[ Peggy doesn't often hesitate, if at all. Jim's jaw sets, where he is. Teachers require patience and she thinks she has none. This is a puzzle to work on, real slow. A wound to help close. ]
All right. Let me know if you change your mind.
[ A beat. ]
I'd like to show you my M107.
[ adding, quickly, ]
That's not a euphemism.
[ Maybe it will make her laugh, or roll her eyes, at least, at plain old Jim Barnes being insufferably himself. ]
[ she wants very much -- and very deeply -- to be a part of this fresh action. but in the wake of everything else: the war, the loss, and the uphill struggle within the s.s.r.? of course her patience has worn thin. especially with ambitious young men eager to step on the backs of others to get to places they believe they deserve for the simple feat of existing. peggy might've thought to tell jim she'd take on a select assortment of pupils, and that idea now rolls around her brain. but like most half-formed ideas, she lets it incubate a little longer.
and in the meantime, she lets herself get eaten up by his antics. the device registers a soft hah. sarcastic, but entertained. ]
It's a good thing, then -- [ that it's not a euphamism ] -- otherwise I'd feel all the more green for telling you I don't think I've ever seen one. Developed after the '40s?
[ a rustle. like she's getting something ready. preparing, perhaps, for an invitation to visit. it'll give her a whole shuttle ride worth of time to rethink his proposal. ]
[ the '80s. it signifies very little to her, except as a sort of point-between for her decade and theirs. whenever she tries to think too long and too hard about what gradual, distinctive steps mankind must have taken in the interim, she makes herself melancholy. so she doesn't dwell. ]
Reliable's all you need. All else is luxury.
[ says the woman with a definite preference for one particular model. ]
[ the hypocrisy isn't lost on her -- she's a creature who exploits luxury to maintain a tidy appearance, but if pressed she might argue a tactical benefit to high-end lipstick and good nylons. ]
I'm available. [ already getting ready, frankly. ] Do you want to meet on the Iskaulit, achieve a bit of recon, and then pop back to the Heron for lunch and modest gun show?
[ after offering confirmation, peggy sets about warming up her own shuttle. she's no pilot, so she can't do much in the way properly guiding the damned thing -- but it can bring her to the iskaulit, at least, and back again. she considers rousing the gruff monosyllabic survivalist from his recuperation in order to fly her over but... no. best leave him be. she'll manage.
once arrived, she boards the iskaulit looking -- well, a little utilitarian, to be honest. her hair is growing longer, and so she's decided to braid more often. at least on days where free-bouncing curls are not precisely practical. she's wearing one of the standard issue jumpsuits. it fits her well, and the sleeves are rolled up. even so, she's sporting lipstick. nail polish. and black pumps.
[ Much as he's always up for seeing that famous right hook, Jim prefers his nose intact, thank you very much. His shuttle is already in the docking bay when hers arrives, and he's just checking the corridors for anyone around. Jim's in the standard jumpsuit, just wearing a dark blue jacket — same colour he had in the War — to give it some colour. He smiles brightly, and makes a beeline for her, slowing only to telegraph that he's about to kiss her cheek in greeting. In case she doesn't want him to. ]
[ there aren't many men, within the scope of peggy's acquaintance, who could lean in for such a kiss and not be swatted out of the way. or worse. but jim -- despite being sourced in some separate reality -- has earned more respect and care. earned it in mud and snow and blood. and then earned it again, here, among the stars. so she tilts her head just so, and offers up her cheek like one might offer a hand. peaceful, and friendly. ]
Hm! How European of you. [ she teases, and thereby hopes to defuse any initial tension he might feel over the instigation of such a greeting. it flags to him that she does not mind it. and, indeed, might welcome his affectionate friendship as readily as she welcomes his hand to hold in trying times. ] Good morning, Jim.
[ she exhales. ] You know, I'm glad you asked me along. Thank you.
[ Her nostalgia is kind to him. He remembers that. ]
You could say I'm a man of the world now. Sophisticated'n all. [ still smiling, he brings up her left as they walk down the corridor. ] Thanks for coming.
Anything to get off the Starstruck for a little while. At first, I didn't take the warnings about dullness and of limited space seriously enough. All it takes is sitting in the wake of a few huge planets to begin to look a little less favourably upon our close quarters.
[ even the griffith (before she was kicked out) had afforded her more space than the starstruck does. and although she doesn't require a great deal of it, she could do with a bit more solitude in the face of shared everything. ]
We've got this cranky survivalist type on board, now. He sleeps in the docked shuttles. I'm starting to think there might be some method to his madness.
[ There were plenty who got lost out there in the cold. A few they found in the jungles in the Philippines, who didn't know World War Two was long over. ]
He said he wasn't. But -- [ peggy lets the thought trail into shrug. she's seen soldiers, and she's seen shell shock. this fellow puts her in mind of both those words. but the world he describes is one beyond mere soldiers. every human being clawing at a chance to stay alive is soldier-like. ] He's shaken. Doesn't like to talk about himself, which is -- of course -- no sin on him.
[ they can both empathize with that sort of walled existence. ]
Australian. He hasn't given his name, yet. And so I haven't put him in an awkward position by asking for it. But he talks about a world wrecked by nuclear fallout, Jim.
[ and that's a subject she's always felt vaguely guilty when broaching with the survivalist. ]
Might be. He claims there isn't much history left to study or read. It's all sand. Sand and desperation. He's half-feral, some days.
[ some days, max makes the winter soldier look downright socialized. but peggy must admit that's because she's walked into winter's life at a much later point. ]
He'd never seen snow before. Or a lake, let alone a frozen one. He fell through on Arslae and has been the worst sort of patient ever since. [ ... ] And he steals my tea.
[ but for all her complaints, she's developing a soft spot. he needs patience and attention that doesn't smother him, and peggy is willing to provide both. ]
[ His mouth twists unhappily. The man has a taste for tea, at least, and it will give Peggy something to do in the face of that crushing boredom. Jim knows — he has the Soldier to look after. ]
Pilot. A position he's quite pleased with -- but which I fear might get him into trouble. Barely out of the ice-cold water [ hmm ] and he was already trying to hop back into a shuttle.
[ her initial agreement comes as a short hum. mhm. peggy glances at doorways as they pass and -- in her mind -- she tries to map the ship's layout from what she's experienced. she can hear the engines...but where are they? ]
I don't suppose we've ever been lucky enough to lay hands on blueprints for this vessel? [ she doesn't sound too hopeful. ] I imagine there are loads of vital systems we'd not want to risk damaging.
No, never. When I was first aboard my augment helped with identifying the consoles we could tinker with, but aside from that — [ he hums, thoughtfully ] not much. This is the first ship we've managed to tug along with us.
Well. If it can be done once -- [ then it can be repeated. and what other bits of space junk might prove useful? peggy isn't anywhere near an expert on space. but it bears consideration. ]
How did the fleet manage to stumble across this one?
We found it being attacked by some kinda fungus. All the original inhabitants were either dead or possessed. There was nothing to salvage except the ship.
[ He delivers it in the tone of a report. No point crying over people they never knew and who were long dead, anyway. ]
There was a way to preserve the ship, so we took it.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
audio;
All right. Let me know if you change your mind.
[ A beat. ]
I'd like to show you my M107.
[ adding, quickly, ]
That's not a euphemism.
[ Maybe it will make her laugh, or roll her eyes, at least, at plain old Jim Barnes being insufferably himself. ]
audio;
and in the meantime, she lets herself get eaten up by his antics. the device registers a soft hah. sarcastic, but entertained. ]
It's a good thing, then -- [ that it's not a euphamism ] -- otherwise I'd feel all the more green for telling you I don't think I've ever seen one. Developed after the '40s?
[ a rustle. like she's getting something ready. preparing, perhaps, for an invitation to visit. it'll give her a whole shuttle ride worth of time to rethink his proposal. ]
audio;
The 1980s, to be exact. It ain't the Johnson I had in the War, but it's reliable.
audio;
Reliable's all you need. All else is luxury.
[ says the woman with a definite preference for one particular model. ]
audio;
You're a dame after my own heart, Peg.
[ Says the man who lives in an apartment so sparsely furnished a towel on a lawn would have more character. ]
So, when should we go looking for the best room?
audio;
I'm available. [ already getting ready, frankly. ] Do you want to meet on the Iskaulit, achieve a bit of recon, and then pop back to the Heron for lunch and modest gun show?
audio;
I'd be delighted. See you there in about ten? I need to warm up the shuttle engine.
action.
once arrived, she boards the iskaulit looking -- well, a little utilitarian, to be honest. her hair is growing longer, and so she's decided to braid more often. at least on days where free-bouncing curls are not precisely practical. she's wearing one of the standard issue jumpsuits. it fits her well, and the sleeves are rolled up. even so, she's sporting lipstick. nail polish. and black pumps.
call her rosy and you just might get punched. ]
action.
Morning.
action.
Hm! How European of you. [ she teases, and thereby hopes to defuse any initial tension he might feel over the instigation of such a greeting. it flags to him that she does not mind it. and, indeed, might welcome his affectionate friendship as readily as she welcomes his hand to hold in trying times. ] Good morning, Jim.
[ she exhales. ] You know, I'm glad you asked me along. Thank you.
action.
You could say I'm a man of the world now. Sophisticated'n all. [ still smiling, he brings up her left as they walk down the corridor. ] Thanks for coming.
action.
[ even the griffith (before she was kicked out) had afforded her more space than the starstruck does. and although she doesn't require a great deal of it, she could do with a bit more solitude in the face of shared everything. ]
We've got this cranky survivalist type on board, now. He sleeps in the docked shuttles. I'm starting to think there might be some method to his madness.
action.
Think he might be a soldier?
[ There were plenty who got lost out there in the cold. A few they found in the jungles in the Philippines, who didn't know World War Two was long over. ]
action.
[ they can both empathize with that sort of walled existence. ]
Australian. He hasn't given his name, yet. And so I haven't put him in an awkward position by asking for it. But he talks about a world wrecked by nuclear fallout, Jim.
[ and that's a subject she's always felt vaguely guilty when broaching with the survivalist. ]
action.
You think it might be ours? Or — somethin' close to it?
action.
[ some days, max makes the winter soldier look downright socialized. but peggy must admit that's because she's walked into winter's life at a much later point. ]
He'd never seen snow before. Or a lake, let alone a frozen one. He fell through on Arslae and has been the worst sort of patient ever since. [ ... ] And he steals my tea.
[ but for all her complaints, she's developing a soft spot. he needs patience and attention that doesn't smother him, and peggy is willing to provide both. ]
action.
[ His mouth twists unhappily. The man has a taste for tea, at least, and it will give Peggy something to do in the face of that crushing boredom. Jim knows — he has the Soldier to look after. ]
What augment did they give him, do you know?
action.
action.
action.
action.
[ They've largely passed the occupied rooms on the ship, and now come to a corridor where Jim can hear the low hum of the engine. ]
Somewhere a little farther from the engine, don't you think? No windows, either.
action.
I don't suppose we've ever been lucky enough to lay hands on blueprints for this vessel? [ she doesn't sound too hopeful. ] I imagine there are loads of vital systems we'd not want to risk damaging.
action.
action.
How did the fleet manage to stumble across this one?
action.
[ He delivers it in the tone of a report. No point crying over people they never knew and who were long dead, anyway. ]
There was a way to preserve the ship, so we took it.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.
action.