She watched him for a moment. Mostly because she knew that these first moments of their working relationship would set the tone. And she wanted to make it clear to him that she was no shrinking violet. But once she was sure he was going to be fine, she turned away to afford him some moderate privacy, glancing at a few bottles to decide what would be best to take along for the ride.
Painkillers went without saying.
And she pocketed a few others that might make for decent sales on the black market. It never hurt to have more money. Especially with the bribing they might need to do.
"All right," she said, "so where did we meet, then, darling?"
He doubted she'd have made it this far in their line of work if she were that shy, and he had worked with a few women in the past, particularly during the war. People tended to be a lot less intolerant when the need for skilled officers, pilots and spies was greater.
Steve didn't care either way. She had two arms, two legs and a brain. So long as she could do the job, and so far he had a good feeling about it, he couldn't care less whether she was man or woman. Above all else, she was a spy.
"Somewhere... different," he gave it some thought. "Maybe Switzerland. Or Italy. You were there on vacation with your family, and I had a meeting with clients. I run an import and export business. Especially useful in the war."
And he often had plenty of German officers coming to him while he was undercover to study business opportunities. Steve had gotten his hands on plenty of valuable information that way.
"Of course, I come from money," she said. "Sole heiress, after my brother died in an unfortunate ice-skating accident when we were children." Not far off from the truth, in some respects. She had lost a brother young. And had been unexpectedly forced to step into his role, for lack of a better term. "Old money, I think. The kind that comes with an equally old and rather trivial connection to royalty."
Oh, yes. She really liked that.
And it didn't hurt that these days, the royalty of Europe was such a tangled mess that almost no one ever bothered to try untangling it. Everyone was connected to Queen Victoria in some way. That was the long and short of it.
"My parents couldn't stand you. But you eventually won them over." He had a certain roguish charm about him.
James let out a soft little huff, glancing at Barrett."Course they couldn't. I'm a cocky asshole who decided I had to marry you the moment I met you."
Seemed to fit his role, that possessive attitude. It would probably suit it even better if she was playing the role of a quiet, demure wife, too. Not that he expected them to get into any personal chatter during the mission, but was always good to have the details down.
"Very cocky," she replied, unable to hide a bit of delight in her sea-storm blue eyes. "Unlike any other man I'd ever met before."
But really, like almost every other man she'd met before.
Still. There was something different about Steve. She couldn't put her finger on what it was. Maybe it was just the nagging feeling that he was actually a good man. There was a rather dire shortage of those in Mina's line of work.
It had been a while.
"A whirlwind courtship of a whole...let's say month. And that was far too long for either of us. A runaway marriage after that."
He liked to think he was good. Well, in most aspects anyway. He tried, at least. He failed at times, but that was just part of being human, he supposed.
"Ah, a very long courtship, then," he joked mildly, putting on his boots and tying them tightly. He winced at the mild strain it put to his injury.
"Bet your parents didn't let you have a dime after that stunt, but I'm sure I do well enough with my business. Especially right now," he pointed out.
"It's really just a waiting game," she said, picking up his hat and holding it out for him. "After all, they have to die sometime. And they can't leave all of that delicious money to just anyone. We can bide our time. And they're already showing signs of giving in. Just last December, they even sent a Christmas card."
She glanced down at herself. Bloody hell, she was going to have to go back to wearing dresses.
Thank the Goddess corsets had gone out of fashion for the moment. Small favors. But she wasn't sure what she was going to do about her tattoo. Or the burn on her arm, for the matter. Sleeveless was en vogue.
Bridges to burn when they came to them.
"After you, husband dearest," she said, gesturing to the door.
Steve dropped the little act for now, and nodded as she told him to lead the way out, adjusting the backpack on his shoulders. They had a long journey ahead of them, and he wasn't always the best conversationalist. Then again, she was probably used to long, awkward stretches of silence while sitting next to a stranger.
After they were a good distance away, he gestured ahead. "There's a village over the hill. I can find us a car there."
Mina didn't mind the silence so much. Not this particular kind, anyway. There were other silences that bothered her more. And one in particular started to nibble at the back of her mind as they made their way along the side of the road.
The silence that would come from the sunrise.
She reckoned it was about five or six hours off. She couldn't exactly tell him that she would be of even less use to him than a corpse, one that happened. The Masquerade was there for a reason.
But how the hell did the VA expect her to get around that little tidbit? Did he know? It was possible. Some humans did. But she very much doubted this one. It was going to be a delicate little dance.
"Save the car for tomorrow night. We should hunker down for the day. Rest up as much as possible."
Her instincts were right. Steve really had no idea, so far as he was aware she was a perfectly normal, perfectly human woman, and so far nothing had tipped him off to thinking otherwise.
Her comment, however, brought a confused frown to his face. He usually went along with orders, but this didn't seem like an order. Sure didn't seem like a logical order, at least.
"And lose all the sunlight hours? No way. We'll be able to travel faster and cover more distance. Traveling during the night might've been safer if we had the time to spare, but we don't. We have to travel as fast and as far as we can."
Mina could, of course, have resorted to mind control. But that was really messy, when it came to a cooperation. So she'd have to try the old-fashioned approach.
"The funny thing about daylight," she said, "is that people can see you in it." Especially if your traveling companion burst into flames. That wasn't something easily missed. Not even in a backwater as dreadful as this. "And I'm not sure a wealthy businessman and his heiress wife should really be seen driving a hot car, darling."
"You have a point. Or you would, if we could afford to waste time, but we can't. Besides, a car driving in the middle of the night is bound to gather far more attention."
Cars driving down a road in daylight would be a lot less conspicuous than a pair of headlights shining in the darkness, particularly to anyone that might be watching anywhere.
"Besides, we don't have to be a wealthy couple until we get there. Plenty other roles to choose from," he said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at her. Her insistence on driving through the night just didn't make sense at all to him. "What's the real reason why you don't want to move during the day?"
A half-truth, she found, was sometimes more of a nuisance than a lie. But seeing as the Masquerade was paramount to the VA, she would have to work within it as much as possible. Although, frankly, it would be a hell of a lot easier just to bypass the whole, messy thing.
"I have my orders," she replied. "I'm not keen on questioning them. And my organization demands nighttime stealth. I'd offer to let you take it up with them, but it seems to me that that would be wasting more time."
Not to mention any conversation they had over the telephone would probably be overheard by people who were better off not hearing anything at all.
Still. She sighed heavily, reaching into her pocket to pull out a slip of paper. "My commanding officer is actually in the states. Somewhere called...Milwaukee?" She made a face. Probably stolen land.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Painkillers went without saying.
And she pocketed a few others that might make for decent sales on the black market. It never hurt to have more money. Especially with the bribing they might need to do.
"All right," she said, "so where did we meet, then, darling?"
no subject
Steve didn't care either way. She had two arms, two legs and a brain. So long as she could do the job, and so far he had a good feeling about it, he couldn't care less whether she was man or woman. Above all else, she was a spy.
"Somewhere... different," he gave it some thought. "Maybe Switzerland. Or Italy. You were there on vacation with your family, and I had a meeting with clients. I run an import and export business. Especially useful in the war."
And he often had plenty of German officers coming to him while he was undercover to study business opportunities. Steve had gotten his hands on plenty of valuable information that way.
no subject
Oh, yes. She really liked that.
And it didn't hurt that these days, the royalty of Europe was such a tangled mess that almost no one ever bothered to try untangling it. Everyone was connected to Queen Victoria in some way. That was the long and short of it.
"My parents couldn't stand you. But you eventually won them over." He had a certain roguish charm about him.
no subject
Seemed to fit his role, that possessive attitude. It would probably suit it even better if she was playing the role of a quiet, demure wife, too. Not that he expected them to get into any personal chatter during the mission, but was always good to have the details down.
no subject
But really, like almost every other man she'd met before.
Still. There was something different about Steve. She couldn't put her finger on what it was. Maybe it was just the nagging feeling that he was actually a good man. There was a rather dire shortage of those in Mina's line of work.
It had been a while.
"A whirlwind courtship of a whole...let's say month. And that was far too long for either of us. A runaway marriage after that."
no subject
"Ah, a very long courtship, then," he joked mildly, putting on his boots and tying them tightly. He winced at the mild strain it put to his injury.
"Bet your parents didn't let you have a dime after that stunt, but I'm sure I do well enough with my business. Especially right now," he pointed out.
no subject
She glanced down at herself. Bloody hell, she was going to have to go back to wearing dresses.
Thank the Goddess corsets had gone out of fashion for the moment. Small favors. But she wasn't sure what she was going to do about her tattoo. Or the burn on her arm, for the matter. Sleeveless was en vogue.
Bridges to burn when they came to them.
"After you, husband dearest," she said, gesturing to the door.
no subject
After they were a good distance away, he gestured ahead. "There's a village over the hill. I can find us a car there."
no subject
The silence that would come from the sunrise.
She reckoned it was about five or six hours off. She couldn't exactly tell him that she would be of even less use to him than a corpse, one that happened. The Masquerade was there for a reason.
But how the hell did the VA expect her to get around that little tidbit? Did he know? It was possible. Some humans did. But she very much doubted this one. It was going to be a delicate little dance.
"Save the car for tomorrow night. We should hunker down for the day. Rest up as much as possible."
no subject
Her comment, however, brought a confused frown to his face. He usually went along with orders, but this didn't seem like an order. Sure didn't seem like a logical order, at least.
"And lose all the sunlight hours? No way. We'll be able to travel faster and cover more distance. Traveling during the night might've been safer if we had the time to spare, but we don't. We have to travel as fast and as far as we can."
no subject
Mina could, of course, have resorted to mind control. But that was really messy, when it came to a cooperation. So she'd have to try the old-fashioned approach.
"The funny thing about daylight," she said, "is that people can see you in it." Especially if your traveling companion burst into flames. That wasn't something easily missed. Not even in a backwater as dreadful as this. "And I'm not sure a wealthy businessman and his heiress wife should really be seen driving a hot car, darling."
no subject
Cars driving down a road in daylight would be a lot less conspicuous than a pair of headlights shining in the darkness, particularly to anyone that might be watching anywhere.
"Besides, we don't have to be a wealthy couple until we get there. Plenty other roles to choose from," he said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at her. Her insistence on driving through the night just didn't make sense at all to him. "What's the real reason why you don't want to move during the day?"
no subject
"I have my orders," she replied. "I'm not keen on questioning them. And my organization demands nighttime stealth. I'd offer to let you take it up with them, but it seems to me that that would be wasting more time."
Not to mention any conversation they had over the telephone would probably be overheard by people who were better off not hearing anything at all.
Still. She sighed heavily, reaching into her pocket to pull out a slip of paper. "My commanding officer is actually in the states. Somewhere called...Milwaukee?" She made a face. Probably stolen land.