3654/This statue is weird.

This statue is weird.
Date of Scene:	01 October 2020
Location:	Main Foyer: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Arthur seeks May's help in finding the deets on the lurker statue.
Cast of Characters:	Melinda May, Arthur Curry

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Melinda May has posed:
Having gotten Arthur's message, Agent May finds herself standing in the foyer of the Triskelion awaiting his appearance. The message was brief. The younger agent who passed it on was entirely nonplussed by the experience. May was entirely unforthcoming about it, too, merely thanking the agent with a nod and returning to her business until she judged it time to meet him.

She sips on a coffee, leaning against the outside wall of the escalator, watching the door until he walks through it. Then, she pushes off and approaches him before security can get their shirts in a knot about the scruffy guy strolling in.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Indeed that 'scruffy guy' does look like he should be selling hacky sacks and incense down at the beach to pay for rent, that is if he even had a job or a place to live, which would be hard to figure out for sure from a glance at him. But he's at least dry, not strolling on in trailing water and puddles as he steps into the building and that large foyer/lobby.
    She'll likely see him squinting one way, then the other, then lifting his chin in a nod of recognition once he catches sight of her, unslinging the canvas sack that was over his shoulder and shifting his grip to hold onto it by the neck as he walks along toward her. "Hey Mel," Then he straightens up, looking very beach bummy with his cargo shorts and that open at the chest military olive overshirt.
    "I got a thing that I think needs an expert eyeballing from some finger-wigggler or something."

Melinda May has posed:
Mel? Did he just call her *Mel?* The last person who got away with that was married to her. Thus, a dark brow arches as May pauses in front of the beach bum, arms crossing over her chest. "What thing?" she asks, jerking her head so he'll follow her as she starts to walk out of the foyer. "You know I don't do magic, right?" In fact, she's learned to hate the stuff with an enormous passion.

"And don't call me Mel." Because she's at work and it's bad for her image.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Yes, but you have access to all sorts of finger-wigglers. Or so I hear." Is Arthur's casual response as he falls into step beside her, lugging that bag along with him and his gait easy and slow because he's lazy, not because he's making sure to match her stride or anything. Sha.
    "You look like a Mel, though." He offers in way of counter-argument, but then meets her eyes and lifts one hand, fingers flaring as he cedes the point. "Right. May."
    Point taken.
    "I have this idol that gives me the heebie jeebies, found it while me and some of my cape buds were chasing after some undersea assholes. Some of them seemed really into it so, figured it best to let somebody in the know take a look at it. Personally I hope it has candy and prizes inside but I think that's doubtful."

Melinda May has posed:
"I'm at work," May tells him. "No one calls me Mel." And only a select few get to call her Melinda.

"Probably," she agrees. "So far, every pretty magic thing I've seen has tried to kill me. So, don't hold your breath." She considers his request. "Can I see it?"

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "It seems inert, or hell might not even be magic magic." The tall man says as he extends the canvas sack toward her and letting her take a look see if she's so inclined. Once relieved of his burden he crosses his arms over that broad chest and tilts his head to the side as he murmurs. "It's ugly, whatever it is."
    And should she look into the bag she'll see this nasty little turquoise creature that seems to be slouched, sitting with its head on its knees and its arms wrapped around its shins, looking terribly unhappy about being that way and brooding. Almost like a gargoyle in some ways, but no wings at all.
    "But the deep lurkers seemed to want it, talked to Namor and he wanted to get it checked out. I agreed."

Melinda May has posed:
May takes the sack and looks into it. She gathers it in her arms, pulling it back far enough to get a better look at it. "Very ugly," she agrees. And then silently wonders if insulting an idol while holding it is actually a smart idea.

Too late now.

She covers it back up and hands it back. "Hence, finger-wigglers," she concludes. "Smart."

She considers their options. "How sovereign do you want to be over this?" she asks him. Because SHIELD tends to get grabby.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "I need to keep hold of it," The tall man says, "I mean if you took off running with it right now I'd be pretty annoyed and probably chase you, but I think we're good enough friends that you won't do that to me without at least pointing over my shoulder and asking me 'what's that over there?' Ya know."
    He extends a hand then, however, for the bag back as she returns it, then slings it over his shoulder. "Partially because I also would hate to be responsible if the lurkers decided to attack her and one of you chuckleheads got hurt."
    So nice and thoughtful that he is.

Melinda May has posed:
May nods to that. "Come on," she says to him. "I think it's time for a coffee break." That's her way of saying they're going off-campus. She heads down a hallway to a door that will eventually come to a motorcade where she can grab an SUV. She doesn't say much as they go. And she chooses a car that isn't SHIELD. It's her personal vehicle.

But it's not until she's in the car and he's closed the door as well that she speaks again. "I know someone who can probably help without all the red tape taking this to Palamas' people will bring you. They'll want to keep it to analyse it and you'll end up stuck in here babysitting it."

She grimaces, then. "I just need to find out if she's back to normal, first."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Arthur had paused in mid-stride looking at the car, but when she gestured for him to get in he gave a small nod, then slipped around to the passenger side. He's already reaching for the seat belt when she tells him why she chose what she chose and his eyebrows raise a little. Then they furrow as he sort of half-smiles and murmurs, "That's um, that's actually kinda thoughtful of you, May. Sorta choosing to help me over what your..."
    He gestures with a nod back to the building, then looks back at her, "What your cohorts would want you to do. I'm..." His lip twists, "I know this is going to sound like me being an asshole, but I'm serious. I'm kinda touched." And perhaps expecting to see a scowl or roll of the eyes he holds up his hands out toward her as if to stay any accusation. "No shit, seriously. Not messing with you here."
    He tosses the sack into the back of the vehicle and then folds his arms over his chest. "Alright, let's go see if she's normal then."

Melinda May has posed:
May snirks softly. But glances at him sidelong. There's a twitch of her lips. It's almost a smile. Almost.

"WAND agents tend to..." She wrinkle her nose. "Let's just say I'm pretty sure magic screws with your head. I'd like to keep them from accidentally summoning Cthulu, if I can. We have our hands full enough with Loki."

She pulls out onto the road and guides the car back toward the city. "I can't tell you much about my contact," she says to him then. "And I'll have to touch base with her before we just drop in. But she still displays some modicum of common sense. So, it's worth a shot."

She gestures to the road. "We're going off-site just in case WAND wards are sensitive to whatever you're carrying."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "That's fine, you vouch for her that's good enough for me," Arthur says, knowing that on some level perhaps May values the worth of her word. Or perhaps just suspecting she does. He chews on his lower lip for a moment and looks thoughtful, expression distanced as he ponders something, then he looks sidelong at her. "Alright."
    A minute passes before he adds, "The magical folks in the league are sorta more instinctive people. Like Zatanna knows how to cast spells and all, but the whole weird lore stuff not sure if she's hugely up on that."
    His head bobs a few times, then he leans over and... presumptuously flips on the radio. As if it was /his/ car.

Melinda May has posed:
May nods to that. "My contact is more like that," she says. "Don't ask me why, but I trust her more than most of the WAND agents."

She glances to him as he flips on the radio. The music on it is jazz.

"So, tell me about these monsters?"

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Under the ocean are deep cultures," He says as he seems content to leave it on the jazz, arms returning to their crossed position as he looks out the window, brow furrowed as if the very scenery were plotting against him. Yet he shakes his head and frowns before glancing askance at her. "A lot of cultures, several kingdoms, and creatures that don't like to mix with anything coming close to a society. The lurkers... is sort of a catch all term for the unknown or the strange. They lurk on the edge of society."
    His eyes distance, "So about these specific creatures, I don't know a lot. Then again I'm not exactly an expert." Considering he didn't grow up as an Atlantean.

Melinda May has posed:
May nods to that, eyes still on the road. "I just figure, if we're going to take a potential magical monster magnet into the city, it'd be helpful to know what sort of threat they present."

Always the SHIELD agent, she is.

"How likely do you think they are to atttack?"

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Not hugely likely, to get this far inland..." Arthur lifts a hand, fingers splayed as he waves it to the side dismissively. "They'd need to make it an expedition, would need to find some way to breathe out of the water with some reliability, and they'd need to know where it was. It doesn't emanate anything hugely horrible as far as I can tell. Still..."
    A glance away and he murmurs, "Better to be safe and all that."
    Then he takes a deep breath and asks, "Look we're gonna be rambling about this for hours and hours, we got some time now. Tell me something... I dunno normal. What have you been up to? Don't you owe me some dinner or something? Or did I owe you?"

Melinda May has posed:
"You owe me," May says shortly in response. "Steak, as I recall." She's in dark trousers, a white blouse, and blue blazer. Standard agent uniform when she's not going out into the field. So, at least she's not wearing a tac suit and SHIELD eagle on her arm. But she does look a lot more corporate than him.

"We got the guy that killed Tristan's dad," she tells him in answer to his question, though. "That's mostly what I've been doing." She's referring to the kid from the Ice Palace where they fought the ice snakes.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "That's good then," Arthur says, letting that settle their conversation back into silence for a mile or so before he says quieter, "Poor kid." Losing his dad that way. A small shake of his head is given.
    Then he makes a face, "There was that thing in England." He mentions sidelong for himself at the least. "With the dragon critter. That was a mess." He shifts in his seat and frowns, not exactly having a ton of room in the vehicle with the way his head is so close to the ceiling. "On top of this thing with the lurkers."

Melinda May has posed:
"So, we've both been busy," May says as they draw closer to the bridge that will take them to Manhattan. She stares straight ahead, but nonetheless decides, out of everyone she often gets stuck with... maybe he doesn't suck.

She glances to him at that thought. "So. Where are we going for dinner...?"