1481/Moving Up and Moving In

Moving Up and Moving In
Date of Scene:	02 May 2020
Location:	W.A.N.D: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Newly-minted SHIELD Agent Dane Whitman gets his official...cubicle. But at least the conversation is good!
Cast of Characters:	Dane Whitman, Lara Croft, Jane Foster

---

Dane Whitman has posed:
The WAND offices at SHIELD are...often somewhat more sparse than other divisions. While there ARE some that believe the work that the Wizardry, Alchemy, and Necromancy Division is lower priority at best and outright baloney at worst, the fact of the matter is that no matter how much a few of the higher-ups may recognize their necessity, finding qualified candidates to work in the division, much less those that are of a temperament that lends themselves to the structures and bureaucracy of an organization like SHIELD can be a real challenge. It's probably why the desk that sits opposite Lara Croft's in the cubicle farm has been vacant ever since she's worked here. This morning when she came to work though, there was a small, out-of-place box sitting on the desk there, with the initials "DW" written in Permanent marker on the side.

It is a box that was dropped off in passing, on the way to a meeting with one of the mysterious deputy-directors of this particular Division, and maybe even a cameo by the even-more-mysterious Director of said Division. Either way, it's all behind closed doors, and it lasts a fair amount of time, before Dane Whitman emerges from one of those offices along the side of the floor, and makes his way back to that cubicle that has been claimed as his own. He sits down, exhales, and then starts to open up the box.

Lara Croft has posed:
Working a desk job might not be what one would've expected out of Lara Croft. But this particular desk job came with perks that appealed to what it is that she does, not just locally but globally. SHIELD provides Lara with options, options that she realized would be much harder if she'd stayed strictly independent.

SHIELD's offer for her to work for them was tempting, because of what they could give her. Thus, Lara has a cubicle desk, even if she spends very little time at it in the few months she's been at the Triskelion in upstate New York.

When she arrived this morning, she'd noticed the box and noticed the 'DW' which had made her smile faintly. If she know what it meant or not, she didn't let on to anyone as she had a few things to do on this morning and she'd summarily left her messenger bag in her chair and was only just now returning to it.

And there he is, settling in to his desk as Lara arrives with a cup of coffee in her hand.

"Mister Whitman." Lara says his name, a name that is ironically very ... sensitive to her. James Whitman had been on the Endurance, he'd been the reason the ship known as the Endurance had gone to Yamatai Island, he was the cause of it all. 'Whitman's World' was the name of the Doctor's show that they'd gone there to film, as a matter of fact.

But, Dane wasn't related to James. It was just a coincidence. Or so she told herself!

Lara settles in to her chair across from him, she sets her drink down and moves her bag to the floor at her feet. She smiles over at him. "I guess we're co-workers now?" She asks, her ghost of a smile faintly visible on her lips.

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Well well. Hello Lara. It does look that way." Dane smiles to Lara as he starts to dig out a few personal belongings: An MIT-branded travel mug, a letter opener replica of the Ebony Blade, designed to float above an electromagnetic base (Something he built himself), and a digital picture frame that will slowly cycle through various stored photographs, mostly old photos of Dane's family or photos of his college days. Though there might be a couple or three recent additions including a certain renowned astronomer and astrophysicist.

"I'm have joined the hallowed ranks of..." He glances down at his badge, "Level Two. That doesn't sound all that hallowed now that I think about it." He says with humor in his voice, "But either way, good to see you again. Been busy?"

Jane Foster has posed:
W.A.N.D. might earn sniggers or scoffing outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, safely away where the chances of being picked up on acoustic microphones. MI-13 probably smirk over their tea, with pinkies extended, at that 'American notion.' But W.A.N.D. knows Jane and her work, since much of her experimenting falls thoroughly under the purview of its labwork. Anyone playing with dimensional apparatuses invariably reaches the point of science = magic, perfectly indistinguishable, at least by modern standards. So it happens she has something to drop off anyway, a packet of equipment in a locked box lacking the symbol of the organisation. Nope, instead bearing the innocuous logo of "East Sussex Co. Shipping Ltd" - another front.

They might see her coming and going. Going and coming? Depends on perspective, but one Agent Foster of the surest clearance of 'secret' meanders through W.A.N.D. rooms en route to somewhere else, carrying that handcart used for transporting somewhat heavier boxes full of non-lethal equipment. Nor has she an escort, suggesting she's going to turn in the biweekly discovery of "magic space junk" or whatever the office calls it now.

Equipment must be cleared through the usual protocols, along with double-checking paperwork and "Yes, it /is/ my birthday and I /am/ here" being shared with the uniformed desk-captain-person, she goes through the last rigmarole of scans, signatures, and lockwork. Then, from there, hopefully, being disgorged out of the lock-room to her own devices frees her up. Mostly. But hey, she's here! There. Somewhere nearby! There.

Lara Croft has posed:
At Dane's last question of been busy, Lara leans back in her chair and holds her coffee cup between both of her hands with her elbows on the arm rests of her desk chair. "Very." She says in an almost tired way, though she's just playing it up for social sympathy. The smile shows she's not that distraught over it. "But in a good way. Lots to look in to, lots to keep my mind occupied. Lots to... do in the coming days, weeks, so on and so forth." She holds that satisfied soft smile before her eyes glance over to the far front corner of the offices where she sees the receptionist area that Jane is trying to get checked through.

Often at her desk, Lara sees people struggling to get past the initial check point to be let in to the WAND offices. The offices get subsequently 'stranger' the further you progress back in to them as well, with the cubicles at the front, and then odder fields the further one goes back, such as the Alchemy tank that is a giant water aquarium where an almost alien-like creature known as 'Chalc' lives and swims within his tank, creating all manner of alchemical reagents for the WAND team. Yet furhter back in the offices is the Wizardry section... and one definitely doesn't want to go back there unannounced.

Lara's stare leaves Jane, and goes back to Dane. "I was told to think of it as a 'video game'." She tells him with a faint grin showing now. "Advance up the levels, the better you do as an Agent. Though, who's to say if that will actually work. But, it's good to see you here. I guess this means no more black bags for you. Or... maybe 'less' black bags if nothing else." She sips her drink again after saying that in good humor.

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Yeah, I probably still get the black bag if I go someplace that's level 3." Dane notes drolly, though the humor makes it clear he doesn't think that's really true. Or at least hopes it's not. "Not too worried about getting promoted, though. I'd imagine eventually you hit a point where you're spending a lot more time sitting behind a desk than poking through occult temples and ancient ruins." He smirks, "Though I'd imagine there's plenty of paperwork to keep us busy when we're here." Dane plugs in the digital picture frame and the letter opener display, the mini-sword spinning slowly in the tiny electromagnetic field.

"Either way, whatever you need help with, feel free to ask."

He follows Lara's gaze to the reception area, and smiles when he spots Jane, lifting a hand in greeting that hopefully she sees. If not, well, he supposes he'll see where her path takes her.

"It does seem a little short-staffed in here...."

Jane Foster has posed:
Jane makes her way through without overly much issue. Some protocols become old hat after a while. A few years at this -- not including the whole madness over Loki and an alien army showing up -- introduces her to the neverending maze of shifting behaviour commonplace to massive organizations with a black budget and the transparency of mud at the bottom of Titan's hydrocarbon seas. All goes well enough to turn in her mandatory report, four strokes of a pen and two additional scribbled shorthand initials banishing whatever exists in that box to W.A.N.D. care. It isn't nearly so exciting as angry unconscious Nazis, promise.

Brushing her dark hair off her face, giving a good shake of her head, she turns back towards the row of desks. Familiar enough faces catch her eye, and besides, supporting intersocial work activities technically never hurts. Fingers lift and a warm wiggle of the digits make way for a more proper greeting. "Evening. I thought this would be the time when most of us fled the office? On a weekend, no less."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara is raising her cup up to her lips to sip from it's contents while Dane speaks of his thoughts on the division. She glances around when he says it's a bit sparse in here and that makes her crack another soft smile as she looks back at him. "We're considered the Muggles out here, you know?" She says to him in response. "Though I know, in your case, that's not entirely true for you, even if for me it fits uncomfortably close to home."

Lara is the Duchess of Surrey and Surrey is where the extended family of Harry Potter lived, and made Harry live beneath the staircase. It's a pop culture reference that Lara is familiar with, although she's never read those books or seen the films.

"I imagine you'll find your groove here rather quickly." She says further to Dane. "I'm told that 'Muggles' are rare to joining this Division. It's why the cubicle section is often a bit... sparse in population."

When Jane arrives, Lara looks over to the higher ranked Agent and offers her a pleased smile. "Agent Foster. It's good to see you. Welcome to the WAND offices. Happy to help you if you've any need? And... yes, it's a weekend, but there's plenty to do here, whilst 'home' is a bit too dull to bare." Lara options and questions at the same time.

Dane Whitman has posed:
Dane nods to Lara, "That makes a bit of sense, I suppose." He chuckles, then smiles amiably, "Don't have to be able to shoot lightning from your arse to have a respect and appreciation for the types of things that science just can't easily explain yet." Dane chuckles, and with his desk arrayed appropriately, he turns about in his chair in time to see a Wild Jane appear!

"Evening, Agent Foster." Dane smiles brightly, glancing towards his watch, "Well, I don't plan to be here /too/ late. Have a dinner reservation, as it so happens." Oh certainly butter wouldn't melt in that mouth, so innocent is that expression.

Jane Foster has posed:
"Other than proof I followed through with the standing reminder on the calendar," Jane replies dryly, "I suspect everything should be clear. Has anyone looked into the meteor activity caused by Ceres? Impacts in Appalachia should be cause for concern, not only because of potential for wildfires. Presumably the Department of the Interior is involved, but someone should seek samples in case anything hitched a ride." Her smile has a gently wry quality, one that hollows out the potential for a dimple in her cheek. "Agent Croft, isn't it? I hear you receive the fun missions, though 'fun' around here has many a different standard. Please, call me Jane if you find it comfortable. I think at this point, they consider me off-duty."

But not off the payroll because, in SHIELD parlance, is anyone /ever/ considered off the clock? Probably not. Showing up whenever a senior agent calls probably fits the bill. Nonetheless, she glances around her at the array of desks and chairs, mildly intrigued. "Barring any sudden reassignments, I believe I am in the clear. Unless there is something I can do for you?"

Her expression brightens in kind, a sunflower turning to follow its namesake across the blue sky. "Good evening, Agent Whitman. Yours seems to be an especially busy schedule, and far be it from me to delaying you any." She nods to him with due professional courtesy. "I will be sure to report any sightings of someone who expels lightning that way, though I think 'riding' usually takes other forms."

Lara Croft has posed:
Dane's words are met with a soft smile, but Jane's approach has Lara focusing on her. The various things that Jane states cause Lara to smile more openly as she leans back in her chair and holds her coffee cup at chest level between her hands. "Fun missions... Mm, that's one way of describing it. I would say that they're fun for me, by and large, though. They're rooted in my field, at the very least."

Lara was brought on to this job to be a WAND Researcher and a Field Agent specifically specializing in 'Acquisitions' of items that WAND found worthy of bringing in to their possession.

"Jane it is." Lara states. "And please do return the courtesy, Lara is what I enjoy being called the most." She smiles to the other woman before her eyes look over to Dane. "I was just speaking to my new desk partner. Telling him that I was happy to have someone across from me that I can abide the company of. It sounds as though he has dinner plans though, so he'll be leaving us soon." Lara grins lightly. "I guess that's only normal of him, being that it's a weekend and all."

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Maybe they're just going easy on the new guy." Dane offers with a shrug and a bit of a grin, "Though I'd imagine they can't keep you all locked up here ALL the time." He adds, "Besides, the reservation is a pretty late one. Made it on relatively short notice so that was the timeslot I could get." He adds, "In other words, you can abide my company a little longer if you like." He chuckles, "Hopefully I don't wear out my welcome too quickly. I might end up having to move to another cube." He looks around, noting the low walls, "Of course, anyone that decides they don't like me any more can pretty much stare daggers at me wherever I sit, it looks like."

He opens up the top drawer of his desk, and finds there, as promised, his personal tablet for WAND business, activating it and setting it on the handy stand that's waiting on the desk next to the computer screen. "Though I guess I better double-check to make sure someone higher-up hasn't tagged me for something already." There's a bit of a frown at that. Not like he can REALLY expect SHIELD to respect his dinner plans if there's a crisis. "Electromagnetic Nazis day before yesterday, AIM weapons dealers a few days before that...I think I'm looking forward to some of the kind of stuff that feels a little more familiar to me." Not that the "mundane" stuff is completely unknown territory...he just tends to enjoy the weird stuff. Maybe this really is the best place for him.

Jane Foster has posed:
Jane shakes her head lightly, the wisps fallen loose from the mass pulled back against her nape. She reaches up to dust one lock off her brow, hopeless as it gets. "AIM weapons dealers? That sounds like a particularly chilling state of affairs, if you ask me. Bad enough they keep trading those hideous creations of theirs, let alone a marketplace for dealers to show up by proxy or in person to make their work happen." Her nose wrinkles a moment as an underlying statement of opinion on activities on the Caspian Sea, though it clearly stands fairly outside of her bailiwick. "At least the occasional oddity drags me out of the lab. That I will be grateful for. We get too wrapped in the semantics and not enough in the fieldwork on my side of the house."

The laugh brought at Lara's words conveys gentle warmth. "Fun missions count when you apply your expertise. We all gain. Having someone passionate about their work and excelling in the pursuit of it invariably brings better results than someone here for the paycheque and pushing around paperwork here and there." She grins briefly between the pair of desks and the deskmates in kind. "There you are, already settling in. It's a distinguished benefit to have a desk. Think of all the contractors required to figure out their own arrangements in a sub-basement in Washington."

Lara Croft has posed:
While the two speak, Lara raises her cup up for a sip from its contents. When lowering it, she smiles between the two of them and gently shakes her head just once. "I like to think I compliment the actions and activities of the more hardcore members of the WAND division." A quick glance is afforded over her shoulder to the offices and corridors that lead to the deeper sections of the division, then she looks back to Jane and Dane.

"I'm a Researcher, through and through. If they discover leads on a situation that warrants my attention, well then my knowledge and expertise will be directed fully toward that. But if there's a lull in what they require? Well, I'll be doing my own projects." She smiles across her desk toward Dane specifically. "I'm sure you can help me with some of that, now and then, if nothing else."

She averts her gaze to Jane then. "So what of you, Jane? Are you going to take the desk here to my right and form a trio of hard working WAND Muggles?" Lara asks, smiling to the other woman then before indulging in another sip of her drink.

Dane Whitman has posed:
"I'm here for the asking." Dane notes, still listening to the conversation as he scrolls through a host of welcoming emails, some paperwork he'll have to fill out later, and various and sundry other bits of bureaucratic fluff, but thankfully no pending assignments or deadlines for this evening.

"Research is good." Dane replies, before grinning at Lara's suggestion of Jane moving over, "I think you might have some relevant expertise, if nothing else, but I'd imagine your current division wouldn't be super-keen on letting you go."

Jane Foster has posed:
A firm nod from Jane follows. "Never underestimate the value of research or the power of researchers. Without those contributions, we might be in a pretty sorry state. Action follows information, and information requires the real work of getting elbows-deep into the situation, hoping you can pull something out that has actual value. Often underappreciated, often dull, but not insignificant. Though let me know whether I am interrupting something I shouldn't hear." She shakes her head, cautious about the whole breaches of information and secrecy acts. Something like that.

She comfortably rests on her heels, poised and tall as one can be. "What sort of projects interest you, if you had your choice? My work tends to go wherever they tell me to go. For the most part, I can't afford to be like... Captain Rogers. A face known and sassociated with SHIELD usually creates headaches, or that's the idea. People might let something slip, though I am exactly two pips short of any sort of spycraft." The notion earns a grin. "But I'm as Muggle as it gets. Pro Mudblood, though I know where the Sorting Hat said I was going to go. Two guesses, and if you win, you get an employee liaison or something."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara gives a slight grin across their desks to Dane before she looks back to Jane and swivels in her chair side to side just a little. "Well, for me, my passion projects are pursuing the things that my father was looking for answers in. I used to think he had completely gone mad, and looked at what he believed to be true, rather than the facts that explicitly stated what was true. But in the past year of my life I've come to know that my father was closer to the truths than I ever thought possible."

Lara turns to her desk and sets her coffee aside next to a small trinket on her desk of a man and woman sitting by a campfire, crafted entirely out of mud and painted in bright natural colors.

"My passion projects are those that center upon that, I suppose. But what of you, Mister Whitman?" She asks, Dane specifically there. "You seemed to grow a bit of a fire under you after our first meeting. I'm curious what you're after here, now that you're here?"

Lara glances to Jane again then and grins to her. "I need to see these films sometime, or rather... read the books. I probably would've been far too addicted to them if I had done it earlier in my life." Harry Potter, of course, is what she speaks of.

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Ravenclaw at first blush, but you might have more than a little Gryffindor underneath it." Dane offers up to Jane, grinning a bit, then turning his attention to Lara. "Me? I'm just here to try to do a little good. I enjoy the exploration and the accumulation of knowledge as much as the next guy, but if you really boil it down, I'd just like to make sure that nobody gets hurt because some moron looking for ultimate power decided to lick the Artifact of Unspeakable Malice and started a zombie plague or something." He pauses, then gets a glimmer of a wry expression, "Well, nobody gets hurt except maybe said moron and the people that willingly helped him."

Jane Foster has posed:
"Read the books first, stay away from the Twitter feed by the author, and admire them for what they were in the time they were created. They resonate with a certain readiness of the teenaged experience." Jane ruefully grins at that, the rising arc of her smile sparkling bright as the sun despite hiding away from this revelation that, yes, nerdy astrophysicists found something to be realistic and familiar in the tramping around with giants, yelling at centaurs, and having untrustworthy bedsheet-monsters around. "Speaking as someone with a bit of familiarity with those themes, if not exactly the target age, the legitimacy of the tale rang true with me. Though they have their flaws. I promise, I'm totally not Hermione Granger, though."

Yes, Jane, you absolutely are, but that's neither here or there.

She flicks her fingertip against the bridge of her nose and nods to Dane. "Fine, then you end up getting me as your work partner. Not quite lackey. You still have less rank." It brings out that grin again, playful as she doesn't rub salt in the wound. "Who actually licks artifacts? Oh please, I want to know the psychological profile on that guy."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's elbows go to the edge of her desk and her hands go together to interlace her fingers between each other, she places them beneath her chin and she smiles over the desks to Dane. "You do realize that I'm restraining myself, yes?" She asks him, coyly. "After seeing what you're capable of, with bringing answers from the past to the now... I'm having to stop myself from bothering you in to summoning more ... individuals from before to answer all the questions I have today." She shows him an earnest grin, though a reserved one, she is nobility after all... she was trained to be as reserved as possible even in casual settings like this. She's also very much speaking of his ability to summon ghosts of the 'Round Table' to life, and let them be addressed and spoken to.

At Jane, Lara looks to her left and shows her a grin as well. She shakes her head just a little though with her chin still on the back of her knuckles. "I haven't licked many artifacts. Not yet anyway. I'll do my very best to keep from such a thing too, unless my life depends on it. Which - let us hope - that that never is the case." She drops her hands, palm flat, to the desk before her. "I'm supposed to be on a Quinjet to Africa later in the week, I'll try to make the Potter books part of my audio experience on the trip. You've talked me in to it, Jane." She smiles to the other woman then as well.

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Well, there's only the one individual I can call up, and I don't like to disturb his rest unless there's a good reason. He's usually polite about it, but it just...doesn't feel right to be frivolous about it, you know?" Dane notes to Lara, adding, "Not that I'm saying you'd be frivolous, mind...as you said, you're restraining yourself." Dane grins, then looks back to Jane, "I was called in to consult on a project with Lara concerning a particular artifact about a month ago."

"But in the absence of Sir Percy, I may not have firsthand knowledge of Camelot, but I did spend about ten years living in the time of the Third Crusade and beyond. So I do have some firsthand historical perspective, even if it doesn't go back quite as far as Camelot." He shrugs, expression a touch sheepish, "Don't recall if I got around to mentioning that last time we spoke..."

Jane Foster has posed:
The inward fall of celestial bodies without a regular gravitational path is inevitable in the presence of perturbations, especially those caused by great conversation and interesting beings. A rogue Chiron flitting through the outer reaches of society occasionally shows up, and Lara makes seeking a nearer foothold to those desks -- one empty! -- all the more worthwhile. Though she slips in a touch closer to Dane, closing off the triangle with a certain interest. "You have learned the dangers. Discovery of the past means suddenly having firsthand accounts. I would likely do the same if you could provide me information about Leibnitz or Newton, though admittedly the latter would probably run shrieking from me at the top of his lungs." Her finger crosses her lips, a hushing motion present. "By twenty-five, he achieved far more than I have. Though being a woman? Oh, that just makes it so much worse. We might argue over orbits and then the next thing you know, Newton's ghost chases me around his apple field."

Probably not serious, but the image deserves a little credit for creativity. Epic matters, all in all, for she cannot resist chiding history a bit. "A Quinjet to Africa. I need to determine whether they might need to... Pardon." She plucks her phone from her pocket, even though nothing about it rings or vibrates. Two flicks of her finger and a complex zigzag unlocks the screen. "Doctor Octopus did /what/? Oh gods, why..."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara smiles over to Dane at his first statement about not liking to disturb the dead. "I understand." She quietly replies to that notion. "I've reached a bit of a standstill on that project, as well, and the item in question." The Siege Perilous. "has been moved to a secure location, where it might rest for a very long time."

Lara gathers up her drink and sits back in her chair, leaning back in it now and doing away with her proper nobility training for the time being since this is far from a public appearance mandated by the British monarchy. Lara takes a sip of her drink and her eyes go to Jane.

She smiles at her.

"Jane." Lara starts. "You must forgive me, if the thought of you being chased by Sir Newton in an apple field doesn't amuse me on many levels." She teases the other woman, for good fun. "I in fact---" But Jane has to answer her phone and the conversation that starts on it makes Lara look back to Dane with a raised brow of curiosity being displayed.

"Doctor Octupus?" Lara asks softly, not knowing that name, it seems. She grew up far removed from such characters.

Jane Foster has posed:
"Debris fell to earth over Appalachia. Hence why I asked if anyone in SHIELD -- or me, at this rate -- asked to claim it. The debris seems to be more valuable if they involve this Octopus man. He struck and killed osmeone, the news reports are saying. Something must be in the meteorites, something more valuable than rare irons and metals." Jane is working on the fly, though that's not the most uncomfortable position for her to be in. "He supposedly has something to do with OsCorp. Not well-acquainted with industrial villains, though surely someone is. I ought to send Agent Morse a quick message, since NASA isn't precisely my employer but we're acquainted. And at this point, someone needs to be engaged on checking that."

It's going to be more paperwork as she spins off a quick text message, her fingers flying with the ease of a Millennial confronted with another phone. Oh yeah, that's how heroes do it.

Swipe left, and go!

"You can totally imagine me being chased by a man in a giant periwig. Rumour has it he was rather creeped out by women. His relationship with his mother was reported to be abusive, quite terrible." She frowns, looking up from her phone, putting it away. "Not that his era was particularly noted for allowing women places at the table, much less scientific breakthroughs. Another century before Herschel had some sense to him, as his sister's the one who did so much of the work. But I start here, we're going to need /actual/ drinks."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's eyes sweep back over to Jane and a smile shows on her visage. "I promise, no wigs." She quietly replies to the other across from her now at the cubicle of desks. Lara sits forward then and puts her hands around the base of her cup and looks over to Jane. "Rocks from space have fallen and you're having your associates drag their feet to investigate them?" She asks. "That seems very unwise, considering the threats that Earth has faced over the course of the past decade, if not much longer." She glances to Dane then before looking back to Jane once more.

"I wish I could offer assistance, but it's a bit out of my field of expertise." She raises her drink up for another soft sip. "The trials and tribulations of Sir Isaac Newton's era is a little too modern for me as well." She shows a hint of a grin then. "But I've read a bit about that and I know that you're on the mark. I imagine going back and observing individuals like that would be quite an experience." She motions to Dane then with a tip of her head.

"Thus seeing what you were capable of, I was barely able to form words quickly enough to ask the questions I needed to." She tells him, a light smirk showing on Lara's lips as she glances over to her own computer monitor which is showing her incoming messages, all of which are a bit of a bother at the moment.

Dane Whitman has posed:
Dane clears his throat, perhaps a touch self-conscious, "Well uh...Saladin was pretty amazing and Richard the Lionhearted was...complicated?" He rubs at the back of his neck, a touch self-conscious, but it shifts to a frown of concern readily enough, "Do you need to go?" Queried more towards Jane, and for good reason, given said dinner plans included her, even if he hadn't overtly let on about that.

He does look back to Lara and note, "I promise I'll regale you with plenty of stories when we're sitting here bored out of our skulls from report-writing and whatnot."

Jane Foster has posed:
"Let Agent Morse figure out the best way to approach them. My authority in that area, especially against the Department of the Interior, is probably sketchy at best. The Hayden /is/ within its rights as an institution and I can flex behind MIT a bit, but not like that. No one's impressed if you wave a medal in their face," says Jane. "Besides!" She offers that cheerful smile, despite worry painting her eyes. "It may not be our business to worry about. Here's hoping the right individuals get involved. Usually it's me they bring in to look at the space rocks and not the other way 'round."

Her thumb rubs against her fingertip and she drops her hand away, catching herself in the process. The phone in her pocket chastises her with the lightest buzz to be found. That being said, she blinks and looks up to Dane. "I probably ought to make a phone call or two and make sure Darcy hasn't somehow found a license justifying the ownership of space rocks to neither NASA or the Department of the Interior. I can see right now that she's found out there is an ancient bylaw somewhere granting it to the Fourth Duke of Hamilton, being a Scotsman currently residing in Australia. Because that is her, she would. Or she buys me the /title/ and land of the Lady of Salmons, because the lordship has ancestral rights to all fallen space rocks from the Jovian orbit inward, if they land in West Virginia. Better stop her before this turns into a fiasco." Her eyes crinkle at the corners. "Care to walk me out, Agent Whitman? As a proper member of W.A.N.D., it seems this will avoid any breaches of protocol."

Lara Croft has posed:
Between the two of them, Lara just sweeps her gaze and her smile rests with a happy allure to it. "I should hope so." She doe say to Dane with regard to him regaling her with tales before she looks to Jane. "Darcy is a fun soul. I've enjoyed the few times we've gotten to interact." She assumes Jane means Darcy Lewis, who who's gotten to meet a few times here at the Triskelion.

When Lara's own phone buzzes she tips it over and glances down at it. Her cup is raised up to her lips for a sip and then she picks it and her phone up. "I should be heading back to the Alchemy lab myself. Chalc has been working on a project with me and he's ever insistent that I check in on his developments." Lara gives them both a nod then.

"Dane, I'm glad you're here, it'll be fun compared to have literally no one across from me. Tough competition to work against, I know." She teases him lightly before looking to Jane then. "You as well, Jane. I need to find out how You versus Newton turned out."

Lara moves to stand up then and she gathers up her light jacket off of the back of her chair. "Enjoy your dinner plans." She says to Dane, not even realizing that they include Jane!

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Thanks Lara. I imagine I'll be seeing you sooner rather than later." He gives her a smile and a wave and at Jane's request rises promptly to his feet, "It will be my pleasure, Doctor Foster." He adds, "Suppose I should go start getting ready for that dinner reservation." And with that, he'll see Jane out, and off to celebrate her birthday. Strange supernatural and archeological adventures will have to wait for another day.