Jemma Simmons is a terrible liar (needanewplan) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-06-17 20:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, jemma simmons, lara croft |
Who: Jemma Simmons and Lara Croft
What: Random meeting
When: 13 June 2015
Where: Antique bookstore
Warnings: Low
Status: Log | Complete
Books were one of Lara’s favourite things. Right up there with rock music, old dusty ruins, her best friend, and her pistols. But there was a certain magic about an old book that couldn’t be beat by all the nooks and kindles in the world. And finding this book store was a bit like finding a small treasure trove.
Lara was seriously debating buying half the books here as she carefully perused through a 19th century guide to Egypt.
It was one thing to acknowledge something on a conscious level in regards to the dreams. She knew items showed up, she’d received them. She knew that physical changes could occur, people discussed it all the time. She even knew that people had died from their dreams only to know someone and be brought back. She knew all of that, but it was something else to experience it. So of course the one time Miss Preparation wasn’t as prepared was the day she nearly died from a Chitauri virus.
So what was the best way to handle such an incident? Find a distraction. Given how much it would have been to ship things from home and knowing it was better to travel light when moving, Jemma was rebuilding her personal library. So really it was two for one as bookstores were wonderful distractions.
The current one she found herself in had a lot of rarer titles and the biochemist was looking through the different sections for an idea. Given she dreamt of Norse gods, she ended up finding a book on different mythologies. Well, she might as well, right? While she was much more literal minded, Jemma knew that ideas on empirical data wouldn’t quite fit the area where things which should be impossible were in fact quite possible.
Oh, the dreams were no more friendly to Lara. She had the scars and dream-weapons to prove it, including a very nasty puncture wound that ran through her left side from stomach to back. The dreams had left a hardness in her eyes, new scars on her shoulders and arms, and back and... every where, really. It used to bother her more, but the weather was too hot so she wore a tank top that left her shoulders and chest exposed. It was sometimes a topic of conversation, since some people were so nosy.
She closed the book carefully, clucking her tongue at the eurocentric writing in it. It was a good glimpse into how past scholars looked at the ancients, but that was about all it was useful for.
Lara glanced over as another woman came into her section, and raised her eyebrows at the particular mythologies she was looking at. But how does one admit that she had a version of Thor's Hammer stored away somewhere, along with the guantlets of Thor and his belt. The dreams had given her some interesting Norse knowledge, and so now she was curious. "Looking for anything in particular? Ancient mythology and cultures are my sort of thing."
Hearing the question, Jemma seemed to jump. She hadn’t expected anyone to talk to her. Not that she minded, not at all. She just… hadn’t expected it and so she blinked and looked to Lara before shaking her head.
“Oh. No. Just looking in general. Trying to rebuild my personal library since moving.”
Her accent gave it away for one. It had been three months since she had shown up in California and well, that was time to save up money to expand her library. And because it was for reading and not research or studies, Jemma hadn’t really come up with anything in particular. Norse mythology just seemed a good thing to pick up thanks to the fact that she dreamt of a world where Thor was real, even if she had never met him.
Lara tried to place where exactly Jemma hailed from. It was nice to hear a fellow Brit after a couple years away from England. "I understand. I had to improve my own collection after moving out here the first time. How long have you been in the states?"
“Three months.” Enough time to be used to Orange County weirdness. Well no. Had she never joined the network, perhaps she wouldn’t be as aware. Instead she’d just be confused by strange happenings and whatever the Agency put out. As it were, that wasn’t the case and so weirdness and experiencing it were in her knowledge now. “There’s a lot to get used to.”
Double entendre? Of course. Especially given she picked up on an accent from Lara. As it were, it was more than just cultural/weather, but Orange County. Something only someone who dealt with the weirdness would pick up on.
Lara smiled, voice so dry it practically cracked. "Probably feels like three years. There is certainly much to get used to. Stepping outside is sometimes an exercise in adventure. But fortunately for me, I'm a fan of adventure."
“It does. Or even a lifetime.” Having a full life of dreams even just in a night could make the change in time and sensation different. Complete different life times, yet similar. “I tend to stick to the lab, though new things are always exciting.” It was a thing. If there was something new and unheard of, she wanted to understand it. Which meant more time in the lab, but science was what she knew, even better than socialising.
"What kind of lab work do you do?" Lara leaned her hip against the table, no-nonsense pony-tail swaying behind her head. She held her hand out. It was a calloused hand, one used to working in the dirt, or climbing and other physical activities. "I'm Lara."
“Biochemistry. At this point, a variety of different lab work though. Examining different biometrics, stem cell study, evolution and DNA of various species, antiserums…”
Her voice trailed off about the antiserum given the close call she had. Still, the amount of things Jemma found herself doing in the dreams went far beyond her normal PhDs and training. But she was quick to adapt, or that was the theory. She just was really bad at improvisation. Smiling as she shook Lara’s hand, the petite scientist dropped her hand, “Jemma Simmons. What about you? You said you like adventures?”
"Archaeology. I practically grew up in the British museum, my father was curator there. But there's only so much you can learn without going out and doing some digging yourself." Folding her arms, Lara shrugged a shoulder. "I've just spent six months at various sites around the world. I got my feet wet on an expedition in South America last year, and then... needed to escape a few things, so I went back out there."
“Ohhh, that’s fascinating!” And it was. At least to Jemma. While others might not think it was that interesting, Jemma did. Because she loved learning and just like learning new things and scientific exploration, there was something to be learned from the past and from history. The comment about needing to escape a few things was met with an understanding nod, and quiet ‘ah’. That was something Jemma could understand. She wasn’t ready to pack up and distract herself to that extent yet, she could still understand it.
Lara perked up immediately. While their fields were different, there was actually a little bit of overlap, at least with regards to DNA and biometrics and nature vs nurture. Still, it wasn't often she found someone genuinely interested. The last person she'd tried to talk to before coming back to the States had spent most of the conversation staring at her breasts.
"I thought that since adventure found me, perhaps I needed to go find Adventure back for awhile."
Jemma was well used to people not understanding her enthusiasm for things like science. Being able to talk about it and share passions? It was a lovely feeling and something that Jemma felt was important for people to experience. It certainly was better than dwelling on the darker things in life. Or Orange County.
“That makes sense.”
"There's just so much out there to discover. I wish more people could get excited about it. A friend suggested a youtube series for me. I'm not entirely sure if that would be as effective for Biochemistry." Lara chuckled, scratching the back of her head.
“There really is. People seem content to just accept what is known without ever questioning or wanting to understand. Which I could never do. I’m far too curious to just let things stay as they are without trying to understand more.” Even if she wouldn’t be able to find her own youtube series, Jemma would make due.
"It's maddening." Lara shook her head, jutting her jaw out in a little pout. "Ignorance. People are too complacent, too willing to listen and not think critically about the world, its past and how it all works."
“On that we agree.” Then again it wasn’t hard for Jemma to agree with someone who actually wanted to understand things and felt that it was ridiculous that people would be complacent in the world they lived. Hell, Jemma still wanted to understand more about Orange County because there was so much that seemed impossible. The trick was figuring out how to actually study it.
“Want to get some coffee?” Lara asked. “I’m afraid I haven’t found anything for myself, though some of these older books are interesting examples in eurocentrism.”
Well, it wasn’t like she really had anywhere else to be at the moment.
“Sure, I’d like that. I admit I haven’t found much either. Perhaps another time. And that’s unsurprising when we tend to look at things through the lens of the victors, who of course will end up writing their observations through their perceived norms.”