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Friday evening, and the business offices are starting to empty out for the weekend. Not that most of the men are headed home just yet. After all, the city is full of bright lights, drinks, and people young and old in search of a good time.
Danny Rand has already had her good times for the day. She had a meeting with the board to discuss progress on the community center and bring up a few of her own business ideas. Watching them sputter when they can't come up with a workable objection is always a good time.
Now that the board is out, though, she's moving down the sidewalk, her wool coat open as if the chill January air isn't that much of a bother, hands in the pockets of her wide-legged pants as she whistles a jaunty tune.
*
It's a typical Friday evening for Carol, which means only one thing. Running! In this case, she's currently pacing around the outskirts of Central Park, her route just taking her out of the park as she wears a T-shirt and sweatpants in lieu of her normal attire. Her hair is tied back into a ponytail, the end bouncing up and down as she jogs along, her path taking her to pass by Danny Rand.
*
One of the bildings on Danny's route - just ahead in fact - had stood empty until recently purchased. For the last few weeks construction has started, and crews are constantly going in and out. There's a big sign mounted on the outside now, advertising the New York-based location for Silver Sable International - and below that, indicating the business is an auction house. The door opens and there she is, the Princess of Symkaria. She likes New York a lot for many reasons. People recognize her, and maybe some will stare, but New Yorkers generally leave her alone. Usually. On her heels is an entourage, several security types (dammit, dad!) and others of the more business persuasion, who are trying to convince Silver to sign some kind of paperwork. In the cool air of the evening she tells them she'll consider things, and then promptly cuts them off:
"We've been talking for 12 hours. Gentlemen, I am hungry, thirsty, and tired. We're done for the night." And just like that she turns away and heads off.
*
Danny keeps track of major businesses moving in and out of the city. Not because she's all that interested - Rand-Meachum is broadly diversified as it is - but because the more she knows, the better she's placed to deal with the board and keep a hand on the reins of her own company. So when she sees the sign, she pauses, taking half a step back to get a better look at it.
It should put her right in Carol's path. Except at the last second, without even looking to see that someone else is running, she takes out more step right out of the way.
*
Carol would normally keep on going, though she does say, "Oh, pardon me!" to Danny as she has the near miss. Then she sees the big sign on the building, as well as who's coming out, and smiles up towards Silver, "Hey, didn't realize /this/ is where the new office was going to be. Nice." She runs a hand over her scalp out of habit, mostly, as the observant would notice she's not even looking a touch winded from her run.
*
No doubt Danny has heard of Silver Sable International. It's been in the news for various reasons. Being run by Symkaria's crown princess. Being, essentially, the only source of income into the small country. The sheer size of the company - many dozens of locations across an equal amount of countries. On sighting Carol, Silver tips her head and smiles briefly. "I didn't tell you?" She turns to look at the building, her gaze following it up to the offices above the main floor. "I don't like my exteriors grandiose." She turns back to Carol. "Turns people off, I find." With her hands she gestures to themen behind her, as though indicating Carol should ignore them. "Out for an evening jog?"
*
Someone's who's out running. And the also female head of the new company in town. Win-win! Danny doesn't even hesitate before she moves toward the pair, pulling her hands out of her pockets with a swift, easy smile. "Hey," she greets, casual. "Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt, but I couldn't help but notice the sign. Danny Rand," she introduces herself, offering a hand first to Silver, then to Carol. "Welcome to New York."
*
Carol grins at Silver, "Well, you mentioned the office, sure, but not where…" She then glances over at Danny, and smiles, "Thanks, just got back after some time away, though I'm not originally from here." And she has enough of a Boston accent to show where she is from. THE ENEMY!
Carol then hmms, "Danny Rand? Wait, I know that name from somewhere…" as she shakes the other woman's hand, then nods, "Carol Danvers. Pleasure to meet you." After the handshake, she turns back to Silver, "And well, figured an evening run would be a nice change of pace, before things got too crazy with all the night life around here."
*
Silver accepts the hand, shaking it firmly. "Silver Sablinova. And thank you. I'm happy the opportunity to expand into New York came around. Los Angeles was getting a bit smug, having the only one of our auction houses in the country." Her smile returns and widens for the brief moment it's there. She of course recognizes the name 'Rand', she does the research she should when moving to a new location for a new opening. She likes to learn what businesses are working in the area. "I was just about to find a place to eat. Would either of you care to join me?" The security men grumble some, and Silver casts a look in their direction. They go quiet.
*
Danny grins at Carol, pointing a thumb over her shoulder and across a few blocks. "Got it on a building down that way," she laughs. "Just getting out of there tonight, as a matter of fact. Every now and then I've got to earn my keep and make life difficult for the board, right?"
She leans to one side, looking around Silver to her coterie with a guileless smile. "I see you've even got one of your own." She winks, settling her hands back into her pockets. "Dinner sounds good. Either of you been in the city long enough to have a preference for a place? I can think of a few not far from here, depending on what you're hungry for."
*
Carol grins, "Well, I know a couple places, but…" She looks over at Silver, and smiles wryly, "You wouldn't mind being seen with me like this?" She tilts her head, looking… well, she looks good, but she's definitely not dressed for the creme de la creme, that's for sure.
*
Silver grimaces at Danny. "Part of my father's… recent gift." Because suddenly he decided Silver can't take care of herself, even after training her for years. She shrugs, both at Carol and Danny, as she looks down at herself. Silver-grey pantsuit. "I don't think this is that extravagant?" she answers Carol. "So no, I wouldn't be bothered. I know a few places, but I have no preference."
*
"Not a problem I've got." Although Danny is definitely giving the guards a speculative look. For a relatively small woman, she almost looks like she's sizing them up for a fight. "I'm actually pretty sure the board would be relieved if someone took a shot at me." Which, for some reason, just seems to amuse her.
"Carol, you're in the company of a couple of people who get what they want," she grins, turning to the other woman. "Anyone who thinks they've got a problem will get over it. Although maybe we pick somewhere security's cleared. Just to save some time."
*
Carol nods, "Well, then it's probably someplace a little more exclusive." She grins over at the other two, "Just for security's sake, though next time I go running I'm going to pack a change of clothes in case I run into some weather folk while running." Her eyes seem to sparkle with amusement, then she looks back towards Danny, "Sounds like the board is pretty fond of you."
*
Sighing, Silver holds out a hand. She knows these men well enough. One of them steps forward and offers a small notepad, the first few pages of which Silver goes over. "I think my father is more afraid that someone will take a shot at me and miss, then I'll take a shot back and I won't miss." Silver… definitely does not have a cooler head than these men. "Here we are," she says after a moment, showing the other two women the list of places cleared. "Anything look suitable?"
*
Danny grins at Carol. "In their defense, I'm a massive pain in their collective ass." And not the least bit sorry about it, either. "Ten years presumed dead, come back a nineteen-year-old kid, then it looks like I'm the one who killed Harold, opening up all sorts of legal crap…" She trails off, waving a hand dismissively. "Also I'm just a pain in general, but to be fair, they're a bunch of stuffy suits, so, they deserve it at least a little bit."
Silver's threat to shoot someone who takes a shot at her gets an appreciative look before she leans in to get a look at the list for herself. "Oh, hey, The Railcar. I know a guy who used to work over at the Plaza who knows the chef there, said he was great. Should be worth a try."
*
Carol grins, "Well, you don't seem like a tremendous pain to me, Mz. Rand." She nods at the suggestion of the Railcar, "And that seems like a great idea then, the Railcar that is. Sounds like a fun place, at least."
*
"Lead the way," Silver says, gesturing with a hand. "Unless we need a car, in which case… I can have one brought around in a moment." And while that decision is being made, Silver turns to her coterie to make sure, if they MUST follow, they're going to stay in the car. They can even get themselves food - she doesn't want them to starve - but she doesn't need them breathing down her neck. "Unless Ms. Rand and Ms. Danvers intend on assaulting me in front of witnesses, I'll be fine."
*
"That's one way to do a hostile takeover," Danny smirks to Silver, tipping her chin toward the north. "It's about four blocks up, three blocks over. Walkable if you need a little bit of space for a few minutes." That much she's fully capable of understanding. "So you two know each other?" she asks as she starts down the street, gesturing between the pair.
*
Carol nods, "Yes, we've met a few times before." She smiles a little, "I used to do some security consulting for NASA, though I'm currently on leave. Had some… well, I just needed a break." She follows along after Danny, easily answering her questions, "Being involved with the space program is definitely exciting, especially given my time in the Air Force."
*
"Walking would be fine." She falls into step with Danny and Carol. "Here and there across the city," Silver agrees with Carol's explanation. As they take off, Silver's security team splits, with two tailing them and the remaining three takng the car to get ahead to the restaurant. "My father worries about me when I'm abroad," she explains to Danny. "He forgets I survived right there with him when the Nazis invaded Symkaria. Still, he had the men trained. I can't fault him for helping people find work." So she puts up with them anyhow, even if she has to grumble a little. Being in a country next to Latveria discourages investors, after all. Hard to find work sometimes. "Though if I wasn't giving them a hard time, someone else would be suffering."
*
"NASA and the Air Force," Danny whistles to Carol. "Sounds like an adventure and a half. Your dad might not be too far off, though," she nods to Silver. "Nazis wore uniforms, right? Most of the people causing trouble on the streets here, not so much. Come up out of nowhere and all you get for a warning is the gunfire."
*
Carol smiles, "Well, I'm not exactly unfamiliar with fighting… I mean, I was a pilot, but I'm not entirely unschooled in that sort of thing." She nods over towards Danny, "Adventure and a half is right. Did a pretty good job making it up the ranks, too, even if I'm not allowed to fly combat missions."
*
Silver knew these things from her previous encounters with Carol. She has no questions to ask this time around, leaving any of those to Danny. Talk of the Air Force reminds her of her own stint in the armed forces, and she nods along to the comments. "When I was younger I never quite understood how the military could be an adventure. When I got older I understood. It's its own kind of adventure, regardless of travel or seeing combat."
*
"Mmm, I've heard that line before," Danny sympathizes. "Can't let the girls fight. Until recently I'd say it was universal, but I had a meeting with some Wakandans and they actually apparently have a female royal guard. And by 'a' I don't mean there's one, I mean there's an entire guard worth. So at least someone figured it out, right?"
*
Carol nods, "Well, I /can/ fight, just never really got a chance to, save for some run-ins at NASA." She smiles a bit, "Sadly, can't really talk about that, but I can hold my own pretty well."
*
"The entire royal guard?" Now that's something she didn't know. But what she does know of Wakanda is so little already. "I wonder what led to that. Did they mention it?" Silver asks, glancing at Danny, the curiosity written quite plainly on her face. "Even our guard in Symkaria is mixed."
*
Danny shakes her head. "I didn't get the full story on it. But the one I saw seemed like she could handle herself. And she acted like it was all very…ordinary." Silver's comment gets another quirk of a smile. "Seems like the US Air Force is lagging," she winks at Carol.
*
Carol shakes her head, "Well, moving to Wakanda would be an interesting step, though I would rather get them to change things here first." She grins over at Danny, "Wouldn't mind meeting some of these guards myself, as I'd love to hear how that came about."
*
Silver nods in agreement with Carol. "There must be some interesting history that led to that decision. I almost wish our reasoning in Symkaria was interesting to be worth a story." It's really boring, as far as Silver is concerned, though she's glad she was given the opportunity to work with the military for the years she did it.
*
"You ask me, it'd be better if there didn't have to be a reasoning for it," Danny shrugs. "If you can cut it, then you do what you want to do. If you can't cut it, that's another story, but this thing where girls don't even get a chance…" She trails off, shaking her head.
*
Carol sighs, "Oh, I know. You know what my dad said when he heard I wanted to go to college? I should just find a nice husband and become a housewife instead." She smirks, "Signed on with the Air Force recruiter the next day."
*
"I would've hit my father if he told me I shouldn't further my education." And from the sound of Silver's voice, she's not joking either. "I didn't know women were limited in the United States in that way." She frowns, shrugging a little. Perhaps when she joined SHIELD and saw it included men and women, that it was like Symkaria. "Things can't stay that way forever, can they?"
*
"Mine was pretty good, actually," Danny smiles faintly. "I mean, he was…not well. So maybe it's not that he was good so much as he was too busy being obsessed about old stories to care about what girls should do and what boys should do. But he brought me and my mother with him. Which again, was maybe not the best idea," she says, rueful. "But. I wasn't going to take the housewife talk either. And I hope it doesn't stay that way forever," she nods to Silver. "But it seems like it's been that way forever sometimes."
*
Carol nods, "Yeah, my dad is just… way too old-fashioned that way. We still talk on occasion, but." Well, yeah, something like that is a bit hard to get over, and Carol shakes her head, "Anyway, what's this Railcar supposed to be like, as far as food goes?"
*
It occurs to Silver that it would have been good to know the answer to that earlier. She was just too happy for an excuse to ditch security, however temporarily, and ditch the company heads she had been dealing with all day. "My last meal was breakfast - at this point, I don't care what they serve, as long as it's edible."
*
"Rotating menu," Danny answers, heading around a corner for the last bit of the walk. "According to my friend, the chef was tired of cooking the same thing all the time, whatever he'd been told to make by someone else. So he got this place, got it decorated like the meal car on a train, and he works his way along a famous route with the food every week."
*
Carol grins, "Really? That sounds absolutely charming. I can't wait to see what exactly they have." She glances back at Silver, then looks over at Danny, "Have you eaten there before, or just heard about it from your friend?"
*
Silver hunhs. "That sounds charming," she admits. "A surprise every time you venture in." Sounds like a good way to be interested to new and alternate styles of cuisine, too. Remembering the list, Silver retrieves it from her pocket, looking over the other suggestions that were cleared by security. "I think I'll work my way through the cleared restaurants, but if this Railcar has a rotating menu, that might make things a little harder to decide on."
*
"I haven't made it over there yet, no," Danny grins to Carol. "We got a little distracted before we got around to heading out to eat." That's one way to put it, at least. "But hey, it sounded like a neat idea, so glad to get a chance to try it out. Looks like…" As they move down the street, there's a well-lit awning with the name spelled out. "Should be it over there."
*