driftfleet | everybody's starstruck in june.

[His mouth draws into a line, and Rip lowers his head briefly. Noted, and that's rather all he suspects he can expect in this scenario. Rip's no fool. Peggy's been here over a year and a half by her own admission, and more than long enough to have opportunity to speak with who knows how many people from the future. Equally, she's clever; more than smart enough to know what to ask and how to charm the answers she seeks.

And she'd made a point of hiding her desire, besides. Of course she couldn't know at the time that she spoke to someone who knows intimately just how human the wish is to be able to alter the course of history--but Rip doesn't, in the end, see this as a point in Peggy's favor.

He can only wonder if some measure of better judgment might prevail, should she return to her world with all her knowledge in tact.]

Spoken as if I don't already. [Though the comment on Rip's part is meant more towards the situation and the Fleet as a whole, rather than any that might exist on the Starstruck specifically. Yet Peggy hasn't offered up that tidbit without intention, Rip knows, and a moment later he motions towards her with a hand.]

Well? You might as well go on. Honestly, it's not really going to be a shock to hear things are somehow worse than they seem.

[ well. in for a pound, as they say. ]

I told you I had a way of telling whether someone was from my world or not -- I lied. Not about having a way, no, that's quite true. But I allowed you to believe it was something as simple as a military unit's existence. [ the howling commandos, last time they sat here in this kitchen. and the ssr today. but that's not nearly enough to make her feel certain of the things she knows. ]

-- I know how long it takes for the SSR to break down and dissolve. I know about the agency which replaces it. I've met a handful of its operatives, here in the Fleet. I've also met a man older than myself who nevertheless was the only son of a dear friend of mine -- back home. [ she clears her throat. ] I know in what year I die. And I'm fairly convinced our new engineer attended the service.

If this sort of thing offends your professional sensibilities, you'd best say so now. [ ... ] I'm certain another ship will be just as pleased to have you aboard if that's the case.

[ peggy hasn't come near describing the worst of it -- she likely never will, because it treads on something too personal and painful. but she doesn't need to tell him the worst; she only needs to paint a broad picture of what she's managed to learn in her time within the fleet.

so -- stoically -- peggy offers him an out. she shows it poorly, but she rather hopes he won't take it. ]

Edited 2017-06-03 21:08 (UTC)

[It's a rather long list, in the end. Peggy rather tidily recites tidbits she's had opportunity to learn in this rather messed up scenario they're now both trapped in, things no person should be privy to. And had Rip been pulled from even two or three years prior in his own timeline, if his life hadn't yet unraveled so completely?

His professional sensibilities, as she says, would have been quite outraged indeed.

He doubts that's all of it, which she sputters out. Peggy has from the start been careful about what she reveals, choosing the points where it served her to yield with one hand while keeping secrets carefully tucked into the palm of the other. And if even knowing of her death feels like a safe thing to add to her armor, in the effort of sequestering the rest?

Rip dreads to think of what else she may know.

But he does consider the warning implicit in the words. The offer, in a sense, to walk away now before this goes any further.]

There's no changing what either of us knows, Miss Carter. [What dates and facts she's picked up, or that Rip now stands aware of it.] If anything, my duty as a Time Master would compel me to stay, and find some way to fix the potential aberrations.

[And yet. He taps fingers lightly against the table, his gaze shifting to a harmless spot on its surface. He's not a man to reveal things lightly--yet Rip equally doesn't want his occupation to become a point of contention.

Not so overt of one that he can't potentially find some way, eventually, to convince her of why she should let the future proceed as it is meant to in her world.]

But I'm not a Time Master, not here. I'm--[he sighs with a frustration that's rather genuine]--a bloody cook, and the back-up pilot in case of emergencies.

Unless you wish to change that, of course.

[ aberrations. it's too specific a word to ignore -- peggy doesn't doubt it falls into the realm of jargon. occupational parlance, the way she might equally say the word 'asset' under other circumstances. she's not certain she likes it applied to herself or to the modicum of peace she's managed to scrounge into existence. but she knows better than to take it personally.

especially -- especially -- when she gets what she wants, in the end. even if it comes at the expense of his frustration and dignity. peggy empathizes. she knows a little of what it's like to be one thing and then, in its way, try and adjust to being something completely different. she'd bucked against it; doubtless, he will too. ]

You're those things, yes. [ a cook. a pinch hitter. peggy abhors sentimentality, but sometimes it's necessary to carve out a sense of place and belonging -- especially in a unit. so, after clearing her throat: ] But if you choose to stay then you'll also be a member of this crew. And as such, your -- [ oh, she doesn't want to use the word 'comfort', it sounds so downy-soft and honey-sweet ] -- your satisfaction as a member of this crew matters.

You realize yours is an augment than can still be changed, yes?

[ it's nothing she'd consider for herself, but perhaps rip doesn't know about what options are available to him. ]

[She calls him a member of her crew so easily, and for a moment, a ghost of a smile crosses Rip's lips. It's not unlike the way Sara had proclaimed Rip a Legend, after months spent believing himself anyone but Captain Rip Hunter--and a return that saw him relinquish the title to her, both in that moment and once more in the end.

When he'd walked off of a ship he'd so long thought of his. Which he still does now, out of old habit and a need to keep his explanations to others simple.]

I'm aware. [Because of the damn augment itself, in fact. Rip knows that his deep loathing for the position he's been forced into could be altered into one that, on the surface, might be a bit more palatable. An actual pilot, or engineer, perhaps. But there's also a reason he's decided against it, and Rip takes in a breath before returning his gaze to Peggy.]

But they've already taken their liberties with my mind; I'm in no way inclined to invite them to do so again. [A small and useless rebellion, maybe, but it might just be the only damn say Rip has.] Equally, I'm not one to shirk my responsibilities. I'd want to learn the functions of the ship regardless, and as for the cooking...

[That eternal sticking point--except it perhaps isn't. While the idea of it still gnaws away at him, Rip isn't unaware of the moments of satisfaction he's found. Peggy had finished her breakfast, after all.] I suspect there will come a point where I don't mind it nearly so much.

[ she nods along with his answer. although she mayn't know him well enough to predict his reaction, she knows enough about herself to understand the same reasons why she'd refuse a similar 'solution'. one that isn't a solution at all, in the end, as it only reaffirms the atroma's ownership of their very brain matter. a chilling, unenviable position in which they've all found themselves. they must take what defiance they can, provided it's not against their fellow captives. ]

I imagine it's frustrating. [ peggy allows, although she understands there's great room for her sympathy to be taken poorly. ] I've been -- God, dare I say fortunate? -- to be assigned an augment roughly in-line with what I know.

[ and it occurs to her that she has yet to divulge hers. it's no secret -- perhaps he may already have found it out if he'd gone poking through the ship's systems. ]

Before I became captain, I was the Starstruck's communications officer. [ a beat. ] Still am, really. We haven't got another.

[ which means she (on occasion) works considerably more than is healthy. ]

[He's grateful at least for that understanding. While nothing Peggy might have said would have swayed Rip to change his mind, he'd much rather avoid any argument whose opposing stance would ultimately rely on a foundation of well it's there anyway, so why not take advantage of it?. There are too many who seem content to linger on in this cluster of ships, who manage to find happiness and in turn, settle within the cluster.

He doesn't want any part of it. Especially not in the wake of the Atroma's little stunt regarding Dreadhorse.

Ah, but she picks at his choice of words again—rightfully so, and Rip accepts that slight knock with silent grace. He's able to make a guess at her augment given the new context of her profession and that it apparently matches, leaving him nodding as she admits to the role.]

Certainly it can't be easy. [He's got some sympathy for the plight of being overworked—but only some.] Time Masters are trained to be able to function on their own, right down to captaining their ships. I had quite an effective AI at my disposal, but I needed to know how to pilot, make repairs, communicate across frequencies in time and space, man the weaponry—

[So in other words, literally any other augment would have suited Rip's skills better.]

[ well. the claim is an impressive one, to the say the least. but she notes the tricky wording at play in his description. peggy's not about to let herself get sidetracked by an erroneous assumption. ]

Is that normal? To work alone, that is. As a Time Master. [ it's one thing to be expected to know all the jobs and functions -- quite another to actually fill them all on one's own. quite apart from the indignity of now playing cook, she worries whether the mere presence of a crew aboard the starstruck will grate at him.

god knows, it grated at her for a long while. ]

Indeed. The nature of the work quite often requires difficult decisions to be made; in turn a having a partner or a crew could potentially cause--complications, in that regard. [When someone would be forced to choose between saving a single life and righting the course of all time. Oh, the training often saw cadets working in concert, but only so they would know how. Not to have them form any measure of attachment.

But he can see where her concerns might be leading. Only a year or so ago, she'd be rather right to worry. Now, however? He holds up a hand to stop her from pressing on before he can continue.]

You needn't fret, however. In the time before my arrival here, I had in fact taken a team on board my ship. It's proven quite an educational experience, you might say.

[Though in truth, that hardly gives credit to how that time has forced Rip to readjust his way of approaching—well. Almost everything, really.]

[ nothing changes in her face. if his implication resonates with her -- with the difficulty inherent in a dispassionate choice made in the midst of passionate times -- then she wears it well.

wears it easier, still, when he goes on to shoot down her concerns with a bit of handy information. a team! very well, then. whatever sympathy she musters for his 'education' is expressed in a tight smile. she remember well enough the friction of working alongside people who were actually worth kindness instead of a heelish peremptory defense at every turn.

it took a great deal to remind her how to be warm again. even now, she doesn't do so great a job. ]

That's heartening. [ she allows. ] What changed?

[ why the sudden desire for a team? if desire is even the right word ]

[She keeps her expression carefully schooled, giving away nothing as Rip implies the seemingly cruel choices possible in the protection of time. But perhaps the absence itself is a sign; Peggy sees no need to ask what kind of hard decisions might be made, how having help could complicate things.

The simplest reason not to question is when one already holds the answer--and with her background, Rip could easily see how Peggy already might.

Ah, but what she does inquire gives him reason to hesitate. Up until now he's been largely honest, if one doesn't consider the set of years between his tenure as a Time Master and his presence aboard the fleet. The single event that changed all that, that changed him, is easily defined and described.

He'd never forgotten it entirely. Even when his memories had been altered, when he believed himself a student, he held the tragedy in his mind. He simply hadn't understood that it wasn't imagination, but terrible truth.

Now it's his turn to wish that he hadn't finished his tea so many minutes before. All he has to look at to avoid her gaze is the table between them.]

Nothing that will affect the fulfillment of my duties aboard this ship, I assure you.

[She would recognize the evasion for what it is, perhaps be all the more curious for it. In the end, however, there are parts of Rip's past he would keep to himself; not even an order would compel him to speak it.]

[ peggy would even hesitate to call it evasion. it's a brick bloody wall -- and it's guarding something. he's right to wonder whether it inspires some prickle of curiousity; how could it not? but peggy doesn't follow that urge. after all, this is a kitchen not an interrogation room. and she, for her part, doesn't want to invite the sort of incisive reciprocity her question might inspire in turn.

so, instead, she offers him a firm nod -- although he doesn't look at her to see it. ]

So long as you say so. [ her answer gives him rope with which to hang himself. in the end, if it does prove a liability, then she can point back to this very conversation. and yet in the interest of being at least a little fair, she adds: ] It's not like the rest of the ships roster plays well with others. Not all of them, at least.

[ whatever happens, she doubts he can be more uncooperative than max. ]

[He does indeed say as much, and while Rip recognizes the potential pitfall he's rather not concerned. The circumstances that had led to such a drastic alteration have been forever changed, and more to the point, cannot be unchanged.

He should know, given how many times he'd tried.]

Yes, you've mentioned as much. Your pilot in particular, as I recall. [Max, although Rip has yet to run into him. It's no doubt a matter of time now.] Have you made him aware of everything you recruited me for? I'd really rather not wind up shoved off the pilot's station if he's under the impression that I'm not supposed to be there.

[Not that Rip knows if Max would, but—Peggy had described him as somewhat territorial when it came to the cargo bay. It's not impossible to think that might extend also to the bridge.]

It's, ah -- a work in progress.

[ she's not about to describe her plan to rip. however, her antics with the record player are a little bit vital to that mission. not only do they help dispel a great swathe of her own preoccupations, but those same antics will draw max out from his little castle. ]

He'll know before the week is out. You'll understand, I hope, my need for delicacy in telling him so. It's not the sort of thing you muddle through over breakfast.

[ a wan smile. not unironic, given what they've managed to muddle through in his conversation alone. ]

Unlike the introductions.

[Dry commentary aside, however, Rip does understand. Moreover, making the concession puts him in a good position to request one of his own.]

Speaking of delicacy, I hope you'll understand my request that you tell no one of the true nature of my work. I'm aware that the circumstances we're under may make the effort unnecessary, but I would prefer to err on the side of caution.

[The work of a time traveler was best done in secret; too many people knowing who he is could present innumerable complications, particularly if they somehow were set free and retained memories of their time among the Fleet.]

I would prefer for the First Mate to be informed.

[ her wording is careful. kind, even. because it makes no demands on him but merely provides an outline for what peggy would like to see happen. very possibly, should he put his foot down, she wouldn't argue the point any further. ]

Should anything happen and he's left with the helm? I would want him to know who and what he's working with. What he can expect.

[ and perhaps her own defensiveness in telling when she's quick to explain what shouldn't need explaining. being sentimentally entangled with her second-in-command still doesn't sit right with her; she tries too hard to stress how above-board she intends it all to be. ]

But beyond him? Well -- I'm not so terrible with a secret myself.

[ her lips are otherwise sealed. ]

Edited 2017-06-13 00:52 (UTC)

[She's a fair point; Rip's already learned of the pitfalls that might overcome any of them, from glitches to seemingly spontaneous comas, and that's without considering unique scenarios present on any given system or the journey between. Yet it's easier to have told her, after a set of in-depth conversations, not to mention a new awareness of her particular profession.

He's not entirely opposed to the idea--but reluctant, for the time being.]

It's an understandable position--but I've as of yet not had as much opportunity to talk with him myself. [There is trusting the judgement he can make based on his own observations, and then believing that of someone else. Peggy is likely right, but she is also arguably biased.]

Grant me time, if you would. You're free to tell him what I told you at first in the meantime: that I was a spaceship's captain. [It had covered enough to satisfy her, so it should do the same for Steve, and would on the whole provide a plausible enough cover in regards to his background.] As I said, it may prove an unnecessary precaution entirely. I would like to determine that for myself, however.

[ his response is more than reasonable. and so it draws a nod -- grateful and thoughtful both. peggy's not surprised that his short time aboard the ship hasn't opened him up to more chats with steve. her first mate has been (of late) a bit of a recluse. unhappy with the results of the heist and hurting after the twins' departure, she's noticed how he's withdrawn from strangers even as little has changed between the pair of them. he still gives her his smiles; she notices how few he has remaining for others. peggy's not pressed him on the matter. not yet. perhaps not ever, given how ill-equipped she feels for those sorts of conversations. so much between peggy and steve remains unsaid.

and to that end: ]

Take all the time you need. [ within reason is implied. ] Regardless of how much I may trust Steve, I'm never keen h to tell him someone else's business.

[ -- or even her own business. at times. ]

As he's well aware.

[ which is to say that she doesn't fear any conflict or repercussion for keeping this from her partner so long as she needs to -- rip is free to cling to that secret a bit longer. what matters is that she's made her preference known. ]

I appreciate your discretion. [Particularly because Rip knows the difficulty of keeping secrets from those he has grown fond of. Fortunately, such largely need not have been the case with Miranda, who had undergone so much of the same training as him—yet he cannot honestly say that he told her everything, nor Gideon, nor anyone else in his life, ultimately.

Such is one of the many burdens he's faced as a Time Master, former or otherwise.

Assured then that it wouldn't be an issue (at least not so long as he did make an effort to put his own concerns to bed), Rip glances back towards the stove.] If there's nothing further, Miss Carter, I should finish cleaning up. It's a bit easier if I keep up with it as I go along.

[Especially since Rip's still learning just who might wander in when.]

[ his appreciation garners a nod. nothing more; nothing less. discretion doesn't ask for anything beyond itself and so she offers no further comment. either he will manage to find a way to explain his situation to steve, or it will go unsaid until it needs saying. peggy prefers for her first mate to have all the details but she knows well enough that steve wouldn't begrudge the man his secrets. so if it takes a while? so be it. peggy has always been the one more likely to turn sour because of some piece of hoarded intel.

but then he goes as far as dismissing her -- from the conversation, perhaps, but not the kitchen. she won't have him thinking she'll leave just because he implies she should.

friendly enough: ] Of course. How diligent of you.

[ but thereafter she lapses into silence while she drains her tea and pours herself another cup. in the meantime? well, she's gracious enough to wash her own plate and fork. he cooked, after all. and she's not afraid to roll her sleeves up and throw her weight behind the tidying.

only then, some seven or so minutes after their conversation had officially 'ended' does she breeze out of the kitchen as easily as she'd breezed in. ]

everybody's starstruck in june.

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