we lie for a living

[covertness]

WHO: bobbi "katelin philips" morse, markus and connor, stephen strange
WHERE: the android apartment, stephen's apartment
WHEN: september 10-ish
WHAT: bobbi comes clean to a select few individuals
NOTES OR WARNINGS: feelings, maybe? drama? who knows

the cut is fake, starters in comments

Comments

[saviorexe]

[Markus has to take time to turn these replies over in his head. He believes her, as Connor had said, and the bit of lying to their friends— well. He’s certain a part of that retort is born from irritation, but he senses the earnestness embedded in the declaration, too.

Something of an impasse, then, wondering how to reconcile it. His eyes move to the other android, briefly, stiffly:]

That might be an issue moving forward, since keeping this information under wraps requires an on-going lie of omission.

[To feign ignorance. To not correct the oblivious whenever the name “Katelin” is used on the network or in-person. He glances sidelong at Bobbi again to confirm this, and to ask a second question.]

You mentioned trust. I want to know, out of curiosity, what we’ve done to earn it. Something like his isn’t merely handed out due to friendship alone.

[And Bobbi was closer to him than she was to Connor, making even that much a flimsy excuse.]

[covertness]

[ bobbi inclines her head to acknowledge that point. it does require an on-going lie of omission. ] I know I'm asking a lot. [ a beat. briefly, her lips twist into a small smile, not exactly humorous. ] And if you don't believe it's worth it, I'm listening.

[ she still thinks having a potential ace up their collective sleeve is worth the lie, but it's not an absolute. ]

As for the trust. [ she shrugs a little. ] It's not one thing you've done so much as me feeling like I have a decent sense of who you are. [ maybe that's revealing too much about herself in the process, but it's entirely honest for once ]

I respect those men. [ the ones she thinks they are. the ones she's reasonably sure still she is right about. ]

[cyberlife]

It's not a lot, but — and I mean this as respectfully as I can — I think it's pointless to hide your real name in this place, for many different reasons. (connor pushes his utensil deeper into his noodles and twists them idly, looking from markus to bobbi.) A name isn't where your abilities come from and no one will mind that you're a spy.

How do you think it'd come into use in the future? I'd like to hear everyone's opinion.

(she'd get gunned down with or without it, that's what he's sure of. it'd be better to have the trust of the entire collective and make strong allies of them all; that's the ace up the sleeve they should all be focusing on. bonding, becoming tight knit, strength in numbers.

not whatever this is.)

You're right to trust Markus and I, but this is a lie that has no basis.

[saviorexe]

[Markus isn’t certain, really, what his own opinion has to do with anything. When it’s Bobbi’s choice to have made, his own insight means little, one person's intentions and reasoning not exactly applying the same way in another’s mind.

But Connor, as always, seems concerned with the logic behind it. Likely a question put forth by lingering irritation, wanting to question and challenge the reasoning behind the lie to begin with — that's what Markus thinks, anyway.]

I assume to mislead people from her world that might arrive, especially those that would recognize her real name.

[It’s where the reasoning leads him, at any rate, but he sure isn't a spy or an agent. But all he can do is look to Bobbi for confirmation.]

[covertness]

[ it isn't anyone's choice but hers, but she's aware that her reasons for hiding her name and her abilities (the latter more than the former) are a long shot. she's betting on a possibility —one that she doesn't know how the likelihood of because there are so many things up in the air. ]

I don't think I know nearly enough about who or what brought us here and to what end to know for sure.

[ that's kind of the problem, isn't it? ] But if someone's responsible, chances are good they don't know who I am, what I can do. [ she's a spy, she lies for a living. her civilian aliases are out there for anyone to find; bobbi morse the shield agent is not a known entity outside of shield.

more than most shield agent, bobbi excels at undercover work and it's how she's been deployed most often. ] Say we have to fight them. Say they bring us back in.

[ her shoulders draw up for a moment, a shrug. ] The element of surprise could give us the edge we need to get out.

[ a long shot, like she'd said. far less certain than what markus is thinking. ]