open » action

[mucked]

Who: Peggy + you
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Starstruck, Iskaulit
When: All day.

[ as compelling an attraction as the asteroids can be, peggy wakes up on what could have been april 21st and promptly decides that a captain's work is never done. despite a short holiday on one of the less glitzy asteroids, she storms her way back onto the starstruck around midday. she'd have preferred to be back earlier, of course, but a certain stubborn steve rogers had delayed her more than usual this morning.

because, you see, today is peggy carter's birthday. and up until recently, she'd thought this particular piece of sensitive intel might have remained under wraps. certainly, she's never announced it to the fleet (not had it announced for her) but over the last year there'd been an influx of individuals who might otherwise be privy to that sacred knowledge.

and so surviving the day becomes a little trickier. her first precaution is to not even address the network -- indeed, she hasn't got her device with her at all. so if some friend or ally does try and contact peggy, they may be forced to seek her out in person instead. after all, it's rare that she should persist with so much radio silence. visitors and crew on the starstruck will find her in her quarters trying very hard to dodge the likes of both steve rogers and edwin jarvis. and trying to busy herself with 'paperwork', though closer inspections might prove she's doing little more than working on a few hobby ciphers. and let's not forget the copious trips to the kitchen for tea, of course.

for visitors and crew: it seems steve's left the odd 'hint' and trinket around the ship. flowers here, candles there, and there's at least one cake chilling in the kitchen. perhaps more. when asked about it, the captain feigns innocence.

later, when that diversion fails, she heads to the iskaulit. first to the firing range, where she squeezes off just enough shots to counterbalance the creeping sensation of domesticity. and that done, she stops by the space bar for a drink of whatever-the-devil most resembles whiskey. ]

Comments

[outstandingbalance]

You know as well as I do there are other reasons to leave it out.

[It can be a message, too. For example, a way of signaling she was aware there may be reasons for waxing a little maudlin.

In a dry British way, of course.]

But if we're putting it away for now, doesn't make much of a difference.

[mucked]

[ cheeky, then: ] In that case, the first round's on you.

[ happy birthday to me! ]

[outstandingbalance]

Sounds fair enough. After that, you'll have to give me a better reason though.

[Meaning it's up to Peggy if she wants to admit it's her birthday or not.

But there might be a little incentive to put it out there.]

[mucked]

I suspect I can think up a few. [ and won't it be interesting to see the details she'll spill before resorting to admitting it's her birthday.

peggy grabs her back and heaves it over her shoulder. ]

[outstandingbalance]

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

[Natasha heads along with her, hands in her pockets.]

bag* not back wow.

[mucked]

What about this: I had the gall to call Steve a coward the other day. [ man, even her fight with steve is more easily discussed than other things. ] Does that at least get me some sort of second round out of sympathy?

[her heels click on the hallway floor. ]

i got you

[outstandingbalance]

That depends. Did he deserve it?

[Not many people would call Captain America a coward. Especially not to his face. In most ways, Steve was one of the bravest people they were ever going to meet.

But everyone's insecure about some things, and Natasha ran into him without his strength and size too.]

[mucked]

Utterly and completely.

[outstandingbalance]

That might get you a second drink. [She says it as though making a strategic retreat.] If you tell me what happened over the first one.

[mucked]

[ she doesn't pause in her stride. they don't need to shake over their agreements. ]

You've got yourself a deal.

[outstandingbalance]

Think you'll be done after two, or will we cross that bridge when we come to it?

[mucked]

When we get to it. [ a pause and she holds the bar door open for natasha. ] I don't want to negotiate myself into a corner before we even begin.

[outstandingbalance]

Somehow, I have a hard time believing that happens to you very often.

[Smiling as she walks through, glancing over her shoulder as she heads for a corner of the bar.]

[mucked]

Oh, who can say. [ ... ] Perhaps I'm getting rusty with disuse.

[outstandingbalance]

Is that how it works? [Natasha signals for two whiskeys. Something top shelf-ish. It is a birthday, after all?]

I might be in trouble then.

[mucked]

I doubt it -- [ peggy takes her seat, sliding her back into the booth. ] I'd wager you never turn it off.

[ the care; the facade; the game. peggy's at liberty to slide in and out of work skills whenever she likes. but she doubts someone brought up through the red room has that same liberty. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha raises an eyebrow at that, her lips twitching.]

I wonder if I should be insulted by that.

[It's not wrong, though. Not entirely, at least.]

Maybe it's a compliment though?

[mucked]

Must it only ever be one of the two? [ she undoes her jacket, tossing it aside. ] Not that I want to insult you, mind.

[outstandingbalance]

Doesn't have to be. And I didn't say it was. [Natasha leans on the bar, arms crossed in front of her.] But it usually is.

[mucked]

[ when their drinks arrive, peggy curls her fingers around the cup. but she waits to drink, cocking her head to the side. ]

I could be wrong, of course. My data-pool is considerably limited. You, Dottie Underwood, and one little girl left behind at a training facility. That's all the intel I'm working from.

[ which is her way of saying (without saying) that what she'd observed in dottie, at least, had been a scouring away of personality: so little left of the authentic person, that she was left to create herself from the images of others. and, indeed, dottie had cribbed peggy carter's identity next. ]

But I suppose that's us going maudlin again. [ she drinks. ] For once, I think I'd much rather talk about Steve.

[outstandingbalance]

So what did Steve do to deserve a dressing down? [Natasha is more than willing to let the topic skim away from identity and the methods used in the Red Room, which Peggy has most likely only scratched the surface.] He didn't tell you people must think he's pathetic being seen in public with you too, did he?

[mucked]

He didn't dare. [ a shake of her head. she can remember all too well the sour note of his self-pity in the back of the ssr car. ] But on the morning we discovered the glitch -- [ there's clearly no need to explain which glitch ] -- he made it clear he wanted little more than to hide out on a backwater asteroid for the duration of it.

[outstandingbalance]

I don't think he understands how insulting that is.

[As though she was shallow, or the only reason he'd be around her was pity. As though being around her for reasons that didn't have anything to do with being physically attractive, in his perception, would be somehow humiliating to him.

But Steve does have a lot to deal with.]

So you were trying to get him out of bed? So to speak.

[mucked]

He's a tricky one to shift out of bed on a good day. [ -- she's not ashamed to say it, really. but it is a vulnerable admission. peggy doesn't like talking about her private behind-doors life with steve, but this much is at least a little important to explaining what had gone so awry. ] Nagging for a ten more minutes, ten more minutes, ad nauseum.

But this was different. It felt like he'd have hidden there all week if permitted. [ ... ] Didn't want anyone to know.

[ so it's no wonder she'd called him cowardly. what a stupid problem to try and run from. ]

[outstandingbalance]

And he didn't take it well.

[Of course he didn't. Why would he?]