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closed.
Who: Steve Rogers (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
starspangle) & Peggy Carter (revlon)
What: the volkkran pact
When: oh lordt ... 84 years ago (but actually from some point here.)
Where: namarak mountain
Warning(s): this is some majorly back-dated shit. BUT WELL WORTH IT i hope ...
[ The necklace is a comfortable weight around his neck, heavy but not too heavy, and laden with the promise of something far bigger than himself.
It was a little difficult to understand the shaman at first, and it was harder still to understand the depth of the opportunity presented before Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter, but he's spent enough time here in El Nysa to know that whatever he might have been used to back home, the same doesn't necessarily apply here.
Nightingale had once used the word 'magic' to describe his own strange ability, and Steve recalls the word now. Magic. Whatever the shamans could do, it was likely something like magic. Here they were, given the opportunity to share just that much more with each other, to promise the other support - a real kind of partnership. How could he refuse such a thing? It's what he'd always hoped for, even before he'd been turned into Captain America. And Peggy really is the only partner for him.
So, thanking the shaman, he and Peggy set off Southward upon their advice.
The trek is long and arduous, a hike through trees and rolling hills involving camp-outs and seeking shelter from sudden rainstorms, but eventually the pair make it to Namarak Mountain. There are others at the altar when they arrive, partners just like them, all seeking to share their skills and their powers, to form stronger bonds with their teammates.
Steve turns to Peggy then, offering her a smile; it's almost teasing. He has her hand in his, a small thing he's grown used to. He doesn't let go yet. He's not sure he ever wants to. ]
Last chance to turn back.
starspangle) & Peggy Carter (revlon) What: the volkkran pact
When: oh lordt ... 84 years ago (but actually from some point here.)
Where: namarak mountain
Warning(s): this is some majorly back-dated shit. BUT WELL WORTH IT i hope ...
[ The necklace is a comfortable weight around his neck, heavy but not too heavy, and laden with the promise of something far bigger than himself.
It was a little difficult to understand the shaman at first, and it was harder still to understand the depth of the opportunity presented before Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter, but he's spent enough time here in El Nysa to know that whatever he might have been used to back home, the same doesn't necessarily apply here.
Nightingale had once used the word 'magic' to describe his own strange ability, and Steve recalls the word now. Magic. Whatever the shamans could do, it was likely something like magic. Here they were, given the opportunity to share just that much more with each other, to promise the other support - a real kind of partnership. How could he refuse such a thing? It's what he'd always hoped for, even before he'd been turned into Captain America. And Peggy really is the only partner for him.
So, thanking the shaman, he and Peggy set off Southward upon their advice.
The trek is long and arduous, a hike through trees and rolling hills involving camp-outs and seeking shelter from sudden rainstorms, but eventually the pair make it to Namarak Mountain. There are others at the altar when they arrive, partners just like them, all seeking to share their skills and their powers, to form stronger bonds with their teammates.
Steve turns to Peggy then, offering her a smile; it's almost teasing. He has her hand in his, a small thing he's grown used to. He doesn't let go yet. He's not sure he ever wants to. ]
Last chance to turn back.
no subject
A supersoldier who is holding her hand right this second. And whose enhanced abilities will be shared with her, if this pact does what the shaman said. Not all, likely, but enough to make a difference in whatever challenges they face moving forward. This world isn't a safe place. ]
We've come this far. [ She pauses. ] Although I can't help but wonder how mad we are to go through with this. [ Peggy smiles quietly at him; she isn't nervous, per se, but there's an undeniable flutter in her stomach, like she's about to jump out of a C-47. That teetering on the edge of something unknown and beyond her control. ] What about you, Captain Rogers? Cold feet?
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[ But he's glad to be doing this with Peggy. Anyone else and he might hesitate, but Peggy? He's always been steadfast when it comes to her.
He likes the idea of her borrowing some of his own strength, physical and otherwise. He likes the idea that a part of him would always be with her and always be protecting her when she might find trouble to protect herself. And if he can gain anything from Peggy, he'll count himself as incredibly lucky too.
He shakes his head. ]
But, hey, this isn't the first time I've volunteered myself for something downright nuts. I'm ready.
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Colour me unsurprised. [ Charging headlong into something like this. But then again, so is she. They hiked for days to get to this point and not once did they try to turn back. ] And I suppose the benefits outweigh the doubts.
[ She looks ahead of them, as if she can hear or see the ceremony, but they're still a ways away. Their borrowed horses got them this far and they've tied them up and continued the rest of the way to the summit on foot. They're at a much higher altitude here and the jungle heat and humidity have given way to crisp, cool air. Luckily for them, it isn't winter yet. She touches her own dragon's teeth necklace then huffs out a breath. ]
It doesn't seem unfair to you? The serum's effects compared to — well, I don't know. Codebreaking. Marksmanship, which you hardly need any help in. [ Her lips quirk. ] I'm rather out-of-date compared to your life in the future.
[ It isn't self-deprecation. It's just facts. ]
no subject
[ Steve is fully aware of the advantages the super-soldier serum gives him over ... well, generally everyone else. He glances at the dragon's teeth necklace around Peggy's neck, feeling the weight of his own.
He shrugs, not quite forthcoming with any further information. His reasons go a little deeper than acquiring his partner's skills and attributes in exchange for some of his own - but suddenly he feels a little shy in revealing them at all.
He offers her a small, almost rueful smile. ]
Besides, the future hasn't changed that much. Not in what we do.
no subject
[ It's an unhappy thought, but it's become increasingly clear that is the case. Back at home and now here in El Nysa. Although what he says initially is what truly makes her grow quiet; she can read the implication behind the words — he's never been difficult for her to understand, and she's touched more than anything else. He's not doing it for the equal exchange; he's doing it for her.
Her heart warms and she lifts his hand to press a gentle kiss to his knuckles. ]
It's a good thing we're so much more than our uniforms, then.
[ That's settled, then. It doesn't necessarily make her comfortable that she stands more to gain from this than he does, but the kindness and generosity of the gesture is not lost on her. And she knows they make each other better, even without some magical ceremony to cement it. They inspire each other, push each other to go farther, bring out the best in one another. This is just an amplification of that.
So they walk on ahead and soon enough, they come face to face with a shaman — he extends his hands for their necklaces. And with a final glance to Steve, Peggy releases his hand to do just as the man asks. ]
no subject
This is it. There is no turning back from here, not that Steve had ever planned to anyway.
There is something about this ritual, this world, this incredible, impossible reunion that makes Steve feel like maybe he could believe in something as crazy as magic. What were the chances of them both being saved from their respective time and place to be brought here? It could make any non-believer believe - just a little bit.
But it isn't just that, of course. The journey here, the weeks spent getting to know each other again; this ritual is Steve's promise to always be with her in this new world, through their customs. It's a new beginning for both of them.
He exhales a breath, and then he too moves to pull off his necklace, offering it to the shaman.
Now what? ]
no subject
She tries not to think of this as a precursor for the life they lost or might have again, in being here. ]
Steve Rogers, [ she begins, voice steady. ] We were soldiers together, first, before we were partners. But I trust that you'll be there every step forward, as you have always been since the beginning, and well after the day I thought I lost you. And I will strive to do all I can in return.
no subject
For a man usually just fine with on-the-fly motivational pep-talks, he's suddenly a little at a loss. ]
Peggy Carter. [ He lets out a breath but is immediately steadied by her like she's his anchor. ] The time we shared together, brief as it was, has taught me a lot about what it is to be a good soldier and a good person. You taught me a lot; hell, you still do - every day.
[ He's grateful for that; for her.
He also hopes the mild cursing isn't offensive to the shaman. A quick glance and he seems unbothered. ]
I hope that whatever happens from this point on keeps us learning from each other, and learning about each other.
[ Whatever qualities they might borrow along the way. ]
no subject
Oh, darling, [ she exhales, half fond, half exasperated (but not really.) And then the shaman asks them to seal their bond but doesn't specify the how. She supposes it has to be intimate in some way so her smile widens and she simply leans up and kisses him. ]
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Steve remains a gentleman as ever when he leans in to kiss her back, resisting the urge to loop his arms around her waist to pull her closer, to continue kissing her so they’re more like two silly teenagers making out in the middle of a religious ceremony.
It’s one kiss, and one kiss back before Steve pulls away to offer her a small, shy, tender smile. But for those few seconds, he does make it count. ]
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She waits to feel different. There's nothing, though, nothing she can discern from one instant to the next. Peggy looks at the shaman with her brows raised but he simply declares the ceremony complete and waves them on their way. She blinks at that, but thanks him and takes Steve's hand as they walk away, and waits a few seconds until they're out of earshot before she mutters, amused: ]
Well, that was rather anticlimactic, wouldn't you say?
no subject
[ Steve says, following her out of the temple. It's the cool, brisk breeze that greets them upon their exit.
He surveys their immediate surroundings before he turns back to her. ]
Gods communicating with gods or something.
[ He's got no real idea what he's talking about. ]
no subject
"Or something," indeed. [ A pause. ] Do you have a sudden and inexplicable fluency in French, by any chance? Russian?
no subject
He studies her. ] How's your strength?
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According to Howard, I can do 107 one-armed push-ups. [ She can do about that many, give or take. It was a ridiculous contest and no one was as sober as they should have been so who was really counting? One of the more lighthearted moments in the war, really. ] So who can know for certain?
[ A pause. ]
I suppose we won't know until it just happens. Whatever 'it' is.
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[ He stretches his arms, mentally bracing himself for the journey back into town. The descent will likely be easier than the climb up to Namarak Mountain, but there's still a lot of ground to cover. ]
Guess there's no real point in trying to force 'it' to happen anyway.
no subject
Speaking of it — [ She means the supersoldier serum, now. ] Does anyone here know about you?
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Well, I haven't really kept it a secret. [ He admits.
Back home, there was an exhibition created in his honour, one that pretty much explained how he'd come to be. He had no secrets anymore. He was an open book.
Of course, while he hadn't kept it a secret, he hasn't been explaining it either. Not unless asked, and no one's really known to ask. ]
But no one really knows the exact details, no.
no subject
Perhaps that's just as well. Your blood, the secrets locked in your genetic code — [ Peggy shakes her head, tucking her hands into her pockets against the chill. ] It's too valuable.
[ And she doesn't want to think about what could happen if Evras or anyone at the Institute caught wind of it. She already has her suspicions about some of the secret projects they have over there. If the disease was manufactured in the bowels of that place, then tinkering with biology is nothing new. They have to be careful. ]
Even back home, I couldn't trust our own government with what remained of your samples. I disposed of the last one.
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[ Steve's own voice is quiet when he speaks. He peers over at Peggy, shrugging out of his jacket and gently draping it over her shoulders when he notices the way she braces herself against the brisk oncoming evening.
He's Captain America. He'll be okay. ]
I assumed all the samples from me had been destroyed before then.
[ Not that it stopped HYDRA and Zola from finding another way to make numerous super soldiers for their own purposes anyway. ]
no subject
No. After Project Rebirth, they were sent to various highly classified laboratories for testing. So many scientists squandered the remaining samples attempting to recreate Dr Erskine's serum. [ A pause. ] The last one, SR53, belonged to Howard. And although I trust him with a great deal, I didn't — couldn't — trust him with you.
[ With all that she had left of him. ]