[ he pauses, the silence punctuated by a sip of his drink. ]
Would you believe me if I said you were my first?
[ with the gangs at least, an impromptu test-run brought on by jason's own needling rather than fitz identifying him as a useful mark. lucky. ]
But I'm cultivating another lead, yes. [ waving a hand. ] Early days yet. [ unlikely to beat jason to the punch, so to speak. ] If they're inclined toward a particular group, I'll update you. [ his shoulders rise in a lazy shrug. ] No sense in doubling up.
[ anonymised for now, though he's open to sharing in future. ]
( so fitz is moving pieces. he's clever enough to keep a few on lead, smart enough to gain dick grayson's attention, and doesn't open his mouth and blab on unnecessary details. wow. consider jason intrigued and (mildly) attached. someone who has the balls to start directing others where they're useful and playflirt along the way, that's jason's kind of dude.
he doesn't need the leadership, but fuck does he appreciate it right now. jason's always a mess when he's playing his own game, especially without any real high goal to reach at the end of it. fitz is, at least, giving him something to go off of. )
A'right. Sounds good to me.
( another moment, and he pushes himself up from the bar stool. makes a quick transfer via implant to transfer over credits to cover the drinks. )
Well, this was nice. You'd better call me for a second date.
[ if this were SHIELD — if he’d recruited someone or been assigned to handle them — there’d be protocol to walk through. rules, emergency procedures, a breakdown about what fitz can offer him in a crisis. he still recalls his first meeting with coulson, freshly resurrected and standing in the doorway of his academy dorm — encouraging, complimentary, cautious — only fitz contrasts that warmth with later horror from his mentor. that wasn’t your call to make, fitz. it was. it absolutely is. if no one else will take the lead, if they won’t decide who’s worth recruiting, risking and protecting, he can. he will.
an encounter both haphazard and uneasy has become an opportunity to grasp a useful piece, charting a path suddenly opened up ahead. fitz doesn’t trust jason — but he believes he won attention, if not respect, today. and that jason will pursue one of his suggestions, at least in the short-term. the lad’s tough, dedicated to finding answers to the point of vivisection. better than half the agents fitz has guided into danger ‘cause he was mid-leap already. this chat only refines his trajectory. ]
I’ll ring when it suits. [ when it’s useful for him to do so, likely once he scrutinises jason in the ring. fitz hardly has any time left to waste, working for three here in NA, and feeling the hairline fracture in his mind crack ever wider. ] And expect the same in return.
[ at least with anything significant enough to alter his broader plans. one corner of his mouth hooks upward, not quite a smile, as he raises his glass. cheers for the drinks, matches malone. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Would you believe me if I said you were my first?
[ with the gangs at least, an impromptu test-run brought on by jason's own needling rather than fitz identifying him as a useful mark. lucky. ]
But I'm cultivating another lead, yes. [ waving a hand. ] Early days yet. [ unlikely to beat jason to the punch, so to speak. ] If they're inclined toward a particular group, I'll update you. [ his shoulders rise in a lazy shrug. ] No sense in doubling up.
[ anonymised for now, though he's open to sharing in future. ]
no subject
he doesn't need the leadership, but fuck does he appreciate it right now. jason's always a mess when he's playing his own game, especially without any real high goal to reach at the end of it. fitz is, at least, giving him something to go off of. )
A'right. Sounds good to me.
( another moment, and he pushes himself up from the bar stool. makes a quick transfer via implant to transfer over credits to cover the drinks. )
Well, this was nice. You'd better call me for a second date.
no subject
an encounter both haphazard and uneasy has become an opportunity to grasp a useful piece, charting a path suddenly opened up ahead. fitz doesn’t trust jason — but he believes he won attention, if not respect, today. and that jason will pursue one of his suggestions, at least in the short-term. the lad’s tough, dedicated to finding answers to the point of vivisection. better than half the agents fitz has guided into danger ‘cause he was mid-leap already. this chat only refines his trajectory. ]
I’ll ring when it suits. [ when it’s useful for him to do so, likely once he scrutinises jason in the ring. fitz hardly has any time left to waste, working for three here in NA, and feeling the hairline fracture in his mind crack ever wider. ] And expect the same in return.
[ at least with anything significant enough to alter his broader plans. one corner of his mouth hooks upward, not quite a smile, as he raises his glass. cheers for the drinks, matches malone. ]