4115/Invasion Egypt: Aftermath!

Invasion Egypt: Aftermath!
Date of Scene:	13 November 2020
Location:	Central Park
Synopsis:	Team Alex meets up to discuss their recent successes!
Cast of Characters:	Lara Croft, Alexander Aaron, Koriand'r, Zatanna Zatara

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Lara Croft has posed:
The heroes had arrived in great form and accomplished precisely what Lara Croft had hoped they would...

Saving the day, of course.

She hadn't wanted to risk innocent people anywhere, but the sheer volume of heroes in Manhattan far outweighs the number of them in the likes of a city like Cairo... She'd 'chosen the battlefield' with a spell she'd learned on the adventure, and cast it just in time to send the battle to New York...

And now it was over.

With the Staff in the hands of WAND (Lara's division within ShIELD) she's now finishing up with the scene, NYPD and Emergency Services covering the park, and keeping the site clear of civilians until things are entirely done.

Covered in filth, her hair a mess, her equipment all damaged or askew on her body, Lara is cross over the grassy yard, walking toward some of those still here. She approaches them and smiles, with a bloodied lip and a mud covered face.

"Thank you, for coming to help." She tells them.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The great conflict had passed with its brilliant resolution brought on by the unlikely gathering of heroes. Much of what had been brought forth across time and worlds had faded. Though there was still much damage from the conflagration. Great furrows where lasers blasted the park, large trees knocked over and crushed by giant stone feet, and the injured who had endured and survived though were now being cared for.
    The authorities had appeared and the act of recovery had started, though in its limited initial way. A medic station had been set up to handle the few civilians who were caught in the cross fire, and the police had already taken statements with utterly no shortage of collaborating media considering much of the battle had been streamed or recorded, special thanks to Squirrel Girl.
    Yet it did leave some with questions, perhaps insight to share. And for Alexander Aaron, the youthful Greek deity, it had given him a souvenir in the form of one of Riddler's Rubik's Cubes. Though he stood there nearby as the good Lady Lara Croft approached, though he was answering a quick text message on his phone as he lifts his head towards her and smiles a little.
    "This is my favorite part, where you tell me what all happened to cause all the crazy." He pockets the phone, still holding his sword in his off hand, though with he grip reversed.

Koriand'r has posed:
    Where is Koriand'r?
    Where is Zatanna Zatara?
    On Squirrel Girl News! First, an unofficial photo-bombing with Koridand'r in the distance dragging Zatanna by the wrist toward the camera. Flash! Then another selfie is taken, this time with Koriand'r holding up one of the squirrels and squeezing them toward her face! Flash! Flash! And then yet another with Koriand'r watching with tearful eyes the procession of squirrels carrying their fallen and injured comrades, never to be forgotten for their valiancy at the battle of Central Park and Pyramids.
    Eventually, the squirrel crew packs it, and Koriand'r suggests to the magician, "Come! I spy the narrator! She will be able to tell us the origin of the pyramids."
     Alexander and Lara Croft are approached, the last remaining heroes on the green and perhaps the two heroes that Koriand'r had the least dealings with as far as the actual battle went, as they were on the pyramid for the majority of the time.
    Koriand'r touches the turf with her feet, and if Zatanna has played a good sport up until this point, she's been dragged along with her with an enthusiasm unparalleled. A veritable kidnapping has taken place right before everyone's eyes. She greets the Godling and SHIELD agent with a wave of her hand and a sweet sung, "Hello, new friends! I have brought with me one of the heroes you have been in close proximity with this whole time. Her name is Zatanna Zatara! Her /magic/ helped save the day."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
In the immediate aftermath of the battle, Zatanna, late conduit of Egyptian divine nonsense, is still recovering somewhat... or trying to, although Koriand'r has guaranteed that she get little proper rest. There is a whirlwind media tour of sorts to enjoy, squirrel ceremonies to observe, and so on. For what it's worth, she manages all of this with grace despite the conditions: after all, she is a showperson every bit as much as she is an actual magician, and has plenty of experience with putting on a good face for the audience. Normally, there are more people and less squirrels in said audiences, but the principle is the same- and she is mindful to show the little furry army its due respect.

And then, onward!

Dragged along by her eager new companion, they arrive at whatever gathering point. Under normal circumstances, it is one of the more popular places in the park, although the scene beyond has marred the view somewhat: while the castle itself and its little pond seem mostly spared, the grass is trampled by the strange army's passage, and there are abundant gouges dug out alien force-beams. Beyond that, the authorities have erected their cordon, and the numerous agents form a new army to replace the last. WAND agents busy themselves with gadgets and doohickeys, taking readings, which Zatanna no doubt finds a little ridiculously.

Collectively, its almost as crowded as the park gets for the Summer Concert season.

In that mess, Lara does provide a useful focal point in all of that. "Well, it's not like I was doing much else tonight," she anwers the woman's thanks, managing a bit of a smirk. "But I am curious about the other half of this as well. Trouble with these sorts of relics isn't unheard of, as I was telling Starfire earlier, although the exact way it played out is a little less typical."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara nods once to Alex, knowing she'll have a lot to explain to a lot of people. But Kori and Zatanna approach as well to gather before her. She responds, to start with, by putting her hands on her hips over the utility belt strapped around her waist, it covered in all kinds of equipment, all of it in a state of 'filthy mess'.

"A little while ago, Alexander here--" She motions toward him with her right hand. "--and I, accompanied a sorcerer to Cairo on another expedition, unrelated to... all of this." A quick glance is given around their place.

The Briton woman seems tired, worn out to the extreme, but she's still on her feet and still going.

"I was contacted by someone who noticed us." She says to Alex specifically. "Noticed me anyway. He had no information on what Amanda was searching for, but he did have information on a cult that was looking to resurrect a God. Just not the one Amanda was dealing with." She shows a faint smirk then.

"It..." Lara sighs and shakes her head, raising a hand to swipe loose strand sof dark hair off of her dirty forehead. "It was a real mess. I locate the cultists, I found their ceremony in-progress, and... I made a judgment call. Steal the staff, break away. They pursued and... well, ultimately, this is where the pursuit ended."

Lara reaches behind her and pulls a small book out of her back pocket. She offers it over to any of them to take if they want to look at it. "I'd made an expedition journal on my way to Cairo, I discovered a series of minor incantations that I thought would work once I was able to find the staff, and use its source of power. That's how I altered the impending ceremony to culminate here, rather than near Cairo. I did it because..." She motions to the three of them.

"Because I knew people like you would answer the call for help." She smiles at them, tiredly.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The sword in Alexander's hand lifts up slightly as he turns and tilts his head to the side, catching sight of Koriand'r and Zatanna's approach. There's a small hint of wariness in his pale hazel eyes, but the Tamaranean does have a way of disarming peoples' suspicions when she speaks.
    For an instant the youth glances over at Lara with a quirked eyebrow as if asking if she knows these folks and if they're for real, but then looks back and finds himself smiling a bit.
    "Hey..." He lifts a hand to wave, "I'm Alexander. This is Agent Croft." His t-shirt is perhaps a little dusty, and the sleeves are torn in several places, but he seems no worse for wear.
    A glance is given between the two of them. "You guys were really impressive." He lifts a hand to point between them, then includes Lara in it as well. "I mean, the whole zapping of things," Which likely means Kori and Lara, then he nods to Zatanna. "And that spell, I have a hard time sometimes sensing magical things, but even I could sorta dig what you were doing out there." Though not name it.
    But then Lara starts speaking, explaining what passed.
    "Ohhh, this was that!" The tow-headed youth responds to Lara, giving a short sharp nod as he catches up somewhat. He nods as he follows along with her story, then crinkles his nose a little at someone noticing her instead of him. Like what's wrong with him! But he makes a small sound that sounds a little like 'hnh'.

Koriand'r has posed:
    "Alexander... and Agent Croft," Koriand'r repeats, committing the names to memory. She approaches each of them with an extended hand, eager to shake palms with the both of them--it's one of the more exciting things about getting meet new people, getting in freebie person-to-person contact.
    "Yes," Koriand'r waxes with Zatanna, as if such things concerning relics were some type of small specialty of her own. They're not, but there's little room for doubting it when she speaks as presently as if she were going on about which type of comic books she likes to read. "The relics I have seen," how many has she seen? "have all been rather subdued and not quite so prone to summoning large armies of an ancient murderous God."
    Green eyes rove to where Maxima, the princess, carved large ditches within the rolling green of the park. And then to where the statue had been left behind as a reminder of what transpired. She listens to the Briton, of course, the whole time. Listens to what transpired. But she does it with active fidgeting, and the like. At some point she is staring directly at Alexander and into his hazel eyes as if he were one speaking. At another time, it is Zatanna's profile, as though she were trying to figure out the exact angle between the magician's lashes to her nose. It ultimately lands back on Lara.
    At which point she suggests, rather empathetically, "You must be so very, very thirsty after all of that. Have you had any water since the time you located the cultists and stole the staff?" She looks up and down Lara's body to try and determine if the woman has a canteen on her, only to add, wide-eyed. "And hungry." And then more softly. "You are bleeding. Here." She points to a section on her own lip to indicate where Lara has been injured.
    She preens under Alexander's direct praise, temporarily distracted over her concern about the SHIELD AGENT. "My friend, Zatanna Zatara, harnesses great magical ability!" Then, in a whisper, "Did you see the mummy that she constructed?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"One -might- debate the wisdom of choosing such a populated locale, even if it is well defended," Zatanna points out to Lara, although her tone less harsh and more... passively observational? "It isn't like I couldn't have gone to you, even brought some of the League or other friends with me. Yet I suppose this place might also have some useful resonances," she admits, gesturing toward the East side of the park and the museum. "Well, what's done is done." No destroyed city, no foul. At least, that's what the League's legal department is always trying to claim!

"A pleasure," she responds to Alexander, as some further introductions are made. "Lady Croft and I are acquainted. It would be difficult not to know about her exploits, I think, when you travel in the circles I do." Spooky circles! Or at least those where relic hunting often has more practical goals than filling museum exhibits and amusing tourists.

"Fortunately, this sort of thing is common enough almost to be a bit of a cliche, given the history of Egyptology and how it intertwines with Occult tradition in Europe and the Americas... so I happened to know a spell that would be useful," she continues, acknowledging Alexander's description of her activities, even if he's not too specific about what she was doing. But it was all pretty overt, so she's not exactly playing coy on this one. Of course, Starfire is even LESS coy, and more effusive in her praise.

"I didn't do anything to bring the mummy back," she quickly clarifies, "other than a little levitation to hold the pieces in place. That was all his own power. While I don't know anything about this particular cult, if I had to guess, perhaps they had previously- and by previously, for all we know, might be thousands of years ago -disembodied or spread his remains, rather than allowed to rest in his sarcophagus, to limit his protective power," she muses. "So reassembling him allowed his powers to be restored. My spell invoked Horus, as he is Set's traditional opponent. And insofar as Horus has celestial associations, I thought your powers might also be useful," she explains, turning in the midst of Koriand'r's examination of her face to offer her an encouraging smile.

"Do we have anything to worry about the cult's continued actions?" she then wonders, focusing again on Lara. "I assume your people can physically secure the staff well enough, although with these things, that's not always sufficient. I should know." She has quite a few of them in her study!

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara nods in confirmation to Alexander's words, offering him a faint and brief smile before she looks then toward Koriand'r. She notes the woman taking notice of her broken lip which makes her smile as she reaches up to touch it, the pain is present, its real, but its nothing she hasn't felt before. "I haven't." Lara replies about food and water. "Luckily my place here in the city is just a little ways to the south. Once I'm finished up here... well, maybe I'll order a pizza." She says with another soft smile.

Lara's eyes then go to Zatanna. "It's been awhile since we spoke last. I'm glad to see you again. I knew there'd be a bad risk in bringing all of this here, I just... felt it would be worse for the people of Cairo to deal with, and I had to think quickly. I only barely managed to garner the staff from them before this all took place."

Lara's eyes go to the Castle where a Pyramid had been not that long ago. "The cultists weren't transported with me, they were were using some kind of spell to replicate and create the army that they were using to attack. I'm not sure how that happened, but SHIELD is fully aware of it now, and they're clued in on the magnitude of this. I'm willing to bet they're falling in to hiding as rapidly as they're able to, back in Egypt. But we'll follow-up on it all the same."

"Is this the end of it?" Lara softly shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders, she's wearing a form-fit black top that is sleeveless, her arms are dirty and her elbows bruised and bloodied much like her lip, a pair of leather half-gloves adorn her hands, and they-too have small tears on the backs of her hands.

"The Staff is at least in the right hands, for the time being. Items this powerful need extra attention. Advice is always welcome." She says, offering another faint smile toward Zatanna.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    The crimson-bladed katana in Alexander's hand flickers out of reality with a wash of silver flame flashing over it, seeming to consume the weapon and leave him empty handed, so as to accept Koriand'r's handshake. The young deity smiles up... up into the alien woman's eyes and nods as he claps his other hand over the clasped ones as they shake. "Good to meet you."
    Then as Kori speaks to Zatanna's talents, Alexander offers a nod as he agrees, looking curiously at the Show Stopping Sorceress. His eyebrows rise, however, when Double Zed speaks well and highly of Lara so he turns his head and smiles at her, "Well heck look at the big brain on Brad." As he leans over and nudges her shoulder a little.
    Though it's when the topic of storage comes up, Alexander's features shift a little to embrace a hint of pensiveness as he looks between the others. He lifts a hand to the back of his neck and looks thoughtful, "Umm. My dad has, sort of. Over the years. He's collected a fair amount of artifacts and stores them. I could, you know. Call him?"

Koriand'r has posed:
    Koriand'r returns Zatanna's smile back in folds! It's the type of smile that states clearly and plainly, 'This is why I chose you to follow around.' She /knows/ things. In the same way that Raven /knows/ things. And perhaps to some extent, she should feel perturbed about sheer amount of everything stated that is simply out of her realm of grasping. There are names she recognizes. Like Cairo. Set. Horus. SHIELD. Pizza. Her eyes light up at each mentioning. The rest of it, however, is like listening to an Operatic theater production in a foreign language. It sounds pretty and feels appealing but there is little understanding--and this is a situation in which Koriand'r intuitively knows that kissing will not be able to solve.
    And so she stands there looking like a precious, and pretty doll. Flitting her attention from one to another as they speak.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"You're probably right about that," Zatanna concedes as far as Cairo's fate might have gone.

She follows Lara's gaze up to the castle, which has blessedly avoided the physical damage of the greater conflict, what with the way the strange summoned pyramid subsumed it. "You're right, those styles of cults do have quite a habbit for vanishing back into the populace, and for surviving for exceedingly long stretches of dormancy. Not that I doubt your people will be all over it. Though if they should ever happen to require a consult, particularly about the staff... well, you have my number." Perhaps she's just a little less lacking in faith where it comes to WAND, to the idea of a mere government agency taking on the work of centuries- but she's not going to make a stink about it.

As both Lara and Koriand'r (no surprise on the latter count) have now gotten off track onto the topic of food, and particularly because the latter seems a bit out of her depth in the magical mumbo-jumbo speak, she suggests: "If your people don't need you here, why don't we go and get a bite? Plenty of good places around here."

Koriand'r has posed:
    Koriand'r quickly injects before anyone can suggest otherwise, by clapping her hands and interlocking her fingers while doing so. "Yes! I agree! What an excellent plan. We can get Agent Croft sufficient nutrients and water!"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's gaze goes back to Alexander, she'd noted his sword, and hadn't ever seen him wield it before, but didn't want to bring that subject up with it vanishing again. She shows him a soft smile at his talk of his father. "I'd be very interested in meeting him someday, if that could be arranged. But, I imagine he's quite a busy man.

She looks back to Zatanna then, and shows her another lopsided smile-- not wanting to bare the pain of the broken lip on the other half of her smile. "There's another of situations that have sprung up of late that I probably should've called you about, Zatanna. I need to do that more-so going forward. 'Bother you' as they say." Lara huffs out a quick and soft laugh.

Her eyes bounce back to Koriand'r and she reaches out to extend one of those dirty half-gloved hands toward the rather pretty and previous Princess from another planet. "I..." Lara laughs softly. "I don't know if any place would let me in through the front door in my current state." She adds, glancing down at herself.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Alexander steps back and says, "He's been around town a bit lately, mebbe we'll stop by and knock on your door if he visits or something." Apparently Alex wasn't kidding when he called Lara his neighbor. That said, however, he turns and half-jogs back across the way he came, heading towards that tree.
    He turns around and starts walking backwards, "Can get some take out? Pizza or whatever? Or Indian food?" His eyebrows climb as if that was truly a good idea, then he's back around and hopping over the chain that divides the grass from the sidewalk and moving to that oak tree he was sitting on.
    It'll take him a bit of time to secure his belongings but after having done so he'll start to mosey his way back.

Koriand'r has posed:
    That dirty, half-gloved hand is gripped with warmth and strength. The Tamaranean jostles Lara Croft's arm firmly with that handshake, and like that, the otherworldly princess is appeased. Satiated. All needs fully met, save for one. That, too, would come in a timely manner and so there is little anxiety about it.
    "As they say, it is the squeaky wheel that gets greased," Koriand'r simpers on the subject of bothering. She takes a moment to rake her fingers through her hair, gently pushing a mane of flames that no longer frames the sides of her heart-shaped face, but scatters over the line of her shoulders, concealing the small of her back.
    And that's when she procures a cell phone. From seemingly no where. There's not any pockets on her uniform! "May I take a picture for my instant gram?" She asks of Lara and Zatanna, and she positions herself behind the two. Guiding them with her hands as though she were going to hug them with an arm on each of their shoulder, before she angles the camera just so. Both of them can see their -dazzling- faces aligned with her own, the recorded picture not quite getting the light of her gem-hewn eyes right.
    But rather than taking the picture just yet, she waits for Alexander to mosey back, motioning to him with her spare hand to get in on the picture from behind.
    "This is the part where we each say cheese," she tells them excitedly when everyone is positioned just so.
    "One..."
    "Two..."
    -FLASH!- "Cheese!"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna gives Lara a bit of a 'really?' look.

"If I hadn't expended so much energy on that invocation, I'd have already offered to put the park back together. But in the mean time, -this- at least I can manage." She raises her hand in a somewhat unecessary but appropriately showy motion, sweeping upward with a gesture that seems to indicate Lara's form, bottom to top. "Nehserf pu."

The spell mends any rips and tears that her adventuring outfit may have received, purges her skin of any obvious muck and grime, and restyles her hair back however it started, not a strand out of place. There's no magical healing, this time around (tired!), but it does affix bandages over a couple cuts, as apparently that constitutes part of the visual presentation. "Will that do?"

"If you'd rather order, that's fine," she concedes to Alexander, despite all that effort (OK, it's not much effort). "We could have a picnic up in the Castle gazebo. It limits the number of places slightly, but I'm sure we can find something." For all that she often cuts corners and conjures, she -does- appreciate a nice dining experience. Call it the Italian side of her. And she'd probably concede that New York out restaurants Gotham.

While this is being debated or decided, Kori is on another selfie-mission, and at least this time the sorceress is a bit more prepared, not literally having just recovered her wits from an extraplanar possession. She's not shy about leaning on on Lara, who is now more presentable for the photo at least! "Cheese."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's eyes are looking from Alex-- when he suggests the food options --to then to Kori as she starts to gather them all up for a picture, before finally going to Zatanna as the sorcerer conjures up a ... clean version of herself.

Lara is quick to look down at herself as the magic swirls around her, and not unlike an old Cinderella cartoon she used to enjoy as a child, she suddenly finds herself... well, clean and restored to how she'd been on the start of her wild night in Cairo, on the other side of the world.

"My my..." Lara says softly, looking up to Zatanna to show the woman a renewed, and sincere, smile. "How that could come handy in my life." She tells her before indulging in Koriand'r's desire for a picture of them all.

Lara raises up her left hand for the photo, her glove and hand clean and fresh now, she poses with a 'peace' sign on display for the photo that will end up on 'Instant Gram' supposedly!

"Cheese..." Lara says, with all the gleeful power of a true British woman. "Well then, food sounds great, I could see that we get a spot on the Castle, I think. It's closed for now anyway." She starts looking around for the WAND field manager where she'd last seen them in the park.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "That'd be pretty cool, actually!" So sayeth the God of Fear in response to Zatanna's suggestion about them having a picnic up at the gazebo. Which hey. It would be cool.
    Reaching that tree, Alexander grabs his book, then his jacket. Only to realize he needs both hands to get that jacket on so he bites the spine of the book and holds it with his teeth as he shuffles the leather coat into place, sliding his arms through the sleeves one arm at a time. Then he's kneeling and opening his backpack to ptew his book down into it before he zips it back up and slings it over one shoulder.
    Once that's done he turns around to see everyone taking a picture! So he breaks into a run back across the way, slowing with a loping three final strides to hop in front of the extended cellphone. A wide smile crosses over his features as the Son of War throws up the Peace sign right alongside good Lady Croft. So rebellious.
    "Cheese!"

Koriand'r has posed:
    "Perfect!"
    Spoken with a certain confidence, Koriand'r clutches her phone, dragging it in front of herself while side-sweeping quickly to get to the image she's captured. Once she's on the image her neck cranes and she stares adoringly at it, stroking the back of her phone as if it were a pet rather than a mechanical device, to reward it for its own performance.
    And then poof! The phone is gone! Where'd she put it??
    "I will race each of you," she tells her companions then with a giddy sense of being as her feet lift off the turf.
    Zoom!
    Off she goes! Barreling toward the destination. It's a perfect opportunity for the gang to ditch her!

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"It does come in handy, in our line of work," Zee cannot help but agree, a clearly amused smile reflecting her pleasure in Lara's awe at the simple magical trick. "For quick outfit changes, too. Do you think I walk around like this? Or that took the time to squeeze into these before coming to fight off the dark god?" There's clearly a certain self-awareness in the over-the-top nature of her 'krow sehtolc,' although clearly, she's far from shy about them either.

Now that they've made up their mind to 'eat in,' as one might call it, she turns to make her way up to the Castle the normal way, by the winding path and stone staircase. No flying, this time! Well, none for her. Kori ZOOMS ahead in her usual energetic fashion, and Zatanna watches her departure with a shake of her head. Not dismay or disapproval, but more like sheer disbelief at the boundless nature of the woman's energy and good cheer.

"She works with the Titans," she explains to the remaining two. "She came by the Hall the other day, and it seems I've made a new friend." After explaining this, her attention turns curiously toward Alexander. "I think you have me at a disadvantage as far as your career goes, which is pretty rare. You work with SHIELD as well?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara shows a smirk over to Alexander at his mirrored hand gesture during their photo. Her eyes then dropped down to his shirt with the pink flamingos on it, which she stares at for a moment. "That's... an interesting shirt, Alexander." She tells him. "You really do love your tshirts. I got the 'Team Alex' one framed, you know?" She asks him, showing a faint smile. "I haven't hung it up yet, but I plan to put it over the sofa in the living room, I believe."

As they walk, Lara watches the otherworldly Princess joyfully running ahead of them. She listens to Zatanna's explanation about her attire, and Kori's origins to lead her here. "She reminds me of a friend of mine, always hoping to be on the positive thing of things. I admire that, I wish we all had more of that inside of us. I think we'd live better lives if such a mentality was more rampantly prevalent." Another smile graces her lips before she moves to take her gear off, popping the clip on the harness open on her chest before she turns to look back at the two of them. "I'll join you up there, I'm just going to take some of this gear off and hand it over to a colleague." She tells Alex and Zatanna, as Kori had rushed off ahead of them.

No ditching seems to be taking place!

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    Crinkling his nose, Alexander says, "I... can't fly?" Which is said toward Lara though his pale eyes slip back to Zatanna as he murmurs that end of the sentence. Yet he smiles a touch crookedly as he starts to walk in that direction, falling into step besides them both. He stuffs his hands into his pockets, strolling along easily and letting his gaze distance in thought for a brief moment.
    Though when Lara speaks to him of his t-shirt he grins a bit and bobs his head, "Yeah, I like it." Which is obvious, but when she says she has his Team Alex t-shirt framed...
    Well the youth's eyes just /soften/ so entirely so as he says quietly, "Awww." As if she was the cutest damn puppy in a dozen litters of all the puppies. He bites his lower lip and says, "Hey thanks, that's nice of you."
    Then he's brought back by realizing he didn't answer Zatanna's question. Sidelong he smiles at her, "Sorry, I'm... yes. I work with SHIELD at times, I owe them a debt." He looks to Lara for a moment but then gives a nod to the Sorceress. "I'm Phobos, the God of Fear." Which with that brilliant pink flamingo skull t-shirt, clearly he has embraced the power of fear with such an ominous emblem so portrayed of ill portent.
    "Though I prefer Alex."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"There are stairs!" There are, in fact, stairs. And while Zatanna has a registered disdain for using her legs for anything other than modeling fishnet tights, in this case, she is keeping her magical nonsense to a minimum and has conceded to get up to Castle Belvedere the way the tourists normally do. The stairs lead up to a raised courtyard, with the main tower entrance further back and a wooden gazebo near the overlook at one side. It is toward the latter that she charts her course. There aren't proper chairs or tables, but the wall and another set of stairs provide various more casual seating options.

Certainly, his introduction earns a certain... well, it is not dread, nor the reverent awe that Zee displayed when regarding the Egyptian divinities in the prior encounter. But her eyebrows animate upward in a touch of amused curiousity mixed with mild skepticism. "I can see the divine spark on you, although-" For a moment, it seems as though she might argue some semantic point, but declines after a thought. "I suppose it's not my business which of you use what sorts of titles. How is that gig working out, then? Not the SHIELD one."

'How is being a god of fear? Do you get a good benefits package?' Something like that.

Once they've gotten up top, she looks to see if she can spot where Kori has gotten to, while glancing to the others for confirmation: "So, who's ordering? Or is this going to turn into 'Dinner di Zatanna' after all?"

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara spends a bit of time with her SHIELD associates while she de-explorer-agent-archaeologists her attire, pulling weapons, multiple phones, ammunition resupplies, a GPS locator and random other things off of her body and stuffing them in to a pack in the back of an SHIELD SUV before she starts back toward the others. One of the Agents offering her a jacket because, well, she dressed for Cairo weather and this is Manhattan.

So when Lara rejoins the others, she's walking up the pathway to meet them, and pulling a navy blue SHIELD light jacket on over her otherwise bare arms, no more half-gloves, her pants no longer tucked into her steel toed boots, and her... okay, she still looks like a weirdo spec-ops agent, but way more casual!

"I can order, from my friend's restaurant." She announces with a smile to the others, producing a phone (out of her pocket, not like what Kori did). "It's not far from here, he has a driver who'll bring it up."

Lara brings up a menu and shows it to them, letting them decide what they want from a restaurant called 'Jonah's Place'.

Alexander Aaron has posed:
    "Pretty good," Alex says in response to Zatanna's question as his head bobs along while he heads on up toward the stairs and starts climbing up to the 'finish line' that Kori has crossed assuredly to claim victory!
    "Mostly. My family sucks, but what can you do?" That said he ascends! Though he does take a moment to say loud enough for here, "Wow Kori won, she's super fast!"

Koriand'r has posed:
    Koriand'r PREENS beside Alexander as they stand at their location, a perfect picnic site! A more 'polished' instant grammer would already be on the ball, setting up for a new picture. She is, however, merely a hobbyist. Or someone who has been told that it is something that she's supposed to do as a marketable super heroine.
    Nonetheless.
    She is ready to crow with her hands on her hips over the lengthy stone case: "That, I did! And to myself, the victory goes the spoils!"
    CLAP!
    It is an action unseen by either Zatanna Zatara, or even Lara Croft. For it is sneaky, and quite literally underhanded. But abruptly, Alexander feels a swat right against his buttocks in a manner so quick that by the time has to look back at his fellow compatriot, she already has her hands squarely anchored at her hips, in a foot stance that is shoulder width apart.
    Her head then swivels toward him, bright green eyes fixated. She smiles, but it's not in some cheeky knowing way. There's some amount of blatant cheerfulness, and it's not unlike the comraderie one would expect from a buddy in the locker room.
    The things she picks up from TV!