The art of keeping it together (open)

The way the guy suddenly decided to get away from her surprised Dalton, who was used to have that kind of exchanges with people not ending that way often. It was true that she hadn't been the nicest to this Davyn guy, but she didn't think she had been all that repellent either. Maybe he really had something important to worry about, like her.

Dalton wasn't the caring, motherly type, but at that moment in her life, being alone with herself and nothing to keep her mind entertained with was a dangerous idea. "Ditchin' me already?" She asked in an attempt to retain him. Truth was, she didn't want to be alone. That stupid fear had been the cause of most of her life's biggest mistakes but it was a compulsion at this point. "That's not very nice of you," she joked.

Davyn's reply got a sincere laugh out of Dalton, though her eyes seemed still serious, as if there were some deeply set sadness that wouldn't go away with just that. Not much self-esteem, Dalton added to the mental file she had created under D.

"Whatever I was before you came along was way worse than annoyed, believe me." She said back to being serious. "I always speak my mind. If I wanted you gone, you wouldn't have to do any interpretation to get it." The rather solemn way she said that made it sound like a promise.

For some reason, Dalton got the feeling that she was dealing with someone a lot younger than he looked like. She wondered what kind of agent he'd be if he couldn't even hold a conversation with a... well not that she considered herself attractive, but at least she wasn't a she-hulk.

"Shooting range's not an option, right?" She asked half-knowing what the reply would be. Betting on hard to hit targets was one of her made up past-times.

Dalton gave him a quizzical look. "Interested in learning?" She offered raising her eyebrows. The idea seemed to make a hint of interest appear in her eyes. Training new recruits was something she was good at, something familiar.

"Or maybe you're planning on making career as the house pet." Dalton teased considering his idea of fun was roaming the hallways and watching other agents do whatever they were doing if all his other interactions with people were like their previous exchange.

"So why were you recruited, exactly?" Dalton couldn't help asking. She could use a mouth filter but, sadly, that model came without one. "I mean I'm used to training and working with all kinds of people but you're something else entirely." She kept going without waiting for an answer. Davyn didn't have that military or hero je ne sais quoi most people she had met over her long years of service had had. It was as if he didn't quite belong in such a structured system, to her at least.

Only when she saw his reaction and heard the way he went about the whole thing did Dalton realize that she might have overstepped his rather extensive personal space. She was the kind of person to which this happened often, due to speaking without thinking.

"I understand complicated." She made a sympathetic face. "Sorry if that was too personal. For the record: I was just teasing." Her face was serious and her attitude contrite. She was getting softer in her 'old age', Dalton scolded herself internally.

"Just thought I could make myself useful training you to kill the time. I don't like being caged up here." She kinda growled the last part. Being locked up with nothing to do was getting to her nerves. The proof was the state he had found her in.

"Yeah, I know. Complicated." For a moment Dalton got lost on her own complicated thoughts, but managed to pull herself out of it before going back to a milder version of the state he had found her in. "Keeps us human, huh?" The comment came with a rather sad war veteran smile. Maybe that's why she was softer now. One of the few things she had managed to learn over the past few years was that everyone had a subject or too that were just too messed up to talk or even think about. If this guy's was as ubiquitous as it seemed, there was no wondering why he looked and sounded so miserable.

"Yoga?" She joked. Definitely a mutant, she thought back to her inner bet. For a moment, she waited for the pang of jealousy that often came with that knowledge but it didn't come. He didn't seem to have a life she'd ever envy. "Don't count on me for that one. Anything too far away from shooting, throwing knives and hand to hand combat and you've lost me."

Dalton wished hard that he wasn't being held hostage. That might tempt her to help him break out if she was too bored and Fury didn't make good on his promises to her. That's why she didn't ask further questions. She needed to stay focused if she wanted information about Gabe.