Timelined after Green Cats and Ham
<Darren> Darren lined up his shot in the dim bar, cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth, "Soo ... I gather from the intertubes I'm not the only one running classes on the fly," he smirked at Bobby before potting the red and stepping back, leaning on his cue. "Though I wouldda thought with her popping about the Brain'd have an easy time with the pratical aplication of physics."
<Bobby> "Ha! Well... you'd think, but I figure Clarice is just still, y'know, recovering. I figured getting to see that video'd help her feel a little less left out from her time on the other side of the fence." Bobby nodded. Stripes then. He waved the cigarette smoke away and lined up his own shot.
<Darren> "Yeah, it's tough when you've been outta the loop for a while." Darren took a long pull before wandering over to the bar while Bobby took his shot to get them some refills, returning with two more bottles. "Speaking of which, how're you adjusting to living between home and base?"
<Bobby> Taking his shot and sinking the ball, Bobby accepted the bottle with a nod of thanks and took a long pull. "Adjusting. Yeah, I'm not sure that's what I'd call it."
<Darren> "What would you call it then?" Darren smirked, circling the table to try and figure out the best place to take his next shot.
<Bobby> "Lorna calls it 'reacclimating,'" he said, making air quotes around the cue and beer bottle. "To me... it's more like she's always giving me side-eye like I'm not housebroken. She keeps saying she doesn't know me anymore, but then she never really gave me the chance to prove I'm still... well, me."
<Bobby> "For a month we did this." Bobby sighed. "Although, I guess that's a little better. She asked me to go out with her tomorrow night. A date night. So, we'll see."
<Darren> "Could jus' be the hormones talking, man?" Darren suggested, moving to take his shot after Bobby missed."Though fuck knows I'd never say that to her face." There was no way he could make a shot with this set up, so he determined to foul up Bobby's next one. "You know I invited her into SWORD when I was recruiting for Fury?"
<Darren> "She screwed when she heard about the whole black ops part," he shrugged and took a mouthful of beer. "But that wouldn't be SWORD y'know. It's SHIELD black ops - different departments."
<Bobby> "Fuck no I ain't saying that!" Bobby's laugh was bitter. "Do I look like I have stupid tattooed across my forehead?" He shot Darren a look and pointed with his bottle. "Don't answer that."
<Bobby> He looked from the mess of balls on the table to Darren and back with a wrinkled nose before trying to line up a shot. He'd totally done that on purpose. "Good thing we're not playing for points."
<Bobby> Missing the shot, he looked back up. "I could see her doing that..."
<Darren> Darren gave Bobby a bright, innocent smile before moving to take his shot. The table was still fouled all to hell but there was maybe something he could do about that. "The international super-heroine? Jet-setting across the globe to smash evil in exotic climes while looking fabulous on camera? Yep, me too, it's why I asked her. Every super hero squad needs a sexy geek chick."
<Bobby> That made him smile as he watched Darren try to make the table worse.
<Darren> He took his shot, and missed, "Though to be honest, I was pretty insulted she thought I might have dragged Sel, Jay and Kyle in for wetwork," his face twisted. "Part of the deal I mad with Fury about this is none of the ones I pick up get involved with that shit." He sighed, taking a long pull on his cigarette before pinching it out.
<Bobby> Bobby laughed at the missed shot and moved back to the table. "I'm just fucking thrilled I'm out of it. Thank God for being a lover at heart instead of a fighter." He puckered up at Darren for a moment.
<Bobby> "I don't blame you. She's... really..." He sighed, not sure how to say it. He knew why she felt the way she did about killing, after Malice, but... "It's one of her triggers. Which is one of the reasons I thought it'd be better if I took that burden from her." He waved his hand, not wanting to get into that again.
<Darren> "Trust me buddy, I'm just as happy as you," Darren smiled. "You don't wanna see the shit that's out there." He watched Bobby line up and figured change in the subject might be good, since he didn't want to get into that sticky subject again. "So, where're you taking your babymama out to then?"
<Bobby> "Dinner and a movie. Seemed safest." Bobby made the shot and spun the cue in triumph. "No... I don't." He picked his beer back up and took a drink. "She admitted she asked you about it - about me doing the black ops stuff. When I said it was fucking awesome news that I wasn't cut out to be an assassin - she blew me off. I would have thought... she'd be happy?"
<Bobby> He shook his head and took another drink. "I just don't know what she wants from me."
<Darren> "Can't beat the classics," Darren agreed, sighing as Bobby continued. "Honestly man, I dunno, I'm not psychic. Guess all you can do is try and figure it out ... and if you can't, well, at least you gave it your best shot."
<Bobby> "Yeah... I know." Bobby watched Darren take his shot. "I'm just bitching, I guess." It was his problem to figure out, after all. "Just 'cause I'm off the SHIELD hook for the dirty work, what does that mean for you? I mean, you've been doing it for a long time, but now you're leader of the big shiny feel-good team, too. How does all that jive?"
<Darren> "Not that much different," Darren admitted, managing to pot one and grinning as he took his other shot. "I just have to do it on the sly, same as always," his eyes flicked up to Bobby. "Part of the madate they send me out with is 'No Witnesses' and when you can sense eletronics like I can, it's pretty easy to acomplish." He missed the second shot and cursed under his breath.
<Bobby> "Yeah." It was his turn, but he wasn't interested in the game at the moment. "How..." He shifted feet, trying to think about how to word this. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be a dick asking this... I guess I kind of just need the advice." Bobby sighed. "How do you live with yourself? After doing ... that?"
<Darren> Darren stopped at stared at Bobby for a moment, thinking before he answered. "Well ... in my case, I just turn myself into a gun and bullet. SHIELD and the government point me at a target and pull the trigger, so I pass the blame up to them I guess," he shrugged. "Of course, out in the field, in some of the buildings they send you to ... you see what your targets have done to get on the U.S.'s bad side."
<Darren> He snorted, "Let's just say, I only feel bad about killing humans sometimes."
<Bobby> Bobby frowned, then nodded. "I'm sorry." He chewed his lip and nodded again, taking his shot and missing. "Guess somebody has to do it."
<Darren> "It's a valid question," Darren shrugged. "You're the only person I've ever really talked to in any length about it. Sel and I don't mention it, but she knows about it," he gave him a tight little smile. "I at least console myself with the fact I'm not like the couple of pet psychos they keep around who enjoy the death. They're for the missions that softies like me would balk at, I think. I don't know what they do and frankly I don't wanna …"
<Bobby> And Bobby consoled himself that he wasn't like those psychos, or Darren, for that matter. It would be enough. "Must be weird, that you can't talk to her about it."
<Darren> "Not really, it's not really something you can talk about." Darren finished his bottle, "and I don't want to think about it when I'm not on those missions, since it's a weapon that goes out there, and I'm a person."
<Bobby> He tilted his head, supposing he understood that, yet he didn't. Not sharing everything with Lorna had been hard for him, and was still hard. He finished his own drink, letting all that settle. "A fabulously coiffed person at that." He saluted the mohawk.
<Darren> "An awesomely coiffed person," Darren corrected with a chuckle. "We've got Jay for the fabulous."
<Bobby> "Good point," he grinned. "Sir Darren of the pool table."