11242/Work Makes Things Better

Work Makes Things Better
Date of Scene:	20 May 2022
Location:	Chief Carter's Office: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Janet stops into Peggy's office at SHIELD HQ to check up on her, following the brief abduction by HYDRA.
Cast of Characters:	Peggy Carter, Janet van Dyne

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Peggy Carter has posed:
It's late enough into the evening that Peggy really *should* be back at home. But home is big and empty, Daniel on another assignment, and that's where her mind runs in circles about what happened the other week. So, Peggy's settled into her office, reading over every report she's missed over the weeks she's been gone. Her high heels are off, feet well complaining after the day, and she's on her second pot of herbal tea.

She's gotten round enough that she can actually balance her tablet on the top of her belly, instead of using her desk, so that's what she's doing as she reads. Her swollen, stockinged feet are kicked up on the edge of her desk and she's fully reclined in the big old leather chair. She calls up to the door as she hears a knock, not quite looking up from the last paragraph she's reading, "Come in!"

Janet van Dyne has posed:
The door is swinging open well before Peggy's invite, on the second knock. Janet's not big on respecting things like doors and privacy, and walks into the room like she owns the building. "Barefoot, pregnant, and running SHIELD," Janet says with an admiring tone. "And I see the bump's gone full funhouse mirror." A finger wiggles at Peggy's belly and the socialite shuts the door before claiming one of the chairs in Peggy's office and seating herself.

Janet's wearing a neatly fitted pantsuit in an eye-searing shade of yellow closer to pineapple than bumblebee. Strappy sandal-style heels in cornflower blue set the color tone off nicely, and her bangle and earrings are sparkling sapphires set in platinum. A well-loved patriotic pendant dangles above a deep decolletage which indicates that she's not bothering with a stich of clothing under the suit jacket.

"Steve mentioned you were in the office, which is crazy, because I'm pretty sure last I heard you were supposed to be resting /at home/," she says, pointedly. "I'm here to potentially start an intervention regarding your workaholic-ness."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"In my defense, I am *not* barefoot. I'm still in my stockings." Peggy huffs a little, but her commentary is mostly a gentle tease, and a wide smile of joy to see the woman. There is something behind her eyes which the smile doesn't quite reach, a haunted look that wasn't there before, but Peggy has been pretty good at hiding it. She shuts down her report and pulls her feet off her desk so she can sit up a bit straighter.

The the commentary comes about her being in the office, and Peggy gives a little groan, "I was fully cleared by medical. I'm fine. It's not like I'm going into the field like this... And hell, the last time I was pulled into the field," aka, Kidnapped, "It was from my bloody home. So, I think I'm perfectly fine where I am right now, thank you very much. Would you like some tea?"

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet beams in delight at the retort from Peggy; the barbed comment seems to have been intended to gauge if Peggy is indeed doing well, at least enough to clap back at the socialite. "Some tea would be fine, but I'll get it," Janet reassures Peg. She gets to her feet and moves over to Peggy's little serviette and starts fussing over it. "Don't sit up on my account, either," she adds a beat later. "Keep your feet up. Those heels are hot but they've got to be murder walking down the hall," she observes.

It doesn't take long to bring the water up to temperature and Janet glances once back at Peggy, silently offering her a cuppa as well. "I wanted to stop in earlier and say hi, but apparently your protective detail wasn't allowing visitors. And Steve said I'm not allowed to threaten any more of your people with banishment to the Quantum Realm. Milk and sugar?" she offers. Janet's having an unadorned black tea. At least, unsullied until she produces a flask from her clutch and pours a dollop of rum into the cup.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A gentle dip of her head comes in assent to Janet's offer of making the tea. Peggy won't get up if she doesn't want to, her back happier with her for that. But she's still sitting up, not putting her feet up on her desk while there is someone in her office having a conversation. She's not THAT rude. Janet does get a deeper smirk from her, at the comment about the quantum realm.

"No banishing my agents. I worked hard to train them all. You owe me replacement agents and hours if you do that, understood? It'll be easier for all of us if you leave them here." Peggy is only half teasing about that because she knows Janet COULD do it. "And yes, both milk and sugar. They should be on the cart. I drink my tea like a proper brit." Peggy is putting her best face forward, and she does look in good health physically. Round and glowing. Whatever HYDRA did to her, it's only behind her eyes.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet ensures Peggy's tea is properly served before claiming her own glass. The socialite folds her calf under her thigh when she sits, shifting easily to cross her leg over her knee. Janet balances her teacup on her fingertips and takes a few measuered sips to ensure the temperature is proper.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Janet lifts one shoulder at the first glance from Peggy. "No point in beating around the bush," she points out. "And I know you don't want the boys--" undoubtedly Steve and Dan-- "worrying about you. Or the cubicle rats." She wiggles a thumb over her shoulder, gesturing somehow at the entirety of SHIELD. "It's cool if you don't," she clarifies a beat later. "I'm not gonna twist your arm or anything. I hate making small talk around the elephant in the room." Her bedside manner is a little lacking but there's a certain blunt candor in Janet's actions that speaks to her concern for her friend.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A slow exhalation of breath comes through Peggy's lips, slightly puffing them outwards for a moment or two as she collapses back into her chair. Not so deep as she was, but closer to a slump than the proper sitting up she did when Janet first walked in. She scoops up her tea and idly stirs a spoon through the murky depths, not responding for several moments.

"I'm... not really certain what there is to talk about, honestly. HYDRA, they still have Framework technology. They've updated it. Did you read any of those reports? A whole bunch of us in pods, just living out... entirely different lives. It was a bloody fucking mess, and we thought we destroyed all of it, but they still have some. They're still using it. They... they used it again. And now how am I entirely supposed to know this is... real? I think it is. I think all the details are right, and they kept getting little details wrong, but..." She drags one hand across her face. "Sorry. You asked. I know there aren't answers."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
There's a pensive silence for a beat. Then while Peggy's got her eyes covered, Janet leans forward and gives the back of her other hand a firm pinch!

"Feels pretty real to me," she says with a mischevious grin, and sits back on her calf again. The socialite manages an attempt at an innocent expression over her teacup. Of course, it makes the gesture all the more insoucient, and Janet looks utterly unrepentant about it. "Look, I've been through the ringer myself a few times," she reminds Peggy. "When that Russian bitch kidnapped me, I didn't know up from down for most of two weeks. Getting waterboarded is--" her features stiffen for a moment, betraying well-buried emotions for a flashing glimpse. "Well it sucked. But y'know, pain is what makes life real, you know? It gives you like, context, for pleasure. It didn't matter how high off my tits I was, when they gave me a zap, it reminded me what was real and what wasn't. I mean--" she leans forward, brows lifting with sardonic amusement. "What kind of HYDRA goon is going to think to program a reality that feels authentically -pregnant-?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
A tired, but slight more earnest, smile paints itself across Peggy's lips as she hears that last little bit. She actually laughs, dragging her hand across her face. "Sadly, they got that much right, or maybe they use enough of your memories to get it right because this..." she motions to her belly, "Always feels like this. Like I'm ready to burst and every inch of me aches. And I still have 2 months." Peggy groans quietly, but it's a happy one. She secretly likes all this misery, deep down somewhere.

"And... Janet, I didn't mean to bring up the... Shit for you either. I'm fine. I really am fine. It'll take a few more days and I'll shake it off and carry on. I got lucky, all things considered. Nothing wrong with the baby, nothing with me. Got out scott-free. Just a few more nightmares. Part of the life, right?"

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"I'm /more/ than fine," Janet reassures Peggy firmly. "Yeah it's an ugly thing that happened, but I got over it. ...with the help of a lot of club drugs," she admits, "but y'know how I feel about therapists. The only way they make a living is if we're not honest with ourselves, right?" Shoulders rise and fall in a shrug. "So I'm honest with myself, and I'm honestly kind of a bitch, so I think the whole thing sort of comes out as a wash at the end. Oh!" she interrupts herself. "I should ask, did you get to kill the asshole who was pulling the strings? It really gave me some closure with Nadia's knockoff mom, y'know." She draws a little flickering bioplasma to her fingertips and makes it *pop* in the air. "Melted her face off. -Super- cathartic."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I, uh... yes. One of them, at least. The technician who had me in the hook up. Strangled him with one of my stockings." Peggy says that dead flat, utterly serious, but a little quirk of a proud smile follows after. She recognizes it's awful to feel that way about killing someone, but she was a little proud of that. "We have several others in lock up. More HYDRA out of the world. It was... worth it, in the long run. I was out of commission, what, two weeks? And we took down two major HYDRA bases in that time. I'd make that trade any day."

Her smile turns little more serious, but also more genuine. Her fingertips stretch gently across her stomach, protectively, "And now I get to go stir crazy behind a desk for... However long. No one's going to let HYDRA even in spitting distance of me. So, yes. I'm here. Working. But I'm fine. Thank you for checking. We should get a proper dinner soon, not just... sitting at this desk."

Janet van Dyne has posed:
"/Nice/," Janet interjects with a whisper, wrinkling up her nose and nodding with a fierce smile of approval.

She listens with something close to attentiveness as Peggy ruminates on the outcome of her little trip, nodding at intervals that seem appropriate. She's not the best listener in the world, but then again, how many billionaire superhero socialites will drop in just to check up on a friend?

"I've got private tables at Cirque, Rao's, Brooklyn Fare... name the place, I'll get us a seating there. We'll bring the boys along, they both need a little culturing from time to time."

"And, before I forget--" Janet holds up a finger, digging in her jacket's inside breast pocket (a little daring, that move) and digs out a featureless black credit card. 'Margaret Carter' and 'JVD Fashion' embossed with gold leaf. "Anything you need at the fashion house, tailoring, shoes, you name it. The manager knows who you are, so expect the whole white-glove service. Don't think this is me having a sudden fit of altruism," she adds with a twinkling smile. "I'm using you as a test for launching a maternity line. Gonna be the next big thing in fashion, you watch."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A leveled gaze is given at Janet as the woman says the next 'big thing' in fashion. Peggy's just smirking, a hint of amusement in her eyes, "First tip, don't use that tag line around pregnant women. But..." She reaches over, taking the card and gently turning it between her fingertips. Thoughtfully. "Thank you. It'll be a good excuse to get out of the house. So... truly. Thank you. I will use it." She meets Janet's eyes with that, making it a firm promise.

Then her eyes flicker to the side, catching just how late in the evening it is. "But you are right. It is too late to be behind this desk. Dinner at Rao's, Monday night. 7? We'll properly catch up and I should be able to drag the husband. Have... a nice night than me sitting around moping behind my desk, I promise." Peggy slips her feet back into her shoes, proof that she is actually going to get up and go home, not just shooing Janet away to get back to work. She's readying to leave.

Janet van Dyne has posed:
Janet waits until Peggy's standing on her own two feet again, and leans over Peggy's belly to give the woman a careful but warmly sincere hug, and a familial kiss on the cheek. "I'll send a car to pick you up and we'll make a double-date out of it." She breaks the hug and gives Peggy's fingers a quick squeeze and smiles aagain, approvingly. "You look great," she tells Peggy, and collects her things to head out as well. And the way Janet says it, with such total assurance-- her very tone makes the compliment into a statement of undeniable fact!