11974/Hello...again. Really

Hello...again. Really
Date of Scene:	11 August 2020
Location:	Joe's Bar, Kingsbridge, The Bronx
Synopsis:	Two old friends.../OLD/ friends meeting up to catch up after decades. They both reflected a bit on their lives since then.
Cast of Characters:	Peggy Carter, Duncan MacLeod

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Peggy Carter has posed:
Monday evenings weren't exactly booming at Joe's, but that made it even nicer for the woman who decided to come all on her lonesome. It's a bit out of Peggy's way for work, but that's why she always used to love escaping here. No chance of seeing another SHIELD agent all the way up here and most people give no care for government workers or world activities. She can hide in a sea of just being another New Yorker and that is very nice.

Tonight, she's still dressed rather closer to it being 1948 than 2028, a dark green, vintage style wrap dress hugging across her curves with T strap heels and back-seamed stockings. It gets her a less than couth comment from a drunk in the corner when she walks in but she rolls her eyes with a flat, "Bugger off." And strides confidently over to the bar. Of course, it's a different bartender. Maybe even different family. But everything else felt the same. "...Ah, gin and tonic. Hendricks, if you have it. Thank you."

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     Sitting at the bar and nursing a scotch, Duncan looks over the bar through the mirror behind the barkeep. Noting the arrival of Peggy he raises a brow. Maybe he could slip out after she gets settled and he won't have to have that conversation. How in the heck is she still alive?

     Then she walks up and stops right next to his barstool. Well, so much for that plan. Since she is withing arms reach he can try to avoid her gaze, but he knows she's smart enough to catch on to that, so instead he comments softly,"On my tab."

Peggy Carter has posed:
There's no doubt it's her. Her hair is the same, the soft vintage waves that only come with doing nightly pincurls. Careful red lipstick, though that's new compared to most of the war when there was no lipstick to be had. She's got a bit more curve and more muscle to her as well, perhaps half a dozen years of age on her face, but not the decades that should be here. Maybe she was a descendant?

That thought goes out the window when her dark eyes turn to the familiar voice and she simply blinks. A casual night suddenly goes into a flash of memory and she's studying him closer, mind running with the same things. How did he make it this far? This long? "...you're a sight for sore eyes." She finally mutters, even her clipped British accent was still in tact. She slips onto the barstool next to him, smelling of vintage rose and vanilla perfume oil.

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     "I was about to say the same." he replies with a smile. He looks, for all the world, exactly like she saw him last except he has his hair in a ponytail and something in his eyes is...older. Nothing else about him is, but his eyes seem to have lived more years than they should have.

     He turns on the barstool enough for them to talk a little easier,"I'd ask how long it has been, but I don't think either one of us wants to think about it." His arm rests on the surface of the bar so he still has a general feel for the room.

Peggy Carter has posed:
He'd have maybe seen her in the news over the years, especially in the 60s when she became more of a public face for SHIELD, cleaning up after a notorious Howard Stark more often than not. But sometime in the mid 70s, news of her just disappeared. For those in the spy and international relations business, it probably meant she was killed and then it was all covered up. But, here she sits, fresh as she was at her last press conference.

She nods a thanks to the bartender as her neat, fizzing drink is set before her and raises it to him in a silent toast. After a sip, she lets her eyes fully drink him in. The change in his gaze, his slightly more modern style. This close, he can see her eyes reflect the weight of the years much like his. She might physically look in her thirties. Her gaze is so much more tired than 36, however. "Not... not really. I've spent enough time juggling around decades in my head. It's been... a lot of catch up."

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     "I saw you in ads and news reels. You were quite the celebrity as well as a super secret agrent." he tells you. He raised his glass towards you a little,"When you weren't on them anymore I wondered if you retired or if something had happened to you." His curiosity is intense at the idea of seeing her right now.

     Not that he makes any attempt to explain his presence either. Instead he swirls his drink once and looks for something to move on,"Are you still with the agency from before or did they let you retire?" He really does look like he did and is looking for something to change the idea of her asking him anything.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Once they clink glasses and sip, she slightly tilts her head towards a back corner booth. Somewhere they can talk frankly with a little more privacy without the bartender thinking they are both out of their minds. She leads the way smoothly, walking with a confidence and strength of a woman who is used to being in charge. She was plenty strong when they met, but the years of work have matured her well. No longer a young woman in over her head at war.

Once she's settling down into that booth, she gives him a little, rather cheeky smile and an arch of a brow, "I'm happy to answer questions, but...I'd appreciate if you did the same. No fun if I'm the only one telling secrets. And you were certainly tight lipped the last we met about it... though your file was interesting at the time. I am...not exactly retired. But after a long hiatus, I've gone back to field work..." Hopefully just enough answer to keep him interested.

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     After the glass clink and she leaves the bar, he follows after her. Curious for sure. What can he tell her that won't make his sound insane? The truth might be a bit much and recently others who have discovered it didn't take it so very well. It isn't lost on him how much he is seeing a refined lady as opposed to the young, somewhat idealistic woman he met all the long ago.

     "I'm not sure either one of us have had enough to drink for all that." he ofers lightly,"I don't know if you really want to carry that around." He doesn't say no, just more of a fair warning sort of thing,"It's funny I never forgot that time and it is both nice and a bit strange to see you."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Now that they are in a corner, separate from most of the regulars and the din of the front bar area, she levels dark eyes in his direction. Her perfectly painted red lips pull into a silent smirk, studying his eyes as she seems to debate just how much she should tell him. Finally, she just goes for it, "My best friend and business partner screwed around with time travel just enough to get me stuck in a...Box, as far as I can tell, or perhaps just outside of time, for fifty years. They unearthed an old piece of Howard's discarded tech a few weeks ago because it was emitting a strange energy reading and, upon being slightly jarred, I was... spit back out of it having disappeared into it in 1976." She recounts the details of the story as flat and matter of factly as possible. She does not seem to be joking.

"Now...you might think I am insane. Or, perhaps, there are stranger things in this world than any of us know, and whatever you are going to tell me is not going to throw my world for a loop, all things considered." Her smirks turns into a bit more of a reassuring smile and she takes an innocent sip of her drink, as if she wasn't just talking about some sort of quantum time skipping.

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     He considers her words, looking surprised as she starts talking about the elder Stark and all the work he had done. There is a moment of quiet as he consider a moment longer,"I know it is my turn to talk, but were you aware of what was going on while you were in there? I mean were you asleep or were you caught out of time and fully aware?"

     Some habits die hard. He leans on the table and mutters softly,"I can't say too much about things that sound insane." he suggests. Another drink and he tells you,"I was born in Scotland. 1592." Is he joking and trying to deflect your question or is he serious?

Peggy Carter has posed:
A slight shake of her head comes in turn, "No...blissly not, at least. It literally feels like last month was 1976. It has been a bit of...adjusting." Peggy admits, a touch softer than before. A touch more exhausted. For a moment, the weight of the world is on her shoulders. Granted, she's also still wearing a wedding ring. She probably doesn't have the heart to take it off. Instead, she just takes another sip of her drink, draining it quite quickly for a weeknight evening.

His admission is enough to snap her out of reminscing, dark eyes going wide, but not with distrust. Just with surprise. "..1592. But...I saw you out in the day...the morning after you drug me out of that fight. You're not a vampire..." She studies him closer now, as if she could profile the truth of what kind of creature he is. "But that would explain the strange things in your family file..."

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
    "That is good." he comments when she says she wasn't aware,"That would make a person border line insane being alone that long. I like alone at times, but that would be too much." Of course he saw the ring, of course he didn't comment.

     "I am not sure I should be flattered or disgusted so many people make that comparison. No. I'm not a vampire or damphyr." he assures you,"As for the strangeness in the family file...let's say it comes with the territory. I'm older than everyone in this bar combined and I don't have to drink blood to do it."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A slight laugh escapes her throat as he mentions the vampire or damphyr matter. Peggy shakes her head slightly to him, "No insult meant. It's simply the only other type of creature that I know which... well, is effectively immortal. There are many strange things in science, but I don't think even SHIELD has managed to crack the code of aging. Not... entirely, at least." Peggy looks down at her own hands, fresh and young looking as she was in the late war, though she should have decades more age on her.

"...So, your family is... immortal. Or simply *you*. I imagine that takes a lot of careful juggling of files, news articles, and moving around the world to not really be noticed..."

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     "Understandable really, just aggravating sometimes." he replies with a shrug. He's gone this far so he continues his tale quietly,"I remember when I was a kid growing up, hearing a story about a cousin who was a witch. He was slain on the battlefield and yet rose from the wounds." he explains.

     "When the same thing happened to me, Conor was there to take me in and teach me about this life." he explains,"Other than the two of us, nobody from the clan MacLeod has ever been like us to my knowledge." He consideres and decides it will be fun to mess with her a little,"Not to say that there are aren't hundreds to thousands throughout history, but no more from my clan. We're all born this way."

Peggy Carter has posed:
As he goes on about his life, Peggy shows no real skepticism in her dark eyes. She's not your regular, every day person who has never encountered anything strange in her life. But she is trying to figure out what about him is different, studying his body language deeper, his skin, his breath. It's the slightly uncomfortable feeling of being visually picked apart by a professional profiler, but it's better than her not trusting him at all.

"...Fascinating. Is it mainly an incredible accelerated ability to heal injury? And what do you mean...*thousands* in history? I feel like if there were, SHIELD might have a record... But then..." Peggy does some of the numbers in her head, a slight shrug coming after, "...history is quite long. I...have a hundred more questions, but I'm sure they'd be rude and you didn't come out for that."

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     If it bothers him that she is trying to disect him...he doesn't show it. Instead he appears perfectly calm about it all. Considering what she says he finally admits,"Most of us never tell our secrets involving the length of our lives and what it involves." he pauses and then adds,"If you want to know deeper things it will have to be elsewhere. As for the number, our entire existence and purpose in life is deadly secret. You learned more than most because it would be difficult to fabricate something on the spot with a profiler and yes, I have a lot of talents and tricks for all the lives I've lived."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A slight bow of her head comes, a consession that this isn't the most private place to be talking about things and also a show of gratitude that he's given her this much. "Well, Duncan... I appreciate the honesty, at least. And I have no reason to tell another about your... Situation. SHIELD already knows something is strange, no reason to confirm the matter, and you saved my life once. It's the least I can do, to ensure yours is protected." She gives him a warm, red lipped smile, "Your secret is safe with me."

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     There is a shrug and he admits,"I think I've told more people in the last decade than I have my entire life, but you can't live like me with a mortal and not tell her. You...well like I said, not prepared for a good lie and you have your own secretes and stories. We both know that."

     He nods at the last of it and admits,"My pleasure of course." Sticking his neck out somehow doesn't seem quite the same since he couldn't be killed apparently,"I appreciate your protecting my story."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I've seen a lot of this world... more of it awful and evil than good. Why would I risk one of the good ones I met, even if it was decades ago, when the world is clearly still so much a mess?" There is weight behind her eyes as she says that, something she's regretting in the back of her head or possibly too many loose ends of memories. She shakes it off with one last sip of her gin and tonic, certainly not needing to weigh the man down with such.

"You're...living with a mortal? I hope she's worth it and perhaps you're finding some comfort there." Peggy's smile is still a touch bittersweet, not quite meeting her eyes, though she's trying to make it. She's not as good at hiding the loneliness as she used to be. "I've... found myself mostly alone since returning. It might be for the best, lets me dive into work more. But... it makes you realize just how long life is, and how short it can me. I cannot imagine going through hundreds of years."

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     "I have seen the good and bad of the world as well. It's people like us that have to work hard to make the world better." he admits. He doesn't miss the moment of memory recall, he's been dealing with it for a long time.

     "As for the other, she and I were together until fairly recently." he admits softly and then adds,"She died...unexpectedly." It's easy to see that still hurts him, but he has a handle on it.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Oh... hell, Duncan. I... bloody hell, I didn't realize. I'm... sorry. I'm sure you've seen your fair share of death, all things considered, but... " Peggy shakes her head gently, daring to reach a hand out and, if he doesn't pull away, rest her small fingertips across the back of his palm. "I don't think it really makes it easier. I thought it would, after the war, you know? I thought we'd seen everything, but... it's still..." She doesn't even really have good words. She's never been great with grief, even if she's decent at giving support. She simply squeezes the back of his plam gently. "... emptiness. No matter how often you lose them."

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     "There's nothing to be sorry for Peggy. You couldn't have known." he assures you. He doesn't move his hand at least, just sits there,"Nothing gets easier in that regard, you just try to adjust and move on as best you can. The grieving happens and it's over with time."

     "Emptiness is a thing and it takes time as well." he adds,"In regards to the fair share, yes I have seen more than my fair share. That's the drawback to living forever."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The reassurance is there and gentle, but Peggy is still Peggy. Too stiffly British to show too much emotion for overly long. So, after one more gentle squeeze, her fingertips return to her gin and tonic, finishing off the drink with a delicate sip before it's just all watery dregs. She gives him a half smile as she unfolds a few ones from the thin billfold out of her small purse. He offered to get the drinks, yes, but she still polite enough to tip. He might catch the handle of a weapon in that small purse as well. She's never without, even semi-retired now.

"Well, if you ever wish to reminsce about the old days, or...talk somewhere we might not quite get so many looks, do you have one of those smart phones? SHIELD insisted I keep one, though I'm certain they are simply ways to be traced in the field. But, it means I am accessible and there's no pesky secretary to get through if you want to talk."

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     As ususal, he doesn't react to the stiffness of her movements because he's lived long enough to see the British evolve the way they did. He doesn't seem too concerned with the weapon and nods as she leaves the tip.

     "I do have one of those smart phones yes. I'm reasonably certain they track people with them too so I don't carry it everywhere like most people." He looks back and forth and leans forward to stage whisper,"A ziplock bag, the phone, and a sewer pipe. Cures being followed pretty fast. That's just one choice. I'll call you. If you are in Vancouver you are welcome to come to my shop as well."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The comment about the sewer pipe gets an actual, warm laugh from her and an arched brow, "Oh, you cannot be serious. That technology is a more powerful computer than fit in all of SHIELD when I left in the 70s. It's... annoying, in a way, but also a miracle. I'm learning to live with it." Peggy pulls out her phone, a pen, and a small slip of paper. She neatly writes her number down in that flowing, cursive hand writing that almost no one uses nowadays, but she's never lost, before folding it over and passing it in his direction. "Vancouver? I've not been out that way in... a very long time. Maybe when I need to get out of the city, I'll take you up on it."

She then stands smoothly, giving him one last smile. She looks him over for a long moment, as if truly confirming he was here. "...It was... good to see you again, Duncan. Good to know not everything past is lost..."

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     He smirks a bit at the comments about the tech,"SHIELD is bigger than the old days for sure and technology is insane. I understand they have the top of the line. Better than anything available to the public."

     When you get up he rises as well. Old fashioned to the point of utterly ridiculous some might think,"It was good to see you as well. The invitation is good whenever." He takes out his wallet and offers her a card with the name of his gallery as well as his cell phone number and the gallery number.

Peggy Carter has posed:
She takes the card, looking it over curiously, "..Antiques? I suppose that is as suiting a profession as any, all things considered." Peggy's smile lingers a bit longer as she tilts her head to him and neatly slips the card away in her clutch. "Stay... safe out there. Hopefully not too lonely. If you ever need anything, you know where to call." And with that, she turns on the ball of her foot and her heels carry her smoothly out of the room. Back to other work, to a government life probably. But so much of her still hadn't changed in the decades since the last time she walked out of his family's home.