct in the mean time."

<Jessica> Jess nodded, already having a mouth full of pie. She waved the hand that wasn't holding the fork.

<Shaw> "Appointment?" He watched Jess eat, half amused and half alarmed.

<Viper> Viper inclined her head in polite farewell and headed off down the corridor to her office without any further comment.

<Jessica> Jess nodded, gesturing him into the room as Sharky settled down at her feet. She swallowed the bite, "It's fine."

<Shaw> "Of course..." Sebastian dropped his bag and watched Sarkissian vanish around a corner before he closed the door. He locked it, though he knew that was rather an empty gesture. Only then did he move over to the table to look down at his wife and her snack. ....her interestingly designed snack. "...is that a squid?"

<Jessica> "... Sort of," she turned it so he could see the head properly, "It's on lots of things here." She took another bite of the pie.

<Shaw> Tilting his head, Sebastian recognized the symbol now and made a face. "It's a Hydra pie."

<Jessica> "It's yummy!" She paused, "It's a piedra."

<Shaw> Sebastian was quiet for a moment, sitting down beside her. Then, he snorted a laugh. "That's truly terrible, love. You spend far too much time with Drake."

<Jessica> She gave him a grin, then offered him a fork, "You love it, now have some pie."

<Shaw> He accepted the fork, but simply watched her with a secretive smile on his face.

<Jessica> "Tomorrow is just one of my regular paranoia checkups," she elaborated on her exchange with Viper, "You can come if you want...."

<Shaw> "Oh." Sebastian's gaze fell to her stomach. "I should have insisted you see a real doctor before I gave Yukio the order," he said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Everything seems ... good?"

<Jessica> She nodded, "Everything's progressing normally," she gave him a smile, "Viper can manage most things, things she doesn't want to do get delegated and there are people for everything here."

<Shaw> "That's beside the point, because you know I don't trust the Viper." He brushed his hand over the prominent bump.

<Jessica> "So come with me tomorrow and you can see how harmless it all is and in the morning you can meet Julia," she bopped him on the nose with the tip of a finger before returning her attention to the pie.

<Shaw> Facade cracking into a smile, he leaned in to kiss her cheek and picked a bite from the pie with his fork. He sniffed the fork.

<Jessica> "It's not poisoned," Jess rolled her eyes, bumping him with her shoulder.

<Shaw> "Not that you would know if it was," he teased, leaning into her as he popped the bite into his mouth. He'd be damned if he would admit it wasn't bad.

<Jessica> "I would so know, I learned how to tell the difference.... it was a long and irritating process." She shifted her weight, tucking her feet under her, "This room has way more stuff in it than my old room..."

<Shaw> That made him pause. "You've been taste-testing poisons?"

<Jessica> She blinked at him, realising that was probably a weird thing to do. "... I did a lot of crazy shit when I was a kid."

<Shaw> His eyebrow lifted, but he managed to keep chewing and get the bite down. After a moment of consideration, he leaned in to address the bump. "Don't worry, I'll make your bottles."

<Jessica> Jess laughed, bumping him with her shoulder, "I won't try it on the kid, I promise... unless he or she displays all the same symptoms I did."

<Shaw> "Symptoms?" He stroked his hand over her stomach again and gave up on resisting the temptation to eat pie. The next bite was just as good as the first. Damn them.

<Jessica> She nodded, "When I was little I had a lot of problems with the whole... super hearing thing," her nose wrinkled, "So I had all kinds of trouble sleeping and I used to get epic headaches before I learned how to filter out all the insect noises and the miles away noises. I was on everything one after the other for painkillers and sleep aids and they all stopped working..."

<Shaw> Interested, he sat up to see her face. "How old were you?"

<Jessica> "When everything stopped working? Um...." she thought back, trying to remember where she was living then, "Nine or ten... it was not a fun time for me."

<Shaw> "I can imagine." He forked up another bite and offered it to her. "Has Sarkissian done a DNA analysis on the child?"

<Jessica> Jess took the bite and shook her head, "No one is doing anything to the baby until it is safely out of me... also she knows I'm paranoid about the experimenting thing."

<Shaw> "Good." He nodded, momentarily relieved of that concern at least. "Eventually, we will find out if he or she is a mutant as well."

<Jessica> "It's very likely he or she is with us both being mutants... I kind of hope they didn't get my powers... mine suck to get used to." She sighed, running a hand through her hair, "Though, I suppose yours were just as awful."

<Shaw> Some more so than others, he admitted with a smirk. Taking her fork, he dropped them both onto the table and urged her into his lap.

<Jessica> She smiled a little and complied, curling up, "Anyway... my point was that I can feel it when my metabolism speeds up to process something dangerous, even if I don't taste that something's off.... it's how I used to check drinks for other girls in Amsterdam - some of them tasted awful anyway so I had to get really good at spotting the difference between alcohol processing and, you know... other stuff."

<Shaw> He was never fond of the implications of her time in Amsterdam, but it was interesting. Nodding, he sighed and rested his chin on top of her head. "I suppose it would be a very useful talent, in that circumstance especially." Shifting, he kissed her through her hair and tightened his arms around her. "One I hope you don't have need of ever again, love."

<Jessica> "Well I hope so too... but people really hate mutants and they'll try anything." Her tone was very matter-of-fact - you could almost be forgiven for thinking she was joking.

<Shaw> He knew better, but he smirked. "So will I, if forced."

<Jessica> "I've never had to force you to try anything..." she couldn't help herself.

<Shaw> He held his smirk and her gaze for a long moment, then angled his face into her neck, nuzzling and giving her a soft nip. No, and in that you never will. Sebastian shared a few choice ideas of how to celebrate their reunion.

<Jessica> She liked all of those ideas, squirming at the nip to her neck even as she reached up to remove his tie, It's a good job they don't have room service... we'd never leave...

[steyn]

This reminds me, Broo and Viper should probably have a small chat about him and his 'sploding experiments that might be picked up on Hydra's radar.