[ A proper scientist in the making, indeed. Growing up in space with two genius parents didn't really give her much choice in the matter, though Daisy knows her friends will support their daughter in whatever path she chooses in life. Everyone is just so grateful that Alya even exists — there were so many times over the years when their lives were at risk. End of the world and all that.
Daisy pockets her phone again after one last look at the photo; it served its purpose, getting a smile out of her new unwitting acquaintance. ]
I did, yeah. I also said I wasn't here to arrest you or haul you off to some lab or whatever it is you're so scared of. I'm here because SHIELD noticed—
[ She catches sight of one of the servers headed their way and pauses her explanation, putting on a pleasant smile as the man arrives to set their drinks and scones on the table. There's an exchange of pleasantries and then off he goes again. ]
These scones look amazing, they're different here from what we have in the States. [ She busies her hands adding milk to her coffee while she continues. ] Anyway, SHIELD noticed some really weird stuff going on in Egypt a few weeks ago, but our investigations there didn't really pan out into anything solid, so we started looking at other events that happened everywhere else around the same time.
[ The way she relays the steps that brought her to the moment is very professional like they're discussing a business deal and she's explaining the particulars of her proposal. There's nothing accusatory in her tone and the next part comes out friendlier like she's just telling a coworker about her day. ]
The thing with the museum didn't really ping our radar, at first. It was a bit extreme but it could have been nothing, you know? But then we found footage of an incident in the street that was filmed by a few tourists on a bus — footage of a guy in a white suit who looks a whole lot like you. So, here I am.
Steven listens half to Daisy's explanation and half to Marc in his head telling him not to give anything away, stirring soy milk into his tea. He gets Marc's concern, really he does, but it'd be nice of him to let Steven handle things on his own for a change. He hasn't bungled it spectacularly so far, has he? Hasn't even agreed he is Steven Grant, much less anything about what went on in Cairo. He knows to be wary.
You think she's friendly because she showed you a picture of her friend's daughter? Marc gives him an exasperated look through the reflection in his tea. All kinds of people have nieces, Steven. Doesn't make them nice.
Steven sighs inwardly and clears his throat, fidgeting with a piece of scone. ] Sorry, I'd like to help you and all, but isn't SHIELD kind of a dodgy org? I mean, didn't we all find out just a few years ago you were infiltrated by HYDRA? [ He tries to sound like someone who isn't literally just learning this information as their alter relays it to them. ] Pretty bad people, aren't they?
[ Looking down at her coffee cup, Daisy grows quiet and serious. It's a conversation she's had dozens of times over the years, having to convince all sorts of people that things are different now, but it's never gotten any easier. Remembering those days in the aftermath of HYDRA's reveal still hurts, Ward's betrayal stinging like a fresh wound despite his being long gone now. Her team had spent years hunting down the remnants of HYDRA, rooting out every last cell they could find and remaining vigilant for any sign of another emerging. Things have been quiet for a while now, thankfully, but she'll be first in line if anything turns up again. ]
We rebuilt SHIELD from the ground up and made it what it was always supposed to be. We're not funded by any government, we don't answer to anyone's special interests. We just protect people — we protect the world.
[ She picks up her cup, cradling it between her hands, and visibly struggles with a decision for a moment before finally asking: ] What would help you to trust me? Not completely, I know that takes a lot more time, but just a little. Is there anything I could do or say?
[ It seems to hit home, what he says about SHIELD. What Marc told him—and Marc still isn't any more open to trusting Daisy, but Steven can see she's deeply affected by it, turning quieter as she answers. And he'd like to believe her, for his part, because she does seem like a nice person, but Steven does not want to be on the radar of any organization, dodgy or world-protecting or anything else. It was bad enough chasing the cultists and being chased by them, with Khonshu looming over their lives. Things are finally quieting down. He doesn't even have superpowers anymore. ]
Oh. Um. I dunno. [ He feels a little sorry for her, wishing that there was something easy he could agree to that would build trust between them. But what Steven really wants is simply to be left alone. ]
Look, everything's good over in old Egypt now, yeah? And that—that bloke in the white suit won't be showing up in anybody's YouTube videos anymore, I can tell you that. [ Steven ignores Marc doing the equivalent of throwing up his hands in his head. It seems to him like the best thing to offer is a little bit of the truth, as a reassurance. ] You can tell your bosses or whoever. I mean, unless you're the boss. Then you could just—put it in a memo or something.
[ Daisy smirks behind her coffee cup as she raises it to finally take a sip. It's definitely strong but that's just how she likes it. ]
I was the boss for a little while. It wasn't really for me. [ She's never once regretted her decision to give up the position; Mack has been an incredible director. ] The director is basically my big brother, though, so he'll listen if I tell him things are good here. That it turns out it was just a normal guy who got mixed up in something a little above his paygrade.
[ Setting down her cup, she removes a business card from her back pocket. The corners are a bit dinged up but the SHIELD logo is still intact, printed in black on the crisp white card. On the back, she's written a phone number and the initials DJ. ]
This is in case things don't stay good. We have to cover a lot of ground, so we don't always notice things right away, but if you need backup...
[ Smiling to herself, she takes her phone out again and pulls up a video, letting it play as she places it on the table in front of him. It's a compilation of clips of "Quake" fighting and using her powers, the videos pulled from news footage and shaky phone cameras from around the world. There are dozens of them on the internet and she's given up being embarrassed by the fact that people write fanfiction and have posters of her on their walls. She's not Avengers-level famous, at least, otherwise, there's no way she'd be able to do her job like this. ]
If you need backup, I have a pretty unique skill set.
Oh? [ Steven chuckles. ] Look who called it. Me. Guess you seem like the type.
[ Confident and in charge. Steel resolve behind the friendly smile. Steven can't help the bit of admiration he feels towards Daisy: must be a big job to be the boss of an organization like SHIELD, even if she eventually gave it up. He doesn't mind the way she characterizes his own past—a normal guy mixed up in something a little above his paygrade—because it felt that way often enough for Steven until he came to realize that he was needed, he had strength of his own, he could be good at this whole superhero-ing thing.
And he thinks he's doing a fine job handling this conversation, thank you very much, Marc Spector. Daisy's not trying to arrest him or anything, just passing him her phone number and offering her help.
Then her phone again, on which Steven now sees a video of Daisy, compiled from dozens of phone clips and news sources. ] Wow...
[ He picks the phone up and brings it closer so he can see the video better. That is, indeed, quite a unique skill set. He hasn't seen many different kinds of superhuman abilities in person, just his and Marc's and Layla's. Things tend to be more quiet on this side of the pond. Not that he's seeing hers in person, exactly, but it leaves an impression nonetheless. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Daisy pockets her phone again after one last look at the photo; it served its purpose, getting a smile out of her new unwitting acquaintance. ]
I did, yeah. I also said I wasn't here to arrest you or haul you off to some lab or whatever it is you're so scared of. I'm here because SHIELD noticed—
[ She catches sight of one of the servers headed their way and pauses her explanation, putting on a pleasant smile as the man arrives to set their drinks and scones on the table. There's an exchange of pleasantries and then off he goes again. ]
These scones look amazing, they're different here from what we have in the States. [ She busies her hands adding milk to her coffee while she continues. ] Anyway, SHIELD noticed some really weird stuff going on in Egypt a few weeks ago, but our investigations there didn't really pan out into anything solid, so we started looking at other events that happened everywhere else around the same time.
[ The way she relays the steps that brought her to the moment is very professional like they're discussing a business deal and she's explaining the particulars of her proposal. There's nothing accusatory in her tone and the next part comes out friendlier like she's just telling a coworker about her day. ]
The thing with the museum didn't really ping our radar, at first. It was a bit extreme but it could have been nothing, you know? But then we found footage of an incident in the street that was filmed by a few tourists on a bus — footage of a guy in a white suit who looks a whole lot like you. So, here I am.
no subject
Steven listens half to Daisy's explanation and half to Marc in his head telling him not to give anything away, stirring soy milk into his tea. He gets Marc's concern, really he does, but it'd be nice of him to let Steven handle things on his own for a change. He hasn't bungled it spectacularly so far, has he? Hasn't even agreed he is Steven Grant, much less anything about what went on in Cairo. He knows to be wary.
You think she's friendly because she showed you a picture of her friend's daughter? Marc gives him an exasperated look through the reflection in his tea. All kinds of people have nieces, Steven. Doesn't make them nice.
Steven sighs inwardly and clears his throat, fidgeting with a piece of scone. ] Sorry, I'd like to help you and all, but isn't SHIELD kind of a dodgy org? I mean, didn't we all find out just a few years ago you were infiltrated by HYDRA? [ He tries to sound like someone who isn't literally just learning this information as their alter relays it to them. ] Pretty bad people, aren't they?
no subject
[ Looking down at her coffee cup, Daisy grows quiet and serious. It's a conversation she's had dozens of times over the years, having to convince all sorts of people that things are different now, but it's never gotten any easier. Remembering those days in the aftermath of HYDRA's reveal still hurts, Ward's betrayal stinging like a fresh wound despite his being long gone now. Her team had spent years hunting down the remnants of HYDRA, rooting out every last cell they could find and remaining vigilant for any sign of another emerging. Things have been quiet for a while now, thankfully, but she'll be first in line if anything turns up again. ]
We rebuilt SHIELD from the ground up and made it what it was always supposed to be. We're not funded by any government, we don't answer to anyone's special interests. We just protect people — we protect the world.
[ She picks up her cup, cradling it between her hands, and visibly struggles with a decision for a moment before finally asking: ] What would help you to trust me? Not completely, I know that takes a lot more time, but just a little. Is there anything I could do or say?
no subject
Oh. Um. I dunno. [ He feels a little sorry for her, wishing that there was something easy he could agree to that would build trust between them. But what Steven really wants is simply to be left alone. ]
Look, everything's good over in old Egypt now, yeah? And that—that bloke in the white suit won't be showing up in anybody's YouTube videos anymore, I can tell you that. [ Steven ignores Marc doing the equivalent of throwing up his hands in his head. It seems to him like the best thing to offer is a little bit of the truth, as a reassurance. ] You can tell your bosses or whoever. I mean, unless you're the boss. Then you could just—put it in a memo or something.
no subject
I was the boss for a little while. It wasn't really for me. [ She's never once regretted her decision to give up the position; Mack has been an incredible director. ] The director is basically my big brother, though, so he'll listen if I tell him things are good here. That it turns out it was just a normal guy who got mixed up in something a little above his paygrade.
[ Setting down her cup, she removes a business card from her back pocket. The corners are a bit dinged up but the SHIELD logo is still intact, printed in black on the crisp white card. On the back, she's written a phone number and the initials DJ. ]
This is in case things don't stay good. We have to cover a lot of ground, so we don't always notice things right away, but if you need backup...
[ Smiling to herself, she takes her phone out again and pulls up a video, letting it play as she places it on the table in front of him. It's a compilation of clips of "Quake" fighting and using her powers, the videos pulled from news footage and shaky phone cameras from around the world. There are dozens of them on the internet and she's given up being embarrassed by the fact that people write fanfiction and have posters of her on their walls. She's not Avengers-level famous, at least, otherwise, there's no way she'd be able to do her job like this. ]
If you need backup, I have a pretty unique skill set.
no subject
[ Confident and in charge. Steel resolve behind the friendly smile. Steven can't help the bit of admiration he feels towards Daisy: must be a big job to be the boss of an organization like SHIELD, even if she eventually gave it up. He doesn't mind the way she characterizes his own past—a normal guy mixed up in something a little above his paygrade—because it felt that way often enough for Steven until he came to realize that he was needed, he had strength of his own, he could be good at this whole superhero-ing thing.
And he thinks he's doing a fine job handling this conversation, thank you very much, Marc Spector. Daisy's not trying to arrest him or anything, just passing him her phone number and offering her help.
Then her phone again, on which Steven now sees a video of Daisy, compiled from dozens of phone clips and news sources. ] Wow...
[ He picks the phone up and brings it closer so he can see the video better. That is, indeed, quite a unique skill set. He hasn't seen many different kinds of superhuman abilities in person, just his and Marc's and Layla's. Things tend to be more quiet on this side of the pond. Not that he's seeing hers in person, exactly, but it leaves an impression nonetheless. ]