Barnes gave Growlithe attention for a few more moments, until Riolu got jealous enough to come over and demand attention as well. Somehow, he ended up giving both pokemon attention at the same time, since neither seemed to want to move over for the other.

Growlithe didn't mind sharing, since Barnes was Riolu's person. But she did still get her share of the attention.

Which is how Julie found them a few minutes later. A startled laugh escaped her as she looked at them.

Barnes glanced at her when she came back in, but then turned his attention back to the pokemon. Somehow, it was familiar, and he surprised himself by enjoying it.

"Honestly, Stevie, if it's not me pulling you out of scraps, it's Growlithe."

Barnes blinked at the memory. Where had that come from?

Unaware of his inner drama, Julie set a cup of coffee down for him and went to go get a container of treats for the pokemon. She had promised Riolu, after all.

Riolu perked up when it saw the container, and promptly scampered over to Julie for treats. That gave Barnes a chance to pick up the cup of coffee and try to work through what had just happened.

Julie made sure everyone was fed and watered before she looked at Barnes again.

"You like pizza?"

"Sure," Barnes answered before he could stop himself. He internally examined that answer for a moment before giving a definitive nod. Yes, pizza was good.

"Pepperoni good? Or do you prefer something else?" Julie glanced at him, gauging his reactions.

Again, the answer came before he could stop it.

"Pepperoni and olive," he said. He blinked at that, but the answer felt genuine, and that baffled him.

"Perfect." Julie put the order in. She added soda too, since she had nothing besides water in her apartment. "Might as well settle in, it'll be a little bit before food's ready."

Barnes nodded, and wasn't surprised at all when the pokemon took that as their cue to come back for more attention. That he could handle just fine, so he did.

Julie went to go get their food when it was ready, and came back in with two pizzas. She set them on the kitchen counter and brought a plate to him.

"Didn't want to disturb Growlithe," she said by way of explanation. "She doesn't like many people at all."

"Never woulda guessed," Barnes murmured, accepting the plate. The pizza was still hot and looked better than anything he'd had in a long time.

"Oh she is a picky little thing," Julie said with a grin. "She likes me, she likes S--... this guy I see once in a while, and now she likes you. She tolerates everyone else I see on a regular basis because she has to."

Barnes made a small, vague sound at that and glanced down at the Growlithe who had made herself comfortable in his lap. It wasn't something he'd had happen to him recently, but he found that he was somehow used to it anyway, as if there'd been another Growlithe once who had done the same. He was starting to think that maybe there was.

Julie just settled in and let him eat his pizza, occasionally feeding little bits to Vulpix. The rest of her Pokémon were oddly comfortable around Barnes too, she'd noticed. Not that she was complaining.

Barnes just quietly ate his pizza, turning over these new memories in his mind. More seemed to be lining up, and he wasn't sure he wanted to give them their chance, so he was carefully not trying to trigger any more. He wasn't sure he was ready for them.

"Stay the night," Julie suggested. It wasn't an order, she was careful not to order him. But it was a suggestion. "It's warm, safe enough, softer than that old warehouse you've been staying in. I've got lots of treats and food for Riolu, too." Because she had the feeling going through Riolu might be the way to go right now.

Barnes considered the offer. He almost chafed against it, because it felt enough like an order, but he knew somehow that it wasn't intended to be an order. He looked at her.

"What do I have to do?" he asked. Offers of important things like food or shelter never came without a price.

"You already saved me from getting worse than a shiner," Julie said with a shrug. "Figured I owed you a hot meal and a place to stay the night."

A reward, then. Barnes could accept that. He nodded once.

"Okay," he said.

Julie nodded and got up, going to get blankets and pillows and things for him. She had the feeling he wouldn't stay much past sunrise, but that was okay. This was kind of a test, on her part.

"You know, you've never given me a name," she said, glancing at him. "Something I should call you."

Barnes looked at her. Already, she knew more about him than he was really comfortable with, but it had been inevitable so far. On top of that, he still wasn't entirely sure what his name even was. None of the names that had been attached to him over his life seemed to fit right anymore, not even the Winter Soldier. He cast about for a moment, trying to find one that worked well enough for now.

"Barnes," he finally replied. That one seemed alright.

"Barnes it is, then." Julie smiled a bit and did a last check of the apartment to make sure everything was in order.

Barnes cautiously settled in on the couch. Riolu was already curled up on the back of the couch, asleep, and Barnes absently pet its head as he glanced around the little apartment.