Maeve, on the other hand, was pulled into going back to HQ. She was a handler, so she had several files she needed to recover, and she needed to cobble together some serious damage control and PR to try to salvage things. Almost as soon as she had done her initial damage control, however, she got sent out again on a mission to try to find some of the missing agents. So she never got the chance to go back to the tower.

Tony kept tabs on her through Jarvis, though he kept quiet about it and he never told anyone else. But he wasn't about to just let her fall off the map.

Julie went back to her apartment for a while as she was dealing with things, keeping her head down and keeping out of the way. She and her group could protect themselves just fine, but she found she didn't want to be hanging around the tower, either. Not with everyone tense and a little snappish.

Although how she was found, she wasn't sure. Looking back, she was glad it was just the one person that found her. At least he was decent company, after a shower.

Maeve did her absolute best to fall off the map, although she didn't know Tony was keeping tabs on her. She vanished into Europe, trying to quietly disappear for a while until the whole Shield and Hydra thing calmed down some. She'd found some of her contacts there, and made sure they were alright, and then she just kept her head down.

Barnes had no idea why he was drawn to New York. Okay, no, that wasn't quite true; New York felt familiar and comforting in a way he couldn't quite place, and he wanted to find out why. He made his way to a run-down apartment building in Brooklyn and settled in there. It didn't matter to him that the building was abandoned; the electricity and water still worked, and that was what mattered. He didn't mind sharing space with the wild city pokemon that had moved in, or with the Riolu that he had found out in the back alley.

He was very surprised when he ran into someone else, though, especially because that someone moved in a way that screamed 'agent' to him.

Julie had been out patrolling her neighborhood for any Hydra agents, just to be sure, when she ran into Barnes. Almost literally. He was just stepping out, and she almost didn't notice him.

"Sorry," she said automatically before she actually got a look at his face. And then she paused, because holy shit she knew who he was. She was very still for a few moments as she debated what to do, watching him. Even though he was rather dirty and his hair was unkempt, there was no mistaking who it was.

Barnes didn't immediately reply. Her appearance was so sudden he wasn't sure what to do, and he had to spend a moment restraining himself from efficiently removing the thing that had surprised him. While he was mentally wrestling with himself, Riolu peeked out the door to see what was going on. The poor thing was still on the thin side, having been on the streets until Barnes had found it, but it was definitely not shy as it came out to investigate.

Julie smiled when she saw the Riolu. She was quite familiar with the look of a wild pokemon, as she usually visited some of the more popular spots for the wild city pokemon to find shelter, and left food for them. Reaching into her back pocket, she withdrew a treat and offered it to Riolu. Vulpix, sprawled across her shoulders, snorted but didn't actually protest.

Riolu cautiously approached and sniffed the treat. Its front paws darted out quickly, snagging the treat, and it backed off a few paces to eat it. It watched Bucky and Julie as it did.

Julie didn't move, waiting patiently for the little one to finish that treat before offering another.

"Haven't seen you here before," she said conversationally to Bucky. "I usually drop by once a week or so to make sure there's some food here for the wild ones. No one else bothers to take care of them."

"Haven't been here long," Bucky replied, a bit wary. He watched her carefully. "I've been--away."

"Not judging," came the almost instant reply. "I am absolutely not judging, no judging going on here, none." She shot him a quick smile. "But I should get back to actually feeding these guys before they come swarm me, or something. They can be pretty demanding, at least the ones who know I come 'round."

Bucky made a vague noise of agreement and stepped aside so she could pass. He wasn't sure what to make of her, still, but she didn't strike him as a threat. At least, not yet.

Julie slipped past him and headed inside and up to the room she usually put the food in. Half a dozen small bowls littered the floor, and she poured food in all of them before she paused. He looked like he was living there, and could probably use some food himself.

"You hungry?" she asked, looking over at him.

Barnes paused. He hadn't meant for her to know he was still there, keeping an eye out from just past the doorway. That definitely kicked her threat assessment up a notch or two.

"No," he replied, stepping into the doorway briefly. "I'm--" He searched for the appropriate word. "I'm fine."

"Alright. Well, here, so you can keep an eye on them. 'Specially that little one, he seems to like you." Julie smiled as she left some money on a table for him. Hopefully he'd use a bit of the money for himself, too. Not like she was hurting for money, yet.

Barnes didn't move to take the money immediately. He watched her first, just to make sure she wasn't going to snatch it away again, and then slowly reached out to pick it up with his good hand.

Julie nodded her satisfaction of that. "Take care of yourself," she said with a faint smile. She offered Riolu one last treat before she left. She would definitely be back to check on them.

Barnes watched her go, a bit wary. He got the distinct feeling that it wouldn't be the last time he would see her.

It didn't take him long to spend the money she'd given him. It all got spent on the pokemon, though, especially Riolu. The little fighting-type always tagged along with him, and seemed to be getting attached. He wasn't complaining, though; something about having it around eased some of the tension and confusion, and it helped him think a bit better.

It wasn't long before Julie was back, checking on everyone again. She had Vulpix with her again, and no one bothered her. She did glance around a bit for the mysterious guy again. She wanted to make sure he was still doing okay. And she'd brought him some food, still sealed.

Barnes was out in the back alley with Riolu, letting it practice punches and kicks on his metal arm. He knew the arm was strong enough to withstand the blows for a bit, and Riolu seemed to be having a good time.

It took Julie a few minutes to find the two, but when she did she stood back and just watched. They were pretty cute together, actually. She didn't want to interrupt them.

Riolu noticed Julie first, and stopped sparring with Barnes's arm. It skittered back a step or two, wary. Barnes noticed, and looked over. When he saw Julie, he stood up straight, keeping his eyes on her.

"Easy," Julie told them both, holding her hands up. "Just checking in. I brought some more treats, and some food." She pulled the food for Barnes and the pokemon treats out of her bag. Both of them were still sealed and tamper-free.

Barnes looked at her warily for a moment.

"Why?" he finally asked. He didn't understand, she had no reason to be giving them anything.

"Because I like doing things like this. It's what I do." Julie paused and then smiled sadly. "Well. What I'm supposed to do. What I should do."

Barnes thought about that for a moment.

"I don't understand," he finally said. He watched her, trying to figure out what she meant.