stabsbothways: (Default)
stabsbothways ([personal profile] stabsbothways) wrote in [community profile] driftfleet2017-05-21 07:47 pm

Heron Mingle

Who: Heron Crew and Guests
Broadcast: n/a
Action: Aboard the Heron
When: May (feel free to backtag)

[ The heron has had a large exodus of people recently, and a few new members. It's almost like a new ship. ]
mucked: (☂ wake up bleary-eyed and sore)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-05-28 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
-- The trick, Sam, is to be twice as stubborn as he is.

[ which (contrary to popular belief) is utterly possible. but perhaps only for peggy carter alone to manage.

and as quippy as the line feels, it's meant to convey something else: of those blanks sam wanted filled, concerning the aftermath with steve remembered what had happened? she'd been there; she didn't allow him to carry it alone. ]
wingedman: (22)

[personal profile] wingedman 2017-05-28 04:28 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, see, I max out somewhere around one and a half times.

[It's an admirable amount of stubbornness, and one that makes him respect Peggy (as long as she's not being stubborn with him). And he understands what she's getting at, to some extent. It eases some of his concern, but not entirely.]

So, you got any other questions you need answered?
mucked: (☂ the only girl)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-05-28 04:43 am (UTC)(link)
None, for the moment. [ but she reserves the right to ask more in future, she supposes. peggy doesn't want to press her advantage too far too fast. they have, after all, 'just met'. ]

Now. [ she sits up a little straighter. time to pay the piper. ] What sort of blanks are you looking to fill? Be specific; I don't care for vague inquiries.

[ might as well be up front with him. ]
wingedman: (39)

[personal profile] wingedman 2017-05-29 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm.

[Sam clasps his hands in front of his face, pressing his fingers to his lips as he thinks. Asking about how the emotional turmoil affected him physically seems too much like prying. Asking if Peggy thinks the memories are still causing trouble is too vague. Reading between the lines of what she'd told him provided a good bit of insight, but there's still more information to be gleaned.]

Going from what he told you, what do you think the catalyst for the events was, at least as it applies to Steve?

[It sounds like a goddamn essay question on an exam, not them talking about someone they both care for deeply. But Sam thinks the formal - almost clinical - phrasing might appeal to Peggy more than an emotional plea.]
mucked: (☂ but it's still no way to behave)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-05-29 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
[ by the card! peggy almost laughs -- watching sam pin down every avenue to duck and dodge. well, nearly every avenue. ]

I don't think it was ever just one. [ a puff of her cheeks. ] Mind you, I wasn't there. [ and in a flicker of grim humour: ] And maybe that was the problem.

But as far as I've been able to piece together, things were coming undone well before I -- well before he lost me.

[ rare hesitation. ]
wingedman: (59)

[personal profile] wingedman 2017-06-01 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
You aren't wrong.

[Hell, Sam's been watching the cracks widen ever since he met the man, and been powerless to help, more or less. Oh, he does what he can, but most of that is simply being there, and there's a point where his presence just isn't enough.]

About both things. Lord knows we could've used someone with common sense to get both of them to stand down. Someone Steve would actually listen to.

[Although he's not completely sure that Peggy wouldn't have just dug her heels in right alongside Steve. She's stubborn, he can tell that much already - and knew that from Sharon's eulogy - but he thinks she probably would have seen the larger picture in a way Steve hadn't.]
mucked: (☂ from all signs of mad mankind)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-06-01 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
I fear you give me too much credit when it comes to talking him out of anything.

[ -- peggy understands what sway she holds over rogers. how could she not? she'd been his compass, much as he'd been hers. a steady reminder of the human element; leaving indelible marks on her life. but she would never profess to have his ear so perfectly. god, she hopes she never would. his strength of opinion is one of the things she loves dearly about the man.

and, yes, there's always the possibility she might have merely taken his side. ]


wingedman: (75)

[personal profile] wingedman 2017-06-01 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, I don't know if you would've been successful, but you would've had a better chance than anyone else.

[Sam can't imagine Steve being swayed by anyone a hundred percent of the time. If he was, then he wouldn't be Steve. Peggy's simply the person with the best odds.]

But I think that quote from you about planting yourself like a tree made him more convinced to stick with everything.
mucked: (☂i searched for form and land)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-06-01 01:55 am (UTC)(link)
-- I beg your pardon? Which 'quote'?

[ careful, sam wilson. this is dangerously untread territory. ]
wingedman: (62)

[personal profile] wingedman 2017-06-01 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
[Sam tries to wave it off.]

I don't remember the exact phrasing, you'd have to ask Steve about it. I don't wanna get it wrong.

[Nothing to see here, nope.]
mucked: (☂ if he hollers)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-06-01 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
Steve quoted me. [ she misunderstands marvelously -- eyes narrowing as she tries to cope with the incredulity of it all. ] And -- and that somehow made things worse? Is that what I'm hearing?

[ what have you done... ]
wingedman: (60)

[personal profile] wingedman 2017-06-01 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
Uh.

[He could let the error stand, but it's probably better not to.]

It was- [He's just gonna leave Sharon out of this.] -in one of the eulogies. And I'm not saying it made things worse, just that it reinforced his decision that he was right about the Accords and it was his responsibility to stand against everyone else.
Edited 2017-06-01 02:12 (UTC)
mucked: (☂ who broke into the mansion)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-06-01 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ -- one of the eulogies. oh, lord. it hadn't occurred to her (somehow) that of course there was a service. she'd known vaguely of her death because she'd seen the grief on steve's face in the wake of remembering it all. he'd not had to tell her what happened; the grip of his hug had said it all. but until this moment she'd not connected the idea of dying with the idea of being remembered. feted, even, for whatever life she'd eventually live. ]

Good God. [ peggy swallows hard. in the days to come, she'll internalize what's being said -- understanding that maybe, just maybe, some off-the-cuff quote of hers had prompted steve to dig his stubborn heels all the deeper in the dirt. but for now, she only has room for one jarring conclusion. ] You were there.

[ at the funeral, the service, the whatever. must have been, to have heard a eulogy at all. peggy sits up a little straighter -- features drawn and guard reestablished. she wants sorely to thank him for having been by steve at that moment but, just now, she can't form a single word. ]
Edited 2017-06-01 02:19 (UTC)
wingedman: (72)

[personal profile] wingedman 2017-06-01 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
[Sam presses his lips together. He hadn't expected his words to have such an effect on her - oh, he knows that telling someone about their own funeral isn't what you might call a pleasant prospect, but it's a more emotional reaction than he'd anticipated. He almost reaches out for her again, but considering her lack of response earlier, he doesn't think Peggy's the reassuring touch kind of person.]

He needed someone. [Sam glances down at the table, tracing a pattern on the surface.] And I wasn't gonna make him go through that alone.
mucked: (☂ catch a tiger)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-06-01 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
[ her reaction is emotional, maybe. but no less controlled. peggy had previously felt she might have had at least a loose grip on the conversation at hand -- but that's because she'd felt blissfully disconnected from the man across the table. to understand that he had been there, been present, at a moment close to the one he's describing?

it creates a connection. and one that takes her by surprise. it hijacks her calculated calm. ]


Yes -- [ taut, and utterly distant. there's a moment where it looks as though she may get up and leave. ] It's certainly appreciated. No one should have to do it alone.

[ the memorial they'd held back stateside for steve rogers had been a gaudy, well-attended thing. peggy might never have gone had howard not dragged her there. and, yes, she'd hated every minute of it. but it'd been made more tolerable by his companionship. ]
wingedman: (40)

[personal profile] wingedman 2017-06-01 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
[Sam wouldn't blame her if she got up and left, wouldn't stop her. It's not an easy thing to hear about. And, in fact, he decides to offer her an out:]

I've probably kept you busy long enough with my questions. If you need to head back to your ship, go right ahead.

[He feels as if he's intruding on her grief, on something that's too intimate for a new acquaintance to witness, and for all his professional training, he's not quite sure how to handle a situation like this.

A pause, and then, more quietly, but with feeling:]


I hope someone was with you. 'Cause you're right about that.
mucked: (☂ we will save your brothers)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-06-01 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ her attention shifts. peggy stares at her unfinished coffee. she will, indeed, take his offered out. but not immediately. first, she takes another mouthful of this godawful drink and gives him about as frank and earnest an answer as he might hope for. ]

Someone was. [ and she'd been there for him in turn. with the howlies still overseas, howard might have been the only one who could understand the ludicrousness of the whole affair.

peggy pushes her mug aside. ]
If you need anything, Sam -- please don't hesitate to call up the Starstruck. But you're right. I really should be going.

[ and she stands. ]
wingedman: (48)

[personal profile] wingedman 2017-06-01 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
Good.

[He gives her a warm smile, the sort that's meant to stand in for the hug she would reject. The smile will probably make her feel uncomfortable, too, but he can't help that.]

Do you need an engineer?

[It's almost blurted out at the last moment, a little uncertainly. Yes, he's asking if he can transfer to your ship.]
mucked: (☂ wake up bleary-eyed and sore)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-06-01 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
I do.

[ abrupt, but thoughtful.

peggy wastes no time in exploring this avenue: ]
Does Barnes?

[ need an engineer. ]
wingedman: (38)

[personal profile] wingedman 2017-06-01 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
Are you gonna feel guilty about stealing his engineer if I transfer?

[Not that it'll really make a difference, but Sam at least wants Peggy's permission before he does it. Less to justify it anyone else and more because he doesn't want her getting mad at him for suddenly showing up on her ship.]
mucked: (☂ i laughed and shook his hand)

[personal profile] mucked 2017-06-01 03:49 am (UTC)(link)
From any other ship? [ peggy pauses. ] Not at all. I just snagged the Caprine's cook; we needed one.

[ she doesn't mind betraying that she may, indeed, play mercenary at times. ]

But I don't poach from the Heron. [ in his way, barnes has become important to her. ] Make your peace with your captain -- and if he's good with the transfer, then I certainly won't turn you down. I know Steve won't.