Tiffany Maxwell doesn't give a fuck what you think (dirtyandsloppy) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-09-19 10:16:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, lara croft, tiffany maxwell |
Who: Tiffany and Lara
When: Recently
Where: Library
What: Tiffany reads over Lara’s shoulder
Rating/Warning: Low/None
Status: Complete
The sweat from the melting iced coffee in her hand evaporated the same way as the droplets on her brow. The evenings were slightly cooler, now that it was almost fall, but a long walk was still a long walk. Tiffany preferred not to drive to and from her dance classes. She felt it defeated some of the purpose. Besides, there were worthwhile stops along the way, like the coffee shop, for one. Also, there were music stores and boutiques and the library, which she liked for the people-watching more than the books, sometimes.
There was something satisfying about spying on people in the library, because they always looked like they were trying to do something in secret.
Lara had three large books on the table in front of her, and was flipping carefully through one while comparing it to something on her phone. She ran a hand through her hair, partially dislodging her tail, and grinned to herself. She set the phone down, moved the book, and unfolded a carefully creased map.
She didn’t immediately catch Tiffany’s eye. At the moment, the woman looked pretty much like everyone else with a pile of books. It wasn’t until Tiffany circled the table and happened to glance at an open page that she had reason to pause.
The page was open to a large Japanese statue. It looked like a woman in royal regalia. The map that Lara was looking at was mostly water, and she had circled several areas. She’d wanted to narrow the scope, ever since she’d started dreaming about finding Yamatai. Maybe she could find it here too.
Tiffany lingered longer than she should have. It was just that the picture was so pretty and it was difficult to tear herself away. She sipped what was left of her coffee and admired it.
The brunette looked up, blinking her eyes. “Uhm. Hello?”
She didn’t care about getting caught. Her face didn’t turn red or anything like that, she didn’t show any sign of embarrassment. Tiffany simply said, “Hey. What are you reading about?”
She tilted her head and smiled. "A side-project of mine. There's an ancient Japanese kingdom on an island, but no one has ever found it." She tapped the picture of the statute. "Supposedly rules by a shaman queen."
Tiffany shifted her weight to her other hip. She was still dressed from dance class. “Okay, but what’s the side project?” she said after a moment. “Just researching it, or…?”
"I want to find it and visit it. Think of the discovery? A mysterious island filled with history! The art, the architecture..." She waved her hands excitedly as she spoke. "We could find out how those people lived, maybe find out how they remained independent."
“And this is a side project?” she asked, sounding very much like her ninety-year-old grandmother, who technically lived with her and her mother, even though Tiffany had turned the detached garage into her apartment. “What the hell do you do regularly?”
“I’m putting together an official expedition to some other sites. But this bug bit me and I figured I should just go with it and get it out of my system,” she explained. It occurred to her she couldn’t live off Dani and Renji’s rents, and she’d have to see if any bars needed a bartender. She found she was much better with people when there was a bar between them.
Tiffany could honestly say she’d never met anyone who did this kind of thing. This was Indiana Jones shit. And because she couldn’t figure out what to say, that was exactly what slipped out. “That is some serious, Indiana Jones-type shit.”
“Oh, I doubt it’s as exciting. There are traps, but they’re usually rusted shut or otherwise inert. And there’s certainly nothing supernatural about any of these sites, even if the shaman queen could supposedly affect the weather.” Lara raised her eyebrow, as if daring Tiffany. “Most archaeology involves months of digging in the dirt or into a cave and then minutes of excitement, despite what my father might have told me.”
Oh if only she knew…
“Is this a family business?” Tiffany asked, settling into the next chair over, even if she hadn’t been invited. She was pretty good at picking up on vibes and the woman seemed eager to gush about the endeavor.
“Uhm. Not really.” Lara closed one of the books and leaned on the table towards Tiffany. “My father was curator at the British Museum, so I sort of grew up around all this stuff. His best mate liked to take me out doors a lot, so I developed an affinity for that. It sort of goes hand in hand.” And in her dreams, the outdoor survival training had been outright extreme. She hoped it never came in handy when awake.
Tiffany set her empty cup on the table, away from the books. She used her free hands to fix her hair. If not for Wally, this lovely lady would have already perked her interest, but she was pretty sweet on Wally lately, and the idea failed to gain steam. Besides, she wasn’t as interested in women as she was in sex in general. But… a lot of that was calming down, now.
“I assume you need a lot of money to fund this kind of thing,” she commented. Nothing was taboo to bring up.
“Yes. One of the reasons I’m here is to drum up funding.” She smiled at Tiffany, enjoying the subject because it was her area of interest and not at all a personal matter. “One of the lesser known skills in this field is knowing who to talk to to get the money you need to actually do anything. And how to talk to them. I’ve enlisted help with that, but I haven’t been entirely unsuccessful so far.”
“I just lost my job,” she said, almost nonchalant about it now. It didn’t pinch yet. She still had enough money to buy iced coffees, obviously. “Do you have to promise the supporters something, like artifacts or credit?” This conversation was a fun change of pace.
“Credit usually. Sometimes they’ll want first dibs on articles and such. There’s a lot of publicity. One thing I try to do is make sure that the country of origin still owns anything that’s found. It could be lent out and sent around the world, and it should be for all the world to see, but ultimately, it belongs to the people it belongs to.”
“Is there a black market?” Tiffany asked, lowering her voice just a bit. They were in a library, after all.
Lara quirked an eyebrow at this strange and forward woman. “I would assume so. There’s always a demand among collectors for artifacts, and there are people who take advantage of that for money. Usually to the detriment of the country of origin and the world in general.”
There was a black market for everything, Tiffany knew that much. She wasn’t a fan of them, even though she sort of looked like someone who might be. She was surprisingly on the up and up, in spite of the dark makeup and revealing tops and kick-ass heels. “Hm, I should, like, let you get back to your work, shouldn’t I?”
“I don’t really mind. I like sharing this stuff with people, and I’m always trying to discover ways to make it more accessible. A lot of people get bored easily.” She wrinkled her nose cutely.
“Well, I definitely get bored easily,” Tiffany said with a laugh. “But seriously, since I lost my job, this is the most stimulating conversation I’ve had in weeks. So…” She gestured that the woman could continue with a sweeping motion of her hand. “I’m Tiffany, by the way.”
“Lara.” She held out her hand, wanting to be polite.
Tiffany quickly wiped the condensation from her coffee cup off on her tight leotard before taking Lara’s hand. They shook hands. “So… you were saying..."
"Well...what if all we need to do is get people invested by using a proxy. Like discuss a farmer or a soldier, and Trojan horse the history into their living rooms..."