open!

[shootingshields]

Characters: Peggy Carter, open!
Date: throughout Turtle Dive Event
Location: Various!!
Situation: Various!! Comments will contain threadstarters, but also feel free to start your own. c:
Warnings/Rating: violence against zombies. also i have no preference as to whether you reply [action] or prose.

Comments

Re: ZOMBIES;

[depicted]

It is a narrow street, which perhaps explains the small number of jiangshi moving through it. There is no room for a pack of any considerable size. And that is what makes Dorian choose it. He has a torch, and he'll light it if he needs it, but at present the only light is from the his cigarette as he moves down the street.

And none of the creatures disturb him. Dorian realizes that they must have all tried to take a bite before. Having been greatly irritated by their apparent need to take a bite before deciding he wasn't especially appetizing, Dorian's laugh is more on the cynical side.

Of course, if he sees someone under attack, he'll light up his torch and protect them. That is why he is out here: he is trying out the whole 'helping people' thing to see if it suits him any. That and to see if he can learn anything interesting. So far, he has learned little and ruined some nice clothing.

[shootingshields]

Her gun isn't nearly as useful as fire, but Peggy carries it regardless; she wouldn't feel safe without it. Though the jiangshi can sense the life in her, she's had years of practice in moving quickly and silently, out of sight. If she can't kill them, she can outmaneuver them.

She's just helped one of the kedan safely to the palace, but she doesn't waste anymore time before heading back out.

Where she finds herself ducking down a narrower street, with some unexpected jiangshi lurking - and another person, whom they seem to be ignoring. She's about to call if he's all right, but then she thinks she hears him laugh.

There's little time to dwell. One of the jiangshi starts for her, and she shoots once at it to slow it down, before pulling out her torch and lighter. She gets it lit just as two more begin to swiftly approach her, just as she sets the first one on fire.

[depicted]

That's trouble, then. Dorian sighs, letting the cigarette fall from his lips, and with a merciless swing learned in very disreputable parts of London, he gets one of the approaching jiangshi at the knees. This halts the thing enough that he can pop out his lighter, set his own torch aflame, and start a roast.

God, but he hates the smell of burning flesh. It always brings him back to things he'd rather forget.

"You should run," he warns the stranger. "I can take care of them."

[shootingshields]

She lights up a second, touching torch to arm and elbowing it in the chest to shove it away as the fire spreads.

"Implying I cannot?"

Another reaches for her arm, even managing to grab hold, but Peggy whirls on it, shooting it in the face. It lets go, for a moment, but that's all the time she needs to wave the torch at it, taking a few steps back from the flames.

She doesn't doubt he can actually take care of them himself, especially with that prior maneuver, on top of the fact that the jiangshi continued to ignore him.

[depicted]

He pauses to appreciate that demonstration of violence. This stranger can certainly handle herself. But he is still at less risk out here than anyone, as far as he knows, so he says, "No, implying that I—oh, great, hang on." Drawn by the combat, those left on the street had begun to gather together into a nice mob that would be incredibly tedious to fight off one by one. So Dorian decides not to.

"Don't mind if I borrow this," he tells Peggy as he catches by the neck one of the burning jiangshi she'd stopped. It doesn't attack him, either out of disinterest in his soulless flesh or (more likely) because it's occupied with burning to death. The important thing is that he can drag it down the street and, with a hefty swing, introduce it to the rushing mass of fellows, who had not been expected a flaming corpse tossed their way.

Of course, it's murder on his muscles. They are not meant for this. But pain fades quickly as the muscles heal, and the burns on his hand soon disappear. He is happy he left his gloves at home. Still, he has to take a second to shake out his arm. He trusts the stranger can take care of herself while his body reminds him that he's immortal, not invulnerable.

[shootingshields]

She's too busy being curious over what he's starting to do to cry out over his grabbing a corpse on fire. Torch and gun still out, she watches the plan unfold, watches one body set the rest aflame.

The jiangshi have proven themselves smart, and one that remained untouched by the bonfire mob easily avoids the sparks, practically gliding for Peggy, walking right by the other man without so much as a second glance.

She doesn't even bother with her gun this time - just marches forward to meet it, and lights it up with a swipe across the chest. But she's also watching the man, because, well - his hands sure look just fine, despite just launching a flaming corpse through the air.

"Smart thinking," she offers, but her tone implies more questioning is likely on the way.

[depicted]

Dorian ignores the tone. Once his arms are willing to forgive him his sins, he moves back towards her, his eyes scanning the fog for signs of movement. "I don't see any others..." And the next set will probably not know how unappetizing Dorian is, which is better for protecting the stranger, probably, but so much crueller on his jacket.

[shootingshields]

Peggy's still, watching for more herself. It seems relatively clear, even if the sounds of them moving elsewhere throughout the sector are evident.

"Nor I. Hopefully the size of the fire will be a deterrent for now." She pauses. "I see you look all right."

Because it's not the same as asking if he's all right, but the implication that she would have had he not been free of burns is there.

[depicted]

He flashes her a Prince Charming smile. "You know what they say: your courage, your cheerfulness, your resolution will bring us victory." And cynicism comes into the smile with a bit of a laugh. He hasn't thought of that phrase in a very long time. It must be that awful burning stench that puts him in World War II state of mind. "Are you heading anywhere in particular? I can watch your back there."

[shootingshields]

The smile does absolutely nothing, and she doesn't react to it. But the phrase draws a frown of recognition. Hard to forget something plastered practically everywhere. "The cheerfulness is utter rubbish in reality." Only a very select few could truly keep that part up all the time.

Peggy shakes her head. "No, I'm looking for stragglers myself."

[depicted]

"You mustn't begrudge Britain her lies. The picture of a thing might become its reality, one day." It hasn't yet, of course. But Dorian likes to try on hope, every now and again. It is its own, strange narcotic.

He offers her a hand. "Dorian Gray. My purpose is the same as yours."

[shootingshields]

"I can critique it all I like. Though they may not particularly care to hear it."

There's faint recognition at the name, but she keeps her face primarily neutral. Dorian Gray, on the back of a giant turtle. There's the possibility of parents with odd naming rituals, but. Why not? She slides both gun and torch into the same hand to free one, and her grip is firm. "Agent Peggy Carter."

[depicted]

Dorian offers no elaboration on the point. Instead, he is brisk and business-like, to the degree possible for an avowed hedonist. "Pleasure to meet you, Agent Carter. If you'd care for company on your patrol, I'll give it. If not, then I won't detain you longer."

[shootingshields]

"Likewise, Mr. Gray." On one hand, she could carry on alone, as expected for the moment. On the other, she's curious as to his apparent healing nature. "I'm not opposed to company for a while. Safety in numbers and all that."

[depicted]

"Right. Then I just swept back that way, so if you're amenable to heading in this direction..." He makes a gesture but doesn't advance on. Having had one woman point a gun at him this week already, he is cautious of being less than mannerly with armed ladies.

[shootingshields]

Peggy nods. "I've no particular preference, at the moment." And she indeed starts walking, though not before putting out her torch - temporarily, most likely, but she wants to preserve as much she can. She walks with gun still in hand, but it's aimed slightly downward, and nowhere near in Dorian's direction.

[depicted]

Which leaves them in the position of smalltalk. Small talk walking across the fog-covered back of a turtle with zombies all about. He has had stranger conversations, probably. "So, Agent Carter. You're an agent for . . . ?"

[shootingshields]

"The Strategic Scientific Reserve. It's ill likely you've actually heard of it, but you never know."

Peggy hasn't encountered anyone here yet who has, excepting of course those from the same world as she. Nor is it a secret employment, so there are no real qualms about sharing, especially considering the amount of acronymed organisations she's come across herself.

[depicted]

"Afraid not, but I was never very military." It is said with an elegant indifference to all things useful, but in fact, Dorian's aversion to the military is not merely a gentleman's dislike for work. He would sooner avoid falling into the hands of UNIT or Torchwood; the rumours of what they do to people like him are enough to make the most reckless decadent into a cautious man. 'The Strategic Scientific Reserve' sounds like exactly the sort of organisation he would have done everything in his power to avoid.

Breaking out of the alleyway onto the main street, Dorian is immediately on edge. He has nothing to fear of death, but there is a world full of pain with which Dorian is too well-acquainted. He listens for movement, but all sound is hushed by the fog, just as it blurs images. Dorian moves closer to Peggy and draws his lighter back out, holding it under his torch in anticipation of the moment he will need it.

[shootingshields]

"Not everyone is," and she states it more matter of factly than with any sort of condescension. The SSR was a lot more secretive than most to boot, so she's not surprised he hasn't heard of it, even if they were from the same world.

The street is eerie, as most of them have been, and Peggy's acutely aware of Dorian's movements, from a strategic perspective. He's got the advantage with apparent super healing, but she can't blame him for being on edge. She herself has been, at a near constant, every time she ventures into the streets.

There's a creak of a door opening, and she pauses to glance around, hoping for kedan but fully expecting jiangshi. Whatever it is seems to have opened the door to go inside.

[depicted]

Dorian hears it too. If it's kedan, they may be in need of help. If it is jiangshi, there may be kedan within in need of help. Either way, the proper course of action is pretty cut and dry. He glances at Peggy, affirming in a look that he has heard it and will seek its answers, and walks towards the door, still left partially open.

The risk to him is less, so he moves in without waiting for Peggy. And he knows is right to do so: a pair of hands reaches out the moment he's inside, catching him unawares and dragging him in for a bite. That he had almost been expecting. A second pair of decaying hands that yank his torch and lighter out of his fingers? Not so much.

[shootingshields]

Peggy trails after him, regardless of whether he intended her to follow in the end or not. She comes into the doorway just as the second jiangshi tears away the torch.

Without even hesitating, she lights hers up once more, then takes aim. She fires once, the bullet lodging itself into the creature's head, and it drops Dorian's torch and lighter to the ground with a clatter. It reaches out towards her, hands ready with a hopeful death grip. Seconds later she's swinging her torch, catching it by the arm and setting it ablaze.

Only after does she consider they're inside, and perhaps that's not best for the house. But keeping alive is sort of her priority.

[depicted]

As Peggy breaks in, Dorian offers the creature that grabbed him a hand to bite. It doesn't even get through his finger before it's gagging, and with Peggy having won him his torch back, Dorian arms himself, spinning around and taking the opportunity to slam the torch (lit in a second) into the creature's gut.

They probably need to leave fast. Dorian calls into the house, "Hello? Anyone here in need of escort to the Palace?"

[shootingshields]

The offered bite doesn't go unnoticed, and though Peggy's curiosity is even further piqued, that's not the important part right now.

The important part is the tiny voice calling out to them in response to Dorian from behind a closed door. Peggy keeps her torch at the ready, but makes her way over, just as it opens the tiniest crack, and a young kedan boy, no older than eleven or twelve, peers out. When he sees neither of the moving bodies in his house are jiangshi, he clambers out, and without really thinking, grabs at the edge of Peggy's coat, but she's not particularly fazed by the gesture. It's probably something of a comfort for the kid.

She lifts her torch a little higher, just in case, then turns to Dorian. "To the palace?"

[depicted]

Dorian nods. Again, he steps out first, not because she can't take care of himself but because he is expendable. "It's clear."