"Are you sure this is legal?"
Antoinette Stark sighed. Leaning so far back into the office chair that only a percentile more would have meant a spinal fusion and a pissed-off chiropractor, the engineer cocked her head to the side and rested it on her knuckle. She tried not to let her eyes fall into a glare as she looked at the only other scientist who would be dumb enough or loyal enough to her to be able to lie to Tony Stark.
"Darcy," Antonia said, "I'm shocked at you."
"Shocked. I'm glad you used that word, Toni," The woman whimpered, "Because I'm not an engineer. I'm a political science major and I'm scared to death that you're going to electrocute yourself. And then what? Does that make me an accessory to murder - or an unwitting bystander - or just a complete idiot!"
Toni thought about it, "Well, if we look at the criteria -"
"Toni!"
The engineer laughed. Getting up from the thermal-cyclic test rig, which she had 'borrowed' from one of S.H.I.E.L.D's drones, she tried to make light of the situation before her friend had a panic attack. Luckily, she had come prepared for any such cold feet and went over to the coffee machine that she'd installed for precisely this moment. Making sure to let the aroma drift throughout the space, she took her time adding the foamed milk and spewing out a wonky design that looked more like a burnt Christmas tree than a feather, but she shrugged and handed it to the political science major anyway. Darcy Lewis took a sip.
"Damn," Darcy appraised the coffee, "That's a good cuppa joe."
"In another life, I'd be a barista," Toni smiled, "You know, if I wasn't a multi-billion-dollar trust fund baby with a Master's Degree in Robotics and Engineering and a superhero as a dad."
Darcy raised a brow, "Screw you."
Toni tossed her head back and laughed. She took another few minutes to make herself a strong espresso, which she downed at a too-hot temperature and made her hiss like she'd just inhaled tequila, and then she turned back to the machine. It was true that there was a strange burning smell coming from the amplifiers and the switches on the controllers were acting up, but there was nothing actively on fire. That was a huge bonus.
Just as she suspected, the coffee helped to calm down Darcy's nerves. After the political science major had made herself a second cup of coffee, she stepped closer to inspect the machine. Hands wrapped around the coffee like it was some secret anime weapon of power, she glanced at it dubiously.
"It's not going to melt your face off," Toni deadpanned, "Now pass me the thing."
"What thing?"
"The spiky, electroprobe thing."
"The thing that looks like Dr Who's sonic screwdriver?"
"That's the one," The engineer took a moment to turn around and look at her friend sceptically, "You are such a nerd."
"And yet you knew what I was talking about."
Toni tried not to smirk as she took the electroprobe and started poking around at the inner machinery. While Darcy watched nervously over her shoulder and tried to take mental notes that would help with the physics course she'd be taking next semester, Toni explained the function of the thermal-cyclic test equipment. She pointed out each part of the machinery and patiently explained what they were used for: the aluminium oxide rod, fitted with an AE sensor, which was connected to a specimen and then into an electric furnace. Using the electroprobe, she indicated the different readings on the amplifiers and explained the purpose of the air cylinder that connected it all.
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Lore: When a Trickster Meets His Match
Fanfiction"Loki." Her hands were timid. They were much more shy than he had been, which should've made him wonder if he'd been too forward with his actions in the first place, and there was a tremble in each fingertip as she gently reached out and put her ha...
