16006/Have You Met Abe

Have You Met Abe
Date of Scene:	04 October 2023
Location:	W.A.N.D: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Steve takes Lara by the section of WAND where Abe Sapien makes his home.
Cast of Characters:	Steve Rogers, Lara Croft

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Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve had returned from a trip down into New Jersey over the weekend. He'd gone down for a meeting at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall that he'd been asked to come speak at. Though the number of World War Two veterans shrinks every year and there are few left, those who served in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars appreciated his presence.

After returning, Steve had chuckled and mentioned he'd picked up a sub and stopped at a park along the beach to eat it. Only to see people screaming and running away from the beach. "It was just Abe, though," Steve explained. Only to see the blank look on Lara's face. "Oh, you haven't met Abe?" Steve asked, and then said, "Let me set something up."

And this is what he set up. Steve and Lara are at the WAND offices in the Triskelion. They go over to an elevator Lara might not have been in before, and take it down many floors. The doors open and they step off. The hallways are not all that unusual, other than the decorations with decidedly supernatural flavoring even more than the rest of WAND. More comfortable and quality furniture than normal too. They pass a room that has "Hellboy" listed on the name plate. As they continue, a faint scent like the ocean might be noticed by Lara, until they arrive at a room with the name plate, "Abe Sapien". Steve knocks on the door, and then after hearing a "Come in," he opens it to lead her inside.

Inside more of the room is an aquatic tank than not. Though the rest is decked out like a comfortable study with leather furniture. A creature who could best be described as a cousin to the Creature from the Black Lagoon is just rising from a chair, a pair or goggles over his eyes. "Captain Rogers," he says warmly. "And is this Lady Croft?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara had spent the better part of the last 3 years of her life working in the WAND offices of the Triskelion. She'd signed up to work for SHIELD under the pretense that SHIELD could help her get across borders, as well as get items of value across borders too. That alone was enough to entice her in to signing up. It had been a beneficial partnership too. She had learned a lot since joining the mystical division of SHIELD, things that she may never have been exposed to at all, if she hadn't joined. She was grateful for those experiences too, for that knowledge, for Lara... is not anything, if not thirsty for knowledge and unique experiences.

Case in point. Today. This.

Dressed in a black long sleeve shirt, with tan hued hiking trousers on, and a pair of black leather shoes, Lara followed Steve down in the elevator. Once she saw that door with Hellboy's named marked on it, she has a smile show on her pink hued lips. "I've never visited his level of the facility..." She says over to Steve in that accent of hers that dances through the syllables of every spoken word. She'd assumed they would see Hellboy, but then they're moving on toward another office instead.

Once through it, and once Abe stands up, she sees where Steve's earlier story had been rooted. Lara is not one to react rudely to anyone, plus at this stage of her career and life, she's seen a lot..

"Why yes," Lara says, extending her right hand toward him. "Lady Croft, though Lara is what I prefer most use." She says, her voice melodically pleasant to most ears.

She looks to Steve, then back to Abe. "Captain Rogers was just telling me about running in to you near the park..." She says then to him, before her eyes look toward the tank, clearly impressed with it all by itself.

Steve Rogers has posed:
Abe's mouth draws up in a smile, though it doesn't stretch as much in that direction as most people's would. His voice is rather gentle and pleasing on the ear as he holds up a webbed hand towards Lara. "Yes, Lara. Daughter of Richard and Amelia. Your father's loss in particular still affects you to this day. Difficult times you went through on an island. But now you and Captain Rogers-"

His voice cuts off suddenly. "You, oh. Yes. Romantically involved," he says, and turns away in a fashion that might be called mild embarrassment. "Please, come and sit," he offers. "Let me, put these away, I do not imagine you will find their aroma very pleasant," he says, moving a container of what appear to be spoiled eggs, closing it and moving it to a cupboard. "Just move any books you need to sit," he says. There are a LOT of books open. "But please do not lose my page."

He returns to take a seat. "Yes. Unfortunate. So many people, yelling and running about. I should have put my shirt on first, but I wasn't thinking," he says.

Steve leans over to gesture towards his chest as if at a shirt, "I heart New York," he explains of the shirt.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara places a hand on the side of Steve's left arm, giving him an affectionate pat before she moves toward one of the seats covered in books. "You have quite a place here, Abe." She says softly to him as she gathers up a number of the volumes. She cannot help but look over the labels on each of them too, as she moves to set them aside. "Do you live here also?" She asks, glancing between the two of them before regarding Abe once more.

"I can imagine just getting out to enjoy the day is challenging in an area where people are far from used to others that are outside of their normal purview. I commend you for doing it irregardless of all of that." She adds with a light smile before him.

Having sat down on the edge of that chair now, Lara remains with her back straight, and her hands in her lap, her dark hair tied back in a ponytail with the loose strands gracing across the back of her shoulders as she regards each one in-turn. "I'm glad Steve was there to hopefully help assure everyone that you're just a person, and nothing they should rush away from." She states in a calm voice. "Where do you come from originally, Abe? If I might be so rude to ask..."

Steve Rogers has posed:
The room has the looks of a library with how many books are in it, though not the neatest kept collection. In part because so many books are open. There must be one or two dozen that have been left open to a page with some sort of book mark or weight to help keep them from closing. There are also stands along the water tank that can hold multiple books as if to be read by someone in the tank.

As for the topics, they run the gamut of scholarly interest. Physics, medicine, psychology, history, sociology. Classics from the 1600s and books from today. "Yes I do live here," Abe confirms. "I spend more time in my tank than not. But I need someone else to turn the pages for me. And right now we're between personnel who would normally assist me with that," he tells Lara.

Steve, for his part, sits on the arm of Lara's chair, a hand resting gently along her back. "I'm afraid most of them were gone by the time I reached Abe," he tells Lara. "But we did go out for sandwiches after."

Abe has taken his seat again. "I don't remember my past I'm afraid. I was found in a tank in the basement of a Washington DC hospital, but have no memory before that. They named me for President Lincoln who was assassinated on the day that they found me," he explains. "I spent my days with the BPRD before they were eventually rolled into SHIELD."

Lara Croft has posed:
Obviously Lara's mind is reeling over all the questions she might have for Abe, let alone all the fancy books and knowledge that are contained within this room, let alone the acquatic man before her. She glances over at Steve, then back to abe. "You were found the same time that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated?" She questions, before glancing to Steve, and showing him a smile. "No wonder you enjoy each other's company. You date back to similar eras." She says, elbowing Steve lightly with her right arm, playfully of course!

After a light laugh she looks back to Abe. "I can help you with the page turning, I think." She tells him then. "I can scan a book in to a device that you can take in to your tank with you, so that you might read while submerged. I use them on my own expeditions. They are weather proofed, and able to be taken on scuba dives, if some such need were ever a thing... such as, well, your case." She states with another soft laugh. "If there are any books you'd like me to scan in to the device for you, I'd be happy to do that, and bring it down to you once I have them ready." She offers, hoping to help the man have a easier life. "Afterall, requiring someone to just turn the pages of a book for you seems a big ask in this day and age... I mean, my gosh... The Paper Kindles are water proof too, though I imagine many books on Kindle are not truly the kind you're in possession of here in your lovely abode..." She states, letting her eyes roam his office again before she looks back toward him.

"Oh, I'm an Archaeologist, by the way. Which is why I might be lingering stares upon some of your items here."

Steve Rogers has posed:
Steve Rogers lets out a laughing groan at Lara's jab. "He's maybe just a little bit older than me," Steve protests while still laughing.

Abe just makes a few tsk sounds and says to Lara in a conspiratorial voice, "Youth, it's wasted on the young," as he gestures towards Steve.

Abe's webbed hands press together, kind of like someone steepling his fingers. "I have had that offer before, of screens I could read on. I don't know. There is something about a real book that feels like... like you're really getting the soul of the work. Even from inside the tank," he says. "Maybe I should give in on it, I don't know. It is a discussion I've had a few times."

He gestures around the library, "But you are most welcome to come and visit whenever you like. I don't get much company," he admits. "And you have so many fascinating memories within you."

Steve clears his throat softly. "Abe can read thoughts and memories and... I don't know," he says, looking to Abe. "Emotions?"

Abe nods his head. "Psychometry, and telepathy, Lady Croft might call them."

Lara Croft has posed:
A slow nod comes from Lara at the talk of books, and how best to consume them. "I can understand that, and agree with it." She says back to him. "My family's library back home, it was.. well it was a fascinating place to get to grow up within. The option is there, though, should you wish to take it."

When Steve reveals that Abe can enter other's minds, she looks from one of them to the other. "Is that so?" She asks. "Well, no wonder you have been a valued resource to SHIELD, and otherwise. Such abilities are beyond my imagination, but... I can guess that they yield a much different outlook on life, for you and with those you meet." She states, a soft smile showing again upon her facial features.

After a moment's pause, she is quick to add. "I know who to bring people to when I think they are holding back on me now..." She says with another soft laugh. "But yes, I'll put together a collection of books for you and bring them by, Perhaps they'll be ones you haven't read before."

Steve Rogers has posed:
"Yes, they do not let me play in their poker games I'm afraid," Abe says in a lighthearted tone and as if that fact leaves him slightly offended. Though one can catch notes of humor that make it not entirely serious.

"But I thank you, Lady Croft, and yes, if you have any books you would recommend I would be happy to read them. I'm usually reading about a dozen books at any given time," he says.

Steve lets out a breath as if he didn't know that. "And I'm happy to make it through Gone with the Wind or The Good Earth in a week or two," he says, naming a few books from back in his day.

"So Abe," Steve asks, "Just how long does it take you to swim down there? To New Jersey where we ran into each other?" he asks curiously.

Abe considers the question. "I could probably keep up with your motorcycle... what was her name? Bessie? I could probably keep up with Bessie at some of her higher speeds," he says. That results in an appreciative whistle from Steve.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara is already considering a number of rare books she has in her own collection here in New York, let alone those she has back home in Surrey. She just nods two quick, and soft times to Abe before she grins at their shared discussion on swimming speeds versus motorcycle. "Man versus machine..." Lara quietly comments there-after before she grins lightly. "Dolphins peak out at around, what... 48 kilometers per hour, and I think... Marlyn can swim up to 100. It sounds as though you might be the fastest acquatic lifeform on the planet too. Though I haven't had a chance to speak to Aquaman yet..." She says in a light-hearted tone, adding another little laugh there-after.

"We'll have to invite you to our next day at the beach, though with the weather cooling off, that might be some time from now." Lara further adds before glancing back to Steve. "Have you two traveled together any? Have you gone on any missions together for SHIELD, or otherwise?"