12227/A bit of research on the side

A bit of research on the side
Date of Scene:	30 July 2022
Location:	NYC Main Library
Synopsis:	Patience Alperen and Lara Croft meet during their own research projecgts. A future meeting over coffee and pastries was agreed upon.
Cast of Characters:	Patience Alperen, Lara Croft

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Patience Alperen has posed:
May You Live In Interesting Times.

There have been many eras that have qualified as interesting times and, it could be easily argued, they were indeed. The present day has become no less interesting much to the thrill of some and the displeasure of others.

For Patience the level of interest has not been bad, exactly, it has been more lively than she might have actually anticipated. Today finds her in the rare and banned books section of the New York Library's Main branch. Nine books are stacked around her on the small table she has claimed for her use. Several are opened carefully. She has her smartphone in hand, as well as a tablet logged into a number of web sites known to track the supernatural and obscure. There has been some usual information to be gleaned, even if most are run by conspiracy theorists with little to no facts to back their assertions.

^The soft 'click' sound as she takes a few pictures of the pages in the opened books can be heard nearby. Otherwise Patience conducts her research in focused silence.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara had first revealed her arrival by the sound of her voice speaking softly in the distance to someone who was showing her the way here. But, once she'd separated herself from that person, the British woman wasn't exactly approaching where Patience was immediately. Instead, the sound of her soft footsteps would show her passing by some of the bookshelves at the far end of them. Her eyes scanning them up and down, as she kept on going... then she was gone, amongst the rows and rows of tomes.

It wasn't for another several minutes before she'd re-emerge then now much closer to where Patience is.

And she announces herself this time by accidentally dropping a book on to the floor with a heavy thud, and then a exhale at herself.

Lara is wearing a pair of slim fit earthen hued trousers, and a dark grey tanktop that is covered over by an unbuttoned white safari-style shirt that flows around her form as she moves to gather that book back up.

She holds two other close to her stomach now as her eyes scan them over, and then she pauses to open one where she stands, and flip through it several pages before drawing her hand back toward her forehead to brush some of her loose bangs back behind an ear where the rest of her hair is tied back in a loose ponytail behind her shoulders.

She stands there now, a few steps away from where Patience is seated... just studying the inside of that book she'd dropped.

Patience Alperen has posed:
The sound of voices feel on Patience's ears. Some part of her mind registers there are others in the area, but her focus is on pouring over one of her own selected books. She doesn't touch the pages, using her tablet's stylus to help skim down the old text for.. something.

Just as that rogue book falls with such a loud cavernous thump to the floor, Patience let out an exasperated sigh and hisses, "... it's /not here/!" As if she couldn't believe her quest could have been omitted from the volume she is pouring over.

She spares a glance to her fellow Section visitor, her brown eyes taking in the young woman then glanceing to book titles that might be visible. On the table around her are books regarding Norse, Celtic and Ancient Gaul legends and lore.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara is just flipping through the pages while she stands there, almost like she's making sure she pulled the right book before she commits to checking it out any further. But her eyes are drawn back up and over to Patience when she hears her speak those words. Her own book she's holding is labeled as 'Trinkets of the Nat-' before it becomes unable to see.

Lara's own eyes are upon the spines of the things that Patience is reading, but when she notices the woman is looking her way, she just offers a soft smile.

"The joys of searching endlessly for something that may not even exist?" She states, and questions at the same time.

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen nods with a sigh. "Yes, it is bit like that" she says with a wry smile. "Only I am looking for a particular history. The item in question is very much real however." She sits back with another sigh, brushing her own straight locks back over her right shoulder. Her voice has a curious mix of a Nova Scotian accept somehow blended with an Irish brouge.

"So. Just trying to trace it back. But it's not where other sources suggested it might be." She glances back to Lara's books, "Your own quest, hmm?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara gently raises her chin up as she takes in the other woman's response. "Ah... I see." She quietly notes in her soothing tone of voice. She steps over to the same long table and sets her three books down, while she remains standing, with the one on top still open. "I'd offer to help, but I imagine an outsider might take more time just to explain what you're after, which could keep you from just finding it yourself in the mean time..." She replies with a light smile.

Her eyes dart down to her open book and she taps upon it gently with her right forefinger. "I checked these three books out once, a year or so ago, and I am positive that I ran across something for a friend that I was hoping to rediscover. something related to simple charms, the creation of them." She draws in a breath then and reaches her hand up then to rub at the back of her neck before she pulls her sunglasses off the top of her head, and sets them down upon the table, moving to pull the chair beside her out. "So I guess I have some reading to do." She says then with a little smirk for Patience.

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen smiles wryly. "I have done that before. Come across some information and then forget where it was that I had seen it." She runs fingers through her hair idly. "I do appreciate the offer but I couldn't impose. You clearly have your own research." Her hand moves up idly to a necklace she wears. The chain and facet appear to be of a sort of silver allow but without a shine too it. More matte. The facet holds a pale icy blue stone shaped somewhere between a narrow arrowhead profile and that of a traditional heart shape. She idly strokes her fingers over the gem before she smiles and nods. "Well I do wish you luck. Charms can be difficult under the best of situations I have learned."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's eyes go to the necklace that Patience is holding on to, her own a jade phoenix pendant that hangs down toward her chest, visible due to the tanktop being a low-scooped neckline variety. After Patience responds to her, Lara summons a soft smile. "Thank you." She quietly says.

"Are you an archaeologist." She inquires next. "Or just lucky enough to be granted access back here, and an avid researcher, and lover of old books?" She questions further with a little grin. "And I like your pendant there." She states with a nod toward Patience's hand.

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen nods, then looks curious, "Archaeologist? Oh, no" she replies quickly. "I'm.. well." She laughs quietly. "Um.. something of a researcher into the supernatural. For the Church" she offers.

She glances down. She hadn't realized she was rubbing it more like a talisman than just a necklace. "Oh. Yes. Thank you." She smiles self consciously. "I.. am actually trying to find history on its counterpart. They have a curious history but one that has been difficult to define or track as I mentioned." She looks over, "Yours is lovely as well. Is it Jade?" she wonders. "Oh. I'm sorry. I'm Patience. I should have started there I guess" she laughs at herself.

Lara Croft has posed:
A quick look is sent down to her own pendant hanging from that old leather cord that used to be a bootlace from one of her mentor's boots. She smiles then as she looks back up, and nods her head gently two quick times. At the introduction, she holds her smile, and replies quietly. "I'm Lara. Croft." She says to the other, her hand going up to raise up the phoenix medallion to show it off a little better. "This was the first trinket I found on my first dig site, when I was... very little." She displays a grin for Patience then. "It's become a bit of a lucky charm, I suppose."

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen looks from the pendant to the other womans face again. She blinks. "Lara Croft. The archeologist." Even she can connect those dots when they're placed in front ofher. "Patience Alperen." She looks to the pendant again and smiles. "Good luck charms are important to have. More so than many would place faith in." Perhaps ironic to suggest puttin faith in a charm when she claims to be working for the Church.

"I can't say I have a long history in my, mmm, career. That you've had it a long time is cool."

Lara Croft has posed:
The Briton across the table, and down a couple chairs, just smiles back to the other woman. She dips her head again in another nod. "Well thank you." She says once more before she considers something. "If you do continue to struggle to find what you're looking for, just reach out to me and I'll see if I can't help search it down myself. I'm always up for another thing to occupy my mind. Anything that keeps me from sleeping, right?" She asks that lastly with a small grin following her words.

"Plus, if you need help with, or for the Church, I'm happy to provide that too. I actually work for WAND, a division of SHIELD that is dedicated to work within the occult. Though primarily I am an archaeologist by trade, and training."

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen smiles. "I have heard of your experiences. Many would find them difficut to believe at face value" it might seem as if she were one of them until she adds, "I've, well, encountered enough to know that everything I have heard of you is entirely believable. It is only the small or narrow minded who have difficult accepting that there are aspects to our reality that are beyond easy explanation or classification."
She tilts her head, "Oh wow. SHIELD And WAND.." she does seem to consider that more than just a little relevant. "I'm a newer associate of the Justice League Dark team, myself." She pauses to glance around just to get an idea of who else might be around. Satisfied there are no prying ears too close at hand, she looks down at her necklace again.

"This is one of thirteen interconnected Artifacts. I.. have encountered it's opposite and the one who currently possesses it." A sigh. "We're currently in something of a truce I suppose. At least we've agreed to not let the two try and get into conflict." A glance toward Lara, "This is the Glacier Stone. It's opposing artifact is the Ember Stone. Fire versus Ice. Death and Life." A wry smile. "I'm trying to trace the Ember stone back through history. And it is proving difficult."

There is something of a trusting naivety about her. She's probably said too much yet she seems okay with it on knowing Lara has some impressive affiliations.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara comes to fold her forearms atop one another on the edge of the table in front of her, with her shoulders rising up just a little as she keeps her full attention upon that of Patience. She listens intently to the story of the necklace, and its counterpart, even tilting her head a little curiously as she skips her eyes down to the pendant, and then back up to the woman's eyes again.

"Well. Being that I have worked with John Constantine in the past, I am sure you have a great deal of well educated people around you who could help find the truths behind that Amber variant. But, now my curiosity is piqued a bit." She says back with a smile.

"I haven't come across any stories related to those things, but if you point me in a direction that I might get the gears turning, so to speak... I'd be quite interested in learning more."

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen nods, "Yes there are. There are a number of aspects of this that I am receiving help with from the Dark team. But much of this is for personal understanding at this point. I feel I need to better understand what it is I am facing. I.. don't like what I have been urged to do sometimes by.." She pauses and glances down at the almost glowing blue stone around her neck. "It is, for lack of a better word, sentient. After a fashion. It likes to be unleashed. And that is not something I care to do" she offers over with a wry smile. "Destruction isn't exactly something I believe in."

She pauses, "The Thirteen. They're mystical, supernatural artifacts." She pauses as someone else comes into the area. A glance over, "Mm. this is probably not the best of places to explain all of this. Would you like to come over sometime for coffee? There is a wonderful little French bakery around the corner from where I live. The least I could do is provide some pastries if you were to help."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara is just holding the backs of her arms with either hand as she listens to Patience explain these various details. But when that other person comes in and makes it a bit of an untellable tale, the Briton woman just glances toward them, affords them a smile, before she looks back to Patience, and smiles to her as well. "Certainly." She replies to the offer. "The more you describe here, the more it sounds like something I should know more about. Especially if these items can potentially pose some sort of threat to the... Well. Yes." She smirks for a second then before she drops her elbows off the table then and reaches for the books in front of her. "I should probably check these out and take them back to study though. I need to get this charm ready before my co-worker loses another metric ton of sweat believing that they are in grave danger without such an item." She smirks once more to Patience, and then fishes something out of a pocket.

A standard business card that she slides toward Patience's place at the table, leaning over to slide it toward her. "Here, all my contact information." She says then with a flashed smile.

Patience Alperen has posed:
Patience Alperen smiles and nods. "Yes.. there is potential for a, well, a lot of conflict." She reaches into her purse and takes out a small case to offer over her own business card. It has a crimson circle with an M inside of it. Then her name and contact details. "And here is mine. I will reach out in a day or two? It is not a critical matter." At least not at the moment.

"I should also wrap up my efforts. For now, I have determined there is little more to be found today. But I will consider running into you as a Gift of Provedence, Ms Croft."