[ it's his turn to be flattered. hasn't ever really been the cool guy or the mentor (stuck as the young lad of the team for so long). that caroline looks to him for something like approval makes him uneasy, but — she's charming, in her way. (unpredictable, too, though she seems to be mellowing, with daylight and without clarke). ]
You might be alone in that opinion.
[ lightly said. fitz knows his appeal isn't the Cool Factor. ]
But, I mean, we could take one whenever. [ he drags a hand across his jaw. ] Just save it for after.
[ clarke is caroline's new amsterdam amy bradley. she's irrationally triggered by the mention of the woman's name, defensive over her irrationality, and endlessly paranoid that the friendships she's so carefully curated will slip out of her hands in favor of someone else. so it's for the best, really, that fitz doesn't say anything about it.
better for caroline to focus on reaffirming her opinion — that fitz is particularly swoon-worthy in his costume, that he's always been in his own way, the scruffy nerd vibe one he carries really, really well. ]
Oh, please. [ the smile she flashes him is fond, sincere even as she rolls her eyes at his self-deprecation; she shakes her head a bit, curls tumbling out of place. ] You know, if you went around asking people to sign up in that get up, I bet you'd get more volunteers.
[ for morningstar, she means. sign up for the cause. which she hasn't done yet, though she's done nothing but help where she can. ]
[ he leans on the counter, propped up by one hand. there's a slight skip in his expression (a twitch of his mouth and slide of the eyes), re-calibrating with that statement. can't tell if she's joking or not. fitz never thought anyone would follow him, let alone in this (morningstar... or the outfit...).
but the displaced have. gaby and el must, to a lesser extent. strange. ]
I think the rebellion will be putting Dameron up on our posters first.
[ like, have you seen that guy... he is Hot. ]
Haven't gotten you to sign up, have I.
[ hasn't asked, but he isn't asking now and he won't, either. that's not how recruitment for this works. it's not about a man or whim; it's down to the cause.
[ something falters in caroline's expression. it isn't disagreement or disapproval — no, but rather uncertainty and surprise that pry her lips apart, a small circle between them as she considers the question. he hasn't gotten her to commit, but in truth, caroline never considered it as an option. it hasn't been that long since she'd had damon offer to kill her for her own good, so convinced as he was that she'd only ever be a liability, an inconvenience, an albatross around all their collective necks.
no one — not even stefan, endlessly patient as he was, saw her as an asset. her death and subsequent rebirth had been a challenge, her bloodlust something to overcome; her strength and stamina and invulnerability paled in comparison to the more experienced among them, and so what she could do had never been taken seriously.
she wants to help, but she hadn't thought her help would be wanted in return. ]
You never asked. [ she realizes now, a bit shyly, that perhaps he never would have. it's not a secret club. invitations aren't a requirement, are they? ] I didn't know anybody wanted me to.
[ does it matter if he wants her to? maybe, with their strange meeting and subsequent connection. ]
[ canting his head, ] Do you — want to, I mean.
[ a delicate balance to strike. morningstar matters to this world, so fitz handles all matters related to it with care. he still has a great deal to prove to its agents (and himself). has to be sure everyone with him and peggy also cares about the people of this world — that they want to listen, not just be the big damn hero. ]
You're already helping with a core project. [ outreach. it's a casual observation, moved past with a shrug. ] And anyone can join, if they believe in what we do. [ a gesture to himself. ] That's why I'm here.
[ 'cause Gaby had every right to turn him and Peggy away, when they came calling. ]
[ it should be that simple, caroline thinks. to help themselves, to help other people — she'd taken up the supply runs because she'd wanted to help gaby when she'd looked and sounded so stressed out, and she'd kept doing them even after she'd gotten her daylight ring back because it had been a nice way to feel like she was doing something worthwhile with her time.
sure, she could laze around in the safehouse like some dull version of summer vacation, but that got boring really fast already back when she was on house arrest 2.0 right after arriving in new amsterdam. without a real girl job, having a morningstar to-do list kept her occupied enough to actually enjoy her quote-unquote time off.
so if joining morningstar means helping people, caroline thinks that's obvious. of course she wants to help. (maybe, too, there's a selfishness in it. if she helps them, maybe they'll help her if the time comes for her to need it.) ]
[ the corners of his mouth soften, edges sanded off. it's a gentle counter, one few would receive from him, as straightforward and bullish as he can be in all things. ]
If you do believe in it, [ he raps his knuckles on the counter ] and you want to act on it, [ a level of belief great enough to support action. he takes a few steps closer, so he can assure her, ] then there's nothing else to say but — welcome to the team.
[ because that's part of the appeal, too, at least for fitz. home is the team is family. and here, too, he has a home — vibrant with life, anchored with a partner in agent carter, and devoted to ensuring this world is better off than they found it — one worth fighting for. ]
I do. [ simple as that. what comes next, though, requires a little more guidance. ] I'm just not sure how.
[ she isn't a politician's daughter or a nurse in training. she can't compel their way towards favors or out of scrapes here, and while her blood carries a healing capacity unknown to modern medicine in her time, it's perhaps unnecessary in the face of the mediunits still tucked away in the safehouse for emergencies.
and, sure, she knows how to carry a needle and thread, but her bloodlust might make her a poor medical attendant — not to mention of the two people with any medical training, one thinks she's a loose cannon and the other isn't sure about her control. (beggar's choice whether to apply strange or clarke to either description.)
so what direction fitz can give, if any, might be helpful in redirecting caroline's boundless energies. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sorry for the wait!!!
You might be alone in that opinion.
[ lightly said. fitz knows his appeal isn't the Cool Factor. ]
But, I mean, we could take one whenever. [ he drags a hand across his jaw. ] Just save it for after.
no subject
better for caroline to focus on reaffirming her opinion — that fitz is particularly swoon-worthy in his costume, that he's always been in his own way, the scruffy nerd vibe one he carries really, really well. ]
Oh, please. [ the smile she flashes him is fond, sincere even as she rolls her eyes at his self-deprecation; she shakes her head a bit, curls tumbling out of place. ] You know, if you went around asking people to sign up in that get up, I bet you'd get more volunteers.
[ for morningstar, she means. sign up for the cause. which she hasn't done yet, though she's done nothing but help where she can. ]
no subject
but the displaced have. gaby and el must, to a lesser extent. strange. ]
I think the rebellion will be putting Dameron up on our posters first.
[ like, have you seen that guy... he is Hot. ]
Haven't gotten you to sign up, have I.
[ hasn't asked, but he isn't asking now and he won't, either. that's not how recruitment for this works. it's not about a man or whim; it's down to the cause.
you have to want this life. ]
no subject
no one — not even stefan, endlessly patient as he was, saw her as an asset. her death and subsequent rebirth had been a challenge, her bloodlust something to overcome; her strength and stamina and invulnerability paled in comparison to the more experienced among them, and so what she could do had never been taken seriously.
she wants to help, but she hadn't thought her help would be wanted in return. ]
You never asked. [ she realizes now, a bit shyly, that perhaps he never would have. it's not a secret club. invitations aren't a requirement, are they? ] I didn't know anybody wanted me to.
no subject
[ canting his head, ] Do you — want to, I mean.
[ a delicate balance to strike. morningstar matters to this world, so fitz handles all matters related to it with care. he still has a great deal to prove to its agents (and himself). has to be sure everyone with him and peggy also cares about the people of this world — that they want to listen, not just be the big damn hero. ]
You're already helping with a core project. [ outreach. it's a casual observation, moved past with a shrug. ] And anyone can join, if they believe in what we do. [ a gesture to himself. ] That's why I'm here.
[ 'cause Gaby had every right to turn him and Peggy away, when they came calling. ]
no subject
[ it should be that simple, caroline thinks. to help themselves, to help other people — she'd taken up the supply runs because she'd wanted to help gaby when she'd looked and sounded so stressed out, and she'd kept doing them even after she'd gotten her daylight ring back because it had been a nice way to feel like she was doing something worthwhile with her time.
sure, she could laze around in the safehouse like some dull version of summer vacation, but that got boring really fast already back when she was on house arrest 2.0 right after arriving in new amsterdam. without a real girl job, having a morningstar to-do list kept her occupied enough to actually enjoy her quote-unquote time off.
so if joining morningstar means helping people, caroline thinks that's obvious. of course she wants to help. (maybe, too, there's a selfishness in it. if she helps them, maybe they'll help her if the time comes for her to need it.) ]
Isn't that what I'm supposed to believe in?
no subject
[ the corners of his mouth soften, edges sanded off. it's a gentle counter, one few would receive from him, as straightforward and bullish as he can be in all things. ]
If you do believe in it, [ he raps his knuckles on the counter ] and you want to act on it, [ a level of belief great enough to support action. he takes a few steps closer, so he can assure her, ] then there's nothing else to say but — welcome to the team.
[ because that's part of the appeal, too, at least for fitz. home is the team is family. and here, too, he has a home — vibrant with life, anchored with a partner in agent carter, and devoted to ensuring this world is better off than they found it — one worth fighting for. ]
no subject
[ she isn't a politician's daughter or a nurse in training. she can't compel their way towards favors or out of scrapes here, and while her blood carries a healing capacity unknown to modern medicine in her time, it's perhaps unnecessary in the face of the mediunits still tucked away in the safehouse for emergencies.
and, sure, she knows how to carry a needle and thread, but her bloodlust might make her a poor medical attendant — not to mention of the two people with any medical training, one thinks she's a loose cannon and the other isn't sure about her control. (beggar's choice whether to apply strange or clarke to either description.)
so what direction fitz can give, if any, might be helpful in redirecting caroline's boundless energies. ]