(no subject)

[protect_and_survey]

After the mess with the... creature and the caves and the girl who should be on the List, Jemma firmly resolved to stay put in her room. It should've been easy, what with a twisted ankle.

She was going stir-crazy within an afternoon.

So after sending a rat to fetch one of those nifty gel ankle braces, letting the thing chill in the freezer for a while, and grabbing her sketchpad, she's back downstairs. After a careful consideration of her options (dark booth would increase security, but if something did go wrong she'd be hidden from view, and it'd just plain be uncomfortable; barstool would be distinctly uncomfortable, but definitely the most convenient; the couch would be terribly visible and potentially dangerous but also terribly comfortable and in plain view of what security there is (and, more reassuringly, in view of any field agents about)).

She goes for the couch, and sends a rat to fetch tea and something for dinner.

Comments

[holds_her_own]

"Agent Simmons."

As it happens, Hill can be doggedly thorough when it comes to tracking someone down.

She slants a glance at Jemma's ankle, and arches an eyebrow.

"Been laying low, I see."

[protect_and_survey]

"I..." There is absolutely no way to explain this that doesn't make her sound like a damsel in distress for most of it.

Bother.

"There was a creature. Actually, multiple, but I didn't see the minotaur one."

[holds_her_own]

Minotaur?





"Were you in a Labyrinth?"

Most importantly, did she neglect to bring back David Bowie?

Hill is most disappointed.

[protect_and_survey]

"Yes ma'am, pretty sure I was. Then some sort of factory, then it led to the mountains outside. The first creature took a handful of people, it seemed like." She reports.

If Jemma had found David Bowie, she would have brought him back without fail.

Or possibly gone to be a Goblin Queen, provided Fitz could come along too.

[holds_her_own]

She narrows her eyes.

"A factory?"

She hasn't investigated every corner of Milliways yet, but she'd like to think she would have noticed a factory.

"This have anything to do with the notice on the bulletin board?"

They'd mentioned mountains, and people gone missing.

Hill had been half-sure it was some sort of holiday joke.

"Krampus abducting innocents?"

[protect_and_survey]

She looks vaguely insulted at the 'innocents', because really, she may have been a young recruit, but she's not a child.

Really.

"Tall, dark, with chains? The other woman didn't give much of a description."

[holds_her_own]

Child or not, she's definitely not naughty.

Somebody should check his list.

"That's close to what the note said."

She gives Simmons another once-over.

"But you're OK? And the other woman?"

[protect_and_survey]

"Yes ma'am - we were both hungry and tired by the time we got out, but I think I caught the worst of it, and it's just a twisted ankle." She explains, waving a hand at the braced foot. "Landed badly in the dark I'm afraid, after the floor collapsed."

[holds_her_own]

Hill pinches her nose.

This place is an incident report nightmare.

"That might dampen the good news a little."

She can't send Simmons back to work like that.

At least not without a good cover story.

"Xavier checked out. There's no danger in you returning to work."

At this rate she might even live longer the sooner she gets back in the lab.

(frozen comment)

[protect_and_survey]

"Oh!" She exclaims delightedly, beaming.

And then she realizes.

"Oh." Well. That's going to be problematic. She rather visibly deflates, because she really, really wants to go home. She could actually summon up a little physical violence against certain monsters at the moment.

"Oh dear."

(frozen comment)

[holds_her_own]

"Keep it iced and elevated. I hear the infirmary here is well-stocked."

She's sympathetic to Jemma's disappointment, but disappointment is part of the job.

Shock and discomfort, on the other hand, don't need to be.

"You may be receiving a letter of apology in the next few days."

(frozen comment)

[protect_and_survey]

"Do I have to answer it?" She asks, sounding borderline petulant. Mostly, she just wants to stay well clear of the telepath, if at all possible.

(frozen comment)

[holds_her_own]

"No."

The answer is quick and confident.

"However, if he says anything upsetting you should let me know immediately."

This time she pauses.

She takes a step forward, hands clasped loosely behind her back.

"You might also want to consider using a little more tact in the future. Let me be clear, under no circumstances do I think it's excusable for anyone to purposely divine any information about my agents against their will, no matter what means they employ. Professor Xavier has acknowledged his actions were wrong and made assurances it will not happen again. You're new here; he's not. He doesn't have the luxury of inexperience as an excuse, and should be accustomed to a certain adjustment period among new patrons."

Beat.

"But you're SHIELD, Agent Simmons. That makes you exemplary, and while you are here you should conduct yourself as such."

(frozen comment)

[protect_and_survey]

"Yes, ma'am." That's... that's not the 'FitzSimmons you have no idea how much trouble you're in' tone, and it isn't the 'FitzSimmons you simply must stop waylaying your fellow agents for experiments' tone. Those she knows. It's almost... friendly? But there's a sharp point in there that she'd be an idiot to ignore.

"Sorry ma'am, I will do better."

(frozen comment)

[holds_her_own]

Hill nods.

To be frank, whatever tone drives the point home for Simmons is the tone she means.

Letting the lower-level agents figure that out for themselves saves her the time and trouble.

"I know you will. You did the right thing, the way you reacted. Just try to avoid the trouble in the first place next time."

(frozen comment)

[protect_and_survey]

She blushes, ducking her head - she doesn't know what exactly went wrong in that conversation. Usually she gets on so well with scientists! They all speak the same language!

"Yes ma'am. I have been getting on better with most other people here."

(frozen comment)

[holds_her_own]

"Labyrinthine creatures aside?"

She arches her eyebrow, but this time she's just barely smiling.

It fades quickly.

"Do we need to look into that?"

(frozen comment)

[protect_and_survey]

"I think it's been sorted - the... thing responsible is in the cells, from what I saw. Which begs the question - why does a pub have jail cells?" She asks a bit plaintively. She'd love it if one part of this place made sense at first glance.

(frozen comment)

[holds_her_own]

She can get in line behind Hill.

"That's an excellent question."

One she's clearly been asking herself.

Among others.

"But maybe we should just be glad the security here is doing their job."

(frozen comment)

[protect_and_survey]

"Small mercies." Simmons agrees, nodding fervently. "I dread to think what would be going on if they weren't."

Because surely they're keeping a close eye on things, right?

...

Right?