6208/How growed up..

How growed up..
Date of Scene:	13 May 2021
Location:	Queen Mansion
Synopsis:	The siblings Queen check in with each other, and it is determined that Thea is cute without makeup. Oh, and other things too.
Cast of Characters:	Thea Queen, Oliver Queen

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Thea Queen has posed:
So ..., it turns out there has been some trouble brewing under the Verdant. A problem that Thea hasn't .., really shared with Ollie. But maybe Felicity did, that snitch! Still, this was *her* problem to solve and as such she is preparing herself to go to this gala. A gala being hosted by someone who may very well be behind it, the disappearance of the mutants that used to inhabit those tunnels.

It was also an opportunity to look good. And Thea didn't miss those opportunities. Besides, it was a public gala, how badly could it go? She even got her new friends to go with them. Okay, maybe that's what could go wrong, the Asgardians...

All those thoughts are going through her mind while she prepares a plan of attack. Subtlety or not, will the knife she has on her thigh garment be enough and are her eye highlights dark enough? No, they aren't... So she settles in the main room of the Queen mansion, already dressed in the magnificent dark-red dress she will be bringing to the party, sleeveless and hugging the lower part of her chest while leaving her shoulders bare then almost all the way to the ground, a cut on the side that shows some of that slender leg. Yes, she was dressed to rock.

"This will go fine, Thea. You know it will..." She is murmuring to herself while with her makeup kit out, brushing up on her eye makeup and fiddling with her eyelashes.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Felicity can be a snitch, but she's a loyal, dedicated, and, well, she really doesn't know when to be quiet sort of snitch. And a highly valued member of the team! Can't forget that.

It isn't often that Oliver goes in search of his sister; okay, he does it all the time, but it's to make sure she's safe. Apparently these are one of those times.

"Mother said you were actually happy about going to this thing tonight. Couldn't believe it. Had to see for myself." Oliver's voice comes from the door, a his soft tenor sounding a touch on the amused side, though it's not really reaching those eyes of his. He's leaning at the doorway, his shoulder against the deep wood, and muscling away from it, he checks first one direction of the hallway, then the other before he steps in. "Had to see it for myself." A ghost of a smile tinges his face, even through the brotherly suspicion.

"You look.. like you're looking forward to the gala."

Oliver, on the other hand, isn't dressed in a tux for an outing. He's in a suit, tie, his shoes shined; he's apparently going somewhere a touch more sedate. Probably. "Mother going with you? Or is that the reason why you're putting some work into looking pretty instead of letting the naturally cute take over?"

Thea Queen has posed:
Yes. Definitely snitched! Suspicion can go both ways! And for Oliver to be here...

Thea pauses midway through adjusting her eyelashes, glancing over a shoulder to Oliver, eyes going over his attire in a judgemental manner. "Who is the woman?" she questions. Yes, she knows how these things go. And was she relieved or resentful that Oliver again found himself without a companion? Who knows? For Thea is a complex creature, and she isn't telling.

"Is it a bad thing to be looking forward for a night out with .., some friends?" Defensive Thea. Yep, hiding something. "It will be fine." she also has a thin blade hidden on a garment up on her thigh. Hidden to normal eyes that is! But Ollie can pick it up with that eagle eye of his...

"And Mother isn't coming along, she was the one suggesting the makeup though." Then she talking as if mimic'ing mother, "'Your natural cute won't do anymore, Thea. Or don't you want to find someone?'" it's followed by a roll of her eyes and she turns, gown swishing, then she opening her arms to the side. "Please tell me I don't look like a fool."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"It's not a woman," Oliver looks down and a laugh exits his throat softly before he looks up again, pushes himself off the threshold and wanders into her room fully. "It's a meeting. Downtown. Civics building." The residual smile from the laugh turns into a brief but honest grin, "I'd ask if you wanted to go, but you're all fancy."

The approach is direct and deliberate, and when she turns to look at him, it's like she's a kid again, dressed up in Mother's dresses, heels, and, yes, in her makeup. Looking pretty.

"Well, she's wrong," and he holds out his hands to rest on either side of her hips, no doubt those blue eyes have caught the subtle silhouette of a knife, "Natural cute always beats out lots of makeup." He shakes his head soon after, looking down at the truly 'all grown up' kid sister, his brows rising, "You don't look like a fool. So.." and here he pauses before his voice drops to a hoarse whisper, "Tell me you're not going in alone. Felicity have you? John? I mean, I get it if you don't want me poking in. But I need to know you're going to be safe."

Thea Queen has posed:
Meeting. Downtown. Civics building? That's all the ingredients for a, "I almost fell asleep with that description. Sounds like it will be a fine soiree for you.." Thea approaching and patting her brother in the shoulder in a comforting gesture. Yes, some go to galas, others to ..., downtown meetings! Though would Thea rub it in? Well, yes.

Though then Ollie goes and gets all nice with her. So no rubbing it in. Instead she gets her 'nice sister' smile, which is formed of her smiling radiantly up at her brother, "That was a good choice of words. Now we should get mother to listen to them, mmm?" a brow arching. As if mother would ever listen to them...

As for company. "Well, I will Felicity as backup. I will bring a comm.." She explains, hesitating briefly before adding. "I am bringing up a couple of friends. They are .., a bit different from the usual. Remember about that trip to Sweden?" yes, THAT one. The one that mostly no one had believed her. But turns out it was true!

"And .., you can put your nose in if you want, Ollie. It's just..." something I have to do. But she doesn't finish the sentence.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Oliver actually laughs, the sound easy, and he nods, bemused, "Yeah, I know. Thrills a minute. Polite clapping, a few 'hi, haven't seen you in awhile's. You know the kind. I'm almost considering the gala myself this evening, now that I know that I'd atleast have my favorite wingman."

The Queen siblings.

The laugh settles back into a smile and he takes a deep breath through his nose before shaking his head, letting out a sigh. "Mother won't listen to anyone, much less us. So, you can either sneak out with what you're comfortable with, or keep trying to get those things on your real lashes. We both know you're more than capable of sneaking." He's silent for a moment before, "Is John at least driving you there?"

Please say 'yes'.

There's another pregnant pause as Oliver processes all the information, trying to fill in holes. "Friends. A bit different from the usual? Thea.. talk to me. I know, I mean, I get it. And if you say I can put my nose in, you'd better believe I'm going to. So.." He takes a step back, and his pace is still casual, still relaxed, even if he can feel his back tensing slightly. This is his little sister!

He finds himself by the elaborate postered bed, and sits down on the edge, hands clasped on his lap, fingers entwined. "Spill it."

Thea Queen has posed:
"John will drive me there.." Thea assures her older brother. Really, all will be fine! Nothing could possibly go wrong. Has she ever gotten into trouble before?

Insert ominous feeling...

"But fine, I will take your advice!" She lifting her arms as if tossing the makeup away. She doesn't but well, it's the gesture that counts. At least she isn't putting more on! "I will just go au naturel." she batting her eyelashes a couple of times.

The question about her friends, well, she knew they'd come so .., she speaks up. "Well, Asgardians if you believe it. I already told you about Sweden. The ordeal it was. Turns out one of them got an eye on me." a brief pause. "Sif." as in Lady Sif the Goddess of War?

"So we have uh, been hanging out. You know, shopping sprees, that kind of thing." Sure, 'that kind of a thing'. She isn't telling everything though.

"I also met another one called Vin, she was the one with us when we went down the club." A sigh, she moving to sit down on the bed next to Oliver, hands on her lap. "Things were bad down there, if she wasn't there not sure if Felicity and i would had been fine. And so, in case danger of the same sort happens on that gala I decided to bring them in. They are in the loop already anyway and ..., I find myself trusting them."

No mention of Loki though! Wise Thea.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Oliver nods, that first bit of 'business' out of the way, that is John AND the makeup. Leaning back slightly, he opens up his jacket buttons, now a little more comfortable sitting on the edge of that bed.

"Asgardians," blue eyes watch his sister carefully, checking for those little 'tells' of hers. Fidgets, stammers, and brows rise. "Like Thor." It's a statement rather than a question. EVERYONE knows Thor, right? "Sif. Hanging out with an Asgardian, shopping." It's deadpanned, and maybe more than a little bit of dubious disbelief. "Is that all.."

And here it comes.

Tracking his sister's progress towards him, he pushes over a little to give her some of his warmed space. "Felicity went with you," he exhales in a sigh and shakes his head. At least neither are doing anything alone! Ish. BUT! "Okay.." and Oliver begins again, "It's past time we cleared that basement out. We need to see where it all goes. Past Felicity's cameras. And if they're in the loop.." Brows do rise at that last bit, a touch questioning, complete with an almost inaudible grunt.

"How much in the loop?"

Thea Queen has posed:
Fidgets. A couple. Specially when she finishes introducing the ones she met. Seems there might be more. But she isn't sharing. "Like Thor." she then says in agreement before adding, "I haven't met him though." then saying a stage-whisper. "Not that I would mind, mmm?" a bit of a wink. Another fidget.

"I have went back, after that first time with Felicity..." Thea announces. A pause, "I was careful. They were all gone. But so were the mutants that had chosen the place to live in. The tunnels are large but I knew of a few spots, and some of them that Roy had found too. They kept mostly to themselves but ..., the little I saw they were gone. And not in a willing manner. So I believe they were taken." a frown starting to form on the young Queen's expression.

"And that's part of why I am going to the gala tonight, to see if I can find where they may be." Hopefully still in the country. "There's still more of those tunnels to look into though, I just saw enough to figure out most are gone.. But who knows? There may be something further to find out down there too.."

And then that last question. How much in the loop? "They have seen me while I was on my leathers." she tells Oliver. "But no, I have told them nothing about you, or the others. Vin met Felicity but so far I am just a spirited girl to them."

Of course there's always the question on HOW they would had met her with she wearing her leathers. Not that she is telling right now.

Oliver Queen has posed:
"So were the mutants," Oliver repeats softly, his gaze moving to the middle-distance as he considers. When it rains, it pours. He //still// has the issue over at the chemical plant to deal with, and now more.. but one certainly doesn't have anything to do with the other.

"Right," and it sounds as if a decision is being made as they sit on that bed. He looks next to him, and down, brows rising in question, "You actually have a lead there? At the gala, that is," he quickly amends. "I mean, I can go down there tonight while you're away, and.." they'd be in constant commuunication. Two ends to a middle.

There's the biggie, though.. that part where his little sister could be 'made', as it were. His voice drops, even though he knows there isn't a chance of his being overheard by Mother. "Do they know it's very, very important that no one knows about that? Like, very." The last thing he needs is for Thea to be found out because of a casual slip. They're //not// Asgardians, and they have a life that has to be lived outside the leather.

"I think we are due for one of those //long// brother, sister conversations." In other words, he's giving her fair warning that he'll be pushing her to 'spill it' when there isn't a deadline of a gala affair. Already he's working out ways to apologize for his absence from the community presentation...

Thea Queen has posed:
"I do." This about the lead, "I pulled some weight that I still have in those more ..., unsavory places of society." The ones Thea had spent a while meddling with. During her 'dark ages'. And the way talking about it makes her uncomfortable it seems as if she isn't through it just yet. Or at least not yet through remembering it all.

Yet the talk goes by to other subjects, like Ollie actually wanting to be close by. "It .., could be something to consider." she says about Ollie's plan. "But I -won't- be letting you go alone. So if John is driving me who would be there with you, mmm? And please don't say Felicity.." see? Worry goes both ways, big brother!

Her hands go to her hips as if to demonstrate the seriousness of the question she just posed, waiting a bit for it before the talk about the Asgardians. Eventually she does speak on the matter.

"They know they should be discreet about it but .., yes. I should reinforce that feeling with them." The //long// talk that Oliver speaks of is met with a challenging lift of her brow, "Sure, but lets first make it back all in one piece, will we? And be careful not to stress me out before the gala. Mother would say it makes me get wrinkles." she turns her head in a profile as if to show it. "Any visible?"

It's also a way of diverting attention from ..., long talks.

Oliver Queen has posed:
If Thea was looking for the //look//, she's got it. The clouds that come across Oliver's clear blue eyes, the wariness, the disapproval... all vie for supremacy upon the older sibling's face. "Okay," he begins slowly, "You know //that// should get you on your guard," because it sure as heck puts him on his. He does feel a touch heartened to see that //she// doesn't particularly like it, but he's not going to let her off that hook. "And they have connections to the people who are showing up at a Gala."

Stranger things have happened.

Oliver rises from the bed, that smug, humored smile creasing his face again. "I'll be fine. Remember, I've been doing this a little longer than you have. Really, I'll be fine." He doesn't rebutton his jacket; he'll do that later. He does shift his tie, wiggling it around a little until it's seated properly. "Felicity will be on cameras, and sound. So, I'll be fine. You'll be fine." Leaning over to kiss his sister on the cheek in preparation to depart, he stage whispers, "That talk is coming.

"And no, no wrinkles. Don't add scars."