on mun's renewed inspiration

[verybritish]

Must I be subject to your nostalgic whims? We had our time together. We agreed we were done. I was happily retired from your roster.

You can't expect anyone else to indulge you in this. You said yourself, you've traded up to the latest model of "Whedon ice queen". Why bother calling in a General when you have the Cavalry?

[To be absolutely fair, it's the direction Agents of SHIELD is taking that's brought this on: the damaged genius and the memories rewritten.]

I'm the patron saint of loneliness. I make you uncomfortable. You don't miss me.

Comments

[mr_dominic]

[Don't jinx it, or else Hydra will come out with a LMD of Coulson. Then we can really have a party.]

I think you don't try to convince anyone otherwise.

Lemmie guess, you feel trapped because you got roped back into something you never asked for with an appearance to maintain, and she feels trapped because she hates being pointlessly paraded around if it isn't gonna lead anywhere. Could be jealousy's not a one-way street. If I had to guess.

[busdriver]

[She shrugs lopsidedly, easily conceding some truth there. If he'd swung and missed, didn't stand a chance of bruising her ego, she wouldn't be doing that. She wouldn't concede anything if he hadn't earned it. She doesn't do much to keep peace. She did goad him, a little; can't be too sore about getting what she asked for.]

Better.

[He wasn't dead on target. She doesn't feel a need to match appearances because she knows when she can't, when people want something unrealistic. Her legend never fit. It's more like she feels a need to maintain a standard, and not even that as begrudgingly as before. Still, DeWitt's probably gonna be in the wind while May gets sent to some shithole, that's where he's really got a point. The humor's an olive branch.]

I'm not jealous of that wardrobe.

[The question's less placating.] What was that just now? Old habit?

[It wasn't objectivity, facts presented as facts. In the physical fight May wouldn't have started with DeWitt, she can picture him stepping in to separate them, or to try. It wouldn't be for May's benefit.]

[mr_dominic]

What, not a big fan of stylish-corporate? More for her, then. A uniform's easier.

[He hasn't worn anything like a uniform in years. But then again, maybe suits? Kind of like a uniform. If May's got a standard, then Dominic's got an appearance. So does DeWitt. They can go out the window when they don't matter anymore, in the Attic or when the apocalypse reigns supreme, but otherwise?

His chin lifts, head tilting.] Kinda like riding a bicycle, isn't it? [It's a non-answer, and he knows it. She knows it, too. May doesn't need the benefit of him stepping in for her; in a fight between the ladies, only one of them is the Cavalry.]

[busdriver]

Hand wash only? Life's too short.

[He's right, a uniform's easier. Wear it for long enough and the impression of it starts sticking to casual clothes. DeWitt has a lot of classy shoes. May hates heels. Coulson could probably get a terrible Achilles pun out of that, if he wanted to. She's thinking Dominic wouldn't do anything with the information at all. Wouldn't want it, so he doesn't get it. He's probably expecting this economy with words.

Height difference meant she was already having to look up at him, anyway. She nods once to acknowledge, not confirm. A non-answer isn't worth an answer. He could say something else, or they could move off to different things. The next line won't be coming from her. They never betrayed anyone. Watching those backs is almost automatic, a reflex. Stick a fork in the parallel, it's done.]

[mr_dominic]

[He'd like to say old habit, and sure, that's part of it. Easy to slide into like a well-worn suit or a pair of jeans that fit just right. Is that weakness, conformity? But that isn't all there is to it. He's hardly a stupid man, intellectually, but he's never been good at examining his own emotions, so that he can't really give a straight answer means she doesn't get one at all. He could lie, but even a lie would be telling.]

You've spent a lot of time looking after your boss. And your team. It takes a lot of effort to put up that front. [Her standard.] If you were given the chance at a vacation, would you even take it, or would you spend all that time working out and making sure you had eyes on them?