12946/Old faces and new

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Old faces and new
Date of Scene: 03 April 2021
Location: Rec/Res Area, The Triskelion
Synopsis: Jess returns from a long-term mission and gets to know a new recruit.
Cast of Characters: Phobos, Spider-Woman (Drew)




Phobos has posed:
    After the recent series of missions in the Czech Republic things had returned to marginal normalcy in the Triskelion. Operations still ran steadily, teams dispatched, but nothing major had been required for a follow up. Once again SHIELD was in the position of listening, learning about its enemies and trying to build up for that future conflict.
    For level one operatives like Agent Aaron that meant a change from the glamour of field work. No longer off and about globetrotting, instead that meant long hours in front of data displays, cataloging intel fed to the central hub, or monitoring surveillance data. Sometimes it meant even just maintenance and inventory management out in the armory and the motor pool. None of it staggeringly exciting.
    Yet it did mean for long shifts. And sometimes when scheduling had its series of snafus, it meant double shifts. Sometimes with as little as two to four hours between them. Which is why, late in the afternoon, Alexander finds himself in the Rec room of SHIELD amongst some of the other agents. Most of which were just reading, or watching the television. Kelso was in the corner trying to catch some zzz's before his next round with monitor duty.
    But the Olympian Agent had two hours to kill before his own obligations. Not enough time to head back home. It left him with a few options though right now one of those options... was pool. And at least it was distracting.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew had not been seen around headquarters for a few months. Not like a lot of people real,y noticed her absence anyway. It's not like she was a social butterfly or the life of the party in any sense of the word.

But sometime between last night and this morning, she had returned from some covert mission in some far away, cold and barren place. Not that she minded really..She seemed to do better when she was in social isolation anyway. Coming back to a busy place like this was sure to require some adjustment after so many weeks in blessed isolation.

In fact, Agent Drew would like nothing more than to decompress in her room, reading a book after her debriefing early this morning, but she had been encouraged to mingle for her own mental health. So here she is. Attempting rather awkwardly to mingle.

Which basically means lingering around the fringes of the room, wishing she could be anywhere but here. Oh, hey, there's the pool table. She'd always enjoyed pool. May as well watch. As she steps towards the table, green eyes sweep over the young blonde man, sizing him up, curious to see how good a player he is.

Phobos has posed:
    At a glance he's handsome, yet in SHIELD that was hardly a rarity. He had this casual almost lazy way about him as he set the table and rolled the billiard balls into place, grabbing some that were errantly left in one pocket or another then tossing them in the rack. Yet he handles them with some passing familiarity.
    His rank insignia on his right shoulder just declares him at the first rank, level 1, the harsher of the higher ranked agents would call them bullet-stoppers or bureaucrats, and there had likely been some argument as to which is the worse epithet.
    On his lapel the name 'Aaron' was there, designating him. But then she draws close enough and his eyes lift. Very pale curious eyes, strange and might seem surreal though the smile that's easily given might bring him back from that borderline area of strangeness.
    "Hey," He says accompanied by that smile even as he lifts the rack and settles in at the head of the table with his cue. Then he's leaning forward, taking aim, and there's the cla-clack of the break.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew wasnt exactly trying to hide but she is keeping some space between herself and others. After her latest mission she had just ran out of meds and was waiting to get a new prescription. But as long as she keeps her distance, surely nothing can go wrong, right? It makes it a bit easier to traverse these crowded places without fear of attracting unwanted attention - or making things super awkward.

She nods to the young man, offering a faint if restrained smile and despite the faint bags under her eyes, she at least seems awake and alert. The almost intimidatingly tall woman takes a cautious step towards him, peering at his name tag. "Hey. Hi. Don't mind me, just watching.." although her gaze sweeps next towards a spare pool cue hanging on the wall, then back to him. Seems she wants to play, but doesn't want to impose.

"Hmm..." she mulls aloud. A good of pool would be a good way of getting to know people, get out of her shell but..Things always seem to go nuts around her.

Phobos has posed:
    There's no rush to him, no haste as he strolls around the table. He looks thoughtful, gaze distanced as he ponders the angles and the geometry of the matter. A deep breath is taken as he considers, though he does notice the tall woman with the name of... 'Drew' it says on her uniform. His lip twists and he lets the cue rest light against the rail.
    "If you want in, now's the time." He gestures with a nod to the other cue if she's so inclined. "You can be stripes or solids, I have no predilection for either."
    That said he leans over as he sizes up a shot, resting the cue on the knuckles of his off hand and starts to angle it, quirking an eyebrow before he looks to her. "Last chance? Agent... Drew?" He offers even as he leaaaans over.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew peers at him, noting his angle, his lining up the balls, continuing to size him up as if he were prey, and this wasn't just a friendly neutral game of pool. She blinks, rubbing her eyes. "Err..." heck, why not? May as well relax, mingle with the locals right?

"Sure. Why not? I mean..What harm can come from it..? Okay then..." with a nod, Agent Drew reached for a pool cue, testing its weight, grabbing some chalk to buff the end as she watches him. "Ok then, let's play...Uh, I call solids.."

Phobos has posed:
    Usually there are responses she gets when an individual of the male persuasion is before her. There's the nervous smile, the slight shuffle, the flirtatious look, all varying degrees and varying intensities. Sometimes it's even a mix of them all. But the one opposite her, he has this clear look of calm to him. Such an easy-going way to him as she affixes him with that almost predatory stare. Usually others wilt under the gaze, or shuffle, but he seems so incredibly at ease that his lip curls up and he nods. "Alright, your turn."
    He draws up and rests his cue under one arm, careful not to let it touch the ground as he steps back. "If you run the table though, I'll be very hurt." Though the slight wry look to him might indicate that proooobably won't be the case.
    "Fair warning though, I only have about..." He glances toward the digital clock display upon the wall as he murmurs, "About an hour and fifty minutes, in case you're super slow."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew arches a slight brow as she watches his reactions towards her, expecting the worst but pleasantly surprised to see that he seems only minimally affected. some sort of subconscious ability...? Well whatever the case, she is grateful for it.r
In fact, Agent Drew smiles ever so faintly, a cautious, strained smile but a smile nonetheless. "No worries, I'll make it quick. Promise." she is cautious not to joke, not to tease or make even the slightest flirty move towards him.

Instead she focuses on the game, finding it easier relax when she does so. And once he breaks the set, she leans over the table, peering down at a line of balls, pondering what to sink.

Its only a moment or two judgement call, and she has to remind herself that she's playing a game, not plotting a mission. Right, right. Drew licks her lips, taking a few test runs with her cue, before launching it at the white ball, aiming and knocking a solid into the net. Which makes it her turn again.

She smiles, a bit more self assured as she eyes a couple other balls. "So, Uh..You new around here?" yeah, she's trying to make casual conversation it seems.

Phobos has posed:
    "Yes, ma'am." He answers, his voice has a depth to it, a robustness but a hint of a drawl as he shifts to step back from the table, letting her get the angles she needs. His arms cross over his chest as he watches the lay of the table, pondering what shots he might consider or take. Perhaps even hearing an old lecture from his father about billiards and how important it is to play aggressively.
    "I finished training a handful of months back, doing what I can until SHIELD wises up and fires me." He casually makes light of his own prospects even as he smiles and watches the shift and position she finally chooses. Then he lifts his chin.
    "Though today, I'm mainly on monitor duty. And back on it in a couple hours."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew lines up the ball and shoots...But misses, just barely, the ball lingering on the edge of one of the holes. "Dammit.." she frowns, clearly taking this game way too seriously. Still, she steps back, letting him have a go at the table.

"Why would you think up? Ah, you must be getting the newbie jitters..?" its a lame attempt at a joke, really.

Phobos has posed:
    "If SHIELD knew everything about yourself that you knew, and you were also responsible for hiring and firing in SHIELD wouldn't you fire you?" As he says that his smile slips a little wry, as if his rather confusing metaphor at least amused him for some reason, but more likely it's an attempt to joke as well.
    Then he leans in for his own shot, taking aim as he slips forward a bit and streetches back, almost like a cat with such a languid sense of body language. He scrunches up one eye, then /CLACK!/ as cue hits a striped ball and sends it into the pocket. But it leaves him with a bad lie so he starts to walk around the table slowly.
    hen, in a more curious tone he asks, "Have you been with SHIELD long, Agent Drew?" Apparently not having heard of her. Or perhaps being polite.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew blinks I. surprise at his rather confusing claim. "...Huh? I-I dont..Understand. I mean..I have nothing to hide from SHIELD. Even if my past is a bit...Complicated." she seems bothered by that, uncomfortable even as if it hit a nerve, but shakes her head quickly, trying to shrug it off.

"I mean, they do a pretty thorough investigation into our pasts and I do not have anything to hide. Do you..? I mean..,Sorry, I should not have gone there.." her accent is faintly British, moreso when she is nervous, like now. But she's spent considerable time in America since then.

Another shrug is given as she watches him sink a ball. "A few years, yes. It does get better. You get used to it." The people here are..Good.." she hesitates even, as she says that, as if not sure what word really describes what she wants to say.

Phobos has posed:
    Those curious pale eyes meet hers and for a time he watches her reaction, blinking a little slowly but still smiling. Until he chews on the inside of his cheek a little and says, "I wasn't meaning that we had deep dark secrets." Though, to be fair, they work at a spy agency. Chances are they do.
    He takes the next shot making the best of the bad angle as he can and /clacks/ the cue against another ball but fails to sink one. So when he straightens up from the shot his nose crinkles a little as he steps back to give her room for her own approach.
    "I was more meaning that inside our minds we are all our own worst selves since we think about our flaws much more than our merits. The Predatory Ego I think it's called." Then he meets her gaze as he takes a deep breath, his brow furrowing slightly for a moment before he adds. "But perhaps I'm still just getting used to making it into SHIELD."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew blinks slowly at his reaction. Oh shoot, she said something weird and awkward again, didn't she? Siiiigh. "Ohh..Sorry, I just...Guess I totally misinterpreted that.." which she seems to take pretty hard.

"I mean...I suppose people do tend to be a bit hard on themselves, but in some cases, maybe it's warranted? We all want to be the best that we can be, and you can't be your best if you gloss over your weaknesses and focus on your strengths right? I..I mean.."

Agent Drew pauses a moment as she leans over to line up another ball, accidently brushing against another neighbouring pool player, who pauses briefly to flash her an almost lecherous smile. But fortunately he's professional enough not to harasss her. Not here anyway. But not all Agents are thoroughly professional either. She sighs, rolling her eyes and moves swiftly out of his way, moving around to take up a more awkward position that inevitably causes her to miss her next shot.

She groans in annoyance, glancing over at the guy still giving her lecherous glances and does her best to ignore him. Glancing back at Agent Arons, she sighs and shrugs, clearly having lost her train of thought.

Phobos has posed:
    There is one thing that Alexander has learned early on that the women of SHIELD do not need someone to stand up for them, though to be fair...
    It's not like Agent Nelson to act that way with someone, even if they're as attractive as Agent Drew. So when that small exchange is given, the crooked smile, the sigh, the shifting of posture and position, it's all noted with a tinge of curiousity in the youth's pale hazel eyes. His brow quirks as he murmurs quietly, 'Hnh.' To himself.
    "Yeah," He says as he picks up the thread of the conversation, then shakes his head and adds. "Yeah, I was more being kind of goofy." His smile curves and he does work his way around the table to take up a position there near where she was so close to Nelson. But the other SHIELD agent gets out of his way, since most people seem to do that when Agent Aaron is around.
    He leans in and takes aim, looking at her from his curled forward position. "What is your specialty, if I may ask?" Since his shows him as a member of the Tactical Response Team by the little parachute emblem on his shoulder.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew doesn't seem terribly threatened by Agent Nelson. In fact, she's more concerned about his safety than her own. A casual shrug is given Agent Aaron as she notices him positioning himself between her and Nelson. "Forget it, it's my fault, he's just the fallout." she suddenly blurts out then regrets it. "Um..Nevermind."

Instead, Drew focuses on his last question. "Me? I'm..Mostly Espionage, counter intel, infiltration. And a bit of close quarters combat training." she rolls them off casually, not arrogant, not bashful either. "You?"

Phobos has posed:
    Another click-clack as he takes another shot, followed by the throaty clatter of the ball rolling into the pocket and beneath the table. He starts to walk around the table again, not exactly interposing himself between them, more just making sure they both have enough room to make their shots.
    "That's a hefty resume." He says even as he lines up his next shot, footsteps carrying him over by her side. His head tilts slightly as his brow furrows, there is something about her. Curious and on edge, but also intriguing. Not usually one to be given to casual attraction he finds the fact that there is some... tinge of it there puzzling. But he saws naught about it.
    Instead he replies with an easily given smile. "I'm in the first TacRes Team, which is pretty great, to be fair."
    He leans forward beside her, eyes forward and the line of his body held tight as he gauges the shot, then sends the cue ball clacking down the table. A glance to the side at her, "Though when we're not on mission of standby, I mainly do a lot of filing. And data entry." His lip twists up a little.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica Drew nods slowly. "I have a pretty complex history, to be honest. Nothing to go into detail, here any way.." she shrugs, still a bit tired from her latest mission as she watches the game. "Tactical Response hm? It's not bad, I'm sure you're doing well..Although Data entry and filing can be boring..But gotta start somewhere right?"

She gives him a soft, encouraging smile, before glancing at her watch. "Listen, I gotta run, sorry about the game, but..It was good to meet you and take a load off. See you later."