(no subject)

[womanofvalue]

WHO: Peggy Carter
WHERE: Out amidst the houses
WHEN: September 12th, Evening
OPEN TO: OTA
WARNINGS: n/a
STATUS: Closed

---

House Shopping

Peggy has a hovel.

Before the earthquake, she had been proud to say that it had been her home. True, it had a flooding problem being so close to the river and yes, so it never lost that stink, but it was still a roof over her head and a place to sleep. That had been before the earthquake. Now, she has a home that's collapsed in on itself and no bed to speak of. She had taken hours to get her things out, collecting them all in the small bag that she'd been given on arrival, and now she's on the road.

While the inn had been a pleasant enough stay, Peggy's want for privacy is enough reason for her to want to move on. There's something quite mad about the fact that she's ambling through town looking at empty houses as if she's suddenly some model of suburbia, living a life that others after the war have started to recede back to.

Peggy, of course, had decided to continue with the SSR, which had led her here. It's a strange and roundabout way of getting her into a little three bedroom home, isn't it? Checking her self-drawn map at the next fork in the road, she opts for going left before arriving at another little bungalow, surveying it and trying to picture herself here.

"Well, at least it's quaint," she comments and tucks the map under her arm as she begins the walk up. "Though nowhere will be quite as good as a home with Jarvis." Shaking her head, she resigns herself to a second-rate existence without her favourite butler.

Message in a Pigeon

The birds had been something of a shock to Peggy when, upon opening up the box, had been confronted with two of the ugliest birds she had ever seen in her life. Within a few days, she'd figured out that they're meant to be pigeons and they seem to be the carrier sort that they had used to relay messages. She hadn't been alive for that war, but Michael had always shown her books and stories about people using them. The tricky part, of course, is trying to figure out how to train them.

At this point, they're simply flying to and fro while Peggy tries to attach the little message container to one of the little claws, feeling awkward for dragging the young pigeon forward every time it doesn't hook.

"Oh, for god's sake, would you behave," she snaps at the bird when it starts to coo and try to inch away. Hand to her forehead, she thinks the recent events have started to wear on her sanity, because here she is yelling at birds who don't deserve it. In fact, these could help her in relaying messages and prevent having to cross the settlement without needing to.

If only she knew how to train a carrier pigeon to actually carry a message for her.

"I don't think telling you to straighten up and fly right is going to do anything, is it?" she asks the two birds before her.

They coo, unhelpfully, in return.

Comments

House Hunters

[notabirdcostume]

Peggy wasn't the only one out and about looking for a house. The earthquake had not been kind to Sam, which wasn't fair because his stupid goat's pen had stayed up just fine. The Police Station across from his house was in tact and yet he was being forced to relocate. It wasn't that he was attached to his house, but it was frustrating that he had to start all over. The house hadn't been too personalized, but it was sort of the principle of the thing that this place continued to throw a wrench in everything they established.

First the flooding had occurred and now this. What was even worse was that there was a distinct odor coming from the river now. Sam knew that wasn't a good sign, but he didn't know what they could do about it either. It was going to be a problem, but he decided he'd rather focus on a problem he could actually solve without worrying about their water supply.

He was just coming out of the station, having just checked on his goat, when he noticed Peggy going by with her pack on her back. Sam stepped out onto the road, "Hey Peggy, you decide to move out to this part of the village?"

Re: House Hunters

[womanofvalue]

"It's less my deciding to move and more that I narrowly escaped being compacted by my house folding in on itself," is her wry reply. She's aware how lucky she is to have walked away unscathed because it could have been much worse, but the sweat and grime from hauling her things out is making her feel awful. That, and the water from the source isn't smelling particularly lovely, so she's not sure when she's going to get a decent shower or bath. If the fountain were intact, she could just treat it like a well, but even that's out of the question now.

Offering out her elbow, she gives Sam a bright smile. "Would you join me? I'd like to think that two eyes are far better than one. Besides, I've never had to shop for a home before, so to speak. You might know all sorts of information that I'd never even think about."

[notabirdcostume]

"Guess quite a few places were damaged then. Mine didn't go that badly--but it's still not exactly fit for living in any more either," he replied.

He glanced at her offered elbow but then decided 'what the hell' and stepped forward, accepting the offer as gentlemanly as possible. "Sure, since we both need a place it sounds like." He gestured towards the police station, "Though I don't think I should move too far from Berg. Especially after that earthquake, he's still not happy about that."

[womanofvalue]

She opens her mouth to ask, then realizes that he's talking about the goat. She can't help ducking her head down to hide her smile as they walk, but the teasing is going to be unavoidable, she's afraid. "Well, at least it seems you've decided not to eat him," she says, because typically, you don't name the things you intend to have for dinner. "Though, I'd still like to know where that name came from," is her remark, because if she was going to name a stubborn goat with a predilection of facial hair, then 'Howard' might have been her first name (though Dugan would've been a close second).

"Would you like to start closer to the police station? I just want decent vantage points in all directions, which seems fairly easy given the rooftops."

[notabirdcostume]

Sam rolled his eyes. "Of course I didn't. We worked too hard to capture him and we aren't quite that desperate yet," Sam replied, trying to shrug off the implications there, "I figured he'd serve better as an emergency than anything else." Billy the Emergency Ration Goat had shortened to Berg pretty easily, hence the name. Though he debates if he should explain that part to Peggy or not.

"So, yes, it'd be a good idea if we could start near the police station. I lived across over there," he pointed to the house that had clearly seen better days since the earthquakes. Sam then gestured down the road, "Actually, last I was aware, all the houses down this road are free for the moment. It's good because we're down the road from the inn and we have a decent proximity to the Fountain too. It's why I picked it to begin with."

House Shopping

[thekittenqueen]

The earthquake had been devastating for everyone, though the extent of the damage seemed to vary. Margaery's would take weeks to right, if they could even get the supplies to mend the damage. Peggy's had been destroyed. It was humbling to see how worse off others were in comparison to hers. She didn't wish to complain or show her dismay, not when her friend was searching for a place to live.

Margaery had been surveying the places that needed repair most, as well as checking on her animals. Once she spied Peggy, she abandoned her efforts and trailed after the woman. "I was sorry to see what happened to your home," she offered as way of greeting.

Re: House Shopping

[womanofvalue]

Peggy's not very emotional about it anymore. She'd only lived there for a few months and in her line of work back home, she'd been in much worse situations. After all, she'd had to move out to the Griffith after the ... well, she doesn't want to think about that incident, because it still brings her grief and heartache. "I hadn't really settled, for what it's worth," she admits.

"Still, the frustration of having to find somewhere new to live is rather palpable," she admits. "I don't suppose you might keep me company, keep my spirits up?"

[thekittenqueen]

"Of course," she agreed, falling into a stride next to Peggy. "As you say, it is frustrating to begin again and find somewhere new. I might be faced with that decision as well, unless I can manage the repairs needed." It would be such a bother to build another pen and a barn before Winter.

"You were unhurt during the earthquake?"

[womanofvalue]

Without a dependable way to tell time, Peggy has tried to stay mostly ignorant to the seasons changing, but she knows that winter will arrive. The question, of course, is how bad the winter will be. She pushes the thought from her mind, because finding a place to live is more important.

"This is odd," she confesses, feeling a bit silly, "The first place I took, I took because I liked the vantage point over the river. I was shoring up defenses. Now, it feels a little like I'm searching for something that looks nice."

[thekittenqueen]

The motto of House Stark was ever present in her mind, as it was with many Southerners. For as much as they were able to enjoy the warmth and beauty of summer, winter would always return. Planting and harvest had to be done quickly, time accorded and planned for the inevitable cold.

"It isn't such a terrible thing." Margaery offered. "We don't know how long we will be here. Why not stay in a place that will make you feel comfortable and happy? We have so little of that here."

house hunting

[taiyny]

Natasha, on the other hand, isn't looking for a house. She's content with the inn; it's quiet, she likes Kate well enough, and the room isn't too much space for just her. All she really needs is a bed and a place to wash up. A house would be too much, a reminder of a commitment that she'll never really be able to make, anyway. Instead, she's focusing on what she can find in the houses, things like linens and maybe toiletries, although so far the latter has been a bust everywhere she's looked.

She's just clearing out of another house, empty-handed, when she sees Peggy. She'd robbed one house of it's linens and such earlier, and now the task is finding things like soap or hair brushes, but even ransacking the houses has come up with nothing, dust covered and in disrepair as they are. It's like some kind of bizarre show home showcase. Everything is (mostly) furnished, but there's nothing to make it personal. If she's being entirely honest, it's creepy.

Natasha lifts her hand in a wave, comes to a stop at the bottom of the porch.

"Out for a walk?"

Re: house hunting

[womanofvalue]

"I'm afraid it's a touch more purposeful than that," she admits, given that she would dearly like to be doing nothing more than walking aimlessly. She folds over the little map with the X's marked over houses that she either didn't like, didn't feel had adequate security, or was in the wrong part of the village. "I'm afraid the latest earthquake did more than shake and rattle my bones."

Peggy's smile is rueful, lips pressed together and making it seem happier than it is. "My house sort of folded in on itself, luckily without me crunched in the middle of it. While I'm all for a fixer-upper, I think there are limits." She sighs and glances down the next lane. "Care to give me a hand? I want to make sure whatever I choose also has the right vantage point and potential security defenses any girl could use."

[taiyny]

Natasha grimaces, one hand on her hip, the other hanging loosely at her side. Her gaze follows Peggy's down the lane as she responds, coming to stand next to Peggy.

"Sam, too. I can help you look," she says, and nods back towards the house she'd just come out of. "I'm just trying to see if I can find anything about our particular situation at all, but there's nothing in any houses so far. Linens, bedsheets, curtains, and basic furniture I can find, but anything beyond that is impossible. No newspapers, books.. not even personal items."

[womanofvalue]

"I hadn't heard about his home," she says, concerned that she'd been so occupied with her own damages that she hadn't visited her friends. "Is he unharmed?" she asks, choosing a direction that she'd like to begin walking in, keeping her eye out for other damaged homes. "And you?"

"I have a few personal items," Peggy confesses, "but it's just some cloth strips, pins, and a comb. Enough to do rolls or waves in my hair." She's not entirely sure why she would receive such a thing, except that it ties her back to her previous life. "I could always write you some news, but sadly, I've yet to find any media myself."

[taiyny]

"We're fine." Natasha says it quickly, an attempt to put to rest any worry Peggy might have for either of them. "He cut his foot on some glass, but otherwise he's unharmed, and as for me, the Inn survived, somehow."

She glances over at Peggy as they walk, contemplating.

"Gifts?" Unless Peggy's found some stash of personal items, which she likely would have mentioned just now. "Do we have any idea who's sending these things?" Another pause.

"Should I be offended or grateful I haven't gotten any yet?"

House hunting

[seekingvinland]

Thorfinn had been following the river up from his return from the woods. The quakes had pushed his temper in a way it hadn't raised in ages. He had feared what he may do if he didn't go find a way to work the aggression off. On his way back he saw Peggy's house next to the house he used to share with Jo.

His jaw dropped in surprise. As he moved forward into the yard, he didn't sense anyone around. His old instincts had never dulled in his years since leaving battle. He was worried the woman might be dead inside. After a few minutes he gave up on the survey, feeling a little bad as he walked from the wreckage to make his way home to tell Jo what he had seen. However, before reaching home he saw Peggy's outline.

Relief washes over him. The idea of one of the villagers being dead was not something he wanted to think about, much less one he had spoke to before. He moved quickly, a power walk, until he reached her side offering her a bright smile. Despite his bruised and swollen knuckles, and the bit of sheet tied up around his upper right arm to stop some bleeding from a minor injury in the quake. "Peggy! I worried, I saw your house." He spoke the tone itself showed relief.

Re: House hunting

[womanofvalue]

Oh, goodness, he's in far worse shape than she is. Peggy instantly feels awful, seeing as she might have lost her home, but for the most part, she's utterly unscathed. She isn't much of a hugger, else she might have offered one now to Thorfinn, but as it stands, the relief is palpable and clear on her face. "I'm fairly sure you and everyone else has seen my house. I'm beginning to think I ought to leave a note that I'm all right."

It does look a terror, after all, and she's seen some rather crumpled versions of architecture in Europe.

"What happened to you?" she asks, with more concern.

[seekingvinland]

Thorfinn had a habit of getting messed up. He had bad luck and a bad temper he tries to keep hidden from everyone. The bright smile stayed in place as he nodded. He was glad his English was improving more and more, for the most part he understood all that she had said.

"Note might help, yes." He agreed then shrugged, seeming to relax more. His hands going behind his back as if a respectful stance, but really hes trying to hide what he's done to himself. "Was in kitchen when Fenrir became cross." He knew what earthquakes were, but more for his relgion than the reality of tectonic plates shifting. "Glass broke."

[womanofvalue]

She frowns when she speaks of Fenrir, but old lessons come trickling back to her and she recalls the beliefs of those who might think that it's because of this. Wryly, she wonders if Thorfinn has had a chance to meet Thor himself, yet, and wishes that she could be a fly on the wall when that happens. "Did someone look at it?" she asks with a gesture.

Though, it does make her wonder whether they even have disinfectant. She could clean it up, true, but she doesn't have good old fashioned iodine for this.

[seekingvinland]

He had not yet met Thor, not in this world anyway. He was named after his god as the men of his family all are. When she asked her question he shook his head. "Not besides those I live with, I told them it is fine." His English was getting better. "Had much worse, this is nothing." he promised with a another smile, still keeping his hands behind his back leaning some.

"Looking for new home?" He asked hoping to distract from his wounds, he hated letting people worry over him.

Flip This House

[rangerbecket]

Raleigh's own house hadn't done too badly in the earthquake but he still has some repairs he has to do and without tools, they're going to be slow going. Still, he knows he's not as bad off as some people. When he sees the woman walking around looking at houses, he wonders if she's one of the unlucky ones.

"Hey, need any help?" He knows her face - she's been here since the beginning, he thinks, but he doesn't know her name.

"Can't offer too much but I do know how to build a house. Would help if I had some tools, though."

Re: Flip This House

[womanofvalue]

Peggy turns her map this way and that, trying to decide which way she's going to self-navigate (she didn't like the look of the last house because the windows didn't seem to have much vantage point and she could have sworn there was creaking). "Well, while I would very much love to ask you to build me a house to my exact specifications, I'm missing basically all the money to do that," is her wry response.

"That said," Peggy continues, "the first house I picked leaked and then broke in half, so I think there's a mild chance I need someone who at least knows a bit more about contracting work than I do when looking at the frame of a place."

And that sort of help, she thinks, isn't too much to ask.

Re: Flip This House

[rangerbecket]

Raleigh can't help but laugh. This place, more than any other he's ever been to in his life, has no need for money. The things they need are skills and everyone seems to be pretty good about trading them back and forth among each other for the collective good. It would probably make politicians lose their minds but Raleigh thinks it's a pretty good system for what they have going on here in the village.

"Well, I don't mind taking a look at what you're considering and seeing if it's going to hold up. I know a little about earthquakes, too, so I know what to look for in that regard. I'm hoping we don't have any more of them but maybe if we do, we can find something that's gonna hold up in the long run."

He extends a hand to her, wanting to introduce himself properly. "I'm Raleigh Becket. I don't think we've met yet."

Re: Flip This House

[womanofvalue]

"You're far and above me, as far as earthquakes go," Peggy says, given that she's had only zero matter or unnatural causes making the earth shake beneath her and she can't really say that she's quite the expert in the earth's tectonic tendencies. She reaches out to shake his hand firmly. "Peggy Carter," she introduces herself. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Raleigh."

It's an odd name, she thinks, but she had met that one man named 'Kylo' and after that, nothing is quite so odd. "I'd settle for not having to bail out the first floor or worrying about everything coming down on my head," she admits.

Re: Flip This House

[rangerbecket]

"I spent a lot of time in Hong Kong and Alaska," Raleigh explains. "You get used to the ground shaking from time to time when you're in the Pacific Rim." It's always been a seismic area, after all, and even before the kaiju there had been plenty of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to contend with. It's only gotten worse since K-day.

"The ground shaking is something that you kind of get used to after a while. It's not ideal, of course, but you learn how to build around it to compensate."