13004/A Sad Day In England Pt 2

A Sad Day In England Pt 2
Date of Scene:	08 October 2022
Location:	London - England
Synopsis:	Lara and Steve leave the palace reception and converse while traveling to Croft Manor in Surrey.
Cast of Characters:	Steve Rogers, Lara Croft

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Steve Rogers has posed:
Geoffrey smiles to Lara Croft again as the young Earl, Henry Fiennes-Clinton smiles back to Lara. "Thank you, Duchess Croft," he says, glancing up at his guardian and getting an approving smile. The older man says, "We'll be retiring home then, it has been a long day," he says. "Thank you, Lady Croft. Captain Rogers."

They turn and walk out hand in hand, Steve smiling as he watches them, then turning back to Lara. His blue eyes regard her with a soft expression. "That was quite kind of you," he tells her. "I can understand the lad feeling that way. It has been quite a long day. Especially for someone his age."

Steve glances around the reception. Others feel that way too, while it's still fairly full, maybe about twenty percent of the attendees have departed in the last hour or so. "I was just about to step out onto the balcony there," Steve says, gesturing to a door out to a second floor balcony, "And get a look at the grounds. Maybe a little bit of fresh air. Would you care to join me, Lady Croft?" Steve asks. He offers her an arm along with the verbal offer.

Lara Croft has posed:
A quick little wave is offered to the departing duo, before Lara places her hands together in front of her lap again, and returns her eyes to Steve. She looks toward the directed balcony, and then back to him. "That would be lovely." She says in response, turning to walk toward the doorway outside.

"I would say that I'm surprised to see you here for... all of this, but you seem to be able to find yourself wherever a bit of inspiration is needed most." She says with a slight grin toward him before the door is opened, and she steps outside ahead of him.

Once outside, Lara walks toward the center of the balcony, letting her eyes roam around the exterior of the famous yard, and the building that encircles it.

"It has been a long day, for a nation that will be in mourning for a long time to come." Lara states then, glancing back to him. "She meant a lot to us, even if the old traditions are not as prevalent today." She shows a quick smile for him. "Even being called 'Lady' is not something I've heard often since ... the title was passed on to me from my parents. In a situation like today, obviously it's more commonplace, but on average... yeah... it's still rather unusual to hear still."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Walking at Lara's side, Steve escorts her outside, holding the door for the dark-clad woman before stepping out behind her. He's in a black suit and tie, as are so many of the men.

Stepping outside, a cool wind stirs Lara's hair. The temperature has dropped noticeably since the morning, more than just what one would expect with the onset of the evening. "Well," Steve replies at Lara's comment about his presence, "More a matter of Nick Fury's inspiration than my own. There's a small tale there," he tells her.

However the telling of that tale will wait for a moment as Lara and Steve take in the view together. The palace grounds quite stunning, and as immaculate as they can be given the solemnity of the day's events. "You have my deepest condolences, Lady Croft. As do Britain and the other nations that looked to her," Steve says in a respectful, quiet tone.

After a few long moments of looking out at the grounds and reflecting Steve turns to lean against the balcony's railing, facing more towards Lara. "Perhaps not an address you hear often. Though deserving I think," he says. Steve's gaze seems to drift across Lara thoughtfully. "You have a presence about you. Not everyone with a title might live up to the notions most of us hold about what they should entail. But you have a grace and nobility to you. Which I was just given the pleasure to be able to observe yet again," Steve says, gesturing towards the door they came through and seeming to be talking about her helping the young, lost boy.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara is there then beside him at the railing, her hands resting upon it's edge with her fingertips brushing the smooth stone surace idly. She roams her brown eyes over the historic locale, before she looks back at him when he's looking at her. She smiles in a reserved fashion at him. "Blame it on my parents." She says at the mention of a presence of grace and nobility. Her eyes go back out over the yard, and she parts her lips for a moment as she considers her next words for a second or two. Her head shakes side to side then.

"I did everything in my power, as a little one, to get away from the lessons in court, and etiquette. I tried hard to shun it. Partly because, well, I think I was more like my father than I was my mother. I wanted to get /away/ from all of this." She says, nodding vaguely toward the yard, before looking back to him. "I also never thought I'd actually /be/ ... the heir to the title. Which, is one of the reasons that the Queen meant as much as she did to me."

Lara shifts a little to face him, one hand remaining on the railing though. "You see, prior to a decade ago, a daughter could not receive the title of Duchess should she lose her parents. If there was no male heir, then the Dukedom would be dissolved. I think, however, my mother's passing from a plane crash, and my father's... death just a few years later, influenced the Queen's decision to listen to a vocal calling for the rights of the daughters to be brought to equal footing to that of the males." Lara just inhales a second and shakes her head again.

"Either way, though, she was an inspirational person. I would say the greatest leader the country has ever had..."

Lara then smiles at him. "Which is a long way around for me to simply say 'Thank you', for the kind words." She states, grinning for a short spell before looking away from him back toward the yard again. "Are you heading back to the States tonight?" She asks then.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve's smile grows a bit as he is an attentive audience to Lara sharing a bit more of her past with him. "It's good that they've gotten around to it," Steve says of the changed treatment of women in the peerage, "If it only took however many centuries," he adds with a chuckle that is light rather than judging. "I imagine her own example helped quite a bit there."

Steve pauses a moment in thought. "I actually met her once as well. It was on a base during the war. I didn't realize who she was at the time. She was just another service woman doing a job. Peggy told me after the fact. A bit excitedly, as I recall. I noticed she had gotten a little... stiff. I mean, for her," he says, and again his delivery makes it gentle humor and not at anyone's expense. "Just a brief interaction. I just remember it for having been surprised to see a Princess serving as she was."

Another cool breeze stirs across the grounds, moving leaves and stirring both of their hair before it passes. "I don't think so," Steve says of heading back tonight. "I actually was on a transport plane returning from a mission. When I got a communique from Nick. Said he was going to be unable to attend. Something about going into orbit on short notice?" he tells her, his eyes expressing the unusualness of the statement, even as his tone seems to take it in stride. "And asking that I take his place. An hour later we were touching down and someone was handing me a suit and pushing me into a car to get me here on time." He glances back out at the grounds for a moment. "I need to find a hotel for the night still," he says.

Which Lara would probably know is practically impossible. The entire London area has been saturated with even normal people coming for the viewing of the previous week, not to mention the dignitaries. The news has commented on the lack of rooms to rent anywhere within two or three hours of London.

Lara Croft has posed:
The talk of the Queen, then Princess, serving in the war ages ago has Lara smiling again. "Yes, I used to read all about that when I was young. Doing that manner of thing always intrigued me far more than... well, social obligations."

She trails off there though as she hears him talking of taking over for Nick's original role here. It makes her laugh shortly and sweetly. "So he gave you his position here at the ceremony, but he didn't provide you with a place to rest afterward?" She inquires in good humor. Her head shakes side to side then. "You're never going to find anything available right now.. But." She pauses then. "You're in luck."

A happy expression rests on her youthful features. "I'm headed back to my family's manor tonight, to check on the finished restorations, and check in with the small staff that is overseeing it all. There's more than enough room for you to stay there, if you don't mind a ... creepy old English Manor house." She responds before her eyes go back out over the yard. She catches eyes of a familiar face walking with their family down below, and she exchanges a raised hand in a wave to them as they seem to be walking the grounds for the experience of it, the young ones in their group looking boredly this way and that.

Steve Rogers has posed:
That there isn't a room for rent anywhere in the area is news to Steve. "Figures. I bet Nick was probably going to have a plane fly him out after. Though the one I came in on I think decided to take advantage of the stop to do some maintenance," he replies to Lara.

Watching that happy expression grow across Lara's face feels something like watching a sunrise breaking to shine warmth over a picturesque vista. Not for the first time, Steve finds himself silently taken with the brunette's expressiveness and warmth. As she explains the source of the happy thought, Steve's blue eyes light up even more. "Well, I may have to give this offer some thought," he says in a tone of deep, and obviously mock, consideration. Steve holds his hands up as if they were different sides of a balance scale. "Sleep in the chairs of the transport, while Captain Roshansky hammers on a console. Be hosted by a gracious woman in the kind of vintage English manor that I've only seen in the news reels and pictures," he says, his vernacular a bit dated on the last part. Steve adjusts the hands of his impromptu balance up and down before smiling to Lara. "Thank you, I appreciate the offer. And I would love to see your family home," he tells Lara sincerely.

Steve glances down to see where Lara looks then, spotting the family. The father, after waving to Lara, puts his arms around himself in a shivering gesture. That wind isn't helping the falling temperatures. And Steve takes notice of it, looking back to Lara quickly. "I hadn't realized how much it has cooled off," he tells her. Steve starts to remove his jacket as he offers, "Are you cold? You're welcome to my jacket," he tells her, and if she agrees he will slips it over her shoulders for added warmth for the woman.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's hand comes down from the wave to the cold stone of the railing. She looks back over to Steve then when he offers the jacket, and then looks up toward the grey skies of England's usual design. "I hadn't realized it was going to be quite this chilly tonight. Though I do recall hearing that rain was expected." She does reach to place her hands on the outsides of her own biceps, her clothing not designed to keep herself warm. She accepts his jacket with a light nod, and another light smile. "Quite kind of you." She says back in a soft tone of voice.

"But yes, with everything wrapping up here, so it seems, we can leave whenever you're ready. It's not a terribly long drive either, fortunately. Only an hour, or so, depending on traffic... which, I suppose is not ideal today." She states with a smirk chasing those words.

She adjusts his jacket over her shoulders, and feels the added warmth as she shifts her weight from one heeled shoed foot to the other.

"I'll be here for another week, maybe two, depending on how things go though, but I'll admit, I'm eager to get back to New York... There's a lot of memories here, especially so at the Manor, which are a bit challenging to deal with." She tells him, her elegant pronounciation of each of those words hitting the syllables in that refined way that only a London accent can.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve is left in the dress shirt and tie. For it having been handed to him by someone when the plane landed, they did a nice job of fitting it to him. Lara might recognize the tag of a Saville Row tailor on the inside of the jacket as it is put about her shoulders. No doubt Nick Fury had the measurements sent in before even asking Steve Rogers if he would attend, counting on the man's sense of duty.

An empathetic look grows across Steve's face. "How long has it been since you've spent much time there?" he asks her, voice kept quieter as they speak of her private feelings. "I know how tough it can be dealing with those kind of memories," he agrees. "And especially if it is still much as you remember it. 'Going Home' for me, after the ice, amounted to finding our old apartment had been completely remodeled to where the only thing familiar about it was the layout. And the creaking board on the stairwell landing outside it," he says, a wry tone sounding at the last part.

Steve's eyes drift up towards the grey skies as well. "Well, if you are ready to depart, I think Nick won't be able to complain that SHIELD wasn't represented adequately enough. I imagine traffic would be worse than normal today," he agrees. "Shall we?" he asks, and ready to get the door for her to head back inside.

Lara Croft has posed:
"Mmh." Lara says softly at what he asks of her. "A year ago I came to oversee the start of the repairs. There was a bad storm that put a tree down through the west wing of the Manor, and my Uncle was taking it as a opportunity to try and prove that I had no claim, or right to the estate any longer. It... was a mess." She sighs softly before looking over to him as she turns to put her back to the railing, and the yard, though she keeps her gaze on him.

"As much as I might ramble about my own troubles though, I don't think they can compare with what you've gone through. In so far as to say that ... traveling quite literally, through time, to get here... and there-by lose everything that was familiar to you? Yeah... I'm sorry for that. It must be a horribly strange experience."

They start to walk together then, Lara's heels making soft noises on the stone floor of the balcony as the door is opened up again. "But yes, I'll have the car brought around, and we can start the trip to Surrey, an offer I likely would not have extended to Director Fury." She says with a little laugh for Steve before she passes back in to the interior.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Now see," Steve says as they walk back inside and begin the trip towards the exit where Lara's driver will be making his way through the line of cars after she contacts him, "That's not how you end up with a raise and a cushy high floor office with a view," Steve says in a good-natured voice. "Speaking of, have you see the view from Nick's office? To have a nicer one you'd have to go up to the roof landing pad. And it's a bit windier there."

As they walk the halls together, various people offer greetings, comments, or just nod on the way past. Steve acknowledges each of them, between carrying on the conversation. "Well," he says slowly, as if to give him a moment to gather his thoughts. "I figure life is pretty hard for everyone. It doesn't matter if it's a... tree branch crashing through a house, trouble with relatives... or being stuck in ice due to Nazis. Going through such changes is upsetting. To all of us." He reaches over and for a moment touches the small of her back as they walk, as if to offer a gentle reassurance along with his words. "And you know, if having someone not involved in any of it to talk to would help? Well, you can put that towards my room tab I guess?" he says with a smile over to the woman, his own expression fueled by that beautiful warmth he hears in her laugh.

When they get down to the car, Steve moves to get the door for Lara, waving to the driver who was already climbing out to do that.

Lara Croft has posed:
"You're as kind as you are worldly, Mister Rogers." Lara says in a playful sort of way as they had walked through the building out toward the parking section of the famous property. She returns him his coat too when the car arrives, and she quietly 'Thanks' him, and the driver, before she enters in to the back of it, settling in within.

With a slight exhale, Lara drops her hands down to her lap, her knees together as she smooths out the fabric of her skirt some, but when Steve joins her, she indicates to the driver that they're headed back to Surrey then, and soon they're off.

Lara's eyes go back to Steve then. "So you have mentioned that Peggy, and another friend, had also made it ... to today. Which is to say, they have joined you from the past, to where we are now... Did they have similar stories to your own in how they accomplished that?" She asks then. "As in, waking up, suddenly in an entirely different world? I knew some of that about Agent Carter, but not very many details. She's never been too chatty of a person around me in the past."

Steve Rogers has posed:
The sound of the radio can be heard as Lara first climbs into the car. "... catching the jet stream and bringing the arctic front to our doorstep. We should avoid freezing temperatures except in the most northern parts of the Isle, but it will be a near thing. Expect heavy rain and-"

Steve has climbed into the car, the driver closing the door and returned to the front and realizing he had the radio going, turns it off. "Very good," he says as he pulls out and begins navigating the heavy traffic.

Sitting slightly sideways so his attention is on Lara, Steve draws a slow breath and gives a thoughtful look at the question. "Peggy owes her youthful state to... well I'm not exactly sure the full details. I suppose it's enough to call it something that resulted from Dr. Erskine's work, if not the same as what I went through," Steve says.

He falls quiet then, looking down and his expression becoming more visibly troubled. "I don't know how much you know about Agent Barnes. Bucky. He and I grew up together. Served together in the war. And he's affiliated with SHIELD now. Though... do you know much of his history before that?" he asks. Steve looks back up, that troubled look still in his eyes. There's a sense of empathy to it. Hurting for a friend.

Lara Croft has posed:
Once the car is out on the streets of London, Lara's eyes go out through the tinted window to her right to look at some of the people gathered outside the palace along the street, the whole city of London coming out for this, it seemed, and likely so much more.

But, when Steve replies, Lara looks over to him on her left, and nods softly twice to what he says of Peggy, but what he asks of Bucky has her shaking her head side to side.

"I've seen him, in the hallways. I've offered him smiles in passing, but he's never really responded. Some people have that 'air' of wishing to be left alone, and that's what I gathered from him. Plus... I'm not the most outgoing person myself." She says with a slight grin. "So, yes, I've left him to his peace. To be honest, I didn't even know you two knew one another, or that he had gone through anything similar at all." She admits further for the super soldier aside her in the sedan as it makes its way toward leaving the city, which is likely no small feat today.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve's usual expressions that are quite even, at worst, or warmth and smiles more often than not, are missing as the troubled look continues to hold him. Lara can likely sense him struggling with something for the few moments before he finally continues.

"I don't believe this is classified. If it is, well Nick will just kill us both so we won't have to worry about it any futher," Steve says as a joke, though it sounds more to put a lighter moment on a darker topic than it does true humor.

Steve looks down at his hands which move together to rest on his leg closer to Lara. "So Bucky was lost during the war. We thought he was killed, on a mission that we undertook to capture Arnim Zola. Fell from a train we were assaulting," he says. That part is delivered without as much of those underlying emotions Lara can sense.

"Only he wasn't killed. He was captured by Hydra. And they did things to him. Mental conditioning. I don't really know or understand the details. But he wasn't himself any longer. Followed their orders and he was used as an assassin during the Cold War, by Hydra elements in the Soviet Union. Under the code name The Winter Soldier," Steve says quietly.

"He was kept in some kind of... frozen sleep. Cryo sleep I think they call it. That's why he didn't age. Manmade, not an iceberg. After I woke... well it's a long story, that probably is classified. But I freed him from their control a year or so after they woke me up," Steve tells Lara.

He turns away from her to look out the window for a few moments to be alone with his thoughts. Gazing at the passing city of London. But he looks back to her before long. "He was stuck serving them for... decades. Because I wasn't there," Steve says, his guilt filling his voice.

The man clears his throat quietly, clearing some of the emotion from his voice too. "I don't really tell that story to people. I mean it's Bucky's story and not mine to share." Having said that, Steve's eyes focus more fully on Lara. "I... trust you, Lara. There's something about you that... I guess I just wanted you to know that. About me, more than about him."

Lara Croft has posed:
The emotional impact of the story unfolding from the Captain has Lara with rapt attention to him, even as he looks away out the side window. She is quiet through most of what he says before he looks back just as she reaches out to put her warm hand over the back of his own. "Even through our darkest times, we are lucky to have friends who are there to help us see the light on the other side of it all. I imagine that Agent Barnes is happy that you're here with him, and that he can rely on you, if he ever needs to."

She shakes her head gently then from side to side. "Hydra, and the terrible things they've done to this world, have left dark marks on every corner of it, it seems." She states then, her eyes going from the front of the car to Steve's again, her hand giving his a squeeze. "A corner of Hydra, a sub-sect of it, known as Trinity, was somewhat a 'thorn' in my father's side, you could say." Lara glances forward again at their driver, before she looks back on to Steve, her browns on his blues. She leans over a little and lowers her voice at him. "I have... thoughts on it all, in fact. That what they claim happened to my father, is not entirely the truth."

She then leans back again, and summons up another vague smile for him. "Should I ever be able to help Agent Barnes, I'd be happy to do so. But, I think I'll likely still leave him in peace. He's a bit ... intimidating." She says with a grin then for the Captain at her side, her hand moving to slip off of his then.

Steve Rogers has posed:
The touch of Lara's hand seems to be appreciated by Steve Rogers. His thumb moves to rest lightly upon her fingers as if in that tiny fashion holding her hand back during her consoling words.

Steve draws a slow breath then lets it out. "They have," he agrees of the horrors Hydra has unleashed on the world. "I had hoped taking down the Red Skull would be their demise. One of the less pleasant things to learn about after I was found," he tells Lara quietly.

Lara sharing her thoughts about her father is one sure way to pull Steve's thoughts from his feelings of guilt over what Bucky went through. Empathy for her is back in his eyes. And for just a moment his thumb shifts, perhaps even unconsciously in the lightest of caresses of the backs of Lara's fingers. "If you'd like, we can speak more later," he tells her, voice kept low. "Maybe I can help in some fashion."

Another deep breath is taken and released, this one even more cleansing. "Yes, something Bucky would rather put behind him," he agrees on not bringing it up to him. "He's doing well. We're both there for each other. He's in a relationship that seems good for him," Steve says, a smile growing. "One with a good friend of mine, at that," he says.

Lara Croft has posed:
"I'm glad for that then." Lara says in a sincerely kind tone of her calming voice. She draws in a breath then as her eyes leave Steve's to look toward the front of the vehicle. She watches the driver make his way further out of the city, and she sweeps her stare back over to Steve then.

"The Red Skull..." She focuses on, after that unsettling name arose within her mind out of what he'd said. "I've read up some on that name. It's one that kind of stands out afterall. I'm not sure there could be a more perfectly manufactured persona title for a foul adversary than that." She states with a dry smirk given to Steve.

"Now that I've immersed myself in ... that world... having come to New York, having joined SHIELD, and participated in their efforts to better the world, I've come to see a strange side of the culture of super powered people that I hadn't really realized existed until now... Which is to say, that it seems like... and I hate to make this sound negative, but, it just seems as though with every new heroic person, who puts to use the outstanding powers that they've been gifted, another evil creation rears its ugly moniker, and seems to just sprout up, wishing to do the world horrible harm."

She shakes her head again, glances to her right, before she looks to Steve again. "I'm rambling now. But, I just hope that the 'good' can continue to arise, to fight back against such wild levels of evil."

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Sometimes I have that same sense of things," Steve confides in Lara quietly. The car seems to have found some open space, making it out to an expressway and making better time towards the town where Lara's manor is located. It gives Steve a chance to see the countryside as he rarely had the chance to do. Though his attention is far more on Lara than on the views outside the window.

"I like to think it's more that people are rising up to oppose those who need to be," he tells her quietly. "Though I don't know that it needs more explanation than simple human nature. There are always people who will use whatever advantage they have, whether size, strength, wealth... or powers... to take advantage of others. And there are also a lot of good people who stand up to those sorts," he says.

Steve turns a little more in his seat, one leg more on the seat and bent at the knee as he rests an arm along the back of the car's backseat. "We could have used someone like you, back then. I'm just glad that we have you now, Lara," he says. Steve looks as if he's about to say something more but instead he just gives her an approving smile.

Lara Croft has posed:
With the vehicle out of the city now, Lara spares a glance toward the exterior to see the familiar countryside before she looks back to him. His kind words get a warm reaction out of her and she glances down for a moment before looking back up at him. "Well, I'm certainly doing my best to help the cause, as much as I'm able to."

Her right hand goes up then to touch at the small hairs dangling over the top of her right ear, causing her earring to sway beneath the small lobe of that ear. She touches the back of her tied up hair, and then drops her hand again as she smiles once more to him. "I... didn't know what to expect when I took the offer to join SHIELD, either. I'd heard of them, but in my world.... they were more just a story, than a reality. I suppose the real driving force of my motivation though, I'm remiss to admit, was the freedom that their membership could give me, when it comes to crossing borders. I mean, I've been labeled a 'Tomb Raider' in the media. Such things are not going to bode well for an archaeologist looking to uncover truths, rather than peddle ancient relics on a black market in some shady corner of the globe."

"I guess, I thought, that this might help my image after the events of that island that we spoke about previously." She then quietly tells him before her phone goes off in her clutch, causing her to reach for it. A second later, and she's smiling, even letting out another soft laugh. She raises it up then to show it to Steve, and upon its screen is a picture of the young Earl Henry clutching his Captain America shield backpack while sleeping in a car seat.

"Looks as though you made an impact." Lara comments then before lowering the phone to her lap again.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers looks very relaxed as they talk. Something he's noticed each time that he's spoken with the beautiful WAND agent. His lips curl in a rueful grin as she speaks about her early uncertainty about SHIELD. "I know what you mean there. And sometimes I'm still not quite sure what to expect," he comments to her. "Though I think overall we're doing good works. And I don't doubt the intent of our agents," he tells her.

One might wonder if his choice of words suggests there are times he had has doubts about others than the agents, though if so he doesn't voice that thought any more openly than that.

He looks down for a moment, as if needing to not meet Lara's eyes for a moment. "Lara, if I might confess something, I did read up a little on what happened to you," he says. A small enough thing for most, but one that it seemed to bother him to have kept from her.

The man's blue eyes look back to her though, and there's a conviction showing when he tells her, "I can only say that I was impressed that you faced what you did and came through it so well. I don't understand those who would find negatives in it. I don't think it is fair that they do. But if SHIELD can help you overcome that, then I'm glad this is where you've ended up," he tells her.

The woman's phone chimes, Steve not looking to give Lara privacy with whatever message it is, until she leans over to show it to him. He leans closer to her, gazing down at the screen and breaking out in a very warm smile. "He seemed quite a good lad," Steve tells her. "I think it was someone else there today who set him the good example about helping others," he says.

Lara Croft has posed:
"Perhaps..." Lara says of the Earl to Steve as she slips the phone back in to her leather clutch. She glances toward the driver at the head of the vehicle, then regards Steve again to her side. "And... you know how people are. Most of us who went to that island, didn't come home alive. Their loved ones demanded answers, demanded a person be the scape-goat for what happened. That mostly came upon my shoulders, I suppose." She speaks grimly of these events, visions, and memories clearly striking her mind in rapid succession as she glances down again.

She shakes her head from right to left, then moves to look back up at him. "So be it, really. I know what happened there. I know it better than most. I don't fear the ire of others, because I know that all I did was my very best to save as many as I could, including myself."

She then summons a sweet smile for him. "But, as my court-ordered therapist has told me... All of that is in the past, and all I can do now is reflect upon what positives I can yield from it, such as it having steeled me in to a stronger person, which... admittedly... I imagine it probably has."

"Something, I'm sure, you're familiar with from your own hardships."

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Steeling into a stronger person? I am glad to hear it, but can't really relate I'm afraid. I'm just a big soft teddy bear," Steve Rogers replies to Lara. He's not exactly a comedian, yet when he says such things he has a way of delivering them that usually seems to make it work. Particularly when he's trying to provide someone a little levity when he senses they could use it.

His eyes study Lara for a few moments after he falls silent. The shadows cast by the street lights along the highway play upon Lara's face. In this moment highlighting the fine shape of her cheeks. In that shadowing her lips to emphasize their fullness. And through it all, those eyes, so vivid and intelligent gaze back at Steve.

"I only know this," Steve tells Lara quietly. "The woman I have gotten to know of late, whatever it was she went through to get to here, is someone who impresses me. So many people let themselves be brought low by experiences far less than what has befallen you. You manage strength without having hardened to where you don't sense the feelings of others. I think you're a rare person, Lara. And anyone else who doesn't see that? Well, I'd say they aren't seeing the true you," he tells her quietly.

Lara Croft has posed:
With a light rain starting to impact the windows around the vehicle, Lara glances to watch a flash of lightning to the west. She then looks back to Steve at his joke, which garners a little laugh from her. The words that he follows that up with though have her smile softening to just a warm stare. She reaches a hand out again to touch his and gives it a soft squeeze again. "You're too kind." She says back in a hushed tone of voice.

It's a bit dark in the car, but there's enough ambient light to see one another's features well enough, and Lara is just watching him steadily before she hears the driver speak up.

"Mum." He says. "We should call ahead, and remind Winston that it's going to get told and rainy tonight. I believe he was planning to have an outside breakfast for the Garmunds in the morning. He might want to prepare for that."

This draws Lara's eyes from Steve to look forward. She clears her throat softly before nodding. "Yes, of course. If you could place that call, I would appreciate it, Lawrence."

She darts her eyes back to STeve then and gives him a soft grin.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve's thumb rests back on Lara's hand again as she takes his, and his fingers curl a bit against Lara's. Lightly enough he's holding her hand back, but gentle enough she can let go and pull back whenever she chooses.

The worsening weather causes Steve to finally look away from Lara and out the window. "I remember a few storms during times we were based out of England," he comments. "You really do get some fierce ones at times," he says before looking back to Lara.

"Have you spent many autumns in New York?" he asks her. "I know the area up into New Hampshire and Vermont in particular are beautiful once the trees are changing. I've found occasions to take Bessie up there for a ride to enjoy the sight," Steve says. After a brief moment, he adds, "Bessie is my motorcycle. One I had in the war. Nick's father got it and restored it, and Nick returned it to me after," he explains.

"I don't suppose you enjoy motorcycles? If so maybe you'd enjoy a trip up there once we're back?" Steve offers. His thumb does move just a slight bit on the back of Lara's hand.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's eyes return from the scene outside to Steve's when he asks of autumn, and comments on the local weather. "I've always been a fan of the storms, actually. I used to stare at them from my bedroom windows when I was little." She states with a smirk before his question has her raising her chin up slightly. "As a matter of fact, I'm quite fond of them." She says of motorcycles. "I was a bike parcel deliverer in college back in the city, and always wanted to save up for a motorbike, but... rent, and food, turned out to be more important." She tells him with another grin gracing her pink hued lips. "I'd absolutely love to see more of the northeast, actually. I've heard so many great things about it, and have enjoyed the past two fall seasons I've gotten to experience in New York alone. Traveling between the Trisk, and the city, it's reminded me, of, well..." She motions outside the window as they are in the city of Surrey now, at least on its fringes, but that is where Croft Manor resides. "So that would be fun>" She tells him with a little smile.

The driver chimes in again then. "Your Grace, I've told Winston of your guest too, he said he'd make up a room for him if needs be."

This garners a little laugh from Lara, who shifts her weight on the back seat of the car. "Th-thank you, Lawrence." She tells the Driver who is turning off the phone via the screen on the front dash.

Lara looks back to Cap then. "We'll be there soon." She tells him.

Steve Rogers has posed:
The rain is a light fall, but with the dark clouds overhead it doesn't give too much opportunity to see the surrounding area beyond the headlights of the car. "I enjoy storms too," Steve agrees with Lara. "Well, as long as I'm inside somewhere warm. I've gone through enough of them in a foxhole or other places as unappealing that I need to make that stipulation," he says with a soft chuckle.

Steve glances out the window, drops streaking as they slide at an angle down the glass, caught in the wind of the vehicle's passage as it heads out from the city itself into more open area. They cross a bridge over a small river, a sign there warning to not cross it if the water is over the road.

"I imagine there will probably be a better view of the storm from your manor, than from the inside of the cargo plane," Steve comments with a soft smile. "Thank you again for the invitation. Very kind of you to open your home to me like this," he tells her, flashing Lara a warm smile before looking ahead again to see where the car is turning onto a lane.

Lara Croft has posed:
There comes a quiet little noise of amusement at what he says of the fox holes, and storms. "I can only imagine." She says to him at it. "Though, I spent quite a few storms inside tents, or huddled up in caverns, when traveling with my mentor throughout my teenage years... At the time, they were miserable in many cases, but in retrospect I look at them as the beginning of great memories. He taught me a lot about survival, in fact, and without his guidance, I wouldn't be here today."

Lara looks out at the familiar bridge when they cross it. "And of course." She says back to the man to her left.

"Much like myself, as that therapist has pointed out, the Manor needs new memories brought in to it. More life to sweep through its halls to restore it, just as I've been trying to do with myself. This is why I've... brought back as many of the staff members I grew up with, as I could, and have hired more on as well. The House needs to become a ... modernized place for this part of the country. It needs to be a place people think of positively, which, I hope they will soon."

She still has her hand on his, and gives his another soft squeeze before she considers something, but seems to hold back on asking it.

Only mere moments later and they are passing in to view of the rather impressive Manor sitting behind a large fence, and a well cultivated yard surrounding it. The car pulls up to the front gate, which is already opening up for it.

"Ah, here we are..." Lara quietly says, as the huge building looms in the foreground now, illuminated by lights set at the base of the ground level, shining up to the multi story structure that it is.

Steve Rogers has posed:
After hearing Lara speak of her efforts of late to make the manor more of a home again, Steve says, "I think you probably have a pretty wise therapist. Or at least, that sounds to me like a very wise thing to do," Steve tells her. "There's some truth to a home being wherever those you care about are. But the places from our past will always be special. And sometimes they can definitely deserve to have new memories grow within them," he comments.

Steve leans forward a bit, studying the manor through the window. It's probably the longest stretch of the ride where his attention is on something other than Lara Croft. "It's beautiful," he tells her. "Just a little bit larger than where I grew up, mind you," he says. His wry smile can probably give an impression of how small the Rogers family apartment in Brooklyn was. "It's lovely, Lara," he tells her when he finally looks back to the woman.

When the car pulls up, Steve finally gently lets that curl of his fingers and the touch of his thumb end. The driver beats him to Lara's door this time, actually hurrying, she might notice, to make sure he does so. Steve will climb out then, and the driver gets the small bag that Steve had left with the staff at the palace during the reception. It's small enough it probably can't hold more than a single change of clothes. No shield, either.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara lets out a warm little sound of amusement at what he says of his own home when in comparison to this place. "I ... I can't play this place down, as much as I might wish I could, for humility's sake." She quietly says back.

But then they're exiting the vehicle, and Lara is thanking the driver, and meeting Steve as he gathers up his bag. The two of them progress up the stairs, and halfway up the front steps, they're met by the opening of the large front doors. Within them, stands an older man, in his sixties, wearing a nice suit. "Your Grace, Welcome home." He then nods to Steve. "Captain Rogers. We're honored to have you this evening."

Lara reaches the doorway and smiles to the older man. "Winston. Thank you." She says.

"Yes, yes, come in, quickly, it's getting dreadful out there." He tells the young woman, ushering her inside the main foyer of the house.

Once in, Lara turns back to Steve, as Winston closes the door behind him. "Here." The butler says. "I prepared you both some warm towels..." He says as he gathers them up off a table beside the door. He offers one to Lara who begins to dab at her face to dry it off, then she smiles again. "Winston has been with us, since before I was born... I'll... forever be trying to make up to him how I treated him when I was a little girl." Lara says to Steve.

Winston just grimaces at the Duchess. He exchanges a glance with Lara. "Yes, well, at least I know all too well how it feels to be locked inside a freezer." He grumbles then.

Lara laughs, and winces. "I was the absolute worst. I don't know why you ever took me up on my offer to come back here."

"I am a glutton for punishment, dear Miss Croft." The older man replies.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers follows Lara up to the manor, only a light dusting of water on them by the time they reach the door. "Winston," Steve replies at the introduction, giving his head a polite nod and the man a warm smile of greeting. "Thank you. It's an honor to get to see the estate and manor," Steve tells him.

The exchange between the pair draws a happy smile from Steve. The warmth that exists between them is easy enough for him to tell. And the fact the man did come back probably speaks something of the young woman that Lara has grown up to be rather than the girl that she once was.

"So I'm taking from this I should probably refuse any requests to get something from the freezer for her as well?" Steve asks Winston before giving Lara a side-eyed look.

He takes the warm towel, gently dabbing it where the light rain had landed, and wiping his face and hands for the refreshing feeling of it.

"We caught something of the weather briefly. I gather it's supposed to be quite the storm?" Steve inquires of Winston who probably would know far more of the details there.

Lara Croft has posed:
Winston gives Steve a cheeky look of dismay at the freezer story. "Especially if you've just beaten her at chess." He dryly quips as only a Brit can.

Lara wipes at the back of her neck with the towel, then shows a grief-filled expression to her old friend. "I'll never live it down. Nor should I, really." She says to him.

"Well, we shall see." Winston responds as he leads them further in to the house, the lamps in the foyer lighting the way through the arched entry in to the grand hall...

Lara shows a smile to Steve then and will walk alongside him then behind Winston.

The grand hall is two stories tall, with a balcony level that looks down upon the main level on either sides. The floor is a polished dark granite, with archways beneath the balcony levels, each crafted from exsquisite stonework. There's a grand fireplace on the western side of the main level, and a seating area along the eastern side, along with a grand piano. Needless to say there is art hanging everywhere, or placed carefully upon tables here and there, and a massive chandelier hangs from the arched glass ceiling high above the ground...

But the main draw, arguably, is the split staircase made from white and grey marble that goes in either direction to either of the balcony levels once you reach a mid-level point. IT's wide enough to accomodate ... a vast number of people all at once, and beyond it is a huge picture window that spans the whole far side of the house, giving natural light that bathes in across the grand hall, with signs of lightning flashing outside in the now...

"Captain Rogers, I've prepared you a room in the west wing. I'll let Lady Croft show you to it, as it is the Raven Guest Room." Winston says, his voice echoing in the grand hall.

There's a fire crackling in that huge walk-in fireplace, which is crackling in the backdrop.

"Thank you, again, Winston."

"Of course, mum. I'll be in the kitchen, should either of you desire a spot of tea, or a bit to eat."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers walks through the spacious grand hall, listening to the quiet echo of their footsteps as they cross the dark granite. He slows for a moment, doing one of those walks where he's slowly turning in a circle to take it all in, while still moving to not force Lara to stop as well.

"Just as I suspected," he comments quietly. "If you hung a Brooklyn Dodgers 1920 pennant over there, and a Little Orphan Annie poster there, the decor would be the spitting image of my old bedroom," he says. Steve turns back to Lara, smiling to her with such a warm light in the blue of his eyes that it would probably avoid any feeling of judgment in the spaciousness of the room. Steve's hand moves to rest just a moment on Lara's lower back, further conveying that with the light touch, before it falls back to his side.

"I almost didn't bring my bag with me, though I figured I'd end up with a hotel after the reception," he comments. "Though I've just got a change of casual clothes in here. Which was itself more as a just in case. Figured I'd be in uniform the whole trip," he comments to Lara.

As Winston reaches the point where he's going to split off, Steve tells him, "Thank you Winston. Appreciate the preparations you've made for me." He looks back to Lara then, ready to follow her.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's heels are making echoing clicking noises on the polished stone floor. She pauses when Steve makes his comments about the similarities between this hall and his home. This causes Lara to laugh, her voice bouncing throughout the cavernous space, the happiness places across her features as she looks to him, with the light from the fire putting a warm glow on the left side of her features.

"Of course, Captain Rogers." Winston says several paces away now to the eastern side of the Hall. He nods toward Lara. "Anything that brings that laugh back to this home, is more than welcome here." He says before bowing to them both. "Enjoy your stay." He adds before turning to walk through one of the stone archways and down through an open door in to a hall beyond.

Lara tells him goodnight as he leaves, then she looks back to Steve. "Come on, I'll show you where the room is." She states, turning to walk to the stairs now, staying at his side.

She ascends the steps, turning to the left at the mid-level section and then proceeding up to the western second floor balcony level. "This place holds many mysteries to me still." She tells him. "My father kept many secrets from me, and I've come to realize he did it because he believed it would do me best not to dwell on as much as this place has seen throughout its many years. This home... is what started the fire inside me to explore, to poke around in the dark until I solved the mysteries. Much to his chagrin quite often too." She tells Steve on the way up to the balcony level.

Once they're up there, she leads him back toward the front of the Manor then, and takes a right toward the hall along the front facing wall, the many windows there draped in sheer coverings that let light from the outside shine in across the front facade.

"We have plenty of clothing here, of all varieties, should you need anything too. As you said, Director Fury kind of caught you off-guard witht his surprise trip..." She says when she reaches the second door and moves to push it open, revealing a large bedroom suite within. Lara reaches for a switch to flip on the interior lights within it.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Thank you Winston," Steve tells him, "And please, call me Steve," he says before the man departs. He looks back over to Lara, eyes falling on her as the warm light of the fire illuminates her, and her eyes seem not so much to reflect that light but to just let it augment the light that it seems to Steve shines from within. The comment about the welcomeness of Lara's laugh returning to the manor isn't lost on him as the pair continue on.

"Ah, thank you. I'll probably be ok for the night, but perhaps tomorrow," Steve agrees about the possibility of a change of clothing. He follows Lara to the door, glancing inside as she opens it.

He moves to walk in, thinking to follow her in, only to have Lara reach inside and turn on the light without entering. As she turns back then the two of them are nearly both in the confined space of the doorway, within that personal space defined by both English and American society.

Steve gazes at Lara, looking down towards her delicately drawn features from the several inches of additional height he has over her. He doesn't say anything for several long seconds, just looks at her, his eyes ending up on her own, nothing said that can't be read from the blue of his eyes.

After the pregnant pause has gone on for those long seconds, Steve finally clears his throat softly and turns sideways to step past Lara into the room. "It's a nice room. Thank you, Lara," he says, turning back towards her once more. "I..." he says, trailing off a second. "I'm very grateful for you letting me stay here," he says. "I guess, I'll see you in the morning then?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara turns back to him in the doorway and looks up at him, the lighting from the room now illuminating his face, with a lamp resting on a table just over her left shoulder now. The right side of her face is lit partially by the lights outside coming in through one of the hallway windows. She just looks up at him with a quiet stare, a little smile. Then he steps inside the room and she stands just inside the door.

"The door there beyond the bed leads to a closet and a restroom, it's all been restored in the past year, so feel free to use it all to refresh yourself." She tells him before nodding once.

"This was quite a day, but... admittedly, it's been wonderful to have had your company. If you need anything..." Lara steps back out of the room then and motions down the hallway further. "My room is at the end of this hall, and to the right, then up a flight of stairs. It's the tower room." She explains, before showing another light smile. "Try as I might to convince myself to move in to my parents master bedroom, I've yet to build up the nerve to do so. Thus, I remain in my childhood room while here.. but at least I've boxed up all the stuffed animals, and coloring books." She states playfully before putting her hand on the door handle and starting to close it.

"I'll be down in the Hall come sun up." She tells him then before pulling the door closed. "Sleep well, Steve." She then says.

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Thank you, sleep well too, Lara," Steve tells her. He pauses, opens his mouth to say something else but Lara has already pulled the door far enough closed he loses sight of her, and Steve lets whatever he might have said go without being uttered.

He lets his bag slip off his shoulders and lowers it to the floor. Then leans his back against the wall beside the door. Thinking about having stood so close to her, and how lovely Lara looked as she gazed back up at him. He quietly bangs his head against the wall behind him before pushing away from it, scooping up his bag and carrying it over to the bed.

Steve Rogers isn't much at impersonations, but in his head at least when he speaks he is hearing it in Bucky's voice. "Smooth move Rogers, that was so -you-," he says, then repeats in a judging tone what he'd finally said in that moment of being so close to the woman, "It's a nice room. Thank you Lara." He wishes he was still against the wall so he could bang his head against it again.

Steve settles down to sit upon the bed, eyes going to the window and the murky night, and the rain that is tattering against the pane. Though seeing none of it as the moment now gone repeatedly plays out in his minds eye in the different ways it could have gone. He groans and changes out of his suit and into something from his bag, then turns out the light as he climbs into bed. "Really smooth, Rogers," he hears Bucky mutter one last time in the dark.