IC Inbox for duplicitynet

[unclesam]

INBOX

sam wilson
un: s.wilson

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[ text ].[ video ].[ audio ].[ action ]

TESSISAMESS

Comments

text / un: rogers

[abide]

[ He thinks things have been okay since Sam's arrival, and even after fighting alongside him, he hasn't thought too much about it. But maybe that's this place numbing everything into a sense of normalcy. There's so much they haven't really discussed since everything had happened, so Steve's just going to try to play it cool. ]

How are you settling in?

[unclesam]

[ Steve's a busy man - Sam's surprised to hear from him, pleasantly so. Surprised, too, at how little Steve's distance actually surprises him. ]

I mean, place is a shithole. but I get along with my room mate, I got my gear, and Peggy got good taste in drinks, so it's working out as well as it could.

❱❱ delivery

[shieldingfoundation]

( a day after one of their talks Sam will find an envelope left on his bed. in it will be a slip of paper stating he has permission to work and purchase what he would like. along with the permission slip is a handwritten note from Peggy that reads; )

Keep that with you at all times until you find yourself a worthy partner to contract with. It allows you to travel freely between the Up and the Down, as well as grants you permission to work wherever you decide to and gives you the freedom to buy anything you'd like, without issue from the guards or natives or other LIERs, who might have refused you before.

The Dominant who signed off on this is a dear friend of mine and my employer at Plumage. I trust him with my life.

Let me know when you receive this and if you would still like to take the position at the gym now that you have the choice.

-Peggy

text. un: whitewolf (post-sinkhole/pre-slut center)

[restored]

[The message arrives in the middle of the night. He has no idea whether Sam's awake or not. But that doesn't keep him from sending over a simple-]

you up?

[Yes, he's had a nightmare. And no, he doesn't want to talk about it.]

[unclesam]

yeah

[ Not really. But Sam knows a few things about Bucky, even if this Bucky has never told him about them. So it doesn't take a genius to make an educated guess. So getting from light sleep to awake and alert isn't a hard feat. ]

come over

[restored]

can't

[Though that's not entirely true. And after all they've already been through, he knows he owes Sam more than that.]

you've got a roommate

[unclesam]

can. my room mate's no longer in the city.

[ He has the brief luxury of living on his own. ]

it's why I offered

[restored]

[Well. That makes things more complicated.]

shouldn't
you've got work later

1/2

[unclesam]

I'm too lazy to take a video of me rolling my eyes rn. so you need to come over just so I can do it in person.

text | un: stark

[ingeniar]

Still in the hole?

[unclesam]

nah. we found all the tourist attractions there and left. I'm considering leaving a bad yelp review.

[ingeniar]

Did you get me anything?

[unclesam]

only attitude
I can send redwing down there if you'd like the tunnels mapped out for your convenience, though.

[ingeniar]

Way ahead of you, Tweety Pie. But I appreciate the offer.

So who do I bill for the goat damage?

audio / un: rogers

[abide]

[ He's calling Sam as soon as Bucky messages him, calm but concern still audibly laced in his voice. ]

Hey, Sam. It's me. Bucky said you missed work, and I wanted to check in. I can stop by if you need anything. Or – [ there's a pause, trying to move somewhere quieter since the city noise is so loud. ] Or you can use my place. My door's always open.

Call or text me when you get this. [ Otherwise, he's going to be searching the city with Bucky in tow. ]

[unclesam]

[ The response comes a few hours later. Sam would feel bad for having caused this level of extended concern - but to be fair to himself, he wasn't really conscious for most of it. ]

Had a tussle with some guards, got knocked out. Woulda checked in earlier, but kinda didn't come to until a while ago. They lovingly dumped me in an ally. Real classy.

[ The offer of access to Steve's place is... weird. Sam's since come to understand why Steve took him to a motel way back when - there's probably no really non-awkward way to introduce your flavor of the evening to your contract partner when they're both strangers to each other. Which is also the reason why Sam makes a face at the idea of trudging all the way to the Up to a home he's never been to and company he's more than unfamiliar with. Still - the concern is a welcome surprise, and Sam appreciates it. ]

I'm fine now. Just nursing my wounded pride and the pretty shiner they gave me.

[abide]

[ Steve picks the call up immediately, having already made rounds through the Up and the Down just to double-check. ]

You sure? [ Because he certainly knows how fighting the guards goes. Even someone with his stamina can't touch them for long. ] I can let Bucky know if you haven't talked to him yet.

[ There's a pause then, expression thinning a little. ]

Were you with Peggy? He mentioned both of you not showing.

[unclesam]

[ At this point in the day, Sam's faring better than he will be later. Definitely knows something's in his system, feels mildly feverish, but nothing too bad yet. The worst, as it were, will definitely later. ]

He with you? Yeah, 'course can update him. Feel free to oversell how well I handled the brawl. Buck don't need to know Captain America's not mowing down these assholes by the dozen.

[ There's the sound of rustling - Sam's on his bed, shifting. Starting to get a little restless but still working through it. ]

Yeah - she's good. Daisy and I were on our way to work. Already checked in with her.

[ Yeah, he's not quite aware of how addled his brain is already, else he wouldn't load the nicknames into this conversation. ]

[abide]

We split up a while ago to cover more ground, but I'll let him know.

[ Which is easy to do since he can just send him a text, silent for a moment as he tries to do that as well as listen to everything else Sam has to say. There's still a sense of 'not his place' lingering just around the edges, but he's determined to fix this between them. Whatever they have to work through, he's just going to swallow it and push forward.

He has to. ]

What about you? Is there anything I can do?

[ He's already planning to check in with Peggy, and as far as that nickname goes, he isn't going to address that quite yet. He figures it must be something they gave him. ]

audio | un: m.carter

[shieldingfoundation]

( after several text messages and a phone call that went right to voicemail, Sam's inbox will be graced with a (worried) message by a familiar voice. )

There's no possible way you've ended up at the SLUT center again. ( or so she keeps telling herself. because, ) It's too early for that. You still have a week or so to go, if you've somehow managed to miss making it. ( she hopes he'd be making sure not to this time. )

Which means you're somewhere else in the city. Precisely where that is I haven't the slightest idea. Not just yet. But I plan on looking until I know. ( she will be leaving no stone unturned and no government building unchecked. )

Should you receive this before I do, then call me back straight away. Please, Sam.

text. un: whitewolf (group text)

[restored]

i need to tell you both something and i need you to not
i don't know

[This...really shouldn't be as awkward as it is. Shouldn't feel uncomfortable in any way, because it's Sam and Peggy. They know him in ways that even Steve doesn't. He trusts them. Knows that no matter what happens, he'll always be able to rely on them.

But he also knows that it's their opinions that matter most to him. So if they react badly, if they aren't happy with the choice he's making, he knows he'll take it back in a heartbeat. And that's what worries him.

there's a man here called maxen ashley colchester
ash
i've been spending time with him
he's helping me with some stuff that he's kind of an expert in
i trust him

[Get to it, Barnes.]

his profile turned up on that contracting thing
i offered him one
a contract i mean
but i'm not signing anything unless you guys speak to him first

[unclesam]

glad you're making friends, bucky
what'd you need either of us to talk to this dude for?

I mean don't get me wrong, if you get hurt in any capacity I'll kick your guy's teeth in with prejudice, but otherwise if this is what you want and you're sure about the guy, which sounds like it on both counts, then you gotta know any choice you make has my support.

I'm happy you got a good match, man.

[restored]

cause i feel like you're gonna be weird about it

[Well, no time like the present.]

he's a potus
a version of america at least
and he
kinda looks a whole lot like steve

that's why i need you to talk to him
need you guys to see how different he is
need you to understand that i ain't signing a contract because of that

[And then a follow up text a moment later-]

just ignore most of what his profile says

[shieldingfoundation]

A president. My, that certainly is a new one for the city. Though I will say, he isn't the first, and likely not the last, person brought here who resembles Steve.

( she remembers only one other who looked similar, but there had been key differences that set them worlds (or in that case - universes) apart. )

Anyone who pays any mind to what those ads say is a fool. The city knows how to twist the truth and spin it to fit its narrative.

And of course, we'll talk to him. If that's what you want.

( no backsies! she's already looking him up. )

[unclesam]

I wish either of you had context for how hard Sharon would laugh about this.

anyway.

you heard the lady.

[ PRIVATE to Bucky ]

any other unflattering notions about how I tick? maybe you should question why you'd want the man to meet me, buck