2032/A Side Project

A Side Project
Date of Scene:	09 June 2020
Location:	Dane Whitman's Home
Synopsis:	Dane Whitman gives Jane Foster a tour of Garrett Castle. Museum plans are discussed.
Cast of Characters:	Dane Whitman, Jane Foster

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Dane Whitman has posed:
It's been a trip that's long discussed by continually put off, but finally, when it so happens that Dane Whitman and Jane Foster have an afternoon off from duties both mundane and meta-related, they find themselves on the back of a particular flying horse, headed south from New York, towards Virginia. There, on the shores of the Potomac, sits an honest-to-goodness European castle, carted over stone-by-stone in the late 19th century. It's on a sizeable plot of land south of Alexandria, visible from the river if one takes a boat ride from Mt. Vernon to the "old town" docks. Thankfully that ample acreage also grants a relatively discreet landing area once Strider descends from the sky. So they alight upon a single-lane road, bordered by tall trees, that provides an imposing view of the structure as they approach.

Once before the castle gates, Dane dismounts, helping Jane out of the saddle as well.

"I dunno if I'd call it home sweet home, but here we are. Garrett Castle." Dane extracts a key the unlocks the gates and swings them open as Strider disappears back to Avalon for now. "Uncle Nathan did a lot of renovation on it while he was the owner, so it's mostly got a fair amount of modern conveniences and then some. Though the Dungeons are now a laboratory space." Dane explains as they move beyond the gates, towards the main keep itself.

Jane Foster has posed:
"No dungeon? That's remarkably disappointing. How else are you to hear the confessions of criminals?" Jane is clearly well enough educated on medieval punishments to look mildly perturbed. "A laboratory feels rather modern, don't you think? Unless it involves Louis the Sun King Era medicines and experiments. I watched a rather fabulously overdone British show about that, and it turns out one of the Musketeers or gendarmes he kept around was quite the prolific experimenter in the seventeenth century."

Rides on Strider suit her, that much is clear, with her cheeks a rosy pink and her expression alight with whimsical delight for the act of crossing airspace at speeds and comfort beating a commercial jet. The good horse receives a loving pet before he ventures off to eat those apples on their self-same name, and she has all the wonder in the world to behold. It's a castle. A castle for Dane, no less, and thus next to perfect. "I can see the attraction of having a place like this to retreat into, though imagine what it's like in the summer. DC is bad enough. The winter, though, must make it feel especially cozy." She is not bouncing on her heels like Darcy would be, but it's a near thing.

Her gaze tilts towards him, and she smiles. "I'm still glad I packed a picnic." The picnic, admittedly, is the kind that fits in a backpack so it isn't too out of this world. Mostly. "It's lovely though. No wonder Cloisters resonated."

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Oh the Lab's definitely modern. And one of the side-buildings is basically thoroughly modern inside...Nathan I think intended it as a guest house. The rest though...well, there are times I'm grateful for Uncle Nathan's particular eccentricities, because they play nicely with what I have in mind for this place. Let's just say it's a twist on state of the art." As they step inside, the entry corridor lights up as torches along the wall ignite, seemingly of their own accord.

"Case in point..." Dane waves his hand through the "flame" of one of the torches, "Holographic illumination." The inside does feel a touch warm, but perhaps not as much as it could be. "It'll likely be a little warm. The AC systems are set for power saving when nobody's in residence." He grins, "But I'm glad you like it so far. It's a pretty impressive place, all told. Took me a week or two to really explore it."

Jane Foster has posed:
"So no iron maidens or great racks of weapons under a wheel candelabra to impress the peasants, got it." Jane is teasing with warmth in her voice, offering her arm to Dane and following him where he goes. She can take in a great deal of the architecture and the technology just as she is, eyes alighting on the torches responding to them. "That's quite the welcome home. Better than programming a Nest, or some of those smart lights. And trust me, everything on the East Coast is warm compared to what I'm used to. Nothing out of the ordinary. I brought my fan just in case." Not even a personal electric fan, it's literally just a folding Japanese one, but it will do to banish the effervescent heat known to bubble up and cause any amount of discomfort for those with rain in their blood like Pacific Northwesterners. They suffer, one way or the other.

"It really is thoughtful. I can imagine you had to come up with a manual to figure out all the details your uncle put into it. He had a talent, I grant him that much. Even the logistics for transport weren't minor." While they walk, she leans over to kiss his cheek and keeps on admiring.

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Oh, Nathan didn't bring the castle over. Just refurbished a lot of it. He may have been a little crazy, but he was definitely a genius. Genetics may have been his specialty but...obviously...he dabbled in a lot of other fields." Dane continues along into the Great Hall (which is through another set of sturdy doors). The Hall itself is quite spacious, but somewhat empty at the moment. A few pieces of furniture lie under dust covers, but it looks more like a space that's being prepared to be filled rather than filled itself.

"So, what I've decided to try to do with this place is to turn it into a museum space. Specifically focusing on my family's lineage and history. The history of the Black Knight, as it were. The castle came with a fair number of antiques and artifacts, mostly tucked into storage by Nathan, but I think between the modern upgrades and that collection, I'd have a solid foundation for a nice little place folks can visit. Lord knows there's a lot of chatter on the Internet about "That castle on the river" anyway. I'll probably have to set up a nonprofit at some point to deal with running and maintaining everything, but well...when I'm a lot closer to actually having something that warrants it set up." Dane shrugs, looking a bit sheepish, "Haven't had a lot of time to work on it lately." He adds once more, "But I'm kind of hoping you might know some folks who know some folks that might be able to help me with it."

Jane Foster has posed:
"No? Well, either way, your relations who /did/ are still impressive." Jane's cheeks flame pink again, if only to cover up the gaffe as minor as it could be. She has no trouble whatsoever admitting to the error, anyway. "Isn't that the case? Dabbling all over seems to fit when you find these people who are so intelligent. Reed Richards being the focal point, but not exclusively. Or Victor von Doom. Seriously, the only thing standing between those two is their comparative ego." She can't resist chuckling softly as she ghosts after him, looking past the mysteries of the dust covers for what they might contain.

"Is there any risk to revealing your history? None that would mess with it, I hope?" The question hangs on a thread, and she lifts a smile to Dane while taking it in. "The antiques alone must be parallel to the Smithsonian or the Met's collections, and having an intact castle is common enough in the UK or France or Germany. Having something like that with actual tales to be spun here? That's lovely. It certainly would give school children lots to see. I'm firmly of the mind that's a good thing." Okay, no poking the dust covers, but she definitely swivels a little on her toes. "You could do a staged recording, too, a virtual tour for people who can't make it here. Have different icons that you would be able to select and learn more about, maybe?" She brightly tilts, squeezing his arm. "As it happens, I /do/ know people who would be perfectly able to help. The donor foundation of the AMNH for one, if not the board themselves. The AMNH is massive, so the scope might be a bit different, but if anyone in New York knows about handling private collections, they're up there. Same with the Met Board. They're more historical but... They're the ladies who lunch set. And you know what? You've just given me a killer idea, if you ever want to do it. Host something like the Met Gala here, with the period theme. Scaled down a bit obviously but you might find a whole lot of people willing to come out for something that kicks it off. For that you'd probably want to talk to Janet Van Dyne; she's a fashionista but also has the weight in the art community."

Dane Whitman has posed:
"No more or less than already exists. I don't know of any time travelers offhand that I've dealt with, and any that I have probably know enough to mess with it already if they wanted to." Dane shrugs, seemingly not too put out about it, "Plus well...they'd have to come to the museum." He looks around, "I've talked a bit to folks at the Smithsonian but it's not like they're inclined to send their folks out here unless I just donated it all to them, which isn't really the plan. Nothing on display will be magical, but there are at least a couple things in the castle that shouldn't be tampered with. There'll have to be a balance between education and well...security. I don't think those particular things are likely to hurt anyone but...still wouldn't want them tampered with.

Dane laughs a bit at the torrent of potential aid, "Well, good to know my guess wasn't too far off. Though I don't know Miss Van Dyne beyond her reputation." He rubs at his chin a bit, looking around, "I mean we have the space, and the Hyperloop can get people relatively close conveniently enough. It'd take a lot of work to get this place ready to entertain on that level though. Especially if we're showing off any of the pieces and such." He looks about once more, "Far from impossible, though it's more a matter of finding the time. And probably hiring a curator, and...well, you get the idea. I've got a database of what I have and what I know about the various items' provenance, at least."

Jane Foster has posed:
"It's more to speak with a few of the colleagues there on the spot. True, the Smithsonian would rather have things under their purview but they also support the museums on a smaller scale across the country. The American Alliance of Museums and.. oh, what's it's name. The Association for State and Local History. This would definitely be an unusual example of that, but it's on US soil, so it counts for something. ICOM is the one I know more about, but that's because they're the international consortium, and mostly they promote ethical standards, interactions of ideas, and the like. For setting up, you'd be surprised how much help they can be. Membership isn't strictly limited to being the greatest thing in New York or DC." She taps her fingers to her lips, still hauling that backpack over her shoulder. But Dane's statements warrant a firm nod out of Jane, and she laughs. "No real swords, and no pointy brackets. Another consideration you'll want is accessibility for those with disabilities, which is fairly straightforward enough. It rather goes with the permitting process, as I understand, in turning something from a private home to a public one. Honestly, I'd be throwing feelers out to the university around here too. I guarantee there's bound to be someone who will completely salivate for days over it. It's the sort of juicy email we live for. 'Archivist needed to rescue important thing' is like literal gold, even among us astronomers. Tesla's legendary labs!"

Sometimes she acts her aid. Sometimes. But she swivels around to face him, her expression alight. "It's a very good project. I like it, and you have a grand idea. Something like this shared with the public is inspiring and calming all at once. Go ahead and laugh, but it's the kind of special spot you get to once see once in a while. As long as funding isn't an issue, you can pretty much set your criteria as a private institution. It's not like you are beholden to the state or federal government on this one, at least not right away."

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Well, at least I've sort of got a place to start." Dane notes, then grins once more, "You know, assuming SHIELD gives me enough time off to actually see to the details." He adds, "Anyway! On with the tour..." He beckons, "Obviously this is the great hall. And would be the main exhibit area for the museum." He adds, "Probably would overflow into some of the side corridors and other rooms here. The offices would probably be in one of the separate structures. Haven't decided if I'm going to keep the main living quarters as a residential space or make it part of the tour. It may have modern conveniences but it's mostly "hidden" like the torches. Or pretty artfully integrated." He chuckles, "But really, is there anything you want to see first? It pretty much has all the normal castle features."

Jane Foster has posed:
"You do! I can give a bit more thought to it, but I know a few people who could have ideas. There's also reaching out to smaller ones, museum homes and the like, to see if there are any tips they can offer." Jane merrily moves ahead, brushing past to do a full three-sixty turn to best appreciate what she can see, what might be offered forth from a full execution. "This really is vast, and it's beautiful. Anything I want to see first? I can barely imagine where to begin. Galleries are usually of interest, if you have the higher areas. A solar? That's where they would always stick the women. Though admittedly I go for the towers, given that's where my predecessors in the past would have stood and stared into the stars. Do you have a chapel? That's bound to be utterly gorgeous, love, and I am still parsing out the different layouts of what you suggested. I would recommend not having the actual living quarters as a public space. Mock up the bedroom somewhere else, but keep it to yourself. It's what all the great houses in Europe supposedly do unless they're owned by the state. But the ones where the families own..."

The penny drops. The pence? It still counts. "I could just kick myself. /Of course/. Why are we not looking at how the British do it? When the family lives in the house but it's mostly open? Like the big old pile they used for the period television show that was all the rage. The one about the abbey."

Dane Whitman has posed:
"Huh. Well now I feel like a dunce for not having thought about that." Dane replies to Jane with a chuckle, "And you're probably right. The living quarters are awfully nice. And they're already in one of the Towers anyway, so not hard to create a mockup in one of the others for people to tour." He adds, "The Kitchens are right next door if you want to peek in there. But yes, we have a chapel, and towers, which are also Solars. Except when they're not. And then there's the basement, which aside from storage and the lab has, well...the real magic stuff. Not that there's a great deal of it..." He grins once more, "Aside from the mundane magic of a genuine European Castle on the shores of the Potomac River."

"The castle was renovated several times before it was brought over, but there are foundation stones from Camelot in part of the basement. With the magic stuff. Which is giving me the idea you'd probably like to see that..."

Jane Foster has posed:
"You're not a dunce. I won't believe that ever, considering how much I know about you. Sorry, Dane, you count as bright as me." Blowing that idea out of the water amuses the brunette, clearly drawn to the description of the towers and the living quarters. "I want to peek in there. Start with a corner and walk me around. I want to see it all, and better understand you. I wish I had much to show you like this, but I'm afraid hinting at the cool camper I get for fieldwork out west really amounts to nothing more than a camping adventure. SHIELD might be jealous and try to set up WAND's headquarters in here. I could just see that now. Don't give up the fortune or else Bobbi might never leave."

She is too controlled to hop and skip, but she has a lighter stride to her, following with keen interest. "Of course I want to see the Camelot foundation stones. Maybe you can even tell me where it /was/. Wales? England? The borders?"

Dane Whitman has posed:
"You know, as I think on it, Lara might have some interest in helping out with all this, too." Dane notes with a mildly thoughtful expression, "Or at least it couldn't hurt to ask." He laughs altogether ruefully at Jane's next question, "Well, I should be clear, they're from the Kingdom of Camelot, not the castle itself. Though there IS an artifact of the castle in there with them. But as for location? Couldn't help you there. I haven't been, and while I could summon Sir Percy's shade I don't think he'd appreciate being disturbed for a trivia question. Not that I think you'd suggest it." Dane replies, leading Jane further into the castle, "Everything huh? Well...guess it's a good thing you packed food, because I think we're going to be here a while...."