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[mucked]

PEGGY CARTER | MCU | DRIFT FLEET ( action ) or ( text ) or ( video )

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[edwinjarvis]

[He hesitates, and she can probably hear the thinning of his lips and, perhaps, a flicker of something mournful in his expression, because being away from Ana for an indefinite amount of time is tantamount to torture. Regardless, he is quick to recover, before she even has the chance to gaze upon his moment of weakness. He is smiling a bit, squaring his shoulders with some semblance of confidence.]

There's no need to console me by any degree, I can assure you.

As terrible the thought of being away from my home is, I would prefer to be kidnapped than face the idea of you being gone away in space of all places without my knowledge. Especially against your will.

And regardless of the surprising benefits.

Besides... it will be - an adventure of sorts.

[mucked]

-- An adventure.

[ she agrees. and peggy knows this adventure will be leagues safer than any bound by their lives back home. that, at least, is a windfall. he might indulge his taste for adventure with a degree of confidence so long as he is within the fleet.

she stretches upwards and fetches a sturdy box from a high shelf. swaying (just a little) as she reaches. within it are a quartet of well-painted tea-cups. peggy removes only two from the box and sets them right-side-up on the counter. they had been a christmas gift. and, as far as the fleet's supplies are concerned, they are works of art. ]

Yes, it'll certainly be one of those. [ she turns back to face him. mouth tight -- it's hard to hide her sympathy right now. ] Things start to get truly adventurous when we're stopped at an actual planet.

[edwinjarvis]

You mean one that isn't just a ball of ice and misery.

[He's been reading up a little. As in a lot.]

I've heard the waystations are interesting as well. I certainly plan to roam this - Corsiva, take in what could very well be some distant future. In a way, it's a once in a lifetime event, Miss Carter. These are things we've not a chance of seeing in our day and age.

[Wait he's distracted-]

Where did you get these? They're quite nice.

[mucked]

They were a gift. [ from steve, though she doesn't dare admit it. not after his earlier 'smile'. instead, peggy trusts he might leave well enough alone. she doesn't have much faith in her resolve to keep a secret if she presses it. too much space-whiskey circling in her veins. ] A little too fine for everyday use, I think. But it is a holiday.

[ following the pair of cups, she brings the steeping tea pot to the table. when she sits down, it's with evident relief to be off her feet. she's sorely tempted to kick off her heels. ]

[edwinjarvis]

And a lovely gift they are. [He raises his eyebrow at her; feel free to kick the shoes off, Jarvis won't judge, even if he's never without his carefully kept suit.] What year do you suppose it is? I'm not quite sure which I should be throwing confetti for, so to speak.

[mucked]

That, [ she opines, ] is a wonderful question. One I can't begin to answer. Only that it must be one far, far, far from ours.

[ she pries open the pot's lid and gives the brewing tea an experimental sniff. could probably do with another minute -- the scent's a little weak, yet.

decorum went out the window with her hug, i'm afraid. ]

[edwinjarvis]

Well! Happy New Year, regardless.

[It's worth a celebration for celebration's sake.]

And since you're reasonably talkative, you must tell me about your travels thus far.

I'm too curious.

[mucked]

[ alright, mister jarvis. you want adventure? she'll give you adventure. ]

One of the earlier stops I experienced was on a moon, actually. All dust and sand-storms. It looked more like a scene out of one of Howard's would-be western pictures. But they played poker in the saloons and I hadn't made much in the way of credits. [ ... ] Unfortunately, my fellow players didn't take to well to me winning theirs.

[edwinjarvis]

[OH DEAR.]

I feel for them; you must have wounded their pride and sternums quite terribly.

I hope you didn't lose any of those credits in saloon repairs.

[mucked]

[ she'd had help, of course. but she doesn't quite know where to begin explaining natasha romanoff. the easiest description would depend upon an element of the woman's past she knows would be unfair to share. ]

The fight spilled into the street. Very little was hurt. Beyond them. [ now she's quick to pour the tea -- a cup for him and a cup for her. milk and sugar are on the table, but peggy eschews both. ]

[edwinjarvis]

And their pride, as previously stated.

Do you usually have fisticuffs at each planet, or are they saved nowadays for special occasion?

[mucked]

Not as often as I'd like -- [ she admits. and this, at least, she might equally admit while sober. and despite being far from it, she manages to remember how he takes her tea (don't ask her how she knows) and prepares his cup accordingly. ] Most planets offer more in the way of hunting than anything else. Alongside some light shopping. Lovely sights. And there was the one spot that allowed people to share memories merely through touch.

1/3

[edwinjarvis]

[Jarvis gives a small smile, looking quite fascinated by the concept.]

It sounds interesting. I think I would have been admittedly a bit boring to hold hands with, but the idea is charming.

[edwinjarvis]

[...]

Or perhaps terrifying, depending on the held hand.

[YIKES.]

[edwinjarvis]

And the germs.

[mucked]

[ a world of such bizarre opportunities and near-magical occurrences, and he focuses on the germs? peggy's mouth falls into a hard line. never change, dear jarvis. ]

I promise you we all left quite healthy and hale. [ hesitation. sort of. ] At least with no conditions developed on the planet.

[edwinjarvis]

There's that, at least.

[Ah! And speaking of conditions developing from intimate touch--]

You said Howard had been here, though. I... hope he behaved at these stations.

[mucked]

Howard. [ a puff of her cheeks. ] Howard wasn't here for that one. Although --

[ some small voice insider her screams against this revelation. it truly does. but the whiskey overcomes her. her nose crinkles. ] There was still a Stark in the fleet.

[edwinjarvis]

[If there's anything to surprise him - that would be it.

He stares for a moment, the gears in his head a-turning.]

Another Stark?

[It's about all he's got for a response.]

[mucked]

Tony. [ a crinkle of her nose. ] Anthony, really. You only just missed him.

[ a puff of her cheeks. there's no easy way to express it, really. ]

Howard's son.

[edwinjarvis]

... Mr. Stark, breeding?

[Oh lord, lord help us. He looks like he may just zone out into space.]

Oh, dear god, Howard has a son. Will have a son.

[................ He's going to have to change some diapers, he just knows it.]

How, who - when? With?

[mucked]

I don't know much about the who -- and I'd really rather not imagine the how. Thank you very much. [ she pulls a face. please, that's the last thing she wants to think about currently. ]

But he was here and he was -- much like Howard, while also being wholly unlike him. And [ a puff of breath ] he does terrible heroic things, I take it, as part of that team of incredible people I mentioned. The team that Captain Rogers leads.

[ leads. that mightn't be true, but she'll spin it like it is. ]

[edwinjarvis]

This is - a good thing.

[He's clearly just voicing the first thing that springs up, some kind of way for him to justify hearing of the future. Clearly this is just fine, because... come on, good news. It's almost as if hearing from Peggy that Howard's announced their pregnancy. Only, there's, um. A woman he's yet to meet. And she actually stays with Stark? She must surely be a remarkable woman.

Behold, Peggy, he's quiet in his own head, having a monologue internally.

Then he remembers he's with company.]

It is a good thing, isn't it? Another Stark! A brilliant one, I take it.

And in a team of heroes...!

I imagine I must be proud of him. Wherever I am.

[mucked]

[ peggy knows only a few things for certain: she lives until she's 95. howard certainly doesn't. and she hasn't dared ask too much about edwin jarvis -- perhaps she was afraid to know. but good words were exchanged between herself and tony on the topic of so fine a man as him.

she wills herself not to grimace. ]

Utterly brilliant. And, if you can believe it, even more arrogant than his father. [ ... ] I could see the resemblance quite early on.

[ she hides her clumsy uncertainty behind a sip of tea. ]

[edwinjarvis]

Oh, I would have loved to meet him, if not to roll my eyes.

[But he says it very fondly, staring into his untouched drink.]

I suppose I will. I don't imagine Ana and myself have many other places to go, after all.

[You've got him all sentimental and thoughtful, Peggy, how could you. He's thinking far too deeply on the matter. Perhaps even further than just the idea of Stark having a family. After all, if Stark has a family, then it's terribly possible he has a boy or girl of his own in the future. Goodness! He'd always been so focused on tasks at hand, he never really gave it much thought.]

As much as I tend to bicker, Stark's mansion is our home. I hope I'm still as active as ever in it. Though I regret that I was unable to imbue any sort of humbleness in this Anthony Stark.