From the beginning to the end

[impaledqueen]

Who| Peggy Carter and Stephen Reagan
What| Two people who secretly don't like the Capitol so much are feeling each other out. Stephen needs allies, Peggy needs sources, and neither of them are sure if the other is trustworthy. What better way to get to know one another than on a date?
Where| At a swanky Capitol restaurant.
When| Backdated to before Peggy finds out she has to flee.
Warnings/Notes| Vague references to the bidding system

Peggy is a little surprised that Stephen decided to ask her out. They've flirted and spent time with each other before, but he always seemed a little hesitant to move further than that. Frankly, it was a relief to her at the time.

But now she's not exactly sure what to make of him, since Linden has shared that Stephen finds the bidding system upsetting and wanted to take his Victors out of it entirely. Thus, it doesn't really make sense that he would proposition a Victor unless he doesn't understand the inherent power dynamics, but either way, he might know something good and she can let this go on so she can get a sense of him. As much as she trusts Linden's assessments of people, she likes making assessments of her own.

She's dressed elegantly with her makeup perfectly on point. She looks subtle by Capitolite standards, but she long ago learned that she could never go to the lengths of a Capitolite with fashion and still maintain the confidence that is so important for one's image. She waits outside the restaurant, having come early so she could get a sense of the area beforehand.

Comments

[capitolprivilege]

Two can go for elegant and subtle. A few months ago, after his big meltdown, Stephen went from garish and tasteless to well-cut and understated. The Capitol excess is still there, oh yes, it's just in the cut and quality of the fabric now rather than the glittering jewels and theatrical effects. Cyrus's hand can clearly be seen in it.

Stephen steps out of the back of the car, nodding thanks to the driver in the front as he pulls away, and approaches Peggy. A smile ghosts across his face, rueful and playful at once.

"Oh, no. It looks like we're both a little unfashionably early. There go my plans to have wine waiting on the table." The smile broadens into a real one as he approaches the door to Lux 4, offering Peggy his arm. "Oh, well. Still better than being average, right?"

[impaledqueen]

She favors him with a smile before taking his arm. She's surprised to see him here early, but not too much. It's not uncommon for Capitolites to put on a show about impressing her. "Well, you can order a bottle quickly and I'll pretend it was there when I arrived."

This is easy. Flirting, bantering, charming. It's the game of the Capitol, and she's learned how to play it well. She allows him to lead her into the restaurant as she rests her free hand on his arm. "This is already off to a good start. This means we have more time together." She's generally found Stephen to be pretty good company. He meets her eyes and carries conversations. He likes to flirt, but he's never tried to push for more. She wonders what happens now that he's expressing interest.

[capitolprivilege]

"That sounds like pity to me," Stephen says, shaking his head, leavening the disappointed click of his teeth with a tone that's still teasing. "No, no, you'd better not. We all do enough pretending and posturing as it is; no point adding to it when we don't have to."

The smile he flashes over to her is perfect: easy, relaxed, with no heavy-handed overtones that hint at real meaning too much. Stephen is good at casual. "I'd rather keep things between us as honest as possible. Thank you," he says, transitioning seamlessly from talking to her to speaking to the maître d', who has instructed a waitress to lead them to the table. The restaurant is quite full, as it usually is, and the buzz of conversation and clicking of silverware is low but ever-present.

[impaledqueen]

He's not the first Capitolite to feign self-awareness by pointing out how much Capitolite culture involves pretending, nor is he the first to ask her to be honest. Usually, the Capitolites want honesty in the sense that they want meat--a finished, palatable product that they don't have to think too hard about the origins of.

Even so, Stephen may be a little different than she's used to. He after all has taken years to pursue her in any real way.

"I do prefer honesty where it can be managed," she says lightly as they are led to a table. She sits down regally, as dignified as if she were at a Crowning ceremony. "I was rather surprised that you asked me here, actually. I was under the impression that you weren't interested." He's flirted with her, but he's never pursued her. Usually, if a Capitolite from his sort of family is interested at all, there is pursuit.