hell yeah

[autopilots]

[ He's sitting on a piece of concrete that's been cut away from a larger slab of concrete. It was probably part of a wall before; now it's only good for sitting on, and Raleigh doesn't mind it. It's as good a place to sit on as any.

Raleigh's picking at the dirt on his hardhat, when he looks over and sees someone loitering at the construction area. He knows it's been clearly marked as a dangerous area. ]

You're not supposed to be here without at least a hat on, you know.

Comments

[autopilots]

[ Raleigh takes a moment to shuffle over, saying: ] Yeah, it's cool.

I don't think I've seen you around the site before. You're one of the surveyors? From the union?

[hulkish]

[ bruce sits as delicately as he can. ]

Uh, no. No, I'm just here to work. [ wryly: ] Why, do I look official?

[autopilots]

It's more that you look like you're more used to handling things with a little less roughness, is all.

[ It's the way the guy moves; small, compact actions like he's tucking his elbows in to not hit something breakable. He could be wrong, of course. Construction draws in all sorts of people. ]

Wouldn't have been surprised if you were from union.

[hulkish]

[ nods slowly, that same smile still fixed on his face. ]

I used to be a researcher. Lab work-- not exactly heavy lifting. [ hums thoughtfully. ] We could've used a union.

[autopilots]

Lab work, [ he repeats, a little incredulity visible on his face. ] You're way out of a lab, man. How'd that happen?

[ He was a ranger; it's different in his mind's eye, to go from lab to labor and from cockpit to construction. ]

[hulkish]

I, uh. Needed a change. [ bruce has never been a very good liar, and seems to know it. ] There were some things I needed distance from. And I... hah. I couldn't get much further than this.

[autopilots]

[ Raleigh notices the avoidance, but decides not to push. It's none of his business what a man's doing in a dump like this wall; Raleigh wouldn't like having someone try to look into his own head himself, after all. ]

Distance is good. It helps with a lot of things.

[ He quietly offers a salute, feeling a bit cheeky now. ] I bet you miss the lab coat.

[hulkish]

[ he nods in the man's direction, deferential. ] It does.

[ a quiet huff of laughter. ] Oh no, I definitely prefer the permanent cover of dirt.

[ a beat. ] What about you? This can't be anyone's first choice.

[autopilots]

My dad built dams.

[ Among the few things his father had left him, an appreciation for construction is one of them. Dams were like man-made mountains, and even as a boy Raleigh had marveled at the power they held. It's just a wall holding back water, but the audacity of it... ]

I didn't go to college, so. [ What can you do? he implies. ]

[hulkish]

Hm. A lot of complicated engineering behind dams. Trapping all that power— harnessing it...

[ he trails off as he looks away, trying not to examine the aptness of that metaphor too closely. his gaze sweeps over the scene around them. ]

I guess that's the theory behind this wall.