eversohungry | [Action/Video] Transmission 003

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[Action/Video] Transmission 003 - In Which Vastra Returns

[By Vastra's reckoning, years have passed. Her position at Scotland Yard has been elevated considerably, and in addition her little inner circle has expanded to a veritable 'Gang' of sorts. She and Jenny were married and happy, the Doctor had some of his familiar spark back, and yet...]

[Vastra leaves the woods, her hat veil trailing behind her as she carries it in her hand. Luceti, again. Warmer this time, thankfully, however it was not a welcome sight.]

[Not much seems to have changed, though upon her return to Luceti Vastra regrets leaving behind the few friends she had made. Natasha, Mr. Barnes, Miss Amelia, and Loki to name a few. However life went on and it went at a very quick clip after her return. Now those feelings of regret were resurfacing. Part of her wonders if they escaped, and hopes they did. Part of her feels slightly deflated that should they be gone, she would have to start completely over. This time with the knowledge that her wife was missing her, not just her paramour.]

[She walks down into the village, the path still familiar, repositioning the black hat and veil over her face. She takes it in, as much as she can, and feels very uneasy when she gets the sense that the changes she sees are extremely superficial...]

[When she arrives at the room she had, there is plastic over the furniture--and though the clothes and personal items are gone, it appears the heavier things never moved. Vastra pulls the cover off her familiar chair, sits, and opens her journal.]

((Video))

Is there anyone here who recalls seeing me a few years ago? I realize this is most likely a strange message, however as unsettling as Luceti is, little seems to have changed since my departure. I suppose this is simply the nature of this place?

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1892. [Vastra says off-hand, setting the 'shirt' back on the rack and pulling out a skirt to examine.] London. The highest technology produced by humans that I can expect to see at home is a camera, and the closest any average woman comes to running a business is a hat shop. Not that I am average, however you've probably gleaned as much already.

[Skirt approved. Moving on...] What exactly is an 'arc reactor', if you don't mind my asking. [She smiles.]

[It does explain quite a bit, and also helps as Pepper flips through the racks. Though she's not at all an expert on historical fashion, there's general guidelines she can keep in mind while she searches, along with paying attention to what Vastra selects for herself.]

I did get that impression somehow. [Pepper grins a bit as she agrees that it's clear Vastra is something over than average.]

Well, as I said, it's a self-sustaining energy source. The technology was originally developed by Tony's father Howard, but Tony's taken it far beyond the original design. Before we were brought here, we had completed construction on a high-rise that can be run for at least a year without any cost to the city thanks to the arc reactor.

A year without any recharge? That is a very impressive power source. [For early 21st century humans, at least. Vastra doesn't know Pepper well enough to start raining on the parade with her 'I'm a lizard woman from the dawn of time, and we used to keep early humans as pets and space travel was routine' bit. That was at least fifth-meeting material.]

I suppose, given you are in charge of the business side, that you have answered these same questions over and over again. I hate to be dull.

Thank you. [Yes, thank you Vastra for not bursting the bubble on Stark Industries' greatest achievement. Pepper appreciates it, not only because of her role in the business, but because she's also fully aware of all the effort that went into it.] We're very pleased with the results.

Oh, it's fine. I should apologize if my answers come off as too formal and press-ready. [It's not the best tone for casual conversation, after all. But it's an easy frame of mind for Pepper to slip into, even after the time she's spent in Luceti.]

Well, it is your profession. I suspect I would do the same were I presented with a similar situation.

And to be quite frank, assuming humanity has not moved much beyond allowing women to at least manufacture their own undergarments, it is quite necessary to exude an air of competence and be knowledgeable.

Oh, do you deal with the public too?

[It’s a fair question. Maybe in Vastra’s world it’s not at all unusual for lizard people to be walking around in Victorian London.]

Well, I can’t say that we live in a perfectly equal society where I’m from. [A dry grin plays over her lips, because yes, Pepper has experienced her share of backlash, particularly from those who think she slept her way to the top of Stark Industries rather than earned it.] But we have made some significant improvements.

No, not exactly. Only when the public breaks the law of the land. [She raises her eyebrow and smirks. No doubt what sort of business Vastra is involved in now, perhaps.]

I'm glad to hear it. I felt I had gone backwards in time between the start of human history and 1883. But we all make our own way in the world, regardless of the times we live in.

Oh, like a police officer. [Although the way Vastra looks at her, the sharpness of her grin, makes Pepper doubt it’s something so…official.] Or like a vigilante?

[A lizard woman operating outside the law. Somehow that’s easier to believe than what comes next, which has Pepper doing a double take.] Wait…did you say the start of human history? [Or rather, had she just said it in a way that implies Vastra has been around that long.]

Well, a little bit of both. I am a private consultant to Scotland Yard. Not every case they encounter is so straight-forward. Sometimes it requires someone who is more familiar with less-than-usual occurrences and phenomena. That is when I step in, so to speak.

[Vastra is liking how Pepper seems to be picking up everything she's dropping. It makes it easier to know what to discuss and what to leave out.] Yes. When I was younger, I lived in an age before human dominance of the planet. But, well, nothing lasts forever as they say. I went into hibernation to avoid the end of the world and woke up about sixty-five million years later. I didn't expect to sleep quite so long, but there you have it. [Oh, this is one of her bodices, excellent.]

Ah. [That's a position Pepper can definitely appreciate, since it seems to mirror Tony's role with SHIELD.] Now I understand.

[A little harder to grasp is the idea that Vastra is apparently tens of millions years old, even if she hasn't consciously experienced all of it. The technicality doesn't really help the notion settle, and Pepper stops where she stands, staring at the lizard woman in shock without realizing she's doing it.]

That's...that's a really long time.

Ah... yes. [Normally Vastra would take a somewhat perverse glee at causing someone's mouth to hang open, however Pepper is both helping to sort her clothing out and doesn't wholly deserve the discomfort.]

Too long, as I said. If you can imagine falling asleep and waking up as the last human on Earth, you might feel the same. My kind's science did save my life, but I wouldn't say that it was a completely smooth transition.

[Her eyes widen then for an entirely different reason, and Pepper covers her mouth with a hand as what Vastra says sinks in.]

So you’re alone. [Though Vastra says it mildly, Pepper can’t imagine how hard that realization must have been.] I'm sorry.

[Vastra looks surprised for a moment, then chuckles and shakes her head.] I may be the last of my kind, but I am far from alone. I have a few friends and a wife. My life is far from lonely.

...Well it was. [She sorts through a few more shirts.]

[She smiles genuinely at that, really glad to hear that Vastra’s found a place for herself in her home world—even someone to love. But it is true she’s separated from that now, and the silence stretches for a few moments before Pepper replies.]

Well, you’ve started making friends here now. So I don’t think you’ll be lonely for very long.

Yes, I hope you're right, Pepper. [Vastra smiles and adds another bodice to her collection.] It is a bit of a slow process, as you can imagine. However I have found that most of the residents of Luceti are less likely to faint upon seeing me. Progress.

[Pepper had picked out another skirt or two along the way, each long and full, and ones she thought would partner well with the items Vastra had chosen. A wry grin plays over her lips as Vastra points out that progress.]

Well, I think Luceti might be one of the best places to be if you want your sense of reality to be pushed. Every time you think you’ve gotten a handle on things, something new happens to surprise you.

True enough. I was here for a few months prior to my return, and it did feel as though every other day something was off. I suppose we have all adapted to it, though some of us require more adaptation than others?

Oh, definitely. [Pepper grins to the other woman over the clothing rack.] I’ll let you know if I ever think I’ve finished adapting.

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[Action/Video] Transmission 003 - In Which Vastra Returns

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