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meadowlarklogs2019-10-30 07:33 pm
vns) wrote in meadowlarklogs2019-10-30 07:33 pm
Entry tags:
[closed]
WHO: Gaby, Doctor Strange, Carol Danvers
WHERE: Black Bliss (a dive bar)
WHEN: Mumbles time before the event kicked off.
WHAT: Meeting. Making arrangements.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Imbibing alcohol.
as it is, Gaby's finishing up a few things at the bar when the door opens at about the right time. she motions for Stephen and Carol to come over. ]
My company's here, Jake. I'm getting us some drinks and then it's all yours.
[ he calls back a response of affirmation. ]
So, what'll you two be having?
WHERE: Black Bliss (a dive bar)
WHEN: Mumbles time before the event kicked off.
WHAT: Meeting. Making arrangements.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Imbibing alcohol.
as it is, Gaby's finishing up a few things at the bar when the door opens at about the right time. she motions for Stephen and Carol to come over. ]
My company's here, Jake. I'm getting us some drinks and then it's all yours.
[ he calls back a response of affirmation. ]
So, what'll you two be having?
no subject
Her first thought as she makes her way to where Stephen is standing is that the place is no Pancho's, but if you've been to one dive bar, you've basically been to them all. She follows him inside where Gaby's finishing up with whatever bar-related duties before she waves them over.
Gaby's question is a tough one. Too many options.]
Let's keep it simple and go with a beer. Something hoppy.
no subject
Make it two.
[ You can take your time over a beer, and they'll be here a while. ]
no subject
[ a few minutes later and Gaby's carrying three beers over to where they're sitting. it's the same beer for all of them: a hoppy IPA with a faint hint of citrus and herbs. it's good and Gaby swears by it. ]
The guys who make this stuff, they're pretentious as all fuck – but at least their beer is good.
[ she slides into her seat. ]
So, you're Carol. You should call me Cee here.
no subject
[or bathtub gin or moonshine and so on and so forth. She'll have to take her word for it. Carol's not a connoisseur when it comes to drinks, but a crisp, refreshing beer to tide her over while they attend to business is exactly the thing needed.]
Cee, huh? Alright. [She takes a sip, nodding appreciatively. Apparently they really do know their shit.]
You wanted a face to face. I take it that whatever we needed to talk about was too important to go over via message, or maybe you're worried about leaving a trail, possibly both. So what is it?
no subject
Instead, he takes a sip of his beer, casts his gaze over to Gaby. All yours. He's staying out of the way until he's needed. ]
no subject
[ where do they begin? with the message? with Riko?
Riko is easiest. someone who might overhear before they give up on trying to catch snippets would brush it off. might even assume that Gaby's trying to cook up some surprise for her.
hell, this is where they met once upon a time. ]
There's someone on the force who's cut deals with multiple Displaced. Three times now she's struck out. Honestly, I think she's a worthwhile resource, even if she can't –
[ she shakes her head. ]
– let's say that there are things about my life that I have to hide. And I don't want her mixed up in all of this. But I wanna see you all get answers, and she's a damn good ally and resource to have on your side.
[ a beat. another beat. a sip of beer. ]
Problem is, she's also the love of my life.
no subject
not that she could hide things from maria. damn woman could read her like a book.
she rubs at her temples, preparing for what's to come.]
That sounds complicated. I'm assuming she doesn't know what you get up to when you're not wiping glasses and that you'd like me to keep quiet on that too?
I'll do what I can to keep her clear of your double life if it means that I can find something useful for us, something that makes sure that what Stephen knows happens in our home world actually comes to pass.
[that's still the most head-tripping part about all of this, but if they can pluck a man from ice and bring him up to speed on things like the internet, she can accept that the displaced can exist from different points in time and different universes.]
What else can you tell me, either of you, that I'll need to know so I tread carefully?
when you forgot to track... for the ten thousandth time...
It means they can get on with this. Carol asks her next question and Stephen is free to contribute, his pressing on confirming that her questions to Gaby are self-answering enough to require no further comment. ]
Our relationship with her [ our, as in the displaced, though none of the rest of them know it ] is the closest thing we have to a feedback loop on the people who transport us into the city. Every time one of us ends up in police custody, every time she gets a chance to interview us and strike up a connection, we're plucked away by people with the authority to do so and returned to our benefactors' care.
[ Morningstar's care. Care. A deliberate choice of word. As deliberate as the action itself. The message Gaby was left waits for now, but won't wait for too much longer. Carol has asked specifically about where careful tread needs to be taken. ]
This is the first time we'll have made first contact of our own accord. She'll want answers just as much as we do, but we're going to have to be careful what we give.
The others can't know who she is, but they'll need to know that she exists. And we'll all need to get on the same page about how much to tell her so nobody gets it into their heads that she's a danger to us, or we become a danger to her.
no subject
[ Gaby doesn't mention names. won't mention names, won't mention the failures after that time and her own mistakes in judgment time and time again. this isn't about that.
no matter what, she cares about the Displaced. she just also doesn't care any less about her people or her world, and she has her biases. she's not without them. can't be without them. ]
I've mentioned to Stephen that we could let the Displaced know about her, but I thought we'd test it with you first. You and some others, maybe, who are looking into training. Create redundancy.
[ her hands come together. ]
My greater concern is that there is someone more powerful than the NAPD watching out for you. That's your in. That's what'll hook her interest, combined with the disappearances. That someone –
[ she thinks about the note. her hands come apart, lying flat on the table. ]
– that someone may have an in or a connection with the UNA, too. Someone who's ensuring the ... flow of the Displaced. Someone who took a bet on me not long ago, and might keep at it. They're mixed up with whoever's getting our nameless Displaced out of custody, and they're on her radar, too.
[ no note yet. no full demonstration of the information. not yet. it's a lot to take in, so she gives Carol a moment with it. ]
no subject
[in the grand scheme, she doesn't care who was involved or what they did. what she does care about is innocent people getting caught in the crossfire and the repercussions of those actions coming back to bite them all in the ass. as far as she's concerned the only way to prevent both of those things is to take this leap of faith and trust that what she's stepping into isn't going to doom them all.]
That's going to take a level of careful planning that I may not be the best at. That said, I can think of someone who would be.
If you'll trust my judgement and let me read someone else in, that is. Someone else that Stephen knows, actually.
[keeping secrets from strangers isn't that hard, but keeping them from someone she knows is, and carol can already envision it being difficult to lie to steve rogers.]
He's a mostly level head and already has the requisite physical conditioning down pat.
[actually, steve's a bit of a bulldog who won't quit, but he's good people and she trusts him. even if they haven't actually known each other that long.]
And I'm sure he's just as eager to know more about the mysterious party with enough connections to spring us from custody.
no subject
He knows who she's talking about before she clarifies with details, and immediately there are warning flags. He doesn't have that solid a read on Rogers yet. His history is scattered: he's a hero through and through, has proved himself time and again to be a force of good... but whose good? Heroism in and of itself isn't always a reliable trait. He's erred on the side of personal interest at least once, and has been willing to break allegiance in favor of belief. Headstrong. Often reckless, though in the past he could afford to be. A solider.
Carol, too, is a soldier of a kind. But her history isn't quite so checkered. He hopes that she at least is able to understand that they aren't the same here as they were once, that one needs to be adaptable and appreciate limitations, work with the world in a different way.
It's risky. Ultimately, he's more willing to place his faith in her than he is in Captain America. Both are a calculated risk, but her equation seems more likely to fall in their favour. There are too many unknown values in his to be sure.
Gaby will be waiting on him for this, he knows. Carol he's vouched for. Steve hasn't been discussed.
Focus moves back to Carol. ]
I'll be honest, I have my reservations.
[ Most of all, he doesn't want to risk this turning into the Avengers 2.0 in all but name. Steve Rogers has a talent for leadership but the unfortunate truth, he realises, is that he doesn't trust that reading in Steve won't create more problems than it solves. He doesn't trust him yet, and this is all far too delicate to let a bull into the china shop, no matter how calm he might seem now.
But he has placed his faith in Carol. And if that's to work, he needs to believe in her judgement, too. This isn't the Stephen Strange show.. ]
You know him better than I do. If you're willing to vouch for him, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. His skillset would certainly be of help.
[ And back to Gaby: ] If we do read him in, I'd advise we bring in someone or someones not from my world. People who have been here a little longer. Nepotism isn't a good look in a multiversal community when we all have the same things at stake.
no subject
[ she nods to Carol. ]
– I've heard that before.
[ Peggy. Fitz. Stephen. now Carol. all of them come equipped. Daisy is an exception to the rule. (Katelin, too? hard for her to say, to know for sure.)
she proceeds to consider Stephen's advice in light of that. not bringing too many people in. having the right eyes on the situation. they could have someone in the force and someone outside of it. covering their bases. ]
I agree with your assessment overall, Stephen. And if you trust Carol, then I trust her judgment by extension. If your reservations are stronger than just bringing in outsiders, let me know. I'll shut things down before we move to the next step.
[ this type of operation is something that Gaby trained for, but never expected to pull off. she was never asked to do it, having volunteered for projects that were nearer and dearer to her heart. ]
I think whoever we bring in, they can't be joining the force. I think it won't hurt to go beyond that, show that your ... oddities aren't just infiltrating places when it comes to knowing about what came before. In figuring all of that out. Unless you have a better suggestion. As it is, I'm gonna leave that up to you. The people I knew best, who showed discretion – they've vanished. You're one of the only ones left that I know.
[ "you" being Stephen. she looks at him pointedly. and: "know." Loki and Jason are on the list, but she would never in a million years trust them with this. Damian, too. Rey's proven herself, but discretion isn't her strong suit, either.
so, time to branch out. ]