3096/Fragments and Clues

Fragments and Clues
Date of Scene:	26 August 2020
Location:	Lab 04-R, Stark Industries
Synopsis:	Amanda and Pepper take Radu's tablet to Stark Industries, where they are joined by Tony and a very lucky tech named Kyle... and learn just how dangerous the information the tablet holds may actually be.
Cast of Characters:	Pepper Potts, Amanda Sefton, Tony Stark
Tinyplot:	Zodiac Rising

---

Pepper Potts has posed:
It's been a somewhat short time between the appearance of someone Amanda called 'Radu' appeared on the girls' balcony and their gathering in one of Stark Tower's vaunted labs, after hours of course. While Stark Industries doesn't completely run twenty-four hours a day, there are still some departments that run night crews; the labs are one of those departments, when experiments require it.

There really isn't such a thing as an 'unused lab' in the Tower, however Pepper has found one that is 'underutilized', and with a few choice mumblings about checking with Human Resources as to //why// it's not properly staffed, given the outfitting of the lab itself, has gained access. A lab tech is in tow because, well.. Pepper isn't a scientist. Doesn't even pretend to be one on television. The use of some of the state of the art equipment is truly beyond her, but she's always game to try.

The lab tech is a career Stark employee; early 30s, a good 'all arounder', as it were. Kyle Masterson.

Once in the lab, the lights come on automatically- not a large stretch for it to be set to a proper level of sensitivity to motion.

In the lab itself, there are tables that hold all manner of items; diagnostic areas are delineated, some with shielding, some not.. there's some larger work areas, but all in all, it's more of a 'general' lab than specialized. One must walk before running, after all!

"This one should do," and Pepper looks back at the tech, Kyle for full confirmation before looking back at her friend, "If we need anything more, we can get to it. We have HOMER, too, so.." They have access to a full range of databases and searches.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda Sefton follows Pepper to this 'underutilized' lab, the sandstone fragment wrapped carefully in a heavy cloth and secreted in the sturdy leather satchel that hangs across her chest to rest on her left hip. She sets the satchel on a central table and gently draws the artifact out, carefully unwrapping it. "Radu is from Romania," she tells Pepper and, by extension, Kyle. "His family go back generations in that area. But that doesn't mean that's where this thing is from."

As she lays open the cloth, the stone can be seen more readily. It's a broken piece of sandstone inscribed with a mix of letters, symbols, and simple diagrams. The letters are a mix of Ancient Greek and something less easily identifiable. The language, however, is an obscure dialect.

It's not so much the makeup of the artifact that concerns Amanda. It's its history. She can't read the language, though she suspects some of the writing is arcane in nature. What she's really hoping is that the scans that can be taken here can be used to identify similar artifacts and possibly work out where it's from and what significance it might have.

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony got a ping that Pepper returned to the Tower. Things normally go a certain way when she shows up: maybe she does some work, but then they catch up: either he reaches out, or she does. That's just the natural /pattern/. So while Tony might be working in his own lab, he's puzzled, and inquires with HOMER:

"Where's Pepper now? Her office working?" Tony questions.

"No, sir; she is in lab 04-R, with Ms. Sefton, assisted by the lab tech Masterson," HOMER provides. Tony pulls his head out from inside the heavy cement blocks he'd been leveraging into position for his recent project, and frowns at the air. "04-R? Huh." Tony leans back down into his project, but the curiosity is too strong.

--

Not long afterwards, 04-R gains a visitor, rolling in with a light dusting of cement and some other dark substance near his hairline, visible due to some sweaty streaks. He's got a towel at least, rubbing down his forearms with it. He clearly came from mechanical project, in his black tank and ripped-kneed jeans: not a clean lab. But 04-R isn't a clean, controlled lab space anyway.

"Secret projects? I've brought my decoder ring," Tony offers, upbeat, bright dark eyes skimmng whatever they've got, to mesh with what HOMER leaked to him in the elevator.

Pepper Potts has posed:
'Keep it secret, keep it safe' has been the motto of the apartment until reaching the relative security of Stark Tower. If it's not secure here, there's not too many other places where it could be moreso. That also goes for research labs.

And research assistants.

As Amanda brings the bit of artefact in to set it down on one of the tables, Kyle is there ready to help unwrap it, after donning rubber gloves that is, so as not to transfer any oils. Pepper looks at the gloves, glances at Amanda, and appears as if she's ready to step back a little to find a pair herself. Oops?

"Oookay," Kyle says slowly. "Not a geologist, but matter scans? I can do. Can even get readings for matter provenance. Not a linguist, but can give you an idea of how old it might be.. right Homer, ol' buddy?" His tones are thoughtfully optimistic as he glances between the ladies. "I'll push buttons, you guys get to interpret because otherwise?" He shrugs and shakes his head. "Normally I'm a metals kinda guy."

Pepper returns, two pair of blue rubber gloves in hand. She's dressed down, as if she'd returned to the apartment after work, and back again. Pressed slacks, a light button down sleeveless shirt, a hint of jewelry, and her hair back in a ponytail to keep it away from her face. "Here," and she hands a pair to Amanda. "I think we probably should have Homer do some secur-"

Tony's entrance, of course, gets Pepper's attention, and she turns around partially when he enters. Her features brighten immediately, and her tones hold something of a pleased lilt with, "Tony, just in time. And I think we're going to need that ring."

When the tech spies his boss, however... or rather, his boss' boss' boss, he stares for a long moment before a broad smile washes across his face. "This.. this gets even better." It's only a heartbeat before he greets the man, "Mr. Stark, sir."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda's own appearance is neat and office-casual. Soft grey slacks, a light green blouse, sandals. Her hair is loose, as is her usual habit, but she occasionally runs a hand through it in a way that Pepper knows betrays her concern over this whole situation. She takes the gloves from Pepper, though the slightly wry pull to her smile suggests she may think it's a little late for such precautions. Especially since it's not as if Radu had any gloves on when he dumped it in her lap. Nevertheless, she tugs them on, grimacing slightly at the feel of the rubber against her skin.

"I just need some place to start looking," she tells Kyle. She *has* been working on a spell that may help, but she's been reluctant to use it for fear of attracting the wrong sort of mystical attention. Particularly at Pepper's appartment. That would serve none of them well.

As Tony enters, however, she glances over sharply simply because of the intrusion. Her mein relaxes, however, as she recogizes Pepper's beau. She even offers a smile, slightly preoccupied though it is. "We're sure going to need *something*," she says, echoing Pepper's sentiment.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Hi Kyle." Tony'll make the kid's day: Stark knew his NAME! The magic of elevator briefings. "Hi, Amanda," Tony greets. "Where'd this come from? Some backstory? I'm okay with secret-squirrel here, though if one of you wants to be named as Captain Exposition for a little, I will salute," Tony offers loosely, in his usual relaxed, chatterboxy way. He rubs one hand back into his hair a little, and finds something there, which distracts him as he inspects it.

Tony moves to Pepper's side, and angles his head for her to see. "Do I have shrapnel in my hair, Pep?" he asides at her, expectant of her aid - gloved or ungloved. While asking, he clears his throat quietly and pulls out one of the screens on it's arm from the wall, casually starting to key down through a bunch of touch menus with a sort of relaxed, experienced quality. Not his first 'weird object' to analyze.

"Any text on the back or sides, or just that side? I'll start come comparison searches rolling," Tony offers. There's an entitled quality here: he's going to pitch in, or expects to be welcomed to do so. Then again, it's his lab.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Kyle is chuffed, to say the least. The_Man knows his name! Nothing like a boost of morale; that, and well, getting caught doing work in a company lab off company time would usually mean a pink slip with any other company. Here?

The_Man.

The 'hired help' turns back around and steps to the side so a better look can be gotten.

Pepper shares that quick glance with Amanda, but she hasn't yet put her gloves on. That's a 'just in case' for her. "I'll let Amanda fill you in. It's a little involved," comes as she swings back around to Tony.

Canting her head, green eyes narrow, and that bright smile settles into something more lasting; warm and affectionate, and seemingly perpetually amused. "Shrap- Tony, why-" No, never mind, and from beginning to end, that whole interrogation lasts a grand total of mere heartbeats. She brushes the side of his head where he indicates, checking moreso for any tiny lacerations! Nothing seems to fall out, so she shakes her head quickly in quiet response before, "I don't see anything." That doesn't mean she doesn't reach out to brush some of the concrete dust off, however. (They can identify and isolate the silicate there, right? Right.) "You're fine."

In the next few moments when Tony gets down to business to help them out, Pepper glances back to Amanda before, "I really didn't get a great look at it at the apartment. We wanted that thing covered and put away."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda, for one, is grateful for Tony's help. Not that she scoffs in the least at Kyle's, mind. But the Avenger does have a certain reputation for getting things done. "This belonged to an old friend of my family's," she tells Tony. "He... delivered it to me rather unexepctedly a few days ago. Unfortunately, he had to leave before he could clarify many details about it." That's a nice way of saying, he teleported in, dropped it in her lap, and teleported out again. Next best thing to the old 'stranger drops an important piece of evidence in the PI's lap right before dying' routine.

She turns to regard it where Kyle has placed it for scanning. "I know it's old. I believe it's arcane. I recognize a few of the symbols. They're elemental in nature. However, it's so incomplete I can't say much more than that. I don't read the language and until I know what language it may be I can't easily pull up a translation spell." A beat. "I don't actually want to use *any* magic on it until I have a better idea what it might be." Because the last thing she wants to do is spring a magical booby trap on herself or the rest of them.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Riiiiight. Do we have reason to think this might need to be in isolation?" Tony asks. He does pause, though, to playfully and briefly salute Amanda. He did say he'd salute captain exposition, and she's filled that role enough to have earned it.

"Initial check suggests something from Romania, narrowing in on time frame," Tony supplies idly, as he sets up the scans he wants to go ahead. Some machinery in the ceiling begins to move, and Tony checks his tank for more bits of cement. There are some; a few flecks bigger than others. At least he's not injured; he just stood in a dusty spot, or crawled into a dusty spot, maybe. Pepper gets flashed a warm smile as she termines his hair is free of bits.

"So our questions are ... how old is it, what does it say, where's it from: a history?" Tony clarifies. "And probably 'is it dangerous'."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"We've kept it in the apartment since it arrived," //dropped into their laps//, Pepper offers up, looking between the pair now. "If it gave off any radiation, any gasses or anything, we haven't noticed any effects?" The last bit has Pepper's gaze lingering on Amanda for the agreement before her attention is back on Tony. The salute, however, gets a quick pickup of her smile before it settles back again. She's actually used to this; watching him work, diving into a project and picking everything up with casual ease.

Pepper's not far from him, however, as the scans are set in. She's got her attention on all three bits.. Tony, Amanda and the stone. Poor Kyle!

"Dangerous would be good to know," Kyle chimes in as he suddenly looks a little dubious as he takes just a half-step back.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda chuckles dryly as the promised salute is given. She grimaces, however, at some of the subsequent questions. "I don't believe it's radioactive, but I haven't the technology to scan for that. I know it hasn't been giving off any unusual arcane vibes, but I've been loathe to try any deep spells on it, for fear of triggering something I may not know about. Without a safe place --" Read: Not Pepper's apartment! --"to experiment, I haven't wanted to do more than try to piece together a history based on what can already be discerned."

Thus, she nods to Pepper's assessment of the piece. They haven't noticed any undue effects, no. "Knowing Uncle Radu," she says with a bit of a sigh, "it's unlikely he'd drop something overtly dangerous in and of itself into my lap without some sort of protective measures around." She looks at Tony, now, perhaps coming clean some. "But Radu was badly injured. He wanted me to keep it hidden and protect it. Someone was after it. Someone willing to kill to get it. So, I need some place secure to store it. A place I can ward and that can be protected against intruders without undue risk to people that may be nearby." In other words: Not Pepper's apartment!

(Detecting a theme here?)

"I'm prepared to do what I must to defend it, but to do that most effectively, I need to know what I'm defending."

Tony Stark has posed:
"Ahhhh," Tony chuckles, "That crazy uncle Radu," he tut-tuts, as if he had a great idea about who it was. Obviously, he has none. A few expressions related to concentration flit over Tony's face as he works with his monitor and console: a sort of bored confidence. If nothing else, Tony's presence in here reeks of competence. They've got a full Avenger backing them up, which is not a small item to raise hope levels!

"Okay, I've got image recognition going, see if this this has popped up in history around human sacrifices, or just in somebody's museum, or last sellers, et-cetera," Tony says, keeping them updated on what he's up to.

"Slide that thing into the tanning bed there --" It's not a tanning bed. "We'll get properties. It's not radioactive, no - we'd already have had some nice alarms about that."

Pepper Potts has posed:
For Pepper's part, now, there's not a lot left for her. She's brought Amanda in, gotten, inarguably as far as she's concerned, the best mind for this involved (Sorry, Kyle, not you.) and now that everything is wound up, she's able to let it turn out. She's standing a little closer to Tony, and while she's watching them all, those green eyes linger on the concrete-dusted man a little longer as he considers his next moves, and works out his next courses of action.

Brows do rise in regards to 'human sacrifices', however. There's a softly uttered 'uhhh' which is little more than a breath as she looks towards Amanda. "But, if it's something that needs to be protected at all costs, we can't count out that it might be dangerous. I couldn't see him just.. burying it in the hopes that no one will find it. He'd want to be sure that someone he trusts can take it and run."

The acknowledgment that it's not radioactive in the very least is comforting. Kyle looks a little more comfortable with it all, and he steps forward to the table to help out the big guy. (He's working with his boss' boss' boss!) Gloved hands are on the artefact, and with a glance to Amanda for permission in the form of a nod, perhaps, he's ready to slide it under the scanner. He knows the equipment, and is ready to run scan after scan after scan. SI doesn't hire slackers!

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda gives Kyle the nod he's looking for. She'll let the tech do her job. She's handled it enough that she's *fairly* confident it won't have any adverse effect on anyone here just by touching it. She expects, if it were to cause trouble, it would be either because of a specific trigger or the appearance of whomever it was Radu was fleeing.

"Hence the reason he brought it to me," she replies to Pepper's statement with a bit of a resigned sigh. "If I had to, I could teleport it just about anywhere in the world and keep it moving." But, in that case, it would have to be on her person, because she's not just going to set a remote teleporting drone on the thing and let it zip randomly around the globe without supervision. Which means she'd have to uproot her life... again.

Hence, the better choice is to figure out where it's from, what it says, what it can do, and, thus, why someone wants it so bad.

This particular piece of rock appears to be, perhaps, the top of the larger piece -- most of the upper left corner and a goodly portion of the middle. It's the size of both her hands together and a couple of finger-widths thick. Where it has broken from the larger piece is a jagged, crumbly edge that turns the entire thing into a lopsided, trapezoidal wedge of stone.

Best case scenario, their search reveals the piece that might fit part or all of the jagged edge. Other than that, they can only hope to find enough of a similarity between it and something else to make an educated guess.

As the scanner is set to work, she gives Pepper a wry smile. "I doubt it involves human sacrifice; Radu has never condoned that sort of thing."

Which doesn't actually negate the possibility. You never know what an advanced sorcerer might be guarding, keeping away from the Really Bad Guys.

Tony Stark has posed:
"I've got something fun here," Tony says, suddenly upbeat, and flashes a grin aside to Pepper, as she's close to his side now. It broadcasts, at least to Pepper, that not only does he have something, but it's probably going to be shown in a fun way. Maybe with racing stripes. He gets this look before unveiling some new invention to investors. Mild, compared to some of the bigger shows.

"Please turn your attention to the holographic displays on your right," Tony says, in his announcer/tour guide voice. Indeed, he's lit up the hologram bay normally only used by the leadership in the lab. Tony, of course, counts. He ends up showing a virtual version of the tablet, which is now going into the scanner and out of sight.

"I've got another hit of a similar tablet, here." Some pictures show up, hanging in the air, of a man near his newly acquired tablet - a different one, but clearly from the same artist or make.

"Do you see what I see," Tony sing-songs a little, extracting the tablet out of the second picture, and then twisting and aligning it against the broken and rough edge of the one they have, creating more of the tablet in the air as they line up with a lightly jagged, illuminated blue line down the crack.

"Missing another part or parts, but that's /interesting/. The guy is Henley Crowne, Starling City. I'll get a bio for you.... there." It appears on an adjacent display.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Well, Pepper's point is softly made, and as Amanda responds, she's bobbing her head in acknowledged agreement. One really never knows what an advanced sorceror might be guarding! Or the lengths he's willing to go, and with whom. Her bottom lip is bitten, a touch of worrying at it before Tony begins to 'start the show', as it were.

There's that smile again, green eyes gleaming as it begins, and her head quirks as the hologram rises. She's used to the displays, the ease in which one can move and manipulate the images that seem to hang in the air. To be able to walk into the middle of it and have it present all around is something, though, that continues to take her breath away.

"I read about him the other day. His place was broken in to earlier this month. The museums have all been put on alert," for both buying or being robbed. Fencing of artefacts is big business, and the less scrupulous are always on the look-out for those 'one of a kinds' for their private collection. And that does, unfortunately, also include some museum curators.

Kyle looks at his own readouts that are not as impressive of a show as Tony's... and that's okay for many reasons. "Ancient Greek sandstone, and all the quarries are different. This one, and I'm going to repeat myself- I'm a metals guy.., but it's looking like its matrix material is silica and clay.. and while it looks like it hasn't laid out, there's pitting there.. and there.. so while it's from the area, this sure as hell's not Greek."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda glances to Kyle as he speaks. She actually does know something about archeology -- at least as it relates to various magical artifacts she's gone after over the years. So, she's picked up a few things. "Sandstone is a very popular carving material among ancient societies," she tells him. "It's possible that quaries on one side of the Mediterranean could export material clear to the other." She walks around the table to peer at the object in the scanner. "You are right, though. It's in remarkable condition. But, then, if I know Radu, it's probably been sitting in stasis for the past... well. Who knows how long?" Her brows rise and fall almost like a shrug. "But, then, magical artifacts have a way of preserving themselves over centuries, so..." She lets the sentence trail off and gives an actual half-shrug this time.

But as the hologram appears -- an impressive technological display, but her perspective on its wonder is skewed by the fact that, well, she can do the same thing with a few arcane gestures and a projection of will -- she turns her attention towards it. Crowne's object fits very, very neatly with Radu's, despite the increased weathering on Crowne's piece. Her blue eyes narrow as she examines the increased scope of the artifact. "That," she says, jabbing a finger toward the light construct that shows the pictographs on Crowne's piece of the object, "is an arcane circle. And the images within it are the equivalent of a map." A beat. "Well. A partial map. If you know the key." A grimace, then. "Which I don't." But that doesn't mean she can't recognize the glyph for what it is, even if she can't translate it. "I need to find the missing piece... or pieces."

She looks at Pepper. "You say the Crowne piece was stolen? Do you remember when?" Of course, a quick internet search or query to HOMER would solve that question. It was almost the same time Radu was attacked. She frowns. "How much you want to bet the people who stole it from Crowne, tried to steal it from Radu?"

That's an unsettling thought.

"I think I need to pay Mr. Crowne a visit." Or his estate, as may be.

Since, yeah. He's dead.

Tony Stark has posed:
"You may need a seance for that," Tony observes of Mr. Crowne. "Which... may not be beyond you, I'm aware, but he's no longer available for a phone call, being dead. He might be hanging around as a ghost, though, with this... brutal murder. But that's not my area."

Tony leaves off of his display, having gotten the information that seems relevant to the women, and moves to bump his side against Pepper; a quiet query in his dark eyes aimed at her as just a silent check-in. A rare kindness on his face, that usually isn't public-facing. Is she okay?

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper recalls that second bit, and of course Tony's got it up before she does, and that's okay. Brutal murders is not something that she likes to consider. Particularly when the victim was trying to play in the tech game, and was a collector of art and artefacts. Sort of a wanna be.. Stark Industries? She's very careful at her curating, however; no magical bits of sandstone need apply!

His quip regarding that seance, however, earns the man a light-hearted elbow gestured in his direction, even as he bumps into her for that brief moment of contact. She's more than content; she's happy in the moment. Engaged in the conversation and the fact that her, well, 2 best friends are working together? Life can't be too much better. Her gaze meets his and there is is again.. that brightness, the acknowledgment that all is right, even if it's tinged with concern regarding their investigations. There's an assurance that it'll work out.

"We should probably look into his dealings. Finances.. I know he'd applied to be considered for the board at the MoMA," And she does pronounce it as 'Moma', long o. "I can look through that, see if anything pops up. See if he tried to dangle any carrots that might have made him a target."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda doesn't miss the interchange between Pepper and her beau. Were the rest of the conversation not so serious, she'd likely grin at it. As it is, there's the faintest twitch to her lips... but that disappears swiftly as news of the murder surfaces. She inhales a deep breath and lets it out, expression turning grim. "Yes. I could do a seance." And she may, but perhaps only as a last resort. "I wonder if I can get access to the estate. It was a mage, or a collection of mages, that attacked Radu. If the same people attacked Mr. Crowne, there may still be clues to be had there." Clues she can find because of her unique abilities. "Murder and magic tend to leave lasting impressions in the aether. Even if the scene's been cleaned," which is likely, "I may be able to find out something."

Pepper no doubt knows Amanda well enough to realize this means her friend will very likey be making a late-night jaunt to Starling City. Either to speak with a ghost, or to poke around in his ruined house.

Details start working themselves out in Amanda's mind. "That means I need to find out if he has an heir, or if the estate's in limbo." That will determine just how much opposition she might face if she decides to just 'pop' by. Her lips purse. Maybe she should call Kurt. He'd love a caper like this. She reaches up to rub between her eyes with a pair of fingers. "This... this is going to be fun." Sarcasm at its best.

She glances at Tony. "I appreciate this. This actually helps immensely." Then, to Pepper, "I hate to ask, but do you know anyone or anything that can help me dig up more info on Mr. Crowne and his estate? I'd prefer to know what I'm walking into before I get there." Her lips purse. She's now thinking out loud. "And tracking the provenance of his piece might help, too, when it comes to figuring out if there are other pieces out there somewhere."

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony pokes around on the console a little more, leaving the two to go over more of the information. Tony does this in meetings sometimes, too: he does his part and then partially seems to tune out. Though a check on him will prove he is in fact still listening, he's just multitasking, in reality.

In this case, though, he seems to have been satisfied with his contribution. "Seems like I've done my part; if you think of more things though, let me know. I badly need a shower," Tony laments, plucking at the front of his tank top. It creates a little plume of brownish dust when he does that, and he half-sneezes.

Tony then rakes his eyes over both of the women, more critically. More digging? He doesn't restrict them, though; that's not really his style, though Pepper gets a bit more of a look when she says she's going to go hunt. Still, he trusts her. "Kyle, help them out, long as they need," Tony delegates. He passes by Pepper, brushing palm down her arm to her wrist, and adds a private, "Find me later, eh?" at her, before giving the room in general a bright smile, and swanning off towards the lab door with a wave.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper stares at Amanda for a long moment as if the woman's sprouted a few heads. "I think I can do that," she offers dryly. "HOMER, and if I need him, JARVIS." There's a pause before, "I'm not too bad at getting information either." Did she just admit to being something of a hacker? Nah.. she just has a little access in a lot of places. And barring that? Acquaintances in lots of places. "We can do that."

The shift of Tony's attention does signal to Pep that things are moving on. Of course he's still listening and attentive, but he's got more going on in his head now than the single bit of laser focus. And that's just fine! Pepper wrinkles her nose as Tony lightly tugs at his shirt, though she still has that ghosted smile. "I think so too.." On all counts!

It's when he steps back to depart, and he draws a hand down her arm, her hand lifts briefly to touch his upper arm, the moment a quick private affair. She nods quickly and answers with an 'okay', more mouthed than uttered. When they do break that contact, she's watching as he turns to leave, heading to the door.

"Yessir.." Aw, no selfie! But that's okay. As the boss starts to leave, Kyle is standing there, and for a moment he's just.. watching. There's one blink, two, and he turns around to look at Amanda. "Huh.." Rumors. He never listens to rumors, but!

"Right," and the tech is back to the present, "Lemme know what you need. I can find out where the stone came out of. What sort of projects actually make up the same composition.." Beyond that? The physical matter tech isn't much good, but he's more than willing to help- and with the blessing of Mr Stark? Mr Tony Stark? Hells, yeah.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"Thanks, Tony," Amanda says as the CEO takes his leave. "I appreciate the help." And she silently promises to make sure she keeps Pepper out of harm's way as they share their 'private' moment.

However, she glances to Kyle as he 'huhs'. Now, she does chuckle, though ever so softly. Rumours indeed. Taking pity on her distracted friend, she decides to distract Kyle instead. "I imagine this is out of your purview as a 'metals guy'," she says, giving him a winning smile, "but do you think there's enough information in the stone to suggest methods of construction that we might be able to correlate to a culture somewhere along the line?" Her blue eyes sparkle. "I don't mean you to do archeology or research of that nature. But indication of the construction techniques could point us in the right direction." So, less history and archeology and more material science and craftsmanship.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Once Tony's out the door, Pepper's gaze lingers for a couple of heartbeats longer before she turns back around. She's getting her head back into the game now that moment's passed, but certainly not forgotten. Stepping forward to physically get back into the mix, she's not far from her friend, and the new partner in crime Kyle, she's starting a readback of that which needs to be accomplished.

"We can get an inventory of his holdings, claimed versus actual. Everything will be on insurance riders. I can find someone from the museum to help catalog it to be sure it all matches." Someone trustworthy! "I can make discreet inquiries with the attorneys that are handling the estate, thanks to our Legal Department." And that's just the beginning. I'll need to sit down, get all this together to work out where to start. I'll be giving some of this to HOMER," which means it'll be quick and come back in proper format. "He can be sneaky." That bit is said with some growing affection. JARVIS will always be her favorite!

"I'll ask Happy to take us over to the house." Because they'll be safe if he's there!

Kyle, however, takes his marching orders quickly and easily. In fact, now that he's gotten the official blessing (not that Ms Potts' wasn't, but...), he offers a jaunty salute, seconded with a deep breath. "Okay. I understand that stuff. It'll take me a little bit, even with the cool toys we have."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"Thank you," Amanda tells Kyle, genuinely appreciative. She purses her lips, then, and eyes all the technology in the room even as she considers what all she knows from just talking with Pepper. Moving towards her friend, she leans on the table where her satchel and the tablet's wrap cloth sits.

Her voice is pitched quietly now. She's not 'excluding' Kyle -- if she wanted to do that, she'd either wait for later or she'd just cast a spell to keep him from overhearing. But she doesn't really want to make her thoughts carry too much further than her friend's ears. "Pepper, what are the odds, do you think, of getting footage of the estate? I mean, I'm sure there may be something on the internet; sensational stories are often accompanied by lurid news reports. But if the estate's been cleaned, it might be helpful to get some sense of 'before and after', if you know what I mean."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Thank you, Kyle." After all, it was Pepper that found the tech, talked with him and convinced him to come up. Even though he's a 'metals man'.

Pepper, too, leans on the table, her attention flickering from Kyle and landing back onto her friend. "The odds?" She purses her lips and green eyes narrow as she looks into the middle distance for the briefest of moments before there comes a ghost of a smile. She was just remembering some of the footage, and "If we have some parameters, we can clean up the news files," thank you HOMER, "and houses like that always have cameras." Even the apartment has cameras outside. "Those insurance riders usually have questions regarding security systems."

She looks as if she's ready to pull an all-nighter, whether it's in her office or up in the Penthouse. Chances are good it'll be upstairs... always nice to have company! "I can have something for you before midnight that'll be actionable."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda nods, a rueful expression coming to her lips and eyes. She actually doesn't mean for her friend to be up all night. She'll have to make it up to her. "Alright," she concedes, nonetheless. She's feeling time pressure, now, knowing there's at least one more piece of the puzzle out there and a ghost fading more and more with each day that passes. "I'll leave that with you." Her hand flips errantly, indicating to her friend that she understands HOMER or maybe JARVIS will likely be the 'you' in question.

"I think I'm going to make some calls. I know a couple of people who might be able to help with the translation." More than that, she really needs to find a safe place to stash the tablet, now she has some idea what it is. That will be the harder task. Where the hell can she put it that will be safer than Radu's remote mountain retreat? Her frustration with that question sits as a shadow in her eyes.

Pepper Potts has posed:
There's no need to make anything up to her. Pepper actually enjoys work and being useful. In this case, it also actually makes her feel like, dare she say it, some semblance of a hero? Not on the level of Avengers, however, but there's a touch of adrenaline as she considers the covert work ahead of her, and she's enjoying it. "We've got this." Pepper, Tony and the small army of AIs.

"Perfect," Pepper says about the translation. She knows that look in her friend's eyes, however; there's another bit of puzzle to suss out. Brows rise and her voice lowers, "Tell me you're not going to keep that thing on you, now that we have more information about it." Now, there's concern. A healthy dose, but not enough to cause doubt, much less paralysis in their mission. "Anyone who wants that might want those who have an inkling of what it is gone. We're in a race now," and the redhead knows it. "Do you have somewhere safe for it?" And, in turn, her?

Amanda Sefton has posed:
The shadow of frustration in Amanda's eyes rises to the surface, now. "No. That's the problem," she says seriously. "I *can't* leave it in the apartment. It's not safe enough. Not now that I have some understanding what we're up against." She turns to the hologram that still hovers off to one side. "I may not know what the words say, and I may not have the key to the map, but it *is* a map. And magic practioners generally only etch maps into stone or such durable materials for three purposes: To map powerful leylines, portals, or nexi; to map important artifacts or strongholds; or to map routes to key places of power or that directly relate to the gaining of power."

'Power' being a key theme, here.

"That means whoever's after it *has* power, and wants a whole lot more power. So, no. I don't want to leave it laying about where just anyone can stumble upon it. It needs to be locked away safely."

She grimaces, now. "I just don't know where else to go. If I were in Europe, I could find some place, call in some favours. But here?" She just shakes her head helplessly.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Kyle is aside, looking at the stone, still, correlating the sediments with the levels that he's got up on his own little place in the world. It's nowhere near as fancy as Tony's; he's not a superuser, but it is a testament to what sort of tools are given to even techs in Stark Industries. Now that he's on this, he's taken and making it his own.

Pepper reaches out with a hand to place it on her friend's. "I might have a place," is whispered. Even she's not really sure; it'll be a lot to ask, but it's worth a shot, right? "It'd be protected. There's.. magic, and.." and gods. Names learned in books from myths and legends. There are times if Pepper actually //thinks// about it, the fact that she knows Thor, let alone talks with him in a kitchen as he makes waffles can be overwhelming. Such is her life!

This, however.. this is Pepper's life. Her job. Her calling, as it were. Always in the background, helping, so others can go out and do what they do best. "We can ask Thor to bring it home."

"Th-th-th-thor?" Yes, Kyle was listening! "Seriously?" There's a twist of his head, and with wide-eyed enthusiasm he continues, "Oh man... When this is over, can I meet him?"

A laugh exits the woman and Pepper inclines her head, the smile coming easily, "I'm sure he'll be happy to meet you, yes." There it is, the promise.

Now, and she's back to her best friend. "We can ask? It'd be nowhere on Earth. Tony has the holographic scan of it, so you can look at the designs. If you need a physical representation, we could always print it."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda turns to Kyle as he stammers over Thor's name. She can't help but smile. He's a fanboy! Not that she entirely blames him. Avengers are big deals. She knows this. She'd offer to get the blond god's autograph for the tech, but that would be overstepping. *She's* only met him once. But she knows Pepper's good for it.

And there's the promise.

Which means she can go back to business without feeling like the boy's being neglected. "I..." She considers. "If you think he might do it," Amanda concedes. Her expression tenses. "And that he can keep it away from his brother." Because she hasn't forgotten how Patrick got his name. "I don't need to be in a race with the God of Mischief on top of everything else." She is careful, one might note, *not* to invoke Loki's name around a potentially powerful magical artifact.

Still, the thought has its appeal. "I'd be willing to talk with him, at the very least."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Kyle is soooo there. Even after the mention of the God of Mischief. "You mean L-"

Before the rest of those two syllables can be uttered, the chances are good that Pepper is beat by Amanda to shush the tech to NOT say the name. "Don't!"

Okay, she's superstitious, but never, never, never invoke a name. There is an adage, 'Speak of the devil and he will appear'. That's one name they don't want to invoke.

Pepper does nod quickly, her head bouncing in the action, "We can do that soon. I'll give him a call and have him meet us here. That's just so we don't have to carry it around town. I don't know if it has a magical aroma like old cheese." She grins soon after, "Like unpasteurized stilton." There is that moment of consideration in terms of timing, and there comes an amendment.

"I can set up the meeting with you and Thor. Have him meet us here. I have a ton of work to have done by tonight so we can start on that end." Pepper smiles encouragingly. "He is one of the good guys. If the reason was impressed upon him, he'll defend it from everyone." Everyone. That means Loki, too.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"No!" Amanda's injunction is spoken at the very same time as Pepper's, shutting Kyle up. "Rule one of magic, Kyle," she says to him, as he doubtlessly recoils at the pair's reaction. "Names have power. Never, ever invoke the name of anyone with True Magic. Especially if they're a god." A beat. "Or a demon."

Or a powerful witch, wizard, sorcerer, or mage of any stripe. The list goes on. She won't get into it.

She does have to chuckle, at least a little, at the fact both she and Pepper responded in very nearly the exact same way at the exact same time. Poor guy. The stories he's going to be able to tell later... for sure.

But levity, brief as it is, fades quickly. She nods to her best friend, though the smile returns faintly. "Not cheese, I think," she says, knowing just enough to appreciate the in-joke. "More like ozone after the rain." Nevertheless, it would be a relief to have the relic locked away somewhere safer than any place she can provide. She knows her limits. Radu was ahead of her on the Winding Way. (By rights, he should have gone to Margali first. That he didn't speaks volumes to Amanda... and she doesn't like what she hears. But that's a worry for another time.) If he couldn't protect the thing, she knows she'll be hard pressed to. Finding a strong ally would be very, very helpful. And Thor really does fit that bill.

"I don't want to take it out of here until we've spoken with Thor," she agrees. "The sooner the better." Which means, she realizes, she's probably going to be camping out here at the Tower for a while. Good thing she knows Pepper's couches are comfortable.