15526/About Slayers and Magic MacGuffins

About Slayers and Magic MacGuffins
Date of Scene:	25 August 2023
Location:	Safehouse, New York City
Synopsis:	Slayers have magic weapons. Who knew?
Cast of Characters:	Phobos, Black Widow (Romanoff)

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Phobos has posed:
    There's a certain peace that can only be felt in the world when one is in the shower. Enclosed in a blissful cocoon against reality with the hiss of the water all around you. There's that steam from a leisurely lingering hot wash of water across one's body, and the way all the shiny reflective surfaces are fogged over by vapor. It makes a person feel as if they were all alone.
    And for some that can be a terribly dangerous thing.
    For in the depths of that old Victorian in the city, down the hall and along its curve, inside that wide old porcelain and metal bathroom stood the young man who came to call this place home with the spy of his life.
    And he found himself given toward song.

"When I was a young boy, my mama said to me. There's only one girl in the world for you, and she probably lives in Tahiti."

"I'd go the whole wide world, I'd go the whole wide world, just to find her. Or maybe she's in the Bahamas, where the Caribbean Sea is blue. Weeping in a tropical, moonlit night because nobody's told about you."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
And it was around that time that Natasha came home. She was supposed to be there earlier, but she'd been called in to deal with a special assignment. Meeting with the people in WAND to help escort someone to examine an item in a warehouse. Quite a warehouse at that.

She secured the door behind her then headed up the stairs, surprised when she didn't hear a greeting from Alexander. But then as she approached the landing, the sound of the shower could be heard. That brought a smile to her face, and she headed into the bedroom. There she removed holsters and weapons, setting them aside in their proper places. For they had proper places. Holsters with Glocks, on peg inside the closet. Wristbands on the nightstand by the bed. She didn't bother taking off the uniform yet, but she did take off the boots as she listened.

Now barefoot, she padded quietly to the bathroom door and gave a little verbal warning. "I'm home." Before she did a tap-tap with her knuckles lightly on the door. Then she pushed it open and smiled as she gazed in at him.

Phobos has posed:
    She saw him like a ghostly silhouette in a fog bank, pale skin seeming almost ethereal with the steam all around him. He had this habit of leaving the sliding glass door partially open and it played havoc with getting water on the tiled wall, but he never learned. Something about it always slipped his attention.
    So she saw him, the chrome fixtures fogged over and that mirror just giving the barest hint of his shape. His blond hair was slicked back and he was standing under the triple heads of the shower, enjoying them with the middle one set on pulsate while the other two were just the steady flow of water.
    Her voice was heard and he turned, eyes opening, just as ghostly in some ways as the rest of him. But the smile warmed his expression as he said, "Hey. How did the thing go?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Oddly," was the immediate answer as Natasha stepped further into the room. "I'll tell you about it but I have a couple of questions too. Most important one, you been in there very long?" A glance was given to the foggy state of the room. "Guessing so from all the steam. Much hot water left, or should I wait a bit for my own shower?" Even as she started to remove her belt at her waist.

"I had to go down to WAND last second. Take a magic portal over to a warehouse to look at a weapon locked in a rock." A hint of that smirk he was so familiar with as Natasha moved to be where she could see him clearly through the open door. "No, not Excalibur." She let her eyes drift over him, and it the smirk turned into a smile. But then she flicked her gaze to his face and continued.

"So, what can you tell me about Slayers again?"

Phobos has posed:
    "I want to say that no sure plenty left, but that would likely be optimistic of me." Alexander's response is easily given as he smiles sidelong at her, utterly at ease with her presence as he stands still under the shower spouts. He takes a deep breath and streeetches a little, the water glistening on his lithe athletic silhouette as he rests a hand upon the frame of the glass door.
    "You can hop in if you like. If you were fast mebbe. But you take _forever_." He grins as he impugns her time showering.
    But then his attention is caught by her suggestion of a weapon in a rock, then he smirks a little. "Of course it's not Excalibur. My dad says he has that somewhere in his house. Which, yah, I'm dubious."
    He turns and quirks an eyebrow at her as he seems about to turn off the shower, but waits for her to make her decision. "Slayers? Some sort of primal force I believe. Like gods, but older in some ways. When mankind was young and small in number."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As he spoke, she'd shed the rest of her out clothing and now was working on the rest. Just leaving it in a pile on the floor, near the door to the room so it was away from the wetness on the floor by the shower door. Once bare, she simply stepped in to join him. "I just need a quick rinse. So, we should have time." Her eyes showed mischief as she looked up at him while stepping into the water with him. "As long as you don't go getting handsy, that is."

And she worked on getting wet by the stream of water from the showerheads even as she reached for a loofah and the soap. "Do you know about them having some magic weapon like Excalibur though? We had one of our consultants, Nick Drago? The musician, actor, everything guy that happens to be a magic user as well. He came by asking about a weapon that was confiscated a few years back. WAND studied it for a while then stored it away as they couldn't do anything else with it. Nick wants it to be released as there is some huge threat coming and they have a... cockatrice? I think that's what he said. Running loose that they want this weapon to fight."

Phobos has posed:
    "Last time you were the one with all the handsying," Alexander said with a hint of admonishment to his tone as he stepped back and gave her room to get in, but as she started to feel the water wash over her and she grabbed the loofah, he slipped his arms around her waist and just held onto her for a time. Then he rested his chin on her shoulder as he murmured, "I've never heard of a weapon connected directly with them, nope."
    Alex's body is warm and slick, no hint of body hair, just that firm play of supple muscles along her back as his chest rests against her, his arms around her, terribly heated and his breath gentle against her cheek.
    "That's weird, but now I've not heard of such a thing. I've helped them a few times but they do their own thing mostly. I sometimes come in and special guest star."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I know you've dealt with them sometimes." Natasha had even picked him up after some of his adventures in Sunnydale. As he put his arms around her, she paused after the loofah was soaped up to turn to him and steal a brief kiss. He wasn't wrong that she was often the one getting handsy. How could one blame her?!

But for now, she tried to behave and worked on getting the work grime off herself. Or maybe it was just that creepy feeling from being in that giant warehouse of who knew what in so many crates. "Do you think it would be best to give them this weapon that WAND couldn't even figure out? I did tell them they have multiple other options while this is considered by SHIELD. I mean, there are the Avengers, the Justice League. I even suggested talking to Princess Diana of Themyscira since she might know more about mythological creatures. Do you know anything about cockatrices?"

Phobos has posed:
    "I know only a little about it, that it supposedly is poisonous, or can turn people to stone? Something along those lines. I've never fought one. My dad might know." He tilts his head to the side, subtly brushing his cheek against hers then straightening up as the shower washed down over her back with his slight absence.
    "But then he might get it into his head to go hunting it. And the Slayer people tend to like to handle things on their own. But not sure if that's an aspect of ego or awareness." Since he hadn't been around them long enough to make that judgment.
    The glass door slides open a little more and he steps out onto the towel he had tossed onto the floor. He grabbed one of the others from the hook against the wall and started to dry off. "I could give them a call and see what they're saying?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
There was a moment of disappointment as he stepped back to give her that space, then out of the shower entirely. But it was for the best. Otherwise, she was going to be rinsing off in cold water. Though, admittedly, it might be worth it. Shaking her head at her musings, she focused on the conversation at hand.

"If you don't mind? I'd really appreciate it. If the weapon is just a weapon, it would be one thing. But it has some sort of properties, WAND hasn't been able to really figure it out. We don't want that type of thing in the wrong hands. And while I know these Slayers are--two of them right?" she asked, glancing over at him around the door. Then back to rinsing the loofah before rinsing herself. "I'm just not sure what to recommend here. I know Nick helped us in the past and can be trusted. So, should we give them the weapon? Or just say they need to figure out another way."

Phobos has posed:
    "Yeah, two." Alexander answers as he stands in front of the mirror, and then wipes its surface with one hand before crinkling his nose and deciding to use the towel. It reveals his features there and he smiles at himself, then proceeds to dry his hair all raggedy with the towel.
    "One died for a time, and that triggered the passing of the role I believe. But then she came back so there's two. Not sure how it works. Doesn't feed on faith or the like I believe, more ancient power or whatever."
    He pauses as he grabs the spray deodorant and pfffts some into his arm pits, smiling sidelong at her. "I'll ring them up and see what I can find out."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
It is a handful of minutes then she is done. Fully washed and rinsed. She pondered for a moment if she dared try to wash her hair or should wait until later when the water heater was back to full. Considering she had her hair in the short stage, she opted to give it a try and it only took a few moments. The water stayed warm throughout.

With that, she finished up and quickly turned off the water. "Thanks," she said as she moved to step out on that towel he had on the floor already. Then she reached for another hanging towel, as there were always two, to start drying off as well. Her own hair was only damp at the edges instead of fully soaked at least. "And now that you've heard all about my stuff, how about you? How was your day, dear?" Her tone was light on the last, more like the stereotype of the 50s housewife making sure to give him the attention he deserved.

Phobos has posed:
    "I had the strangest conversation," Alexander says as he starts to pull on his boxers, facing away from her for the moment to give some small hint of modesty though likely entirely incidental, one of those small idiosyncratic things that a couple notices over time together.
    "You know how I sometimes run errands back and forth between the divisions, right?" As he still has that role not and again of providing what some might consider... gentle security. An understated asset in a dangerous situation since he carries himself so... easily.
    "So I head back to R&D, and I met this gal who started to chat me up. And she was telling me she was a reformed succubus. Have you heard about that?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
She paused to prop a foot on the closed toilet lid as she dried one leg. Then the other. A quick brisk rub over the rest of her to be sure she was done. Then she put the towel back on the hook so it could dry even before moving to pick up the clothes she could would take back to the bedroom once they went that direction.

The word succubus drew her eyes to his. "No, I wasn't aware we had a succubus working there, reformed or otherwise." The tone was casual. Nothing that would be odd. Yet, he knew her like no one else. He probably could pick up that she was fishing now. Not just for information on his encounter but this reformed succubus specifically.

Phobos has posed:
    "Yeah," Alexander smiles a little as he slips those shorts on, the elastic band snapping a little as it settles against his firm physique. He then grabs the folded t-shirt off the bathroom counter and pulls it on, drawing it over his head and almost seeming to crawl into it, the way the fabric hugs his body tightly. He slides his hands down his sides and smooths the fabric then turns to look at her.
    "I don't know if she was entirely serious, or sort of like... pushing the limit of what people might believe? Or maybe that was her way of chatting me up." He smiles a little, since Natasha was no stranger to the tales Alexander would come home with of various and sundry people in pursuit of him. Nat also had her own fair share of those too, to be fair.
    "So maybe she was real? Or maybe just... you know how folks sometimes like to think I'm simple? Maybe she was just having me on."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Or maybe she isn't as reformed as she claims to be," Natasha retorted. She then moved to step past him, but taking the moment to get handsy. Because he did suggest she would be the one to do so. Sliding a hand over his hip then to his bottom as she slid past on the way toward the bedroom. She carried her dirty uniform in her hands. Then it was dropped into the hamper on the way by. The belt was brought back with her to the bedroom though. It was hung up with her gunbelts.

"So, we have a person claiming to be a succubus, with access to the Triskelion, trying to..." That smirk as she glanced back at him as opened the dresser to look for her own shirt. "Have it on with you?" She purposefully changed his words to the opposite meaning. No longer was it him thinking it was a joke. Not it was her thinking it was an actual seduction attempt.

"I have to wonder if she would have succeeded were you not an Olympian." And then she turned to close that distance again, now in panties and a shirt and nothing more. She did have a pair of yoga pants in her hand though she hadn't put them on yet. "And now you are going to tell me allll about her so I can do some research to be sure just how reformed she is. And truthful."

Phobos has posed:
    As she stepped past and brushed her fingers along that smooth curve of his rear... he smiled, biting his lower lip a little and he said. "She could've just been goofing on me, but..." Alex shakes his head, "There've been weirder things in the Triskelion,"
    He strolls in after her and then casually drops onto the edge of the bed, hands supporting himself as he bounces a little, long legs eased forward and crossed at the ankles. "And I'm surprised I have to tell you all about her. I figured at this point you'd be telling me, and showing me her file and telling me how if she makes a pass at me, you'll stab her in the eye. Or something."
    He clucks his tongue slightly, "Losing your touch, Romanoff."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Why would I do that?" Natasha asked in an honest tone. "I mean, if she is not a succubus, she's a woman hitting on you. Which is something that I have gotten used to after the years we've been together. That will not be stopping. I have no doubts you love me."

And she moved forward, sitting on the edge of the bed so she could start to pull her pants on. But right next to him so she could smile up at him. "You will not cheat on me. There is no doubt of that in my mind so there is no jealousy."

But then that humor is there as she nudges her elbow against his arm. "But if she's a succubus and she tried to use her powers to seduce you against our will? That's another story. And I wouldn't stab her in the eye. After all, I have no powers against a succubus either. I'd probably just shoot her through the head 100 yards with a sniper rifle." A happy smile and she stood so she could pull her pants on the rest of the way.

Phobos has posed:
    "A hundred yards," Alexander tsks again softly, "So close? Living dangerously I see." He leans over and touches a small kiss to her cheek and curls an arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his embrace. "Still, I didn't feel any power stuff going on."
    Then his lip curls wry, "I mean, she was pretty cute. But still."