pineslog | I'll follow behind you on rainbow road

Entry tags:

I'll follow behind you on rainbow road

Who: CAPTAIN AMERICA WANTS YOU
Where: The Baromanogerneson Residence (i.e., 5031)
When: May 9th
What: Mario Kart and subversion, two great tastes that taste great together.
Warnings: Please warn in subjects as needed!
[Open]

The thought had formed pretty much as soon as he'd opened the box that was left on the front porch. The people here need a way to talk. There are two rooms in the house where they would be free to do so. He'd come home one day — not long after the body had disappeared from the upstairs bathroom and all the cameras he'd ripped from their wiring between there and the garage had been put back in place in their absence with a friendly maintenance note left behind that all fixtures in need of repair had been seen to, along with a bill for the expenses — to find Natasha sitting on the bed, writing a note in Sharpie. He'd leaned against the door frame and watched her hold it up to the cameras and make a deal: Steve wouldn't break any more cameras, if they give them the privacy of their bedrooms. As there had only been the three of them at the time (despite the insistence in his head that the house has always been filled by his teammates, just as he remembers of the last few years before Wayward Pines), that had meant the master bedroom downstairs, and Bucky's upstairs.

It had actually worked, though Steve wouldn't have trusted the word of whoever's behind the cameras himself if it weren't for Natasha's daily inspections, and so far the deal's held.

But it's not — can't be — a luxury only afforded to them, for their own sakes. He's told others here and there, and he knows his friends have, too. It's not enough, but nor does he have a way to get people over without arousing suspicion. But then there's the Nintendo system. A little unorthodox, as far as his own methods go, but he'll work with anything he has.

He doesn't put it down anywhere in writing, letting news of the party travel by word of mouth and hoping that's enough to keep it out of the wrong ears. At least for now. There's a chance — a good chance — that it will eventually get the Sheriff's attention, but by then it will have had the effect it's supposed to and given the people here the chance to speak to each other truthfully. And if that comes down on anyone, it's gonna be the people prepared to deal with it.

The day of the ninth is a rainy one, a good day to stay inside and play games with friends. It also provides a good excuse to use the master bedroom just off the end of the foyer as a temporary coat room. Straight ahead in the living room, Mario Kart is all ready to go, and in the kitchen next to that, snack food and drinks are available.

((ooc: THIS IS A MINGLE POST. While I will be tagging around with Steve a bit, this is mostly to give people a chance to chat with each other without the cameras watching. Per Natasha's deal with the powers that be, the cameras in the master bedroom and Bucky's room upstairs have been removed. Natasha will be greeting people at the door and taking them on a "tour" (i.e., to the master bedroom to explain the camera situation, why the party's really happening, and that they are not to discuss the lack of cameras while elsewhere in the house). Feel free to wander in there any time for a chat, or simply enjoy some Mario Kart and refreshments! Commenting around is encouraged, and please note in your top-levels whether they're open or closed. If you have any questions for me I can be found on plurk (

jeeps) or discord (jeeps#9644).))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The thing is, Poe, being at parties in this place is all about gathering intel. It's just a different way, it's Caroline's way. Gossip is just a different form of intel.

And as she goes on to explain, others might feel foolish for thinking so much about the placement of snacks but Caroline takes pride in her ability to make a party go on without a hitch. It's something she's quite good at and food placement is as important to her as perhaps the position of a particular valve is to Poe.

Which he seems to understand because he doesn't scoff at her or laugh, he just acknowledges that what she's talking about it weirdly complicated.]

Ah, you see, [ she plucks a carrot from the bowl and before she takes a bite--] there's not always a huge difference between a carrot and a senator.

But carrots are actually good for something.

[ He'll regret that joke later, when he remembers what the First Order did to the Hosnian system. For now, though, it's just a joke, and he finally crosses the kitchen to select a few vegetables of his own. He's tried chips. They're too salty for him. Rather, there's a lot of salt and not enough substance. He likes salt just fine. ]

So this is your brother's place. [ He 'remembers' that. Whether it's the truth or something this place made up for her remains to be seen.]

Oh-ho, [ she laughs, moving to take another bite of character. And of course, she almost corrects him when he speaks about her brother because she doesn't have a brother.

But she does. Here. Steve is her brother and there are times, especially when she's with him, that it feels so damn real. She nods at his statement.]

Yeah, he and his many roommates, [ she laughs, quietly. However, her next question is more pointed, she gives him a kind of look,] Did you get the tour? [ Because there are rooms that he can speak freely in.] If not, I can give you one. You should go on the tour.

[ Okay, then. He can tell there's something being said beyond the obvious, and he gestures toward the entrance to the kitchen. ] Lead the way.

[ Caroline's memories of her fake past make her feel too weird to take them up to Bucky's room, if only because she had a rabid crush on the guy when she was young. So the master bedroom it is. Of course, along the way, she parrots some of the things Natasha said on a tour Caroline took the first time she'd been in the house.

It's boring stuff but the moment they step into the master bedroom, she closes the door behind them.] I promise I'm not going to pounce or anything, [ she reassures him first.]

This room doesn't have any cameras or surveillance. So we can talk... freely. [ She tugs on the sleeves of her sweater a little nervously, realizing how close they are to a bed. But this isn't a seduction tactic.]

At the risk of sounding like some kind of movie: welcome to the resistance.

[ Poe lights up. Impulsively, he scoops her up in a bear hug, spinning her around before he sets her down. He moves back, keeping his hands on Caroline's shoulders. ] You're kidding me.

[ He lets go and walks a quick perimeter of the room, looking at the spots where he's found cameras in his own room, not expecting to find anything but wanting confirmation just the same. ] How'd they do it?

[ She laughs as he twirls them, trying to ignore the way her heart flutters because of his excitement, the way he lights up and the way it seems like there's a weight off his shoulders, if only for a moment. She watches him with an amused smile, once he sets her back down and starts wandering the room.]

I can't take any credit. Natasha managed it somehow. [ She shrugs a little. Steve trusts Natasha (let's be real, Caroline thinks that Steve loves Natasha) so that's good enough for her. And her own false memories have made her fond of Natasha as well.]

A couple of things. Obviously, don't talk about this room when you can be on camera so... basically, don't talk about it outside of this room. [ Her smile fades a bit before she lowers her eyes, she might sound a bit heartbroken about the next bit--] And Steve isn't actually my brother. He's throwing this get together as a way for people to pass information, so you might want to talk to him or Natasha before you leave today.

[ He turns around in time to see that sadness descend. Poe can't help himself. He goes over and touches her chin lightly, trying to get her to look up again. ] Smart guy. Hey.

[ She rolls her eyes at herself as he touches her chin. Her eyes lift to meet with his as she pushes back the sadness she feels for a life that isn't real.

Her hand lifts to touch his shoulder, briefly before she offers him a brave sort of smile.]

Back home, I'm an only child. And I know it's not real but... I like having a brother. [ Determination flashes in her eyes.] Another reason to hate the people who run this place, right? They make us feel things that aren't real and when we remember they aren't real... it's like they're taking it away from us.

Edited 2017-05-10 18:56 (UTC)

I have a nephew here. [ He smiles, the expression humorless. ] I'm an only child, but I had a sister who died with I was eighteen, and I barely remember her. Yeah, it's another reason to bring these bastards down.

[ That's about when he remembers the last time they were this close, and he clears his throat and steps back. ]

[ The moment breaks and that's for the best, she's figuring out. The sense of longing she feels shifts and she moves to pace the room a bit.]

Steve's always got a plan and Natasha is... I wouldn't want to mess with her. [ Caroline didn't know the reality of Natasha, she didn't know just how deadly Nat was but she could sense something about her. A predator could sense another predator or some other instinctual crap like that. Just the way the woman moved, with purpose... Caroline knew there was a deeper story there but she wasn't about to pry in this place. ]

I think they think that with these memories, nice houses and cushy lives that they can... numb into submission.

[ It's deeply unsettling to him, the electricity that exists between them. It doesn't help that the more he learns about her the more he understands why he was caught in her orbit, like a comet becoming a moon.]

My General is here. And my-- [ He almost said "cousin". Poe shakes off the slip. ] Cassian is part of the movement that came before mine. Him and Jyn.

[ He tracks her progress around the room, trying very very hard to ignore the attraction of her energy. ] And I don't think anything could numb you into submission.

[ There are a few things that can force a vampire to submit but she's so not having that conversation with him today. Especially since she's having it with Steve. Her hand slides over the surface of a wardrobe (or desk whatever's in the room) as she looks over at him, by passing his last comment and backtracking to what he'd said before.]

Your General is here? [ It's strange to feel happy about that fact, perhaps it's because she knows it must make him feel better, perhaps even make him happy.]

Why would they bring so many people who'd so naturally resist them? [ She glances away, her mind working out her thoughts.] Is this some kind of... prison for people who won't just lay down and take it?

Cassian has a theory that they're keeping something out as much as keeping us in. Doesn't really answer the question though.

[ Poe leans against the wall by the door, arms crossed.] One way or another, it's their mistake.

[ He bites the corner of his lip lightly, thinking it over.] I've been wondering how much Beebee could learn if I really set him to it, but I don't want to risk them coming down on him, either.

Edited 2017-05-10 20:43 (UTC)

There's a space between them but it doesn't feel like a canyon like it might have a day or two earlier, it feels safer...

She turns to face him, teeth tugging at her bottom lip much like his are.] I don't want to risk him either... But I mean, he's a robot so... can he connect with computers? [ Granted, she hasn't seen a computer since arriving here, expect maybe one at the hospital but her time there was a bit fuzzy.]

I don't really do this kind of spy stuff. I was usually used as the distraction.

[ The instinctual flirt in him almost says something about her ability to distract, but he pulls up short, catching himself as he draws breath to say it.

So now, instead of the quip, there's suggestive silence weighing the air between them. Poe clears his throat. Eventually, eventually, they'll get through a conversation without some sounding charge going off and knocking his thoughts askew.]

He's designed to copilot the most advanced starfighters in the galaxy. He's got some experience in talking to computers.

Edited 2017-05-10 21:28 (UTC)

[ Someday, yes, they'll be able to be in a room together and she won't think about the way he used to kiss her (in reality, they've only kissed twice) or the way his mouth quirks up in one corner in a charming smirk (and how it makes her head spin to see it).

Some day, they might be able to be just friends, right?

She folds her arms over her chest and laughs at Poe's brag on BB-8 because--] So yeah, he can handle a few 1990s era computers, I would think. [ Because sophisticated isn't what she'd call them by any means.]

1990s.

[ Poe makes a small noise of amusement. ] That's not by the Lothal Calendar, is it? It's strange enough knowing Cassian was born at the same time as my parents, without us going that far back. That's another question, though. How does time work here? And why Earth, why not Yavin 4 or Tatooine or some other habitable world? Why so many humans?

[ He groans and scrubs at his face with both hands. ] I hate this kind of thing. Give me a hundred TIE fighters and a battleship to destroy before you give me unanswered questions.

I don't even know what a Lothal is, [ she looks more amused than frustrated at that, although it doesn't take much to see his. It's understandable, she's got her own frustrations but at the same time, this isn't, somehow, the worst thing she's ever been through.]

There's something else I need to tell you. [ Okay, so this is where she dances around the subject of being a vampire (telling Steve is already going to be hard enough) but she thinks that maybe if he can handle aliens and not!humans, vision sharing won't be that far out there.]

When we leave this room, we won't be able to talk freely like this unless BB-8 decides to go on a camera killing spree and I don't think he should do that again. [ She takes a step towards him, her expression a bit pleading.] I need you promise me that you won't tell anyone, not your General, not Cassian, no one, what I'm about tell you, show you. [ Still, she needs to give him hope that he doesn't have to lie forever.] Not yet, at least. Not until I can figure out who I can trust. Do I have your word?

[ Poe stares, dismayed, and not particularly trying to hide it. It's one thing to keep something classified, or to hide something on General Organa's orders. It's entirely different to keep it from her. If something is need-to-know, General Organa is the one who needs to know. ]

I.... [ But Caroline is trusting him. She wants to be able to trust him. It's like finding a contact anywhere--the tradeoff between responsibility to his commanding officers and the long-term value of informant relationships. Never mind the fact that, for better or worse, she's already so much more important to him than that. ] If General Organa asks me for a status report, I have to tell her that there's something I'm not telling her. I won't say what it is. I can promise you that. But I can't tell her there's nothing.

[ Caroline doesn't move forward, she watches his face, contemplating for one sick Damon-esque moment that she should compel him not to tell anyone or compel him to just forget that this conversation even happened. She takes a step back, moving to tuck her hair behind her ears before she paces to the left, taking in a breath. If it wasn't just her at risk, she would barrel forward and just show him but... she had friends to think about.]

And you can't tell her that without saying that on camera... [ This was a bad idea.

She shakes her head, turning to face him again. Okay, she can just stick with Steve. She'll tell him and her gift would benefit him in some way.] It's fine. I get it. Just... forget I said anything, okay?

[ Poe exhales quietly, a little tic he carries from the moments before he makes a particularly difficult turn or blasts a tricky target out of the sky. ]

No, wait. [ Another deep breath, then he nods. This is important, clearly, or Caroline wouldn't ask him to do something like that. She knows him--

(No she doesn't, he reminds himself, but maybe she'll understand what it means for him to say this anyway.) ] She'll understand. I promise. No one, and not outside of this room.

[ A part of her wants to explain to him why, why she's asking him to do this, to keep this secret. But she can't. For one, it could put the others at risk and two, perhaps more selfishly, her heart can't handle the rejection he'd give her if she told him what she was.

So it surprises her that he relents, she looks at him with an expression that says Are you sure but there's no question she also looks relieved. ] I know... it's a lot to ask. [ At least, she figures as much given what he's said before. ] I promise, you won't have to keep it from her forever. I just need time. [ She faces him now, holding out her hands to him.]

Take my hands.

[ Already, this makes him think of the Force. Already, he's on edge, remembering his last encounter with that kind of power.

Either he's going to trust her or he's not. Poe's takes her hands lightly, refusing to let fear get the better of him. He hasn't let it yet. He's not about to start now. ]

[ She takes his hands and steps closer, clasping them gently in her own.] Relax, [ she says it softly, unaware of his fear or apprehension beyond the tension she can feel in him. She doesn't know close what she's about to do is to the torture he'd been through. Except hers is painless.

She looks at him.]

Close your eyes. Try to clear your mind except to focus on a safe place, a place that you love, a place that will make you happy. It can be here or back home, just somewhere where you'll feel comfortable.

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