WHO: Peggy & Lucifer WHAT: Conversations while chopping down trees. WHEN: Backdated. Day 4. Afternoon WHERE: Yulelag RATING: Low STATUS: Complete
"Why did you stay?" Lucifer asked abruptly, having fell the latest in a series of trees. He'd teamed up with Peggy once he'd arrived early in the afternoon, finding it easier to pass time with company. But as the hours had gone on they'd lapsed into greater periods of silence each time, fighting off the bitter cold by working up a sweat, and Lucifer was quickly becoming too accustomed to such things.
"You were in Canada. The haunted house?" He wasn't certain if she'd been there or not but either way at some point she'd stepped through the door to the next room the same as he had done. He was certain he wasn't the only one second guessing that decision.
Peggy's arms burned, and her nose was frozen, but she kept up the work alongside Lucifer. She glanced at him as he talked to her. She leaned on her axe for a moment, brushed the hair sticking to her forehead aside. "I wasn't in the haunted house," she said, her breathing tight. "And after Canada, well - two things, I suppose. One, I don't know where the door marked 'exit' leads to. It would be easier to assume it's back where we came from, but there are thousands of possibilities besides. And two, my curiosity got the better of me." She looked at him. "Why did you choose to keep going?"
"Curiosity," Lucifer replied. "I didn't know that the exit went home," he echoed her reasons. "But my last roommate? She goes home and she's dead, so I can see the benefit for her of staying. Some of this lot have really terrible lives. I don't. And I've met people here I actually care about. But…"
He had people he cared about back home as well.
"But what about those thousands of other possibilities that that door marked exit doesn't take you back to where you came from?" she asked. She picked up her axe and gave it another swing, hard and true, at the trunk of a tree. She grunted as she stepped back again. "Are you willing to take that chance?"
"Everything is a chance, isn't it?" Lucifer asked. "The next room could be anything. I didn't expect to end up in this winter wasteland, yet here I am. Cutting down trees like a common laborer. Not that there's anything wrong with an honest day's work but I'm the devil… And who knows what fun misery the powers that be have in store for us next? I much rather risk the opportunity go back home where at least I know who's pulling the strings and why. It's all fun and games until you realize this could go on for an infinity in and of itself. Who's to say you'll ever get answers?"
"Why do you assume I'm looking for answers?" she challenged back. Peggy shrugged. There was a lot waiting for her back home. Howard and Daniel, the life she learned she would go on to lead. But there were also things here - people here - that she didn't have back there. Steve was the biggest, but Bucky as well, a chance to know Tony. "I suppose it's best to weigh the pros and cons each time we're offered a decision."
"Right…" Lucifer said, thinking that over as he swung the axe. Bloody trees. "First, I don't know how anyone could be here without wanting to know who was calling the shots and why but to each his… or her own, I suppose."
The axe hit the tree again.
"And I did do that last time. Seems they could at least put up a white board to let you map out all those pros and cons. Maybe throw in a laser pointer for good measure."
"Or a sign that gives a hint as to what's in store? Because honestly, if I thought I'd be back in this part of the world … " Peggy shook her head and swung her axe again. "At least there's no gunfire this time around," she muttered.
"Right? Exactly my point!" Lucifer agreed. "Sure you don't know where the exit will lead, but the next room has the potential to be worse than the last. You just may see some familiar faces, if they don't all choose to leave."
He glanced over at Peggy, and added, "That was enough to keep me here last time. But since I arrived here in the midst of a tumultuous situation back home…"
"You're going to take your chances that the exit will take you back to your life?" Peggy asked. She didn't think it was that simple. Why pluck people from their lives in the first place - whomever or whatever was doing this - if the choice to return is always there? "The next room also has the potential to be paradise," she pointed out. Not that she really believed it might be, but there was as much a chance of that than of anything else lately.
"I've seen paradise," the devil pointed out. "Booooring."
It was his turn to offer her a shrug. "I don't know, I hope so," he replied. "I have to try. Someone I know..." He paused, the next words harder. "And who I care a great deal about got caught in the middle of my family issues because of me. Several someones, actually."
Peggy understood that. If things hadn't been wrapped up, somewhat solid, back home in her own life, she might feel differently. And there was always the possibility that Howard or Daniel might come through and join her here at some point. "Not to get all sentimental or anything, but I'll miss you."
"Well, you're not rid of me yet. In fact, we even have time to cut down several more trees together," he offered cheerfully even though that was probably the last thing either one of them wanted to do.
"Think you'll ever look at Christmas the same way again? Having made toys and chopped down Christmas trees with the devil?"
Peggy leaned on her axe for a moment longer before picking it up again. She was in that odd in-between freezing and way too hot stage, sweating under all of these layers, making her uncomfortable. "I'm not sure what way I'm meant to have been looking at Christmas up until now," she said.
"Doesn't matter," he decided. "Having memories of me attached to it is better, even if it could be somewhere warm and sunny instead." Without the manual labor or imprisonment, but who was counting.
"For what it's worth, I'll miss you too."
She smiled over at him. "Hmn, not sure how much I believe that, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
"I don't lie," Lucifer replied, with a healthy dose of side-eye.
"Funny trait for the devil to have," she said, and she picked up the axe and swung it, felling another tree.
"Yes, well I'm not the one who came up with a grand master plan and then decided to keep everyone else in the dark," Lucifer answered, taking a couple quick swings to take down his own.
"You know, there's something to be said for artificial trees."
"I imagine that most people who buy a real tree aren't doing this much work to get one," Peggy pointed out. "That's what we're here for. Everyone who sets one of these up won't even think twice about who did the work."
"Well," Lucifer replied, a devilish grin on his face, "They might wonder who did the work if they get one of my dolls. Though probably not because they're overwhelmingly impressed with the craftmanship, even if they should be given my absolute lack of experience in that area."
He let the axe rest against the ground momentarily as he added, "Never thought I'd want to go back to making toys…"
"I'll be sore tomorrow, for certain," she said. Peggy took another very short break and rubbed the side of her neck, stretched her head from side to side. "I might end up using all of my alcohol rations after this, too."
Letting go of the axe completely, Lucifer waved Peggy over. "Here, let me help with that," he offered. "Because I'm also going to help you with those alcohol rations later." Depending on when they let him leave he might have some of his own. He was craving something other than milk and biscuits.
"Deal?"
Peggy considered it for a moment before sticking out her hand. "Deal."