[ no way, mate, you're not getting away with this so easily. peggy leans back and plays keep-away with the ice cream pint. ]
He's also well aware of how proud I am of you. [ she sees weakness and vulnerability; she goes for it. ] And that I consider you considerably less irksome than your father.
[ despite his father being basically her best friend back home. ]
Do I have to actually articulate that he's important to me before you'll start behaving like a mature adult about all of this? [ honestly! ] It's bad enough enough I had to tell Steve. And the man himself. Must I say it to you too?
[ can she just continue probably-loving someone with a kind of wordless unacknowledged affection? no one else need know the depth and breadth of it. but her little spiel does give something away, at least -- she's told steve.
[ He puts his head in his hands again, why is this happening to him. ]
Okay, let's break it down easily okay, let's work with what we know and that way I could show you what I mean. You just answer yes or no, you can do that.
[ He really needs a drink just about now ]
We know for sure that you have someone who's important to you, yes or no?
[ a snort -- as if she's not really certain whether she can answer yes or no. not when there are so many points she'd like to argue. still, she relaxes.
she even goes as far as to place the ice cream pint back on the table between them. ]
Yes.
[ but she makes the answer sound like he's pulling out her teeth. ]
I'll allow it, even though I shouldn't. Okay let's move down the line, you also realize that there's nothing personal here. The structure of my personality would make me dislike anyone. It doesn't matter if it were him, Rogers or that really good looking blonde witch whose name I swear I remembered a couple of hours ago.
[ it's freya, tony. although peggy reserves her reply -- not least of all because she's not certain she wants to cross the line into explaining her more recent interactions with freya. nor the questionable light they shed on rip. not when she is (for once) trying to come to his defense.
or something like it. at the heart, she knows her real argument is with tony's psyche. ]
I'm listening.
[ which is to say that she's hearing what he's saying -- but no, so far is not so good. ]
Now I insist on getting some praise on being absolutely A++ about everything, especially since I have my armor. Shots weren't fired, threats weren't made - I did not had the The Talk, even though I'm pretty sure I'll be brilliant at it. Right?
This is not praise, where's my praise - the Talk. Look, ok, I understand on the most basic level that you're the most badass person I know if I didn't know that, I'd be putting the full on interrogation mode and I'd have the Talk - you know, you hurt someone I care for and I will blast you through the ceiling, that sort of talk. I didn't have that with Rogers, either, by the way, again, your territory, not mine.
I'm not going to reward you for showing what ought to be a scrap of common decency.
[ she's a little hot under the collar -- perhaps it's her own protector's nature riling up under the implication that someone else might feel the same way about her. no matter how many boundaries are alluded to. ]
No, it's not a scrap of common decency - not for me because you know me common decency is not up my alley and I'm doing this because it's you and you know what you're doing.
[ still! ]
So conclusion so far. Me being nice is me saying nothing at all, right? okay? we can agree to that?
We can tentatively agree to it. [ ... ] Which is just as well, really, because you're both brilliant and I'd shudder to imagine the mayhem you'd cause if you ever put your heads together.
[ she can comfortably call tony brilliant to his face. jury is still out on whether she's ever extended the compliment to rip while he's been in earshot. ]
[ a snort. god, how did this happen? when did this happen? but she seems to relax (by degrees) and opens up just a little. it's as if steve's arrival has forced her hand. or, at least, offered her the opportunity to be honest. ]
I wouldn't go that far. [ because -- dear lord. ] But, Heaven knows, there are things both of you understand that I'm only beginning to wrap my head around.
You know he's done the whole 'lets try to get along for your mother's sake, right?'. Not in those actual words but - even my dad never played that hand on me.
[ it's evident by the look on her face -- although it passes quickly -- that peggy did not know that rip had reached out to tony in any capacity. the sentiment might be sweet enough, yes, but it's the interference that peggy can't much abide by.
still, she shelves it for the time being. ]
There was an...artificial consciousness, of sorts, that used to be here in Wonderland. But she didn't look all that artificial. [ ... ] Apparently she doesn't usually have an actual body. Back in their world, she's part of a ship.
[ she, she, she. almost as though peggy has been trying very carefully not to say it. ]
[ enough to make peggy broach the topic in turn with rip -- and she wonders whether that mightn't be the step too far that prompted him to reach out to tony. there are common grounds, there, that she needs to consider long and hard before she encourages. ]
She was named Gideon. It's unfortunate, really. [ ... ] I think the AI was Rip's only companion for a very long time.
[ and then, turning shrewd, she scrutinizes tony a little more carefully. ]
It's hard to imagine anyone depending so completely on a program.
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He's also well aware of how proud I am of you. [ she sees weakness and vulnerability; she goes for it. ] And that I consider you considerably less irksome than your father.
[ despite his father being basically her best friend back home. ]
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[ Since obviously she has one. ]
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He has also been made aware that you give me reading lists. And of books from considerably beyond my decade, at that.
[ she scoots away and takes the opportunity to eat another spoonful of ice cream. ]
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[ ugh ]
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[ she rolls her eyes. ]
Don't be dramatic.
[ she won't argue with herself being dubbed the worst, however. ]
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[ And look like Barnes, alas. ]
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Do I have to actually articulate that he's important to me before you'll start behaving like a mature adult about all of this? [ honestly! ] It's bad enough enough I had to tell Steve. And the man himself. Must I say it to you too?
[ can she just continue probably-loving someone with a kind of wordless unacknowledged affection? no one else need know the depth and breadth of it. but her little spiel does give something away, at least -- she's told steve.
more than that, she's told rip.
well sorta. ]
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Okay, let's break it down easily okay, let's work with what we know and that way I could show you what I mean. You just answer yes or no, you can do that.
[ He really needs a drink just about now ]
We know for sure that you have someone who's important to you, yes or no?
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she even goes as far as to place the ice cream pint back on the table between them. ]
Yes.
[ but she makes the answer sound like he's pulling out her teeth. ]
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[ so far so good? ]
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[ oh she's already colouring outside the lines. ]
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[ It's Freya, Tony. ]
So far so good, right?
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or something like it. at the heart, she knows her real argument is with tony's psyche. ]
I'm listening.
[ which is to say that she's hearing what he's saying -- but no, so far is not so good. ]
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[ In his own odd way, he was trying ]
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[ she can guess. but oh, lordy, she does not want to guess. ]
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[ though lord help him, he wanted to ]
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[ oh boy. ]
I'm not going to reward you for showing what ought to be a scrap of common decency.
[ she's a little hot under the collar -- perhaps it's her own protector's nature riling up under the implication that someone else might feel the same way about her. no matter how many boundaries are alluded to. ]
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[ still! ]
So conclusion so far. Me being nice is me saying nothing at all, right? okay? we can agree to that?
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[ she can comfortably call tony brilliant to his face. jury is still out on whether she's ever extended the compliment to rip while he's been in earshot. ]
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[ Always keen on assuming he's the smartest in the room. ]
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I wouldn't go that far. [ because -- dear lord. ] But, Heaven knows, there are things both of you understand that I'm only beginning to wrap my head around.
[ ...! ]
Like artificial intelligence.
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[ god, the headache he has ]
What about AI? Not a very good idea, you know.
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still, she shelves it for the time being. ]
There was an...artificial consciousness, of sorts, that used to be here in Wonderland. But she didn't look all that artificial. [ ... ] Apparently she doesn't usually have an actual body. Back in their world, she's part of a ship.
[ she, she, she. almost as though peggy has been trying very carefully not to say it. ]
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[ he reaches for the ice cream again ]
And thanks to Rogers 1.0, you know something about Ultron. What did he say?
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[ enough to make peggy broach the topic in turn with rip -- and she wonders whether that mightn't be the step too far that prompted him to reach out to tony. there are common grounds, there, that she needs to consider long and hard before she encourages. ]
She was named Gideon. It's unfortunate, really. [ ... ] I think the AI was Rip's only companion for a very long time.
[ and then, turning shrewd, she scrutinizes tony a little more carefully. ]
It's hard to imagine anyone depending so completely on a program.
[ even one named jarvis. ]
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