8414/Naturally Historic

Naturally Historic
Date of Scene:	25 October 2021
Location:	American Museum of Natural History
Synopsis:	Diana meets Lara at a fund raising party at the Natural History Museum.
Cast of Characters:	Diana Prince, Lara Croft

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Diana Prince has posed:
Diana is used to parties, they were a thing she avoided for a very long time, but once she became a public figure of the renown level that she's at, it becamse a different affair to attend them. Not an obligation... just something she knew she was behooved to attend for the parties slanted to charities specifically. This one was a fund raiser, good for helping the museum...

Diana had given a speech about a half hour ago, she'd stood up in front of the party goers on a stage set beside a large exhibit and she'd spoken to all gathered. In a white dress that sparkles in the ambient light, the Princess of Themyscira spoke in happy tones, addressing everyone for only five or so minutes before she stood down again...

Now, the Princess is standing off to the side of the party and holding her hand on one railing overlooking the main dance floor with her eyes on the people dancing together. Her other holds a glass of dark red wine that she has been nursing. She raises it up for a sip as someone speaks her name in passing and she waves to them before looking back down to those on the floor below from the balcony level she's on now with lots of exhibits on display behind her.

Lara Croft has posed:
    Lara has come to the party as well. Something about the museum drew her even before there was a fundraiser for it. Despite how much time she spent outdoors, the brit didn't have tan lines. She definitely looked like she belonged in that dress.
    The dress was a black halter top dress made of silk. Short, triangular sleeves hung loosely over her upper arms while leaving her shoulders exposed. Silver chains connected front to back over her shoulders themselves and seemed to be held in place almost by magic. She rounded out the look with a pair of sensible flats. She was a confident enough woman, she didn't need to wear heels to be the tallest woman in the room.
    Mingling here or there, Lara did finally duck away from the ensemble of quirky socialites. Finding her way to the railing where Diana the wallflower had stationed herself. Lara also had similarly found herself with the stem of a wine glass between her fingers, though she hadn't touched the contents, yet.
    Moving to a couple meters away from Diana, Lara silently places her hand on the railing. She looks out at the party and muses, "I feel rather out of practice at all this." It's not specifically directed at Diana, but it's laid out for the other woman to respond to if she so chooses.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana just happens to be raising her glass up for another little sip when the voice to her left speaks up. It draws her stare over as she lowers the glass down again instead of parking in it. She looks to the young woman and after a second of thought she summons a smile for her. "You know what that means, right?" Diana asks her. "It means you will never feel entirely comfortable at these things. No matter how much you try." The Princess lets that linger a moment before she turns her smile in to a little grin.

Her chin lowers a little then, her brows raise up some. "You are Duchess Croft, yes?" Diana asks. "I have read about you." She admits, Wonder Woman, no less. "You have accomplished quite a lot of impressive feats in your short time out of University... I can only imagine where you will be in a decade." She affords the young Lara softer smile.

Diana offers her free right hand then. "I am Diana." She introduces herself.

Lara Croft has posed:
    Lara's smile fades, but she doesn't quite blush. She extends her hand and grasps Diana's hand in a firm, American handshake, or at least as much of one as she's comfortable with sharing with a stranger. "Do keep the title to yourself," she says, her own voice quieter than when she remarked about the party. She gestures with her wine glass toward the party just over the railing. "I imagine if more people here knew who I really was, I'd be more pressed upon for donations than I already am." For the first time since she's got there, Lara takes a sip of wine, glancing over the railing at the party goers.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana smiles at this and glances to where Lara indicates, she looks back then a second later. "I suppose that must be true. Something I experience myself, though I would much rather donate physical items to the museum than cash funding. But that is just due to the nature of my own interests... I have lived a very lucky life. One that has lead me to coming across a great many historic items. Items that I still have stashed away around the world, many of which I am still trying to find homes for today..." She motions to the party too. "Such as here, and now." She adds before looking back to Lara. "Are you here tonight simply to make a public appearance? Or is this part of a project you are on?" The Princess then asks.

Lara Croft has posed:
    Lara's interest perks as Diana mentions all the historical items she has access to. So much so, she has to pull herself back to the moment as she is asked a question. "Oh," she says, shaking her head slightly. "Oh, no," she continues, putting a polite smile on as she gathers herself back to the conversation at hand. "My interests seem to align slightly with your own. I came here because I hadn't been explicitly invited, and I needed some time out of the office." She leans on the railing railing and faces Diana properly. "I confess to distraction," the Lady Croft says. "I inherited a large collection of historical artifacts from my late father. I'd be interested to see the items you've acquired. Call me a bit of a history buff, if you like."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana's brown eyes are on Lara's own as she speaks. She takes a sip of her drink before lowering it and giving the young woman beside her a light laugh again. "I think a lot of people know you to be such already, Lady Croft." Diana comments back to the Briton. "But I will try and stay away from labeling you as such..." She trails off politely there with a small smile for Lara. "I have spent the better part of the last century as a dealer in antiquities... specifically in the field of restoration and preservation." She just assumes Lara knows who she is. "When I left my home... and found myself in the greater world, I was bemused to see just how poorly the world at-large treats its historically significant items. Especially art... I have tried to ... do my very best to counter that over the decades..."

Lara Croft has posed:
    Lara's brows furrow in consideration as she listens. At the mention of Diana's age, Lara looks a little lost again as she begins putting things together in her brain. "I'm sorry," Lara says, setting her drink down on one of the flat-topped railing supports. She runs her hands down the front of her dress, as if habitually, not so much because of nervousness. She's found her confidence, after all. "I didn't realize which Diana I was speaking with. You're Wonder Woman," she concludes.

Diana Prince has posed:
This reaction garners a bigger smile upon Diana's dark red hued lips. "I am." She replies in short to the realization. "Diana Prince. I apologize for not tacking on the last name there..." She lets her smile shift in to a light grin again. "Whenever I speak of my age, it seems to give me away... Old as the items you are trying to find, I imagine." She jests at her own expense. "Or at least some of them... there are discoveries out there yet to be made far older than I am... even if my sisters might joke otherwise." The Princess plays before reaching her free hand out to lightly touch Lara's elbow. "You are fine though, do not fret on it."

Lara Croft has posed:
    Lara does look just slightly relieved as the princess offers her reassurance. She lifts her arm to layer it beneath Diana's, touching the other woman's elbow as well. She returns Diana's smile and says, "It's mostly a case of not keeping up on current events for my slight obsession for objects of antiquity." She looks more deeply into Diana's eyes, seeking perhaps, or maybe sizing her up. "You have young eyes," she concludes. Her expression comes back to a polite smile as she quickly interrupts herself. "My interest in your objects of antiquity still holds," she says. "I have a private collection that spans millions of years. I'm sure there could be found space for such priceless artifacts as what you seem to maintain."

Diana Prince has posed:
A drink is taken from her glass of wine and Diana lowers it again as she drops her hand once more to her side. She puts her eyes back upon the young woman and just gives her a warm smile at her words. "The gift of being put upon this world by the will of the Gods, I suppose..." She says of her eyes. "But thank you, that is sweet." The Princess takes a breath then as she lets her eyes sweep down the balcony edge to the dancers below. "Well then," Diana says as she looks back to the other. "I will have to see if I cannot invite you to view some of the items I have here in new York. We have quite a large storage facility at the new Themysciran Embassy. It is now under quite a bit of guard, but we have a number of items that were recovered during the World Wars, kept out of the hands of thsoe who might do harm to them, or preserved before the wars could reach the places they were kept in back then. Items that are thought to be long lost, are actually just being guarded until we can find a place for them today..." She quickly smiles again to Lara. "So what do you do here in Manhattan, if I might ask?"

Lara Croft has posed:
    Lara picks up her drink as Diana talks. She's just taking a sip as the question of what she does comes. Her eyes widen slightly as she separates her lips from the glass. "Mmm," she says, wiping a finger under her bottom lip. She continues in response to the question asked. "I'm actually teaching, currently," Lara confesses. "Among other things. That's actually what I'm taking a break from, at the moment. Grading." She playfully rolls her eyes and offers a smile at the other woman.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana puts her eyes back on to Lara when the job of teaching is mentioned. "Oh really?" She asks of the young woman. "You seem so young for a teaching position... But that is very noble of you. The... article I read about you... it was not long after the situation on the island near Japan. It spoke of your upbringing. You parents were... remarkable people. I am so sorry about their loss..." She says this with a true heartfelt pitch to her husky toned voice. "You sound, well, I am sorry if this is too forward, but ... you seem like a true reflection of who they both were." She tries to make that as kind as she can by chasing it with a quick soft smile.

Lara Croft has posed:
    Lara returns Diana's smile. "Thank you," she says with a slight nod. "Here," she says, procuring a clean, crisp card from somewhere beneath her dress. "I only carry a few of these when I don't have pockets." She offers it to Diana. "Text me, and we'll set up a time to go through your collection." She swirls her wine just slightly in her glass and continues, "I would offer to show you mine, but it's in Surrey. Quite an excursion to take on a whim, especially on a school night." She offers a playful smile.

Diana Prince has posed:
The Princess reaches out with her free hand to take the offered card and to look it over quickly. The follow-up words from Lara has her looking up and over at her again to laugh softly. "This is why I have an Invisible Jet...." She retorts with a growing grin to insinuate the options now before Lara. The Princess masks the grin with her wine glass again as she sips it and slips the card away in to her own dress's side near her hip. "I will do that though. I imagine our educations are rooted in very different sources of experience... so your insight would be welcomed." She quickly adds before motioning down to the dancers below swaying to the live musicians. "You came alone?" Diana asks then.

Lara Croft has posed:
    Lara glances to the movement as Diana puts the card somewhere safe on her person. She looks up to Diana's eyes as the other asks if she came alone. She tries a smile, but it's only there for politeness' sake. "There's a very sweet boy who's been bringing me flowers and chocolates, but in all honesty, I find relationships to be rather tedious. Perhaps I'm not looking in the right places, but I find myself somewhat unwilling to commit." She takes a sip of her own wine, seemingly more at ease around Diana since the beginning of the conversation. "I'm more interested in an invisible jet. If it's super-sonic, that could be very convenient. However, I also find it...confusing and more than a little problematic."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana's free hand now goes to the stainless steel railing in front of them on the balcon's edge. She holds the railing lightly while listening to Lara's words. "Well. The Jet can go far beyond super sonic. It is space worthy in fact, and could theoretically take one to another star system in short order... but I have... never used it for such purposes, admittedly. I guess you could call me a bit of a 'home body' but my duties are here upon Earth." The woman says in her heavy non-American accent, much like Lara's but further south east!

Diana spares a glance toward Lara. "I would offer you a tour above the city some time if you would enjoy that. It is a very ..l unusual flight, being that it does not use Earth's gravity to propell it, but instead creates its own... but yes, that is just a bit of rambling, I suppose."

Lara Croft has posed:
    Lara's mouth doesn't hang open only through lots and lots of practice. "I admit," she finally says, "I am consistently in awe of you. If I /were/ to have asked someone to attend this--" She dismissively waves her hand over the railing, glancing at the party-goers while searching for the right word. "--event with, I find you an intriguing option to be sure." She sips the last of her wine and considers the glass for a moment. She looks at Diana for a moment. "Perhaps that's just the red wine talking. Still, I would adore a peek at other worlds. That is not something one can simply drop into my lap and not expect me to ask for."

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana has that big happy smile show on her lips at the suggestion of having attended the party tonight together with the young woman. "Well, there are always more of these to come, and now I have your contact information. So this means I know who to call to keep me company on these very such events...." The Princess replies with a more warm element to her expressive face. A second later then and the Princess holds the glass in her right hand with her left as well now, clutching lightly to the base of the glass. "An explorer of EArth, wishing to add entire other worlds to that list?" Diana asks with a tilt of her head. "You are insatiable in your desire to see more, learn more, discover more, so it would seem." She says back with a happy look on her face.

Lara Croft has posed:
    "Collect more," Lara says in a lower tone of voice but still loud enough to be heard. She smiles back at Diana. "I'm pretty sure I've broken one immortal being's heart recently. Are you karma?" she asks, playfully.

Diana Prince has posed:
This gets another light laugh out of the Princess who shakes her head from side to side. "Karma? I do not think so. Though I suppose it is arguable. I have been the answer to my sibling's nefarious ways since I left my home, among the answer to many others attempts at terrible deeds." She gives a quick smile then before a server walks past them and she sets her glass down upon his tray. "I promise my heart shall not be broken by you. It has already been broken long, long ago..." She gives a smirk there and then.

Lara Croft has posed:
    "Fair enough," Lara says. She looks at her empty glass. "That does ground things a little." She looks at Diana again as she leans against the railing. "Invisible jet, Wonder Woman, super intriguing and beautiful, has artifacts she wants to show me, can take me to other star systems in 'short order'." Lara raises her empty glass to gesture toward Diana. "It was all starting to sound too good to be true." She turns to lean both arms on the railing. "Still does, to be honest, but something about the broken heart grounds it." She looks at Diana over her shoulder. "If you had been offering to dance with me, I might have suspected I was in some kind of paradise simulation," she teases.

Diana Prince has posed:
A couple holding hands walks past the two of them and one of them calls out to Diana which catches her attention for just a moment. She raises a hand to wave back to them and offer them a greeting as they pass by before she looks back on to Lara. "Would you enjoy a dance?" Diana then asks. "It is not often that I step out on the dance floor myself, but I am willing if you would enjoy it." She tells the other with another quick smile given. "Of course... this means you will have a lot more eyes upon you. A lot more people knowing you are here, and potentially coming to you with questions, about a lot of things, let alone generous donations..." She grins again then for the Briton.

Lara Croft has posed:
    Lara considers Diana for quite some time. She puts her glass back up on the flat top of the stainless steel railing support. "I delve into ancient catacombs trapped and dangerous for less gain than a dance with someone such as yourself." She holds out her hand. With a smirk she says, "If you are feeling similarly adventurous, let me lead."