14378/You Can't Save Them All

You Can't Save Them All
Date of Scene:	11 March 2023
Location:	3C - Lara's Greenwich Loft
Synopsis:	Lara returns from overseas to find Steve despondent over a fight where there were some innocents he wasn't able to save.
Cast of Characters:	Steve Rogers, Lara Croft

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Steve Rogers has posed:
News about superheroes and their fights tends to slot in among the lead stories, certainly on local TV but even on the networks they get a lot of coverage. Not just because of the happenings being newsworthy, but people's interest in certain heroes drives coverage more than others. Sometimes whether they want it or not.

Tonight's news isn't the best though. A cache of weapons dating back to Loki's invasion of New York was uncovered by police. A firefight resulted, the weapons leaving a trail of damage as the weapons dealers fled with them.

Captain America had responded to help the police. But on one of the bridges leaving the city, a metro bus had been hit by a blast, sending rolling over the bridge's barrier to fall into the water. The bridge's traffic cameras had recorded the sight, and then Captain America leaping up onto the barrier to dive into the water after.

The news reported he was able to save a dozen people, but five had drowned. That was earlier today. Now it's evening. Rain is falling, the weather having rose just above freezing so it's nasty very cold rain, that probably will result in ice on the ground when the temperature drops overnight.

Lara Croft has posed:
AS it so happened, Lara had left for Indonesia last Friday morning. She'd been away for the week, working with a small team of colleagues in a large Budist temple in Borobudur. She'd gone to help her colleagues, and to do a bit of local research in to some of her father's notes regarding his search for everlasting life related artifacts. She'd searched for the Divine Source last year, challenged by Trinity and HYDRA, and was never able to locate it... but it was not the only mythical relic rumored to have such abilities. Her father's notes were extensive, and Borobudur was a rare chance to get to utilize what information is kept there.

Upon arriving back in NYC, she'd seen the news on a television at a cafe at the airport. It had only hastened her return to her apartment. She'd texted Steve to check in with him, but she didn't ask deeply about what had happened as such conversations aren't great for phones, in Lara's opinion.

When she arrives, it is without much fanfare. The locks twist, the dangling chain jingles as the door sweeps open, and Lara strides in, With a backpack, and one rolling luggage case, she steps in to the room, and parks her rolling bag off to the side of the door, already hanging her backpack up on the coat hanger... as she looks around the interior of her darkened apartment.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve hadn't replied to the text. Which was fairly unusual. Not that he was completely glued to a phone like some people. But barring being on a mission where communication wasn't possible, he was usually good about getting back to Lara. Especially when there had been news involving him that might leave her wanting some assurance he was ok.

The interior of the apartment is dark. The rain is pelting the window, creating a constant patter that goes a long way towards muting the city sounds. The window curtains are open, which lets in some of the city's nightscape lights for illumination.

Steve can be seen sitting over in a chair that looks out the windows. The light coming in through the windows just enough to make him out. There's movement at his lap as Max lifts his head. The dog's demeanor is a bit forlorn as if reflecting the mood of the person he was keeping company. Though at the sight of Lara he gives a few wags of his tail. Yet doesn't abandon his position of comforting the man in the chair.

Steve doesn't move at first, but finally turns his head towards the door and Lara. "Hey," he says quietly.

Lara Croft has posed:
"Hey." Lara tells both of them upon seeing them over by the windows. She's pulling her jacket off, hanging it up, then her grey and blue scarf which goes with it. She takes her hoodie off next, but drapes it over the sofa as she starts to walk toward them, smiling softly at Max, but her eyes going to Steve.

Her desk lamp is switched on, giving a bit more light to the living room of the relatively small apartment. "I heard the news report on the way home." She says in that super soft tone of voice, her English accent touching so carefully upon every syllable she speaks.

Lara steps over to the other side of the chair, and sits down on the window sill, her hand going over to Steve's wrist to clutch it.

"You're safe, as are many of those people that would've been in a horrid situation without you." She quietly offers words of comfort before she lifts her hand up to touch the side of his face...

Steve Rogers has posed:
After having looked at her, Steve's eyes dropped away to somewhere before him, until Lara came over to sit with him. The first touch lifts his eyes to hers to gaze at the Englishwoman for a few moments. When she touches his face, he closes his eyes and leans a little towards that touch.

"Not all of them are though," he says quietly, words spoken through a tight throat. Max gives a tiny little whine as if at the emotions carried in Steve's voice. He reaches his hand back to Max's head, gently brushing his fingers through the dog's fur petting him.

After a moment, Steve reaches up with his other hand, cupping Lara's hand and leaning into her touch more as he closes his eyes for a moment.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara strokes the side of his face with her thumb, brushing the soft skin against his more roughened cheek's texture. She shows another smile at his response to it, and she scoots a little nearer to him then to put her other hand upon his leg, giving a brif touch to Max to pet the dog first.

"You know that you cannot save everyone, Steve Rogers..." Lara says, her voice barely above a whisper in pitch. "You have lived a life of amazing accomplishments. Your heart, your strength, lies not just in your considerable muscles..." She shows him a smile to show she is lightly joking there at the last part before she continues.

"Your strength is... all that you tirelessly give to this city, to this country, and to the world outside its borders."

Lara spares a glance to the windows to her left, and behind her, her face illuminated by what dim ambient light seeps in from the street outside, before she looks back to him.

"We can only do so much, to keep the utter insanity of our world at-bay. What you did today, was a lot... a lot more than most people could ever dream of doing. They all... likely... would've died, had you not been there..."

Steve Rogers has posed:
The light just illuminates one half of Steve's face, leaving the other part in shadow. The pain that he wouldn't let others see is writ there in shadow and light. But he doesn't try to hide what he's feeling from Lara. His fingers reach between Lara's to twine with them as he rests his head against her hand for a few moments longer.

"I know you're right," he says quietly, the voice just loud enough to be heard above the soft fall of the rain against the windows. "And I've probably said as much to other people on... well. On too many occasions," he continues, voice wry for a moment before just turning regretful as he says, "I just couldn't get to them all. Not in time."

Steve falls silent, eyes drifting away from Lara for a moment. He gives a small shake of his head, then finally looks back to her. "I missed you," he says, and if she lets him, he pulls her over into his lap, with a little pat for Max to make way, which the dog does, tail giving a few wags at the improvement he senses in the emotions in the room.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara has a warmer smile spread across her lips as she accepts his invite, and is soon to join him on his lap, sitting a bit crossed so as to keep her left shoulder aimed toward his right, so she can keep watch on him. "I missed you too." She says, feeling Max's chin rest on her left knee now. "Both of you." She tells the dog then who's looking up at them both with that ever expression of pleading.

Lara's brown eyes go back to Steve and she just lets her smile soften some. "We'll do everything we can for the survivors of that accident, and for the families of those lost. I'll help you." She tells him then as she leans against him and lowers her head down to his shoulder.

She only rests it there for a moment before she raises it again and leans in to kiss him gently on the cheek. "You're a hero, Captain Rogers, for those people, and for so many more...." She says now in a full on whispery version of her soothing voice.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers rests his forehead against Lara's as his arms close about her to hold her against his more muscular form. Now it's his hand that brushes softly across her cheek as he looks deep into her eyes. Finding a solace that helps him deal with that pain he's feeling inside.

"I'm glad you got back tonight," he tells Lara honestly. "Max is good company," he says, giving the dog a pat and inducing a more vigorous tail-wagging. "But I needed you tonight," Steve tells Lara.

He rests his forehead back against hers, just basking in the feeling of her being there. "How did your trip go? Did you find anything that you were looking for?" he asks quietly. Outside there's a flash of distant lightning, far enough away it only results in the softest rumble of thunder, and only briefly adds illumination to the room before fading away.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara just softens in to his touch more as he picks up the affectionate play with her. She needed his comfort often, just as he needs her now... the epitome of a functional relationship between two adults. A hand moves up to brush at her hair to sweep some of it out of her face before she shows him another little smile, her eyes dancing over to her stuff she'd brought in to the apartment, before venturing back to him.

"Quite a bit, really. But I have to make sense of it all still. From first hand stories, to much more dubious claims... But, it was a fruitful outting, one that might actually yield some results toward what it was that my father was after in that region... We'll see though." She draws in a breath and leans against him comfortably.

"Nothing that can't wait for another time though." She says up at him in a warm tone. "I am going out on a limb and guessing that you haven't had any dinner yet?" She asks. "I pulled up a list of several places nearby that we haven't tried yet, if you'd like to order something for delivery?" She asks. "What with the drizzle, and otherwise, I feel it might be a stay-at-home kind of evening...."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Lara can smell his soap that he uses on him, and his shampoo. They might be ones she picked out for liking the smell of if she wanted to do that kind of thing. No doubt he cleaned up after his dunk in the river. He's wearing a soft cotton sweater and jeans. "That would be a pretty good guess," he admits. The time since the bus went off the bridge is a little bit of a blur for him now, but his stomach confirms there wasn't any food during it. Anything but some coffee to warm him after the plunge into the frigid waters.

"What do you say, Max? Mind sharing the place with us tonight?" he asks the dog, Steve's voice taking on a little more of its normal tone even if Lara can tell he's still dealing with things. Max of course just thrives on the attention, giving happy wags that wiggle his whole butt side to side. He just wants his humans to be happy!

"What kind of places are on your list?" Steve asks. He leans his head to Lara's and presses a soft kiss just in front of her ear. "Thank you," he whispers to her softly.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's left hand goes to Steve's shoulder to give it a affectionate squeeze. She shows him a hint of a grin before she leans in to brush her nose against his, and press her forehead to his own.

"I've got many to choose from." She says then. Johns Pizza, to a rather interesting sounding Japanese place that we should visit in person some time."

With a brush to Max's head, Lara stands up to go to the sofa where she draped her hoodie, retrieving her phone from it, she puts her left knee upon the leather sofa's arm and keys on her device to bring up the list.

"Pizza sounds good to me though, a bit of a Welcome back to America' meal for me." She glances back over to Steve then and grins. "Unless you're looking for the opposite?"