( ARCHIVED )

[shrinkage]

( the inbox has been relocated HERE! it's been a moving experience. )

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[mucked]

Rare or not, [ she answers, ] there's something rather disarming about your social landscape changing so suddenly and without your say-so.

[ like, for example, suddenly having an employer the likes of ray palmer. knowing his drink order(s), and filling them. the very memory makes her puff up a little with indignation. you know? maybe that's a good place to start. ]

I hate fetching coffee. Almost as much as I hate fetching someone's lunch.

[shrinkage]

[ softer now, ray chuckles again. she's just expressed the exact same feeling he had about the whole thing-- and one he generally doesn't speak on. ]

What, you mean you don't want me blowing up your phone at all hours of the night with the most frivolous requests I can think up?

[mucked]

[ peg's not proud of how long it takes her to understand precisely what he means by blowing up your phone. for one bleak moment, she'd taken it literally.

but then quickly realizes that would have been more interesting than the truth. ]

So you admit to them being utterly and wholly frivolous, do you?

[shrinkage]

Well. They were actually tamer than I used to ask.

[ the pause from peggy's end had felt like another misstep, and it brings on ray's response quickly. ]

We don't, uhh-- if you want to forget the whole thing, say the word. That was who I used to be, it's not who I am anymore.

[ ........mostly. he might be protesting a little too much. ]

[mucked]

[ oh, no, that's a tempting prospect. forgetting the whole thing. unfortunately, she's a bit rubbish at forgetting anything. she clings to grudges and to inconveniences.

but she also clings to questions. and this one bears asking: ]

Oh? You used to be like that?

[ because peggy draws a very distinct line between the woman who'd fill his lunch order and the woman she is now. or has ever been. ]

[shrinkage]

[ that nervous titter comes back, and ray feels like his embarrassment is on display despite the lack of video. ]

My friends keep me in line these days... [ chagrin, chagrin. he's lucky he has mick to shove him when he's overstepped ok. ] I don't know if you noticed but I was pretty light on those.

[mucked]

[ she can't help but delve -- especially when she herself feels as though she's been made vulnerable. the very possibility, illusory or otherwise, that she'd depended on him for her livelihood render her stroppy.

she's doing her best to swallow the worst of it. trying to remind herself that it's not his fault -- wonderland did this. to him, to her, to the whole lot. ]

I noticed. But it wasn't as though I had many of my own.

[ -- truth is, she still doesn't. especially here. ]

Bit difficult to have much of a social life when your employer is a touch overbearing.

[ a rendezvous or three with a particular stagehand aside. ]

[shrinkage]

[ mock offended, ray argues: ]

Well. You've got be persistent when your usually very reliable and punctual assistant goes radio silent for an hour or so without warning.

[ he could lean into the ceo ray palmer role, easily. it was more of a mask than he wears now when he dons the atom, but it was one he wore longer. sometimes he even forgot he was more than a title in a tie. ]

[mucked]

[ -- nicked. it's a good thing the conversation is only over voice, and she doesn't have the school away the mild tumult of dismay displayed once he decides to do a bit of delving and prodding of his own. ]

I'm not to blame if the forces of Wonderland build themselves an alternate reality which suffers from patchy cell service.

[ peggy's not convinced she understands what the excuse means, exactly, only that she remembers having prepared it during the event for just such an occasion: her boss, inquiring as to why she'd let him down. i had no bars, ray. ]

[shrinkage]

[ the feel of this conversation is too familiar, too easy to fall back into. he forgets that he'd only just gotten a proper introduction to peggy a month ago over apologies and cupcakes. his shorter argument rolls off of him, something wonderland said he'd done countless times before. "before." ]

Peg. C'mon. You could've just asked me for down time.

[mucked]

Hardly seemed appropriate, did it? [ they'd had a patter, a rhythm, jumbled into their heads and it bothers her how easily it bubbles up once again. the long-suffering assistant, professional but friendly. ] To beg off hard work while the boss burned the midnight oil, regardless of whether it was midnight or not.

[ and on one of the busiest political weeks of -- stop. peggy's sigh is audible. and when she lashes out, it's not at him but at how comfortable she finds the argument. ]

This is absurd.

[shrinkage]

Yeah, well. It's Wonderland.

[ so far, following peggy's lead and trying to make her comfortable has blown up in his face every time he's tried it. but it's different between them now, even if the experiences were manufactured. the feeling of familiarity remains, whether they like it or not. ]

Maybe it'd help if you tell me something real about yourself.

[ a challenge, and one he doesn't levy lightly. their fake repertoire is all he has to go off of, and maybe that's part of the problem. ]

[mucked]

[ oh. he surprises her. and although that comes with an initial sting (there's safety found in predicting another person's gambits), the more lasting effect is a much sharper piquing of her interest.

he's not wrong. she might not care what he thinks of her, exactly, but it does matter that he's acting on bad intel. her thoughtful silence drags on until... ]

Alright. [ ... ] But not over these infernal things. It will have to be in person.

[ no please, no thank you, no may we. ]

[shrinkage]

[ she'll hear no complaining from him. manners are boring and also face to face is better on the whole. ]

If you don't mind the smell of machining grease, you can come by the workshop now. I'm sort of elbow deep in a rebuild...

[mucked]

Good Lord. [ well, it's not the sort of neutral ground she'd imagined but her constitution isn't so delicate that she can't handle a bit of grime, appearances to the contrary. ] I didn't realize I was interrupting anything.

[ and yet she's already leaving her room. ]

[shrinkage]

What? No, you weren't.

[ he's constantly working. people interrupting him is a good thing peg. and audio's even better because it means he can have most of his body tipped inside the spectrometer rip dismantled while having a polite conversation about assumed relationships! ]

Besides, you gave me the very serious we should talk intro. That's like the keyword for stop what you're doing, Ray, you have to actually pay attention for once.

[mucked]

-- Get told that a lot, do you?

[ it's almost friendly. at the very least, it's delivered whip-quick with a kind of idle distraction as she shuts her door and begins down the corridor. she could hang up; she could say goodbye. but she's never been to this 'workshop' and on the off chance that she heads in the wrong direction, she doesn't want to court the embarrassment of having to call him back. ]

[shrinkage]

Shocking, right?

[ he chuckles, and grunts while turning something that doesn't want turning. ]

I know it's hard to believe, but it's important you know the truth.

[mucked]

[ the truth. there it is, once more. he gives it freely and asks for it in turn. or a piece of it, at least. peggy hasn't yet decided what, exactly, she could offer him that might appease the question.

there's the dull sound of high heels on stairs as she moves between floors. ]

Here's a bit of honesty for free: patches of radio silence aside, I rather admire an active work ethic.

[ she won't say 'healthy.' ]

[shrinkage]

[ that gets another chuckle from him. warm, as if maybe she's just confirming his suspicions. ]

What kind of work do you normally do, anyway?

[mucked]

[ and there it is: the very question she'd anticipated, and the reason why she'd insisted on meeting face-to-face for it. so now she must find an answer (a placeholder) that won't make her caution too obvious. ]

Now, now. Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you? [ she doesn't like owning up to her own shortcomings, but perhaps she can distract him a little with a bit of professed ignorance. ] I'm nearly there. At least, I think I am.

Where, exactly, is the workshop?

[ that should tide things over. ]

[shrinkage]

Sixth floor, room two. Door's open!

[ it's rattled off with the ease of someone who says the same thing to everyone. he does amend, though: ]

Oh-- I'm still getting it back in order. Hopefully brownies make up for the mess?

[ translation: it's a disaster. there's literally just a pile of junk in one corner. ]

[mucked]

[ she bites down on a smile of considerable gratification. the question is dropped (for now) and she can bide her time and answer it at her own pace once she can keep an eye on his expression. get a better read, indeed, on how it lands. having met such a broad spectrum of people and professions in wonderland, however, she doesn't anticipate it'll come with any surprise.

but it's nice to know she's right about one thing -- a touch of vulnerability, a request for help, and the conversation swings smoothly back to the realm of ray palmer and his attempts to mitigate disappointment via baked goods. ]

Brownies will do nicely, thank you.

[ and it's not long before she's pocketing her device and striding into the workshop with an admittedly earnest awe in her eyes. it's all considerably more than any of stark's workspaces.

she rounds a desk and calls out, curious: ] -- Ray?

[shrinkage]

[ it's as much a living space as a working one-- the sofa and armchair are there to encourage friends and teammates to hang out while ray tinkers. he's a social creature down to his bones, but he also lowkey believes that he needs to give people a reason to come around. so there's always snacks and music and projects for people to try out.

ray himself may not feel worth the attention, but he's useful. being useful means being needed. ]

Hey! You made it!

[ his voice is muffled before he stands up inside a large, hollowed-out machine. his hair is much less kempt than usual, and he's dotted here and there with the aforementioned grease. in fact, he might look more the part of a town mechanic than a genius who collects phds for fun. (then again, the blow-up clowns in the opposite corner maybe also scream manchild...) ]

Have a seat wherever looks solid-- I'm just getting the last pieces out of this thing, and if I stop now I'll lose my place.

[mucked]

[ a town mechanic is nothing to sneeze at. and, certainly, upon seeing him her demeanor is at least politely pleasant. although no one could be blamed for wondering whether peggy carter ever manages to appear happy.

she stands a comfortable distance with her hands perched on her hips -- no reason for it, really, except that it's a characteristic posture of hers -- and takes the measure of his work-hours appearance.

hard work and industry. nothing, indeed, to sneeze at. ]

Don't stop on my account. [ despite his invitation, she doesn't rush to take a seat. instead, she drinks in the sight of the machine. ] Except -- except what is it?