1038/The Hills Are Alive

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The Hills Are Alive
Date of Scene: 07 April 2020
Location: Somewhere in the Swiss Alps
Synopsis: Alas, Julie Andrews did not appear but Dan and Val had deep discussions about SCIENCE!
Cast of Characters: Daniel Hastings, Valeria Richards




Daniel Hastings has posed:
    With the postponement of the gala, Daniel found himself disappointed.. but with time to get his own suit prepared. He also found himself.. with a singular nagging urge at the back of his head. So he fulfilled it. First, he left a note with his cell number on the lab table where she was working. Second, when she didn't notice it, he slipped it onto the viewing plate of the microscope she was using. 'Lunch? Text me. DH' Doctor? Daniel? Eh, it's DH anyway. That she agreed set him into a flurry of motion that had him cooking a flurry. Finally, he was ready and appeared in her lab with a backpack.. wearing jeans and a light jacket over a polo. As he appears.. well.. it occurs to him that he didn't think to check if she'd gone to the residences to get herself ready.

Valeria Richards has posed:
Luckily, Valeria's standard lab attire is very much like her standard...anything attire. Jeans, t-shirt, hoodie, sneakers. Thinking about clothes just isn't usually at the top of her list. She looks up as he appears, smile curving with a shake of her head. "You know, I feel like there should be some sort of way to...ring a doorbell. I bet you could make your face appear in the air like a magic mirror," she teases, hopping off her stool.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    Dan's face sort of hangs a moment.. sheepish. "Yes. Well. I could. That. You just.. knew I was coming.." Didn't she? Not /exactly/ when but still. "I did some salmon cakes with colored peppers and apple fritters. Just what I had about.. since.. short notice and all." He scratched his neck awkwardly then offered her an arm. "When you're ready, of course." Heaven forbid she wanted to use the loo first.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I'm kidding. Partly," Valeria assures with a laugh. "I'm more curious about if that's a thing you could actually do, because the image is an interesting one."

She steps over to take the offered arm, brows rising at the description of the food. "That sounds better than I can do on short notice," she grins. "Short notice around here usually means either peanut butter sandwiches or else Dad's nutrition bars. And while they //are// complete in the dietary sense, they're really more...fuel than food."

Pausing for a moment, she tips her head to one side as she looks up at him. "Have you ever tried this with another person before?"

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "So.. the answer is.. not technically." Daniel replies as if she suddenly introduced doubt. "But I have done it with animals and they come out just fine so I can't imagine it'll be any different. It's not as if I'm disassociating atoms or the like. I'm folding space.. not you." Encouraging, right? "I.. I'm sorry.. I've done K-rations. Never again. You have just invited yourself to a full dinner cooked by yours truly in French fashion. Do you like duck?" Still, his hand is out. He's not going to just up and grab her to make this happen.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"French? Well, that's a comfort," Valeria grins, still teasing as she takes the offered hand. "I was afraid it was going to be British. Then I was going to have to give you the dubious look of pre-war boiled rations cuisine."

Once she's taken his hand, she steps a little closer still, hip to hip. "I appreciate your confidence, but, you know. Small parameters for first experiments, right?"

Daniel Hastings has posed:
"I'm a Quebecoi.. not a savage." Daniel replies as if offended. "Trust me.. English cuisine is.. hardly that." He shudders then.. the world goes out of focus.. folds.. you fold.. unfold.. it's like an Escher painting with the melted watch only you're the watch. But then you aren't. You're you. Standing on a green flower covered hillside with the Alps around you.. a clear blue river flowing below.. gloriously fresh air.. and maybe a little nausea depending on how quickly your body recovers from things like roller coasters riding on the back of a rocket to the moon only to find out you were on none of the above. All bits and bobs accounted for. He turns to face you, still holding your hand. "You alright? It's.. a little rough the first time."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria's grip tightens as space starts to fold around them, body stiffening against any errant move that might find some part of her left in another corner of the time-space continuum.

When they're one again on solid ground, she stays close for another moment, looking around herself and then over her shoulder, as if she's going to be able to see what's happened in some way. "That was-" She pauses, holding her free hand up to her mouth for a moment. That's a bit unsettling on the stomach. "I wish I could see that in slow motion, from all the angles..."

Slowly, she lowers her hand and takes a half a step away from him, smile spreading as she takes a deep breath. "Something tells me we're not in Kansas anymore."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
"No.. no you really don't." Daniel replies as if he's done that before and never.. never again. "Better?" He's looking at her eyes like a doctor might but then she takes the half step back and doesn't fall over so he straightens again and smiles. "No.. we sure aren't. Switzerland." He gestures expansively about them. "Ahh.. not far from one of Hydra's old bases actually. I remembered climbing this hill and thinking.. I'd love to come back here some day.. no war.. and just.. sit."

Daniel almost seems to forget she's there a minute before snapping out of it and slipping the backpack from his shoulders. The first thing to come out is the blanket which he lays out over the grass. "So.. I hope you like tea. It was all I had on short notice. Did bring the accoutrements for it though." It's a French word! Slowly he begins unloading the backpack of bits and bobs, cups, plates, silverware, a large thermos.

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria laughs at his response. "Like that, is it?" she grins, rueful. "Still, I wish I could see it all at once. It seems like...like if you could just see everything at once, you could grasp something you just couldn't possibly dream of otherwise." And there it is, in just a moment. What really drives the whole family.

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, she turns a circle to take in the full vista as he lays out the blanket and food. "It's beautiful. Hydra. Apparently someone had a taste of aesthetics at least. Are the details of that mission still top-secret?" she asks, arching a brow playfully as she turns back.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
"Probably not." Daniel replies after a moment of thought. "They usually declassify stuff like that after what? Sixty years? Since everyone involved is dead." Except him.. and Rogers.. "I mean.. it was a base. We attacked it. Rogers and the Commandos did most of the heavy work. I came on the back end mostly for the tech retrieval. Zolar did his best to destroy as much as he could but there was always something left behind." He sighs and turns to flop down on his butt, tucking his knees up so he can lean on them and look out at the valley. "I.. try not to think about it." War. Not happy times. Dead bodies. Screams. Explosions. He didn't even get the worst of it which explains why he doesn't have shell shock.

"I'd rather talk about the view." Daniel murmurs distantly with a knit of his brow. Then he forces a smile and looks to her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such a downer. It was my fault for coming here. You name a place. Anywhere on the planet."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"No, you've got nothing to apologize for." Valeria folds down to sit next to him, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the sky. "The view is beautiful. It feels...free. Quiet, and high, and fresh, like all the colors are more intense than they would be otherwise just for not having enough people look at them."

"This is a good place. The world is full of good places, though," she adds, turning her head to look over with a small smile. "Some day I want to explore the seas more," she admits. "Seventy percent of the planet, but those of us on the surface have only ever seen a tiny fraction of it. And there are Atlanteans who live there!"

Daniel Hastings has posed:
Daniel is quiet a moment. Eventually, he does smile again. This time more warmly. "It is. It's what I remember. Despite it all.. it just felt.. untouchable." He looks over at her and now his smile brightens. "Underwater we can do. Don't even really have to worry about depth pressures either. I know I know.. that's cheating. But in a pinch.." He gives her an impish shrug. "I think.. that's what I love most about this power I have now. It is.. total freedom. I can go wherever I like. Though.. right now I like where I am." His eyes linger on her a moment or two then he realizes he might be staring. "Food! Let's have some shall we?"

Turning his attention quickly to the boxes and such, he starts opening them and plating the salmon cakes and the fritters. "I have sour cream if you like. And apple sauce. I admit I picked up the latter from the Germans. It's not bad though." Then he pours each of them a cup of tea from the thermos. "Let me know if you get cold.. I can maybe do something there."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I will try absolutely everything," Valeria promises. In truth, she's not very particular about food. Like her father, she's easily distracted by a new mystery, a new idea, a new problem to solve, and most of the time food is just a means to the end of not starving. Plus, after you eat a certain amount of "traditional" dishes from other worlds, you really stop worrying about what's "normal" to eat.

"Well I'm glad you like it here, because I think even I would have a little explaining to do if you left me here," she grins, leaning forward to take the tea first. "Athough I could probably make it to Latveria eventually and catch a ride from there if all else failed." She can't help but try to solve even problems that don't exist.

"Did you feel trapped before?" she asks, tucking one leg beneath herself to pick at the food on her plate, trying things bit by bit.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
Daniel is at a loss for a moment. Looking at her with a confused look then laughing, "Touchee." As if he'd leave her here. Pfft. "Latveria is... that way." He points easterly. "Over the mountains so I'd recommend a train if you were set on the idea." Turnabout is fair play after all. "Otherwise you might freeze to death. Or take a fall. Neither are recommended." He finally turns to face you and crosses his legs so he's more conversational. "Trapped? No.. not really. I mean.. if I'm perfectly honest.. I was busy being a worker bee. Trying to solve problems for the next great world crisis. I never did take time to.. smell the flowers." He gestures to the blooms around them. "So now I feel like I'm catching up for lost time. Not.. well.. present company excepted." He reaches for the tea. Tea is good. Drink the tea.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"That way?" Valeria points in the indicated direction, laughing. "Good, good. I've got a starting point. I suppose reaching a phone would be a perfectly acceptable alternative."

She eats and drinks a little bit at a time, letting each thing speak for itself and soaking in the experience, seemingly completely at ease. "Oh! I meant to tell you, I tested a new protocol yesterday. It didn't go perfectly, but it worked for a little bit."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Oh?" The silence was getting to him. Daniel had no idea how to converse with her except.. well.. science! "I also started work on the ship proper with some coworkers so if we hit a breakthrough on power I'll be sure to let you know. But by all means, tell me. I feel like everyone else is getting to do the fun parts while I'm teaching high school." He laments. "Not.. that.. sharing a love of science is bad but.." More science is better! he finds himself leaning towards her in anticipation.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Teaching high school?" Valeria asks, arching a brow curiosly. "Literally, or figuratively?" Rather than wait for a full answer, she reaches into her back pocket to pull out a small wrist device in poor condition. "I was working on something to generate force fields, like Mom's. Mostly for personal protection, not really anything fancy or particularly controlled. It worked for a moment! Stopped some bullets. Then the resonant feedback got to be too much and it blew out, but it was working for a minute."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
"That would do it." Daniel observes with an agreeable nod. "Thing about capacitors is they really like being a max charge.. but not so much over it. I take it we're talking a kinetic energy converter here or?" There are so many different ways to build a force field that he's definitely curious. His eyes naturally get drawn to the wrist device that looks worse for wear. "Small. Very practical. In fact.. you know what you might think about doing is a thin wire to a larger cell in a pouch that you can keep hidden. That way it looks like a wrist watch if you wear a long sleeve and you'll keep the buffers within tolerance for a lot bigger hits."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I was trying to go with something more sound-based," Valeria admits. "I thought about kinetic energy, but with so many different powered people out there, it seems...basic. If I just wanted to stop kinetic energy, I wouldn't really need a field, I could just use kevlar. So the theory was that if I created a field of ultra high or low frequency sound waves at the appropriate levels, then it would disrupt whatever was coming at me enough to deflect it, remain invisible, block more than just kinetic attacks, and, well." She pauses, taking a sip of tea. "I feel like there are fewer people with the ability to stop sound than other things, so. Broader base, you know?"

Daniel Hastings has posed:
"Oh now that /is/ clever." Daniel takes the device and pops the back to look at it. "Might think about using diamond as a crystal to preserve the resonant frequency with something that won't shatter when say.. your Uncle Ben gives it a test." If she hadn't already. He was nosing about in there almost enraptured by the device. "UHF might interfere with broadcast signals.. but if you get a wavelength long enough.. you could end up with a standing compression wave and that.." He's nodding slowly as he works out the device before handing it back. "You know.. you really know how to make a smart guy play catch up." He chuckles and sips his tea. Quickly, he raises a palm. "No no. This is a good thing. I've been around.. mm.. slower people.. most of my life. I like being challenged. It keeps me on my toes."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria nods along, taking back the device and tucking it into her back pocket when he passes it over. "Right. And I figured with enough adjustments I could also use it as a non-lethal weapon of sorts. Incapacitate people without doing //quite// as much property damage or injuries as, say, Uncle Ben," she echoes him with a grin, shifting to lie back and prop herself up on one elbow.

"Like I said, though, I didn't quite balance it out before I took it into the field, so it needs a little more work." Her smile quirks as she looks up at him, picking up an apple fritter. "Glad you don't find it...weird," she admits, taking a bite. "It's hard sometimes, when people- It's not so bad when they can't follow along or they don't try to. It's when you can see that not being able to follow along's made them uncomfortable that things get awkward."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
"Wierd?" Daniel tilts his head. "Why would I find it wierd. Smart is sexy as they say in the commercials, right?" Ahh.. not that.. he look a salmon cake. "I get it, Miss.." He looks at the cake a minute then looks over at you. "Do you.. would you find it forward of me if I called you Valeria? I know we've only met a few times but.. I feel we're getting on and.. it's so bloody formal." Damned Brits.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I'm pretty sure they only say that in ladies magazines," Valeria laughs, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "Although funny enough, that's the second time in two days I've heard it. It sounded slightly less silly coming from you than the last time, though." Another bite of her fritter and she's looking back with a nod.

"Valeria, or Val. They're both fine. Though if we make it to the embassy, maybe stick with the Miss Richards," she winks. "Uncle Victor can be a little old-fashioned about some things, and it's usually better safe than sorry with him. I wonder if he's got some sort of enchantment that could back up the field," she muses, back to the science. "Have you ever been curious about magic?"

Daniel Hastings has posed:
"Oh no, absolutely." Daniel almost seems apalled by the notion of being rude at a formal affair. "Never fear there. I shall be the perfect gentleman. Or.. as close to it as I can manage since perfection is a goal and rarely a state of being." He smiles and winks. "Valeria." Was he calling her perfect or just getting used to her name. Maybe a little of both. "I.. shudder to think the first time you heard it. I only meant to say that I find an intelligent and willful woman to be attractive. If I cannot be challenged in voice or deed then.. where's the spice? It would be like those old boring British dramas where everyone gasps if the rocking chair stops." He takes a deep breath. "I spent ten years in England and.. that's quite enough thank you."

Now the last bit has him thinking a moment and his eyes drift off with introspection. "Truth be told.. sometimes I wonder if that's what I do now. I violate every law of physics I can think of. Does that make it magic? Is magic just.. another formula for a whole to realm of science? They say that science, advanced far enough, is indistinguishable from magic so.. what is science? Rules with results? Is that not what magic is?"

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Now see, you can talk about that with Uncle Victor and you'll get along just fine," Valeria points out, smile crooked. "He's the only person I know with a knowledge of science like ours who's also gained some mastery of the mystic arts as well. If I'm being entirely honest, I'm a little bit envious of that. I think I'd like to learn if I could. Because you're right. What is magic except science that works by a different mechanism? And I'd hardly be upset if physics couldn't solve a chemistry problem. So why should I act as though magic is somehow lesser because it doesn't work quite the same as science?"

She shrugs, finishing her fritter and wiping her hands off on her jeans before rolling onto her stomach, propped up on her elbows. "People are the other great mystery," she adds, smile crooked. "Why they do the things they do, make the choices they make. How their minds work. And even if you start to understand all of that, it almost doesn't matter because you can't actually //control// any of it."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Well.." Daniel gives a roll of his eyes. "You /can/.. but it's hardly ethical to take away someone's free will. There's far too many methods. Not all of it effective but that doesn't stop people from trying." He sighs faintly. "As for your Uncle.. I'm.. not sure I'm comfortable talking about what I do with just anyone. As you say.. he is.. misunderstood. That also means that Director Fury would be rather put out if I discussed it with him. So.." He finally does take a bite out of that salmon cake. "Oh!" So it comes out as a mrfl. He swallows. "Please. Daniel. Call me Daniel. It's only right, after all. And.. god.. only Doctor if you think it matters." Somehow the idea of her calling him Doctor Hastings just makes him feel old. He's not /that/ old!

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Oh, I was going to go with 'Agent' over 'Doctor,'" Valeria grins. "It's got that James Bond dash to it that way. But Daniel is probably better for casual conversation. Anyhow, science is a hypothetical discussion," she chuckles. "And there are enough teleporters and the like in the world that you can afford to speculate and be non-specific. Still. I think it's fascinating, personally."

She takes a sip of her tea, eyes scanning out over the hills and the grass that waves in the breeze off the peaks. "So many things to wonder about in the world. So many things to find out."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Oh yes. I'm sure Agent would be a big improvement." Daniel offers with.. not exactly sarcasm. "Considering some of the reports I've read, he'll be a big fan right away." Why is this important again? He glances to her and then decides to lay back and look up at the sky. "You know.. when it first happened.. I thought I'd died. There I was.. gone from the lab.. feeling this sort of existential.. everything.. or.. everywhere I guess. I couldn't feel my toes or see my hand.. but then.. I knew they were there because I'd 'felt' them.. as a part.. of everything. I saw.. everything. For an instant. I couldn't look at it. Couldn't fathom it. To see the inside of nothingness.. the corona of a quasar.. countless habited worlds and species. The only thing that kept me.. me.. was reeling from it and trying to focus on something wouldn't melt my mind upon fathoming. That's when I ended up on Kirit. The Kree colony world I spoke of."

    Taking a deep breath, Daniel rolls his head to look at her. "Every now and then I get a flash of it. Somewhere else. Who knows where. Out in creation." He lifts and arm and points vaguely up. "Sometimes.. it all comes crashing down and I curl up in a ball and try not to look. It's just.. too much. Everything. All at once."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Religion says that's what God is," Valeria muses. "Seeing and knowing everything all at once. All things possible and real. If your mind could contain it all..." She trails off, mulling it over. "I'm not sure I'd want to either," she decides eventually. "Mystery and discovery are what makes all of this worth it. What would you be, what would you live for, if you already had everything?"

Ironic, coming from someone whose family owns an entire block of buildings and has the resources to build or research whatever they want, but hey, at least the Richardses haven't completely spoiled their kids.

Daniel Hastings has posed:
Daniel laughs, "Yes. Well. I didn't say I /knew/ everything.. just that I could see it. Be there. Be it? It was odd." He shook his head then was silent a moment. "No.. I'm definitely not a god and I'm /very/ glad that I don't see it all all of the time. For one.. it was impossible to focus on any one thing. Which.. again.. was driving me mad. So.." He smiles faintly then looks to her. "Besides. It would leave me without things to look forward to, as you said."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I'm certainly glad you were able to stay sane enough to get yourself somewhere," Valeria smies swiftly back at him. "And into another mystery, no less. I know it must have been hard, but it certainly could have been worse, don't you think? Think of everything you've been able to see now. Another planet, another civilization, another //world//. You've flown a spaceship, you've seen the future. And that just in a relatively short time since it happened."

She props her chin up on one fist, watching him. "You could have come to yourself on some deserted island here on Earth, in your own time. Or in the middle of a prisoner of war encampment, or...Or deep in the ocean, even."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "Well.. see.. I'll grant you that would have solved the time issue." Daniel admits candidly. "Though I wouldn't have met you and I do consider that to be one of my more favorite events thus far since returning home." He flashes her a grin then continues, "But as it happens.. I can survive in the vacuum of space and deep under water.. and if I'd appeared in a POW camp.. well.." He sits up and looks about until he sees a rock on a distant cliff face. Lifting his hand to serve as a focal point of aim, his brow knits... then the air seems to concuss and ripple.. 'shooting' off towards the outcropping which promptly explodes with a shower of dirt and stone down into the valley below. "So.. that would have been not such the problem either." He tenders her a pragmatic look. "What would truly have been bad is if I'd not focused on a planet with water at all but.. reformed within an event horizon.. though why I would have focused on such a thing I have no idea." He shrugs then drops back down onto the blanket, this time on his side facing her. "Still.. I have to agree with you. To have the ship. The experience. To speak the language. Since I've been back, all I could think of is how I should have liked to have been an astronaut back then.. but it was far too early for space travel.. so I beat the odds after all." His flashes a toothy grin.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I think I'd have a hard time looking away from an event horizon, myself," Valeria muses, rolling onto her side as well and looking back to the divot in the stone. "You are why smart people with powers are //far// more frightening than the whole idea of 'just anyone' getting powers," she laughs softly, shaking her head a bit. "People worry about 'just anyone' suddenly having powers, but I doubt 'just anyone' would have thought through all the ways you can apply one particular skill."

"Which is not saying I find you actually frightening," she adds quickly. To be fair, there are not enough things that she finds frightening. "I'm reasonably certain there were girls in the 40s, you know," she chuckles. "You didn't have to come all the way to the future for that."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
Daniel blinks. "Well. I mean.. that's true." Is he blushing? Yes, he's blushing. "There were. Though.. sadly.. they weren't really allowed in the sciences." There's wry roll of his eyes. "I met a few women in cryptography.. and there was Agent Carter. Now /there/ was a woman worthy of the name." He says appreciatively. "Smart. Strong willed. Could take down any bloke that bothered her. Without powers I note. And.. very much besotten with a certain Captain Rogers I'm sorry to say.. he was presumed dead you see.. but she never forgot him. I.. don't think he ever forgot her, either." He says more quietly as he looks off at nothing. "I feel for them both. Starcrossed that they were." A sigh escapes him and he looks back to Valeria. "For better or for worse, I had no one at home to mourn me but my parents.. and I read that they passed a few years after I disappeared."

    A silence falls then Dan shakes himself out of it. "But listen to me go on. Here I am on a beautiful hillside with a delightful young lady willing to listen to my prattling on and.. that.. Valeria.. is enough to give any gent hope for the future. Nevermind being afraid of me." He laughs. "Let me offer you an apology." He closes his eyes a moment. Opens them. Looks.. vaguely northwesterly.. then reaches out to.. pluck a red rose from the air. As he brings his arm back in, he pauses to smell the rose then offers it to Val.

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria laughs as he plucks the rose from midair, reaching out to take it in turn and inspecting it with a slow shake of her head. "The things you can do are truly amazing," she murmurs, sniffing the rose and then carefully scraping away thorns with her thumbnail, smiling faintly to herself.

"Have you talked to him since you came back?" she asks, looking back up briefly. "Captain America?" From some, it would no doubt sound like fangirling. Tell me about the famous soldier! From Valeria...there's something almost more academic about it. "I can imagine he'd have a few words of advice, at the very lease."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
"I have.. he did.." Daniel muses introspectively. "Honestly.. he's only gotten me beat by a few months so he's still working things out for himself. Mostly.. we listen to music and.. have.. introspectives.. about the differences in life. But also how things are the same. He avoided giving relationship advise." He laughs. "Why?" Call it curiosity. As he watches her smell the rose, he shrugs. "Space.. places.. I mean.. I am still just a man. Prick me, I'll bleed.. of course if I don't want to be pricked.. I can make you prick yourself. So.. there's that I suppose." Another chuckle and he reaches for his tea.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"It's just interesting, is all," Valeria shrugs, smiling to herself before breaking into a laugh. "But now I'm picturing you and Captain America in a couple of armchairs like you're in the nursing home, and I'm reasonably certain that's not an image anyone was going for."

Once she has the rose stripped of thorns, she trims it enough to tuck it behind her ear, reaching for another apple fritter. "How are things with SHIELD, then? Still going smoothly? You said you were working on the ship?"

Daniel Hastings has posed:
"Now look.. I am /not/ ancient!" Daniel protests. "Neither is Captain for that matter though he's sure to outlive us all thanks to his serum.. and look better for it.." The fiend. "And.. that's not funny." Is he pouting? Maybe a little. "You do realize that according to my birth certificate, I turn a hundred in two months. I..." He shakes his head. "Just.." Yeah, it's messing with him.

Thankfully, the tucking of the rose behind your ear distracts him and he smiles again. "SHIELD? Oh.. same.. but yes. I turned Doctor Foster and a colleague onto it and I might as well have fed the animals. There will be no getting rid of them now." He knits his brow. "Rather like yourself I might add. Not that I should like to." More like.. he enjoys feeding a Richards. Or something. Somehow the metaphor sounded better the first time he thought of it.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Well, you know. That's how humanity turned wolves into dogs," Valeria grins. "Just keep feeding them and eventually they'll stick around on their own." Was that an invitation? Or a scientific observation?

"You don't look a day over twenty-five," she promises, shifting to one elbow to place a hand over her heart. "So I'd say you're doing quite well for a hundred. Think of all the records you can break and bureaucratic nightmares you can cause with your time-hopping. You'll keep some agency in business for years."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
Daniel bursts a laugh at something she says, nodding, "Oh yes. Already done. See, one of my conditions for coming back to work and apologizing for spreading my atoms across creation was reinstating my.. existence. So.. SHIELD did the heavy lifting and rescinded my death certificates. Brought me back from the dead. You can imagine the headache /that/ caused. Now I'm a pensioner with the Royal Navy. Can you believe that?" He waggles his eyebrows for the halibut then looks at her more shrewdly. "Are you saying that I'm giving up my secrets too easily? Hmm.." There's a stroke of his chin. "Good to know. I shant give you any more then.. not until after the gala at least. I have to keep you interested, after all." Does he? Is he? He did just give her a flower...

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I would never, mister classified information," Valeria protests laughingly. "Though I can't object to keeping the mystery going. I met Spider-Man too, you know," she adds, seemingly out of nowhere. Except...

"Apparently he'd read some of my papers. He had a question about one on phase-shifting power sources. I'm interested to see what he asks, since maybe it will help give me an angle on the core and keeping it appropriately powered."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "And don't you forget it." Daniel nods firmly to her, absurdly so. "Agent Hastings, indeed." Though now she mentions Spider Man and he tilts his head, "Spider Man is a technophile, eh? Interesting. Are you thinking about him for the ahh think tank then?" Wariness? Jealousy? Curiosity? Probably more the latter and he'd never admit to the second. Not so quickly at least. "Come to that.. anyone else you have in mind? Doctor Foster would be a delight to add though she's beholden to SHIELD as well and I rather had the impression your preference was for free thinkers. Not.. that I'm not with SHIELD as well but.."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Well, I mentioned it to him, but he seems worried about his privacy," Valeria answers, shrugging. "Which I certainly understand. But there are some prospects out there. There's a boy in Brooklyn by the name of Peter Parker who seems to have some impressive scores, and a Riri Williams who's been working with StarkTech. I'd love to see if Wakanda would be interested in sending anyone, but I thought I'd save that for the embassy."

Her head tilts slightly at his suggestion, smile quirking. "I mind much less than SHIELD is likely to," she points out, amused. "But I'd love to meet her. And if SHIELD were to happen to have their eyes on anyone they can't quite maange to recruit..."

Daniel Hastings has posed:
    "You'd like me to whisper sweet nothings of pristine labs, no processor sharing and break room with endless coffee and a comfy couch." Daniel rebutts with a twinkle in his eye. "I'll keep it in mind." He puts his cup down and offers to refill hers. "I'll definitely speak to her. Mention it. And keep my ear to the ground. Though somehow I think you might have better luck recruiting than I would on sheer name recognition." He chuckles.