17700/What to Do

What to Do
Date of Scene:	19 April 2024
Location:	Jonah's Place (Bar and Grill)
Synopsis:	Lara and Mercy do a bit of prelim talks on possible wilderness adventures. Jonah peddles his super hot mouth burning wings!
Cast of Characters:	Lara Croft, Mercy Thompson

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Lara Croft has posed:
Lara had met Mercy here a little bit ago, and they'd exchanged contact info. She'd subsequently been texting the woman now and then, letting her know what kind of wild adventures she was on, or preparing for. Eventually they had talked about meeting to discuss a possible camping trip... and thus, the invite to come back to Jonah's was extended.

Lara is seated at one of the side tables, with the restaurant as low population as it had been the last time Mercy had been here. Once again, Lara had a table to herself too, but this time she had a number of campsites listed along with a few travel guides for each one, ready for mercy to view when she was ready.

Seated at the table, with a drink beside her, Lara is wearing a pair of light tan hiking trousers, some new boots, and a button up off-white colored top, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the jade pendant necklace she commonly wears dangling down around her exposed collar bone.

Glancing at her phone, Lara reads some of the texts upon it, before she sets it aside as she reaches over the table to grab a napkin to wipe up some spilled drink following a previous accidental elbow bump of the glass beside her.

"You want some food, Lara?" Jonah asks from over her shoulder, causing her to glance back. "Oh, uh... Maybe some of your wings, I suppose?" She states back to him, causing the big man to grin slyly as he tends to some of his regulars at the bar. "Coming right up." The Hawaiian replies.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy was always happy to talk with Lara and hear her stories, and to offer mechanic's advice on things. Least where she felt able to do so. Besides the bar has some good wings and eats. Maybe drinks too, but Mercy wouldn't know personally on that count.

    Mercy shows up a touch late. She texted to let Lara know she would be, but there was a head gasket that was trying to defy Mercy and she would not admit defeat, and thus clean up took longer as well. "Sorry I'm late," says Mercy as she heads right for Lara's table.

    She's in simple shorts, with a black tee that has Wile E Coyote strapped to a rocket with the words 'Trust me. I'm a professional' around it. Her hair is pulled back into two long thick braids as she finishes wiping her nails with a clothe to drop it into a table's scraps to add to the trash.

    Jonah is given a quick wave and a smile in hello, "Hey big guy. Something me-safe to drink please?" She pauses at the table to motion opposite Lara, "Cool if I sit right?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Jonah is quick to wave toward the arriving Mercy upon seeing her come in through the doorway across the seating area. "You got it." He calls back in his baratone voice.

Lara looks up from her seat, offering Mercy a friendly smile before she nods toward the seat across from her. "Of course. Glad you made it." She says with a friendly tone touching her British flavored voice. She sparkles at the shirt that she eyes upon Mercy, showing a warm expression toward it. "I like the shirt." She notes. "Seems like a trustworthy type..."

A hint of a grin touches her lips before Jonah strides over to the two women. In one hand he has a couple plates with a basket of wings, and in the other he has a drink made special for Mercy. "Here you go, good to see you again." He tells Mercy. "I'll not bother you two though, just call out if you need any refills." The big guy says before offering Lara's shoulder a light pat, eliciting a small smile from the Briton as she quietly thanks him whilst he walks back toward the bar.

"How was the repair work?" Lara asks Mercy next, as she reaches for one of the wings from the basket, along with one of the small plates that came with the basket.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy looks down at her chest to see her shirt and confirm which one she has on. "You can always trust a Coyote to keep you on your toes and maybe even teach you something." A wide smile coming to her as she says that, enjoying the little joke that most who don't know her well never get.

    Soon as the food is landing on their table Mercy has one of those loud and embarrassing tummy growls. "Thanks Jonah! I appreciate it." She hovers her hand then over the chicken and looks to Lara, "may I?" Not going to swipe without permission.

    "Not too bad. Been debating doing another custom build or so. But I am keeping busy but not drowning. Still not sure who to get for a backup mechanic if I ever have to take a long trip somewhere. I may reach out to the guy who taught me. Assuming he's not mired in his peoples politics." She starts to look over the pictures, "future trips I assume."

Lara Croft has posed:
A smile remains upon Lara's face as she paused her nibbling upon the wing she'd selected. She reaches for a napkin before nodding her head toward Mercy and the basket of delicious goodness. "Absolutely. I ordered them for you. Please, dig in. In fact, order anything else you'd like. It is entirely on me tonight." She says, raising her chin up just a bit, shooting a self satisfied expression over to the other woman.

At the question of the outdoorsy material strewn about the table, Lara motions toward it. "Oh, yes. Well, in fact, I was planning some outings to local wilderness sites. something a little more casual than my usual affair, immerse myself in the local beauty that America has to offer... I was curious if you'd enjoy to tag along on such a trip too. Perhaps put a replacement mechanic to the test while you head out on a small adventure with me?" She asks, showing another little happy expression. "If you'd like, anyway. No pressure, of course. I just get very couped up in the city, and I've no real big expeditions in the works until later this year. I had... a rough finale to last year's end... and am taking a bit of time to myself."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy shows off her carnivore skills as in the pan of about one minute two wings are stripped clean to the bone. She just seems to know how not to break a bone and get at all the flesh. Her teeth and tongue able to strip the savory meal right off and the clean bones set to a side plate. "Yum! Thanks a lot. I needed some food bad. That damn head gasket."

    "Sure I am happy to help show you around some of the places here. Been to a bunch in the past, a few I could recommend that aren't on the tour routes as it were. Also there's always the classics, Yosemite and the Sequoyah Redwoods for example. Depends on the terrain you want and weather."

    Mercy does her best to look over the options. "I can probably manage a weekend without too much trouble. Then see if I can find someone to at least man the phones or do easy stuff like oil changes or fixing a flat." Basic mechanic stuff."

    Mercy smiles and says, "I go to the parks a lot, and often take little day trips into the woods out side of the city so I totally can understand needing to get away. I'm just usually packing really light and making do." Mercy reaches for another wing as she ponders. "So you want to see sights as the main goal right?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara seems to be pacing herself with the one wing she has in hand. She does smile at the speedy effectiveness with which Mercy inhales her own, chalking it up to the same kind of thing she has seen out of military folks. She smiles at the other woman, dabbing at her lips with her napkin and shaking her head. "Well, honestly, I just enjoy getting out of the city myself. I am told I shouldn't do such things alone either," She notes, motioning over her should toward Jonah at the bar, and offering a smirk to accompany it.

"Mm, really, it is just nice to meet someone who does like the outdoors seemingly as much as I do." She adds in a warm tone of her London accented voice. "And honestly, I was hoping for your expertise. I know you said you're not from this area, originally, but I imagine you've come to learn the local landscape rather well..." She smiles brightly for a second, seeing such hints from how Mercy speaks.

"I will take your recommendation. Wherever you think would be most enjoyable, and I'll set my mark there..."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Well I can't say for the UK as a whole. I do know there are some dangerous hills and bogs on that side of the pond. But in America one can get really far from civilization and away from the modern world." Mercy sips her drink before continuing, "I think most don't realize how close the 'wild' is from the urban in today's America.

    As far as places to go. I know Montana best. But there's Zion, and the Grand Canyon. Yellowstone and more." She seems amused about the liking the outdoors. "I sort of had to love nature and natural areas given my foster family."

    Given a bit more to focus on Mercy nods her head and says, "Sterling Forest is a great place to start. It's fairly big, about 21 thousand acres if memory serves. Good deer and wildlife and lots of pretty trees. Sadly I can't share most of my best trails for you, because you can't take them."

Lara Croft has posed:
While Mercy speaks, Lara gathers up her glass to take a drink from its contents. She keeps her eyes on the other woman, as she tips it back, and enjoys the amber fluid, the ice jangling a bit as she lowers it back down to its coaster.

"I've noted a few of those locations, but now I'm intrigued by this Sterling forest." She replies, glancing down at her gathered guides and pamphlets. "I am not sure... that I have anything for it. What State is it located in?" She asks, as she raises up her phone to perhaps check it for the name.

She pauses then as Mercy speaks a bit more, and her brow furrows ever so slightly.

"I am unable to view the trails? Because of their location within restricted territory, I assume?" She inquires, setting her phone back down beside her plate of one finished buffalo wing.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "That's close by in New York, but they don't allow overnight camping if I recall. It is a place that allows hunting however." Mercy will snag another wing to add to her pile of casualties there.

    Her hand gets wiped gently clean of sauce after the last one with a growing grin as she shakes her head and says, "No that's not what I mean. I technically can go to some places you can't, because of my father's ancestry. But that's not ... well.. on second thought." Mercy laughs softly. "I guess it is because of my father's side of the family that I can go place you can't." Of course Mercy is thinking 'coyote sized' game trails that are much too small for any human adult to follow "But trust me when I say there's plenty to do there as well. I just had more time to poke my too curious nose into some nooks and crannies as it were."

    That reminds Mercy of the first time she ran into a porcupine as a young over eager girl and got more then a few quills for it. She can't help but make a face and rub at a cheek from the memory. "Damn those hurt," talking to herself.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara makes a soft expression of understanding when Mercy clarifies what she'd meant. "That makes sense..." She replied in a hushed tone, as she listens further to what the other says. She glances at her phone again, and with a quick strike of touches to its screen, she has a bit of info about the place pulled up. "Do they permit bow hunting?" She asks, glancing up to Mercy once more, wishing to pay more attention to her dining guest than her phone for obvious reasons.

"I like to try and keep up on my archery skills too, and though I'm not sure what your opinion is on that kind of hunting, I'd be more than happy to make that an outing as well." She tells Mercy, capping it with a small smile again.

"I promise not to try and tail you down any of the narrow game trails too. The absolute last thing I need is to get stuck and have to..." she makes an affectionately warm noise between a laugh and a groan. "Call in some kind of medical air flight to free me from some sticky place."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I don't know about that, but I am pretty sure the answer is yes. I know in the past I have found old arrows around there. But it may be more limited?" Mercy just points and says, "But no trying to get a coyote ever. Just to be safe." She points a bone at Lara and grins at the woman.

    Mercy is not offended at all by Lara looking at her phone, Lara gives of the sense of being able to multitask of course. "Though you will need a hunting license I"m sure. I never really was good about keeping up on that." She shrugs her shoulder and says, "Hunting for food is always okay. Hunting for sport pisses me off some. If you want to practice archery I'm sure the woman at the Themysciran Embassy can offer you more then a few pointers if you ever want them. They taught me how to use a spear."

    The concern of being followed is politely shooed away. "Oh it is fine. I'm pretty hard to tail and sneak up on if I don't want to be followed. And I rather you call for help to me then calling in an air lift. Well unless you need the medical assist. I may know some basic first aid, but that's not always enough. Is the bow your preferred weapon on a hunt?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara moves on to her second wing, much much slower in pace than her counterpart this evening. She eats with a dainty style to her mannerisms too, causing her etiquette training to shine brightly in her without her even thinking about it.

She listens intently, and smiles at the suggestion of the Themysciran embassy. "I am sure their styles are radically different from my own, and if I brought a compound hunting bow, they might chase me out of the place entirely." She states with a soft laugh before reaching for her well folded napkin.

"I do need a hunting license though, I should look in to that tomorrow in fact..." She reaches for her phone, after wiping her fingers extensively she taps in another search query and saves a note in only a few seconds, a true 2024 phone addict.

When she looks back to Mercy, she shows her another happy expression. "I understand what you mean about hunting for sport too. But, no. I do it for survival, and to feed myself with the best quality food. I ... learned from a very good survivalist how to respect the land. He was a smart man, a wise man..." She states with affectionate tones clear on her soft voice.

"I prefer a scaling system with my weapons of choice. Depending on where I am in the world, of course, sometimes I need a little more than a archery set to help me achieve ultimate safety... But, primarily, yes a bow serves me best. I enjoy the feeling of shooting an arrow. It has a calming effect on my mind at this stage of my life."

She is distant for a second, before she refocuses her eyes upon Mercy, and offers a lopsided smirk at herself. "How are the wings?" She asks. "Need anything else?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I could always ask the Princess for you. I like to consider her a friend and all. I mean if you want me to. I don't think they'd call foul about the compound bow, save maybe to go to a traditional one to drill basics," but Mercy doesn't honestly know. So she can only offer her assumptions with a small shrug of her shoulders.
    Mercy is quiet while Lara has her moment of introspection and just smiles as it happens. "Yeah I've had some great teachers in my life too. I'm pretty sure my lessons in survival off the land were not standard by /anyone's/ definitions. But I don't resent that fact if you catch my meaning. I'm glad for the experiences and even the weird quirks to my... training."

    The question of the wing gets a head shake, "Maybe a bit later I'll want something besides the wings and the drink. But right now the wings are hitting a spot. Small game and poultry are what I'm more used to. I don't normally try to bring a deer or larger game down myself. For one it is a waste, for another it hurts like hell if you get gored." Shivering she says, "I remember an.... inexperienced hunter," clearly choosing her words carefully, "didn't make sure the deer was down and approached too quickly. Got three antler prongs right into his ribs for it. He learned his lesson then."

Lara Croft has posed:
Jonah steps out from behind the bar to move to help an older customer off his stool. The two make their way to the front door, moving past the tables area, causing Lara to glance in their direction. She watches Jonah lead the older man out to the sidewalk, where a car is waiting to pick him up.

When she looks back to Mercy, she's smiling toward her again. "There is..." she starts to say, "nothing more indifferent toward life, than that of nature itself. If you want to feel as though you are on as level of a playing field as any other creature on the planet... then immerse yourself in the wild." She shows a hint of another little smirk, before she takes a sip of her drink again.

"If you do see Diana some time soon, send her my best. It has been awhile since she took me up to the Justice League facility on the Moon. It was a ... life changing experience, to say the least. Our schedules have just been completely misaligned ever since..."

Lara draws in a deep breath then, shifting her weight upon the edge of her chair. "Okay. Hunting license. Sterling forest for quality hunting, and to see you vanish down pathways I cannot go..." She glances around at the table. "Maybe I should look more in to Yellowstone... I had just been thinking more local. I need to broaden my horizons." She grins over at Mercy across from her. "Alaska is another State I need to revisit some time, and this time spend a much more thorough exploration of it."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy can't help it. She really tries to hold it in because she agrees with Lara's wisdom about being with the wild. She smirks a bit and then starts to laugh a bit. She really is worried it will upset the woman and so attempt to explain through laughter.

    "Oh you have to not worry /at all/ about me knowing my place in nature or how things are meant to go. I know that way better then most ever do and was born to it. Literal and figuratively speaking. That was my life until I left for higher education."

    She nods her head about the well wish, "Sure I'll tell Diana next time I see her. She works too hard, but I get it. She has a lot of responsibilities. Far as the moon stuff goes, I think it best if I never set foot on that."

    Mercy gently thumbs the collar of her shirt and lifts it to make it shake. "I like this guy for more then one reason." She shakes her head about the pathways thing. "I wouldn't do that to you unless it was to flush out game FOR you. You know drive the prey to the hunter's blind as it were. I'll explain if we are out at the park together what I mean. That and ask you to pick up the clothe sI leave behind."

    Mercy is polishing through the wings fast and says, "I haven't been there, imagine it is pretty majestic. I always like hot over cold though. Just feels more natural for me."

Lara Croft has posed:
At the talk of using her ability to push prey out toward her archery line of sight, Lara shows a grin toward the other woman. "Perhaps it'd be a match made in the stars, for the top hunter duo." She states in a playful style back before reaching for her drink once again.

After sipping from it once more, she sets it aside, and softly shakes her head from right to left. "I've no interest in permanently finding myself on the Moon, but the explorer in my heart had to take the Princess up on the offer. It's something my father would not believe, if he were here to hear of it." She adds, a bit of happy affection filling her voice at the thought of getting to tell her deceased parent about such a thing.

She draws in a light breath through her nose, her shoulders rising up inside of her sandy hued top. "But yes, I'll pick a warmer location, should I wish to pitch it to you as somewhere to accompany me to.."

Jonah steps back in side after seeing the elderly man off. He lets out a heavy sigh as he steps back over to the two women at their table. "Okay, ladies..." Jonah says, a happy aura following him wherever he goes. "Refills? More wings? Mercy... I got a whole new recipe for the hottest wings you've ever had, anywhere. Little Bird here can't handle it... but I'm guessing you're on my level when it comes to liking them at a five-alarm level..."

Lara is left laughing softly at her friend. "I never said I couldn't handle it. I said I prefer not to try... There is a difference!" She protests.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy softens her smile and body language as Lara clearly is thinking of parents past, "I can get that sentiment really well." She sort of has lost 3 of her parents already. "It's a deal. We'll get to check somewhere sometime." She looks to be about to say more when Jonah comes with his offer.

    Hmmmming softly Mercy's eyes flick to the kitchen and she takes a long slow breath through her nose and opening her mouth just a bit. "Is that a Carolina Reaper I'm able to smell? Even I may not be able to handle that but I'll take a small order and give them ago. Just bring me some milk as well in case my mom's side of the family makes me tap out." She moves to stand up as well. "And I'll spare Miss Croft the pain of my breath from it. See you soon Lara? I'm going to destroy my sense of smell for a little bit." A friendly wave offered and Mercy will head for a spot on the bar as she brings her drink over.