| Welcome Back to London |
| Summary: | Amanda catches another hop across the pond with her airline and calls Pete for a place to stay while she's there. |
| Date: | 2016-08-28 Morning |
| Related: | http://marvelreborn.wikidot.com/log:2016-08-28-agent-gamma-upsilon-p-five-upsilon |
| NPCs: | None |
| Scene Runner: | NA |
| Social/Plot: | Social |
| Players: |
 .. .. |
When you are feeling uncomfortable in New York is a good time to be taking a hop across the pond. Though she'd said she might need a hiatus, when they called to ask her to work the next flight to Heathrow, Amanda called it a stroke of good luck and hurried to the airport. Twelve hours later, she's getting off the flight in London in the hours just after breakfast.
After she's off the flight and out in the main terminal, Amanda glances at the familiar route to the airport and then at her phone before dialing Pete's number again.
Sure, twelve hours, and now after breakfast time in London? Wisdom was already awake, and reading paperwork. When his phone buzzed, he noticed it was from Amanda… and answered it. "Hello? You okay, Amanda?"
Amanda Sefton speaks quietly into her phone, "I was wondering if you thought I should stay at the airport traveler's lounge this time."
Pete Wisdom shot up from his desk. "I'm sober. I *promise*. I'll be right over. I'll get you another room at the Shangri-La," he told her. "Or my flat. Your preference," he told her.
Amanda Sefton asks, "Your flat is in the Shard as well right? That building has the most beautiful view." She begins walking toward the terminal exit so she can wait for him outside.
"It's only more beautiful when I can view you," Pete said. Jesus, when did the charm come on? "I'll be there shortly," he said. "See you soon!"
Luckily she wouldn't have to wait long. Why? Because MI-13 occasionally uses flying cars. And fuck it, Pete decided to use one of them. Commandeering is one thing; he was the director, he could use the toys as he damn well pleases. The wheels righted themselves, though the repulsorlifts were still running as Pete 'parked,' opening the door with the help of a button. "Your chariot awaits!" the agent said, looking at her with his blue eyes, sunglasses halfway down his nose.
Amanda Sefton whistles low at the technology. "Oh very nice, Pete. That's just as cool as being able to do magic." She puts her bag in the car then climbs into the front with him.
"Someone I'm sure I don't like once said, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." As she buckled in, Pete added, "Please keep your hands, arms, legs and feet inside the car at all times. Flash photography is prohibited. Stay safe, and enjoy the ride." And off they went!
Parking at the Shard was easy enough. Getting to the elevators was easy enough. Amanda could clearly see the magical circuitry in the elevator, the resonant symbols, and the button with the number 13 on it. Nobody else (except Pete) knew it was there.
"So, where to? My flat, or that incredible Shangri-La?"
Amanda Sefton laughs at the roller coaster conductor impression then follows his instructions. At the Shard she gets her bag again and follows Pete inside. She's been in the elevator once before and so ignores the button thoroughly. "I think we established back in the States that I don't mind staying at your flat." She offers him a sly smile, "Of course I won't complain if you don't want me underfoot. There's nothing to complain about in the Shangri-La."
"I just wanted to make sure that if you'd like to dance around naked in the comfort of your own room, that I wouldn't be there gawping at you like a perverted fool," Pete said as he pressed the floor where his flat was.
Amanda Sefton laughs again, "Well what fun is there in dancing around naked without an appreciate audience, Pete?" It's just teasing of course. There's no implication that she actually does dance around naked ever.
Pete Wisdom doesn't dance around naked, either. And that's that! Once out of the elevator, and headed to his corner apartment, Pete unlocked… the many locks. Then the door opened, and he gestured. "Ladies first," he said. He would, however, brazenly pat her backside as she passed by him.
Amanda Sefton seems to have been anticipating this since she actually pauses walking while he does it before proceeding into the flat. "I think I am beginning to think all that ladies first stuff is about getting to watch us walk from behind."
"What's that other phrase by someone else I dislike?" Wisdom asked. "I hate to see you go, but I like to watch you leave. It's very much the truth. Throughout history, men of the West have been stereotyped as, 'ass men,' or 'breast men.' I am, unashamedly, an ass man. Can you blame me, however?" he asked, after shutting the door, and setting the many, many locks again.
Amanda Sefton chuckles as she leaves her bag sitting near the door and walks to the windows to admire the view. "So if I want your attention to be anywhere other than my tail, I shouldn't let you get behind me?"
"That's not necessarily true. Depends on what you're wearing. If it isn't flattering to your backside, I likely won't be staring," Pete said. "Do you… *not* want my eyes on your tail?" he asked as he finished locking up. Then off went his shoes, and he hung up his jacket. "So. Welcome back to London. What can I do for you?"
Amanda Sefton glances over her shoulder at him. "Is that so? My uniform isn't that flattering and you were looking just now." Truth be told there's not much that's unflattering on Amanda though and the skirt hugs her curves just fine even if it wasn't designed to flatter them. She kicks off her heels. "And if I minded you looking, we probably wouldn't still be associates, Pete."
"That makes sense. My question still stands though," Pete said. "Can I get you anything? Water, juice, tea? I've got some produce if you're hungry. Free washroom if you need to have a bath or shower. And if you didn't bring a change of clothes," Wisdom sighed, "I suppose I could take you shopping," he groaned, though he was clearly teasing.
Amanda Sefton finally turns away from the view with a chuckle, "Now you know perfectly well you never have to take me shopping, Pete. Even if there wasn't something perfectly comfortable that bag right there, I could just conjure something up. There was a particularly annoying man in first class this time though so I would love to relax. Do you need to go back to work?" She glances at the numerous locks he closed on the door then back to him, "Or not?"
"I do not," Wisdom said. "If you saw my office door, you'd see a taped-on 'Sod Off' sign on it," he added. Then he approached Amanda, and he planted a kiss - right on her lips. "It's good to see you again," he said, voice lowering just so.
Amanda Sefton slides a hand up to curl her fingers lightly through his hair. "Sign placed before or after I called? Did I interrupt a bad day?"
"No, it's standard MI-13 procedure. Typically my staff knows not to bother me unless it's something big. I'm often doing other things." Like his own personal investigations. Or many phone calls with many important people. His hair was well-combed, not sticky or crunchy with product. "How are you doing? You tired?" he asked. "Need a shower?" he offered, again.
Amanda Sefton strokes her fingers through his hair again. She definitely likes hair. "A seven hour flight does leave one a bit tired, but I'm not feeling it that badly despite being up all night dealing with the guy in first class who decided to make my life difficult instead of just sleeping like everyone else." She closes her eyes, "I'll definitely want to shower before I change."
"Well…" Wisdom said, as he stepped over to the small hallway. He gestured to the doorway of his bathroom. "Have a shower. I'll get a spare robe for you. And I can get the bed ready for you to have a nap in, if you like…"
Amanda Sefton offers him a smile. She grabs her bag then heads for the bathroom. The robe would be nice. I was thinking of just sitting in a robe instead of dressing right away. If you have one that would be simpler than conjuring one."
"I already have one. If you're already tired, the last thing I want to do is get you to expend more energy," Pete said as he headed to his linen closet. Gathering up a nice, big bathrobe. One for female guests. Feminine. White, with a black trim. He would slip into the bathroom, uncaring of Amanda's state of dress.
Amanda Sefton removes her uniform then steps into the shower, "That's very sweet of you." She turns the water up hot and lets the heat soothe the ache from her muscles. You don't sit much as a flight attendant."
Pete Wisdom hung the robe up on the door, before looking Amanda over. "If you prefer a bath, by all means," he gestured. "More than just a shower. Just relax."
For the moment, however, it also seemed Pete had little intention of leaving.
Amanda Sefton lets her head fall back on her shoulders and the water stream into her face. "The shower will be fine." She takes a nice long shower before stepping out and wrapping herself in the robe.
Pete Wisdom was only going to letch for so long, after about a minute he'd head back out into his living room and pull up the blinds, so the view was there. And it was… everywhere. Apartment was almost a fishbowl, so much glass, so much to see with the sun pouring in.
Amanda Sefton comes back out of the bathroom while she's drying her hair, the robe loosely belted. "Now I feel better." She walks over to Pete. "Are you sure you don't have something else you need to do?"
"Yes, I do, actually," Wisdom said, as he stepped over to a rather large fresco. Yes, for some reason, Pete had a fresco. It wasn't of anything medieval. It honestly just looked like a setting of the Duomo, in Florence. He tugged it aside and… there was a HUGE vault door. It made very little sense, but there it was, all the same. A series of security options later. Retinal scan, fingerprint, code, breath, even a little bit of magical mudras.
But the door was opened up, and inside were a few things. A few very powerful, very secret things. Some old tomes. And there was the briefcase, the handle still sliced right off. "Thought I'd need your help in figuring out what's in this thing. I didn't touch it, because… fuck, I'm not a wizard, luv."
Amanda Sefton mmms as she sees the briefcase. "I see. You offered to put me up so I could do some work while I am here. Nice vault by the way."
"It's not good enough. Some tart did the easiest trick and I fell for it some time ago. Ask Remy about it, sometime."
Then, after a moment, Pete added. "I mean… ask *Sir* Remy about it, sometime."
Pete did not sound happy about that.
Amanda Sefton purses her lips, "I suspect that would just make dinner unpleasant." She strokes her fingers through his hair. "If I wanted to know, I'd not want someone else telling me."
"Well… it's his story, and mine. Mine's not a very good part of it. But he owed me a favor. And I had him help, after I got duped." Pete didn't like admitting when he was wrong, particularly in comparison with someone like Remy. But still, he did it. "So, let's get this open, yeah?" Pete said as he passed by Amanda, kissing her cheek. He sat down on a chair, and placed the briefcase in his lap.
Amanda Sefton presses her cheek briefly into the kiss then turns her attention to the case. "Looks like you fused the locks when you cut the handle off, Pete. I'll have to force it."
"I can just cut it open along the locks and such," Pete said. "No problem. Is it magically protected, though?" he asked her. "The last thing either of us want to do is wake something up."
Amanda Sefton places her hand on the case and focuses on it intently. She slips down to her knees to examine the case. "There's a protection spell on it. Looks like the same kind as was on our friend's feet. Touching it with magic would be less than good."
"Then take a step back, lovely. And your robe's a little loose. Show-off," Pete teased, as with his forefinger, a thin hot-knife sprouted from the tip. He cut along the edge, smoke rising up around him as he melted along metal. Then, he pulled it open quite casually. The hot-knife vanished.
"And what's this…?"
Amanda Sefton pushes to her feet quickly and steps back while he does his thing with the hot knives. Inside the case is a small wooden case covered in engraved runes. It doesn't take a genius to know those are magic. Amanda sighs softly upon seeing the case. "Now that feels like the rift I closed." She tugs the robe closed a little tighter.
Pete scrutinized the runes. He knew possibly a dozen languages, maybe more. He knew magic from an academic perspective. He even knew a little bit about arbology. "Are you familiar with anything else like it?" Pete asked.
Amanda Sefton murmurs, "That's a containment ward tuned to whatever's inside the box. It's mean to keep whatever's inside the box from interacting with the things around it in unpredictable ways. If we open the box we risk breaking the warding."
"Then let's *not* break the ward. Willing to come up with me to MI-13? We can get this thing scanned, X-Rayed, CT-scanned, magically scried. We've got at least ten mad scientists on the payroll. I'm fairly sure we can manage to study this thing without breaching it." Pete sounded annoyed. Not at Amanda. But at the artefact. "And to think, what I originally wanted to do was have some fun with you. Work, work, work," he playfully grumbled.
Amanda Sefton reaches out to lightly close the case. "I am happy to go with you to MI-13 to examine it, but I would like to relax for a bit before that if you don't mind." She strokes his cheek. "Of course you can always go and leave me behind if you'd prefer."
"I… I…" Pete frowned. "I'll be *right* back," he told her. Then he kissed her, once, full-on. "Yes. I'll drop this off. Tell everyone NOT to open it, just examine it. Identify the symbols, but DO NOT read them aloud. Don't physically touch it with bare hands. Don't open it. Don't talk to it. Don't pull anything from it. Don't rub it. If anything comes from it, not to ask for wishes from it. You know. The important things."
Amanda Sefton grasps him hair softly to hold him in the kiss a little longer than he intended then steps back, "Do not open it or otherwise break the seals. Do not touch it or read it or in any other way interact with it. That's the important things, yes." She moves toward the window to look out again, "Take as long as you need to. I didn't mean to interrupt your work."
"To be honest, you're integral to it," Wisdom said, as he slipped his shoes on and grabbed his keys. "Don't go peeking in my vault!" he playfully threatened, as he headed out the door and locked up.
There would be plenty of time for Amanda to snoop around, get food or drink, or even nap or other things, if she'd like.
Amanda Sefton is curious and since Pete didn't close the vault back up properly she does indeed peek at the other things in the vault just to see what is in there. She does not touch anything or get too close to any particular item.
An old helmet, some dusty old books. Many of which have chains around them. An old goblet. One simple gold ring. A diadem. Is that an Infinity Stone?
No, just some Draconite, likely taken from the head of a live dragon. Goodness, gracious. All of this stuff could have interesting properties. And all of it was also incredibly dangerous in the wrong, or irresponsible hands.
Amanda Sefton makes note of the names of all the things she can identify then closes the vault and curls up on the sofa to nap lightly while Pete is gone. Under the wrong circumstances, Amanda's hand could be the wrong hands for handling some of that stuff after all.
All in all, briefing people and giving them the rundown took about forty-five minutes of Pete's time. Which gave Amanda quite some time to herself, before Pete returned. "I'm glad it's in good hands. Er. Tongs. Something. O's good at what he does." Pete noticed the vault door was open, and he visibly paled. "Bugger me sideways. I don't deserve my position. Amanda!!! Are you here? Is everything all right!?"
Amanda Sefton breathes deeply and sits up on the sofa, "I'm right here Pete. Is there some reason I shouldn't be alright?" Other than that her robe has fallen loose again? "What's wrong Pete?"
"Oh, thank goodness. Was worried. The vault's open. My fault," again. He shut the door, locked it, then did a quick cursory look in the vault. Even making sure to touch things in case they were illusory. It wasn't that he didn't trust Amanda; but while she was napping, who knows what could have happened?
Satisfied, he locked the vault back up, shutting it. "Nngh. You look so damn good, Amanda."
Amanda Sefton gets to her feet and walks slowly toward him. "I'm pretty sure no one came in while you were out. I'd not have slept through a mystic visitation. Nothing to worry about." She stops in front of him and gives him a reassuring smile.
When she was there, standing before him, with her robe open, Wisdom looked her over. He blushed. "You know, I…" Then he leaned forward and kissed her. One hand crept up to place upon her slender, bare waist, pulling her close with that kiss.
Amanda Sefton slides one arm around his waist and the other around his neck as he draws her close. The kiss lingers softly but she draws back to whisper, "You what?"
As she pulled away from that kiss, Wisdom hand slid just a little bit lower. Still on her skin, just above her bottom. "Nothing. I simply wanted to say something, and then interrupt it by kissing you," he smiled. "Would you like to go to bed with me, Amanda?"
Amanda Sefton goes up onto her toes and nips at his lower lip. "Bit early for bed, isn't it?" Even if she was awake all night dealing with passengers. "Is there something wrong with where we are right now?"
<Fade to Black>