[october event - closed-ish]

[etiquette]

Who: harry hart (etiquette) & various
What: catch-all for the event!
When: first couple days after the explosion & announcement
Where: also various - institute and around town chasing questionable leads basically
Warning(s): mild violence in like one or two threads maybe



[NOTE: these are closed starters but if anyone is interested in doing something please feel free to hit me up over at obscurial or by pm and i'd be happy to toss something up! harry is under option #1 for the event and will be trying to pick up various leads and track down shady associates.]

Comments

[tailorable]

[ unlike every other day, jb doesn't dash to meet harry in the hall. eggsy has left him with a friend, keeping the sick company in better ways than his own fussing would. as it happens, there are trainers by the door. for a boy his age, eggsy is tidy (the marines and kingsman ensured that), but he's fussy about which hat and tie he wears — leaving the rejects of the day on various surfaces. living with harry is still... new, yes, but nice. he hasn't been able to linger in his kitchen or living room since, well, before dean, so having communal space to hang about in and chat with his mates is pretty refreshing (more mugs than usual are on the drying rack in the kitchen, signaling that eggsy has done just that, gathering information from others throughout the day). however, eggsy mostly enjoys the little things, like chatting with harry in the mornings and spreading out on the sofa.

harry calls them colleagues, but eggsy considers them friends. is that another symptom of his greenness? or is it just his bleeding heart, affecting everything from his ability to become a kingsman the traditional way to maintaining the distance required for a spy? last week, he charmed his way into a part-time job at an actual tailor shop, mainly because he knows shit-all about tailoring which ain't great for his cover. it's the most mundane, normal job he has ever had, and it doesn't suit him, but he only whinges about it every other day. at this stage, it's posh man's retail — at least it means he was well-positioned near the site of the bomb and capable of rapid reconnaissance. gives him an excuse to wear his suit, too, which bodes well for, uh, not dying from a gunshot wound. his dedication to kingsman shows in his on-the-job research, not his emotional outlook.

he leans out of the kitchen doorway in his button down and striped trousers, no oxfords or tie (the latter of which might be hung over a chair in the kitchen, on top of his jacket, oops). we need to talk doesn't sound like a warm welcome, especially when followed by a reproach for his disorderly ahbits (and eggsy knows he also abandoned a snapback on the armchair that harry normally claims, shit). a flicker of guilt passes over his face, even as he instinctively tilts his chin up in challenge. it all disappears in a second, replaced by a neutrality better-suited for pressing matters. ]

[ evenly — ] Got a few updates, yeah, if you wanna come through.

[ he swiftly ducks back into the kitchen, using the time it takes for harry to remove his oxfords and leave them neatly by the door to chuck his clutter into his adidas backpack, folding his jacket and quickly shoving his most expensive possessions ever (along with a particularly excellent, yellow snapback) into the bag with a wince. oh, for fuck's sake, he's gonna have to iron his jacket for bloody ages after that. before harry strolls in, he hangs the pack on one of the kitchen chairs and flips the kettle on.

how's that for tidy, huh. ]

[etiquette]

[harry doesn't exactly like the tension that comes with the role of scolding parent--that's not his responsibility, and more importantly, harry is too affected by his debt to lee unwin to ever consider himself good enough or worthy of replacing that kind of hole that was left behind. lee was a good man, a wonderful father--a few private anecdotes he'd shared with harry during their twenty-four hours about what a joy eggsy had been as a baby. harry's certainly old enough to be his father and then some, but he doesn't want that. still, at least he has tactics and reasonings that make sense as both a gentleman and a spy for why eggsy needs to tidy up a bit.

which he suspects is what's just occurred while he's toed off his oxofrds at the front door before entering into the kitchen--the telltale signs of mild rummaging that he can hear given how small the little flat is, and more incriminating--the slight sway of his backpack as if it's only just been moved onto the chair. at least he's made an effort--one harry softens at just a bit.]

Seems as if you've been exceptionally busy.

[he nods towards the collection of mugs, with an approving flick of his chin and in his gaze before he slides down into the chair not currently holding the backpack.]

What's the news today?

[the city has been abuzz with rumours, harry doing his best to keep his eyes and ears sharp. he's got a promising lead for one of the associates--a low-level grunt, but it's a start. anything eggsy has to add will hopefully help them unravel this mess that much sooner.]

[tailorable]

[ eggsy has never had someone to undertake a proper, well-meaning, paternalistic role — and he tells himself he doesn't want anyone to do so, a feat made easy by moments like this, with chiding remarks and tension over his behaviour being largely foreign before now and, uh, unenjoyable. (his troub le at home had been far more outright in london). see, learning spy tricks is fun. housekeeping, on the other hand, is bloody pushing it.

at least harry moves on quickly enough, with more urgent matters to discuss. eggsy leans against the counter, brazenly relaxed despite his haphazard efforts to clear up at the last minute. it helps that he knows his information is somewhat impressive. ]

Heard a few different things. Bellamy caught a rumour that the M ain't for any name. [ eggsy will have outlined his connections to harry a few days ago. bellamy: about eggsy's age, from a space station, possesses some kind of unofficial combat experience given his vr gig in the royal guard, often serious, not the sort to provide poor intel. ] Don't know what it signifies now, only that it "meant something to the higher ups before all this." Whatever that means. But that's not the big one — Cassie overhead some bloke who thinks the Empress and the Institute had a hand in the attack and the illness. [ he arches his brows. ] His friend was trying to get him to go to the Sanctuary, yeah? And he goes, [ definitely putting on a stupid voice. ] "That woman seduced this right out of the Institute...just like she has for everything else..." and then, "You know what she would do for the donations to her little not-so-secret —" something or other. There's been some chatter on the network 'bout similar stuff, with people saying there's a bit of the Institute that's off limits, which fits with the other rumours.

[ cassie foster: late teens, direct, clever, fast as anything, and alan foster's daughter. she won't have misheard a thing. ]

[etiquette]

[it is impressive, and harry feels a flare of pride at watching eggsy make good use of the skills he'd known were there all along. there's a bit of bittersweetness to it, considering he never had the chance to see him really out on the field before london was laid to waste in the storm. but it's foolish to dwell on the what ifs and imagine what could have been when they're making due here. it even puts into perspective how unimportant a few extra snapbacks are around the house.

if the intel is solid, however, there's even bigger problems on the horizon. harry's brow furrows, lips pressing into a grim line for a few moments.]

What would they have to gain from mass hysteria and the manufactured virus? If it's true about the Institute--someone's going to have to get a look at what they don't want everyone else to have access to. I don't suppose any of your friends working there have any insight on that? Alan? Madame Lutece?

[tailorable]

Dunno. [ he pulls a face, the sort of exaggerated frown he puts on when he's being particularly cynical and cheeky. ] But it ain't like the Empress gives a shit about hysteria, when she hasn't even given a speech yet. Good ol' Liz would be all over this by now.

[ queen elizabeth, he means, of ye olde, long-destroyed england. eggsy isn't a monarchist in the slightest, but the royal family had solid pr. when harry questions his other contacts, he shrugs. ]

Cassie would've known if Alan had special insight. I haven't asked the Madam yet.

[ is it still funny that her preferred address is madam? absolutely, although he's taking it easy after their will they won't they vibes made him a first-round draft pick for test subject booty calls (instead of, y'know, sexy ones) — not that he intends to mention his recent drug test to harry. call it the icing on his cake of lies or simply file it under things harry doesn't need to worry about, a few spots below dying. brushing all that aside, his eyes brighten with interest. ]

Though I think I know where to find another one of the M cohort, so maybe we could take a direct approach.

[ and ask a primary source. ]

[etiquette]

[harry sighs wistfully, thinking back to london which he misses very much in this moment. he may not have always agreed with the antiquated attitudes of the monarchy, but they were very good at playing the game of the people's favour. there's a reason they were adored and watched with anticipation worldwide. he loves his country, he's just not a fanatic about it.] Quite right. Which might imply she's running scared or absolutely has something to hide, in that case.

[he taps his chin thoughtfully, trying to mull it over. there's too many whisperings and not enough facts, and he knows they'll absolutely need to do some of their own footwork if they hope to stay abreast of the situation. he's got a promising lead of his own which he intends to pursue in the next evening or two, but for now:]

I can check in with the Madame. Been meaning to anyhow and I'll let you know what she thinks. She's a clever one--I'd trust her observations if there's anything amiss.

[he can't say much else considering how much eggsy's keeping him in the dark about his new side gig as a lab rat, and his own death. but he's got no reason to suspect anything is being kept from him at all, so he sits up and folds his hands, leaning in conspiratorially.]

Do you now.

Well done, Eggsy.

[his eyes are a mixture of hard but warm behind his glasses--focused completely on the matter at hand, but allowing some of that support and pride at his protégé leak through.]

Where are we headed, then?

[tailorable]

Good shout.

[ checking with the madam, that is. ros' cleverness is undeniable, despite how complex her relationship with eggsy has become.

he notes the pride and warmth in harry's eyes — it's an expression that's becoming more familiar to him, the longer they stay together. just as easily, he beams back at harry, though there's an edge to his expression (with his sharp and focused eyes). he knows this is a dangerous proposition. ]

Theatre District. Really hoping to catch someone at the stage door, if ya get me?

[ very funny. ]

[etiquette]

[harry splits into a grin. he's got his own lead to follow down at the local pub, which he'll pursue on his own since he doesn't know the level of danger just yet and he wants to figure that out before involving eggsy, but in the meantime, this was all thanks to eggsy's good follow-up and immersion among all the new refugees.]

I am overly fond of the theater, after all.

[not a lie, but apt for the situation. before he can ask about the details like the when and where, he purses his lips like he's not sure he should say what he wants to. but eventually he finds it silly to hold back, so he says it anyway in a casual tone that glosses over the layers of regret attached to all of it.]

It had been my intention to take you sometime, you know. Back in London. Good theater, opera--all as fine examples for the hobbies a gentleman may enjoy, of course.

[or just something friends do, maybe.]

Something tells me this show is going to end with a bit of a bang, on the other hand.

[if eggsy groans, harry would have no one to blame but himself.]

[tailorable]

Yeah? [ unintentionally, the word ticks up at the end, questioning. the arts in london are yet another part of harry's world — like kingsman, the tailor shop, and his very home — that he would choose to share with eggsy. and then there's the phrasing of it all, as if going to theatre together would be a lesson. it's the same as when harry mentioned dinner, dressing it up like it would be a learning experience for eggsy.

maybe it would be enlightening, but it'd probably also just be enjoyable. the line between mentor and friend has certainly blurred considerably over the past few months. his mouth twists, curving into something privately satisfied with his own conclusions about their relationship, though he doesn't voice them.

and then the joke makes him groan. jesus, harry. ]

We could still go another time. [ he's just sayin'. casually. nbd. ] Y'know, when we ain't there just for the — [ wait for it 'cause he's about to hate himself. ] — drama.

[ zing. ]