Joaquin Dizon (federalservice) wrote in theinvincibles, @ 2015-09-03 18:15:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !log, georgia bell, santiago hernández |
Who: Santiago Hernández (449) and Georgia Bell (028)
Where: Agent break room, Facility 003
When: Backdated to the week after the riot
What: Coffee time!
Warnings: n/a
He should have known better, really. Santiago prodded absent-mindedly at the stitches in his temple and winced, a naggingly painful reminder of his role in the riot several days earlier. He was still not feeling anywhere near a hundred percent, but he’d never really let anything like that stop him before. The DMS needed him, he told himself, though this internal motivator stopped short of recognising the fact that he likely needed the job more than it needed him. Everything was an absolute mess at the moment, and he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he wasn’t there doing everything he could to help out. It was the least he could do. He’d been less than vigilant at Club Night, and just look at what had happened. People - Agents and Metas - could have been killed, and that was the last thing he needed on his conscience. He choked down another mouthful of black coffee and poked at the stitches again despite himself, then nearly jumped out of his skin when he realised he was not alone. Santiago whisked around, looking very much like a startled rabbit. “Oh! Oh thank god, it’s just you.” he said, relieved even as hot coffee sloshed out of the cup onto his fingers. Georgia winced as the coffee spilled, feeling a pang of sympathy burn under her bandages. "Oh no!" she cried, reaching for a roll of paper towels to help Santiago clean up. While stop, drop, and roll had saved her from a deep burn, and the infirmary had done a wonderful job of patching up her arm, she still had a few days before she reached 100%. Even after the dust had settled, she even found herself more skittish than usual around hot things, leaving her own coffee -- cut with so much milk and sugar that was the color of caramel and about as sweet -- sitting on the table until it reached lukewarm. “Oh no, you don’t have to - well, thank you. Thank you. You are too kind.” Santiago stammered appreciatively, accepting the paper towels and mopping up the spilled drink. He stifled a grimace at the feeling of scalded skin and attempted to replace it with a strained smile instead. “Sorry, I’m a bit of a klutz these last few days. I’m a bit on ed - I mean, I was just startled. But how are you? How are you feeling? Are you all right after all the uh… “ Santiago gestured vaguely, trying to figure out a gentler way to refer to a riot but coming up with nothing. He floundered wordlessly for a moment before deciding on a simple, concerned, “How are you?” Rather than dwell on the past, Georgia always tried to look towards using it to improve the future, but the riot had affected her more than she cared to admit. She smiled warmly. "Oh, you know. A little crispy, but all in a day's work!" Santiago tried to smile back at her, but he was finding it a bit harder to stay upbeat. He gave it his best shot, though. He laughed weakly. “Well, hopefully things will be a little less, uh… crispy from here on out.” he said, trying not to recall the scent of singed hair and vomit from a few days earlier. He shook his head and decided it was better not to linger on the subject. “On the bright side, no-one will be able to claim being an RS Agent is boring… at least for a little while.” "Are you kidding?" Georgia laughed in response. Hers was better than Santiago's, not that it was difficult. She powered through noticing his hesitance. "This job is never boring."boring." “I don’t think it’s boring. I love it.” Santiago said, although he didn’t sound nearly as convinced as he thought he did. “Of course, you know… we know what it’s actually like. My brothers think all I do chauffeur kids and kill spiders.” "Sometimes, I think the Field Agents think we do that," Georgia added, her perkiness falling ever so slightly. "It's silly because they've all done this job and they know." Most of them hadn't even done their terms in RS with near-weekly APEX attacks, spies, and riots. “Some of them do, I’m sure. I suppose if you’ve got the mindset that this is the lesser job, it’s easy to wonder why some of us would stick around by choice. They ought to know better, though.” Santiago said, frowning momentarily. He paused, sipped his coffee, then put on a chipper face. “It doesn’t really matter what others think, though. It’s important work. It’s important that we have people like me and you - you know, people who care - doing this job. Appreciation or no appreciation.” "Exactly," Georgia added emphatically, perhaps slightly too much so. "Getting to know the metahumans and working to make sure everyone is safe, that's all the reward we need." After the weekend, though, she could feel the shift in the atmosphere prickling at her skin, even where her nerves hadn't been burned. The Agents didn't trust the metahumans the same, even those who hadn't been involved in the riot, and vice versa. Georgia couldn't blame either side, even as she felt more sympathy for the Agents like herself who had done what they had to do to restore peace. Santiago nodded in agreement. “I’m fine with some of them thinking I’m the villain as long as everyone’s safe, you know? It’s for their own good. It’s for the good of everyone… right?” he said, though he didn’t sound entirely sure. He poked at his stitches again, forgetful. “Son of a - owww.” He set down his cup and stuffed his hands into his pockets, attempting to keep them away from himself. He forced a smile. “Let’s just hope no-one else gets hurt.” Santiago said, then - in an attempt to lighten the mood - joked, “Do you think this scar will help my street cred?” "Oh, for sure!" Georgia confirmed, nodding emphatically. Burn scars tended not to be very attractive, and she was thankful that her own wounds from the riot would be easy enough to hide, but that didn't mean that was the case for all of her coworkers. "It's very --" She cast about for an appropriate pop culture reference. "Scar the lion. Or Seal!" Santiago chuckled, and shook his head. It wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind, but he’d take it. “Great. Perhaps the younguns will like me more,” he said, even if he wasn’t feeling all that likeable, at least for the time being. He glanced at his watch and sighed. “Speaking of which, I guess I should get back out there.” "Go get 'em, tiger!" Georgia cheered. She beamed. "I'll be right behind you." |