15368/Too Early for Tech

Too Early for Tech
Date of Scene:	12 July 2023
Location:	NYC Penthouse / Arrowsuite
Synopsis:	The day after busting a drug lab in Phoenix Towers, Oliver and Felicity have two surprise guests show up at their penthouse!
Cast of Characters:	Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen, Franklin Richards, Natasha Romanoff

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Felicity Smoak has posed:
The NYC penthouse, the day after the Phoenix Towers drug lab discovery.

It's still in the morning hours, and Oliver had had a busy night in the towers the night before. So had Felicity, of course, but as per usual, her involvement wasn't nearly as physical (and she liked it that way). So while she'd waited up and they'd gone to bed at the same time, Felicity's eyes had popped open and at some point she'd decided to get out of bed rather than lie there restlessly and risk waking him up. Her mind was already full of ideas that she needed to get out on to paper. Well, virtual paper, anyway.

By the time Oliver wakes up, he'll find her sitting at her 'command center' in one of his shirts with the sleeves rolled up an her hair clipped up into a messy bun on top of her head. Her four screens are filled with a variety of tech schematics and one rotating double-helix that's definitely a strand of DNA, different segments highlighted as code scrolls past beside it.

Rather than typing, though, she's got a cup of coffee cradled in her hands and she's staring at the screen in quiet contemplation.

Oliver Queen has posed:
For some people spending the evening busting into a hidden drug lab and getting shot at might be, at the very least, a mildly traumatic experience, one requiring a little time to recover from.

For Oliver Queen it is pretty much just another Tuesday night.

The Phoenix Tower Complex is a project that just keeps throwing up one problem after another. And those problems seem to be rapidly multiplying, both in number and in scale. The work the building is going to require to bring it up to a reasonable standard for the tenants is considerable. Putting a dent in the local crime problem is certainly daunting. But clearly the criminal enterprise involved is considerably more organized and dangerous then anticipated when they first made their plans to relocate to New York on a temporary basis.

Daunting and dangerous don't really phase Oliver of course. That's pretty much par for the course. And if it was just him going up against whatever criminal enterprise is behind all of this he would have no problem. But it is all the potential innocents that are likely to be caught in the crossfire. Whoever is behind the drug lab not only made arrangements to seal off the basement of his latest purchase, they busted through the foundation of the building to join it to the next structure over. And while the chance to explore further was somewhat limited the previous evening, all indications is that their work is not limited to just those two buildings.

The entire block, maybe the entirety of Hell's Kitchen is absolutely riddled with passages and tunnels and buildings joined together beneath the ground. A literal criminal underground as it were. That is no small, casual undertaking. That is something coordinated. Something to be wary of.

It probably won't be the quick fix he was hoping for. Life is filled with little disappointments.

As troubling as all of that might be though, it does not quite compare to the sight of those blind workers attempting -- and in two cases, succeeding -- to kill themselves when informed that they were free. Who does that? What does that mean about the sway whoever they are up against holds?

There is nothing that he can do about it now however and when he finally emerges from the bedroom of that penthouse that is serving as the impromptu Arrow Command Center, Oliver pulls on a t-shirt, brow furrowed as he starts over towards that corner and the bank of computers claimed by Felicty. "You've been up for awhile. What are you up to?"

Felicity Smoak has posed:
The penthouse is pretty quiet other than the buzz of the CPU fans and the distant sounds of New York that are only allowed to filter in by virtue of the fact that the French doors to the big patio have been left open. Fresh air. Despite being summer, they were high enough up that it was cool enough for it in the mornings, though the hour had waned close enough to the noontime heat that it was starting to become a questionable decision to leave them that way.

It's not surprising, maybe, that Felicity turns her attention from the screen as soon as she hears Oliver padding towards her across the hardwood. She sets her coffee down on the desk and turns both her eyes and her mouth up towards him when he looms closer, offering a subdued smile and one of her hands.

"Had a hard time sleeping," she admits. She might not have been there, but she'd seen the whole thing through the bodycam.

"I decided to get up and work on an idea I had the other day when Emiko came over. We need better security here -- not for her, just in general. Out on the balcony, we had no idea she was coming. This is a DNA scanner." She nods towards the screen. "It would tell us who's coming as soon as they get into the elevator. Or the stairs. It's not even a prototype. It's just part of a design, so far."

There's a pause, then, as she regards him.

"How are /you/ doing?"

Oliver Queen has posed:
The breeze that blows through those double doors leading out to the rooftop patio might be creeping towards the warm side, but is still rather pleasant and despite the disturbing events of the previous evening a brief smile filters over Oliver's expression at the feel of it, eyes closing for just a moment.

There is going to be far less a chance to enjoy that sort of thing over the coming days and weeks then the past few. It's hard not to regret that fact. Just a little.

Stopping just short of her command center, he does lean in when she turns towards him, one hand lighting briefly on her hsoulder and squeezing gently as he presses a quick kiss to her lips. By the time he straightens once more the smile is gone from his features, brow furrowed with a hint of concern. "I'm sorry you didn't sleep very well. It was a rougher night then I was expecting," he agrees quietly.

It was just supposed to be a simple matter of checking out what they had on their hands in the basement afterall. Water damage, structural damage, a rat problem, all of that had been anticipated. Not a drug lab. Not a shootout. Not two dozen people trying to kill themselves en mass.

"Don't worry about me," Oliver offers up almost immediately, though it is almost certainly a foolish gesture. One that is almost certainly going to be ignored. He has to know that well enough by now.

Instead he leans over towards the computer monitor where the schematics for Felicity's latest creation slowly turn about on the screen. He gives a small shake of his head, a smile again briefly touching his lips. "Impressive. I would say that you have outdone yourself again, even if it came at the cost of some well deserved sleep," he admits. "That could definitely come in handy. I imagine we'd all feel a little better to know for certain who was coming and going while we're out here."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity's arm slips around him briefly and she leans up in her chair to return that kiss, eyes softening through the clear lenses of her two-tone rectangle glasses.

"It was a rougher night than we were /both/ expecting," she clarifies, her tone more than merely suggesting that there was an important difference between 'I' and 'We'. She wasn't about to let him take ownership of something he couldn't possibly have predicted just because it screwed up a few hours of sleep.

/Don't worry about me./

She actually rolls her eyes, and when he leans down to look at the monitor, she leans up again, sneaking in another kiss against his neck. "You're adorable," she whispers in his ear, taunting him affectionately before she settles back in her chair and recollects her cup of coffee. She lets it go, though, for now. If it started to show, she'd press the issue.

"Oh, it's not just knowing who's coming. I mean, it's that, too. Notifications, even remotely, whenever someone is coming or going, but it's the most accurate form of biometrics we have. I could set it to send the elevator to the basement and lock it down if the scanner doesn't recognize the sample. We need to reinforce the stairwell doors, but I could lock those, too. As dangerous as that might be, it might also beat the alternative of letting people just bust up in here. We could use it for the basement, too, once the NYPD finishes with the crime scene, to keep the gear safe."

She pauses.

"Of course, I haven't figured out what to do if they fly up to the balcony or.. you know.. Superman-kick the door down. Working on that, still. At the point that LexCorp is having vaults literally ripped out of the side of their building, I'm not sure how much there is we can do to keep /everyone/ out. Still, it'll be better than a keycard against a bunch of drug dealers that want payback."

Another pause and she starts to shift.

"Come on. You look like you need coffee."

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin is many things, but subtle is not one of them. He had been tracing multidimensional energy from the Mojo verse, hoping to find someone still in their dimension who might be able to lead him back. The only way he could get his hands on that Mojo guy and teach him a lesson about messing with a Richards. As they spoke, there was a spark, followed by another one, and a black cloud appeared, but horizontally rather than vertically. Folding space had some temporary side effects, causing bolts of energy to emanate from the expanding cloud. The other side of the cloud became visible.

On the other side, Franklin, dressed in his Fantastic Four outfit, floated a few inches off the ground, ready for a fight. Expecting to find an enemy, sparks of blue energy crackled around Franklin as his eyes glowed blue, and he wore a serious, frowning expression.

Of course, his demeanor changed as soon as he arrived. Stepping through the portal, Franklin surveyed the room, grumbling to himself as he looked at the other people present. He searched for the reason he had come there. It wasn't them; they appeared human, unlike the twisted inhabitants of the place he expected. Though he knew it was rude to ignore them, Franklin was here on business, and the energy he had traced led him to this location. He didn't recognize Felicity yet, having only seen her once when he had been preoccupied with other concerns. Therefore, apart from communicating with the innocent people who must have gotten mixed up in this situation, Franklin intended to find the Mojo spy.

Oliver Queen has posed:
They live in a world full of aliens and demi-gods. When a man can run faster than the speed of light and another can create indestrucible onstructs out of his mind's willpower alone.

And those are just his teammates on the Justice League. To say nothing about all the threats out there in the world. And beyond it too. At a certain point it becomes almost pointless to dewell on security, at least if one doesn't want to drive themselves mad. If someone with kryptonian level strength wants to kick down their door there isn't very much they can do about it. And if they could, then that individual would just punch through the wall. Or the roof, or floor. Or melt the windows with their heat vision. Or a million other possibilities from a million other threats.

At a certain point you just have to do what you can do... and hope that when something that you didn't plan for, couldn't plan for comes through the door that luck and instinct are on your side in that moment. It's something that Oliver has had a chance to come to terms with.

"Trust me, I feel safer already," he says with a smile. And means it. "It's definitely handy to have options, if anyone we don't want showing up here somehow does," he agrees without hesitation. While the entire purpose of having a secret identity is so that none of those on the wrong side of the fence ever figure out just what they're up to in the first place, being ready if the unexpected happens is a nice card to keep stowed away in the back pocket.

Just in case.

"We'll definitely be able to put it to work at Phoenix Towers. Once the police are done I'll have our special contractors go in first thing and start sealing off a portion of the basement for our use. And at least making it look like that access in the foundation is sealed too," Oliver adds quietly. 'Looks' being the important word there. There is a maze of tunnels with who knows what running beneath Hells Kitchen. He's not ready to completely give up access to that, not until they've rooted out whoever is responsible.

"As for the rest, I imagine it will only take you a few days to completely lock this place down," he says wryly at her concerns over the larger scale threats out there. "We should be able to handle the routine. That's good enough for me," he says, starting to turn for the kitchen.

"I think you just want another cup," Ollie counters, a faint smirk blooming on his expression. "Lets go. I would say you've definitely earned it."

And then, of course, there is one of those same, unexpected, unplanned for intrusions where their efforts to secure the penthosue apartment just can't help but come up short. The sardonic good humor on Oliver's features is washed away almost at once and he instinctively pushes Felicity behind him, eyes darting across the room towards the footlocker where is vigilante gear is stored.

"Who are you and what are you doing in our place?" he asks, anger creeping in to color his words.

About the only thing that keeps his from lunging for that locker and the weapons inside is the uniform the intruder wears. It's pretty distinctive afterall. That, and maybe the entrance. Oliver's not entirely sure he likes his chances of reaching said locker. At least not in one piece.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Well, /our/ side of that that foundation definitely needs to be sealed.. even if it is with a door. We can look at using drone tech to map out the rest, but you know how signals get in places like that. We're going to need boosters, which means it can't be /just/ the drones."

Felicity was already planning next steps, and by the time Oliver's telling her it will only take her a few days to completely lock the place down, she's grinning and her eyes are sparkling with humor. "Why does that sound like a dig? I wouldn't even be blowing you off this time. Which I wasn't doing, for the record. I was ensuring I was ready when you wanted me." Pause. "Needed me. Not /wanted/ me. I mean, I guess technically in this situation it was both..."

It also turns out that even after coming this far in their relationship, she hadn't really gotten over those awkward little slip-ups.

She's blushing a little when she stands, moving after him to get that coffee, but they've barely made it anywhere when... PORTAL. Before she can even get a good look, Oliver's hand sweeps her behind him, and because he's a veritable mountain compared to her (even in his t-shirt and pajama pants), it's hard for her to see anything for a few seconds.

"See?! This is what I was talking about!!"

/Who are you and what are you doing in our place?/

How do you not look when you /know/ there was literal portal and that's what your boyfriend is screaming? You don't. You don't not look. You peek around, because even if you're not exactly dressed for receiving company in just one of Oliver's button-down shirts with the sleeves rolled up and your hair clipped in a messy bun, you can't help yourself. Curiosity will kill the Felicity one day. It's a miracle it hasn't yet.

"FRANKLIN!"

There's a lot of things that happen there. Technically, yes, the only thing that happens is that Felicity sticks her out out from around Oliver so she can see, but in the background what happened was that Felicity had gone to talk to Shazam about the whole getting kidnapped into another dimension thing. He'd told her that the other guy there was Franklin Richards, and then Felicity had gone and done some digging. So, she knew exactly who he was. Well, sort of. She knew /approximately/ who he was. She wasn't actually aware he could step out of a portal in the middle of her living room.

"Oliver, it's okay. He was there with me.. in the weird Mojo place with the robot dinosaur."

Her words come faster during that last bit, like they did when she was on comms and trying to get a bunch of information out quickly. Still, she didn't fight her way out from behind Oliver. She stayed right where she was until he decided it was safe for her to come out.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin pays no attention to Oliver, turning his back on him as he scans the room, having no intention of stopping Oliver from doing what he intends to do. To Franklin, these individuals were innocent people caught up in the multidimensional incident. He points a finger into empty space, summoning a blue light that scans the empty room without any effect. Unbeknownst to Franklin, the person he is searching for is actually behind him. He falls silent for a moment, contemplating if he made a mistake, scanning the ceiling and floor while expressing frustration over the lack of sense in the situation.

Finally, when Felicity speaks up, Franklin turns to look at her and speaks for the first time. "You might want to close your eyes," he advises, pointing a finger at her. A blue beam scans the room earlier, causing a bright light, but no pain. However, red blotches of immaterial substance appear around Felicity in small floating modules, visible only through Franklin's powers. He frowns deeper, observing the anomalies.

Normally, Franklin is much more friendly, but Mojo struck a nerve, and he meant business. He wasn't here to chat but to find the spy or whatever entity was responsible and make them talk. However, instead, he stumbled upon Felicity. This confuses him because the energy surrounding her is far less than expected for someone originating from that realm. Considering her visit must have been relatively brief, he contemplates this question while silently observing the two in front of him, but then he hears his name.

Franklin rubs his chin, recalling, "Wait... you were the lady who fought those things... What are you doing here?" Realizing she was with them, he understands why she displays the signs she does. He then sighs loudly, the anger dissipating as quickly as it arrived. He realizes that these are not the people he was looking for. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you hiding back there. I'm not here for you; I'm following the remnants of the energy from that place," he tries to explain, realizing that he barged into someone's home and ignored them, understandably upsetting them.

With a sigh, he rubs the back of his head, trying to figure out how to explain the situation. "Look... umm... First, sorry. I thought you were working for them," he begins, addressing both Oliver and Felicity. "I mean you no harm. I'm Franklin, Franklin Richards. There's someone out there kidnapping people and bringing them to the other realm. I'm going to reach into my pocket and get something... Don't freak out," he adds, specifically addressing Oliver, who seems ready to attack or cause a commotion.

Slowly reaching into his pocket, Franklin pulls out several small pictures. They depict other individuals who were not as fortunate as Felicity and Franklin, having been returned in bad shape or even deceased. He offers the pictures as proof of his claims. "This is what he does... And he tried to do it to my sister. But I shouldn't have just popped in," he states, looking directly into Oliver's eyes. "I'm sorry, so please, let's just calm down and talk about this, please." Franklin realizes that he initially escalated the situation and hopes to be the one to bring it back to a reasonable level. Convincing Oliver is his primary objective.

Oliver Queen has posed:
It is not everyday that someone just portals into your home -- even a temporary one -- appearing out of nowhere.

It is also, unfortunately for Oliver, not the first and only time it has happened either. There are certain consequences that come from living a life less ordinary. While this is not normally one of them, it is not completely unknown either.

It is a little difficult to decide if the fact that their unexpected -- and truth be told, unwelcome -- visitor is ignoring them is a good or bad thing. It's not often that Oliver finds himself completely ebneath another person's notice. Let alone in his own place. On the other hand, it is pretty quickly evident that whomever the intruder is, he does not appear to be here for them. That's something right? He's not some enemy of the Justice League, out to make a statement.

Of course ants underfoot go unnoticed too and Ollie doesn't particularly fancy being stepped on.

With his back to him and the fact that he seems to be completely ignored, the Queen Consolidated CEO could dart for that footlocker, could retrieve his bow and other weapons waiting there. But that would mean leaving Felicity exposed. Not exactly something Oliver wants either. In the end it is that lack of hostility that decides things for the man and he pauses -- on edge to be sure -- but staying rooted in place withouth springing immediately to the violence.

Maybe he just got enough of that last night.

Then Felicity glances around him, and calls out her name. That does make Oliver blink in surprise though the intiial exchange between the two of them does not offer up any immediate clarification on what the connection is, the terms this 'Franklin' uses being rather vague.

At least until Felicity clarifies it all with that one, simple word. 'Mojo'.

The portal, the sudden appearance, Franklin's strange behavior, all of it suddenly makes sense. Enough so that some of the tension leaves his body -- enough so he no longer looks like he's on the verge of lashing out at least. Of course it would be weird. What about that situation hasn't been weird, from the moment Felicity blinked away right in front of his eyes, to the instant she reappeared.

In a raccoon costume. Talking about fire breathing robot dinosaurs.

Say no more.

"I... see," Oliver says quietly, glancing at the pictures -- a stark reminder that things could have turned out much, much worse. "Under the circumstances I don't think an apology is necessary. I know Felicity was searching for you."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
/You might want to close your eyes./

"Oh!" Felicity only gets a glimpse of bright blue before her eyes snap shut, waiting until the coast seems clear to open them again. "I wouldn't say I was /hiding/," she starts to protest, heat rising to her cheeks. "I mean, it's kind of more like I was being /shielded/..." But that trails off, her nervous ramblings ultimately unimportant in the face of things.

When she feels Oliver relax, she finally steps out around him, though she keeps close to his side. It almost looked like she wanted to hook her arm in his, but she didn't dare restrict his mobility like that. So, instead, she goes to cross her arms over her stomach and only then seems to remember the nearly empty cup of coffee she still has in her hand, glancing down at it and back up again.

/Wait... you were the lady who fought those things... What are you doing here?/

"Well, I.. sort of live here. I mean, not permanently. We're just renting. And not /we/. /He's/ renting. I couldn't afford a place like this, but he's sort of rich." There's a note of panic in her eyes. "Not that that's why we're together. He's actually my boss." Eyes shift. "Which.. doesn't make it sound any less shallow. These things are actually sounding better in my head than how they're coming out."

/There's someone out there kidnapping people and bringing them to the other realm./

"I know! I'm one of them!"

Then there are the pictures. She doesn't take them. She just looks them over when Oliver goes through them, her expression darkening. So, it wasn't just a dream or an illusion. She'd gotten lucky. And then there's the mention of the sister, and Felicity's eyes lift to Franklin, full of sympathy.

"I'm sorry about your sister. I /have/ been looking for you, but I didn't even know about that. Shazam told me who you were... Listen, can I get you coffee or anything?" She glances between them, already starting to move towards the kitchen. "Oliver? Coffee? Maybe we can all sit and talk.."

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin nods at Oliver's acceptance with amusement, finding it refreshing that someone was actually looking for him aside from Doom. He acknowledges that power-wise, he might not be too concerned, but he descends to stand on the floor, looking like a normal person with the blue sparks gone and his eyes returning to their natural bright blue color. "If it excuses my entrance, then I'll take it. Fate has its own way of getting things done," he remarks with a chuckle, acknowledging that even with his reality-shifting abilities, there are forces beyond his control, such as fate.

After showing the photos, Franklin puts them back into his pocket. He then smiles at Felicity, listening as she stumbles through her words. He finds it enjoyable after working with the Bat folk, appreciating the genuine expressions. However, he lets out a sigh and rubs his fingers against the top of his head, trying to hide a bit of embarrassment over his own actions. He confirms his understanding and repeats, "So you live here with him, who is renting it, and he's your boss, but not for the money... I think I got it." Despite his grin, Franklin senses no danger from Felicity, and both she and Oliver seem like decent individuals. He notes that if someone were to jump into his house, he would protect his sister, Val, or at least attempt to, as she tends to scold him.

"Also, my sister made it back safely. She's alright, but thank you. They've left us alone, although I haven't seen Lady Wolverine anywhere," Franklin informs them. While she faded away, he remains vigilant, unsure of what that might mean. He looks at both of them and continues, "Has anything followed up with you? Any more mysterious disappearances or anything?"

Franklin nods in response to Felicity's question about something to drink. "Tea or water would be fine. I try to stay away from coffee; believe me, you don't want me hyper," he chuckles, recalling the trouble that tends to accompany an emotional state such as hyperactivity. Last time, he ended up creating "Alien Sightings in Starling" (A.S.S.), and he certainly doesn't want a repeat of that. "Thank you for discussing this. I'm also interested in any side-effects or clues that might lead back there."

He lets out a sigh and begins, "How much do you two know about the multi-dimensional theory?" He ponders how to proceed, as it would be challenging without knowing their level of understanding about what exists in the vast array of dimensions. "Since she was the one looking for me, I'll assume she's the brains of the operation," he adds with a light chuckle, not intending to insult Oliver but simply trying to make a joke. "Sorry... humor. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit after those photos. You both seem like nice people, and I tend to joke when I'm nervous," he admits, mentally reminding himself that his sister would scold him for oversharing if she were there.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
And there's a knock over on the door to the penthouse. A light rapping. Because why not someone /else/ showup while everything is going on!? There's been no chime from security - not that that might mean much given with all the new folks dropping by, the system in the midst of updates, or the testing of someone's new Anti-Security Arrow which may or may not exist or be on the drawing board. but there's a polite knock over on the door rather than someone simply barging thier way on in or teleporting.

Despite the whole 'coming up without an announcement' there's a level of politeness to it of waiting to be let in rather than just opening the door and wander on inside! Or someone coming in through the window by grappel line.

Presuming that she is let in of course, Natasha would glance over at Felicity and bow her head. "Overwatch." Yes, someone knows and is making at least some level of amusement out of it. Which may or may not annoy Felicity even -more- if her security had been lax enough someone had /traced/ her. Government bureaucracy or not!

Oliver Queen has posed:
Things might be reasonably grounded in Star City. Oh, it's not as if superpowered threats are unknown of course, but it doesn't seem to tend towards the truly bizarre like some places. He has no asylum of freaks and lunatics just waiting to bust loose and rampage in his city afterall. No doubt a credit to better management.

Fortunately his time with the Justice League has given him a little more experience with the weird and unexplained. With the bizarre and otherwordly. It helps at times like these, when they are dealing with something so strange, so outside their normal, day-to-day experiences.

"Lets just say that each of us have our own areas of expertise," Oliver counters, flashing a brief smile both at Franklin and Felicity to make it clear that he takes no offense at the jest. "But yes, she has more then her fair share of the brains," he admits, giving her hand a little squeeze before letting it slip free.

HHe does fall in at her side however as she starts to the kitchen, if for no other reason to help her carry. "Coffee is sounding good about now," he agrees drily. At least he is no longer on the defensive about having someone just appear in the penthouse, no longer casting sideeyes towards that nearby footlocker. It's progress of a sort.

He does halt however when Felicty glances at him, that non-verbal communication enough to let him know that he should stay where he is, that he should keep an eye on their guest and though he arches a brow, Ollie gives a slight nod and turns back towards the other man.

Which is when the knock on the door sounds of course. Another visitor. "Looks like we have more company. We're a popular bunch today," he says mildly to Franklin.

He does not point out how this visitor knocked. You know, at the door. Instead of just creating their own. Oliver is just polite that way.

How long that politeness lasts might just be tested when he sees who their latest guest is, of course.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Except I resigned," Felicity adds to the whole 'got it' part of the bit. "Sort of. I mean, I haven't /yet/, but he knows I'm going to. So he's almost not really my boss, anymore." As if that cleared all of it up. said with a straight face, no less.

She smiles a bit at the sister, though, and nods. "Good. I'm glad. And no... nothing. No more disappearances, no side-effects that I can tell except I got a /really/ sudden craving for spaghetti carbonara as soon as I got back."

Felicity shrugs slightly. "Oh! And, I have the suit. Maybe that will help you. Not here. It's.. back home. I ran it under every kind of test I had available in the lab and couldn't find anything, though. I mean, granted, I can't make interdimensional portals... You know what? Let me make tea, and then we can talk multiverse. I'm more of a ones-and-zeros kind of a girl than a quantum entanglement kinda girl. Especially when I've only had one cup.."

Then there's that joke. It makes Felicity roll her lips to keep from smiling, the twinkle in her eyes obvious, but when Oliver lets it roll off with a smile, she grins back up at him. "Well, he's the pretty one. It wouldn't be fair to give him both," she says, nudging him with her shoulder and giving him that /look/ before she starts to walk off. The brief '/watch him/' glare. Yes, everything was friendly, but apparently 'trust but verify' was in full effect in her mind.

Then there's a knock. Not a call from the front desk. "I'll get it. It's probably Emiko..."

NARRATOR: It was not, in fact, Emiko.

Diverting from her path to the kitchen, Felicity makes her way to the front door and just.. pulls it open. As one does. Because why not? The last person just made their own portal inside. How much worse could it get?

/Overwatch./

For a moment, Felicity just stands there. Men's button-down shirt. Hair clipped in a messy bun. Mostly empty coffee cup. Two-tone rectangle glasses perched on her nose.

Because, yeah. Today was the day when /all/ of the people were going to show up.

For a moment, she just stares at Natasha in that skin-tight black outfit looking like a snack while she stood there looking like she hadn't showered in two days. Blinking in surprise, Felicity finally lets out a soft sigh.

"If it helps, I'm glad you didn't get hurt." Because, if a SHIELD operator was going to trace your signal back to arrest you, the least you could do was be polite about it. Right?

Then she steps back, holding the door open for her to come in. Again, because what else do you do when freaking Black Widow is nose to nose with you?

"Coffee? I was just about to put some tea on... we've got some snacks... finger-foods, mostly. We had leftovers, but I ate them last night. Midnight craving. Overwatching kind of.. takes it out of you." She clears her throat. "It's Felicity, by the way. You probably already knew that."

Franklin Richards has posed:
As a knock is heard, Franklin is genuinely surprised. After a moment of contemplation, he smiles and notices Oliver watching him, while someone calls Felicity "Overwatch." Perhaps it's another employee of their business, considering Oliver's earlier mention of being the boss. Not wanting to involve them by association, Franklin acts swiftly. He signals Oliver to stay quiet, then snaps his fingers, causing his clothes to change into a suit. He reaches into his pocket and discreetly places a device under his face, projecting a different, older appearance. It's just a random employee's face that he had copied earlier, but for now, Franklin doesn't look like himself.

He moves to take a seat, trying to appear relaxed, and looks around, casually picking up a photo and smiling at it before carefully putting it back in its place. "You two look happy. I'm not here to get in the way of that, only to help," he says to Oliver in a low voice, taking advantage of Felicity's absence at the door. "They call what I do a miracle, but it's not. It's just science and willpower. What you have... that's the miracle, my friend." He falls silent as the others enter.

Franklin sits quietly as Nat enters, observing her carefully. He doesn't say anything for a moment, simply observing and trying to gauge what this new person is all about. He did notice Felicity's reaction, although he couldn't read Nat's intentions. He remains cautious for now, uncertain about what it all means. "Perhaps our discussion is better saved for another time?" he suggests, looking at Nat as he speaks. He smiles, indicating that he isn't upset but rather confused about the right course of action.

While it's true that it was a kidnapping, so they didn't need to worry about keeping the information secret, Franklin considers the possibility that Mojo had taken Felicity for a specific reason. What if she is the Red Arrow lady and needs to keep her identity hidden? Her acting must have been superb if that's the case. Regardless, Franklin doesn't concern himself with their secrets, as everyone has their own skeletons. He just hopes they aren't literal skeletons. Franklin then remarks, "Though I think you might need to improve your security around here. It seems rather lax for the number of visitors you receive," giving them a smile and nod, knowing that he himself is one of the said visitors and therefore part of the reason increased security may be necessary.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
As she's permitted to enter, Natasha goes to bow her head over to Felicity, "Yes, I was impressed by your work in our last meeting, Overwatch. As is the organization htat I work for." She's not meaning the Avengers, given she's in her normal combat attire, undoubtedly. "You did an excellent job of coordinating your team and adapting in unique circumstances, using your technical skills with the group, having an outside member incorporated with a minimal amount of disruption, and also linking between divergent communications lines despite not knowing frequencies." Also possibly showing some vulnerabilities in said encryption, which was likely implied.

"And that was a fairly mild operation, but thank you for your concern." That was a mild operation.. By the standards of the Red Room operative that had been alive nearly ninety years. not the best basis for comparison, but still! Natasha is making no move to be intimidating or anything.

"It's fine, I've already eaten but I appreciate the hospitality. Good luck in the start of your company, and best wishes. And I'm here to offer you a side job if you're looking for part time employment."

Oliver Queen has posed:
Much like Felicity, Oliver assumes that the newest arrival is Emiko, at least at first. Though his sister knows well enough that she doesn't have to knock. And indeed, rarely does so. So it is only when he hears the familiar tones of Natasha Romanoff that he tenses. Just a little.

It will be noted that Oliver did caution that it was conceivable that SHIELD would back-trace them when they tapped into their commsystem last night. That Felicity's savvy and kit, while impressive, might not standup to the near infinite resources commanded by the foremost intelligence agency in the world.

Of course while Oliver did make that caution about it last night, he is far to clever to point that out today. Oh, there will be no 'I told you so's'. Not from him.

Besides, given what they do it was almost inevitable that they would get on their radar sooner or later. Assuming that they didn't already have a full work up. It's not exactly the end of the world.

So tempting as it might be to try and go riding to Felicity's rescue, he lets her handle that and stays in the main room with Franklin. He isn't even taken aback when the other man suddenly changes clothing and appearances, looking more like a business acquaintance then someone who just portaled into their penthouse moments before.

Of course the cover might be slightly strained by the fact that Oliver is in a t-shirt and pajama pants. But hey, billionaires are an eccentric lot, right?

"I appreciate that Franklin," Ollie says quietly. "Getting grabbed like that, with no warning, it was a little traumatic for her. And that doesn't even touch upon the craziness she was subjected to," he admits quietly, shooting a brief look towards the entraceway. "If you can find out who was behind this, find a way to see that he pays for his actions -- or at least make sure that he can't ever do it again, well, all you need to do is ask and you'll have our help," he promises.

Then he smirks when the other man makes the crack about their security. "Trust me, Felicity is working on it. I suspect, after you all leave that's all she will be working on for the foreseeable future," he admits.

The can both be a little obsessive in their own ways.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
The compliments caught Felicity off guard. She closed the door behind Nat, still reeling a little at the list of /good/ tings rather than the appearance of some sort of restraining device. After all, it wouldn't be the first time she'd been arrested for hacking a US government-sanctioned system.

/Good luck in the start of your company./

Little things, like that, stood out. The whole picture. She didn't just come here with an address and a suspicion. Black Window and, therefore, the rest of SHIELD, knew exactly who she was.

Why not?

Felicity's smile curls a bit, the knowing glint in her eye. She was /so/ busted, but also.. kind of excited.

"With SHIELD? Heck yeah," she says, letting some of that excitement show in the way her smile broadens. "I mean, I feel a little bad about jumping on to your comms without asking first, but if it makes you feel any better, I did the same thing with the Young Avengers not that long ago when LexCorp was getting robbed."

She purses.

"I probably shouldn't.. well, point being I'd love to be able to help. And coordinate. Rather than having to sneak in through backdoors every time I need to monitor comms or run a records search."

Beat.

"Not that I can run a records search."

Another beat.

"I mean, if I /could/, I'd definitely tell you how to fix that. Once I had.. official access."

That smile lingers on her lips.

"It's nice to meet you.. in person, I mean. I'm really glad you were there. We're really trying to clean up that neighborhood. And, it may not be fast. But if anything turns up with that tracker you planted, I'll let SHIELD know. Thank you for that, too, by the way. That was really fast thinking. Sorry. Fangirling a little. I'm just really impressed by how efficiently you just sort of.. fit in. And anyone that keeps my people safe is A-OK in my book."

She was still lingering there by the door, letting Oliver and Franklin do their thing in the other room. Much like Nat, she seemed to enthralled on their conversation to remember to try to eavesdrop on her /other/ unexpected guest with Oliver.

"Do you want to come in and sit down?"

Franklin Richards has posed:
Listening to the other Franklin, even though he appears as someone else, the disguised Franklin looks at Oliver and nods. "Oh, I will get him. It's just a matter of time. And when I do, it won't just be him I'm after, but also those who were giving him orders," he notes, giving Felicity a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to raincheck that tea. It seems work is already calling me back," he sighs, walking past Felicity and Nat to head out in a normal manner. He refrains from using a portal again, ensuring he leaves the house with the door closed, so the others wouldn't see his departure.

Before leaving, he places a white card on the table. One side of the card displays his name and phone number, while the back simply reads, "Call if there is more trouble," without any additional information. As Franklin exits, he waves and says, "Don't worry, we'll meet again, and perhaps you'll have to explain what this whole Overwatch thing is about," grinning mischievously. He nods to Nat, not particularly caring about the secret, but enjoying the responses he receives.

Walking past them, Franklin only stops to look at Felicity in the doorway, assuming that since no one else is present, she might recognize him. "I'm sorry, my responsibilities are vast, and I must go. But call the number I left, and I will explain what I can and how deep you're involved in all of this," he says with a slight smile. "Until then, don't worry. If he were to come back, there's no way I wouldn't know. You have enough on your plate without worrying about all of that on top of it. Leave it in my hands; I'll take care of it," he reassures her, chuckling lightly. He turns again and heads out, shutting the door behind him.

As mentioned earlier, he leaves the same way he arrived, through a portal opening, walking into it. He assumes he is out of sight of the new visitor once the door is closed.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would nod over at Felicity and dip her head in acknowledgement. There was a smile there, that was mostly feigned but really hard to tell unless one really knew her expressions. Then going to speak as if reading Felicity's mind (actually just by her facial expressions and knowledge of the woman's past). "SHIELD is NATO affiliated, not entirely with the United States." That would be given out in a quick bit of feigned amusement.

"you were adapting to a changing circumstance in the field andy our priority was saving lives and find out what was going on and trying to assess the situation. You adapted as best you could. Your work and that of your.. Team performed excellently." Team Arrow, at least.

"Your skils would be excellent for us to have on hand on an.. As needed basis. In return we can possibly help wtih some.. Eqiupment issues and favors that can be passed around." Money likely wasn't something that Felicity was needing. She was alreadyacting to help others out of her own initiative. So she wouldn't feel any sort of obligation to respond to an offer to helping people.

No.. But hopefully networking amongst the superhero and military-intellience community /and/ access to SHIELD's technology, resources, and expertise would be a fair trade. "It's what we do, Ms. Smoak. It's what we would do." She would give a glance over to Oliver and Franklin, a quick acknowledgement, full attention over on Felicity.

Oliver Queen has posed:
It can't help but feel they are at least a little closer to getting some sort of firm answers, so sort of positive outcome when it comes to the issue of Mojo and the unexplained disappearances that seem to go along with him. That will certainly be a relief, even for Oliver who was not directly involved. At least not in one respect. But then if someone goes after any part of the team, any of his friends and family they might as well be coming after him. That, perhaps, holds a little more true when it touches upon Felicity.

"Fair enough," is all Oliver says as Franklin takes his leave, reaching out to pluck that card from where he left it on the table, putting it away to give to Felicity later. No need to leave that out in the open, especially under the circumstances.

Then the man is gone, almost as suddenly as he appeared -- though at least he did use the door this time. That's something.

One problem down, one to go.

Though by the sounds of the discussion in the entranceway, an accord has already been reached. Hopefully one that will work out as intended.

Either way, Oliver lingers in the main room for a little while longer, giving the pair a chance to finish their discussion.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
/I'm sorry, but I'll have to raincheck that tea. It seems work is already calling me back./

"Oh." Felicity's eyes swivel from Nat to watch Franklin set the card down on his way out, lingering on it for a moment before she nods. The Overwatch statement earns a sheepish smile. "It's a... long story." Maybe not as long as it would take for her to explain riding a fire-breathing-robot-dinosaur in another dimension to Nat, though. "Thank you." The fact that she should 'leave it in his hands,' does seem to give her some small measure of comfort. Not complete relief, but comfort.

Then her gaze is back on Nat again.

"Well, thank you -- again. I'll be happy to help however I can," Felicity says, even though another little piece of the hacker in her died at the thought of just being handed her own credentials to another secret database or ten. Why was it less fun when she had her own username and password?

The equipment and the favors, though not necessary, do make her smile.

"Actually, some amount of access to lab facilities would be invaluable for me. I'm limited to mass spectrometry and some simple genetic sequencing, even back home, and I don't have any of that equipment here. /If/ someone on my team had samples of the chemicals and some blood from the scene last night," big if, since that would be tampering with evidence and a lot of other charges related to possession of the chemicals, "do you think it would be possible for me to borrow some time on SHIELD equipment? I know that's probably asking a lot for like.. the first day, but as it is, we're going to be waiting for the NYPD crime lab..."

She does turn to look back over her shoulder at Oliver, offering him a small, almost apologetic smile. She doesn't beckon him over or otherwise try to involve him, though. If he wanted to be, he would be. So, she returns that gaze to Nat, still hopeful.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would glance over at Oliver in case he wanted her out of the way. This was still business talk and the pajama clad billionaire might want to handle separate things, and they had already had to deal wtih the bratty child of Sue and Reed, as far as Natasha was concerned. So she would be more than happy to let the two wave her on out so they could have privacy to continue on with their own affairs.

"I'm sure that can be arranged. Our lab facilities are quite well supplied. I could see to it that you have your own workshop setup there after you've been of some aid or have part time access to our facilities until then. There would however be some security arrangements done before hand." For SHIELD's sake and likely for Felicity's. They -had- managed to track her down and identify her after all. And Natasha had come up right to the penthouse. So she was presuming that the paranoia would flow both ways.

"And I'll have the eqiupment sent over. Give me a lis to fwhat you need and a location to where it should be sent. I can't promise it will have an immediate turnaround, but within fourty eight hours at most. Hopefully less." She's not guaranteeing things but will do her best. "If it looks like it isn't possible I'll have some things from the Avengers transferred. Stark won't notice any difference in the ledger."

Oliver Queen has posed:
Hey, there's horse trading going on. It might not be the sort of business deals that Oliver Queen is usually involved with, but there is no denying just how significant it could prove to be while they are investigating the issue of crime in Hell's Kitchen, trying to make enough of a dent in it to make a difference in the lives of their newest tenants. That alone makes it time well spent in his eyes.

Though hopefully next time he'll be up long enough to get properly dressed before the visitor parade starts. While the Star City billionaire might not be overly worried about the impression that he leaves, pajama pants might not be quite the impression he is trying to make. at least most of the time.

Access to SHIELD's databases, access to better tech, to advanced lab testing. It's pretty much like Felicity is on an all-you-can-spend shopping spree without having to spend a dime. Not a bad day after a difficult night, hmmm?

Of course, sometimes when something is too good to be true, that's exactly how it turns out. They will just have to see.

For now at least Oliver makes a show of puttering about, seeming to clean up, to straighten up the main room. But he lingers just close enough to continue discretely listening in. To be there if he's needed, without intruding.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
/There would however be some security arrangements done before hand./

"Ah, yeah. So, /about/ that. My understanding had been that we were supposed to be cleaning up some street-level thugs that were harassing a residential neighborhood... not taking down a literal underground criminal network of drug processing facilities and mind-controlled workers while hacking into international intelligence agencies and /somehow/ defending against interdimensional transportation..."

That last one just causes her to shake her head. "Don't... don't ask."

She does jerk a thumb up over her shoulder though. "If it helps, I'm working on a design for a new DNA scanner that would make it virtually impossible to break in here without some sort of super power. Which, I get, isn't really as far fetched as a lot of people think it is. Me included. Every day, I kind of get more used to it, though. Even though I'm not positive I want to. I'm sort of a.. 'You failed this city,'" she even lowers her voice to a deep growl to impersonate the Green Arrow, "kind of a girl. Not so much a battling interdimensional superbeings with the ability to manipulate time. Of course, when you put it like that, it sort of makes the other stuff sound easy..." It wasn't.

"Anyway, I was going to requisition the tech I would need to build the scanners on site. I can probably have it done by the time I'd need remote access. The lab equipment..." She glances over her shoulder, smiling thinly and back again. "As much as I'd love to repurpose this whole floor into one sterile lab, it's probably against the lease. I'm not even sure we're going to get our security deposit back with the salmon ladder digging into the hardwood floor..." So worth it.

The mention of the Avenger's equipment grins another little smile to her lips.

"Do you think I could see it? The Mansion? I mean, the SHIELD facilities to. And I totally get that you're not just some glorified tour guide that happens to be able to kill people with her pinkie. You could /totally/ pass me off to some intern, but I'd love to look around at the setups in both places." For 'research' purposes. "...and maybe talk to JARVIS."

Now she's just pushing her luck.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
All of those things were ones that Natasha was fluent with over to some degree. That theye xisted in various states of readiness (if they did), how effective they were, how many personnel that knew how to use them. Or even how mass producable they were if one needed to rapidly scale up production of them.

"DNA sequencers have a weakness. All one needs is a sample of the key locks to it to be able to forge something that the system will recognize or take as a null. It works in concert with other things but don't purely rely on it as a safeguard. And as with any electronic security system, it can have flaws or be bypassed in other ways. As part of a layered system, it's useful. But with anything, it can be bypassed with sufficient knowledge, skill, and preparation. But I can help ensure that youg et some parts for it, though you may find them more useful for rigging and experimenting with to make your own."

The Black Widow was the one that knew all these things when it came to being able to fool such systems. I twas what she did for a living, after all. And she had spent a very, very long time doing it. "I'm not hte one that can grant you access to the Mansion. I'd recommend speaking to Ms. Potts of Stark Enterprises on it. She's likelier to reply to you and be useful than Stark will be and she's the CEO." Which means of the pair she's hte one with a brain and some level o fimpulse control. "I make no promises but identify yourself and your responsibilities and she'll hear you out and get back to you." Natasha was honest in what she could and could not do. In fairness most of what the Avengers used /was/ funded by Stark in some way or another.

And he probably got huge tax writeoffs from it to book.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
As Nat starts explaining the vulnerabilities in the DNA scanners, a surprised smile spreads across her lips. "You're right... obviously. And, I would appreciate that. I have access to some tech that I was going to use, but I'd love to take a look at anything you have that might help." And why not incorporate existing SHIELD tech into her design if she was able to? No sense reinventing the wheel from scratch.

Then there's the mention of Miss Potts. From the CEO of Queen Consolidated to the CEO of Stark Industries. It's a little hard for Felicity not to be overwhelmed by the thought, but then.. she was supposed to be the CEO of Smoak Technologies. Even if she hadn't even filed any of the official paperwork, yet. She'd been a little busy Overwatching, sleeping, and.. well.. hostessing (or trying to process all of the sudden, unexpected attention, depending on how you looked at it).

"I'll do that," she says. "My... boyfriend," that still felt weird, "might be interested in meeting her, too, actually. If he hasn't already." Pausing for a moment, she glances over her shoulder and back again. "To be honest, I don't know that they haven't met. Either way, I'll reach out to her."

Pause.

"One CEO to another." The tongue-in-cheek smile makes that an obvious joke, since even if she /did/ actually have a company, the two positions wouldn't be quite... the same.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would nod over, "There are easy enough ways to bypass it. Merely having a sample of the subject's DNA can often be enough. And you would be surprised at how much htere is around." You leave genetic traces everywhere you go. When you touch something, blow your nose, lose a hair follicle.. "And it's simple enough to clone extra matter. So you just need a few cells, and some time spent to grow more material.. And then the scanner is effectively useless unless you have other ways to back it up." That was something she'd done plenty of times after all. And there were plenty of other ways as well.

But, DNA was among the simpler types to bypass depending on the thoroughness of the system. It was also a more predictable type and didn't need much preparation ahead of time. "I'm sure that Ms. Potts will love to meet you no matter what just as she has an appreciation for other business executives." By that she means female executives. There aren't that many of them. "I'm sure you'd also enjoy getting along with Ms. Van Dyne and if yuou can ever catch her not saving the world or the galaxy, Mrs. Richards." There were plenty of contacts out there.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Well, I have some ideas about scanning methods and sample size, but I'd need to get farther into into the design," Felicity says, smiling a little. "I have one roughly sketched out, but I've only been at it for a couple of hours." Because, yes, while hacking intelligence agencies only took her seconds, developing new tech took at least on the scale of multiple hours.

Felicity actually lets a little laugh escape her lips. There she stood, looking frumpy in just Oliver's dress shirt, talking to one of the deadliest women she'd ever met about a collection of other extremely intelligent and successful women.

"Sorry, I..." She gives a little shake of her head and reaches up to nudge her glasses a little higher on her nose. "I'm used to being the girl in the chair." She holds up a hand. "And don't get me wrong... I'm very good at being the girl in the chair."

She takes in a deep breath and lets it out, forcing her smile to steady. "This is a new chapter for me. I just.. hope I can live up to those examples." Beat. "Not yours." She waves her hands slightly. "Not that yours is bad. I mean, I'm never going to be able to kill anyone with my pinkie. I can barely do a pull-up. Actually, I wasn't sure I /could/ do a pull-up until that thing at the Met the other day.. and I'm not exactly sure that counted."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would nod, "It takes some getting used to. Performing mission control. The most important thing, beyond all other technical skills is awareness. Calmness. One has to pay attention to a great many different variables and circumstances, keep track of them, and also remain calm. Those in the field that rely upon your guidance trust you. And for their sake you have to not panic no matter the circumstances. Project thatyou know what is going on and that you have a plan, and they'll perform their part."

No, in the vast majority of times you won't . And it will bes hot to hell anyways. And the people in the field know it. But the effort is appreciated. "Exercise helps the most when you've realized that you've been tracked and have to fight your way out and flee when you're in the midst of communications." Yes, that's her being rather pragmatic. "So always good to be ready ahead of time for when it happens." No cover is ever perfect. You will be found out.

Unless you're Oracle, who is way, way better.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity shakes her head. "Oh, no. Not that. I've... well, I've been doing that for years." She grins a bit. "I mean, I've had the back door into the SHIELD database for a /while/..." Suddenly, the brag seemed incriminating, so she shook her head, "I mean, one of them. Probably not like.. a big one. Or top secret. Or.. anything like that." Ahem. "I just didn't need the comms until we came to New York. We don't exactly run across a lot of SHIELD activity in Star City..."

She shrugs. "I mean branching out on my own. Starting my own brand. Putting my name on something and.." Then she gives another little shake of her head. "Never mind. You're not here to listen to me worry about everything I have to do to get a new company off the ground. I'll reach out to Miss Potts and then.. I'll be in touch about that lab access? Maybe we can get to the bottom of who's behind the drug lab.. and whatever else is down there."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would glance over at Felicity, "Very well then, I"m sure that some of the other ones that has even bigger ones would enjoy hearing you tell about them." Oh yes, if the girl is going to be open on such things, then Natasha would ensure that said exploits were patched. That was the way that encryption went. Every system had it's holes. And having her own ones hopefully taken away might also be a lesson as far as bragging went! But, Natasha was amused. Not that one could particularly tell it by her expression.

"OF course. I may not be a part of the followup but I'll follow any reports that are filed with SHIELD or the Avengers." Unfortunately, mind control drug making was a broad enough field it might not fall under SHIELD's mandate.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity nods, smiling hopefully. "Well, at least we're all on the same side, now," she says. "I mean, were before, too. We just didn't know we were. And... now we know."

Right.

Being socially awkward wasn't a thing that would keep you from being a CEO, right? Stark did it for a long time. She'd just have to... find her own unique brand.

"I understand," she says, that smile lingering. "It was very nice meeting you, Black Widow. I hope you know you can reach out if you ever need me. Just.. you know. Watch out for the turrets, next time."

She purses her lips and shakes her head.

"This is a residential building, and there are maintenance people. That would be /super/ irresponsible. But, hopefully by the next time you try to break in here, it will be more of a challenge for you. Even if it's not maybe potentially lethal."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would glance over at Felicity and give a flat answer, "No. Besides, you presume that this was my first time breaking in here." Well, actually it very likely -was- but if Felicity is giong to want to play those sorts of games with challenges then Natasha would simply say the sort of thing to hopefully make her sweat just a little bit.

"And tell your maintenance people to work on the grate that gives sewer access. The lock is broken on one side. And the air conditioning vents up on the roof are screeching and are not getting good ventilation. And there are three roof access points that have rusted hinges. I think that you might want to hire an outside company to give the entire place an inspection just in case there are issues that your local crew hasn't gotten ahold of yet."

Actually there might /not/ be such things but the name of the game was the portrayal of condience. Casually listing such things out made it all the likelier to the OCD type to presume that they were, in fact, there.

Felicity Smoak has posed:
Felicity grins. "Well, it would be a little weird if it wasn't, since we just met a few hours ago. Unless you were watching... and you knew I knew your frequencies.. and that I would ask for your help.. so that you could justify meeting me like this..."

She reaches a hand up and rubs the bridge of her nose. "That's making my brain hurt worse than interdimensional travel. Which I /wish/ was a topic I could only talk about in theory..."

Felicity sighs softly at the list, but nods. "Got it." Did she have it? It wasn't like she had anything to write with. "I'll have them.. you know.. clean the gutters and stuff while they're up there, too." Pause. "Do high-rises have gutters? Probably not. Regardless, we'll make sure we get it all checked out."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would nod, "An occurence of which we've had to review extensively." Given occurences over with Kang (and more Kang) being only the latest of which they'd had to deal with. For those that were proponents in linearity, the last decade had really sucked.

Going to fold her hands together, "They do, as a matter of fact. Just as the buildings are designed to stay intact in extreme circumstances doesn't mean you want to risk it if segments of it accumulate too much morass. Or have it sticking to the building." Actually high rises may not have gutters. But who is she to say when this is fun?

Oliver Queen has posed:
Finally making a reappearance, it would appear that Oliver Queen has taken the opportunity while discreetly listening in, to also slip back into the bedroom and change. No longer in just pajama pants and a t-shirt, he looks a little more CEOish in black slacks and a gret button-up shirt with short sleeves, slipping out into the entranceway at last.

"Mmmm, very sorry to interrupt. It seems like you have a great deal to discuss," Ollie says with a pleasant smile, nodding towards Natasha before lacing an arm through Felicity's. "And while it all sounds dreadfully important I thought I would just remind you that we have that meeting at city hall in an hour for the construction permits to begin to remodelling at our new project," he points out archly.

"If we're going to get there with time enough to grab a bite to eat before hand, you might want to change," he points out, a slow grin creeping over his face as he makes a show of letting his gaze run over his girlfriend. "Not that I don't like your look right now, but I suspect you might be a little red in the cheeks if we start wandering the streets like that," he teases.

Turning back to Natasha with a pleasant smile, "Hopefully I'm not interrupting anything too pressing," he says apologetically. "I'm sure you know how it is."

Felicity Smoak has posed:
"Gutters may be counter-productive if the purpose of gutters is to prevent the erosion of the foundation, but load-bearing morass accumulators," Felicity winks. "There's the next big As-Seen-On-TV."

Of course, the questionable business idea is barely out of her mouth before the billionaire in his billionaire clothes comes striding over and making her look positively homeless by comparison. Seriously. She hadn't even brushed her hair. She'd literally just twisted it up and clipped it in place.

Her cheeks actually flush pink when he steps up to her, and even through her glasses it's not hard to see the way she melts a little when he slips his arm into hers.

Then, of course, there's the time frame.

"An /hour/? And we need to eat. I am /so/ sorry."

Quickly, she looks back to Natasha and offers an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. It was /very/ nice meeting you. Black Widow, this is Oliver Queen. Oliver, Black Widow," she does the introductions quickly.

Back to Oliver, "Okay.. I'm going. Give me.. ugh. Give me.. ten minutes." Then she's smiling at Nat one last time before turns to hurry back to the bedroom and close the door.