bleak_midwinter | 1st race

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[Tommy walks the halls as if they belong ti him- it's not too strange, since they often did, back home. He walks as if's surrounded by hard men with razors stitched into their hats, with guns in their hands. It's easy to take offense to, but he'll be quick to reassure if anyone does.

He visits the Deck first, to smoke and to let it sink in where he is. After that, he makes the rounds, exploring: the dining hall for a good meal, the bar for some whiskey (Irish; always), the engine room. He spends a considerable amount of time in the common rooms, too, trying to figure out the TV's.

At night he's back on the deck, as high as he can go, as different as scene from his dreams as the Barge can provide.]

[Video]

[He's been on the ship for a full day before he announces himself. You might have seen him, or you might not have; for all he moves as if he owns the halls, his suit is drab enough that he can blend in when he wants.

He's in his kitchen now; there are patterned tiles, an old-fashioned wood stove, a china cabinet. It's cozy, if outdated for most of the Barge's inhabitants. Without his hat on, Tommy's eyes are a clear, penetrating blue. His voice is low, with a strong Birmingham accent. He's smoking, and it's obscuring his face in the already low lighting from the oil lamp on the table.]

From what I can tell, this place is all about 'forgiveness'. Not forgetting, but forgiving-- inmates and wardens alike. How long should forgiveness take? Are there things you could never forgive? People you'll always forgive?

Has your opinion changed, since you've been here?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

punched_hitler

Ah. [He nods a little - he knows exactly where it is, even if he's never been.] I was stationed in London, in the early '40s. I never got to see much else of the country, though, which I always thought was a shame.

Europe - in France, with the 107th Infantry. He was killed by mustard gas before I was born, though.

bleak_midwinter

I was a tunneler, mostly. [He's still assuming people know what that means- going meters and meters underneath the earth, laying traps, digging tunnels.] Didn't see much gas, and we were glad for it.

[He looks at Steve with a slight frown- not that they were particularly picky towards the end of the war, but this is an outlier.]

London, eh?

[Steve knows what that means, for a number of reasons, but not everyone will, no.] No gas was a perk, but I'll bet there were plenty of downsides. [He cocks a thoughtful smile.] We don't use trenches and tunnels much at all, anymore.

[And he's seen that look before, sir. For better or for worse.] That's right. With the Army. Special ops, sort of - did anyone tell you we went to war with Germany again?

[It stops him in his tracks for a second, though we don't use trenches and tunnels at all is almost enough of a salve for now. Back home, he hasn't had to shutter his reaction to mentions of the war, because all the men around him had been soldiers.]

Krauts couldn't stay away, then?

[He's not asking for the whole story. He's not sure he wants to know- body count, weapons, locations, parties involved. He's had his fill of war, and he's tired of it already.]

[He doesn't have to shutter his reactions in front of Steve, but he may or may not realize that; either way, Steve shakes his head.]

No. I almost can't blame them - after the Great War, they were pretty well castrated. People don't like to feel weak or helpless. But it doesn't excuse what they did, either.

[He figures he doesn't need to give the full story, either, just -] The British got some of the worst bombing, and I have never seen a people pull together more than they did, except maybe one time since. [Because sorry, he's a little biased but New York did a hell of a job after the Chitauri invasion, too.]

Anyway. I don't mind filling you in, but there's plenty in the library, too, if you want to take a look. Plenty about everything that's happened since, too. I'm still catching up myself, in a lot of ways. You figure out how to work the device you got? [He pulls his out of his pocket.]

[Honestly, he's a little glad for the distraction- it creeps underneath his skin, talk of another war. He can barely stand to have a conversation about the war he'd participated in, and even through his cynicism (the war to end all wars, like he'd ever believed that) it's hard to deal with.

So he nods, pulls out his own.]

Took some time, but I have it, yeah.

[Unfortunately, there's always another war - although not on the scale of the ones they're familiar with. Thank God for small favors.]

Great. That's honestly how most people communicate - I like doing things face-to-face, but you've gotta admit, there's something nice about shooting off a text to somebody anytime, anywhere, too. They're pretty reliable, and they'll generally work long-range, but not always, depending on what's going on.

Other than that, the ship's pretty straightforward and you'll figure most things out - have you been on deck yet? That's probably one of the most disorienting parts.

[He nods again, runs his thumb over the edge of the communicator. He's glad that Steve is telling him all this, being so open with the information-- for all that he's a warden, he feels out of place, out of time. It's a little comforting that Steve is similarly out of time.]

I have, yes. It's good.

[Steve just remembers what it was like to have people a) trying to explain things while using words that were not really entirely understandable at the time, and b) assuming he couldn't figure out how things worked, just because he didn't understand the modern lingo. It does help, he figures, to have someone with the right lingo and the same experiences try to explain new things to you.

He smiles at the answer, nodding.] Yeah, it's really something, isn't it? A little terrifying, but I guess most beautiful things are.

[He considers for a minute, then adds,] The gym's probably the only other place you might not've seen some of the stuff - most of the computerized machines are pretty easy to figure out, but just ask if you need a hand, no one'll mind. Other than that... I've got a record player and a pretty decent collection, if you don't and you get homesick. [And an iPod, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.]

Thank you. For explaining. I'd like to settle in as soon as possible, and this will help. [He really does look grateful, and he's smiling a little.]

[Steve smiles too - he's just glad to help, he remembers feeling out of time, and it's not really a nice feeling.] Don't mention it.

[He tilts his head a little.] I'll let you get back to it, but you can just give me a call if you need anything else, huh?

I will. I'll let you know if I find anything interesting to watch.

[Steve grins.] Please do. I've got a running list of things I need to catch up on.

[He gives a little salute - it's not "official," but it's pretty damn close to regulation - and heads on his way.]

Thomas Shelby

1st race

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