The mission was cut and clear; pretend to be two friends (easy, they were already that before, they could just emulate it again) - pretend to be two close friends (not as easy). However, they were two skilled agents, with one far more experienced in espionage than the other. It was an easily achievable goal.
Dottie was putting on that act (?), though unlike before, because Dottie wasn't trying to grow closer to her this time, and was supposed to already be close, she was clingier. Holding on tight to Peggy's arm, her cheek placed against her shoulder while Peggy rolled her eyes fondly (and while she would say it was to maintain the role, she would be lying; she missed this sort of friendship, not just with another woman (Angie's career was starting to take off now so she was left without many female friends) but with Dottie.
Lying spy or not, she had an infectious energy. Peggy wondered what could have been in a world where Dottie wasn't a spy, or at least not a spy for the opposition, at least. They could have been so close.
Dottie pokes at her cheek. "Peg~" She calls, pouting. It should look strange, and it would, on any other woman but her. "You're zoning off again." She chuckles, before nuzzling back into the space between her neck and shoulder shamelessly.
Dottie keeps pointing at the stalls, talking excitedly about the stores, but when Peggy, or Jarvis and/or Ana - the couple on the comms - has a question, she knows exactly what to notice. She noticed how certain amount of people - Peggy counted three, but Dottie counted four (Peggy missed a teenage-looking young adult) - had bought from a specific stall, in a specific order, and given the same exact item.
It was probably related to their case, so they were slowly making their way.
That was when a woman called out their names; "Oh my god, Peggy?! Dottie!?" The woman goes. There's a kid hanging on to her arm, shy, but her eyes shine as she stare at the two of them, just like the woman's.
Dottie takes a second to remember her, but it's a lot better than Peggy who blanks out on her name completely.
"Eleanor! Hi!! Oh, I'm so glad to see you. It's been so long!" She greets, cheerful and practiced.
Peggy stares at her with a sense of admiration. It is impressive how well she can enter a role. A small smile pulls at her lips, and she lets it shift her expression.
Eleanor and Dottie are still talking, and Peggy's started tuning out their conversation now, if she's being honest - and she is, often, usually, almost always - she usually does.
"I've been helping my husband run his own business since I've left The Griffith." Eleanor says. Peggy can't comprehend what must have occupied their conversation for so long that that has only come up now. She's never been the most social, after all. "It's been doing incredibly well. I'm glad I took your advice."
"Your husband seemed positively crazy about you, Elen. Of course he would have let you help with his company. You're so charming and smart." Was she flirting? Dottie rarely ever complimented people so much. Eleanor was flushed red, and her hand remained on Dottie's forearm, and Peggy squirmed with an uncomfortable emotion.
"You with your silver tongue. You never change, Ms. Underwood." She giggles, high pitched, and more like some sort of grating mating call--- why is she irritated?
"There is beauty in consistency." Dottie shrugs. She opens her mouth to say something else, Peggy places a hand on her wrist, closing tightly to begin to draw her away from Elen-- er, Eleanor, and excuse themselves, because they should probably go finish the mission instead of remain to entertain this woman, and possibly let the vendor run out of items.
Then, Eleanor surprises them when she says - "I am so glad you two are still together. You two have just always been so brave, I've adored watching you two from the background. I barely believed my eyes when I saw you two were still together--"
Dottie blinked, repeatedly, and quickly. Her eyebrows were raised. It was the most amount of shock that Peggy had seen reflected on her face. The fact that her expression was moderately controlled and not as free as her persona proved that it was the true Dottie reacting.
Peggy can't imagine how surprised she looks if even Dottie has been caught by surprise.
Eleanor continues. "-I suppose I shouldn't have been so surprised though, huh?" She chuckled. "True love will stay strong, after all."
Dottie picks herself back up a lot faster than Peggy and saves the conversation. When they were friends at The Griffith, Dottie used to do it a lot, and Peggy had always felt grateful and in awe of how social Dottie was but now she knows it was just years of training coming into action to make meaningless chatter.
"True love?" Dottie asks, going for a vague word first, to gauge Eleanor's assumptions regarding them.
"Oh, is it not safe to discuss out here?" Eleanor asks, her voice now lowered into a whisper. "I apologize, I'm not very well educated on how being a gay works."
Peggy feels herself reacting viscerally. But she doesn't know if it's a negative or positive reaction. Or why.
"I- no, it's fine. Just...stay somewhat quiet about it. When- when did-"
"Oh, right from the start, dear! Surely you didn't think you were being all that subtle, did you? Well, then again, you did fly under the radar to most of the girls, but it was quite clear to me who was already pursuing her own romance that you two were in the throes of one."
Dottie's eyes widen again before she can control herself.
"Yes, yes - Dottie, you always clung onto Peggy; always looking for her in a room, and never settling quite right until she was there, and Peggy, oh, you were always staring at Dottie with these eyes. Why, if I wasn't a well-loved woman, I would have felt quite jealous, watching you undress her with your eyes, or stare at her with so much affection. It was endearing. I would have felt jealous at how much your lover craved your presence too, Peggy. Fortunately, dear Gabe makes me happy, and I am not."
Dottie turns to Peggy, a shit-eating grin surely on her face. "Peg~" She teases. Peggy silences her with a look. Although, they're both aware that Dottie only remained silent for the fun of it, so she could instead turn to Eleanor and gesture for her to keep talking with her eyes.
"May I tell you a secret, you two?"
"Oh, by all means, Elen!" Dottie responds eagerly. "I would love to know. You've already opened our eyes to so many things - we had no idea we were so obvious. I wouldn't have thought Peggy to be the sort of lover that stares at me from across the room, and undresses me with her eyes."
Eleanor giggles, but Peggy feels heat cover her face, her ears especially.
"Why - seeing you two so happy as a couple made me question my views on gays and other--- people. And I suppose Love is Love, and I've done quite a bit of research...and just last week..." Her voice gets even quieter, and Dottie endearingly leans forward to hear more. "I was hit on. By a woman. Could you imagine! She thought that I was a- a homosexual. Isn't that just crazy?"
Dottie stifles her laughter. "Oh, that must have been quite an experience. Well-"
"Well-"
"Oh, I apologize, you go on first, Eleanor."
"I was just about to say, I should go meet up with my husband, I've spent enough time talking and gossiping about like some silly maiden."
"What a coincidence," Peggy spoke, finally, although her voice seemed off to her, unused and awkward. It was very likely to just be a figment of her imagination due to her own uncomfortability due to the recently brought up topic. "We were about to go to. We have so many plans-"
"Ah, yes. I shan't interrupt you on your date."
Dottie buries her head in the space between her neck and shoulder, again. And Peggy can feel her snicker, hear it too. She hates that she's hyper-aware of how attracted she is to that now.
"Well, I suppose we'll be seeing each other soon, if you two frequent this market as much as I. Do you two still live in The Griffith?"
"No, we- we moved, a while after you did. There were some...troubles." Peggy said.
"Ah, Miriam. She always was an old- I suppose I shouldn't finish that statement. Come visit me sometimes, I live in that lovely little blue house just outside the market."
"Yes, of course." Dottie smiles. "We absolutely will, Mrs. Harris."
Eleanor walks off smiling, but her kid still looks at them, even as she follows. The agent and spy hear the kid mutter to her parent as they walk closer and closer to being out of hearing distance - "They're both so pretty, mumma. Can I be just like them?"
"Why, yes of course you can."
"...Can I date pretty girls too?"
"...W-...y-... Of course,...-rling."
Dottie turns to Peggy, eyebrows wiggling playfully. "So you stared at me across the room-"
"Unkindly - shut it, Underwood."
From the comms, the silent couple can finally be heard snickering.
"You too, Mr., and Mrs. Jarvis."
"Of course." Ana replies. "Completely silent."
Dottie snickers in sync with Ana.