voice

[deadthenred]

Alright, lemme make sure I got this exact. We've been rounded up to fight in some dad-blamed future battle, and in the meantime we're supposed to sit around and twiddle our thumbs. Guess some things never change, huh?

Look, I got sympathy, I really do. You have terrific taste, bringing me here. I'm all aces. And hang, I hate to say no to a lady. Some of you have to be ladies, right?

[ Cough cough. Ahem. ]

But I'm all booked up. I got a date with Hitler and his Nazi crum-bums. I can't stick around for this.

Comments

[notbeth]

[ She tries to hold back a giggle. ]

Well, then as long as you don't call me Katie or Katherine.

[deadthenred]

My given name's James. But don't tell anyone that.

[notbeth]

James is a cool name. [ She doesn't see anything wrong with it. ]

But I won't!

[deadthenred]

It was my dad's name.

[notbeth]

[ Her heart sinks. ]

I know duty always comes first... but it stinks when you can't see your family for so long.

[deadthenred]

Stinks is a word for it, sure.

I bet we'll get back.

[notbeth]

You will.

[ Should she say?? This is not one of those weird scenarios where she tells him the future and then he goes back and SURPRISE BUTTERFLY EFFECT and suddenly Nazis win is it? ]

And I bet your parents will be really happy when you do.

[deadthenred]

Heh. Yeah. [ It's forced, but he smiles. He doesn't want to bring the girl down. ] You're right.

[notbeth]

Even though this place is st-- dumb-- [ she has to watch herself ] I bet Dad would have liked to meet a World War Two veteran.

Uh... veteran in the future?

[deadthenred]

Heck if I know.

[...]

I bet I'd like to meet your dad, too.

[notbeth]

You said your dad's a soldier, too?

[deadthenred]

He was.

[notbeth]

How come he's not anymore? [ Discharged?? What are boundaries right now. Bucky's the first person to really capture her attention here. ]

[deadthenred]

He died. [ Wow you made him the opposite of talkative. ]

S'alright.

[notbeth]

[ Well

fuck. ]

Oh. [ And she realizes her mistake. ] I'm really sorry. I mean it.

[deadthenred]

It's alright. You didn't know.

[notbeth]

You're not mad?

[deadthenred]

Why would I be mad?

[notbeth]

Maybe it's something you don't wanna talk about.

[deadthenred]

Sure, it ain't my favorite. But that doesn't mean I get mad.

It used to, though. It took me a long time to figure out I was angry about something. I wasn't just angry.

[notbeth]

[ A pause. ]

You were sad?

[deadthenred]

I was sad, yeah. [ Aaaand he picked a lot of fights. ]

[notbeth]

[ It only makes sense he was sad if it was his father. She knows she's lucky to still have hers, but it doesn't alleviate the hot anger swelling in her chest or keep the tears back everyday. ]

How do you stop being angry?