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Commander Elyssa Shepard ([info]commander_shep) wrote in [info]spinningcompass,
@ 2018-08-06 01:04:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:!closed, fitzwilliam darcy, shepard

Who: Shepard and Mr. Darcy
Where: The Normandy
What: A chat
When: After the kiss
Rating: Medium for possible language
Open: No
Status: On going

Shepard didn't normally go all out in her dress blues she prefered the comfort but this was a serious matter, and the only person in the bunch being an adult about it was Mr. Darcy. But due to recent events, and the level of disrespect she'd seen from her nephew, it was much more needed than she had anticipated. So she waited on the bridge of her ship. The Normandy seemed much more at home docked at the station than it had on the island. Repaired and tip top from her rough landing, she was almost as good as new.

As soon as JARVIS had informed her of Mr. Darcy's eminent arrival she topped her head with the formal cap, and stood as straight and as still as a soldier should. She was going to take this as serious as it needed to be.


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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-06 06:57 am UTC (link)
Since Darcy has received his response from Commander Shepard, he’d been growing increasingly more anxious. He did not think her response to be unfair or unjust in any way - quite the opposite in fact - but he realised, as meeting her parents grew nearer, that he had not been acting to his own standards of conduct. He was quite ashamed. Although he had not asked Ashley to stay over, perhaps he had not done enough to discourage it. He had been alone with her more than once. He had consented to taking her hand, and although it had been after his letter, the kiss... he should not have been so weak.

He had continued to tell himself that he would do the right thing, that he would propose, but it was difficult. He did not know the customs of the time well enough, and his mind was full of questions and confusions and it was hard to think of marriage when one didn’t know how to use most of the buttons in his own apartment.

Out of respect, he had dressed formally for the occasion. Ashley had indeed escorted him to the ship, and tried earnestly to get him to relax a little, but it was clear that she was fighting a losing battle. And the ship wasn’t helping matters. There was nothing familiar about it, and he should be pale and shaking even if he weren’t meeting anyone at all.

Still, no matter how terrified he was, on approaching her mother he gave her a respectfully low bow, and waited to be addressed before speaking.

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-06 07:40 am UTC (link)
Shepard returned his bow, which was somewhat odd, she was more used to saluting than bowing, but it was something she could work with. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me here. It's the only place I feel we can talk frankly without being overheard. I apologize for the sanitization misters I'm so used to them that I've grown unaware of them and I didn't think of how they might alarm someone who hasn't been to The Normandy until you were probably already on your way. They wont mess with the fabrics of your attire, they just serve to keep any illnesses off of the ship." There was no need in going into the importance of it now. She was sure the simplicity of it would make sense on its own.

To their left was the cockpit area, the pilot's seat in the middle and two copilot's seats on either side. The star map and all the computers needed for the ship to go into war on their right. The star map was currently off, so it was simply a dark space in the middle of the large room, surrounded by guardrailing. "JARVIS make sure none of my children can get onto the ship, and also lock out anyone that hasn't been given specific permissions to board. Just me and Mr. Darcy for until I state otherwise."

A very proper male voice came over the system over head. "Yes, Commander. The Normandy is now secure. Welcome aboard Mr. Darcy."

"I can have a recording made if this seems untoward. Would you like a tour, or just to get down to brass tacks?" Shepard removed the cap and ran her fingers through the top of her hair to fix any damage done.

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-06 08:08 am UTC (link)
So, this was the world that Ashley truly came from. He was a man used to open countryside and manor houses, everything about it felt cold, sterile, and intimidating. He supposed that was the intention after all, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Ashekybhad told her mother about the kiss. Or perhaps she had seen them holding hands on their walk. Darcy could only imagine that the lack of proposal on his part had to be causing a great deal of shame and anger, and he was ready to assure her that he had every intention. Only he didn’t know the custom, and he had wanted to meet her parents first.

“You’re welcome. I appreciate the invitation,” he told her, feelings his throat scratchy and tight with anxiety. Anxiety that only rose and rose as she seemed to tell some unseen servant to lock them in and everyone else out. Oh. She really was furious. “Uh.. thank you?” he responded, glancing around to try to see who had just addressed him. He saw nobody.

“Oh, erm...” What was the recording again? Like with the music? “That’s not necessary,” he told her. As if he wanted his squeaky anxious voice recorded forever. “I should be delighted to see more of your ship, but I do fear it might be overwhelming, and I do wish to have some rational thought left to talk with you properly,” he explained.

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-06 08:48 am UTC (link)
Shepard nodded. She figured that might have been the case. She had really hoped Ashley would have been more accommodating, letting him grow used to the station before overwhelming him with talks of love and other... stuff. But it appeared she had not. She could not be more disappointed in her child.

"Believe it or not, Mr. Darcy, I can relate. I imagine you are just as overwhelmed being here as I had been, though I had the luxury of being yanked back in time onto an Earth like island. And you haven't been offered that kind of luxury." She directed them to the right. "We can move this to the most low tech seeming room of the ship. It wont be as simple as you're used to, but it looks like it is."

Shepard directed him to the left side of the star map. "This is the helm. If you're curious." The doors beyond the slightly upward climb of shallow steps parted in the middle and slid a part. There was a glass 'room' that greeted them beyond. But it did look simple, a oval shaped table with simple short backed chairs around it. The table looked as if it were made of mahogany, with black edging, and a heavily glossed top.

She moved too the glass door and held it open for him. "After you."

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-06 08:59 am UTC (link)
Darcy gave her a nod at her explanation; he knew, of course, that these experiences were out of the ordinary for most residents, but they at least seemed to know how to converse with one another. For him, every conversation was like an obstacle course, with rules and hurdles he could not comprehend. He felt like he wanted to carry a dictionary and a world map and a history textbook with him at all times. He did not yet know that Google was what he was actually looking for.

"Yes. I have heard about this island," he told her. "It seems that most people can relate, at least somewhat." He followed where she led, appreciating the offer immensely. He did want to give her his full attention, and it was naturally very difficult when he was distracted by lights and noises like an easily startled puppy.

"You still use nautical terms," he observed. It was very interesting how some things had not changed, even in the middle of such great technological advancements.

Shepard held the door open for him, and he stalled for a moment. He should not walk through first, according to his own standards of etiquette, but given that this was her space, and her world, and she was in control of it, he supposed he ought to yield to how she expected him to behave. Still, he gave her an almost apologetic look before he did as he was told and walked through the door.

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-06 09:32 am UTC (link)
"I'm from the year twenty one-eighty six. So almost as far back as you are forward." She neglected to add 'in time' she hoped it would be more comforting not to be reminded verbally just how off everything was. "And I promise to let you get the next door. Men still hold doors for women when I come from. Especially the older more stubborn ones. Just in this case I am the older more stubborn one." As she had interpreted his apologetic look. And hoped to set him at ease at least a little bit.

As Shepard entered behind him she rounded the table. "And for the nautical terms, that is galaxy wide. Uh..." She honestly couldn't say she knew how much he would know about space. She turned to face him. "You'd be surprised to know that most of Earth's starships actually look like they could be sea bound. The Normandy is an exception. She was a prototype."

She was stalling, she knew it. Which wasn't like her. She turned toward the giant window that took up most of the exterior wall. It gave a perfect view of the station and the stars beyond. Or at least as much as it could from where the ship was parked. She sighed softly and ran her fingers through her hair tossing her cap onto the table top. "You can have a seat Mr. Darcy. I didn't ask you here to put you in front of a firing squad." At least not yet.

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-06 09:53 am UTC (link)
"That certainly must present its own unique challenges," he commented, thinking about it. He imagined being sent backwards instead, 1613? Oh, that would be awful. Plus, he could scarcely imagine how someone from 201 would cope in his own time, with none of the gadgets and comforts to which they were accustomed and seemed to rely on quite heavily. Everyone, with very rare exception, was a product of their time.

He relaxed a little, and even consented to giving her a soft smile as she pointed out the little confusion over the door. "Ah, thank you. It is rather one of the customs that makes me feel a little... itchy under the skin to ignore," he admitted. There were a fair few things that made him feel uncomfortable. The bare skin, the way people asked impertinent questions of each other, and such insistence on touching, with their handshakes and so on. He supposed that was due to things like vaccinations. Touching wasn't as high risk as it had once been.

"Yes, that is surprising. Is that a nostalgia, or because the design is equally suited to both?" he asked, also clearly stalling. He really wanted to apologise profusely, but this was her show, and he'd wait to be given a reason or opportunity to do so. It would seem insincere if he launched into apology without first hearing the accusations against him.

So, he clearly was pale with nerves then. He gave her a respectful nod, and consented to be seated. "Very well. Thank you."

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-06 10:18 am UTC (link)
Which was one of the reasons she chose her dress blues. No skin was showing except her hands. Sure she wore trousers, but there were somethings she wouldn't concede to. "There are. But fortunately some of my tech conforms to low tech. I do have a little bit of a leg up. You, unfortunately, almost have a leg chopped clean off Mr. Darcy." And that was the base of the problem.

"And it was a little bit of both. They aren't the fastest ships, but they were very sturdy. They could take a few good cannon blasts before going to bits. This one is the fastest, and it's predecessor could only handle one." It had been a very big one, but that could go unsaid.

Shepard turned back to the table and gave a little push to the center. "Do you drink Mr. Darcy? Because I could use one." The panel rose up where she pushed and she collected two tumbler glasses. She splashed a little golden liquid in the one intended for her, and glanced up at him. It wouldn't do much for her, she was far to used to alien liquors, but the Admirals liked the aged whiskey.

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-06 11:05 am UTC (link)
There was something ridiculous about the current situation being described as low tech, but Darcy supposed that everything was relative. He did wonder, for a moment, what she might think of his world. Why did her daughter not seem equally futuristic and perplexing? And just for less than second, there was a little doubt. Perhaps it was because she was humouring him. A little embarrassment found a foothold to take the place of the shame, just for the moment.

"It could certainly be worse," he said after a moment's consideration. "I have found the residents to be very accommodating, very helpful, willing to explain and share information," he told her softly. "I am aware it is merely being given crumbs and not a banquet." He was no fool. He knew that everything was dumbed down for him, and it was an endless frustration that it had to be so.

"It is a war ship then," he nodded. Of course it was, considering their ranks. It was hardly going to be a weekend ride. He took a deep breath, and tried his best to shake off the negative feelings. He'd been avoiding this - not meet the commander, but thinking and talking too directly about the situation he found himself in. He was always treading water, afraid of being pulled under. So he allowed for small doses of reality so as not to drown.

He managed to collect himself in a matter of seconds, watching curiously as the glasses appeared before them. "Yes, thank you," he nodded. Perhaps it would be good for the nerves.


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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-07 04:50 am UTC (link)
"Well, that's because most of us are still getting used to the place ourselves, we haven't quite been here a year yet. Except for the older versions of my kids, who grew up here." Shepard paused for a second to let that little bit sink in, but only a second. "And yes that is as weird as it sounds. But I've been here long enough to roll with the punches."

Shepard poured a splash of the whiskey into the second glass and handed it over to him. "This is a war ship. It has a war room, a giant cannon, this room started out as meeting room, where we were supposed to have civilized conversations, but usually ended up with raised voices and not so civilized language." She couldn't keep the fond smile from her features. A bunch of hot headed military people butting heads, some literally, was a good memory for her. She took a seat across from him, taking the crystal decanter with her.

She reached up and scratched at the back of her head. "I want to give you permission to be frank, and candid. Words spoken and how they're spoken will only leave this ship if you want it to." She set her glass on the table and leaned against it a little. "I give these permissions because one, I've never been part of the upper crust 'society', though I made more than most of them in a year and a lot of them were brown nose types in my company, I've never followed their rules. And two sometimes it's easier to say what you need to say if you forget society's rules for a second. I am going to be frank and candid because that's the only way I know how to be. It makes life easier, and I'm less likely to get misunderstood. So you wont get any backhanded comments where you'll have to worry if I insulted you, or threatened you. I don't like to make people read between the lines. I will entirely blame my military career on that."

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-07 05:39 am UTC (link)
Although it was a little strange to hear her referred to as the Older version, it perhaps didn't get quite the reaction she was looking for. It might have been different if the baby was right in front of him, but as it was, he understood basic arithmetic, he knew when Ashley had come from, and so he knew how old she was meant to be now. "Yes, the confused timelines must be enough to be strange to anyone. I would apologise for not feigning shock and awe at your youthful appearance. I may have had a little forewarning," he explained. Plus, he'd met her aunt Rachel.

Darcy thanked her as he took the whiskey from her. In his own time, he wasn't meant to drink a spirit in front of a lady, but Commander Shepard seemed to be acting very much the father in the situation. He had absolutely no idea how close to the truth he was getting with that fleeting thought. He nodded along as she spoke about the war room, and certainly felt the sting of irony that it was where they were sitting now. Hopefully it wouldn't get quite as heated. "It must be pleasing to have it here, with so many memories attached," he commented, catching the wistful look on her face.

For her permission, Darcy listened and was able to keep his expression mostly neutral. He exercised a little self control not to insist that she definitely didn't earn more than him in a year, because what the devil did it matter on a space station anyway, and he barely flinched at what seemed to be subtle little insults to his class thrown into the mix. Perhaps it was not her intention, but he would not rise to it and prove the point. Class was about a hell of a lot more than just having money.

He thought about what she had said for a moment, and then took a breath, deciding to be a little more open and a little less stiff.

"If you could ask anyone from my own circles about my manner of speech, they would tell you that I never say anything that I do not mean. I am not in the habit of pandering or flattering my way through a conversation. This is often misinterpreted as my being... rude, arrogant perhaps, among the society of which you speak," he explained.

"That being said... it is as difficult for me to drop the 'rules' as it would be for me to drop my accent. It is learned and corrected from infancy, and an intrinsic part of my native language," he tried his best to explain it. "I will not make you read between any lines. I will speak candidly. If there is anything that you feel unclear or confused by old-fashioned mannerisms, you can ask for clarification and I will give it. I will do you the same courtesy and not read into anything that is not there in black and white, so to speak. I hope that is agreeable enough?"

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-07 09:21 am UTC (link)
"I wasn't looking for flattery Mr. Darcy. I know I don't look as old as I feel, my husband tells me this all the time and backs it up with stuff that would make you blush. I was maybe looking for an eyebrow raise at least, perhaps to question my sanity. You're taking this place better than most in your position, most from a time nearer than this one too." Shepard held her tongue a little, her 'sailor' speech didn't enter the conversation. She didn't want him thinking she was a barbarian. Or not overly so anyway.

She also resisted the urge to lean back in her seat and hike her feet up on the table. Something she would have done if he had been a member of her crew. Someone who was very comfortable with her, and she just as. "You and I are a lot a like it seems. I save my sweet talk for the people I love. But then it's truth it's how I feel. And I'll be honest, I'm a little arrogant, sometimes I have to be there are a lot of women in service, but not a lot of women in the commanding position I have. So I have to butt a lot of heads, figuratively and literally."

Shepard swirled the contents of her glass for a moment. "That is very agreeable. The same goes with me if you need clarification I can try to?" She didn't know how well she would do translating futurisms into Regency era. "Or, rather than you trying to define stuff for me, and me for you, because I'd probably horrible at it and confuse you even more, JARVIS can help us. Correct? "

A little holographicorb appeared in the middle of the table three lines in the middle expanding and contracting as the male voice spoke. "Yes ma'am, there is a great deal of information on both subjects."

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-07 12:48 pm UTC (link)
"Well, Commander, I find something surprising and possibly insane every minute of the day, every way I turn. If I allowed every single instance to provoke a reaction, I should be quite paralysed with fear and anxiety," he tried to explain. He had found that he could protect himself from complete mental breakdown by focusing on only a handful of things at a time. He looked at the trees, not the full forest. At least not unless he was alone. "And it would be my own sanity I should question. Not yours."

To calm his current anxiety, Darcy took a sip of the whiskey he had been served as she started to talk again. He was a little surprised to hear that she thought they could be anything alike, but her reasoning was sound. He gave her a little nod, the liquor warming him a little as he swallowed. "I certainly prefer it that way. People who say only what they mean," he assured her. Nothing was more tiring than pretension and false words. It reminded him dreadfully of Miss Bingley, and all her pathetic fawning and flattering, as if she thought his ego too big to see her real intentions from a twenty mile radius. "And you're right, with a certain status naturally comes a little pride and arrogance. It is not necessarily a bad thing, if one knows when to turn it off again." That was something he was learning more and more lately, and he would strive to get better at. It was a defense mechanism, but he knew he could do better.

Another sip, another nod of agreement, and then he nearly jumped out of his skin. The shock she had not seen over her appearance, or the mention of time travel, was evident in his reaction to JARVIS. He bit his lip to stop himself from cursing with the fright. "Ah, good grief - sorry -" his heart pounded, and he took a moment to let it settle again. Deep breath, sip of whiskey. "I did wonder why I could not see the gentleman you were talking to earlier. There we have it, then." He blushed a little, rather embarrassed at such a strong reaction to what was likely quite a simple piece of technology.




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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-07 11:57 pm UTC (link)
"I find myself still questioning if this isn't some very vivid dream." One that she was having on her dying breath, but she doubted the kids had told him that much about her. And there was no need to alarm him, or bring it up.

Shepard nodded and lifted her glass to him. "You and me both. The rest seems like the people are trying to get your approval regardless of their personality. So they can say well, so and so likes me." The curse of having a well known name. "I find it hard to turn of the arrogance when I'm angry."

She cleared her throat and gave a little wave of her hand. "No no, I apologize. I didn't know how to explain JARVIS to you. He is an unrestricted artificial intelligence program. He helps me run a ship that normally would take more than one hundred people to operate. I didn't expect him to test you by being visible though." She supposed she was lucky EDI's body wasn't available on the ship otherwise they would be greeted by a male voice in a female shaped body. She gave the hologram a slight glare.

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-08 02:32 am UTC (link)
"Yes. Well, I did fall off a horse on arrival, so I was considering more of a head injury," he admitted, with a little bit of a smile that suggested he wasn't entirely serious. Only sometimes, when something particularly insane stood out to him. "I do think it's all rather beyond my wildest delusions, though. Too much in the way of details." Unless it was more than a head injury and more permanent brain damage.

Darcy lifted his glass in return, and gave her a nod. He did feel a little less like he was about to have a panic attack now, so that was something. "Yes. They will find it hard to gain my good opinion with anything so forced, but- well, I haven't found so many false people here. Or perhaps it is just harder to tell when I do not know the customs so well," he shrugged. He was trying to take people at face value, Maybe that was naive, but there was very little else to be done about it until he could read their social cues with more ease. "I find it hard to turn it off full stop, but I am practising," he explained gently. He knew that the arrogance was over-compensation for nerves. Better to be seen as haughty and cold than a nervous wreck. Nervous wreck was winning in this world, though.

Darcy considered JARVIS for a moment, taking a sip of whiskey and then placing his glass down carefully. "Artificial intelligence," he mused over the choice of words. "So it is not just a recording, it is... well, thinking, for want of a better expression?"

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-08 06:58 am UTC (link)
Shepard didn't resist chuckling softly as he teased. "I'd have to say you have the purest imagination I've ever seen." She kept it clean, why make things awkward, and him uncomfortable by laying out all her personality on the table.

"Everybody is from somewhere different, sometime different. I don't think any two people will have the same customs. Except for the siblings drawn back from the future. And even then, the twins are as different as night and day." Of course she referred to her sister-in-laws. Her own children were twins but if it wasn't said out loud you wouldn't know it. "I'm afraid I come off as a diva when it's on. And that's not an image I want. I don't want people to brush off things I say if it's important. So I have learned that if I'm angry to walk away. But it's still hard. I can't say I'm a huge fan of my nephew at the moment."

Well, this was certainly going to be easier than it seemed. "Yes exactly. He is like a human mind with access to every bit of information that the island had, and my ship had. I haven't connected him to the stations network yet, mostly because I don't know what's all there, and I don't want to do damage to him or to the station. But yeah, you hit the nail right on the head. With the exception that he wont forget some things no matter how badly you'd like him to, and sometimes he's a smart ass."

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-08 07:56 am UTC (link)
"Oh, well, I don't know about that," Darcy admitted. Considering he was thinking about bare legs and one kiss in comparison to whatever Shepard had in mind, he had no idea how correct she really was.

Darcy nodded thoughtfully at her explanation. He supposed that helped a little; it wasn't so much that everyone else knew the rules to the game and he didn't, it was rather than they were all thrown together and trying to create the rules while halfway through playing the game. It was bound to be confusing for anyone.

And there was the first term that confused him. Diva. An Italian goddess? What? He realised he had to be looking at her like she was nuts, and shook the expression away with a shake of his head and an explanation. "Sorry, don't know 'diva', unless you don't want to look like a deity?" he questioned.

But what was that about her nephew? He felt his heart leap a little as he realised he was probably to blame for at least half of it - writing him the letter, and not insisting that he stayed as chaperone, for starters. "Sergeant Robert?" he asked for clarification, not wanting to insist that the fault was his own only to find out she was referring to another nephew on another subject.

His eyes bugged a little at her explanation of JARVIS - that was a lot more than he had been imagining. He'd gone from thinking of a human servant, to a recorded message from a human servant, to... this. "That sounds exceptionally powerful," he murmured. And dangerous, in the wrong hands.

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-08 10:19 am UTC (link)
"I'd be surprised if there weren't a snowy white horse in here somewhere. If it were my dream, all the men folk would be in different uniforms." Because boy did she have a thing for men in uniform. She gazed off in to space for just a second, imagining it. Before a grin broke her imagining. "Sorry, you were in a uniform too."

She was glad that someone hadn't picked up making rules for everyone to follow. Just one simple one, don't do bad things. Shepard raised her glass for a swift swallow. "You've never been to an opera? Aren't the lead Sopranos called Divas?"

Her features clouded over just a little. "Yes, Bobby. He's a little shit, if you'll pardon my language. If he's going to disrespect me, he sure isn't going to get the respect of rank with me." With another incoherent mutter about the boy in question knowing better she downed the rest of her Whiskey, before refilling it a little more than two fingers this time.

Shepard nodded in response to his acknowledgement of the danger. "Yes, but he has enough free will with this ship's computers that he's able to make his own mind up who to follow. It's kind of taboo to even have an AI. But Jarvis has proven himself loyal."

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-08 10:47 am UTC (link)
"The horse was white..." he started to explain about Annie, and then realised that was not what she was talking about. He quirked an eyebrow at her; she was a little forward, he could see where her daughter got her shocking impertinence from. That was a strange thought. "Hmm. This is where you tell me it was a postman's uniform, no?" he joked a little. He supposed he was wearing something of a uniform, though. His clothes certainly signified him as different around here, anyway.

Darcy frowned at her comments about the opera. He had been to the opera, but he had not heard such a term used before. And even if he had, it didn't help the confusion. "You don't want to come across like... an opera singer?" he corrected himself. That sounded even more ridiculous.

At her reaction to her nephew, he was more than a little surprised - and he was sure it showed in his expression. He had either definitely missed something, or the whole situation was a lot worse than he had been led to believe. He watched her silently for a moment, unsure if it was something he should poke at or not. If she wanted him to know the details, surely she would have come out and said it - but similarly, if she hadn't wanted him to know, why would she have brought it up so passionately in the first place? "I'm... not sure that I know to what exactly you are referring," he said, quite cautiously. He was certain that he didn't want to provoke her further by rambling on about the wrong subject.

"He's programmed, but he has free will? A machine - with free will?" he questioned, just trying to get that clear enough in his head. "He is moral? This is... I don't know, it's rather perplexing."

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-09 07:22 am UTC (link)
Oh that was classic. She hadn't expected there to be a real white horse. She had known there was a hose though. "I actually don't know what a postman's uniform would look like, I've never seen one. It was a little like this one, but red." She drew her hand down to herself, pointing out 'this one'.

Sadly she didn't think Jarvis would be able to help her out with the diva. "Well, no. The lead sopranos I've seen act like they're better than everybody else. Very snobby, and entitled. Because the shows can't really go on without them, so they like to bend the person paying them over a barrel if they don't meet their demands."

Shepard sat back a little. Contemplating her refilled glass. "He wrote to tell me that Ashley was going to spend the night, and I text him to get more information. And in his attempt to sooth my worries, he was a big horses ass. And I didn't appreciate it." It was about time for the conversation to reach some form of seriousness.

"Well, kind of. He has logic with his free will. A program's logic, but it's still there." She was surprised how well he was getting it.

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-09 07:42 am UTC (link)
The whole chat about her imagination was making him a little uncomfortable. He’d covered it well enough with the slight humour, but he was really quite keen to get off of that particular topic and on to the actual point of his visit. He gave her a sort of smile, nodded, and decided to finish off his drink rather than go any further down the road of anyones fantasies.

“Ah. Okay,” he nodded at her explanation about divas. “In that case, I fully understand. I have met more than a few, and quite likely come across the same way at times myself,” he admitted. Snobby and entitled, he was sure they were words he’d heard about himself more than once.

Having told him about Bobby, Darcy felt his heart sink, and he was sure his face was doing that miserable little pout it did when he didn’t much like what he was hearing. “I see. I am sorry for that,” he said softly, with no hint of sarcasm or falseness. “It should never have happened. I know that you must have been terribly worried, and you had no idea who I was either. I should have insisted more fervently that she return home. I would have, only I was quite delirious, I’m certain I was talking about ice skating at one point,” he admitted, giving her a sort of a smile. “The next day, I expressed a wish to apologise for it, and so you received my letter. Anything that went on in the meantime... I did not know, but I am sorry for the part I played.” Perhaps to a modern ear it sounded a little over the top, but for Darcy he sincerely meant everything he said. In fact, his words couldn’t come close to expressing how sorry he truly was for the whole thing.

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-09 08:21 am UTC (link)
She bit her lower lip to keep from torturing him farther. As he downed his drink she had decided she'd give him a little relief. "All jokes Mr. Darcy. The only man I picture in a uniform is my husband. And sometimes he indulges me and my odd perversions." But not lately. That was neither here nor there, nor Darcy's problem.

Shepard nodded. "It's unintentional, and really all I want is respect. The respect that my war wounds should have bought for me." The fact that she'd died once, and, if she were to return home, very likely did again.

She set her glass down and started to wave off his apology but thought better of it. She sat straighter in her chair. "I don't mind that she stayed. But I wish she would have told me herself. I don't like that he felt the need to be a go between with me and her, when I don't doubt she had at least one mode of communication that she could have used. But you don't have to apologize for my nephew's misgivings. It's not like you told him to send the note and be a little shit. I don't hold that against you. But I will ask that he's not used as a go between any more. I don't like there being a middle man. It's one more person than there needs to be."

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-09 08:38 am UTC (link)
At the mention of her husband, Darcy had to bite his tongue. He really had wondered where her father was, and why the man of the house was so silent on the matter of his daughters entanglement with a man. But perhaps... almost certainly... it was a sore point, and not one he felt the need to draw any more attention to. Instead, he just gave her a little nod, letting her know he was not truly offended.

“I quite understand, Commander,” he assured her. He had a respect for the military, even if he had never felt so inclined himself. He could respect a man - or woman - who did. With an exception or two who had lost his good opinion forever.

“Well, I am more than happy to communicate directly now that my health allows. I would encourage you to have the same conversation with your daughter, although I am sure that is already your intention,” he nodded.

“I am from an era where writing indirectly through various people is quite the norm, for a... rather complicated system of who you are and are not allowed to directly contact. I am told, by your nephew, that such convoluted means of communication are no longer necessary. Is that correct?” he asked, and then thought to clarify. “You have no objection to my sending letters directly to your daughter? They contain nothing untoward, but they are not going through a guardian at the moment,” he explained. If she had an issue with her nephews manner of communication it seemed worth checking.

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-09 09:49 am UTC (link)
"Please, call me Shepard. I'm not your Commander, and while I appreciate it, my intentions of being intimidating have been laid to rest." She hadn't doubted that he would be a stand up guy, but it was good to see it in person.

"Oh I intend on it, she should already know better, but I'm going to cement that with her. I just want some things resolved first, here, so she doesn't get the wrong impression." That and she had been mad, being a redhead was sometimes a curse. But she hadn't wanted that temper to come out at her daughter.

Shepard nodded, "I know, but you didn't have what we have today. But I can understand those methods and how they came to be. But I don't have any objections to you directly contacting Ashley at all. The only thing I do object to is a speedy proposal. You two should really get to know each other. Because I'm afraid that she's so infatuated with you that she's twisting herself to be someone she's not. I don't know for sure because I haven't seen the two of you together." She sighed and took a sip of her whiskey before, she continued on. She lifted the crystal decanter and tilted it toward him in case he needed more. "You need more than a few weeks to get used to this place."

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-09 10:13 am UTC (link)
"Very well. I can't promise that I will not forget that, sometimes," he told her. Using titles and ranks was very much a habit, but Shepard he could deal with, even if a surname alone would usually be reserved for addressing a man. Things had changed, he knew that much. And it was interesting that the intimidation was intentional - he had wondered if he was just much more of a nervous wreck than usual. It was reassuring, in a way, to note that he had read the room correctly on that front.

"Yes, I understand," he nodded. Whatever she would say to Miss Sully was between her and her daughter, although he did wonder what the wrong impression would have been.

He listened carefully as Shepard laid out her terms, calm and cool at first, but there was a clear flash of shock across his expression when she warned him against a proposal. That was entirely opposite to what he had expected to be hearing - if anything, he expected a parent to be twisting his arm and practically pointing the cannons at him until he spat it out and made things right. This? He couldn't understand at all.

"I'm sorry, to a speedy proposal?" he asked for clarity, although everything she said afterwards followed the same vein. He buttoned his lip again and refrained from interjecting further until she was quite finished. He paused, thinking it over, turning this new information around in his mind. She couldn't possibly comprehend how surprising her every word was to him.

"...I should not want her to... twist herself into anything at all," he said softly, after a little contemplation. "I cannot tell you if she has," he said honestly. He refrained from speaking further, from expressing that perhaps if a chaperone would stay in the room, or if couples had continued a more public courting that it appeared they did nowadays, then it would be easily told if she was acting differently. Everything was backwards.

He shook his head lightly to refuse more whiskey.

"Well. If that is your wish," he conceded after another moment's thought, but there was a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had gone a little too far already to delay on a proposal without it looking very badly on them. "I- I am- worried, perhaps she might - already be expecting one," he said, picking his words quite carefully. "I would not want her to feel used and then rejected."

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-10 04:03 am UTC (link)
"It's a little bit to get used to, women typically use their first names, but before JR it had been close to twenty years since anyone had used it, he's the only exception. This coming October, it will be twenty years. For me anyway. I've known quite a few ranks since then but one thing stayed the same. Shepard." She looked down into her glass, and holding it tipped so that the amber liquid stretched to the rim. She gave a little humorless one note bark of laughter. "I still take a second to realize it's me that JR is talking to, when he uses my first name." That was enough of that, she lifted the tumbler and took a healthy bit in her mouth.

Shepard leaned her elbows onto the table top. After all was said and done. But, what he said had her mind reeling. What did he mean. There were a million and one reasons why Ashley might be expecting a proposal so soon. And she stopped herself before blurting something out. Really it was far to early to know whether she was pregnant or not anyway. Her eyes narrowed at him for a moment and she swished back the remaining bit of whiskey. Better to get her head on before throwing accusations. That could mean anything.

"What exactly do you mean? Why would she be expecting one already?" She set her now empty glass down on the table top. Reaching for the decanter again, she decided against more and pushed it away. It wasn't as if it were making her feel anything, her fingertips didn't even feel fuzzy. There was simply the warm path the drink had made.

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-10 06:35 am UTC (link)
“No, I would not call a woman by her first name easily, either. No more than I would have anyone freely use my own. It is typically reserved for close family, spouses - my sister is the only one now who would use it, and even at that she does not do so in public,” he explained. “If Shepard is what makes you comfortable, then that is agreeable to me,” he explained.

Of course she was going to ask for more clarification, and it was not an easy conversation to have with anyone’s parents. He got the impression this was going to be more difficult than with most, though. It was as though she was determined not to have her daughter married. It was confusing to him.

“I have not been as reserved as I usually would,” he started to explain. With the stress of the new situation, keeping a check on ones emotions was even more difficult than usual. “I have been perfectly clear regarding my affections for her, and I have made very little effort to downplay it.” His heart was racing. He was going to have to say more besides. “I know that the letters are apparently acceptable now, but there have been... other things besides.” He was dancing around the issue, and he knew he needed to spit it out, get it over with.

“With full intention of making it right once I had spoken with yourself or your husband... I did kiss her. Yesterday.”

He felt as though his heart was going to burst its way out of his chest with anxiety.

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-10 08:20 am UTC (link)
She smiled a little. Pleased that they met an agreement. And things wouldn't be so formal between them. She already felt at ease.

Or as at ease as someone that was waiting for the other shoe to drop could be. Her hands closed into fists. She wasn't ready to resort to blows, the short length of her fingernails did cut into her palms. Shepard wasn't sure what she would do. What could she do? It wasn't as if he'd forced himself. He would have heard that first.

When he was finally out with it her. Shoulders sagged, her hands opened and she began to rub where her fingernails had dug into her skin. Shaking her head with a soft chuckle. "Lord. Darcy. I don't know what I had expected but it wasn't a baring of your soul to my daughter, nor was it a kiss." Shepard knew her heart had been knocking in her ribs. She shook her head lightly as she chuckled lightly that weight lifted.

"If you want to share how you feel with her, or hell, the feelings are strong enough to share them with the whole station, I encourage it. I know that's not really your thing, but I think it's better for you both to know each other's feelings about one another before wedding bells start chiming. You need to know each other too, and yourself when your with her." She sat back in her chair again. "And kiss her to your heart's content, if you feel moved to. Hold hands. If you two do anything more intense than that, don't tell me, go protected. I'm old but I'm not old enough to be a grandmother."

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-10 08:35 am UTC (link)
When Shepard seemed to relax rather than grow more tense, Darcy rather did the opposite. His brow furrowed in confusion, and while she chuckled he looked rather pale and unimpressed. She had expected worse than that? She had expected that he would do more than kiss her? He wondered what sort of a man she had thought him to be - and how she could be taking her daughter's love life so lightly.

She explained things more clearly, laid her terms and conditions out so to speak, and while Darcy found that his heart wasn't going fit to burst anymore, he still didn't feel good. To continue to express his feelings was one thing... to continue to kiss her without an intention of marriage was a little much... but the last part? He was sure he looked like she had just leaned across the table and slapped.

"What is this, are you testing me?" he asked suddenly, not appreciating the joke if it was one. "No. You asked me to be frank and open with you, and I cannot agree to this," he told her, feeling himself almost trembling with stress and anxiety over it all. "I told you I do not make promises that I cannot keep. I understand that it is... your wish, or request, or... but what you are telling me to do is in complete contradiction to my own principles, my own moral behavior. I will not."

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-10 09:22 am UTC (link)
"No, I'm not testing you. You both are consenting adults. What you do behind closed doors is your business. As long as it doesn't involve trodding on my daughters heart. The last guy that did that, from what I understand, is now a Monk. Possibly a eunuch." There was no sign of joking in her tone. She hoped she would have. Perhaps she was an overprotective mother. "All I'm asking is give it time. Get to know her, let her get to know you, the you outside the pages that she's read. There's no cause to rush. Because as noble as I know you are, I know that if either of you were miserable you would stick with the marriage. And my daughter deserves more than a marriage of convenience." Shepard paused a moment. "And so do you."

She leaned back in her chair again. "I know the whiles of modern women Mr. Darcy. I don't doubt your resolve to wait until marriage. But, if my daughter is anything like me, she knows what she wants, and if she's got a kiss out of you already..." She trailed off. She wasn't trying to insult him. Just point out reality. "But I have asked her to go easy on you. Because another thing you need time to do, is get used to this place. And learn the social cues if you want. Also... Miss Elizabeth Bennett... You need time to deal with that as well."

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-10 12:09 pm UTC (link)
Mr Darcy’s shock and indignation was rising with every word she said, and he wasn’t even making an attempt at keeping the disgusted scowl from his face by now. Perhaps she did think she was being a loving mother, but that was far from Darcy’s interpretation of what he was hearing. To suggest that he ought to string her along in a similar fashion without making a commitment was appalling to him.

“Firstly, I don’t see how what you’re suggesting would not count as trodding on her heart. Secondly, I am very glad that Miss Sully already found the courage to explain to me the situation with that man. I would think that she would appreciate the privilege of telling me such sensitive information herself, in her own time, in her own way. Not to have it given out of context by a third party.” He knew that he was practically spitting his words out, but that voice that had been telling him to keep a lid on it for Ashley’s sake was being overruled by pride, and the feeling that he had just been insulted in every way imaginable.

He knew that there was some sense in her explanation about marriage, but it didn’t fit well with his own world views. It was like trying to force a jigsaw piece from a completely different puzzle into place.

And then he was prepared to be absolutely gobsmacked. He would have found what she was saying utterly shocking and reprehensible no matter who she was, but to talk about her own daughter as if she were a common slut, dangling herself in front of men to seduce them...

“I consented to a kiss with every intention of a proposal. Yes, I should have exercised a little more self-control, but it doesn’t follow that I am willing to live a life in a such a morally bankrupt manner as you seem to be suggesting. Why you would want that shame for your own daughter, I have absolutely no idea. You baffle me.” His scowl was fixed in place. He was all but done with this ridiculous conversation.

She’d told her to go easy on him. Because maybe if she hadn’t, then the girl would already be in his lap. She clearly had a very low opinion of her daughter’s virtue.

She mentioned Miss Bennet, and that was it. He was done, and the insult of it was written all over him, and he pushed his chair back, pacing about a little as he delivered the rest of his rebuke.

“If you don’t think your daughter could know me from the pages of that book, why do you think that you can? I will not talk to you about Elizabeth Bennet. In fact, I don’t believe I have anything more to contribute to this conversation. I will take what you have said into consideration, but I will make no promises to you. As you have said, your daughter is a consenting adult, capable of knowing perfectly well what she wants. She might surprise you,” he told her. “Now, please let me off your ship. I will not stay here to be insulted like this.”

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[info]commander_shep
2018-08-11 07:01 am UTC (link)
During his tirade he might have missed the very dangerous look that crossed her features, but he wouldn't miss how she slowly stood up, and how she slammed her closed fist against the table when he was through. "If you're quite done, with your indignation, have a seat. Because I'm not done. And no that's not a suggestion." So much for not turning on the intimidation factor, as her voice went from quiet anger, to a booming command that suggested it wasn't wise to ignore.

Shepard didn't wait until he was seated, she walked a few paces to the "head" of the table. "We'll address your first to points first. Suggesting you get to know her before prancing down the aisle would hardly break her heart, letting her get to know you first might prevent it later on down the line. If you're suggesting that you don't want to get to know someone that you intend on marrying then you better damn well move on to someone else, because I don't handle my daughters' heartbreaks well. Because my daughter deserves someone that's going to make her happy, someone that's willing to give every inch of himself to her." She stopped at the head of that table and turned to face him, holding her hand up to let him know that she wasn't finished. "As for the second point you made, who do you think told her to tell you about what happened? I wasn't using it for shock value, and nether was she. She was being honest with you because that's what you do with people you care for."

She took a military rest stance, her arms behind her back one hand clasping the other wrist in a white knuckled grip that he couldn't see. All to keep from leaping across the table. The farther she was the healthier he stayed. "I'll go with the point of Elizabeth Bennet next, because you aren't going to like what I have to say about your 'morally bankrupt'." She spoke through clenched teeth relaying just how angry the accusation made her. "My daughter deserves the very best of you Mr. Darcy, not an inch less. If what she says is true you just professed your love to Elizabeth Bennett, and proposed just over two weeks ago. Only to be brutally turned down. I'm not your damn therapist, I'm not saying tell me all about it. In fact I'd rather you didn't. But you have got to face that whether you want to or not. Because as I said. Ashley deserves your very best, and silently pining for someone else while you lay your lips on my daughter is not your very best."

She turned away, no doubt exposing the white knuckled state. "As far as the rest goes, I wasn't suggesting you not propose to my daughter. By all means if you find that after getting to know her that you are indeed head over heals in love with her, that you would throw yourself in front of a speeding carriage for her, then get on bended knee with my blessing. But you even think about considering what she did and what she might think 'morally bankrupt' then I'll meet you at dawn. And either you best pray you're a better shot than me, or that I'm feeling charitable. Because there's something that happened between when your from and now, and it's something you need to wrap your head around fast, women had a sexual revolution. We are free to be proud of our bodies, and do with them what we want, and don't have to be ashamed of it. You're no pristine flower, so you have no place in demanding it from anyone."

Shepard turned to face him with death in her stare. "Now, it would be wise to chose your words very carefully in regards to me, for the next little bit. You're free to go, you were never locked in, only visitors were locked out."

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[info]mrdarcy_
2018-08-11 07:22 am UTC (link)
At Shepard's fist-slam, Darcy did flinch in surprise. He was not used to being commanded to do anything at all, but her voice was so full of authority that he did move toward the chair again, but he remained standing, holding onto the back of it mostly to support himself as she had her word.

Of course, he should have known that a woman like this was used to having the last word of authority on absolutely anything, so why would her daughter's relationships should be any different? At a few points, he went to interject, getting so far as a vowel sound even, but quickly closing his mouth again when catching the look on her face or the movement of her hand.

It was a lot. Darcy was very well practised in not letting any real emotion show on his expression, as he had been taught from childhood, but his expression became fixed into a determined, stubborn scowl. He would not rise to this. He would not.

Once she was done, he wasn't sure if he was furious, insulted, scared, or about to burst into tears. So, he paused, took a couple of deep breaths as he considered his next move. He examined her face, seeing that dark, dark look in her eyes, and he straightened up again, letting go of the chair at last. He did not trust that his words would be careful at all, and the last thing he wanted to do was any further damage to Ashley's relationship with her mother.

So, he gave her a respectfully low bow of acknowledgment, as if to say he was taking it on board, and he turned to walk back out of the door again on shaking legs, feeling his chest and throat constricted with anger mixed up with sadness and anxiety. He did not understand this world. At all.

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