Bobbi/Wanda

[x-scarletwitch.livejournal.com]

Wanda and Bobbi meet up to catch up on the work front but end up making plans to actually hang out like regular people for once.

"Bobbi, it's good to see you again."  Wanda shook hands with the other woman and smiled.  It had been some time since X-Force and X-Factor Investigations had needed to work together - or had been around to work on anything - but they'd done good work when they had.  It had only made sense to reconnect as the teams started to rebuild and check on a few items that interested both groups.

"Wanda, you too." Bobbi returned the handshake and nodded with her own smile. "How've you been?" She gestured to a chair across from her own and then took a seat, reaching for a stack of manila folders she'd brought with her for the meeting. She looked forward to these meetings; it never hurt to compare notes, after all, plus the mixture of social interaction with business really appealed to Bobbi for some reason. Probably because she was a workaholic and not the best when it came to social graces.

"Busy, as always, though it will probably seem like a vacation as the months drag on."  Two drinks appeared from the carrier that Wanda had brought with her - she'd offered to stop by on her way and pick something up for Bobbi since she was getting something for herself.  "How about yourself?  Kept busy during the, ah, off-season as it were?"

"Mmm, thanks." She took one of the proffered drinks and took a sip of the same. "I did, there's always something to work on, whether you want there to be or not." Bobbi shrugged, feigning annoyance but in reality her workaholic tendencies didn't mind being busy in the slightest. "Nothing too bad, though, I've compiled a list of what's come across our desk for you to peruse." She took the top file off of her stack and slid it over to Wanda.

Their workaholic attitudes had made working together easy in the past.  Wanda clearly remembered a number of so late it was early telephone calls or e-mails hastily sent between them.  As she flipped through the file, taking sips of her coffee, she asked, "So Bobbi what did you keep yourself occupied with during the hiatus?  I know that must have nearly killed you."  There was a smile in her words.

"Only a little bit." she replied with a smirk, holding up her thumb and index finger just a little bit apart for emphasis. "I kept myself busy, doing odd jobs here and there." Mainly she did the lower level work that they didn't always take on; the alleged cheating spouse pictures, the tracking down of old relatives and friends, but she couldn't help herself. "How about you, did you manage to relax or were you constantly on the prowl for something to do as well?"

She sighed and rolled her shoulders to release the sudden tension at remembering her fruitless search.  "According to a number of people, I am insane.  I spent most of my time globe trotting in an effort to uncover a particular cult and their activities.  When I didn't find what I was looking for, I - well, kept looking."  Looking back, part of it had probably been Wanda's desire to find the bastards but also partly because with the teams dissolved, she hadn't been sure what else to do with her life.

"That doesn't sound insane to me." replied Bobbi with a nod. If anything it sounded like dedication, a trait she found valuable and which she tired to emulate herself, especially when it came to her work.

"Some people just have to... I don't know." Bobbi waved her hands, unable to put it exactly into words. "It's not always easy to shut it off, y'know?" It sounded like Wanda knew exactly what that was like, perhaps better than anyone else Bobbi knew.

"There may have been a reason some of our teammates had been a little concerned about us meeting," she laughed, pulling out a small pad to make some notes.  The first file might not have been exactly up their alley but Wanda would share it with the others and see what they thought.  "No, shutting it off is nearly impossible.  Which is fantastic for our job but means vacations and our sex lives tend to suffer a little bit."

"Hey, that's not true for all of us, really." Bobbi said. "I still have a decent vacation every now and then at least." She smirked and did likewise, opening a folder in front of her that held a notepad and pen. "Not in a long while though, come to think of it. One of these days. Maybe." Vacations were a scarce commodity in their line of work, though it'd be great to take one if she could arrange for it. "But hey, maybe we can hang out some night instead, do something fun for a change? A mini-vacation, if you will." That kind of thing would be much easier to arrange and to keep, she figured.

That was more interesting than the file in front of her.  Wanda sat back in the chair and shook her head.  "We have been badly preoccupied if it just occurs to us now that we should do something other than work!"  It occurred to her how little she knew about Bobbi outside of work and traded tips about more work.  Amanda was always on her about working too much and it was starting to sink in that maybe the younger woman was right.  Not that Wanda was going to tell her that, of course.

"Right?" Bobbi agreed. "I mean, what we do is completely important and everything, but I've heard this rumour that there are things that exist outside of work. Allegedly," she quickly qualified. "though I cannot confirm whether or not that's actually true. Maybe we can investigate some weekend, you think?" All joking aside, Bobbi really didn't have an idea what to offer up as a potential activity, and she was hoping that Wanda might have a suggestion instead.

That fact that her first suggestion was to grab a drink made Wanda pause for a moment.  Not that grabbing a drink was bad but it seemed to be a default suggestion - that or shopping.  And then she was struck with a thought.  "You know," she said slowly, tapping her fingers against the table, "I have not been to the museums in New York ... well, far longer than should be allowed, considering my background.  It might be nice to get out of the immediate area for the day.  Would that be something you might be interested in?"

Besides, there were plenty of places to shop and grab a drink near the museums, she mused.

It had been a pretty vanilla suggestion on her part, Bobbi realized, and she was more than glad to hear Wanda's counter suggestion. "I believe it just might be indeed. It's been a while since I've been to any of them myself." she replied with a smile. "Getting away for the day would be nice in and of itself, so adding a touch of culture and some entertainment is just gravy, yeah?"

The more Wanda thought about it, the more she liked the idea.  "Bring your walking shoes," she teased, "because you are signing up to tour museums with an anthropologist.  You do have the option to back away slowly."

Bobbi laughed and shook her head. "Ok, I think I'll totally reserve the right to bail if I've gotten myself in too far over my head." How could she know until she was in the middle of it after all, though she was completely sure that it wouldn't be a problem in the slightest. "'Sides, if there's the potential for a glass of wine or three after said walking tour then I can probably tough it out."

"I would try to pretend there isn't going to be any wine but I would be lying, so I won't even try."  Closing the file she'd been flipping with, she handed it back to Bobbi.  "Of course, considering what's been happening around the city, we will have to wait and see if anything else ends up missing or turned into bacon."  Her tone conveyed a fair amount of exasperation with a hint of admiration.   "Whoever is doing it only seems to have a target demographic in mind, thankfully.  I would be most peeved if something happen to something I actually enjoy. Though it seems to have calmed down lately."

"I appreciate your candor and honestly." Bobby soberly replied, taking the file back and putting it away along with the others she'd brought to the meeting. "That's a fair point, and I hope that whoever or whatever is behind it keeps their attention focused on that same demographic at least." She'd been wondering what exactly was going on as well, but for now that would have to wait. "Annnnd now I want a glass of wine. Which is usually a sign to pack it in, yeah?"

Wanda glanced at her phone and was startled at the time.  "Generally.  Amanda hates it when I get wine stains on the documents and notes.  I know a good place a few blocks away with good happy hour deals.  If we head over, we might be able to beat the after work rush and grab a table."

"You had me at happy hour." said Bobbi as she finished packing away her things. "Next time we should just have the meeting there, and perhaps we could write it off as a business expense." she mused aloud, gesturing for Wanda to lead the way.

"Only if I wish to get a grumpy e-mail from my favorite German about what, exactly, is a business related expense," Wanda laughed.  "I'll tell you over drinks some of the things I have tried to expense - most of them for very good reasons!"