driftfleet | Starstruck Mingle

[ the first chance he gets to get off the bishop and out & about it shouldn't be surprising that he chose the starstruck as his destination. steve and peggy on the same ship and he's there -- not to mention, he does want to check up on the ship herself. he has been away over a year after all.

which is TOTALLY why he beelines it straight for the engineering room and ignores the actual inhabitants. yeah, that makes sense. he knows it isn't his purview to actually touch anything here, but still, it's calming somehow to see it all. the inner workings of any machine could always keep his attention unendingly, but he's clearly distracted, something weighing heavily on his mind so that he might not turn to say hello or hear a person entering the room right away. ]

[ there's an interloper on her ship. she's more bothered than she ought to be, really, until she figures out it's him. at which point she tracks him down in engineering and lurks in the doorway until he manages to realize he's not alone. ]

Who let you aboard, eh?

[ but peg cracks a half-smile. her ship has no security. generally speaking, max was usually deterrent enough. god, she hopes he comes back soon... ]

[ he notices her before she speaks. the air always shifts a particular way when peggy is near him, as though some part of him is hyperaware of her at all times. he slowly turns to face her. ]

I am capable of doing a few things on my own, Carter. [ boarding your ship being one of them!!!! ]

A few. [ peg concedes.

she doesn't move from the doorway. but nor does she attempt to rush him away from her ship's systems. he's not her engineer, perhaps, but there are some things with which she trusts him implicitly. ]

I hope you haven't found her wanting.

[ so they don't have a cook again. and with so much weighing on his mind, steve searches for something to do. this brings him to the kitchen. he's no chef, not even close, but he did take care of himself since he was eighteen. he's not entirely hopeless. it's probably not where one would expect to find a man who's built like an army tank but steve is indeed in the kitchen.

if you go pass the door, he'll be sure to call after you.

hey, have you eaten anything today?

the answer doesn't matter. you'll be getting soup and a salad anyway. ]

No, of course not. Just as pretty as the day I met her. [ he flashes that bright smile, the one he wields when he isn't feeling 100%. but for peggy there's always a little bit of truth to it. ]

And perhaps a bit prettier. [ she doesn't quite rise to meet his smile. hers lingers, half-felt, but she's always been a more dour presence than her. ] We've got a lounge. [ ... ] And there's a record player in it. Courtesy of my pilot.

[ still missing, but let's not get into it. ]

Are you proposing something? [ he always did like playing dumb with her. ] Remind me to ask Wilson about the details. [ of the ship. ]

Not a dance, if that's what you're thinking. [ she nods about sam -- gives him his silent world, although she could just as easily retort that she's never been his secretary. ] But there's some modern music you should give a listen to. Or cringe at. I can never decide which.

Of course not. [ that was exactly what he was thinking how did you know??? ] We have music aboard the Bishop too, you know. We're not savages.

[ but still he'll cheerfully follow her to do just that. ] I remember liking Guns n' Roses when I was here last.

But, oh, Howard. It's different when it comes out of a record player. [ or else she's nostalgic.

except don't talk to her about guns n' roses she'd hate it. ]

[ but touchscreens and magic music!! he's clearly conflicted. ] Alright, let's see what you've got.

[ He's not looking for anyone in particular, really. Mainly checking in on the crew to see how everyone's doing. Steve beckoning out the door means he didn't notice who he was talking to, or he knew damn well. He doesn't ignore Steve, simply backtracks and sits at the table in the kitchen to both keep him company and to get some grub.

He is a man of simple wants, he knows what he's about. They both eat a lot, so it works out. ]

You going to start naggin' me?

[ It's been a while since he's been on the Starstruck, and possibly rightly so with everything that's popped up lately. Regardless! He's here now, and he can be found in various parts of the ship. In the hallways in search of someone-- perhaps any of the nerds he calls friends, or in the kitchen stealing a cup of coffee. If you manage to catch him in the cargo bay, he's definitely giving Rock more attention than any human on this ship.

Not sorry. ]

Edited 2017-10-07 23:14 (UTC)

[ at first, it seems as though she's only passing through. getting from point a to point be with a bit of a hurry in her step. but when she sees bucky -- when she catches sight of him crouched by rock -- it's easy enough to tell that her impatience had been just that: impatience. she's got nowhere to be. or if she does, it's easily sidelined in favour of stopping by the visitor and the ship's resident dog. ]

He's been in a better mood since Max has come back. [ 'come back,' she says, as though the man had simply been on a trip. ]

Good afternoon, Buck.

[ she's settled comfortably into the nickname, it seems. ]

[ and maybe just maybe she's keen to coax him out of the engine-room. not because she fears what he might get up to (quite the opposite) but because she doubts howard came here to work. so peggy sees fit to lead him to her ship's lounge -- the one they'd made a point to purchase once the upgrade became available.

the furniture is mismatched but luckily quite stable. max had made a point of fixing the legs. ]

Gentleman's choice -- [ peg offers as she nudges a crate of records towards howard. ]

[ He's not been around to see so himself, and maybe he should have been in the wake of all the bad shit. Then Howard came back and he retreated to his normal haunts again. He glances at Peggy over his shoulder, hands not stopping in their attention to Rock, one hand scratching at his ear, the other patting him on the side. Rock seems to be okay with it. ]

I imagine so. 'lo, Peggy.

[ It's still odd to hear the nickname rolling off her tongue, but it's a welcome thing. It means she's not horribly annoyed with him. ]

[ a great deal has tempered her since they'd been forced through the calibrations. another flush of memories from home, for one. a desire to be strong for jarvis. her fight with max, max's death, max's return.

and ultimately a desire to make what's important what's here. so long as she's present, her devotion is to the members of this fleet. sod the problems from home; she'll tackle those when it comes to it. it's a new lease on live and one that will end (inevitably) with tying her horse to steve rogers's cart.

but not yet. ]

I'm glad you came. [ true enough. when she's close, she sinks down to run her fingers along the curve of rock's back. ] I suppose I was concerned -- concerned, perhaps, that you'd feel the Starstruck wouldn't want you.

I don't see any gentlemen here, but I suppose I'll do. [ he looks visibly nervous as he pours over their limited selections. peggy is asking him to decide something, no matter how insignificant it may seem. he's determined to make the 'right' choice. which is why he goes back and forth several times, picking up and putting back vinyl cases more than once before finally forcing himself to settle on one. he hands her the johnny cash album, glancing up at her from beneath his eyelashes. ]

[ and when she lifts the sleeve from his hands, peggy allows herself a smile. ]

You know, I actually like this one. [ or maybe she'd liked the afternoon when max had shared it with her. it's hard to divorce the two -- but the record itself carries a kind of sentimental timbre to it now. she eases the disc itself out of the sleeve and crosses to the player. ]

It's very American.

[ dusty and rudimentary and raw. ]

You've been nagging me for eighteen years, seems fair.

[ he places a bowl of soup and a plate of salad in front of him with a shrug. ]

it's not the four seasons but it's better than the stuff I used to make back then. I've been learning.

Did Margaret Carter just say she likes something American? [ he grins, finding a seat as he settles in to enjoy the music. it is very american. it reminds him of the south with a touch of the northeast somehow. old and yet much newer than them. this place is so cool sometimes. ]

Edited 2017-10-17 18:11 (UTC)

[ -- she takes a seat, too, and crosses her legs at the ankles. ]

Let's say, for the sake of dispensing with the question, that I've recently come 'round on the content. [ american content, that is. but don't be too flabbergasted! it's not as though she's started watching hollywood movies and reading comics. ]

[ he hums softly at that, like her words are something to savor. though given her choice in partner, it's obvious she doesn't have anything truly against americanism at all. which... is another topic he's avoiding altogether so whatever. ]

This is nice. [ he doesn't specify whether he means the music or the company, leaning his head back and shutting his eyes for a few minutes. it's definitely both. ]

[ let him avoid it. certainly, it's not like peggy is chomping at the bit to discuss her relationship with anyone. some days, even steve struggles to get her on the topic.

peggy doesn't make herself quite as comfortable as howard does, however. ]

It's a bit of alright. I nearly didn't throw in for the lounge but -- in the end, the payment feels worthwhile. The crew needs a social space beyond the kitchen.

Starstruck Mingle | October 2017

howard stark || OPEN

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steve rogers ✮ open

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feed me, seymour

Bucky Barnes;; visiting

cargo bay »

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wow he won't sing tho

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