15737/In the Jungle

In the Jungle
Date of Scene:	24 October 2023
Location:	Gymnasium, The Triskelion
Synopsis:	A day in SHIELD.
Cast of Characters:	Black Widow (Romanoff), Phobos

---

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The training area also had private spaces, set aside for specific training that entailed something a bit more complex that required no distractions. This wasn't for a normal workout. It was for those physical tasks to be learned that might be needed for a specific mission. It was one of those rooms where Natasha Romanoff could be found.

The room was setup like an obstacle course. Some beams that needed to be crossed that were far more narrow than a balance beam. A few crawl spaces created with ducts that made noise if traversed too quickly. Even laser beams in a complex grid during a stretch that would need to be passed without triggering an alert.

Natasha had returned to the first part of this area, glancing over to the clock and shaking her head before hitting the reset button. She was covered in sweat, having been at this a while now. Wearing a pair of boyshort style bottoms and a sports bra, along with booties that were designed more like the costume she would be wearing during the mission.

She wiped her face and neck with a towel then rubbed it all over her head for good measure, messing up the short locks but not that it mattered. She focused her green eyes on the start line, knowing the timer would start again as soon as she crossed it.

Phobos has posed:
    "I think you had us do an exercise like this back in training." The familiar voice was heard from the doorway. Agent Aaron standing there with a hand lightly upon the door jam and his attention upon the redheaded woman. His smile was warm and at ease, and his body language spoke of a calm that escaped most other agents in the presence of the Black Widow.
    "Except you had us do it in full combat gear and with a week's worth of supplies in our packs." His lip quirks a little, and while this might not be strictly true... the Widow had indeed been something of a taskmistress? Taskmadame? It was that very thought that caused those pale hazel eyes of his to distance in that moment.
    Then aloud he spoke with a smile, "What's the feminine form of Taskmaster?"

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"It's pronounced Natasha," came the somewhat smug sound from the redhead as she turned to face the door. The grin on her face proved there wasn't any actual arrogance in the joke. She shook her head a bit because Taskmaster was a challenge for a full team, a nightmare for a single opponent. Including herself.

She waved a hand at the course. "It's close but not exact. This is for an upcoming op and I can't get the time down enough. Trying to figure out if I might need to try a different angle but I keep telling myself I can do it if I just push harder."

She picked up her water bottle as she continued. "And you all thought I was just being mean with that exercise. See? Comes in practically at times." She took a swig before speaking again. "So what are you up to today?"

Phobos has posed:
    "Taskmistress has a ring to it. Taskmadame?" Alexander walks further into the room though turns to the side so as to not interfere with the course should she intend to run it in the next few moments. Instead he glides his fingertips over the metal wall and considers the obstacles she's set before her. His touch lingers on one of the laser displays and he quirks an eyebrow at it, but then looks back toward Natasha.
    "I was sent to see if you were going to be here much longer becaues the ready room team is intimidated by you." His lip twists up, "Though they asked me not to phrase it that way. But I made no promises." Alexander, for his part, was garbed in the standard black combat fatigues that most of SHIELD's agents use when they're on duty at the Triskelion. Though after his last tumult the year before his ID badge sets him slightly apart as a Zed-level variant operative. Still a level 3, but with an asterisk.
    "I told them don't get their hopes up."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"If you insist, Taskmistress sound better. But people will get all sorts of wrong ideas from it, I fear. And too many dominatrix jokes from it would lead to me actually hurting someone." A pause as she realized the sentence she just said so she added, "In a way they wouldn't like."

Bases covered, she paused at the explanation of why he was there. Then she laughed, unable to stop herself. "They are so intimidated that not one of them would come tell me I ran over my scheduled time? Speaking of, how long have I run over..." She reached for the small bag she'd brought, which held the waters and towels. Inside was her phone and she tapped the screen just to cause it to light up so she could see he time on the front display. "Jeez, it's been 25 minutes over."

She moved to the wall and hit the reset button. This started the robotics working to clear the room and setup the preprogrammed arrangement that was needed for the next incoming person or persons.

She picked up her bag. "Apparently they are very much intimidated if they didn't let me know I was eating up their two hours with my stubbornness." A hint of a mischievious grin. "Should I scowl at them menacingly as we head out?"

Phobos has posed:
    "I mean would you tell you that you were late and had to move your butt?" Alex smiles and leans against one of the balance beams, resting his arms on it and in turn his shoulders. He cocks his head to the side, "But yeah, 25 minutes. And apparently word's gotten around to people about us. They felt it was less likely you might bite my head off for daring to press you about your time allotment."
    Alex gives a small shrug while biting his lower lip. "I told them that I was just as afraid of you as they were but they didn't buy it."
    As the robotics of the room keyed into action he straightened up and started to walk back toward the door where she was moving to get her bag. "Scowl, definitely. You could even mutter something evil in Russian as you walk by." He glances up at the black spheres where SHIELD keeps their cameras hidden from direct view.
    "They have the microphones off, so chances are they're not hearing this. But who knows?" He pauses near the control panel and bops it with the bottom of one fist, causing the metal double doors to hiss open.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"It's an espionage organization and we had to file paperwork." Since sometimes she would be the ranking agent on an op he might be assigned to, so they'd had to have their status known. "Not to mention our little trip last year." While the full details weren't known, there was enough out there in the grapevine. "So of course they can't keep their traps shut and the rumors just ran rampant."

Because that was the nature of people. Even in the spy business.

She glanced up toward the cameras, making sure she was frowning when she did. Then she headed to that door he'd just opened. "I really hope mics were off. Otherwise they heard a lot of choice words in there," she muttered to Alexander.

They stepped out into the hallway and she saw the gathered team. She frowned a bit, expression dark. As she walked past them, she made sure to look at each of them, finding it amusing when they wouldn't meet her gaze. The team leader is the one that got the longest look as well as a few mutters, in Russian as recommended, by Natasha. Then they were being left behind as she continued up the hallway toward the main gym area. Only when they were out of earshot did she lean over toward Alexander and whisper conspiratorally, "Was that as fun for you as it was me?" Yet her expression remained grumpy looking to anyone on the outside looking their way.

Phobos has posed:
    "In a different way probably." Alexander's lips curl up as he walks, then he murmurs sidelong. "Their fear was... amusing." He said as he looked sidelong at her, then in a rare public display of affection he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her gently against his hip as they walked for a bit, giving a small squeeze.
    "You're such a delinquent." He grins sidelong as they continue their stroll.