sixthiterationlogs | [MINGLE] Harvest Feast 🍂

[MINGLE] Harvest Feast 🍂

WHERE: 6I Inn
WHEN: 10 November, all day
OPEN TO: ALL - MINGLE POST
NOTE: Details can be found here.

In the wee hours of November 10th, before even the earliest risers have roused themselves for another day, items begin to appear in the front room of the Inn. Decorations first — Boughs of autumn leaves in their reds and golds, wreaths of dried flowers and silken ribbon, flickering candles among the goards and berries and acorns. The food arrives next, the decadent aroma slipping up the Inn stairs to tempt those lingering in bed — Every imaginable harvest time delicacy, from roast turkey and ham to smoked salmon and oysters; fresh, soft bread warm from the oven to plum pudding and ice cream. And did we mention pie?

Once again, it's time for a feast. The bar is stocked, the coffee is brewed and the tables are groaning with food. Indulge, there's more than enough for everyone — That is, if you don't lose your appetite worrying about what it will all cost.

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Peggy smiles at her, feeling nostalgic almost for the first time that she had seen a feast. Her worry, of course, is not for the food but for what happens after. That seems to be how things work here. They happen on a delay, not here. Grasping a plate, she encourages the other woman to join her as she heads to the table.

"I don't celebrate anything like this at home, not really, but how can you pass up proper turkey and cranberry?" She starts to lade her plate with these things, heaping on stuffing, popping some past her lips. "The pies, of course, are the true attraction."

With a shake of her head Bela follows after Peggy and picks up a plate, looking at all of the food laid out on the table. Where to begin? "Yeah, I don't really celebrate like this either."

Or at all. She doesn’t have any friends or family, and Bela would rather be jetting off to somewhere warm and tropical, sipping cocktails on the beach than doing anything like this. Of course she's going to have some turkey and some of the cranberry, and the stuffing. With maybe one slice of pie. Bela is reluctant to over do it in case she fell ill.

"The pies do look amazing, I must admit." There's a pause. "Have you been here long?"

"Long enough to have lost count of how many we've had of these," she says, but though she doesn't keep her own calendars, she's been noting the seasons as they pass. She thinks that by that estimation, she must be coming up on a year and a half, if the temperature dips to winter, after that. Sliding some pie onto a plate, at the topic of it, she thinks that she's going to reverse things and start with it first.

Flaking some of the crust off with a fork, she gives the other woman a long look. "Long enough that I know what tends to happen after we're blessed with so much food and while it's not good, it never seems directly related to the food, so you best take advantage."

Keeping track of the days would become more difficult as time wore on. She may need to consult with other people who had better methods of doing something like that. The whole situation is still very new for Bela and seeking advice from others who had been around for longer may help her to cope.

"Why am I not surprised that there may be a consequence for this indulgence? Food related or not." She frowns before taking another piece of pie, placing it beside the meat on the plate. "I appreciate the warning all the same." Bela adds, picking up her cutlery to start cutting at the turkey. "Sorry, I didn't get your name before."

While she waits for her reply, Bela eats the piece of the turkey she carved and savours it, knowing that she mightn't get a chance like this again.

"In the past, it was either used to lace certain substances or as a distraction," she says, which is why Peggy is still being cautious not to touch any chocolate items, despite the fact that she's convinced that their captors won't repeat the same trick twice, especially not when they're going to be more than aware of what's going on.

"I'm Peggy Carter," she introduces herself, setting the pie down on the table to properly offer a handshake, feeling rather impolite for barging right into the conversation, but there was food to be had.

While it was information that Bela didn't really wish to hear, she was glad to be aware of it for the future. The more she learned about what their captors were capable of and prepared to do to all of them, the better. Maybe she wouldn't be able to do anything to stop them, but it offered Bela some kind of reassurance.

"Bela Talbot," she replies, placing down her cutlery so she could take her hand and shake it. "Nice to meet you, Peggy." She knew there had to be an introduction at some point so why not before either tucked into more of the food. "Whereabouts are you from?"

The accent gave Bela a clue, but she'd like to hear it from Peggy herself.

"Originally, I was living just outside London, but I was in Los Angeles before I arrived here." She still thinks that the zero matter had some hand in this place, because it would make sense, but she's also learned that so little makes sense. She digs her fork into the pie a little eagerly, taking care to enjoy as much as she can, because it's hardly like she gets many opportunities.

"And yourself? I would assume the same. London, that is," she clarifies, given her bearing and accent.

"You assume correctly. I grew up outside of it, but I have been to the city a few times." Though not for a while. "A few years ago I moved to New York and have lived there ever since." Lifting up her cutlery again, Bela eats some more of the turkey before moving onto the ham, making sure to take her time with it.

"Los Angeles though." She begins, after finishing her mouthful. "That must have been exciting."

"I was in New York, prior to LA," Peggy says. "Our offices were there before I was requested to transfer for work." While she's not hiding under the guise of classified work anymore, she's also not going to jump straight into the details of the SSR unless prompted.

Finishing with her pie, Peggy now works backwards to place some stuffing and yams on her plate. "It was different. Quite a shock, honestly," Peggy confesses, "I don't think Los Angeles had much of substance, not until you scratch quite hard at the very substantial surface."

She looks thoughtful for a moment, considering what Peggy said about Los Angeles. "That's disappointing. Perhaps I'd be better off staying in New York." A sigh. "Not that I'll be there anytime soon."

Bela digs into the rest of the ham, caught up in her thoughts again. She doesn't want the silence between them to linger for too long so she stops after finishing her last bite.

"What did you work as?"

"If I ever get in trouble for telling classified secrets, I am going to protest," she says, as if she's raising the comment for anyone who's listening to hear, but given that most people seem to be from either the near or the distant future, it won't impact their lives in the least. "I was an agent with a team that investigated slightly less than normal instances of wrongdoing. Things that the police and the national teams couldn't quite get their hands on."

"I was investigating a case with a new element prior to this. I had thought it was the cause, but, seeing as I doubt you've ever heard of zero matter, I don't think it is that, after all."

"You'd be right. I haven't heard of it. Honestly, it sounds like something out of a science fiction film."

But a shadowy organisation? Now that was so much more interesting to Bela than 'dark matter.' How did Peggy get involved and why? And should Bela be careful around her if she asked about her own activities back home? Quite possibly.

"Before coming here, I had checked into a hotel for a night. Woke up in the bloody fountain without a clue as to how I got there."

"Yes, sometimes, it did seem that was my lot in life," Peggy notes, not entirely approving of the fact that there were elements of the SSR that could be out of a tale in the films, but it had been something to get used to quite quickly. "We all seem to awake in the fountain. When I arrived, though, there were many of us and a siren went off."

It had been odd, as if they had been expected, but Peggy still has no idea why. "Where?" she asks, going back. "Sorry, where was your hotel?" If she's learning about the people here, it's best to find out.

"My hotel?" She repeats, needing to think for a moment. "Oh, it was in some small town in the state of Colorado. Nowhere special." Bela didn't really care where she lay her head down for the night, as long as she could keep going the next morning.

"Why? Do you think it matters where we were prior to our arrival?"

"I collect as much information as I can in order to look for patterns," she says, but there's a resignation already lying in her words, because no matter how much she'd like to believe she's being useful and doing something, she suspects that it's not actually helping at all. "Unfortunately, when I piece it all together, it doesn't make sense."

"I suppose you didn't have any exposure to anything the instant before you arrived?" she wonders.

"No, I didn't. Everything was normal and the only person I talked to was the desk clerk." Bela replies, finding it interesting that Peggy was also trying to piece together information. She wants to do the same.

"Have you been keeping a record of this information by the way?" From her tone it appears that she would be very interested in reading it, especially if Peggy had written it down.

Well, that's certainly a disappointing dead end, though Peggy's not entirely sure what she'd been expecting. No one else's stories have caused her to have an epiphany that could connect the dots, but she's yet to truly give up hope.

"I have a notebook, yes," she agrees, which has been in the house with Stella most recently. "I'm afraid that while I've taken to writing down people's history to look for connections, I've yet to find one binding theory for everyone. There are coincidences here and there, but nothing universal."

"That's a pity." A frown creases at her forehead. "Still, it's a good way to keep track of everyone in the village. Sort of like a roster but with extra details." Bela is in the dark about a few things in the village, and she knows that she hasn't met everyone.

"What kinds of coincidences if I may ask? They could be relevant to myself in some way."

"Well, we have some people here from what appears to be the same universe," she says, "and others who are from space. People with similar jobs, backgrounds, that sort of thing," she explains, still digging into her pie as she talks. "If you'd like to come by and see it, my door is open. If I'm not there, Stella might show you. She's my roommate," she explains.

"She's got a keen mind herself," Peggy praises, "so if there's anything you want help with, she's absolutely going to be there to help."

Bela listens to Peggy carefully, doing her best to remember what she tells her, even if it didn't seem important right now. Maybe the information will be useful to Bela in the future. What she focuses on the most is the mention of someone else who would be able to help her.

"Thank you. I will be sure to keep Stella in mind if I have any questions."

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[MINGLE] Harvest Feast 🍂

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sorry about the delay!

it's all good!

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