585/Siege of the Ghost Spider: Lara Raids Shadowcrest

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Siege of the Ghost Spider: Lara Raids Shadowcrest
Date of Scene: 17 March 2020
Location: Shadowcrest Manor - Bristol Township
Synopsis: Lara comes to Shadowcrest to speak with Zee on sending Gwen home. Despite warnings, Zee seems determined to carry through. Gwen is a plucky blonde love interest.
Cast of Characters: Zatanna Zatara, Gwen Stacy, Lara Croft
Tinyplot: Siege of the Ghost Spider


Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"I should have asked her what type of tea she liked." Zatanna is fretting the details as she's busying herself in the manor's main library, setting down the silver tea set from the early 17th century and delicate bone china. "She's British, but it's that whole... they don't all drink Earl Grey, right?" she asks the air, seemingly. Dressed for work, she's in her usual white corsetted top with black underlace, trousers and kitten heels, her hair parted with a white band across the middle to give extra lift to her bangs.

That's when the dodo -- a mounted, taxidermied dodo mind you, speaks up. "You could just set out an assortment of instants, Zatanna."

"Or serve wine instead." That from the moosehead over the fireplace.

"Only heathens and Americans serve instant teas!" she protests. "And no. Tea. Not wine. I'm trying to get her help, not get her drunk." She pauses. "Gwen?" she calls out. "You ready yet? She'll be here soon!"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Gwen has a business suit, but it seems odd for Lara to show up where there's a vigilante sitting around like Beetleguise chilling in bug form. So she's opted for something more comfortable. A pair of black acid wash black jeans and a red tanktop over a fishnet shirt. Her hair is pulled back which exposes both sides of the shaved undercut, aside from a tress of bangs to frame her face. Lastly is a pair of black/red hightop moonboot sneakers.

"mm?" She asks, slinking into the library where Zatanna has been working for the better part of the day since they got back from Coney Island, "Oh, yeah, you look great." Totally missing the entire point of the conversation between Zee and... the moosehead or the Dodo, only that the Moose keeps staring at her everytime she walks in and she's pretty sure he called her harlot the other day.

No confirmation on that yet.

Her hip lifts up to sit on the end of the table across from Zatanna, picking at a small plate of fruits to nibble on while looking around.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara had received the invitation over the phone and taken down the address. She'd had a pretty busy day today, finalizing the purchase of a new vehicle that she's using to get here. A black Jeep Wrangler, all shiny and new.

It pulls up to the home and inside the woman within is sorting with a few things, fussing with whatever she with her but after a moment the door opens and she steps out. Wearing a black leather jacket unzipped over a light grey hoodie and a dark navy blue shirt buttoned up beneath it. Her legs are covered in dark charcoal grey denim with a couple cargo pockets on the outsides of her thighs and black leather boots on her feet.

As she steps out of the jeep she reaches up to fuss with her hair, putting it into a ponytail behind her shoulders, as she rarely likes to have her dark hair loose about her shoulders, especially when in new places where it can easily get in her way (something she's done her whole life, always fighting those who tried to get her to wear her hair 'pretty' over 'manageable').

Finally with things settled, Lara looks to the home and starts to close her Jeep's door then -- stops, she exhales and crouches to pick up a piece of paper that'd fallen out of her lap -- she tosses it back inside the Jeep and closes the door then starts toward the home.

She'll approach the front door and knock or ring, whatever is best for alerting the denizens within that the British Archaeologist from SHIELD has arrived.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
The moosehead didn't call Gwen a harlot. That was the owl in the hallway. It's a screechy mfer. "And you look like you're ready to go clubbing." Zatanna responds with a playful smirk Gwen. "Or for a 'clash at Demonhead' concert." It's an old reference, but it checks out. That's when the doorbell chimes, a deep resounding noise within the house. The first thing that Zatanna does as she squeezes Gwen's shoulder as she walks by is to say, "Sdraw."

That puts the magical wards and cloaks back in place that hides Shadowcrest from the world now that Lara's arrived. Making her way down the hallways to the front door, it's the mistress of the house that answers the door.

"Good evening, you must be Lady Croft!" she says, a warm smile touching her features. "WAND said you were one of the bests in the field of archeolgical and occult research nd recovery." Then she pauses, and corrects. "Ahead of myself. I'm Zatanna Zatara. Please, welcome to Shadowcrest, would you follow me to the study?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Gwen holds her hands out and looks down at herself, "Should I change?" She wonders, frowning at the implication! Is she not fit for the game, coach? Does she need to ride the pine? Damn owl, got her second guessing herself. No matter what the answer is, however, there's no time to make any last minute alterations. The Doorbell chimes and Zatanna is headed down the hallways with that tickly sound of magic whispering up the back of her neck.

"I can't believe you just say words backwards." That's not going away.

It's said amusedly, though. Following along behind the Mistress of the Manor to stands near the entry to the sutdy with her head cocked to the side so she can see whoever it is standing on the otherside of the door... Harlot.. "Cut it out owl..." who...

"Nobody likes a smartass..."

Lara Croft has posed:
On the other side of said doorway is indeed the young Lady Lara Croft. Probably not the greatest Archaeologist in the world right now -- because she is only barely 22 and new to it all -- but she is one of the hottest names in the field right now, without question. She's an up-and-comer, as they say, and she's had a notoriously famous event occur just this past Fall that really put her name on the tongues of others, in the field of Archaeology and outside of it... and that is the real trick, breaking boundaries with one's persona and becoming a name that more people recognize than just those within your field.

Lara smiles when the door opened and she nods her head lightly. "I am indeed." She says with regard to her identity. "It is an honor to meet with you, Miss Zatara. I'll admit your name was familiar when you said it, but I've since done a little digger and the full scope of... well you... has come further into picture. I'm happy to come here to help you with what it is you need assistance with." Gwen is noted as well.

Lara gives Gwen a soft nod while stepping inside. "This is a beautiful home." She says of the building itself, her eyes already wandering to explore and try to discern elements of the house's origins, be it in it's decor or the architecture that has created it.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"I don't just say something backwards. There's more to it than that." Zatanna corrects, a slight thinning of her lips, before she smirks and gives a wave of her hand. "You try saying something backwards and see what happens." she points out in amusement before answering the door. After Lara makes her greeting, Zatanna gestures to Gwen. "This is Miss Gwendolyn Stacy. She is the impetous of our meeting tonight." comes the admission. "Gwen, this is Lady Lara Croft, of WAND." She pauses. "Before we go any further, I was told that anything we discuss tonight will remain discrete?" That is asked of Lara as they start down the hallway and notices Lara's wandering eyes.

And it's with a bit of pride she explains. "Shadowcrest has been my family's home since the 1700s. It holds the legacy of my family and all the research we've amassed in our generations of living. But, as you can tell, I'm always wanting to learn more!" she says with a small laugh. They walk down a hallway lined with suits of armor, various artifacts and paintings of ancestors before they move into the main study. "I did not know what type of tea you perfered, but I can have some prepared readily for you, if you wish?" she asks.

"Anyway! Please, make yourself at home, I'll serve up the tea, and we'll get into why I asked you over."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"I don't even know if I could say something backwards." Gwen says under her breath, returning Lara's wave with a grin. As the pair come back in her direction, the tips of her fingers duck down in the back pocket of her jeans, angling herself so that they can pass into the study and she can follow behind. Mostly so that owl wont talk crap about her when she's not looking.

Back in said study, the blonde finds somewheres to take a seat, knees together and hands resting atop them while Zatanna does the hostess thing to great effect. She wants to help.. somehow.. since she sure doesn't know jack about magic or archaeology or even the occult. "I'll get the tea..." She offers, popping up from her chair to stop Zatanna from leaving with a hand on the front of her shoulder, motioning for her to stay with Lara.

"I have to be helpful somehow." Because there's about to be a whole lot of talking over her head, about her, with her in the room. Might as well have something to say look what I did! and that did, is going to be tea.

If she can remember where the Kitchen is.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's stare returns to Gwen when the introduction, and revelation that she's the reason Lara's here, is relayed. "I see." Croft returns then. She continues to follow along through the Manor and while hearing Zatanna call for discretion, Lara agrees with a soft "Yes, of course, but-" and adds. "There's a stipulation that if danger to others is presented, then I have to be less than discrete with how I handle things. I'm a member of SHIELD after all, I have to uphold their agency's rules to the best of my ability." It's... red tape really.

Once in the study and the subject of tea comes up, Lara shows a soft smile. "Earl Grey is fine, with a little honey if you have it." It's what is most usually readily available, even if there's lots of other types out there to be had.

When told to make herself comfortable, Lara pulls her leather jacket off and drapes it over the back of the first chair that seems appropriate for it. She then fusses with her hoodie around her waist to make sure she looks as presentable as a... hoodie wearing Agent can. "I feel I could spend a month or more just going over this room of the house alone." Lara then adds as they prepare for the meeting.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Perhaps, if this goes well, we can discuss that." Zatanna offers, just as Gwen places a hand on her shoulder to stave her from leaving and she covers it with her own. "No need to do all of that!" she offers, tugging Gwen's hand lightly to bid her to sit back down. Turth be told, Zatanna is only a couple of years older that Lara. But she's been raised in magic since the day she was born. "If you do not mind me showing off a bit?" she asks the pair curiously.

"Ecivres rof eat. Lrae Yerg htiw yenoh."

And the air around the tea set shimmers and glows, before the teapout rises with one of the teacups, and fills it with fresh tea. The honey pot comes over next, the dipper swirling around before rising from it. "You'll have to tell it when." she instucts as the honey starts to be added to the tea. Once done, a silver spoon rises, stirring around within the cup, then the cup and saucer float over to Lara to take in her hands.

"The danger here, to be honest, should be minor at least." she explains as she uses the magicks to make her own cup of tea, and then waits for Gwen to tell the set how she wants her tea. While that's going on, she turns her full attention to Lara. "How up to date are you on Arthurian legends and artifacts. I do not mean the obvious, such as Avalon or Excalibur, but the more obscure, such as the Stone of Giramphiel or Wynebgwrthucher?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Gwen's mouth quirks slightly when Zee stops her from serving tea and nods acquiescence, settling back down on the chair she'd recently vacated. "Honey and a little cream, please." Said to the set, using her fingers to give relative amounts. Hand out to welcome the floating cup and saucer, setting it down on her thighs like a little plate at a party, head bent forward to stare at her legs.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara is seated quietly on the edge of her chosen chair when the tea display occurs and she watches the cup and saucer float toward her. She'd told the magical spell 'when' not too long after it'd begun its pouring of the tea, just enough to give a alight sweetened kick.

Once it's in her hands though, Lara raises it up and takes a sip of it while she hears the questions begin. A smile is on her lips as she lowers the cup back down to the saucer and the saucer down to rest atop her lap. "I uh..." She starts to speak then as her eyes go a bit distant in thought.

A second later and she's looking back over toward Zatanna and Gwen. "I gave my father a paper and cardboard recreation of the belt of Giramphiel on the night before a trip where he was quite nervous. I told him that the belt's stone would grant him great bravery and strength for the next day." She pauses then and reaches a hand up to rub it at the back of her neck. "The stone was just a bit of quartz taken from the gardens outside." She shows a hint of a grin then before she nods once. "I'm familiar with the stories of Arthur's Shield as well." She says on the subject of Wynebgwrthucher.

"My father, Richard Croft had amassed wealth of information in Croft Manor back in Surrey. Going through it all was... my form of entertainment as a child. Rather than video games or what-have-you." Lara shows a hint of a grin. "I wouldn't say I know it all, heavens no, but I've been reading about it long before it any sort've required topic in a school." Things of this nature are a passion to Lara, rather than anything less.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Smiling aside to Gwen, Zatanna gives her hand a squeeze as she listens to Lara lay out the knowledge that she has, and the young magician gives a nod of approval. Releasing Gwen's hand so she can get her cup of tea, Zatanna nods her approval. "Good. We're not looking for either of those, but it's related." she explains.

Sipping from her tea, she gestures for a book that moves over to her. "There is an item known as the Siege Perilous, that was a gift to the Knights of the round by Roma, the keeper of Avalon and Merlin's daughter. It is fabled to give those that step into it's portal and deemed to be worthy of it, a chance to strart life anew. To have a chance to live the life that they were supposed to live before things were taken astray."

She glances to Gwen and draws in her breath. "Gwen is not of this world. She's from a parallel dimension, and in this reality, she has passed away. I am wanting to hire you for your services to find the Siege, and help Gwen try to get back home. And perhaps make things right for her."

In her words, there's a sadness there. She knows what this may mean, and she doesn't like it. "I had a vision of the location it is -- but cannot pinpoint it for sure. There are... forces that are obscuring my scrying." she admits finally. "It will require some rather old-fashioned means to locate?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Gwen turns her hand over to lace her fingers with Zatanna, just for a second, squeezing them and then releasing when the Mistress of the Manor goes into explanation as to why they need Lara. Several strands of her blonde hair, with the frosted pink tips, is tucked behind her ear sipping tea with a.. well it's not casual.. but a glance at Lara to gauge her initial reaction to her not being from around here.

SHIELD exists in her reality too and while they /may/ not operate the same, they aren't exactly high on her list of friends due to their general clandestine way of doing things. Hard to tell how much of that holds true here.

"You're in my reality." She finally says to Lara, speaking to her directly... "Kind of... I just remember when you said something about video games. There's a series of them.. and a few movies. I knew I recognized your name." Grinning and looking down at her legs, "I use to want to be you when I was a kid." Which means, at least if what she's saying is true, that Lara's much older there.

"It's one of the reasons I got into science, but I wasn't very interested in history, so I started studying genetics..." Glancing over to Zatanna, they're getting to the rough part. The part neither of them really wants to admit, but both of them know is coming.

The part where she goes home.

The blonde looks back down at her tea and forces a smile.

Lara Croft has posed:
Everything that Zatanna speaks of starts to settle in and the factors that are all involved in it along with it...

Another sip of the tea is had before Lara's eyes go to Gwen when she speaks of her and the alternate reality version of, herself? There's a hint at what Gwen says there that strikes home with Lara. Back in December she'd worked two weeks with a man who'd taken notes on her story to turn it into a book about the events of what happened on Yamatai Island, and a month later she'd found out that that contract had been extended into a possible movie deal. Only Lara knew about that, and a few others. So hearing Gwen speak of it, as though it happened years ago? It's intriguing to her.

"I'm sorry you've been displaced." Lara says in a soft voice, a sincere and caring voice laced with her British flavor. She sets the tea cup down on the saucer again and looks back to Zatanna.

"The Siege Perilous... is dangerous. If it even exists. Legend says that those unworthy who sat upon it were either displaced themselves, or burned to a crisp. The seat, or throne, was built for the Knight who brought the Holy Grail to the Round Table. That... seems like it would be a bit of a hurdle, should we be able to use what vision you had to even locate it."

There's a pause then before Lara speaks again. "In basics, it's a very picky chair." She shows a small grin.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose, Zatanna nods thoughtfully at Lara. "I agree with you on that, but I'm not exactly planning on having Gwen sit in the seat." she explains as she sips her tea. "I plan to use it only to enhance my own powers. I'll be the focal point for it." she explains. "I'll use my own magic with the Siege and help find the path to get Gwen to where she needs to be."

Of course Zatanna has considered what Lara said. Chances are is that she will be the one to be used to be judged on the worthiness of it all. And most likely, she'll be the one burned to a crisp. Zatanna's plan on that was to cross that hurdle when we get there.

"I doubt if the Grail is suddenly going to make it's appearance, but the Siege called out for a reason. I tried to use just my own spells and the power within this home to find the gateway, but to no avail. The Siege may be trying to offer its assisatnce."

At least that's her hope. "Regardless. That's the danger I will be taking on in this process. My request remains the same. Will you help us with finding it's location?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Wait, nobody said anything about being burned to a crisp..." Gwen glances up suddenly, looking from Lara to Zatanna, and back again. MORE SO when Zee makes it clear that SHE will be the one sitting in said crispy making seat, "No." She shakes her head vehemently, "Absolutely not." Setting her tea down on the table beside her, the blonde stands up shaking her head yet, "I will not let you risk that for me, nuh uh, no way, nah gunna 'appen'.."

Both hands are slicing through the air, little bangs doing the windshield wiper manuever across her forehead. "I'll be fine here, there's plenty of really great things going on. I hear 4 non blondes are reuniting for a night at Rocafellar next month, see? No reason to go back.. And then there's that we're a whole three seasons behind on The Walking Dead on my Earth. I can't wait three years to see if Negan's really with the Walkers. That's not okay-"

Stepping over to Zatanna, hands on her shoulders, "Seriously, I'm fine." So what if I'm dead here, or can't see my dad, or have a job... or be seen by anyone who knows me or continue my career without assuming a new identity. Or risk a total calapse of reality with a massive paradox shift.

Someone's got to talk some sense into her.

Lara Croft has posed:
At Zatanna, Lara's brown eyes are locked on to the other's own. "Is there any way for you to show me what you saw?" She asks. "To see the vision that you saw, as you saw it?" It would help her greatly get all the little detective details in the surroundings that Zatanna saw, so that Lara could start to decode them and see if there was anything there that could start to connect points together and lead them to where she saw this mythical, and infamous, throne.

"I--" Lara cuts herself off there as Gwen's reaction starts to roll out. It seems that they haven't talked this entirely through and she can tell that the two are important to one another. So as this starts, Lara raises her tea cup up to take another sip from it. She then lifts her left hand up to stroke some of her loose dark bangs back behind her ear on that side of her face while her eyes are down from staring at them now that the two of them are discussing a bit more personal matters related to all of this.

Lara looks away then to study the various elements of the hall they occupy, the impressive decor within it and what have you.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Zatanna didn't discuss this with Gwen because she didn't plan to! That was going to wait until after she made the portal to help Gwen get back home. Her hands reach up to cover Gwen's own. "I knew you dyed." she teases her softly, her smile soft, concerned. But in the end, her tone is still resolute as she turns her attention from Gwen to Lara and she nods.

And into the explanation she goes. And because she's already put that all into a post already -- she's not going to spam up everything in the scene by repeating it all here.

"Sorry, no me working at Panera." She says to Gwen, an inside joke between the pair, before she turns her attention back to Lara. "That is when I made the decision to call you." she explains.

"You do not have to help me. And Gwen does not have to come with me. But I will take on the quest by myself, if I must. Because I want to make sure she's safe. That she doesn't have to hide."

Her voice softens. A tremble is in it as she considers her next words. And the thoughts of a woman she never met that was her mother, and a man that was her father that died before...

"She deserves to see her father again. And hug him. And tell him that she loves him." the young sorceress says quietly. "She has the chance to do something I will never have. That any daughter that has lost the father than loved them does not get a chance to do. And I want to give her that gift."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Way to kick her in the feel box.

Gwen sits with her hands on Zatanna's shoulders while the Raven haired Sorceress explains why she has to do what she's going to do whether Gwen and Lara help her or not... the particulars of her father. She looks down, almost ashammed really, and takes a deep breath which she releases in a quiet sigh. A sigh that leads to the blonde wrapping her arms around Zatanna, holding her tight.

She is no more comfortable with the idea that Zatanna might be burnt to a crisp, that's never going to sit right with her no matter what, but she trusts that Zee wouldn't throw her life away if she didn't think it was a strong chance she would be okay.. "Don't you sacrifice yourself for me, Zee..." She murmurs in the womans ear, then slides back with her fingers tracing the back of her arms to settle down into the chair she'd vacated. Retaking her tea, which she stares down at, watching the small ripples spreading from the center out towards the inside of the cup.

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's eyes go back to the both of them as she's regarded again by Zatanna. "I'll gladly help." She says in a calm but caring way. Her teacup is in her lap and she raises it up with the saucer to set it upon the edge of a table near her. "I'll need all the information you have on what you saw, where you saw it, and if there is anyway for you to let me see what you saw... that would be most ideal." Lara knows full well that Zatanna is a proficient magician, to the extent-of-which though... is the mystery. Likely better than the mages they have at WAND however, who all seem a bit, amateur.

"What I have right now, isn't even enough to make an educated guess on where it could be. But that's not to say that in a day's time I can't come up with a few better ideas. I have contacts in both London, and here in the States, who excel in Arthurian legends and how they relate to our own real world. Coupled with what you have, well, we might be able to eek out a starting point."

At Gwen specifically then, Lara looks. "How... were you sent here, if I might ask?" She questions Gwen. "I don't mean to dredge up uncomfortable topics, but it might factor in to ways we can get you home. To where you belong." The idea that the Gwen of this reality is 'dead' is one that unsettles Lara, in a way she wouldn't wish to experience herself in Gwen's shoes.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"I'll have it transcribed and prepared for you immediately." If she was older, Zatanna might give that Sorcerer Supreme dude a run for his money. But she's youthful still. And before Gwen's hand withdraws, she grabs it and presses a kiss on the inside of her wrist. Hopefully to convey a message she feels in her heart as she sets down her teaup. "Ebircs." she speaks gently, and a feather is plucked for the stuffed dodo.

"Ow!" comes the complaint from the mounted creature. "Really?"

"Just one, for this spell!" she promises the bird, as she turns her attention to Lara. "I'm willing to give you access to my library and books. But I will need to warn you. Shadowcrest will know if you try to steal from it's walls." Hence why she had the dodo 'speak', as she lifts her sapphire eyes to the tomb raider.

"I trust you, but I must warn you regardless. Theft from here will result in you being turned into a rather unpleasant raccoon."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Gwen grins at the kiss to her wrist and settles back in the overstuffed chair with her knees together and her ankles spread out at an angle like a pyramid. Toes pigeoned in slightly, with her attention mostly on her tea, or the Sorceress. At least until Lara asks her a direct question...

She turns towards her and takes a breath, stretching out enough that her back pops and settling forward onto her thighs with her wrists. "I dimensional bridge generator at a lab where I was interning in my universe. It malfunctioned and sent out a ripple wave of energy that imploded the machine and pulled me in before it collapsed. When my eyes opened, I was here on the roof of OsCorp during a rainstorm.."

She brings her teacup up to take a long drink, "I have a theory that it was a series of events that brought me here... A force involved pulling me here for reasons that weren't clear at the time.. the rain storm which took out a city block with a lightning strike at the precise moment I arrived, and the destruction of that dimensional bridge. Like a pot of bullshit stew..."

She glances over at Zee, then back to Lara, "And honestly only one good thing has come from it."

Lara Croft has posed:
Lara's hands go down to the top's of her thighs where she splays her fingers against them and lightly squeezes through the denim of her dark jeans. She nods to Zatanna, watching her take that feather and the reaction it gets from that stuffed dodo. Her eyes linger on the dodo for a second before she looks to Zatanna when the subject of theft raises. There's a faint grin shown from Lara and she shakes her head and motions gently with her hands raised, before dropping them again.

"You needn't worry. I only take from places far older than this, I promise." It's an Archaeology joke. Everyone laugh. "But in all seriousness, I'll start in the morning. I'll reach out to people I know here in the United States and then I'll likely come here to delve in to what resources you have available here before heading back to the WAND offices and... well, lastly, contact my colleagues in the UK to see if there's any further assistance they can provide." She nods her head softly once. "It'll be a good effort, a great effort even. But things like this..."

Lara looks from one of them to the other, she can tell that they mean a lot to one another. "I can't get your hopes up on finding this item. It's... one of those relics that is very important to a great many people throughout history. It has a tumultuous tale, to describe it gently. Being connected to the Holy Grail and all that is associated with that?"

A light breath is taken then, Lara has to shake her head again ans she idly moves her hands over the top of her knees. "It's embarking on a well traveled road, a road that has many, many branching pathways. None of which anyone has ever had any success in traveling upon. But, that's not to say that there's not a chance. There is. We'll follow what leads we find, one to the next, and we'll see what we find." She then shows them both a smile, albeit a reserved one as she doesn't seem the type to ever smile too large.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"We're embarking on a trail that many humans have taken..." Zatanna starts, though at Gwen's comment, the mage's cheeks darken. Someone is working on brownie points! Her hands settle in her lap, fingers laced over each other as she assesses the group they have. It's proper. It works. They have the scholarly swashbuckler, the financier...

Just noone tell Gwen she's the plucky sidekick.

The joke about taking from places older than this draws a soft laugh. "There's a creed amongst mages, Lara... if I may call you Lara?" she asks permission -- which is really close to begging forgiveness.

"Mages tend to not take magical items unless to secure them away or to be used in that moment. I have plenty of magic. I have no want to add the Siege Perilous to my collection. I will be seeking out Roma's advice and approval as well. To try to make things easier." She hopes.

"In the end, the Siege is only to help Gwen. After that, what becomes of it is only to make sure that it's not in the wrong hands."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Plucky Sidekick?!

What about hot blonde love interest?! Did nobody think of THAT?!

Christ, do I have to write everything.

Gwen does not realize her part in all this, it's well and truly above her pay-grade, but it's designed to get her home and involves Zatanna Zatara. Things of warring importance to her right now. So she's going, plus there's definitely going to be a safari hat, backpack, and all kind of high flying moments.

Pluck moments.

With the hot blonde love interest.

Lara Croft has posed:
"Yes, of course." Lara says with regard to Zatanna (or even Gwen) referring to her by her first name. She's not one for titles, Duchess, Lady or otherwise and never was... much to the chagrin of her extended family back in Britain.

"Right." Lara says then about the Siege itself. "Sometimes, these items - or items like it - turn up in places that you wouldn't dream of. I was just speaking with a colleague of mine the other night at a an even at the Metropolitan Museum who said he'd spent five years trying to track down a helmet from a well known Byzantine military commander, only to finally find it in the bedroom of the son of an art collector who was using it to keep spare parts for his gaming computer in." Lara shows a clear grin at this, then shakes her head. "For all we know, the Siege Perilous could be... in a random garden, holding a pot of Lilies on it, rather than be stuffed away in a location that would make our imaginations run wild."

She keeps her grin, pauses and then adds. "Though, in my recent personal experiences, those are possible too. So we'll see where we end up."

She starts to stand up then and reaches for her jacket. "Thank you for the tea, and everything. I'll be in touch with you tomorrow and likely back by here to go over what you have within your fine home here." She starts to slide the black leather garment back on to her arms and shoulders then.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Rising to her feet, Zatanna comes over to thank Lara for her coming over. "I look forward to working with you then, and seeing where this takes us. And that we're fruitful in getting the result everyone wants." Even if that breaks her heart.

When Lara takes her hands, Zatanna's eyes glow for a moment and she speaks a few soft words -- not backwards, Gwen -- this time it's an actual language. Latin.

Backwards.

"...Now you will be able to see Shadowcrest and enter and depart as you need to." Not an automatic teleport, but it's a start.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Gwen stand sup as well and waits her turn to shake Lara's hand. She's still not super keen on the whole idea of Zatanna being burnt to a crisp so she can be chased by the police in her own universe, but it's important to the sorceress and she does want to see her dad again... even if doing that is breaking her heart as well.

"Thank you, Lara." Extending her hand out, side glancing Zee when she speaks those magical words, "Hold on a second, that sounded like latin..." Because scientist, "Did you just say latin words backwards so I wouldn't know you were JUST SAYING WORDS BACKWARDS?"

She's not exactly flailing and she's certainly not being deliberately disparraging towards Zatanna, it's clear, hopefully, that she cares a great deal for the Sorceress... who is, in fact, risking her life and spending a great deal of resources to try and get her home.

While she's looking back to Lara, she's still looking sidelong at Zee too. Grinning, with just the hidden hint of sadness tickling the corners of her eyes.