goodbye, my darling

[womanofvalue]

WHO: Peggy Carter
WHERE: Outside the fountain
WHEN: February 2nd, Evening
OPEN TO: OTA
WARNINGS: Ice Powers, Grief
STATUS: Open

---

It's been days of searching, to the point that even for a woman of Peggy's stubbornness, there are boundaries as to how much she can take and how long she can go denying the truth. She's searched every possible crevice the village will allow her, looking for bodies alive or dead, but it's becoming painfully clear that she's not going to find her friends because they're not here any longer. She'll miss Barnes and Natasha, of course she will, but that's not what hurts so badly.

Peggy's been at the fountain, her last resort. Perhaps whatever cruel joke this is will vanish and Steve will pop up again, like he's never been gone. She'd honestly thought that something might be going right in the universe again, if only to give her back the best man she'd ever met, but that's all gone too. Inhaling sharply, Peggy can't keep back the grief any longer. Her sobs are a choked sound that she muffles with the collar of her cloak, trying to brush away her tears.

Tears, unfortunately, that are crystallizing on her cheek. Reaching up, Peggy stares in confusion and wonder as she holds an icy teardrop on her fingertip. It ought to melt away with her body heat, but a quick touch to her skin proves that she's just as cold as the weather around her, something that shouldn't be possible by any means.

Swallowing another sound in her throat, Peggy finds herself sitting heavily on the edge of the fountain, not sure she has the energy to cope with this on top of everything. She's been accused of being an icy bitch before, but she'd never thought it would end up being so literal. "You'd laugh," she says aloud, not sure which departed friend she's speaking to now, whether it's Steve or Howard or Jarvis, "it serves me right. The one moment I need affection and compassion, this place drives ice into my heart to keep people at bay." Letting her head hang forward, any tears that come turn to ice nearly immediately, dropping to the ground like a miniature weather event right in front of her, but she can't make herself move just yet.

Steve is gone. He's gone again and she's not sure how to say goodbye so quickly, this time.

Comments

yes please the best plan!

[womanofvalue]

Peggy isn't entirely sure whether guidance is going to be enough (truthfully, she'd prefer if these abilities came with an instruction manual for use), but she's never been one to quit easily and she looks to Riza with a determined nod of her head. "Right, then," she says, breathing in deeply to try and chase her grief away.

"I'm all yours, lead the way."

[hawkeyesniper]

They have something new to focus on which is great. Riza finds that having tasks like that is better than anything in terms of staying positive in these places. It was easier to cope if you had something to focus on.

"All right," Riza says as she rises and starts away from the fountain. No one had shown up and so they didn't need to wait around much longer. "I did know of someone who used ice alchemy. I can't say exactly how it worked, other than manipulating the moisture in the air either rapidly cool or heat it."

[womanofvalue]

That's an interesting concept to consider. Perhaps this isn't something that's simply happening to her, but something with an actual explanation. The thought of it being 'alchemy' sets Peggy just a touch at ease. Now, she just needs to cut off the emotions that come with the timing of these powers.

It seems as if it can't be a coincidence, honestly, yet, what if it is? "So if the air around me is already cool, shouldn't I have less success?" she wonders.

i just hit 6 comments for this --

[hawkeyesniper]

[ooc: -- so if you want to "Fade to Black" in the next tag with them going down to the stream to practice and make progress, I'm fine with that since this thread is fairly old]

"I would think that would make it easier. It's already cold...so if you're making it colder for ice that shouldn't be an issue," Riza muses, tapping her chin in thought as she considers the science behind it. She's fairly certain that, powers or alchemy or whatever, the scientific laws of heat should probably still apply. "Just instead of it growing colder by nature...you have a say in it now. Like a switch," Riza adds.

imma hit one more! :) and then faaaade

[womanofvalue]

Peggy can't help her slightly overwhelmed smile. "There are a few men at home who would think this power rather suitable for me," she deadpans, thinking of how Thompson would note that Peggy's icy nature has come back to haunt her. "Lucky for them, they're not here for me to practice on," she says, taking Riza's advice to hear as she thinks of it like a switch.