» video + action

[mucked]

Who: Peggy Carter & YOU
Broadcast: Video, fleetwide.
Action: Sure, on the Starstruck or on the Iskaulit.
When: Right now!!

[ peggy's message is brief, to the point, and probative: ]

Myself and -- [ she never asked natasha if she was on board for having her name fluttered about, willy-nilly, around the fleet's network ] -- Myself and an associate are knocking together a modest firing range on the Iskaulit. A slow-coming venture, but it could have proved a dangerous one and I wanted to be thorough. Given the relative scarcity of both pieces and munitions, it'll work on a strictly bring your own gun basis.

And for the time being, I'd rather not see anyone shooting there without considerable experience of their own. We'll get 'round to beginners, but not yet. Consider it due diligence. On the same note, we'll be choosy about which kinds of rounds can be fired here. The ship is a robust thing, but we'd best not tempt fate.

[ the range itself is not quite in operation, but you're certainly welcome to visit her there. it's in a cramped little quarter of the iskaulit, far away from what anyone could reasonably assume might encompass an inaccessible engine room. peggy spends the rest of the day on the iskaulit doing her level best to soundproof the room itself. eventually, she'll need to consider a locking mechanism of some sort.

later, tired but satisfied with the sweat on her brow, she returns to the starstruck. ]

Comments

Action

[flawless_precision]

[Phasma shows up for a few reasons; a firing range would be a good meditation room for her, somewhere she could release tension in a controlled environment while keeping her skills up to snuff. As well, she's curious to see who else might be there and might be a threat. On that end, it's pure observation.]

[She stands quietly and watches Peggy for a moment, before clearing her throat and marking her presence.]

Do you need any assistance?

[mucked]

Probably. [ she mops her brow and sets aside a hammer. peggy hops down from a small step-ladder. ] But I like to see the work as character-building.

[ ... ] May I help you?

[ but it stands to reason that this person was brought here by the notice on the network. ]

[flawless_precision]

I am trained in firearms. It would be beneficial to me to have a space in which to maintain my abilities. I would like to help you construct the firing range in exchange for the permission to utilize it.

[mucked]

[ my, my. how by the book. peggy brushes off her hands before holding one out to shake. ]

Peggy Carter, of the Starstruck. You know you needn't exchange anything for the opportunity to shoot.

[flawless_precision]

[Phasma takes Peggy's hand in a firm grip, which is less like a shake and more just a brief acknowledgement of introductions.]

Phasma, Wonderduck. [It is always a small risk, giving her name out to people whose alliances she cannot see, but she considers it insignificant considering she knows the greater risk is already pounding his fists against a supply closet door on the Marsiva. Giving her ship name is, in her mind, a moot point, since she had recently put in for a ship transfer.]

How do you intend on vetting participants for appropriate skill levels?

[mucked]

[ a woman of impressive stature, peggy decides. and the handshake inspires confidence that the conversation may very well continue to be no-nonsense. ]

Oh, nothing too rigorous. Mostly, I want to keep out any novices who don't yet understand angles, ricochets, the like. I can't be certain a stray shot won't depressurize the room. [ a tilt of her head. ] It's not meant to be competitive. Not yet.

[flawless_precision]

Not yet. [That, she likes the sound of that. It's a nice challenge.]

I've spent time on space-faring vehicles, I could help with increasing internal hull integrity. [She takes a look at the wall, reaching out to run her hand along it, giving it a pat to listen for echoes and feel the vibrations.]

action »

[uprightness]

[ he had spoken to wanda about missing her own birthday, as well as Pietro and while she had insisted that he needn't bother with a belated present, Steve had already decided what to get her. his own present is on his wrist, a bead bracelet in blue, white and red and wanda's present, well.

it's only a sketch, for now. a field of wildflowers under a spring's sun. he will need colors for this, later on. for now, it is a black and white image, slowly sketched onto paper. sitting in the kitchen and working on the details, he lifts his head when she enters, brightening at once without even noticing. ]

Hi - how's it coming up?

action »

[mucked]

Slowly, but surely. That's how.

[ she drops a smudged duffel bag of tools onto the cargo bay floor. peggy stretches her arms above her head -- at the apex, something along her spine pops and cracks. ah, home sweet home.

she unzips her jumpsuit, and underneath she's wearing a simple black shirt better suited to tactical gear than to anything else. ]

Keeping busy?

action »

[uprightness]

Working on something for Wanda.

[ he gets up at once, warms water for tea ( no sugar, that much he learned about Peggy when she was still hurt ) and draws a chair for her. ]

I've missed her birthday.

action »

[mucked]

[ hi, honey, i'm home. ]

Nice of you. When was it meant to be? [ peggy drops onto the chair with a bit of a tired sigh -- but not before giving steve's upper arm a grateful squeeze. ]

action »

[uprightness]

[ how was work? ]

It was back in April. She didn't talk about it. I think that with Pietro being here, celebrating it seems like a happy occasion again.

[ it's not meant to last. when they return home, pietro will be gone and Wanda's birthday shall always be part happy part sad but he tries not to think about it. Better live for now, he thinks and oddly, he hears it in Natasha's voice. ]

I figured I could do something for them.

action »

[mucked]

Like how she did something for you. [ a pointed nod towards his wrist. don't ask how peggy knows. certainly, no one told her. but there are clues that can be read -- when the bracelet turned up, and who might now and again have a curl of thread stuck to her sleeve. ]

Video

[only_skin_deep]

[Now that was a good idea.] I had been making the most of the planets we have visited to set up my own ranges for practice while we had been stationed there, however a more permanent venue would be well welcomed.

Video

[mucked]

So much 'wasted' time spent floating between stops -- it'll be nice to use it productively, if possible. [ ... ] I'm glad there's some interest in it, at least.

Video

[only_skin_deep]

As am I. I would had hoped with the number of us with security augments, as well as those with access to the ships' weapons, that such practice would be the norm. It's a little disappointing it isn't. [Arming people without enforcing some sort of on going training? It was stupid and just asking for a mistake to happen.] We would also have to take into consideration the fact that just about anyone has been able to pick up firearms from the last set of planets we just visited, meaning anyone on the Fleet could have them now and we wouldn't know.

Video

[mucked]

[ it's a paranoia she shares, but doesn't care to outright state. instead: ]

All the more reason to push education. I've met all sorts in the fleet who don't even know what a gun is to begin with.

Video

[only_skin_deep]

In a way I prefer that they don't, there's no clouding by media of how a gun supposedly works to influence them compared to others who seem to not understand that you don't just pick up a gun and become an expert in it in five minutes. Sometimes it's better working with a blank slate than having to undo bad habits.

Video

[mucked]

Precisely so. We can encourage good behaviour from the absolute outset. Especially important, I feel, given our enclosed spaces.

» closed to steve & bucky

[mucked]

[ ah, breathe in the smell of (recently) roasted tall bird! noodles, fried vegetables, and tangy sodium-rich sauces. not feeling so inclined to cook -- she isn't a terribly domestic creature, after all -- peggy has catered tonight's dinner with what amounts to savvy faction take-away dishes. a whole assortment sits on the galley table aboard the starstruck, where she's commandeered the kitchen for an evening. the two men might be more than passingly familiar with a generous take-away spread, but it's clear that peggy is downright charmed with this much packaged-and-carried food.

and so the (not-so-happy) 'family' sits around the table, like a triangle of awkwardness and earnestness. peggy's hair is pinned back, and she's opted for a casual appearance. this dinner isn't about pressure, nor is it about putting camaraderie on display when it's already been tarnished. there's a bottle of ersatz space whiskey on the table, although peggy's the only person capable of well and truly appreciating its effects.

she pours herself a glass while clicking her fingers at a dish just out of reach. ]

Pass that -- that thing that looks like it's made from courgettes. Ta.

[ conversation has been either light or non-existent; however, the tides could turn at any moment. ]

[reconstitution]

[ He still had reservations about attending their small dinner, even though he'd initially agreed. It still feels like something is expected of him, and the tension still sits squarely between his shoulders even as he enjoys his plate of food.

Bucky sits with his back to the wall so he can glance at the door if anyone decides to interrupt them. He still can't seem to shake the habit of having his back to the door. Peggy snapping her fingers gets his attention away from his plate, and he glances to the dish she's pointing at long enough to nudge it across the table between her and Steve.

He may very well be imagining the tension, but he doubts it. They're both skirting around a subject, and Bucky has neglected to breach the subject. ]

[uprightness]

[ it's absolutely awkward.

Steve runs with it because a. It's important to Peggy and b. It's not a bad idea for them to try and move forward from all that happened. He tries not to think about the last time he spent time with the two of them together, Bucky was still young and whole, Peg was wearing red and talked of dancing.

It's not the same atmosphere but he can't help but be grateful for them both, still.

He passes her the dish with a small smile. ]

You know, you'd probably love Chinese take away.

[ all too fondly. ]

[mucked]

[ what teamwork. peggy watches as first the winter soldier nudges the dish, then steve completes its journey. she tips a good heap of its contents onto her plate, inhaling the smell with a longish sniff. ]

There's rarely a better meal found long after the rest of a city is abed than at the chop suey house. That said, being able to pay and abscond with boxes of the stuff has its appeal. [ she's no stranger to the cuisine, even if she knows it best as a quick stop in a part of town with which she's less familiar.

she talks to steve, but she watches the winter soldier. ] I'm sure the advent of the take-home meal greatly benefits the anti-social.

[reconstitution]

[ Bucky keeps to his side of the table, only filling his plate with things within his reach. There's a container of the bird covered in a spicy sauce and some noodles. It's good enough. His drink is mostly untouched, though the whiskey in the center of the table is temping. Better to save it for someone who can enjoy it.

He watches Peggy and Steve interact briefly and barely lingering, and it's nice, but he feels like a third wheel that's not meant to be there.

Say something, it's okay. The familiar, nagging voice at the back of his mind tries to nudge him into being verbal, but he bites his tongue instead. Let them talk, carry the conversation. He'll offer a nod to show he's at least paying attention. ]

[uprightness]

[ it's not that there is something to rebuild here, it's that there is much to mend. not only between Peggy and Bucky at the wake of the last incident, but between Steve and Bucky as well, the weight of all that has happened. Most times he manages to tire him more than help which in turn, can make him try harder and the only one who can break that circle is Steve. He starts giving him his space, accepts the silences and the safe distance that, at times, exists between them. it's wonderful and heartbreaking, having this. As if this world had given him two of the pillars in his life and then sought to hurt them both.

but all of this, all of these burdens, should be put aside, at least for a little while and so, after having only vegetables so far, he reaches for the container as well ]

You know, I've been spending the better part of my day ranching those down at Prairie. The family I work for are very nice, but the lady is getting older and they're tricky to catch.

[ captain america, ranching tallbirds. ]

They have a nasty bite, too.