TDM #25

[duplicitymods]

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « ALL ON DISPLAY

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It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy. This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses. To counteract the discovery of the deceit gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the LIEs program was founded. The program had been designed to introduce new subjects to the current environment and test for the deceit gene through immersion in Duplicity's standing society. Sexual impulses and encounters increase the chances of detecting the gene within these individuals. Participants are typically released from LIEs after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues. ... and you're here! Finally! Welcome to Duplicity. After choosing a door and stepping through to the other side, the first thing that greets you are the enthusiastic faces of people in medical scrubs and pristine lab coats. Their enthusiasm translates to eagerness as they strip you of your clothes to perform a thorough examination—you will be healed, bathed, and given a paper gown to wear until your items can be processed and delivered to your residence later in the evening. You are also given a device that accesses the network as well as the time and location of Orientation. If you enter Duplicity into the Up, congratulations! You're a Dominant, which means you are immediately picked up by a limo after processing and taken to your high-rise. Here, it is two Dominants per floor with separate apartments. If you enter Duplicity into the Down, congratulations! You're a Submissive, which means you are directed towards public transportation with the address of the motel you'll be living in. Here, it is two Submissives per room with a shared common space for all rooms. Enjoy your free time until Orientation! Participation is mandatory for all new and past arrivals. Skies are clear and the weather is warm.

» » » ALL ABOARD

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After stepping through the door and participating in Orientation, LIERs are assembled together in the Up for a tour of Duplicity in its entirety. Seats are in pairs and randomly assigned to Dominants and Submissives alike. Traveling from Fiddler's Square, the train journeys through various parts of the Up, showcasing society and examples of lifestyle. Along the way, frequent stops are made; a variety of passengers can be seen exiting and entering the doors. A Dominant with a kneeling Submissive takes a seat near the front of the train at one stop. A small group of Submissives board and sit closer to the LIERs at another, all seemingly content in their roles. As the tour continues through the Up, the train passes close to the Market and White Wall Bridge and zips by North Park before heading into the Down and bypassing Red Wall Bridge and South Park. The train makes a "final" stop at Riddler's Square, where inhabitants of the Down are instructed to return to their temporary housing. Those who live in the Up are permitted to stay on the train and revisit the same locations while returning.

« « « SUMMER SPECIAL

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(cw: aphro/drugs) LIEs has once again partnered with a local coffee chain, Peek-A-Brew, to promote their summer menu and help play matchmaker among those in the program. Along with the usual goodie bag, each character will be handed a small slip of paper after Orientation with a date and time, location, and three fun facts about a mystery partner they're to meet for a coffee date. These "facts" may or may not actually be true — they're simply meant to spark conversation. For the duration of the 1-2 hours the pairs are expected to spend getting to know one another, they will receive unlimited free iced coffee, tea, and lemonade and a discount on any other menu items. Seasonal specials include fruity parfaits and popsicles in a variety of refreshing flavors. Naturally, all goods are spiked to make the consumers more agreeable, more truthful, and perhaps a bit more handsy than normal. Though the meetings are not mandatory, contact with the paper brings on an inexplicable sense of curiosity about meeting their partner and discovering who they really are.

« « « BEAT THE HEAT

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(cw: aphro, temporary body changes) With summer heat building, the natives are looking for a reprieve from the sweltering weather. All manner of frozen treats are being sold and consumed and it's not uncommon to see Submissives fanning their Dominants as they walk down the street or ride the train. Sprinkler systems are running day and night in North Park and other city-owned patches of green and plenty of people are taking the opportunity to run and jump through the spray with little care for soaked clothing — or perhaps they aren't wearing clothing at all. Others have taken up squirting one another, as well as whoever is passing by, with water guns or hurling water balloons at anyone who looks like they need to cool down. Especially on the streets near the park, it's a wet and wild battle royale and all are welcome to join in. Getting hit with some of those colorful water balloons and squirt guns temporarily causes those who get splashed to taste like sweet, mouth-watering summer fruits. It's not just their skin either — the effect extends to their sweat, saliva, and even sexual fluids and can last for several hours. Those around them will find it hard to resist having a taste.

« « « HANG ON TO YOUR HATS

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(cw: violence, public nudity/exposure) If you're out on the streets of the Down, it's not just your wallet you have to worry about losing. It seems that one of the local gangs, the Bulldogs, has set a new test for their junior members and those hoping to join: steal an article of clothing right off the body of someone in a public place. From snatching the hat off their head to slicing the shirt off their back, it's anything goes! These junior initiates quickly get competitive, one-upping each other on who can complete the task in the most ballsy or outrageous manner. Some compete over who can collect the most clothing, either certain articles or overall, or who can score a full set first. As word spreads and more people are going around suddenly missing part of their outfits, the Sparrows, a rival gang, decide to get in on the action purely for bragging rights. Rather than taking the clothing by force, they pride themselves on using stealth and trickery, leaving more than a few people naked and confused.

« « « MOD & OOC NOTES

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Please read carefully. On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, characters will still have gone through the doors but the assignments are OOCly randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chooses "left" or "right." When participating on the TDM, there will be a third option. Players may link either a top level or a thread (five or more comments from their character) from the TDM and title the link as "Door Pass." This means that the player is choosing to take the designation that they were randomly assigned on the TDM, rather than taking the designation of a door. If the player decides to select a door rather than use the pass, then they are trying their luck; they may get the same designation they had on the TDM or the opposite. Once the application is submitted, players can't change their choice. To assign roles to characters for this TDM, use the following guide: If your character is more of an optimist, they are a Submissive. If your character is more of a pessimist, they are a Dominant. To Note: Characters can only swap their designation for one of the following reasons: an event occurs that allows it or there are OOC reasons that make it a necessity. Any swap always requires mod approval and each character can only ever switch once. Characters that are being reapped will keep their previous designation but players can choose to use new TDMs with different designations for fun! Test Drive threads can be used as activity proofs for characters currently in-game. Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!!

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» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Comments

Sam Wilson | MCU | Submissive

[unclesam]

✪ ALL ABOARD

[ It's not really how he expected his life to go, honestly, and at the same time Sam almost wants to just roll his eyes over the perfect irony. Because of course, forced into a duality of class, he'd end up with that line on his neck. It ain't so different from growing up poor in the NOLA area, near the constant reminders of a reality his great grandparents still lived.

So on the train, Sam looks outwardly cool and collected, but there's a certain tension to him that he can't quite shake whenever he sees yet another sign of the present reality around him from the corners of his eyes. Can't quite help the way he reaches up occasionally to scratch at the mark on his neck either. Otherwise his arms remain loosely crossed.

Still, the smile he tosses someone else on the train does a damn fine job of being open and friendly, even if that's far from how Sam feels right now. He's a people person like that. ]

Y'know, out of all bad city tours I've been on in my life, I think this one takes the cake.

---

✪ SUMMER SPECIAL

[ - has graduated from real life superman school with flying colors
- has kicked more than one helicopter out of the sky
- has been dead for five years and got better

That's what his partner's card about Sam will read. He still doesn't look quite comfortable with his new lot in life - and that line on his neck sure has a lot to do with it - but it doesn't seem like the heat bothers him much. In fact, that seems to be the least of it. Sam's not going to let his frustrations over the overall situation reflect outwards hard though, least of all on someone who is seriously not at fault. Present company gets the full Wilson charm turned on to them, warm smile included. ]

I feel like saying 'pleasure to meet you' is setting myself up for something in this place.

---

✪ BEAT THE HEAT

[ Coconut and orange blossom, with a dash of sticky sweet red berries. Sam's not aware of the scent exuding from him after he's been hit with water. He's grown up in Louisiana - he'll take some water on his skin when he can get it to help combat the heat, so he doesn't exactly make the largest effort to dodge sprinklers and water balloons.

He does acquire a water gun though, and cocks an eyebrow at someone approaching him, not minding the way the fabric of his shirt sticks. ]

I should warn you, my aim's really good.

[ Said with a small wave of his 'weapon'. There's something playful in his eyes though, perhaps something a bit challenging. He's competitive enough that fighting with water guns and water balloons seems like a damn fine idea at the moment. ]

---

✪ WILDCARD

[ Feel free to hit me with a wildcard or give me a shout at inkcharm for other plotting! ]

---

Summer Special

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Paranoia is as paranoia does and Carver might be a little twitchy around crowds - other people being precisely what they are, and also quite often naked around here - but he shows up because there's free coffee involved and it turns out a decade plus in the apocalypse hasn't dulled his taste for free shit. Especially in this place, where capitalism's running full tilt and shockingly few people have tried to kill him lately. That has him twitchy, too. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

But, in the meantime: coffee.

Coffee, and a potential source of new information.

He shows up, takes a seat. In deference to the heat, he's wearing short sleeves for once. Even tied his hair back. But the combat boots and the knife at his side stay in place. So do the sap gloves. People don't kill each other for scraps here but they're still people; eventually, it'll swing vicious. The paper tucked into his pocket says some interesting things, though - not so pornographic this go-round, but the man across from him is built solid. Got a nice smile too, though Carver decides he's not thinking about that. Best to keep it simple, and all. ]

Mhmm. You're getting the gist. Party line's all pornography, all the time.

[ It comes out in a lazy drawl, though Carver's eyes are bright and focused. Missing nothing. His own list is bare bones: 1. Loves his sister. Still set her on fire. 2. Probably named for his father. 3. Almost a sergeant before the world ended. ]

What'd I call you?

[unclesam]

Ain't quite subtle enough to miss.

[ His own drawl places him around Louisiana, if such things still have meaning to Carver. The way he carries himself is interesting. Which makes sense if what's on his card is true - there's just something different about how one moves through the world with combat and survival experience.

Setting his sister on fire now, that's on a bit of a different level. Sam wonders if it's literal - or if it's like how he wants to drown Sarah in the bayou sometimes.

Sam doesn't quite hide the way his eyes track over Carver - certainly easy to just take as appreciative, but given who and what Carver is, he could easily recognize that Sam takes note of the gloves, the boots - the knife, unless it's concealed. ]

Name's Sam.

[fortitudosalutis]

[ Sam, then. Sam has the look of a man who knows how to pay attention. Maybe even make his own threat assessments without being obvious about him. There's none of the sharp paranoia that Carver knows worried its way into his bones a long time ago, but there is something. ]

Carver.

[ His surname. Only one person calls him Brandon here. Carver sucks on his teeth, assessing. ]

So. Pararescue?

[ Superman school could mean a whole lot of things, some more literal than others, but it's a phrase he recognizes. Which would make Sam an Air Force asshole, but maybe Carver won't hold that against him. ]

this CR makes me wish I'd kept up with TWD, damn

[unclesam]

[ Sam nods, in acknowledgment of the name and confirmation of the question both. Got it in one, Carver. You win a friendly quirk of Sam's lips. ]

Used to be, yeah. You're ex-military?

[ Ex as it seems the end of the world put an end to that, too - at least according to the card, of course.

Sam's not volunteering much beyond what Carver asks for in terms of information - doesn't chat about the length of service or what he did after or why he quit. It's not paranoia or unfriendliness though. He's genuinely interested in learning more about Carver, and tends to keep information about himself close to his chest unless it becomes more relevant to the topic at hand or is asked for. He's private like that, and not naturally forthcoming with facts about his life. ]

beat the heat.

[abide]

[ He's standing off somewhere in an attempt to avoid getting doused in all the water being throw around when he hears an almost eerily familiar voice.

For a moment, Steve only blinks and makes an attempt to shrug it off, assuming it was one of those things that came with being in the city for too long or from suffering grief. He had to work through it, the same way he'd been working through it for almost three years, but it's difficult when it's people he knows and loves and misses. But after a moment, through the thrum of the crowd and the lull that hot weather brings, he hears it again.

Sam.

He turns then, searching the crowd, and it's an instant pull of his body before his brain can catch up, parting through several people with a mumbled apology before getting where he wants to go and catching Sam from behind. Steve slips his arms around him, banding them around Sam's like it's going to keep the other man from responding in a potentially negative way. That doesn't matter though. Nothing matters. There's guilt and relief and a deep ache that settles in Steve's chest as he leans against him. ]

I didn't know you were here. [ He sounds tired, he realizes, but it doesn't stop him from tightening his hold on Sam like he's going to vanish if he lets him go. ]

[unclesam]

[ There's a moment that Steve will feel and likely not be surprised by - a moment in which every muscle in Sam's body tenses up like he's about to strike. The instinct of a fighter kicking in at the feeling of being grabbed unexpectedly like this. And yet he stills even before Steve speaks - they haven't fought side by side and back to back on battlefields and training mats for him not to know even before he knows.

Starts relaxing the moment that voice comes. Leans back a little, knows Steve can hold his weight with ease, as if it's nothing. Breathes out the weight of the mark on his neck, just like that. For a moment, the world makes sense again.

He's not alone here. He's still without his best friend and partner, but... there's something to be said for knowing his other best friend and partner, grieved for 6 months and counting, at his back. Literally.

Sam swallows. ]

Wasted a perfectly good callback opportunity to say 'on your left'. Honestly, Steve...

[ Because jokes are easier than emotions, right, but Steve knows him, and can maybe hear the heaviness in Sam's tone that mirrors his own so well. ]

[abide]

[ He does feel it, but he just keeps steady, remains still and holds like he's ready for anything. This place, if anything, has prepared him for most things, and yet, it's the solid weight and that familiar scent – even if a bit fruitier than he remembers – that destroys his defenses, sighing too with the way Sam's body relaxes against his.

This is good. He's missed this.

And now, more than ever, he needs a close friend he can lean on. ]

It's been too long for that. [ Much too long. The somberness in Steve's voice is palpable. ] I've missed you, Sam.

[ Steve rests his forehead against the back of Sam's neck, consciously apologetic that he'd arrived there in the first place but selfish enough to admit that it means they can spend more time together. That he can try to make amends where he thinks they should be made and work through whatever else might happen while they're in the city. ]

[unclesam]

[ Too long trills in his ears like an alarm. Time travel is honestly still a concept he likes to think of less rather than more because it gives him a headache and because while it's restored so many lives, it's not come without a grave personal cost to Sam. He hurts, for a moment, thinking of Nat and Steve, thinking of Stark even. Thinking of five years lost like they were nothing.

But of course, they were much more than nothing to other people.

Sam's sharp enough that some context slots in immediately. There's a vast discrepency in time between them, and that's perhaps not unexpected in a place like this, where you get plucked out of your own world to be thrown into Shady Two Class Porn City. If it's been 'too long' for Steve, though... if he's missed Sam... ]

Five years. How long into those you at?

[ He swallows, pushes down the tightness in his own chest and focuses on how tired Steve sounds. How he's clinging to Sam like a lifeline. That he can be. That he will always be to those that need it.

So Sam doesn't pull out of the hold, allows and welcomes it. Perhaps he needs it a little bit, too - there wasn't enough time between the battle, the funeral, the platform... the bench by the lake. In the end, they hadn't had any time, and that hurts almost worse than the rest of it all. He does drop the watergun so he can raise his arms up, grasp at Steve's forearms tightly. It's as much of a return hug as he can give unless Steve loosens his hold enough for Sam to turn around. ]

Miss you, too, man.

[ Every day. ]

summer special

[lacecase]

[The charm is incredibly effective on Ginger, whose face lights up as she laughs.]

That's so funny! You know, you're probably right. So I guess let's just say that it's nice to meet you, instead!

[Her card, in contrast, is much less impressive. It reads:

Is a high school dropout.
Always puts family first.
Will believe any lie you tell her.]

My name's Ginger--I'm glad you're healthy.

[By which she means "not dead", as might kind of be implied by the sort of gentle, awkward way she says it. She doesn't want to be insensitive.]

[unclesam]

[ Well that reaction, coupled with what the card says, is just disarming, and Sam's smile deepens into something a little more genuine as a result. Granted, the card might not be truthful - but hey, Sam would rather be wrong than way too paranoid. He'd like to think he has a good read on people usually, too. ]

Sam. Nice to meet you, Ginger.

[ Yeah, he'll keep up the level of charm here. The levity is appreciated, honestly. ]

Yeah, can recommend it more than the alternative. [ And smoothly moving on - conceal don't feel is the name of the game for Sam when it comes to his trauma being aired like this. ] You close with your family, then?

[lacecase]

I am!

[People being dead is kind of a topic she's generally happy to avoid, so Ginger's happy to take the question and run with it. When the city gives you a chance to avoid your triggers, best to take them.]

Well, not literally, anymore, I guess, since they aren't here. But my siblings and I, we're like three peas in a pod! My parents are a bit more distant since they divorced, but I'd always be calling and checking in. I miss all of them more than anything, but I'm sure I'll see them again eventually.

[The idea that they're just gone from her life forever has never really processed.]

What about you? Big family or small family?

[unclesam]

[ Amen to that - Sam's not particularly inclined to talk too much about himself, but especially not about his traumas. His brand of seeming open and personable to others tends to involve him making pleasant conversation without spilling his own guts to others - unless it relates to what the other person talked about that is.

Sam's smile is warm, if a little wistful. ]

Used to be big. [ The Wilson family is steeped in a history of loss. ] These days, it's my sister, my nephews and I. Place we're from is a small community though, so the family sure feels bigger than that.

[ And there's the easy out - smoothly moves past the old hurts with a small, companionable joke. ]

I think we can afford some optimism - gotta believe we'll see our respective families again, yeah?

Special

[adultflash]

[Barry gives Sam an empathetic smile. He was in his shoes not too long ago, and he's a fellow submissive.]

Depends on who you're saying it to. Might want to steer clear of the drinks and food at this event if you haven't already, though. They can cause varying effects. I'm really curious about all of your facts, but let's start with Superman school, since I know him personally.

[His own card reads:

- fastest man alive
- has died more than once
- paragon of love]

[ooc: I don't usually break the fourth wall with Barry but Superman is pretty iconic. Just don't tell him he's in a comic too lol.]

[unclesam]

[ Sam, halfway through reaching for an iced coffee that had been oh so generously provided, looks at Barry with a look that couldn't say 'are you for real' more clearly if it tried.

He drops his hand, though, doesn't go for the drink. ]

As in 'the food and drinks have a percentage' or as in 'let's chat drugs'?

[ Sam's not sure what to make of that statement - but then again, he knows - is - Captain America, so who's he to judge who other people know, right? ]

It's a dumb name for the United States AirForce pararescue program.

[ Surprising they haven't renamed it something Avengers related, honestly. ]

Fancy way of saying I got some survival and combat medical skills under my belt, and can jump out of planes real well.

[ And he might be underselling that on purpose. ]

[adultflash]

Uhhh, your mileage may vary. Some could make you more agreeable, some could make you more honest, some could make you more handsy...it depends. Honestly this batch is pretty tame compared to some of the effects I've seen here. Sometimes I just roll with it, but I've been here a few months.

[He sips his own iced coffee, not really worried.] I won't ask you anything you don't want to talk about, or make any unwelcome moves. That's really not my thing, weird effects or no.

I'm pretty impressed by the training though, that's cool. I'm still jealous Supergirl and Superman can actually fly. I'm faster though. [there is no debate about this okay]

summer special

[marriageable]

[ daphne bridgerton is a very timely person, tardiness is simply not to be counted among her faults. which is to say, she is already there when her date arrives to the location. whether she’s happy to be there is besides the point, after all.

she thinks she has enough partners by now, but evidently the city has other plans. suffice to say there was no decline option on the rsvp card.

across the table, her card will read:

- a duchess
- not as prim and innocent as she looks
- once knocked a man out cold

she returns the smile, and though it’s automatic, there is sincerity in its affability. he looks, if modern, perfectly decent. though that doesn’t say much.

her nose does wrinkle as she interprets the joke. ] I would say so, yes. [ it’s at this point the waitress arrives to set down her lemonade (lavender, like her dress) and daphne flips his card over, scanning its content. she’s, admittedly, relieved, though her eyes linger on the last bit.

however, that’s not what she questions. ] “Super-Man”?

[unclesam]

[ He's outclassed in more ways than one, and can admit that. Truth be told, when he read 'duchess' his mind had provided a less flattering and more ridiculously outdated modern picture, but this, in its own way, is almost worse historically speaking - he can't know, of course, that the colour of his skin has no unusual bearing to her at all.

It speaks volumes to what she telegraphs, then, that Sam still finds himself relaxing at her smile. He has no idea how to talk to royalty, but she exudes an energy he doesn't find unpleasant at all, even as he braces himself for walking into mistake after mistake on the social etiquette obstacle course. But hey, what can you do. He's just a poor fisherman's son from Louisiana after all, and there's no shame in that.

At her question, he rubs at the back of his neck, smile turning somewhat bashful as he drops his gaze to the table for a moment before meeting her eyes again. ]

Slightly ridiculous public name for it, ma'am. It's the United States AirForce pararescue program. The guys trained for and sent on operations for recovery and medical treatment in humanitarian and combat environments.

[marriageable]

[ if she appears at all uncomfortable (unlikely, she can wear a perfect mask), it has little to nothing to do with what how he presents himself. in fact, despite being off the marital market, this kind of introduction is not entirely unlike what she is used to. excepting the variable that he may know any private thing duplicity deems to share with him, it recalls the london social season.

whatever other elements the city insists upon, courtship is not alien to her at all.

her brows knit in curiosity, eyes dancing back to the card and then to him. ] I see. You are a soldier then. [ color her impressed. in her eyes, the career is noble, increasing her esteem for the stranger. (even if he is american. she can forgive him that.) ] I suppose it does make you a Super Man.

Summer Special

[shieldingfoundation]

( the card Sam finds himself in possession will read:

– was once arrest for espionage, treason, aiding and abetting a public enemy number one
– can speak German, English, Russian
– seduces men to get information out of them

now for the card Peggy finds; it's not the first two "facts" about Sam that snag Peggy's interest when she reads it, but the last one that does. why? because she knows all about the blip. and about Thanos. and how five years were taken from people in the blink of an eye. and it's those reasons that push her to actually showing up.

when she does she's dressed in a simple cream colored maxi and a red cardigan, and immediately takes the seat across from Sam. before the sunglasses are off her face, a perfectly sculpted brow is already arched at his opening line. )

You needn't worry about what you say. ( she starts off, almost reassuringly, smiling in return. ) Rather it's what you eat, and drink, and breathe you should be cautious about. ( she warns him as casually as she would tell someone the time, if asked. she's well aware she's developed a cavalier attitude about certain aspects of life in Duplicity. a few years in the city will do that to a person.

not about everything, though. gently, she asks, ) Your five years wouldn't happen to be due to a blip of sorts, by a madman named Thanos, would it?

[unclesam]

[ Worry about what you eat and drink and breathe. Right. That's not a tall order or anything. His lips part on a cheeky smile, ready to quip about that, but it's just...

Several things click at once. Her comment about Thanos, for one. That's a pretty dang big showstopper on its. It's just that more than that, her face suddenly slots from vaguely familiar into something he recognises. Listen, sue him. It's different, seeing a still image in a text book or during a funeral, or a grainy, tiny moving image in an old reel, versus seeing the person in the flesh in front of you.

The smile drops to make room for astonishment as Sam sits back a little. Pushes down the torrential flood of questions and more than a little complicated feelings. Because how do you politely say 'I was at your funeral, because the man who loved and lost you asked me to be there' and 'I'm the successor of the guy you loved and lost' and 'I'm pretty sure my best friend went where I could never follow for you, and I don't resent either of you for it but there are trenches between my ribs and it's just one more way they filled with blood and tears'. ]

You're Director Carter. Peggy Carter.

[ Which is a yes to her question, too. ]

[shieldingfoundation]

( better to find out now, instead of learning it the hard way. of course, that isn't to say it won't happen. it likely will. because no matter how careful Peggy's been, she's found herself under the influence of the city on more than one occasion.

curiosity piqued, she watches Sam's expression shift from warm and welcoming to surprised as recognition kicks in. and while it never settles right with her, mostly because it's always one-sided and leaves her at a disadvantage, it doesn't bother her much this time. and it's all the answer she needs as for whether Sam is from her world. )

Just Peggy will do, Mister...? ( don't you dare leave a woman in suspense, Sam Wilson. especially one who has wanted to meet you for quite some time. while simultaneously hoping to never meet you. at least not in a place like this. )

And currently it's Agent. ( she's quick to correct, not batting an eye at the title used. add it to the list of 'things she's heard before'. this one from various sources. along with... ) Shield, I'm afraid, is still a bit ahead of my time. ( she's only from 1947, Sam, sorry. ) Although, I suspect Howard has started putting it together. ( she hopes. otherwise the 'big project' he came up with while in Peru is bound to create more trouble (likely for her!) than anything else. )

wildcard.

[restored]

[After over a week in this city, he's long since gotten the lay of the land. Understands how the mark on his neck affords him less freedom here than those who remain unmarked. How, no matter where he goes, he's constantly being watched. His actions are being tracked, and there's no way for him to disappear here the same way he had for those two years spent on the run.

Not that its kept him from trying, of course.

So when he hears the sound of a newly familiar voice coming from the front of the store, his first reaction is to move. To find a back exit and get out of there while he can. He already knows how it's going to turn out. That finding the Winter Soldier in the middle of a city like this isn't going to end well for anybody involved. And after all he knows that Sam gave up to help Steve, dragging him back in to that mess again now doesn't seem right.

He can make those decisions now. Can differentiate between what he has to do and what he wants to do. He has to leave. But he wants-

The can he'd been reading the label of is put down a little more aggressively than he needs to. A firm thump of metal against metal that rings out across the store. It earns him an unimpressed look from the man behind the counter, of course. But it serves its purpose. Draws attention to him for a brief moment before everyone returns to their shopping once more. Gives him a chance to make eye contact with Sam, before he turns and heads outside.

If they're doing this, it's not happening in the middle of a store.]

[unclesam]

[ ooc: picked up your prompt here, hope that's okay with you <3 ]

summer special

[the_real_mccoy]

[It was amusing to say the least. McCoy was a lot more used to the city after more than a year, though he didn't like it any better than the first day he woke up there. Still, he could usually manage a smile for a good joke. And that was pretty decent. He stuck out his hand across the table, grinning.]


I dunno. Meetin new people ain't such a bad thing. I'm McCoy.