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[ a note left on the kitchen table, to be found the morning after mission: youthful disobedience: ]

I'm sorry if any of you face repercussions for what we're about to do. I had to get to the bottom of things here. If I make it back, I'll tell you everything we discover.

If I don't, everything I've discovered up to this point is in a labeled folder in my room. Stay vigilant.

[By the time Daisy's knocking on Hob's apartment door, it's almost an hour later than they agreed on for their weekly movie night. She almost ghosted him, but she's managed to just push past the negative feelings that have been amplifying over the last few days.]

Hey.

[Daisy says when Hob opens the door, he might notice the dark circles under her eyes. Sleep hasn't been easy for her in a while, but it's been almost non existent the past few days.]

[ When Daisy didn't show up, Hob thought she might be running late. After twenty minutes, he figures she changed her mind about the movie. She could have sent a text or something. He almost texts her, but he wonders if she might find that annoying, so he decides not to.

Hob ends up settling in with a book for the evening, but then the knock on the door interrupts his reading. Putting the book down, he goes to answer and is surprised to find her standing there. ]

Hey. I thought...

[ Nevermind that. ]

Come in...

[ Hob steps aside to allow her to pass. ]

A-are you alright? You look kind of awful.

[ Well, he's not wrong. ]

Did something happen?

[Daisy has the DVD she's chosen tucked under her arm, and an open bottle of vodka held in one of her hands. Has she had some already? Maybe.]

I'm fine.

[She says dismissively, stepping past him.]

No. Are we going to watch the movie or are you going to role play as a shrink instead?

[ It does look like she got started without him. ]

Alright...

[ He offers to take the movie, a bit uncertain to do much else at the moment. ]

Let me just get this sorted.

[ He will definitely revisit her strange behavior, though. For now, he goes to tidy up the couch, moving some pillows and his book. ]

I'd ask if you wanted something to drink, but I see you came prepared.

[Daisy hangs back while he clears off the couch, taking a seat once he's moved away.]

Yeah. It's not amazing, but it does the job.

[She holds out the bottle towards him in offer, tossing the DVD case onto the coffee table.]

[ After the week he's been having, the bottle of vodka looks more like a lifeline.

He accepts and half-considers getting some plastic cups, but then decides to just take a few solid gulps straight from the bottle. God, he needed that. The bottle is offered back, after. ]

You know, I'm no shrink, but you can get something off your chest if you want to.

[Daisy watches him drink from the bottle, assessing him before taking the bottle back and taking a swig.]

If I wanted to talk with a shrink, I'd go to Hannibal.

[And judging by her tone, that's the last thing she wants.]

You gonna put the movie in?

[ Maybe Hob is the one who could use a shrink. ]

Right. What did you choose?

[ He picks up the DVD to have a look as he opens the case and inserts it into the player. ]

[Leaning back on the couch, Daisy rests the bottle against her legs.]

Paranormal Activity.

[She watched it with Fitz once, and at the thought of him she takes another swig of vodka.]

Not gonna be too scary for you, is it?

[ Hob picks up a bag of chips on the way back to the couch and sets it between them. ]

Too scary? Hah, I...

[ And the movie starts and Hob already knows. Slowly he reaches for one of those pillows and holds it. ]

[Something flairs in Daisy at seeing him reach for the pillow, an urge to make that fear of his to grow.]

It's just a movie.

[Her gaze stays on him, instead of the movie. She's seen it before anyway.]

That snake trying to attack you had to have been scarier than this.

Isn't being scared the point of watching these movies?

[ That's what she said before, so he thinks he's on top of this assignment better than she is at the moment, and he's clutching that pillow to his chest to prove it.

Reminding him of the snake gets Hob to look over at her, which is actually preferred to the film. ]

Just because that was scary doesn't mean this isn't scary. It's a different type of scary. I thought you were scary too, you know.

[ The last is said with a little smile. ]

I guess so.

[Daisy says dismissively, not remotely focused on the movie right now. Something in her stirs when he brings up how he thought she was scary, and she doesn't seem to care that his admission excites her instead of hurting her.]

You wouldn't be the first time person to say that.

[There's an urge to draw more of that fear to the surface, her gaze transfixed on him.]

Did you think I was going to throw you like I threw that snake?

[ Hob was scared of her then, but he's not now. She wouldn't hurt him now, right? What is there to fear? ]

I had considered it, but I'm glad you were there to help. If you hadn't been there... I don't want to picture the outcome.

[ But what she said makes him frown a bit. ]

People have been afraid of you?

More times than I can count. People are afraid of those that are different.

[A tiny smile tugs at her lips, head titling a little.]

That surprises you?

[ It does surprise him, actually. ]

Well, you must meet people when you're not throwing giant snakes around, right? If I were to meet you under normal circumstances, it would have been different.

Maybe.

[Daisy smiles sadly, knowing that he might not feel that way if he knew who she was or what she was truly capable of.]

I've met people in much deadlier circumstances than a giant snake.

[ Hob can tell it must be difficult for her to get to know people. He's never really had that problem, but his circumstances have been quite different. ]

The people here seem a little more similar to you than to me, though. A lot of them have amazing strength, too.

It's just not strength.

[Daisy corrects, her tone becoming confident in a way that she only ever uses when she she's trying to intimidate someone.]

I've destroyed buildings that had what I needed inside. I've created avalanches, destroyed bridges...

[Quietly, at first, the coffee table starts to shake. Only once their glasses start to rattle, Hob might notice what she's doing.]

I can crush a person apart from the inside out, without ever touching them.

[She leans a bit closer to him, a smug expression on her face.]

So maybe they're smart to be scared of me.

[ Hob looks over as he hears the glasses rattling. A little more of that and he's going to have to clean all that up. ]

Uh, right...

[ She can definitely be intimidating. Hob swallows the lump in his throat and leans back a bit when she gets further into his space. ]

But why do those things? You don't want people to be afraid of you.

[The rattling of the table doesn't stop, but it doesn't increase in intensity. Daisy doesn't encroach further on his space, yet, but she doesn't lean away either.]

Isn't it better that they know exactly what I'm capable of?

[ Hob reaches for both glasses before they topple, but it leaves him feeling defenseless. Not that he could stop her if she decided she wanted to prove something right now. ]

You're capable of helping people. Like you helped me.

[ Even though he tries to convince her with his words, there's no doubt he's afraid right now. ]

Please, calm down.

[Daisy's smile widens when he turns to grab the glasses, but it quickly disappears the moment he looks back to her. She can't let him know that she's getting exactly what she wants right now.]

I am calm.

[She says, glancing at the table that is suddenly still once again.]

Just proving a point.

[ Hob frowns and sets the glasses down again once the table has stopped shaking. ]

And what point was that, exactly?

[ The fear has turned into mild annoyance. He's not sure what the reason was for that display. ]

That you had a very good reason to be scared of me.

[At that moment someone in the movie screams, and the irony isn't lost on Daisy. Even still, her eyes never move from his face.]

[ Hob glances to the screen but the horror of the scene is lost on him. There's an anxious feeling that grips him, but when he looks back at her, his expression is a touch sad. ]

No, I didn't. I was afraid before I realized what you were doing. I judged you too quick, and I owe you an apology.

[That won't do. It she doesn't want his pity. She wants his fears]

No.

[He'll feel the glasses in his hands begin to tremble,]

You were right to fear me.

[ Again, he looks to the glasses just before he sets them down. It's strange, feeling the vibrations in his hands. He's not sure if it's best to put them down or not at this stage. ]

Please, stop this. Have I done something to upset you? There's no reason for this.

[ He may be a little afraid, but he's also very confused by her behavior. ]

You want to be terrifying? Fine. Does that make you happy?

[The vibrations stop just as he sets back down the glasses, and this time she does lean away from him.]

Nothing about this place makes me happy.

[How's that for a non answer?]

[ Hob frowns again, but at least he can put the glasses safely down. ]

Being here isn't easy, I know that. What do you miss most about home?

[This night is not going how it she was hoping it would.]

You thinking talking about what I miss about home is going to do what, exactly? Make me feel better about being kidnapped?

[ When she snaps at him again, Hob can't help but feel as if he's stuck his foot in his mouth. Now, he feels guilty. ]

No, I... sorry, I thought maybe you wanted to talk about it. Truth be told, sometimes I don't think things out. It's stupid, I know. I almost lost a good friend that way. I mean, I did, and it was my fault. Me and my big mouth.

[ Maybe that influence is starting to get to him a little the more she hangs around. ]

[Change of strategy.

Daisy tilts her head to the side, expression softening at the mention of a past experience gone wrong.]

What happened?

[ Hob isn't sure just how much he should say, but if he wants Daisy to talk about the things bothering her, he has to be willing to do the same, right? ]

Well, I had, or have, this friend, but years ago we weren't exactly friends. I mean, we were, but we treated it as more of a business arrangement.

[ Does that make sense? ]

Anyway, when I suggested we were actually friends and he pointed out he might be lonely, he took great offense. We didn't see each other again until many years later.

[Not exactly the kind of situation Daisy was hoping for, but maybe she can work with it.]

What happened when you two saw each other again?

We reconciled, I'm happy to say.

[ And that is a happy memory for Hob, though it occurred fairly recently for him. ]

[It’s not the answer she was hoping for, and she just barely smiles in response.]

That’s—

[Daisy sucks in a breath before finishing her sentence, the word feeling foreign.]

Good.

What kind of business did you two do?

Oh, well...

[ Clearly, he hesitates to answer, but he does trust Daisy, and he knows he doesn't need to be as wary of people in this world, who come here with all sorts of different powers. ]

It may sound strange and.. unbelievable, but he granted me immortality. Well, I guess his sister did, but he was part of it. All on the condition that I check in with him every one-hundred years.

[The word ‘immortality’ is an immediate punch to the gut as she’s reminded of someone.

Andy.

Hob explains how it happened, but it takes Daisy a moment to respond.]

Granted you-? Are they vampires?

[ Hob wonders if something he said may have bothered her, but she seems bothered by a lot this evening. ]

No. [ He actually laughs a little, since Morpheus kind of resembles a vampire. ] They're like gods. Well, even greater than gods, I think.

Greater than a god?

[Daisy asks, sounding doubtful.]

Does that make you one too?

God, no.

[ Hob is quick to deny that idea. ]

I'm just a man... who happens to not die. I can't do the things they do, or even the things you do.

[Daisy looks off to the side for a moment as memories bubble to the surface. Personal conversations that she's had with Andy, about what immortality is like for her.]

That sounds lonely.

[She says, sympathy seeping into her tone.]

All of the people you know, eventually dying, and you can't be there with them in their final moments. Because if they're lucky enough to live to an old age, they would notice that you don't age.

[And because maybe he needs to know to understand...]

I knew people like you.

[ Hob shrugs slightly. ]

It has been, at times, but not always.

[ Despite being immortal, it's impossible for him to cut himself off from others. What's the joy in living like that? ]

I've told some people before. Those I wanted to spend my life with. Unfortunately, they didn't live to an old age. If they had, I would have done anything possible to stay with them. Take care of them somehow.

[ He'd just have to figure that out without other people catching on. But hearing she's known an immortal before gets a look of surprise. ]

You have? What happened to them?

You loved them.

[It's not posed as a question, because it's obvious he had. Why else would he risk everything to stay with them?]

What happened to them?

[Besides the fact that they obviously died young.]

I don't know. We lost touch along the way.

[Which is not the truth, but she doesn't want to stray too far from the intended topic.]

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