676/Museum Time

Museum Time
Date of Scene:	29 May 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Lara Croft, Corusca, Star Sapphire

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Lara Croft has posed:
Lara Croft worked for SHIELD's division of the occult, a division known as WAND... Wizard Alechemy and Necromancy Division... After she had survived the island of sacrificial mad men and an ancient sun goddess who had attempted to bring herself back into this reality, Lara had been recruited into SHIELD by Nick Fury himself. He wanted someone who was capable of retrieving powerful artifacts around the world, and Lara had come up on his radar.

This meant that Lara Croft did not have to dip into her deceased parents funds to live off of, and it meant that her operations around the world were going to be entirely funded by SHIELD's coffers.

So, young Lara moved to Manhattan and set her life up here... the expeditions she'd gone on so far had ranged in danger from low to MIND BLOWINGLY DANGEROUS and it'd been a hell of a ride ever since.

The items that Lara retrieved that were NOT world-threatening, she'd often bring here, to the Natural History Museum near Central Park.

And this is what Lara was doing today. She had been presenting a suit of ancient Samurai Armor to the museum's exhibit on Japanese culture.

Lara, wearing a black leather jacket and a grey tanktop beneath it, dark brown jeans and some leather boots was standing in the exhibit, the press-event had ended and she was simply speaking to a few people who had come up to pose questions to her.

Corusca has posed:
    New old thing at the museum! For whatever reason, Miranda thought that old news repeated often at a museum was a great new thing and suggested that they go see it. She'd dressed down from the nines in order to better blend in with the 'rabble' but truly, it's hard for her to do. She's wearing a white poet's blouse with ruffles at the neckline and wrists, capri length blue jeans that look like they were painted on by her personal designer and a pair of white strapped high heels. The clutch matches the jeans but at least has a thin strap this time so its not technically a clutch. She might argue the point.

    "I've never been to a Japanese exhibit before. I've seen a few things but different is good." She speaks to someone or no one? "Or so I've been told. Plus, I hear that Croft woman will be here and that she found it.. you know I don't think the article said where she recovered it?" There's a point of curiosity there and the five foot seven woman, now five foot ten thanks to her three inch heels, begins scanning the crowd now that the press has departed.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol Ferris makes half a smile (oh, right, that expression is called a smirk, isn't it?) at Miranda as the two of them make their way through the museum. She herself is perfectly comfortable in business casual: a violet silk blouse, knee-length tan skirt, two-inch heels, and a big, clunky, well-loved daytime purse her left arm is hooked through almost like it's a sling for a broken arm. "I'm sure the museum has reasons to keep that to themselves," she observes wryly. "I've been to a few Japanese exhibits, though. I think they're more common in California just due to proximity and population density. I always found them a combination of fascinating and isolating. Any sufficiently old history will do it, of course, but with a foreign culture it's that much easier to stare and think, 'Wow... this is not part of my world. -I- am not part of -this- world.'"

Lara Croft has posed:
the story of how Lara got the armor is a bit fuzzy. It actually took a year for the armor to even get to the United States as it was embroiled in a wealth of legality issues and claims from the Japanese government that they wanted it for their own safeguarding due to their cultural claim upon it.

However, Lara had solved all of those issues (somehow, a secret she's kept to herself) and the armor is now on display within a glass box and illuminated by several spotlights from above it. It looks almost gothic in design and has a very 'eerie' feeling about it.

Lara separated herself from the people she was speaking too and took a moment for herself to step back and move toward a section of chairs that had been setup for the presentation. She lowered herself down into one of them and perched herself on the edge of it, retrieving her smart phone from her leather jacket pocket to give it a moment's look-over.

Corusca has posed:
    There's a moment where Miranda stops walking and just.. stares at Carol. It's all of a second and she's catching up with a long stride. "Ahh. I think that's her over there." She points out the distinctive pony tail and jacketed woman now sitting with her phone. She isn't one to not make her presence known. In fact, her flowing goldblonde hair and perfect tan are almost a symptom of her natural charisma rather than its cause. She sidesteps whatever security is there with a mere smile, "Excuse me."

    "Miss Croft?" She inquires with a broad smile. "Miranda Madsen. I just wanted to compliment you on another amazing find. I'm a fan of your work, truly." She seems to mean it and emphasizes the point with a flick of a hand towards.. people. "I'm not a fan of the obsequious.. but those who appreciate history and the need to recover it before it is truly lost? Those I admire."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol makes a friendly smile at Miss Croft, but doesn't interrupt the compliments for now. Introductions can come later.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara was reading something on her device's screen when the voice of Miranda was heard which caused her to slip the phone back into her pocket so that she wasn't being rude at an event such as this. Lara looked up and over to Miranda and Carol, then she rose back up to her own full height of around 5'9" plus boots...

After hearing what Miranda said, she received a small smile from the young archaeologist and she reached a hand out to offer a shake to Miranda. "Well. I'm happy to provide something that maybe will inspire others to learn about another culture's history. Especially if that someone are the little ones." The British woman said in her accented English, nodding toward a pair of kids wh owere standing next to the red rope in front of the glass display the little boy on the right was pointing at the armor and jumping up and down.

Lara looked back to Miranda and Caro, glancing between them. "I'm happy to answer any questions you might have as well." She told them, being her best friendly self she could at the present.

Corusca has posed:
    Miranda accepts the hand and gives it a firm shake. Her figure most certainly suggests she spends her off days at the gym. "It's funny you mention that." She gives a broad smile. "Carol and I are working.. on a project." She brings a finger to her lips, hush hush. "But I'm sure you'll love it." There's a glance back towards the silent woman with her then she looks back to Lara.

    "As a matter of interest.. that.. doesn't look like.. well.." Miranda laughs. "Traditional? If that makes any sense. I've not lived in Japan but I've been a bit of a student of their culture."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol takes that as her cue; it's half an introduction, anyway. She steps forward with a smiling face and a hand outstretched. "Carol Ferris. You're Lara Croft, of course. 'Pleasure to meet you' doesn't cover it." Her shake is firm enough, basically unremarkable, but her eye contact game is strong, and her posture is confident and assertive. "Can you tell us more about your find?" she asks, gesturing with a cock of the head toward the armor. Small talk before business.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara greeted both of the women in-turn and then placed her hands together again in front of her lap, her fingers interlacing between one another. "Japanese culture is one of the richest on the entire planet. Its a wonderful thing to read about." She said firstly to Miranda with a light smile. "I cannot even begin to tell you how many hours of my life I have sunk into dusty pages reading about the ins and outs of it all. But what really compells me, is when some of the myths have actually leapt from the pages and proven themselves to be reality."

Lara looked to Carol then and gave her a gentle smile and nod combination. "Of course, yes." She said, her brown eyes now glancing to the armor in the glass. "To be entirely honest with you both, the suit of armor found me." She said then, returning her attention to the two women in front of her. "It was being worn by a man who was trying to eviscerate me with an old sword." Lara lifted her right hand up then and pointed at the armor. "Look closely at the chest plate, beneath the right breast. You'll see where he failed to protect himself." There was a cut in the armor there, a slice that looked as though Lara had, instead, run a sword through whomever had been wearing it.

Corusca has posed:
    Miranda purses her lips momentarily and seems tempted.. but instead says, "Reading is one of my passions, too. Carol can attest to that. I.." There's a small shake of her head. "really can't tell you how many hours I've spent in that library. Reading. About everything and anything, truly. It warms my heart to see another with an appreciation for knowledge but.." Now her forehead scrunches a little. "Myths leaping from the page?" There's a tone of the skeptical.

    The direction to the armor draws her gaze and she looks to the armor. "Huh. I bet you have a hard time getting dates."

Star Sapphire has posed:
    Carol nods along at Lara's exposition, and diplomatically decides to skip the part about anyone getting killed. "I was more referring to the specific design aesthetics. I'm no scholar--not much better than a tourist, really--but this particular design doesn't seem very reminiscent of any particular Japanese era. Its use of fur is very unusual, for instance."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara nodded gently to what Miranda first said "Almost literally in some cases." She said at the part about the myths, then at the part about dates she huffed out a short and earnest laugh. "I am not sure I have ever actually been on a real date." She dipped her chin i na decisive singular nod then. "So I'd guess that you are right about that." She showed a faint short grin before turning her eyes to Carol.

At these points, Lara would nod again. "This suit of armor is from the lost island of Yamatai." She glanced back to the armor before continuing. "It belonged to the royal guard that protected the chosen priestesses of the Sun Queen who ruled over the island."

Lara fished a museum pamphlet out of her jacket pocket then and offered it to Carol. "Being that the island was previous 'lost', this is indeed the first set of this armor that has ever been seen before in the United States. There were many others there, being worn by the spirits of the fallen guardsmen, sworn in ritual to protect their Queen. But the power over the island has been broken, and now... well, the Japanese government is quickly covering everything up and telling the public none of it exists." She put her hands into her jacket pockets then and shook her head a little.

"This is why it was so hard to get this set shipped here."

Corusca has posed:
    Miranda listened to the exposition on the 'lost isle' and nodded along. "Sun queen, eh?" She leans over to Carol to get a look at the pamphlet with a curious eye. "I gather she was long since deceased as well? Any word on what happened to her? Or maybe any of their heraldry? I'd be curious to know what their mon was." Mon being the Japanese term for their family crest. Wait. She looks back to Lara. "Did you say spirits of the fallen?" Again with the skepticism but it's only so thick. After all, this is the time of superheroes and.. myth. Damnit.

Star Sapphire has posed:
    The small talk isn't so small, it seems. Wordlessly, Carol passes the pamphlet to Miranda for her to peruse as fully as she likes, and she nods at Lara. "Sounds like quite an injustice."