InsaneJournal

Who: Brother Athelstan and Lara Croft
What: Athelstan needs help with a project.
When: 9/1
Where: LA Museum of Natural History
Rating: Family friendly
Status: Complete



Athelstan was working on his first project of the year, figuring if he knocked it out fast, he could get more hours at work. He was saving up to get Eli a present he’d seen in a shop window. So, now, he was at the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles, taking copious notes. He liked this museum; it had the usual dinosaurs and such, but it also had human relics. Items from ancient civilizations and the more recent. He was standing in the display about the Vikings. Call it dream fate.

A young woman was standing nearby, and he thought he might inquire. “Excuse me, miss, do you work here?”

Musuems were apparently the place to meet Lara Croft, and why shouldn't they be? Some of the people she needed to butter up for funding worked or spent a lot of time there, and she enjoyed the places. She had one hand in the pocket of her jeans.

"No, I'm afraid." Lara turned to smile at him. "Though I spend enough time here that they ought to pay me."

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Athelstan smiled, looking down. “I’m trying to find some information for a project so I can get it done. You’re here very often?” She was pretty, and something about her set him at ease. He might have tried to flirt, if he hadn’t had Eli.

“Not as much as the other museum. My expertise is more or less with human history and not natural history, but you really can’t completely separate the two.” She ran a hand through her hair and tugged on her pony tail.

“Did you go to school for it?” He was curious. “I’m doing religious studies right now, but I’ve been contemplating a change; I want to do more than only study religion.”

“I have. I pretty much grew up in the British Museum, so it was a natural extension, I think.” She nodded, then tilted her head. “Religion is important, but it’s only really part of the overall picture.”

“What do you study?” He wanted to hear this different viewpoint. “Or did you study?”

“I took Asian studies primarily, and generalized archaeology. I didn’t want to specialize myself too much, but I admit I had some help from a friend.” Namely she’d wanted to stay close to Sam, a bit.

“Archaeology is fascinating.” Athelstan said warmly, then belatedly flushed. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to sound like an idiot. Just, the idea of discovering so much about civilizations from things like old spoons and burial grounds is mindboggling to me ... and to think what future generations will learn about us!”

“That’s what’s drawn me to it! I feel like I belong out there.” She gestured in general. “My fingers in the dirt and my nose to the stone. Every little thing you can find has meaning, even the mundane things. I couldn’t imagine what they’d say if they found me buried with my ipod.”

Athelstan couldn’t help but laugh. “I think you’re absolutely right, miss. I mean, my project is about the Vikings, but I don’t want to just witter on about pillaging, burning and slave-taking.” For dream reasons, but also because it would be dull. “There’s more to that civilization.”

“That’s the stuff that sells, unfortunately.” Lara made a face. “The key is to use the stuff that sells to prop up the rest of it. Sort of like a trojan horse - get them into the gates with the violence, and then show them how interesting everything else is. Or…” And she held up a finger. “The angle I’ll be taking, is to make it about the individual. Give people a person to rally behind, and tell the story of history through their eyes.”

“Is that what you’d suggest for my project?” Athelstan smiled. “My name is Athelstan, speaking of.” How silly of him. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Lara Croft.” She held out her hand. “And I’d recommend that. She doesn’t even have to be a historical figure. Just a person who lived at the time. I admit it’s a bit like crafting a story, except it’s non-fiction.”

“You might be right.” Athelstan laughed, looking down. “My girlfriend is much more creative than I am; I’m sure she’d say the same thing.” Given when Eli had lived in her dreams, he realized, she might actually know more about it all than he would. “Are you just here for fun then, Miss Lara? Or are you still in school?”

“I’m here to start up an expedition. A bit ambitious, but my father always told me I should follow my dreams. And after he was gone, Roth kept pushing.”

“Roth?” Athelstan asked. “And really, an expedition? Like, to go off and dig up ancient Troy or some such?”

“Conrad Roth. He’s captain of a ship and a friend of my parents.” Lara nodded her head. “Oh god, Troy would be amazing. My father always talked about Atlantis, he could be somewhat of a loon.”

“Oh, I see. And I wish there was an Atlantis!” Athelstan laughed. “That would be the most incredible find of the millennium, I think. I mean, I got excited when the original site of the monastery at Lindisfarne was discovered. Imagine if one of the seven wonders of the world were discovered.”

“God, it would. It’s too bad it never existed, at least not in any form that popular culture might imagine.” It bothered Lara that people had to embellish ancient tales - they were amazing in their own right! “Now you’re going to fill my head. Imagine Artemis's temple, or the statue of Zeus? It's a pity they were destroyed but what if pieces were found? Or the Hanging Gardens. No one has ever proved they even existed!"

“That would be humbling. To be able to pinpoint where they stood, to find a lost city?” Athelstan’s eyes sparkled. “My parents would have said not to pay attention to heathens, but that attitude is not at all helpful to scholarship.”

“Your parents would have been wrong, anyway,” Lara pointed out, with an apologetic note to her voice. “Just because a culture is ancient does not make them primitive.”

“My parents are very religious.” Athelstan felt okay discussing it. “They tend to think poorly of cultures that aren’t. Or weren’t.”

“Or you mean, a different religion entirely? Religion has been around since our species was first able to think outside of survival.”

“Yes.” Athelstan shook his head. “They’re my parents, I love and honor them, but my views have changed since living at home. And I discovered what I was missing.” He smiled. “Even my girlfriend is not a Christian” - to his knowledge - “and they would be disapproving.”

She nodded her head. “Sounds like you have a lucky girl.”

“Eli’s wonderful.” Athelstan said warmly. “I can only hope that you have a significant other who makes you just as happy.”

Lara’s face tinged red. “No significant other. I try to avoid dating. My best mate was the one always bringing boys home.” There was a tinge of..jealousy? She filed that away to never think about later.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Athelstan flushed as well. “I certainly didn’t mean anything by it.” And what if she’d been asexual, for that matter? “How rude of me.”

“It’s all right! It’s not like I haven’t looked at people before. I just...usually needed to have my hair tugged so I’d look up from a book or paper.” She grinned, flushing. “Apparently I’ve been teasing boys with my tank tops....”

“Oh, I don’t think ...” He trailed off. There wasn’t much he could say - if he said he hadn’t noticed her figure, that was rude. If he said he had, he was a pig and Eli would somehow know. And smack him. “Whomever said that ought to have kept it to themselves,” he finally managed, figuring that was sufficiently polite.

It had been bothering her the more the thought about it. She supposed Ash’s heart had been in the right place, but it was disturbing. “Maybe. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to wear what I want. It’s comfortable.”

Athelstan just nodded. “I imagine it’s difficult to dress on an expedition,” he said, sort of changing the subject. “Have you been anywhere with really extreme weather?”

“It depends on where you’re going,” Lara replied, thoughtfully. “A few places. I think the worst weather was a storm when we were hiking in the Alps. We lucked out on our other trips, mostly.”

“That’s good. I’m sorry to ask so many questions. I just have never been anywhere. Except here, obviously.” His accent marked him as not American, of course.

“I really don’t mind answering,” Lara assured him. “It’s a welcome distraction.”

“Well, you’re very kind.” Athelstan smiled shyly. “And you’ve given me a great idea on how to approach my project. Inventing a fictional person lets my classmates experience the day to day through their eyes, instead of some far removed academic view.”

“I’ll accept any accolades and footnotes,” Lara replied with a laugh. “And if you ever need any information, you can ask me. If I don’t know it I know where to look. How’s that sound?”

“Accolades I can give you, Miss Lara.” Athelstan smiled. “I’m grateful to have come across you.”

“I think you helped, too.” She sounded honest, and earnest.

“Did I?” He couldn’t really see how, but anything he could do.

“Yes. You reminded me of part of the reason I do what I do.” She offered her hand again. “It was nice to meet you.”

He shook it, managing to look her in the eye this time. “It’s been a pleasure. You gave me a different perspective.”

Nodding, Lara turned to go. Today had made her feel really good about her life choices.