Her head tilts, curiosity in her voice and eyes. It’s not often she meets a kindred spirit. “What’s your job? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Is she shocked? Not in the slightest, a sip of her own coffee being taken as she listens to him. “That’s an occupation with a heavy paycheck. Do you get much work??”

She snorts lightly, stirring her drink with the spoon she left in it. “Please, I know agents still going strong in their 50s. Maybe you just need a change in location.”

That was enough to bring a small chuckle to the redhead, the woman finishing her coffee — she had no intention of leaving yet though. “I’ve heard that a lot. My personal trainer did the same thing. I guess once you find your calling, you can’t escape.”

“C'est la vie.” Setting her cup down, she began to pace back and forth on the edge of the roof, eyes on where she was stepping more than anything. “Though I’m assuming you knew that when you took up the occupation.”

"Death catches most people in your line of work before retirement, so you're fortunate to experience it, even if you returned eventually." Reaching the halfway point, she turned to walk back the way she came, not at all caring for the danger of one missed step.

"Myself? No." She stopped to look at him, pulling her hair into a ponytail with the hair tie on her wrist. "I do have friends in the business, though. None are quite as open as you are, but we all have our quirks."

"You work independently then?" Once again, a purely curious tone fills her words, the redhead jumping off the ledge safely to the roof.

"Government job." A sincere, yet soft smile crosses her lips as she sits back down on the roof edge. "If I told you any more, I might have to kill you. But don't worry, we're one of the good guys."

“We have our own crew, but like I said. We’re one of the good guys.” She smiled, pulling out and holding up her S.H.I.E.L.D. badge. She had been . . . mostly joking about the ‘killing’ part. “You would already know if you were on our list.”

"We typically don't deal in assassinations. Interrogations are typically step 1." Putting her badge away, she folded her hands behind her back, shrugging lightly. "Though it does help to have backup on a job in case it goes wrong. That's where I plan to come in."

“We’re an espionage and security organization made to protect Earth and its people from all kinds of groups that pose threats. Anything from advanced tech to the supernatural or extraterrestrial. It stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division.”

Did he expect him to take it well? Not exactly, but at least he wasn't accusing her of being insane or running away screaming. "The fact that you didn't know means we're doing our job correctly. I wouldn't be too worried about it."

"If I feel it can protect you, I have the authority to ensure you're informed." She shrugged. "Either way, they /won't/ be getting rid of me."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid my friend is waiting for me." A single glance at her watch as the text notification popped up confirmed her story, the redhead moving to hold her hand out for a handshake. "I did enjoy your company, though. My name's Valentina."

"Privacy is an important thing in your line of work. I hope we run into each other again, preferably when we're both off the clock." A small joke, given their jobs. She really did enjoy their conversation -- no matter how short it had to be cut.

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