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Tweak says, "ANY QUESTIONS?"

James Norrington (hisredemption) wrote in paradisolog,
@ 2017-01-20 20:57:00

Entry tags:

~james norrington (hisredemption), ~peggy carter (aspeggysays)

WHO: James Norrington and OPEN
WHAT: Boat building and modification
WHEN: Friday, midday
WARNINGS: None/TBD
STATUS: Open, Incomplete

James had been on the island for a few days now, and instead of working on building a shelter, like he knew he probably should be, he was instead modifying a boat. It had been left behind by a man named Finnick and James was pleased to find that it was surprisingly well done. He was not by trade a shipbuilder, but after growing up on and then working on ships all of his life, he did know a thing or two about how they were constructed. He also knew that he was more comfortable being on the sea than he was on land. Perhaps he could turn the boat into some sort of home. As long as he could anchor it or otherwise somehow keep it from floating off when he didn’t want it to, he thought that might work perfectly.

As it was, he was working to modify it, particularly to make it bigger and to add a sail. He had laid out several beams of wood to serve as the base and was working on the sides, trying to curve and shape the wood to form a bow. There were nails, but what he really needed was some pitch to seal the cracks between the beams. James might have to get creative.

He paused to take a drink and wipe the sweat out of his eyes. While he was used to tropical temperatures, he hadn’t done manual labor in it since he had reluctantly joined the crew of the Black Pearl. Before that, he’d been a Commodore, and typically gave orders rather than took them. After being reinstated, he’d be made Admiral (what a joke that was) and thus gave even more orders. There was no one to give orders to here, so if he wanted this done, he’d have to do it himself. With a sigh, he picked up the hammer again and resumed nailing the boards together.

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aspeggysays
2017-01-21 10:56 am UTC (link)

Peggy made her way down to the beach for a midday run followed by a swim. She set off running from the path at the community center down the beach to where the island curved. She always passed Finnick's boat when she did this, usually hauled up along the sand, empty, and this time she spotted someone standing beside it, looking as though he had been working on it. She slowed her run down to a jog as she got closer, then a walk. She pushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Admiral Norrington," she said in greeting, after a moment to catch her breath. "I see you found yourself a boat."

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hisredemption
2017-01-21 11:24 am UTC (link)

"Please don't call me that," he begged. He never should have introduced himself as such. "James is more than enough, really." Especially for her. James had rather liked speaking to her on the communication device. In person, she was even more attractive. "How are you today, Peggy?" He wished he wasn't covered in sweat - though at least it was only sweat and not mud and pig shit as it had been before.

"I did indeed," he said of the boat. "It was apparently left by a man named Finnick."

Though he'd died in the white wig, it had been the first thing he'd ditched when he'd arrived on the island. His natural hair was also long, tied back. His heavy jacket was hung up on a nearby tree branch and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

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aspeggysays
2017-01-21 11:40 am UTC (link)

She nodded. "Very well, James." Peggy smiled. "I can understand that, though sometimes I do still like being referred to as 'agent,' though it depends on the person and the situation, of course." She passed a hand across her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun. "I'm well. It looks like you're well too? Settling in, I hope?"

She stepped up to the boat and ran a hand along it. "Are you going to live on it?" Peggy asked. "Being the sea-man that you are."

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	hisredemption 2017-01-21 12:05 pm UTC (link)
	He put his hands on his hips. "You know, I am considering it. I'm never comfortable when I sleep on land. I think it's the rocking motion of the sea that puts me at ease." James turned to her, giving her a once over. "You were an agent?" What sort of agent, he wondered. Where and when he came from, women were not agents of the law. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

aspeggysays
2017-01-21 12:28 pm UTC (link)

"I have a hammock," she said with a shrug. "I assume it is a similar motion. But I get it. We've all seemed to fit our lives here into something we're comfortable with." Peggy tilted her head to the side and considered him and the boat for a moment before answering his other question.

"Strategic Scientific Reserve," she answered. How odd it was to be able to speak about it so freely, when she was used to the secrecy before. "It's an Allied organization, formed at the start of the second world war. Which, I realize, you don't know anything about." She smiled fondly about thay, how nice it would be not to know that part of history.

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hisredemption
2017-01-21 03:22 pm UTC (link)

"A hammock? You don't have a proper shelter?" That didn't suit James at all. "If you need help building one, please let me know." He wasn't about to let a woman suffer out in the elements.

"No," he said with a short laugh. "I'm afraid I don't know what any of that means. But did you work for the Crown? Some sort of... military position?" James wondered if his surprise at that could show on his face.

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aspeggysays
2017-01-21 03:30 pm UTC (link)

A smile quirked her lips. "I have a shelter. I have what I need, and no I don't need help building one. I survived in military camps in the barren planes of Russia, so this is nothing." But it was sweet, she thought, for him to offer. "You should work on yours though, to make yourself comfortable."

"No, I imagine you wouldn't. But that's fine. I've learned things about my own future that I wasn't expected to learn, and I still don't understand." She nodded. "The SSR was formed by the president of the United States, but with Britain as an Ally during the war, we sent our best officers as well. It's not military, but we worked very closely with the military on the front lines."

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	hisredemption 2017-01-21 03:40 pm UTC (link)
	James raised his eyebrows just slightly. The woman reminded him of Elizabeth, though probably even more intense. Being a woman pirate was surprising, but being a military woman even more surprising. "Women have such positions in your time?" He tried to imagine most of the other women he knew working such a job and he found that he could not. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aspeggysays 2017-01-21 04:08 pm UTC (link)
	She shrugged. "No all women, no. My mother absolutely did not like the idea, not after my brother was killed in action. And after the war when I continued in New York, I was the only female agent. That's not an easy position to be in." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

hisredemption
2017-01-21 04:18 pm UTC (link)

"I imagine so. In my life, I have learned that women are a lot stronger than men give them credit for."

Again, he thought of Elizabeth. He'd spent so long trying to protect her and she hadn't needed him. That had stung, a lot. Still did, if he was being honest. James wondered if maybe he needed a woman who was more like a damsel, but he also knew the type of woman he was attracted to. A helpless one wasn't it.

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	aspeggysays 2017-01-21 04:28 pm UTC (link)
	"Yes," she said. "We are." But she said it fondly, even though the edge to her tone was bold. She had spent years among men, learned how to stand up for herself and to them. "Women and men will hardly ever see eye to eye," she continued, "and I'm sure there are great strides still to me made for women even in my future, but that's par for the course I suppose." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hisredemption 2017-01-21 04:42 pm UTC (link)
	James knew that women were intelligent creatures and could tell that Peggy was one of them. "I've always rather liked a woman who was able to stand on her own feet," he said, deciding to be a bit more flirtatious with her. He gave her a lopsided smile. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aspeggysays 2017-01-21 04:58 pm UTC (link)
	"You'll find many women like that here," she replied. "So on that note, do you need any help before I turn around and not back to the community center?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hisredemption 2017-01-21 05:06 pm UTC (link)
	"Ah... have you ever built a boat before?" He rather hated to see her go, though he didn't want to monopolize her time either. James also liked his solitude though. Working on the boat was giving him a lot of time to think about what he wanted here - and how Elizabeth might factor into any of it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aspeggysays 2017-01-21 06:38 pm UTC (link)
	"No," Peggy said. "But inexperience doesn't deter me in the least. Just tell me what you need me to do and I'll do it." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

hisredemption
2017-01-21 07:07 pm UTC (link)

James had no doubt that she would. Still...

"I don't want to feel as though I am taking up a majority of your time, as I'm sure you have things to do as well. But I appreciate your willingness to help. Would you be able to hold the board for me while I nail it in?"

He hoped she wouldn't think that was a weak job. It really did help if there was another person to hold the board while he hammered.

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	aspeggysays 2017-01-22 08:10 pm UTC (link)
	"We're all encouraged to pitch in and help," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "I was taking a run before seeing what's needed at the community center. I can just as easily help out here instead." Peggy's eyebrow arched at his request but she did it anyway, steadying the board after making sure it was properly aligned. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hisredemption 2017-01-22 08:21 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, that's nice I suppose." He tried not to make it sound sarcastic. It was nice. James had known too much of human greed over the past few years of his life that nice seemed hard to come by. He was able to work much more quickly with Peggy holding the boards, getting them nailed down in no time. "See? That was a big help." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aspeggysays 2017-01-24 08:23 pm UTC (link)
	She had a feeling he was humoring her, and she let him know it with the amused expression on her face. After they'd finished with the boards, she stepped back and glanced up at him. "Mmn yes, a big help. Anything else I can help with?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hisredemption 2017-01-24 08:39 pm UTC (link)
	"It was!" He insisted truthfully when he saw the look on her face. James smiled at her. "Actually, there is one more way you can help me. You can help by joining me for dinner on the boat after I've finished it." Asking a woman to dinner? When did he get so bold? Peggy was a beautiful woman though and James could feel an attraction forming. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aspeggysays 2017-01-24 10:23 pm UTC (link)
	"Did you catch the fish yourself?" Peggy asked, a hand on her hip and her head tipped to the side. "Or am I going to have to help you with that, too?" She was teasing, which she hoped was clear to him, though she couldn't be sure, given the time period in which he was from. "But yes, I'd like that." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hisredemption 2017-01-25 08:21 pm UTC (link)
	James cocked an eyebrow at her. She was very sassy, but he had to admit that he liked it. "I assure you, Peggy, there are many things that I can handle on my own." Like her. He would certainly like to handle her, even if he was way too polite to say so. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aspeggysays 2017-01-25 09:13 pm UTC (link)
	She couldn't help but give him a once over. How far she had come since her first days here. The island had given her more confidence than ever, and she'd always had it in abundance. This confidence was different though. "Then what can I bring to pair with the fish?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hisredemption 2017-01-26 07:27 pm UTC (link)
	He noticed that once over and smiled. To be fair, his cheeks actually colored a bit too. James wasn't used to women looking at him like that. "Just yourself, though if there is any wine here it would be most welcome." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aspeggysays 2017-01-26 08:00 pm UTC (link)
	"No wine but I might be able to scrounge up some vodka if I ask someone nicely." She ran her hand along the edge of the boat. "I'll come back around sundown. I hope they'll be fish waiting for me." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hisredemption 2017-01-28 02:52 pm UTC (link)
	"Vodka." He frowned slightly. He'd heard of it, but it wasn't terribly common in England or the Caribbean. "I'm willing to try it at least. Any alcohol is good alcohol." James tipped his head to her. "I certainly hope the waters around here are as fertile as they are lovely. Until tonight, Peggy." He gave her a slight bow. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aspeggysays 2017-01-28 03:29 pm UTC (link)
	She smiled at him. "I'm already looking forward to it," she said. Peggy glanced at him then turned and began her jog back up along the beach. (Reply to this) (Parent)