performance | IC CONTACT - MASK OR MENACE

We're working on that.

Do missions always go that well where you're from?

well yeah i mean mission success everyone was saved people go home fine

Not everyone.

[There's a lengthy pause between texts]

oh
hey i didnt mean

sorry

It's all right. You didn't know.

KF took it pretty hard. If you asked him and he brushed you off, that's why.

didnt ask him yet

people have just been mentioning it and saying its not their place to explain

wait

is that what the 11th was about?

[That would actually completely explain Wally's need for a therapy run]

He didn't tell you?

no

i dnt get to run with him often i just said yesand didnt ask

I assumed you two would be close after four months.

kinda hes just always in class or something moded like that

Oh. College. Right.

So you don't see each other much outside of missions? That's rough.

[ahahahahah missions...]

its not too moded im always out near ca anyway

CA?

So either Berkeley or Stanford.

He MUST be busy.

hey busy or not he still got me hooked on chicken whizees

[/dodge]

[ He debates sending this reply, types it out and erases it and retypes it several times, but the gnawing in his stomach wins out over professional stoicism. ]

We're okay, right? Me and KF.

Things haven't changed now that I'm in charge of the team?

[There's a second where Bart almost answers honestly. Where he doesn't think and starts typing something about Wally's retirement, how he doesn't know because he's never actually seen Wally anywhere near the Team.

And then... he can't. Robin - Dick - is nice, and Wally's more family here than he was back home and it's horrible to think that way but its true and Bart... doesn't want to risk changing that. He doesn't want to let them know how things work out because its nice. What Bart's seen of the team here and how everyone gets along, its nice.

So, he lies.]

yeah you guys are crash. i mean you can barely get missions assigned without him making some dumb joke

[For some reason, Bart feels worse about this lie than most of the others. But... its still better than the truth, right?]

[ The lie does its job, in part because it's what Dick so badly needs to believe. ]

Yeah. That sounds like Wally.

[phew]

sooooo things like the big bad kidnapping happen here often?

So far, no. There were mechanical sharks once. And a bombing.

But the kidnapping was the worst.

[ It was personal. ]

kidnappings usually suck been kidnapped twice in the last few months and ugh it does not get any more fun

figures this place isnt as crash as it seems

Wait, you're actually enjoying it here?

Ignoring the kidnapping part because I'm sure that qualifies as a spoiler.