@hidden-spider (x)
A fellow viper slipping it's way through the crowd of sheep.
Dominika had been following this woman the past 10 minutes, an easy task in such a populated area. A suspicious last minute request to gather intelligence on the situation with SHIELD and who better than the whistle blower herself?
Asking for the time was a common tactic taught to them when you knew someone was following you, a way to humanise yourself to the eyes of a predator. Catch them off guard and gauge the response to determine a guilty verdict. "Hu? Sorry, one sec!" Faking confusion, as though she was hibernating in a world of her own making. Hitting pause on the silent walkman, lifting her headphones from her ears to hang around her neck as she smiled sheepishly. "What's that, the time?" Tugging at her sleeve, she would check her own watch, smiling as it confirmed what she already knew. "It's uh... 11:11."
Charlie hadn't been in much of a rush, but the nagging feeling of emptiness at her left wrist was driving her crazy.
She had been walking briskly, lost in thought, only to catch herself checking her bare arm for the thousandth time that day, each time followed by an exasperated huff.
As the light turned red at the intersection and the small crowd gathered at the curb, she glanced around for anyone wearing a watch.
Not the elderly man with the green coat. He looked like he was going to make a time for you to get a watch joke, and if she heard that one again, she might snap.
Not the kid with the skateboard, whose short sleeves revealed no watch in sight.
The woman just back a bit to her right had seemed like a good target for her question, though she felt bad about interrupting her jam session.
Too early for lunch, and not late enough to cause her to be late getting back. Maybe she could sneak in a few errands before she sat down to eat.
"Perfect, thanks!" She gave the woman a grateful smile. "You should make a wish!" Glancing back at the pedestrian crossing light, still red, she knew better than to keep going, but couldn't help it.
Eyeing the walkman with some envy, she broke New York City street corner conversation etiquette to ask, "What are you listening to?"
