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Stir crazy. That's the best way to sum up Peggy Carter right now. Bed rest was the worst thing in the world, especially when, other than that wrist and the lovely ring of greenish yellow bruises around her neck, she felt totally fine. She was done sleeping. She was done healing (in her opinion). She had work to do and yet no one will let her out of the damn hospital! So, she's abused poor Heather's patience, among others, asking for every file under the sun so she can continue doing work from her hospital bed. That's where she is now, with a ring of guards (both obvious and hidden) in the hallway outside. Only SHIELD personnel and a very select list of people are even allowed down to the end of the hall where her room is. SHIELD takes assassination attempts seriously. At least Liv is on that cleared list.
*
Liv is just another suit making her way to Peggy's room, but even with the dress code in place, she sticks out. Most women aren't six feet tall and built like a tank, for one thing. Others don't wear slacks. And most definitely don't wear their hair in Asgardian-style braids to keep it out of their eyes.
She knocks politely before ducking into Peggy's room with a cardboard box tucked under her arm. "I brought you some reading material," Liv says with a wry smile. "And some fresh news, if you're of a mind. How are you feeling?"
*
The director looks up at the knock, her eyes flickering sharply aware, ready for an attack at any moment but also so thankful for the company. Seeing the young, tall woman she only just hired, a wider smile cuts across Peggy's pale lips. They haven't even given her the lipstick back! Horrors.
"Liv… It's good to see you. And a touch better to see more reading material, thank you." She clips out, reaching her good hand up to help take the box and guide it towards her bedside table, which is already a mess of files. "…I'm fine. They should let me out of this prison. What's the news?"
*
"They've probably decided keeping you in here is the only way to get you to slow down for a few minutes," Liv muses, shifting the box into both hands as she approaches. She does let Peggy help guide the box to the bedside table, but given just how much it compresses the folders she sets it onto… yeah. Asgardian strength. That's a full box. "Still. If you need a jailbreak, don't hesitate to ask. I'm bulletproof."
With a somewhat self-conscious tug at the front of her shirt — suits are still weird — Liv settles down into the chair at Peggy's bedside. "Llew — I mean, Agent Griffin — and I attended the… I suppose it was an open town hall? Whatever. Last evening, in the city," she explains, waving a hand. "It was… not a disaster, but I think that's largely thanks to him."
*
Even as Liv slightly awkwardly tugs on her suit, Peggy arches a brow and smiles to the woman, "It looks good on you. Let it be. Authortative." Peggy murmurs approvingly, voice a little stiff in that professional, clipped way. But it's a true compliment, especially coming from her. Then she tilts her head, dark eyes widening a touch more… "Agent Griffin is a good man, he's been with is a long time. A good example to follow. Please… I'd like to hear a full report."
*
That compliment gives Liv pause and she looks down at herself, head tilting slightly to one side. It only takes a half-second's consideration before she drops her hand into her lap instead, cracking a smile. "Thank you. Ah, it's been a long time since I've given a report, so… forgive me if this is a bit informal."
Liv takes a moment to gather her thoughts, blue eyes drifting up towards the ceiling. "Initially, it was roughly what you would expect. People frightened of those with powers, calling out for protection and solutions. Such as registration." Her gaze drops to Peggy again, eyebrows lifting in a shrug. "Wilson Fisk and St. John Allerdyce were both there, and though Allerdyce was more subtle about it, both seemed to be pushing for a joint task force. One that partnered human police with powered people. It felt… I don't know, off."
*
A small wave of Peggy's good hand comes, it totally free as she's insisted any other monitoring needs to go through her other arm, or maybe she's just taken things off. Peggy still has quite a bit of command about her, even laying in a hospital bed. She might not be Asgardian, but she certainly has that air of almost royalty. Or, well, a soldier's command, at least, after all these years. It doesn't go away, even in one of those damn cotton gowns.
"It's fine. Just tell me what you remember…" She reassures with a smile and then settles back to listen, expression growing more serious. "…Off. Alright. Tell me more about those feelings. Anything you saw… When did it first start feeling off to you?"
*
"I'm not sure how much of that sentiment was the two of them and how much of it was whatever Llew was dealing with," Liv admits, resting her elbows against her knees as she leans forward. "But the room was… hot. Artificially so, not just due to the crowd. And as he was trying to keep tempers down, Llew did say that someone was working actively to stop him." She frowns thinly, interlacing her fingers. "There was a man near the door with glowing red eyes. Everything seemed to calm down once Llew had him subdued — though there was a girl, too. In the middle of the room, she had a seizure at about the same time."
After a moment's pause, Liv just makes a face. "I'm sorry this is coming out in such a mess, this isn't a proper report so much as thinking aloud," she notes, her tone genuinely apologetic. "One of my neighbors was there. I can give you her address if you'd like someone to follow up with her."
*
"No, please, let it come out a mess. This is how we remember details — not trying to force pen to paper and make it organized. You can do that later. Stream of thoughts and memories are far more important to getting details that you may end up deciding aren't important in your active memory, but end up being vital. So, just let it all stream out. And yes, I'd very much like to follow up with her." Peggy confirms, her expression still reassuring and calming, "…The man with red eyes, can you remember anything else about what he looked like? And did YOU feel anything strange? A higher temper than you might normally feel?"
*
Liv seems genuinely relieved by the reassurance and she nods, her brow furrowing in thought. "I'm… yes, a bit. That's part of why I'm questioning my suspicion towards Fisk and Allerdyce," she admits. "But their remarks did seem very… coordinated? And I'm not sure why that's rubbing me the wrong way, but it is. Perhaps Fisk just seems a little too good to be true and I'm more cynical than I realized." She shrugs helplessly.
*
"Or you are an intelligent woman who knows her own mind, trusts her fellow agents, and has good instincts. I know where I would put my money, Liv. I want, when you are up for it, you to go and write not a report… but a story. Remember every detail you can, people that stood together. Others that stood near you and Agent Griffin. Colors of things. Just let whatever comes out of your mind go and consider us more open minded than your average government agent. We can distill a report out of it later. Does that seem too daunting?" Peggy inquires, her expression dead serious about the matter. It might seem an odd request, but Peggy also seems quite confident that she knows what she's doing.
*
"Less daunting than writing a report straight off," Liv says with a smile, inclining her head. "I can do that. I'll ask Agent Griffin to work on it with me, fill in some of the gaps. I'm sure he was in a position to notice things that I couldn't." The man may be blind, but that in no way means that he cannot see.
*
"Absolutely. I actually may give him the same assignment, then we'll cross reference your findings to start the initial file. But excellent work, Liv. Much of this business is about trusting your instincts, more than you'd expect…" Peggy gives her one last game smile before sighing a touch, body sinking back in the bed as her own eyes go to the ceiling. She really is going stircrazy. "…Now, we need to put a team together to find whomever started this mess." She motions to herself with her bad hand this time. "If we could pin him down, I may be able to convince them to let me out of this bloody prison."
*
With a nod, Liv straightens up enough to retrieve a pen and a pad of paper from within her jacket so that she can quickly jot something down. The page is torn out and offered Peggy's way. "That neighbor I mentioned," she explains, with a smile. "Just a few doors down from me. She apparently works closely with Prince Loki, though she's a local from everything I can gather, so whoever you send to speak to her should be aware that… well. She's a bit of an odd duck. Seems nice enough, though."
*
"…Odd duck? What is her name, hmm?" Peggy asks with a slightly amused chuckle, still content enough to have something else to distract her mind, so she reaches her good hand out to take the piece of paper and study both the name and address, considering what she knows of that area of the city. Peggy always as about a dozen things going in consideration of whatever she's looking at.
*
"I only know her as Scarlett. Good neighbor, though," Liv muses, refolding her hands once Peggy's taken the paper. The address is in Greenwich, at the Albert Chambers. "She maintains the garden up on the roof. Sweet kid, just a little…" She trails off, one eye squinting slightly. "…it's strange, for me. To see someone from Midgard so immersed in Asgardian culture and customs, when I've done essentially the opposite."
*
"Scarlett. Mm. Noted. I'll send an open minded agent to her, if I cannot go myself. Hell, I'd take her to dinner tonight if they'd let me out of this place." Peggy states with a smirk. She then folds the paper in half and slips it beneath the edge of the box on that side table, not to be lost. Of course, she's probably already memorized it. "I…think there are many people in this world who are scared, different… Other, in a way, and do not see a fit for themselves in our current society. So, to find there is another, somewhere their… Otherness may fit? And it is real, not some fairy story? Well, I can see how an obsession may start."
*
"I can certainly understand that. And there are far worse places one could look to for acceptance," Liv admits, allowing herself a small smile. "Loki seems quite fond of her, and he's been nothing but kind to me. He's a playful sort, maybe a little arrogant," she allows. "But he does seem invested in keeping this place safe. I can't imagine that doesn't extend to individuals he's taken a liking to."
*
"Loki…That is one I have yet to meet, I do believe. I'll need to rectify this sometime in the future also. It is encouraging that our people can work together, and do so, so well. I'd like to keep up such work. Are you close with the man?" Peggy asks, still not *quite* comprehending how far their fuedal structure goes. Studying the Asgardians is a slow work in progress that she is trying to do without stepping on toes.
*
Liv lifts a hand and rocks it from side to side. "He's been very friendly and welcoming towards me, given me advice when I've asked for it, but I'm not sure I could consider us close," she murmurs thoughtfully. "It's… he's a prince. And all I was ever going to be before I left Asgard was just some guard whose name the Allfather would probably never have bothered to learn. Still," she adds, sitting a little straighter, "If you would like an introduction, I can ask him about it. Or you could go through Scarlett. Apparently she speaks for him, and brings things to his attention as needed." Liv is… still not sure how to feel about this, quite obviously.
*
"…Interesting. When I get to meet this Scarlett, I might gently push at the situation. See what I can get about it and if she wishes to arrange that or not." Peggy makes a small, thoughtful sound in her throat, adding a few things to the mental file before she shakes it off and allows dark eyes to refocus on Liv. "I feel like I have been grilling you this whole time. Now that you are starting to settle in… Do you have any questions for me?"
*
Liv can't help but laugh, holding up both of her hands. "You haven't been grilling me. And even if you had been, do you know how freeing it is to feel like I can just tell someone things? I've been living in half-truths and lies of ommission for over two hundred years, Peggy, so this is really quite freeing." She smiles broadly, then rolls the question over in her mind.
"…only one, really. I have no idea how to carry a sword while I'm dressed like this," Liv says with a very odd expression, looking down at herself. "I feel naked without one. And this is the first time I've ever handled a gun, so it's bound to be a while before I can use one worth a damn. Any suggestions?"
*
That question actually makes Peggy fully laugh aloud, free and amused. She, apparently, quite appreciates it. She grins, looking the woman over, "…Ah, perhaps we can get you a modified coat. Not quite as long, no buttons. Carry it at your hip as you traditionally would then. Would that suit? You can do it now, just don't close the coat. You'll lose use of a pocket, but unless you properly yell at a tailor, they never put bloody real pockets in our pants anyway." Peggy states with the pure frustration of a woman who has found far too many false pockets in suits.
*
The laughter doesn't bother Liv at all. She actually seems quite pleased to hear it. "A longer coat might be a good idea. I'm not sure how well people would take to a sword in full view. It was a little different with the armor on, people just avoided eye contact and went about their day," she says with an amused roll of her eyes.
*
"…Around SHIELD? Won't be an issue. The streets of Manhattan, though… Maybe we'll get you a proper long pea coat. Consider it a hiring bonus, or something. Speak to Heather, she knows far better tailors than I. Somehow, since she came on, I suddenly got an entire new wardrobe out of no where." Peggy chuckles slightly. It was probably quite needed, considering she really didn't fit into a damn thing she owned. But denial is a thing and pretending nothing's changed, though five months pregnant, seemed to be the MO.
*
"Heather likes taking care of people. She's good at it." Liv sounds entirely approving of this. "I'll never understand why the UN was so willing to underutilize somebody with her experience. I mean, I know why," she says, some exasperation coming into her voice. "But I don't understand it."
*
"Because most of the world is still under the nonsense impression that women aren't good for more than fetching coffee, filing, or producing babies. It's awful. I'd have thought things would have changed in twenty years. I am sad to see I was wrong…" But then a slightly wicked smile crosses Peggy's bare lips, a glimmer of something conspiratorial in her eyes. "But, it is also why we are the most effective government agency in the world — because I don't give a damn if you're a lady and I keep hiring the best ones away from everyone else."
*
That brings a downright mischevous glint to Liv's eye. "If the agency has a need for it, one of my roommates is an absolute wizard at statistics," she notes playfully. "She works in insurance right now and her boss is an absolute ass. At least, in my estimation, he is." Of course, in Liv's estimation, a lot of peoples' bosses are asses. Peggy's just about the best boss she's ever encountered.
*
"Oh! Jack! You're one of Jack's roommates? Ahh, that's got to be why Steve slipped me the recommendation. I wondered how you and he knew each other." Peggy states with a wider smile. See? This woman knows everyone. Or practically everyone. It was creepy, sometimes. She does consider that for a few moments, "I am not certain how… happy Steve would be with my hiring his girl. But, drop a line in her ear. See what she'd think about it, hmm?"
*
Liv blinks once, her expression brightening. "I'll float the idea by her at dinner," she promises, her smile going a touch lopsided. "I would offer to suggest it to our other roommate as well, but Max is… I don't know, I think she honestly likes what she does with Damage Control. Besides. She's union." How a woman managed to get into a union is a mystery, but Liv's never bothered to ask.
*
Another gentle chuckle escapes Peggy's lips, "Well, it sounds like you have quite the house hold. You must invite me to one of your parties some time. I know I'm an old woman, but I promise I'm not a drag." She teases with a bit of a wink. And then there is a nurse bustling in the room, looking somewhat pointedly at Liv and Peggy. Apparently, Peggy's been up too long. She sighs. "My jailors are here. You better get out before they lock you up too."
*
"If you're sure you could survive it, I can arrange a dinner," Liv offers, smiling broadly as she rises to her feet. Even an Asgardian knows not to mess with a nurse. "Jack's a sweetheart, but Max is… an experience. Put it that way. But I think she'd like you." She brings a pair of fingers to her temple in a salute before she starts for the door. "I'll get started on that story. Let me know if you change your mind about that jailbreak," she offers cheerfully, ignoring the nurse's suddenly more intense glare as she slips out into the hall.