Kitty, Marie-Ange, Namor |

[xp-submariner.livejournal.com]

Marie-Ange follows up with Namor on his request to help catalog Ancient Atlantis' history along with Kitty.


"No."

Marie-Ange swept into the library, all messy bun and messenger bag, pencils sticking through her hair at odd angles. "No, I have spent all day on the phone, I have missed lunch, I have almost missed dinner, I am kidnapping you." She didn't quite look crazed - no more than usual, but she did look determined, and unusually, a touch frazzled. "Art must be done properly, over chocolate and coffee!"

Kitty blinked, then looked over her shoulder. "Art? Are we going to play Scribblenauts or something?" Focusing on the pencils, she had a sinking feeling as she realized that was probably not the case.

"No, the teenagers already did that once and it was not even my fault." Marie-Ange said, firmly. "If Namor is going to describe his people's history, and we are going to dig through dusty records, some of it will need to be copied, and I am not going to keep doing this." She waved a hand vaguely at the cover of one of the many, many books on the table, and half a ziggurat rose out of the table. "Without chocolate."

"Very well," the third person in the room exclaimed with an even tone that was not disturbed by Marie-Ange's sudden entrance in the least. If anything, he took a pointed moment to properly tidy the records that he and Miss Pryde had been reviewing, careful to move around the ziggurat, before continuing. "I will allow this disturbance if it will expedite our business."

"However," and Namor fixed Marie-Ange with a stare, "A monarch is never 'kidnapped.' We shall allow you to escort us to a more appropriate venue."

"Expedite no, improve yes." Marie-Ange waved a hand airily. "Art takes as long as it takes, and is done when it is done." As if to punctuate her statement, the ziggurat misted away into cool nothingness. The timing was very deliberate. "Plus our resident monarch has probably not had much exposure to modern desserts. Chocolate is the best thing about the modern world."

"Mmm... I think it's maybe the computer." Kitty eyeballed Marie-Ange. "So what kind of art is this exactly?"

"Chocolate is easier to explain." Marie-Ange said. "Well, it is not so much what kind of art, but I think having a perspective on Namor's people's art and architecture? I can make them solid, he can correct mistakes in the assumptions about what was preserved." And oh, she thought, he would enjoy correcting historians. It seemed just his very thing, to imperiously correct ... everyone.

To point, Namor waved a hand as if one could dismiss inaccuracies with a gesture. "I will concede that I summoned your resident Seer and Keeper of Secrets for her art prowess, what I hoped to capture was a bit more... specific. Prydeful Kate, I wish for Marie-Ange to specifically capture what I can remember of the Royal Vault."

Royal vault? Kitty's ears pricked up before the vision hit her of Namor swimming in a pool of gold and women like a cross between Scrooge McDuck and Hugh Hefner. She frowned, shaking the image out of her head. Wonder what's actually in the vault?

"Okay, cool," she said, shrugging. "So do I just stand around and hold your pencil?" Kitty turned to Marie-Ange.

"No, I am ... I am the projector, you help with the accuracy. If all of his highness's civilization's records are hard to find, then for me to try to recreate any of his people's works of art, your expertise is required." Marie-Ange explained. "You point out what you have found, I make it real, you tell me how I am wrong so I can fix it, and we feed Namor chocolate."

"We approve of this method of delegation. I will both supervise and enjoy chocolate. Kate, We will need our notes."

"Sounds like a plan." Kitty relaxed upon realizing that no modeling would be required. She shuffled through a stack of papers, pulling out an arcane stack of scribbled notes that would make no sense to anyone but her. "You're in charge of the chocolate though. I can't be trusted."