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[blackhourglass]

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[captain_bitterness]

I was actually trying to insult myself but if it means that you'll kick my ass then perhaps I should adjust my wording even more.

[He teases back, his smirk growing because lord knows he loves a woman who can fight and he knows she's probably one of the best. The kiss to his cheek is unexpected but appreciated and as they walk towards the enlightenment room he take the opportunity to look again at her features and her hair which is the most beautiful shade of red he's ever seen.]

I suppose as a center point the name makes sense, since you seem to know this place better than me I'll let you take the lead.

[blackhourglass]

I noticed, but you're not allowed to insult yourself on my watch. I'll only kick your ass harder if that's what you're into.

[she gave him a small wink, smile grinning wider. She loves a man who isn't afraid of her strengths and yet knows how to treat her like the lady she is as well. There's a delicate balance to having both sides, and Nat doesn't get that often. She strokes her hand down along his arm gently, and points out a few exhibitions that interest her, one on some early interpretations on the rosetta stone.]

Have you had the chance to see the piece of the stone that they have here? I was going to ask which area we wanted to demolish today, but if you haven't seen it or the giant frieze that that they stole from ancient greece from the front of the Parthenon, it's completely worth it.

[captain_bitterness]

I might be, guess you'll have to be around me for longer to find out for sure.

[He says, tipping her a wink back. The way she strokes her hand down his arm feels nice and since he is completely covered all she will notice is that he has strong well muscled arms.]

I saw it a long time ago so I'd like to see it again if that's all right. Also I have an amusing story about the rosetta stone if you'd like to hear it.

[blackhourglass]

Hint caught, and challenge accepted, reversed and handed back.

[there's a smile and a tiny little bite to the corner of her lip that's meant completely to draw his eyes there before it slips out and she nods with enthusiasm. ]

Yes, I would love to hear your story. I am a sucker for a good story about relics. No matter how many times I go down any of these wings of the museum, I still find something new or different. Even when I'm looking at the exact same thing, it renews my interest all over again. Maybe it's because I have to be a history nerd for my job, or because I love the subject somewhere I never knew. It's always brought me deep interest to see things from so long ago. The stories they share of people who lived and are gone, yet still speak through the things they left behind.

[She thinks about some of the places she's been, and the ground she's walked. The evil, or good that seems to permeate various places. It's not so bad that it taints the place, but it does tell a story. She wonders quite often if what she's done will tell her story after she's gone.]

[captain_bitterness]

I don't know if it's a good story but it is amusing, it's about an associate of mine who came to London a while ago for a vacation. She's a very bubbly type of person, friendly and very kind but also a little bit on the spacey side of things.

She came to the museum and of course one of the things I recommended that she try and find was the rosetta stone, about half way through the day I get a text from her that just reads 'I don't see what all the fuss is about, it's just a boring rock.'

About two seconds later I get another text that reads "oh. never mind."

Turns out she had found it but was looking at the backside of it and at first hadn't bothered to walk around the whole thing to see it.

[blackhourglass]

[Moving up the steps and then down the long hallway together, Natasha is giggling as Nate tells the story. She drops his arm and stands there rooted in her spot for a second and shakes her head laughing.]

You literally come into the room looking at it. You have to walk around it to see the back. I mean, this is ... wow. There are really all kinds of people out there in the world. I don't know how you do it. I know people like that too, and there are days...

[she takes his arm again, and after a few more minutes of walking along exhibits of other areas they end up in the little dark corridor that has the piece of the rosetta stone. It's covered in symbols. Some are worn away, and others are still rather clear. It's easily one of the most beautiful artifacts in the room.]

Here we are. I love looking at the pieces of languages and thinking about all the work that went into trying to bring it to life.

[captain_bitterness]

[Already he enjoys the sound of her giggling and he offers her a little shrug.]

Leslie is a nice girl but like I said, a bit on the spacey side. Once she walked around and saw the "good side" of it she was impressed.

[He lets her lead them both over to the stone where he goes quiet, his eyes scanning it from top to bottom, almost like a computer would.]

Are you always so moved by languages?

[blackhourglass]

[there's still soft laughter until they reach the room. There are times when she thinks the same about Thor, and a few other members of shield. She knows that Thor is intelligent in his own manner, but he has his moments.

Natasha studies Nate as well as the stone, and is fascinated by the way he takes it all in. Her eyes dart from place to place at first, but then focus in on the top sections and work on exploring them, comparing them to the various symbols that she knows. ]

I was trained to pick them up easily, and I think it was something that I found myself attracted to because it gave me a connection to the world at large the more I learned. They fascinate me. I think this stone is wonderful because it was a breakthrough in understanding. Learning is one thing I was forbidden for a time, and now that I am free to do as much as I like, I will always yearn to do it.

[captain_bitterness]

That makes a lot of sense, those who are cut off from the world usually yearn for it and connections with others.

What else do you like to learn? Skills? History?

[blackhourglass]

[it's true. she was cut off for a long time, and can still be limited on what she does on her own time. she may see the world a million times over, but most of it has to do with work and not pleasure.

standing to the side of the display, she tips her head to think]

I am lucky to be able to have friends and connections now. Even if they aren't many, the few I have are very true.

I train and hone my skills as a master of fighting, hacking, and knowledge. I don't like to sit still very often. I'm not one to sit and knit an blanket, and I'm never going to be a mom so those are things I think about. I'm committed to the job and right now that's my focus.

[the information about not having children slipped out and surprised nat. it's not something she tells many people at all. it's very private and something she's not proud of, and rather secretive about. in fact, she turns and moves to study something not very interesting close by, focusing on that rather than on his reaction to her truth.]

[captain_bitterness]

[He of course catches the slip she made about children although his face doesn't show any indication of this, instead he tucks the information away for later questioning and instead drifts along beside her quietly.]

I should hope that's not your focus right now, you're supposed to be having an evening out and not thinking about work.

[He teases gently.]

[blackhourglass]

[There she goes again, getting too serious when she's supposed to be having fun. Feeling like a heel, she drops her head and turns it back to Nate, once more enjoying the study of his profile. ]

You're something else, you know that?

[she says softly, knowing that he's moving on for her sake. Smiling once more she nudges him with her hip and lays a head on his shoulder, feeling a lot more comfortable around him now.]

What's work. I'm right here with you. We're on our way to go see a greek temple, or the front of it anyways, and some killer statues so we can make fun of the way they're posed. I mean really, does anyone stand like that in the real world?

[captain_bitterness]

[As someone who is serious 90% of the time he doesn't mind that she slipped into it, it's understandable considering both their lives but he is also glad when she allows herself to relax back into the date.]

Am I? I hope that's a compliment.

[He teases further as they walk towards the temple display.]

And of course people actually stand like that, when they think someone is watching and admiring them.

[blackhourglass]

[It's impossibly easy to flip the switch. Her life is what it is and she doesn't allow herself to really relax around people. Always being on her guard is absolutely exhausting, so now and then when Nat does relax around someone she's slowly starting to trust, the facade actually slips and truths are shown.

Finding herself enjoying Nate's company is rare, and keeps Natasha on her toes. She nods.]

You are, and yes, it is a compliment. Enjoy it. I tease far more than I compliment.

[catching her first glimpse of the slightly crowded room coming up, she pauses and makes a pose of herself with hand on her hip and one under her chin, chest horribly pointed out, belly pushed hard forward to try and make it seem rounded an almost impossible feat.]

I know you think I'm hot like this. [she falls forward, stepping into herself to stand straight after.] oh man. then you have the men who all want to look like Hercules. great giant muscles, itty bitty penises.

[captain_bitterness]

Mmn. I do like a bit of teasing.

[He says, lifting a brow at her with a smirk but then chuckles when she gets into position to mock the statue.]

Very fetching. And is it Hercules that most men want to look like? I thought it was David.
Either way though they all have small dicks.

[blackhourglass]

Teasing is half the fun.

[Her brow lifts in return, along with a corner of her mouth before she wanders off to be ridiculous. Moving back beside him she nods and tips her head to the side. ]

It's been a while since I've been to Florence and seen his magnificence in person. I'm still trying to figure out why they all had tiny pricks. Maybe they didn't want the average male to feel bad since they were already comparing the rest of themselves.

[The first room they walk into is the front frieze of the Parthenon. All of this is highly contested property. It should belong to the Greek, but instead by war rights, belongs to the British and they won't return it for numerous reasons.

The second room contains many more statues from the sides and other inlays inside the Parthenon. ] They are all very interesting in shape and life, showing the wear that war took on them, and life over many years. ]

I really love all the details, so much life and history here. It's sad that the wars took such a toll on them, but you see it all over Europe and historical sites.

[captain_bitterness]

[As they walk through the Parthenon Nate's eyes do much of the same thing when he was looking at the stone, picking one object and almost scanning it and all it's details before speaking.]

It is a little sad to see them broken up like this, although in a way it does add a somewhat eerie quality to them seeing how so many of them have lost their heads.

[blackhourglass]

[Nat moves on down along the rows of statues, of people, many missing limbs as well. She nods in agreement. ] It is rather eerie. I mean, I know that they built the bodies as separate pieces to be shipped around, and even sometimes so they could change the face if they wanted, so it was easy for the head and limbs to fall off at the first sign of trouble, but it's very odd to see all these people with no heads.

You'd think they'd all been beheaded. It was some macabre royal decree. It's even more sad that the British won't return this to Greece. In my opinion, at least. I think it's been long enough. This belongs in its rightful place. At least the front of the temple. The statues can be where they want, but the face of the temple...

[She moves back to Nate and sighs, a true sign of sadness. She's seen so much war torn land. Her country full of it, and landmarks are precious things. To have them stolen is a sad thing. There's programming in her that makes her obviously attached to Russia, even if she's extremely proud to be an American citizen. This tiny vulnerability is extremely rare, but today seems to be the day for them. History can bring about much.]

[captain_bitterness]

Yes well the British have a bad habit and a long history of taking everything in general.

[Nate says dryly, obviously not a huge fan of such things either. He hears the sadness in her voice and puts an arm around her.]

On the plus side, your comment about switching faces, or heads, reminded me of a film. Have you ever seen the bizarre sequel to 'The Wizard of Oz'?

[blackhourglass]

[laughing, Natasha leans into him and lays her head on his chest. He's tall and rather comfortable to lay into. It's been a while since she's allowed herself any real intimacy with a man that she finds attractive not only on a physical level, but mentally and emotionally too. The maturity that he shows, along with his dry wit and insight is a wonderful contrast to the majority of men she pits herself against-- always safeguarding herself from really relaxing around anyone. ]

The British are quite rude like that. [tipping her head up, she lifts a brow and shakes her head against him]

I'm afraid I can't say that I have. Now I'm rather curious.

[captain_bitterness]

I think you'd like it, it's unintentionally dark.

It starts with poor Dorthey being taken away to a mental facility because she keeps talking about Oz and her aunt and uncle think she's suffering hallucinations and a breakdown. She makes her way back to Oz in the middle of a storm and finds that everything is corrupted and everyone has been turned to stone.

Your comment about the heads made me think about it because one of the characters in the film is a woman who switches her head at will when she wants to feel more beautiful. She has a whole hallway of chopped off heads to pick from.

[blackhourglass]

[there's a lift of her brow at the way he describes the movie. She purses her lips. He's very good at understanding what she'd like. She considers that he seems to understand a bit about what makes her tick and it startles her some. ]

You're right, I would like it. A hallways of chopped heads, now there's a woman with a slight complex. I assume the book would be quite a read as well. If there exists such a thing.

[turning a half touch in his arm, she places one on his chest.]

Now that we've seen Greece and early Mesopotamia, any thoughts about what you'd like to see next? Or would you like to stop for some lunch, unless you want to shop in the gift store.

[captain_bitterness]

The sequel actually does take some inspiration from the books although not directly, mostly with the characters of the Queen of Oz and the Gnome King.

[He pauses when she puts a hand on his chest, looking thoughtful.]

I think it's a bit early for lunch or the gift shop, perhaps you could show me some of your other favorite areas?

[blackhourglass]

[Nodding, she moves from the shadow of his arm and takes his hand again. He might notice that they are heading mostly back in the direction they came from. They pass the rosetta stone and move further into an area full of things from ancient egypt. The first large room is Egyptian sculpture. There are large statues and figures everywhere. Unlike all the greek statues, they all seem to have their heads, but are also built of much sturdier stuff it seems like.]

I love the Egyptian history wing. There is so much rich history here, and it dates back so far. They were so advanced. I mean look at how powerful all these statues are. Then when we get to the mummies. They go on forever. It's macabre, but so interesting to see how some of them are so intricate.

[captain_bitterness]

You have a bit of a morbid streak to you, don't you?

[He asks with a smirk and then nods in approval.]

Good, so do I.
If this is one of your favorite wings does that mean you been to Egypt? Perhaps to see the pyramids with your own eyes?