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[Not long after this goes up and Erik starts replying to it -- photo ID and all -- he'll get a brief message from a voice that sounds rather more coherent than the last time he heard it.]
I believe I owe you thanks for getting me safely...home...the week before last.
I believe I owe you thanks for getting me safely...home...the week before last.
As much as one does. I'm afraid if you gave me your name I didn't retain it; it wasn't until I saw your communications on the network that I made the connection.
It's Erik.
And don't worry, I'm not insulted, you weren't exactly in the right state of mind. Did you ever find out what it was they gave you? I have a feeling that if they decide to continue this experiment of theirs, there will be more arrivals in that state.
And don't worry, I'm not insulted, you weren't exactly in the right state of mind. Did you ever find out what it was they gave you? I have a feeling that if they decide to continue this experiment of theirs, there will be more arrivals in that state.
[ continued from here.
it's always a bit of a fuss -- commuting from the down to the up, navigating transit as someone marked for submission, and weaving her way into the high rise. the staff there suggests (and not for the first time) that she visits altogether too often for a submissive without a contract. snidely, they ask whether she's got her papers yet. and just as snidely she (usually) replies that no, no, she hasn't, but if they call up to mister hunter's room they'll find that she's expected.
this time she informs the doorman that she's here to visit someone else. and, certainly, she'd sent a brief message before she'd left her shared motel room in the down. she's admitted without too much hassle and soon enough she's knocking on his door.
pencil skirt, silk blouse, dark pumps. pin curls and red lipstick. she certainly looks the era suggested in her "biography," although how she's managed to maintain such polish as an uncontracted submissive is a whole other mystery. despite her headstrong attitude, she does show a measure of decorum when she waits to be invited in. ]
it's always a bit of a fuss -- commuting from the down to the up, navigating transit as someone marked for submission, and weaving her way into the high rise. the staff there suggests (and not for the first time) that she visits altogether too often for a submissive without a contract. snidely, they ask whether she's got her papers yet. and just as snidely she (usually) replies that no, no, she hasn't, but if they call up to mister hunter's room they'll find that she's expected.
this time she informs the doorman that she's here to visit someone else. and, certainly, she'd sent a brief message before she'd left her shared motel room in the down. she's admitted without too much hassle and soon enough she's knocking on his door.
pencil skirt, silk blouse, dark pumps. pin curls and red lipstick. she certainly looks the era suggested in her "biography," although how she's managed to maintain such polish as an uncontracted submissive is a whole other mystery. despite her headstrong attitude, she does show a measure of decorum when she waits to be invited in. ]
[ He's waiting for her when she arrives, just putting together a plate of finger foods while brewing tea. They phone him to let him know that he's got a guest and he goes to greet her. He's taken off his coat and tie for the afternoon, but he's still in freshly-pressed slacks and a starch white shirt, top button undone, sleeves rolled up to the forearm. There's a number tattooed, a little above his wrist.
He doesn't know why he isn't expecting pincurls, but they're a sight as welcome as she is, as he smiles at her. At first, he's a little transfixed-- she probably gets that a lot-- simply because she's well-put-together and startlingly beautiful in person. He catches himself and gestures for her to come in. ]
Welcome. Wasn't sure how you liked your milk and sugar, did you know they have goat's milk and hemp milk at the market? I don't even know how you milk hemp.
[ The apartment itself is just as modern as Duplicity itself, a bit austere. Any personal touches are likely a product of Erik's roommate. But there are a few mid-century modern pieces that are inspired by a sort of 50s touch, and he's tried to liven the place up with a little bit of wood and a few plants. ]
He doesn't know why he isn't expecting pincurls, but they're a sight as welcome as she is, as he smiles at her. At first, he's a little transfixed-- she probably gets that a lot-- simply because she's well-put-together and startlingly beautiful in person. He catches himself and gestures for her to come in. ]
Welcome. Wasn't sure how you liked your milk and sugar, did you know they have goat's milk and hemp milk at the market? I don't even know how you milk hemp.
[ The apartment itself is just as modern as Duplicity itself, a bit austere. Any personal touches are likely a product of Erik's roommate. But there are a few mid-century modern pieces that are inspired by a sort of 50s touch, and he's tried to liven the place up with a little bit of wood and a few plants. ]
[ there is always that moment -- one exacerbated, she finds, by the distant digital communication so endemic of the 21st century and of pocket dimensions like these -- where one first puts text to face. jarring, maybe. but not at all disappointing. she mayn't be in the market for a partner but a pragmatic piece of her brain reminds her that it won't hurt to compile a list of decent dependable dominants should the shite ever truly hit the fan.
she smiles. it doesn't quite touch her eyes. and she strides inside once invited. he's an imposing specimen with a stature that reminds her (just a little; just enough) of what project rebirth did to steve rogers. broad and tall and paragonesque.
peggy carries a small handbag. brusque and forward, she finds a place to set it before offering her host a more proper once-over. her attention notes the ink on his arm (she feels a clench of surprise, of dismay, of complicated emotions) but she doesn't allow her gaze to linger there. ]
I don't, actually. [ like milk. or sugar. ] I'll take mine black. Cheers.
[ he says something about goat's milk and hemp's milk but she's already walking past him in order to witness that view he'd boasted of being given. he's not wrong.
she glances back over her shoulder. ]
Christ. But do they ever treat you Dominants like royalty.
[ her tone is half-resentful and half-envious. ]
she smiles. it doesn't quite touch her eyes. and she strides inside once invited. he's an imposing specimen with a stature that reminds her (just a little; just enough) of what project rebirth did to steve rogers. broad and tall and paragonesque.
peggy carries a small handbag. brusque and forward, she finds a place to set it before offering her host a more proper once-over. her attention notes the ink on his arm (she feels a clench of surprise, of dismay, of complicated emotions) but she doesn't allow her gaze to linger there. ]
I don't, actually. [ like milk. or sugar. ] I'll take mine black. Cheers.
[ he says something about goat's milk and hemp's milk but she's already walking past him in order to witness that view he'd boasted of being given. he's not wrong.
she glances back over her shoulder. ]
Christ. But do they ever treat you Dominants like royalty.
[ her tone is half-resentful and half-envious. ]
[ By the time she's gone to check out the view, he's put the milk back in the fridge and the sugar back in the cupboards. They're a sleek white, matching the completely white kitchen with marble waterfall breakfast bar. It's both minimal and maximal at the same time, and of course there are floor to ceiling windows and the whole thing is flooded with a late afternoon orange-pink light. ]
That they do. And this is just the provided housing.
[ He fixes her a small plate of the fruit and other things and moves towards the living area which has a much better vantage point of the windows than the dining room, though honestly neither are a terrible spot.
He sets the tea and snacks down but joins her overlooking the city, though he seems more interested in seeing how the golden hues light against her hair. ]
Shame it has to come at such a high price.
[ And, now that they're alone: ]
I don't approve of all this. I never have, not when our captors advertise children for sex and treat jails as a selling block.
But I also think they have us at a great disadvantage, what with not knowing the type or scope of their powers. Or even the real reason they've brought us all here.
So I've chosen to play along, but make no mistake, I do it to get all the distractions out of the way.
That they do. And this is just the provided housing.
[ He fixes her a small plate of the fruit and other things and moves towards the living area which has a much better vantage point of the windows than the dining room, though honestly neither are a terrible spot.
He sets the tea and snacks down but joins her overlooking the city, though he seems more interested in seeing how the golden hues light against her hair. ]
Shame it has to come at such a high price.
[ And, now that they're alone: ]
I don't approve of all this. I never have, not when our captors advertise children for sex and treat jails as a selling block.
But I also think they have us at a great disadvantage, what with not knowing the type or scope of their powers. Or even the real reason they've brought us all here.
So I've chosen to play along, but make no mistake, I do it to get all the distractions out of the way.
[ she finds some small comfort in the familiar sounds of tea being set: the soft clink of china and the weighty tough of a cup and saucer touching down on a table-top. she listens very carefully to each and every sound -- not least of all because she's a stranger in a stranger's flat. and in a strange strange land, to boot. she might have her back turned to the brunt of the room, but that doesn't mean she isn't paying rapt attention to it.
his tone shifts. that, too, is a comfort. she likes some professional patter much much more to this makeshift flirtation the city has tried to force upon them. peg fills her lungs, drags her gaze away from the monumental bank of windows, and wanders nearer her tea cup.
she is quick to claim it. happily, it sits cradled in her hand. poised, but not posh. hers is a rather austere posture but not one learned through pedigree. middle class, probably. upper middle class, maybe. she shows an economy of movement when she brings the cup up to her lips. ]
I hope you won't take any offense when I say it's a touch more complicated for us in the Down -- playing along. [ not that the division isn't unfair to both halves -- only that it's never easy to trust the hand that's reaching out and offering assistance. and to only give them three months to decide...!
had it been anyone else -- anyone without ink like his on his arm -- she might have lectured them on the price of playing along. already, she's gambling against that tactic. ]
I don't know you from Adam. [ ... ] A simple chat, even this one, won't change that fact. [ but she's here and she's drinking his tea and she's (probably) armed somewhere underneath the hem of her skirt. ]
But I'm curious. And willing to start somewhere. So -- it was 1947 when I was last home.
[ primly, she takes a seat and waits to witness how he'll handle what should be an equitable exchange of information. ]
his tone shifts. that, too, is a comfort. she likes some professional patter much much more to this makeshift flirtation the city has tried to force upon them. peg fills her lungs, drags her gaze away from the monumental bank of windows, and wanders nearer her tea cup.
she is quick to claim it. happily, it sits cradled in her hand. poised, but not posh. hers is a rather austere posture but not one learned through pedigree. middle class, probably. upper middle class, maybe. she shows an economy of movement when she brings the cup up to her lips. ]
I hope you won't take any offense when I say it's a touch more complicated for us in the Down -- playing along. [ not that the division isn't unfair to both halves -- only that it's never easy to trust the hand that's reaching out and offering assistance. and to only give them three months to decide...!
had it been anyone else -- anyone without ink like his on his arm -- she might have lectured them on the price of playing along. already, she's gambling against that tactic. ]
I don't know you from Adam. [ ... ] A simple chat, even this one, won't change that fact. [ but she's here and she's drinking his tea and she's (probably) armed somewhere underneath the hem of her skirt. ]
But I'm curious. And willing to start somewhere. So -- it was 1947 when I was last home.
[ primly, she takes a seat and waits to witness how he'll handle what should be an equitable exchange of information. ]
Edited 2018-11-08 13:00 (UTC)
[ He joins her, taking a sip of tea, placing his cup back down on the coffee table when he's satisfied. He listens to her and he does feel sympathy - in her position, he knows he would probably already be jailed, angry, each new event causing a feedback loop until he's a wounded animal undoing his own stitches. He does not envy her. ]
I know that it's more complicated for you, and that it would take a great deal of trust to believe what I want is just a contract in name, an offer of assistance to level the playing field and get all willing subs operating as independently as possible.
Thank you for at least hearing me out.
[ He doesn't want to be responsible for anyone in the way that he has to accompany them grocery shopping and to find a job and the like. He'd rather just make everything simple, adjust to life here as painlessly and close to "normalcy" as possible, so they can focus on things that aren't trying to find their place in a foreign land. He remembers how much unnecessary extra stress that puts on a person. ]
1947 was seventeen years ago for me, now. A good year. I was trying to start over, and was admitted into the United States under the Truman Directive. Have you ever been? It's quite nice.
[ If it's a casual conversation she wants to get to know him, he has no qualms with that. Hopefully he doesn't have to undergo the kind of background check that leaves him feeling raw and vulnerable, but he doesn't think she would pry so far. Three months is really a tight schedule for someone like him to let someone into his life. He imagines it's doubly so for her, given her designation. ]
I know that it's more complicated for you, and that it would take a great deal of trust to believe what I want is just a contract in name, an offer of assistance to level the playing field and get all willing subs operating as independently as possible.
Thank you for at least hearing me out.
[ He doesn't want to be responsible for anyone in the way that he has to accompany them grocery shopping and to find a job and the like. He'd rather just make everything simple, adjust to life here as painlessly and close to "normalcy" as possible, so they can focus on things that aren't trying to find their place in a foreign land. He remembers how much unnecessary extra stress that puts on a person. ]
1947 was seventeen years ago for me, now. A good year. I was trying to start over, and was admitted into the United States under the Truman Directive. Have you ever been? It's quite nice.
[ If it's a casual conversation she wants to get to know him, he has no qualms with that. Hopefully he doesn't have to undergo the kind of background check that leaves him feeling raw and vulnerable, but he doesn't think she would pry so far. Three months is really a tight schedule for someone like him to let someone into his life. He imagines it's doubly so for her, given her designation. ]
[ something flickers deep in her expression. as if she's clawed her way out of the muck more than once before and never quite acquired enough of a callous when it comes to considering yet another climb. level the playing field, he says, and peggy is left questioning whether playing fields ever truly get leveled. even now (back home) she makes her peace with missing recognition.
(it'll come, some day, if her world-mates are to be believed. but she tries not to think about it too long or too hard.)
and so instead she lets the conversation gain its own organic momentum. but not before she does the simple math -- seventeen years -- to determine his year of origin. always good to know. ]
Actually -- these days, I live stateside. New York. In the city. [ a beat. in reality, she'd been in california when she'd been taken from her world. but her home address is in nyc. ] Moved there in late '45 -- not long before that particular executive order came into being.
[ another sip of tea. she's stamped the cup with the print of her lipstick, now. ]
Where did you wind up?
(it'll come, some day, if her world-mates are to be believed. but she tries not to think about it too long or too hard.)
and so instead she lets the conversation gain its own organic momentum. but not before she does the simple math -- seventeen years -- to determine his year of origin. always good to know. ]
Actually -- these days, I live stateside. New York. In the city. [ a beat. in reality, she'd been in california when she'd been taken from her world. but her home address is in nyc. ] Moved there in late '45 -- not long before that particular executive order came into being.
[ another sip of tea. she's stamped the cup with the print of her lipstick, now. ]
Where did you wind up?
Erik Lensherr, I'm given to understand.
[There's a pause for just a beat.]
I didn't. I can hazard a few guesses, but I wouldn't be entirely confident administering a counteracting agent on a hunch if I were to encounter another arrival under the same influence.
[There's a pause for just a beat.]
I didn't. I can hazard a few guesses, but I wouldn't be entirely confident administering a counteracting agent on a hunch if I were to encounter another arrival under the same influence.
[ His eyes light up in recognition as soon as she says New York City, and memories he'd forgotten he had surface into his mind. They're tinged with sadness but a little hopeful, memories of waking up in a cramped apartment with other young men and showing up for a hard days' work and spending all their money on pizza and cheap beer. ]
We might have crossed paths, though I was barely a man at the time, hardly recognizable.
[ The smile he gives her is small, though it definitely reaches his eyes. ]
I ended up in Queens. Right off the A train.
[ He can still hear it in his mind, the rumbling underneath the street, the people bustling about, and all the rest. He can't believe he hasn't revisited those in such a long time. ]
We might have crossed paths, though I was barely a man at the time, hardly recognizable.
[ The smile he gives her is small, though it definitely reaches his eyes. ]
I ended up in Queens. Right off the A train.
[ He can still hear it in his mind, the rumbling underneath the street, the people bustling about, and all the rest. He can't believe he hasn't revisited those in such a long time. ]
[ she wonders if their new york was ever the same new york. it happens -- heaven knows she's run across so many who come from her same world, albeit flung to different corners of the timeline. but as far as she knows (as far as she assumes) he didn't recognize her name.
just as well. a blank slate is considerably easier to manage. ]
Helluva city, isn't she?
[ and there -- just there -- a genuine smile breaks through her performance. she's soft as lights on new york city: it's as if girlhood imagination got hijacked by a rebel spirit and just ran away with her. her love shifted from man to metropolis with such natural ease, back when she first moved stateside, that she hardly noticed it happened. ]
I miss it. [ more so because it's been over a year and a half since she was last living there. ] Are you still there? In Queens, that is. Back home before you were so rudely acquired like all the rest of us.
just as well. a blank slate is considerably easier to manage. ]
Helluva city, isn't she?
[ and there -- just there -- a genuine smile breaks through her performance. she's soft as lights on new york city: it's as if girlhood imagination got hijacked by a rebel spirit and just ran away with her. her love shifted from man to metropolis with such natural ease, back when she first moved stateside, that she hardly noticed it happened. ]
I miss it. [ more so because it's been over a year and a half since she was last living there. ] Are you still there? In Queens, that is. Back home before you were so rudely acquired like all the rest of us.
[ Don't think he missed that smile Peggy, but he knows. He knows exactly how she feels-- there's just something about New York that all other cities lack. It's the perfect mix of grit and polish, of fame and anonymity, and she's alive and breathing with countless different souls all contributing to the variegated quilt of New York City. ]
That she is.
[ And then, at the question, he pauses. His eyebrows knit. He thinks he should be honest with Peggy, especially given what he's asking of her. He just doesn't know how honest he should be. ]
No, I... haven't been in Queens for a long time now. I traveled for a bit in Europe and South America, and now I'm in Washington DC.
[ Honest but... not that honest. ]
That she is.
[ And then, at the question, he pauses. His eyebrows knit. He thinks he should be honest with Peggy, especially given what he's asking of her. He just doesn't know how honest he should be. ]
No, I... haven't been in Queens for a long time now. I traveled for a bit in Europe and South America, and now I'm in Washington DC.
[ Honest but... not that honest. ]
Am I correct in thinking you're one of the group brought here a month ago? If they continue to bring people in at regular intervals....
[Sigh. They're going to keep bringing more people in. The thought is depressing.]
[Sigh. They're going to keep bringing more people in. The thought is depressing.]
[ here, there, and everywhere. he paints a picture in broad strokes -- in place-names rather than in activities. and such is his right, she supposes, because it isn't as though she's said a word about why she'd come to new york. perhaps it's enough that they both of them know the shambolic state of europe after the war. was it selfish to leave it all behind?
a letter from peggy's mother once implied the accusation. and who was she to refute it? the war had taken both of amanda carter's children from her (in one way or another) and she was entitled to her bitterness about it.
for now, she dips her attention back to her cuppa. peggy watches the swirl of tea after another sip. ]
Might I ask where you're from? [ given the indicated age, the ink, the all of it -- peggy proceeds carefully for once in her life. ] Or... tell me to bugger off. My feelings won't be hurt.
a letter from peggy's mother once implied the accusation. and who was she to refute it? the war had taken both of amanda carter's children from her (in one way or another) and she was entitled to her bitterness about it.
for now, she dips her attention back to her cuppa. peggy watches the swirl of tea after another sip. ]
Might I ask where you're from? [ given the indicated age, the ink, the all of it -- peggy proceeds carefully for once in her life. ] Or... tell me to bugger off. My feelings won't be hurt.
Edited 2018-11-12 17:23 (UTC)
[ He likes this question much more than the last one, even if he doesn't like it a lot more. ]
Germany, but in 1943 my parents decided we should leave the country as it was becoming dangerous for us to stay.
So we went to Poland.
[ There's a dark humor behind his tone of voice. It's how he's come to deal with speaking about it; of course it's an important part of him, and of course he knows she already knows, so it's harmless to confirm. But he also does it as a coping mechanism - if he speaks this way, people tend to follow up less with their apologies over the situation.
And then, there's part two of his coping mechanisms. ]
So, tell me. You visited New York during the war, you fell in love with the city, you decided to stay? Am I getting that right?
[ It's a much simpler, kinder story. ]
Germany, but in 1943 my parents decided we should leave the country as it was becoming dangerous for us to stay.
So we went to Poland.
[ There's a dark humor behind his tone of voice. It's how he's come to deal with speaking about it; of course it's an important part of him, and of course he knows she already knows, so it's harmless to confirm. But he also does it as a coping mechanism - if he speaks this way, people tend to follow up less with their apologies over the situation.
And then, there's part two of his coping mechanisms. ]
So, tell me. You visited New York during the war, you fell in love with the city, you decided to stay? Am I getting that right?
[ It's a much simpler, kinder story. ]
[ there's no kindness in how she scoffs -- equal parts surprised and impressed by the gallows humour hiding in erik's explanation. so they went to poland, of all places, and she doesn't require many more details beyond that one. not when the focus twists and it grows clearer how it's her turn to provide some sort of answer.
his question is a fair one. so, too, is his assumption. ]
Something like that. [ he's gets nearer to the bullseye than most do. ] Although I wouldn't say I visited New York so much as was dispatched there. The first time 'round, at any rate.
[ and even if she does have a taste for talking around the truth, even peggy knows when it strains comfort and credulity. besides, her career is no big secret. not any longer. not when people from decades later can look at her and recognize her for deeds not yet done.]
I served. [ easily said. less easily elaborated on. there are only so many places a good guesser can take intel like that -- service paired with international travel. and always (inevitably) espionage will be one of them. ] And while I served I was most often attached to an American unit.
[ american by designation if not by makeup. the howling commandos were quite a patchwork quilt come the end. ]
his question is a fair one. so, too, is his assumption. ]
Something like that. [ he's gets nearer to the bullseye than most do. ] Although I wouldn't say I visited New York so much as was dispatched there. The first time 'round, at any rate.
[ and even if she does have a taste for talking around the truth, even peggy knows when it strains comfort and credulity. besides, her career is no big secret. not any longer. not when people from decades later can look at her and recognize her for deeds not yet done.]
I served. [ easily said. less easily elaborated on. there are only so many places a good guesser can take intel like that -- service paired with international travel. and always (inevitably) espionage will be one of them. ] And while I served I was most often attached to an American unit.
[ american by designation if not by makeup. the howling commandos were quite a patchwork quilt come the end. ]
on my way
[ and a little while later, she shows up, a small woman who carries herself with a dancer's grace and a fighter's confidence. she's wearing leather pants, a thigh holster and a loose sweatshirt, hair piled high atop her head.
there are two knives on her person, too, one in a shoe and one in her hair. they're both metal. she doesn't generally go anywhere without them. ]
Hope I didn't make you wait.
[ and a little while later, she shows up, a small woman who carries herself with a dancer's grace and a fighter's confidence. she's wearing leather pants, a thigh holster and a loose sweatshirt, hair piled high atop her head.
there are two knives on her person, too, one in a shoe and one in her hair. they're both metal. she doesn't generally go anywhere without them. ]
Hope I didn't make you wait.
Not at all.
[ He does think that she carries herself quite nicely, and they could be good sparring partners. He's not quite trained in hand to hand combat, mostly electing to do all the work with his mind.
He's just wearing joggers and a t-shirt. Looks like he's ready for the gym. ]
Bringing knives to a fistfight?
[ He does think that she carries herself quite nicely, and they could be good sparring partners. He's not quite trained in hand to hand combat, mostly electing to do all the work with his mind.
He's just wearing joggers and a t-shirt. Looks like he's ready for the gym. ]
Bringing knives to a fistfight?
[ He isn't picturing espionage, even though he didn't think that they let women in the rank and file unless it was specifically for that purpose or to serve as engineers or nurses. No, what he thinks is: ah, that's what they mean when they say she's a knockout.
And, there was the fact that she mentioned she'd been dispatched at least twice. So, judging by the very little he already knows of her character, he assumes she had done so willingly, enthusiastically, and probably against the advice of many people in her life.. ]
Thank you.
[ He says, after a bit of a pause. He had a lot of words to say about all this, but he thought he'd start with those two. ]
I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner, here I thought you were a boxer.
You are... absolutely extraordinary, and I understand now I could never have convinced you to follow their rules until we get better leverage.
And, there was the fact that she mentioned she'd been dispatched at least twice. So, judging by the very little he already knows of her character, he assumes she had done so willingly, enthusiastically, and probably against the advice of many people in her life.. ]
Thank you.
[ He says, after a bit of a pause. He had a lot of words to say about all this, but he thought he'd start with those two. ]
I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner, here I thought you were a boxer.
You are... absolutely extraordinary, and I understand now I could never have convinced you to follow their rules until we get better leverage.
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