4338/Back at the Office

Back at the Office
Date of Scene:	25 April 2018
Location:	New York City
Synopsis:	Sam Gwydion (Loki) and Lana discuss next steps. He endures shopping!
Cast of Characters:	Loki, Svetlana Kuznetsov

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Loki has posed:
    The door to the office opens and the man in the grey and the green enters. He's greeted by that homey, albeit musty, atmosphere of the old brownstone. The main room is just as they left it earlier in the morning with the teapot upon the hot plate and the cups left in the sink. That fireplace, long having been extinguished for several years, remains dominating the left wall with its mantle heavily laden with curiousities. And that old oaken desk near the window seems like it could use a good dusting.
    It's almost as if the place were extracted from another time and placed here, and then the quiet reflection of the place is broken by the voice of the man as he enters. "That is where you live?" He cocks an eyebrow and then tosses his keys into a nearby crystal decanter with a clink.
    "A touch high profile, don't you imagine?" He moves into the room, scoops up the kettle and strolls towards the other room with the sink. The sound of rushing water is heard.

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Lana walks alongside Sam back to the office, fresh from her first 'job' accompanying him. And fresh from murdering the white slavers. The girl has been pretty quiet on the walk, not that she speaks a lot anyway. Hands in her jacket pockets, she follows him into the room and looks for somewhere to sit.

    "The SHIELD Triskelion is the first place I came to when they brought me to this country." she replies, somewhat nebulous on the details. "I would not exactly say that I am distrusted, but I am definitely watched."

Loki has posed:
    She is left to her own devices for those few shared moments, and various seats would beckon. Almost all of them over-stuffed, the curious mix of large cushions with firm and tall backs, though three of them might seem more well maintained over in what could be considered a conversation nook. If it weren't for the curious looking skull settled in the corner of one of those seats.
    From the other room she'll hear his voice as he says, "There are options." He returns into the room and for a moment he leans against the door jam. Those green eyes fall upon her and he can see the subtle changes to her. To her manner. What passed took its toll upon her and left its mark. Was that not what he wanted? Perhaps. In some ways.
    Quietly he moves back into the room and then sets the kettle down, the hot plate burning to life. He'll find a seat near her as he watches her with that curiously sidelong gaze. "There are those amongst them that would view what we did ill." His eyes find hers and the quiet remains, then he adds softly. "Some of them... many of them. They haven't crossed such a bridge. Faced what we saw."
    He leans forwards, the chair creaking as he rests his arms on his knees, and then his fingers interlace. "No one. Has the right to judge you."

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Lana finds a comfortable-looking chair and isn't disappointed when she settles. Leaning back a bit, she crosses one leg over the other in a very non-military fashion. "Options...?" she echoes, nodding once. Brown eyes watch as he approaches to join her.

    "There are those amongst them who have done far worse." she replies in a soft voice. "I was told that I no longer need to do what HYDRA tells me. But I am not a SHIELD Agent. You are right; they have no right to judge me."

    Other than, of course, the fact that murder is still illegal. Even if the 'victims' happen to be criminals themselves.

    She turns towards him more directly as he leans in. "Tell me of these other options."

Loki has posed:
    "Logistics," Sam waves a hand to the side. With his posture he has to look up towards her a touch and to the side. Yet he looks away and murmurs, "If you tell them you've gained a job they'll look into it, and I'll draw their curiousity." Which, strangely enough doesn't seem to trouble him too much, but it does present... problems.
    His head turns away and he rubs at the stubble upon his cheek thoughtfully. "Though there are those that I could ask a favor of." He straightens once again, "It would take some time. But you could be let free to do as you would, just most likely with some monitoring."
    "From there," He smiles a little, "It's simply deciding what you wish to do." He lifts his eyes to the side and then back to her, "You could take one of the apartments in this building. Fix it up as you like." Feasible considering there are no other tenants in the building. Or, at the least, she hasn't seen any.

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Sam *would* probably draw their curiosity if SHIELD found out Lana was working for him. Especially Bucky, who's become something of a big brother. Darcy would just ask if Sam was hot and if Lana and Sam were 'doing it'. Ahem.

    The girl lifts a brow at his curious wording. "Let free?" And then it dawns on her: she's no more free with SHIELD than she was with HYDRA, at the end of the day. "You would do this for me? Make these arrangements?"

Loki has posed:
    "It's possible," Sam says as he straightens, though he's interrupted by the slowly growing whistle of the tea kettle. It's enough to get him to rise to his feet and for him to step that small distance across the way. Cups, saucers are arranged and he'll pour the steaming water, add the tea bags and then brings one over towards her.
    Once they are resettled again, his own cup set upon that small end table between them, he says levelly. "As free as one can be from an organization that tracks all individuals of talent and uniqueness. None of us are truly free, Svetlana. There are always..." His features shift slightly, a hint of a scowl that's barely there and then gone, "Structures, and systems that align to keep one from reaching their goal."
    He looks back towards her, "Chances are they will always have you on a list somewhere, and the only way we could change things would be to change the world."
    Then his tone changes, "But, I can help you at least get out from under their thumb somewhat, to have some freedom to make your /own/ decisions." His lip curls and he says, "The first of which is..." He gains his feet and moves over towards that old desk.
    For a time his back is to her though there is the sound of wooden drawers being drawn open... closed, open and closed. Several times until he says, "Ah. Here."
    When he steps back into view he drops into the chair beside her and holds a fairly thick manila envelope that he tears open with a twist of fingers. "Our fee," He says as he turns that envelope over and lightly taps it until two stacks of one hundred dollar bills fall free and are bound by a strip of paper that declares it is ten thousand dollars in legal tender.
    He offers one of the stacks to her and says, "Your share."

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Lana doesn't move from her seat, but she watches her host... her boss... as he prepares tea. Yes, he's done this before. "I have been on lists before." she replies, adding a wry smile. "It comes with the accent." Ah, Mother Russia!

    "I would like to be... how is it said?... off the radar. As much as possible." Then he starts rummaging through the desk and she pauses, very curious. The money is drawn out and she's presented with half... ten thousand in hard, US currency. The value would be a lot less in rubles, but she certainly gets the idea.

    For a moment Lana just holds the stack of cash like Sam just handed her a dead bird. "What...? I should not be carrying this much money around." the girl offers, after a moment. And yet with money also comes a certain amount of freedom. True, she has a debit card from SHIELD. But those expenses can likely be tracked, her location known just from the purchases.

    Golden handcuffs. It never occurs to her that Sam is offering the same thing, just in a different package.

    "Tell me of these apartments."

Loki has posed:
    "Old, terrible, need tons of work." Sam sips his tea and for some reason doesn't care for the taste. He sets the cup down upon its saucer and leaves it untouched from then on. "There are a few here. I sleep in one, when I don't fall asleep on the sofa here." He lifts a hand to rub at the back of his neck thoughtfully.
    "But you could probably take that money and get one for yourself. Or..." He uncurls a long-fingered hand, "There are people I know who could create a suitable alias for you, and that way the information wouldn't be as readily available to SHIELD or the like."
    Then his tone changes as he gains his feet, "However." He says with some animation as he glances towards the door, then back towards the window. Still drizzling rain outside and still not exactly pleasant. He does stalk over and pulls the window open just a few inches, perhaps to air the place out. Over his shoulder he says, "We should go and get you some clothes. To complete the mystique."

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    By now Lana is leaning forward as well, elbows on the arms of the overstuffed chair. Brown eyes are wide, the excitement rather apparent on her face. Yes, this is an exciting prospect, moving out on her own. And while Sam wouldn't know this, it would be Lana's first time truly by herself.

    "An alias. Like a fake name?" she asks softly. "I would like to be called 'Effie Friday', I think." Yes, she's smiling. And she might even be serious about it.

    Then he rises, so she does the same. "So you are taking me shopping?" Her excitement remains, the smile broadening a touch. For a moment she leaves the money on the desk, then she picks it up with a hesitant look. "I should put this in the bank, da?"

Loki has posed:
    "Perhaps Ms. Friday should put it in her account," Sam says as he strolls over towards the door. He pauses in front of it for a moment with hand outstretched, as if something had occurred to him. But he turns around, hand now falling upon the door knob. "Though you should take it with you, get what you want with your own money."
    His eyes follow her as she gets ready and then he pulls the door open. "But come, if there is one good thing about Manhattan it is that it offers most of the rest of the world at its fingertips. So let us find you something you enjoy."
    He steps out into the hall and says sidelong, "And something you can move in." Since really, for his girl Friday that is rather important, isn't it?

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Sam will certainly get high marks for his patience, once the shopping trip is complete. Lana's tastes lean heavily towards the practical, although she's quite fond of leather jackets and boots. But every outfit she selects is easy to move in.

    By the time they finish shopping, she's dressed all in black. Boots and jacket of leather, a silk shirt and close-fitting knit pants. In the shopping bags are more of the same, all in black. And also a pair of high quality figure skates.

    Lana doesn't have any trouble managing the bags, it's more a matter of being able to grab onto all the handles. "I have been thinking, Sam. I should probably get a new name before I open a bank account. Da?"

Loki has posed:
    For Sam's part he had followed along and gave his opinion on her choices from time to time. Usually, however, it just took a glance at his face to see either passing approval in a small nod, or a crinkle of his nose to signal a lack of care for that particular garment. But while she was dealing with her shopping trip she might well have seen him fiddling with his cellphone now and again.
    Ultimately, however, it was well into the night that they found themselves extracting from the garment district, the sky still drizzling albeit faintly. They made a pair on the sidewalk, moving along with her carrying a majority of the items though she had perhaps suckered him into holding a garment bag over his shoulder.
    Walking with an easy gait he did spare her a smile as he answered, "I made a call, EFfie, we have an appointment to meet with an acquaintance of mine. He'll take a picture of you and then after a day or so you'll be set." Voila, all it took assuredly.
    But then his brow furrowed and he looked towards the box with the skates, "Not exactly the time of year for it." He nods towards the box with the ice blades.

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Lana walks along with casual ease, brown eyes widening a touch when he tells her about the appointment. "This is for the new name?" And she looks quite pleased with the prospect. "I am very much liking this idea of yours, Sam."

    She follows his gaze towards the box with the ice skates. They're not just -any- skates, either. While they saw many pair at the sporting goods shop, Lana tried on about six different ones before finally selecting these. She had them sharpened, and after testing the edges she had them sharpened again.

    "You did not ask about the skates." Lana declares. "I like this trust between us, Sam."

Loki has posed:
    As she offers that observation his answer is a small smile, his eyebrows lifting as if to dismiss such trust as noteworthy. "Oh at that point I imagine I was rather in a shopping coma." His lip twists as he looks away, to perhaps not allow her to see that smile, but she can hear it in his tone of voice. "Though..." He seems about to make light again as he takes a breath, then releases it slowly.
    Looking back to her he says, "There are times when people see something, and you can see the affection in their eyes. I hadn't seen you look at anything in that way before." He adjusts the hang of the garment bag on his shoulder as he walks, "It spoke to me in a way. To see that passion, perhaps..." He lifts a hand and waggles it a little, "Nostalgia?"
    Looking ahead he continues on their stroll even though at this time of night the road traffic is muted, only a few cars are there rolling through those shallow puddles. A moment passes then he asks her sidelong, "Would you like to try them out?"

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Lana chuckles when he mentions a shopping coma, but her nod shows that she definitely understands. "You should go shopping with Darcy sometime." the girl offers. "She is all about push-up bras and thongs and short skirts. You would not like it."

    "Da. I do think it was nostalgia. I remember skating, from when I was younger. Before..." She hesitates for a moment, then adds. "... before my training began." Though he's taller, the girl keeps up with him quite well.

    "I would like that very much, actually. But they have taken down the ice rink in Central Park. Do you know of an indoor place?"

Loki has posed:
    The flicker in his eyes is bright, amused as he looks to her and he shakes his head. He looks off into the distance as he draws his lower lip between his teeth and chews for a time. "Hm," He offers, thoughtful, even as he steps out off the curb and partially into the street. His hand lifts as he attempts to gain the attention of one of the passing taxis some distance away. "They might have at that,"
    A cab puts on its blinker and begins to move towards the edge from which Sam gestures. He gives a nod and then steps back and to the side, "Though there might be something we can do. It might only be closed to the public. Takes them a bit of time to get everything in storage."
    The cab rolls up and Sam opens the door, taking her garment bag and setting it inside then offering to take the others as well, "Why don't you go back to the office. Get changed, and then meet me back here." He steps back and moves towards the cabbie, giving him a few bills for the fare before he turns back to her. "I might have an idea."

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Lana watches as he flags down the cab for her. While they're loading up the trunk she gives him a curious look. "Get changed and meet you back here? I should bring the skates as well, then." The latter is not a question, of course. Then it's into the cab she goes, watching him curiously as they drive off.

    The cab returns a short while later, bearing Lana in one of her new outfits. All black. The ice skates are out of the box, protective blade covers on and draped over one shoulder by their laces. She steps out, still curious. "You have found a place to skate?"

Loki has posed:
    For some reason the cabbie took his time driving her off, letting the car wend its leisurely way from uptown back towards the office and then idling while she changed... before taking her back. It had been a leisurely drive, so late at night, with by this time barely any vehicles on the streets at all. He was an older middle-eastern man who enjoyed chatting to pass the time even as they waited at a red light, telling her elaborately about his children and his plans for the future.
    Yet it served its purpose, to give the man she left behind some time to himself. To cross the street into central park itself to where one of the small lakes had been used for the enjoyment of ice skating just a month's time ago. And indeed, it was cordoned off for the most part. A temporary fence encircled the rink that had been tended to. A padlock blocked the entrance and access to the turnstile, though that was dealt with easily enough . He'd twisted it free and tossed the lock into the bin beside the entry way...
    And there he was through the lines and past the concession stands. He'd stepped up to the edge of the lake, the water lapping gently at his leather shoes. For a moment... two, his features twisted somewhat sharp and severe. A scowl flickered into being as he looked askance in the direction of where he had left her.
    But then he looked again down at the lake and the scowl faded. It was replaced eventually by a small smile, as if resigned to the threads of fate and the tapestry that was being woven.
    Slowly he withdrew the glove from his hand and touched splayed fingertips to the water. A faint blue glow seemed to shine upon his features as wisps of vapor rose around him even as his own skin turned blue...
    But that time had passed, and when she arrived in the taxi, Sam stepped forwards to hand the driver another bill and send him on his way. He looked her over, even as he was pulling his glove back on, and said, "Well, some good news and bad news. Definitely closed." He holds up a fingertip, and then says. "But... well... I'll show you."
    And with that he would lead her back down the slope into the park and eventually to where he had been.

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    For her part, Lana was polite enough to the cabbie. But his was the art of converation, and he drew her easily into his story. Even if she offered little of her own, except for references to her childhood, the two were chatting like old friends by the time they returned to the park.

    Lana looks disappointed when he tells her that it's closed, but he mentioned good news as well? She follows along, moving quickly down the slope into the park. And she spots the ice long before they reach the frozen lake. The girl grew up with moonlight on ice; she knows it when she sees it. "Oh! But how can this be? It is too warm..." Stepping up, she crouches down at the edge and touches the ice with her fingers.

    "I need to put on my skates."

Loki has posed:
    The ice reached across the small lake, a touch larger than what might be considered olympic sized, but enough for a large crowd of skaters to have enjoyed it during the Winter. The chill was very real, enough for their breath to be seen as they stood there upon its edge. Tiny wisps of vapor could be seen rising up from that frozen ice. It must have been here for a good amount of time, perhaps some way of maintaining it, since in truth the surface is flat and clean as if a Zamboni had gone over it only minutes ago.
    Sam, however, smiles sidelong at her and takes a step, lightly testing the ice with a toe of his shoe. Over his shoulder he tells her, "Seems alright," But then her questions and he looks back to her, "Now now, let me have a few secrets. You enjoy yourself."
    With that he turns and starts to walk away, willing to allow her to have this moment to herself should she wish.

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    She can't get her skates on quickly enough. But when Sam starts to walk away Lana offers softly. "Stay. You do not need to leave. This is not my first time skating in front of people."

    Finding a bench, she swaps out boots for skates and laces them up tightly. Walking carefully to the edge of the ice, she takes off the blade covers and then pushes off, gliding smoothly. Her face brightens like a little girl's, and Lana laughs.

    She skates around near the outer edge of the lake, digging in with the new skates and building up speed. Very. Rapidly. On the second lap she does a quick switch of her hips and turns effortlessly so that she's skating backwards. All without slowing down.

Loki has posed:
    Curiousity is there, in the gleam of green as he looks back to her. Her request is heard and he answers as he lowers his eyes just a touch. "Alright," He turns around and steps back across the ground, moving close to the edge of the ice and smiling a little as he again touches the tip of his shoe against it.
    When she takes off onto the ice, those blades scraping in rhythm with her movements his smile shifts to a wry smirk, the expression on her features, the laugh, it's infectious but he maintains his demeanour for the most part, hands resting upon his hips.
    Then she slices across the lake towards the edge, rounding smoothly and building speed. His eyes follow her movements, watching her make that clean switch. When she blurs by close enough for her to hear him he lifts his voice, "I'm thinking you might have secrets of your own, Ms. Friday." His smile shifts lop-sided as she skates away across the ice.

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Normal people don't skate this fast, and certainly not backwards. Secrets indeed. Long hair fluttering in the breeze, she calls out as she passes him. "Perhaps!" And laughter follows.

    Then a toe pick catches and the girl launches into the air, body twirling fast. She lands with effortless grace, recovering from the quad like an olympic skater... arms outstretched and one foot raised high.

    Gliding past him, she holds the pose and offers a playful wink before lowering her foot again. A switch of her hips brings her to a sudden stopping-turn, spraying frost. Facing him, she skates over more slowly.

Loki has posed:
    Standing there on the edge of the ice, the moonlight high above them and giving most of the light from which they can see each other, his smile is the lone warmth in that chill that seems to cling close to the area. Still there are those faint wisps of vapor rising up around her feet, along the edges of the lake.
    The man before her has a smile that reaches his eyes, though he does glance at the ice and seems a touch thoughtful. When she skates over he steps forwards to meet her partially, standing upon the ice himself but extending a hand towards her in case she wants to climb free of the rink.
    "Not finished yet, are you?" He glances behind him and then looks back with a smirk, "If I hear sirens I'll let you know. You have time." He gestures for her to return back to the ice should she like.

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Lana accepts his hand, but she's not in a hurry to step off the ice. Not yet, at least. Fingers close upon his and she glides up close to kiss his cheek. << Thank you. >> she offers in Russian. Releasing his hand, she turns and skates away.

    It's a practiced routine, one that she learned before being selected for the HYDRA program. One that was to carry her to Olympic try-outs. And as she works through the jump and turns, Lana hums the music and begins to gradually increase the difficulty. A triple-toe becomes a quad, two jumps becomes three. And in spite of the effort, the young woman will skate well into the night.

Loki has posed:
    A small shallow exhalation comes from him, eyes lowering at the kiss upon his cheek. He gives her hand a small squeeze as he looks away, but that's all the acknowledgement she gets. He takes a deep breath and then waves a hand at her as if shooing her on her way even while she's skating back and away out onto the rink, those blades scraping across the ice with an almost rhythmic pulse to it.
    Yet he'll stay there, watching her as she moves through that routine, and curiously enough no alarm must have sounded, no eyes must have witnessed her performance. For they were there together during that time, well into the night.
    Yet when it ended and she was skating off the ice, he accepted her hand again to help her up onto the bank. And just briefly as she passed he would step close and give a small kiss to her cheek in return.