Clarice gave Lauri-Ell a look that she learned well from years of living with her roommate Ardelia, her head craning back a bit, her eyebrows lifted slightly. The only thing missing was a deep, disapproving "Mmmmmmhmm, sure, honey" which she had always felt crossed the line into cultural appropriation or mockery. Protein was not exactly what she was talking about, and they'd circle back around to it sooner or later.

"It's funny, the whole time I had these little flashes of who I really was - not quite memories, just ... sensations, lines like clips from some movie. They were strongest when I wasn't around people that fit into my role there: when I was around people who weren't also part of SHIELD. Dr. Riley, in particular... but I kept waving it off as some superpower effect. For a while I thought it was Jon. Maybe those moments were him fighting it on some level. Or the times anyone tried to talk to him."