lifetothefullest | [IC Inbox]

[ Wash had been sitting with Kyna when the knock on the door came. She'd invited her friend over and wanted them to meet, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't feeling mild dread already at the idea. Things weren't going great with her existing friends. But he trails after her anyway, coming to introduce himself to this Lance guy and--

--he recognizes him immediately. Wash's eyes widen a little and he freezes in place, looking very much like a deer in the headlights. It's the psychologist who'd been offering his services on the network. Quick, Wash, act normal. ]

Uh. Hi.

[ Smooth. He's got this. ]

[Well, okay. Wash immediately looks panicked.]

Lance, this is Wash. Wash, Lance. How shitty was the paper crane?

[Wow, that's... Not the reaction he was expecting, and Lance isn't sure if he should be more or less nervous about it looking like Washington is kind of... Afraid of him? He doesn't have the first idea of what to do with a reaction like that; no one's ever afraid of him.

He nods a little at Washington as Kyna introduces them, offering a quiet 'hello' before answering Kyna's question.]

You're supposed to be able to pull on its tail to make its wings flap, but the tail just kind of came off. And then Sandy stole it.

[So, super shitty. And also he may be trying to put Washington at a little more easy by telling the story in such a casual way, although it's entirely true.]

[ Wash isn't used to having to hide his expressions since he's normally wearing a helmet but right now he's in civvies so. It takes him a moment to school his face into something more neutral, and his eyes are still wary. This is fine, though. It's not like Lance knows anything about him, right? He's not here for an evaluation. Wash just has to watch what he says. ]

Who's Sandy?

[Totally fine. Kyna is just going to keep on pretending Wash is chill, because maybe if she does, he'll actually relax.]

Um, Brennan has a fennec fox. It's adorable.

She's lucky she's adorable, considering how poorly behaved she is.

[It's obviously a joke, though; Lance is totally smitten with the animal.]

Cute gets away with a lot, doesn't it?

[ He steps a little closer to Kyna when he says that, with a hint of a teasing smile despite his discomfort. ]

Wow.

[That's offensive!]

I'm cute and awesome, actually.

[Duh. Kyna plops down on the couch, since standing around feels a little weird.]

[The smile is a good sign, although Kyna going to sit down leaves both Lance and Washington in a little bit of an awkward position. But Lance will let Washington decide where he wants to go and what he wants to do first, since he seems so nervous right now.]

That may be, but 'awesome' tends to be less effective in that regard.

[Cuteness really is the main factor in getting away with things.]

I could have meant Olympia.

[ Are they sitting? Wash glances at Lance again before deciding to claim the spot next to Kyna on the couch, though since they have company it's not right up against her side. The question now is, what do they talk about? The current events aren't exactly fun and Wash is garbage at socializing. But he just mentioned a name Lance doesn't know, so he can expand on that. ]

Kyna got me a kitten.

Almost as cute as Sandy. Way cuter than a goat.

[And then, for Wash's benefit—]

Lance had a goat once.

You have a kitten?

[This is clearly the most important thing he's heard in awhile, currently weird situation or not. He wanders over toward the couch, but isn't sure where to actually sit or stand so just sort of hovers awkwardly, though mention of his brief goat ownership is a good distraction.]

His name was Fitz; he was part of a crime scene but we couldn't get him to an animal sanctuary immediately, so he stayed with me.

[In his office. At the FBI. It went over about as well as could be expected.]

[ Wash nods, pulling his phone from his pocket because of course he has a million pictures of Olympia already, offering it to Lance. She's tiny still, a little white ball of birman fluff with grey face and paws and bright blue eyes.

A goat, huh? Wash is about to ask what goats are like, when something else in that statement gets his attention. ]

A crime scene? I thought you were a psychologist.

[Kyna, meanwhile, scoots over and pats the empty cushion beside her. Sit down, Lance.]

[He takes the phone when offered and immediately lighting up a bit at the picture; that is quite possibly the cutest kitten to ever exist, although Harlan's kitten is pretty damn cute too. All kittens are cute, actually. It's a major problem.

But it's also generally a good sign as far as Washington's character goes; not hesitating to reveal that he adores a small animal means he's probably not the hyper-masculine aggressive type, although he'd already started getting that impression. Lance turns the phone back over to him before sitting down as indicated, resisting the urge to pull one of his legs up onto the couch; that's not a thing you're supposed to do in other people's houses.]

I am a psychologist, although I have a few other jobs as well. Does the FBI exist as an organization where you're from?

[He can't remember exactly what Ephemera had said.]

[ You should see him with that kitten, Lance. He's a mush.

At the mention of the FBI Wash's expression goes thoughtful. Law enforcement? Maybe a profiler or something? He wouldn't have imagined that sort of psychologist would be offering therapy to the general population. Maybe he did agent evaluations... again, Wash reminds himself to watch what he says. ]

Uh... I don't think so, but honestly I don't actually know much about Earth's government. I know what it was, though. American intelligence agency?

Yeah, pretty much, I think.

[And then Kyna grins at Lance.]

And they totally make people shit their pants.

As a whole, they do. Me, personally, not as much.

[Lance offers the correction to Kyna's addition, with a small grin, but he nods at Washington.]

But yeah, like Kyna said, that's pretty much it. I work as a psychologist there, so I primarily handle evaluations and counseling agents, but I'm also a criminal profiler and an agent myself. I'm often involved in criminal investigations, for those reasons.

I'm not surprised, intelligence doesn't mess around.

[ It's true that Lance isn't very intimidating at first glance, but appearances can be deceiving. Wash isn't going to let his guard down. ]

How'd you get into that?

[Kyna tucks her legs up underneath her on the couch, which might make Lance a bit more comfortable with doing it, too.]

He totally caught the Zodiac Killer single-handedly and then they begged him to work for them.

[Wait, does Wash know who the Zodiac Killer is? Does Lance? This multiverse thing is a joke killer.]

[He doesn't follow suit immediately, but he probably will soon. Instead he gives Kyna a look with raised eyebrows, amused.]

Can I hire you as like, a PR agent or something?

[Such unwarranted, but not unappreciated, hyping. But as for Washington's question--]

Which part?

[ Wash doesn't get the reference, but it's obvious enough from the name that it's a serial killer. The sort of person that kind of agency would be after. ]

Does it count as PR if you make it all up?

[ He considers the question. What's the most important aspect? ]

Psychology.

[Kyna grins.]

No, I'm pretty sure that makes it bullshit. Sorry, Lance.

[Lance rolls his eyes and makes an exaggerated 'ugh' of disappointment, but then goes serious a moment later. Fortunately enough, he's been asked the same question Washington asked a few times now, so he's found a way to answer that is truthful but avoids going into anything too personal.]

I wanted to do something that would help people. There were a few different careers I considered, such as being a medical doctor, but I decided I wanted to work with people on a more personal level and psychology seemed like a good choice.

[ That's the ideal answer, isn't it? Wanting to help people. Wash's eyes narrow a little, studying Lance. That's probably not all there is to it, but he shouldn't jump to anything malicious. Even if his personal experience with shrinks has been terrible. ]

And you're keeping it up here, huh?

[ He glances to Kyna, then. ]

Is that how you two met?

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