Rules of Engagement [locked to Han Solo]

[red_room]

It's just getting on to dark in the Nexus when a familiar whine cuts through the muggy evening air. The noise from the open ramp of the Millenium Falcon grows until the underlying rumble of a motorcycle engine cuts through the thick air as Natasha pulls up just outside the ship.

Nat hops off the bike quickly, but takes her time removing all the gear she'd worn. The suit hadn't been cheap to get and getting it dirty before the onset was unheard of. She carefully removes the helmet, the track suit she'd worn over the nice clothes, and pulls the dress shoes she'd bought out of the bag of gear she'd carried along and carefully slips them on before making her way up the ramp and onto the ship.

Everything about the outfit Nat selected had been carefully considered all the way down to the cuff links. Granted, this getup is designed to impress her target and not so much a space pilot like Han is, but he should still be able to help judge the way she carries herself. Walks. Talks. She'd even taken a leaf out of the good captain's book when it came to styling her hair. Giving it a bit of the windswept wave instead of slicking it back or the like.

"Knock, knock."

It's still so weird hearing a mans voice when she talks. Wrong. But if this stays for a day or so, she'll be one more thread complete on her web.

Comments

[twelve_not_fourteen]

It's been quite a day for some of the people in the nexus. He supposed he'd rather know, than not know, that there was weirdness happening - but ultimately - he doesn't feel particularly inclined to get caught up in it.

After catching up with Nat? He retreated back to the ship in a bit of a sullen mood. Thoughts of I'm not going anywhere while this is going on and better them than me cascading through his mind. Han, frankly, was a lot more comfortable thinking in that grumpy and self-protective state of mind than he would have been reflecting too deeply about that earlier encounter.

"Come on up."

Han calls from in side of the Falcon with the slightest of hesitations. If not for the fact that he knew the sound of 'Tasha's bike so well, he probably wouldn't have been able to identify the deepened tones as hers.

[red_room]

Nat tosses the tracksuit and helmet near the ramp without much care. The bag of gear is getting much more carefully handled and brought further within the ship.

She's not so tall in her new body that she'd need to duck to get through the doorways, but it's definitely been strange dealing with the change in height. The reach of her new limbs. The change in weight distribution and pretty much everything else. If all goes well, she shouldn't need to rely on her combat expertise on this mission. However, banking on that is never smart.

And so here she was. Stopping in the doorway of the small kitchenette slash common area and giving Han a cautious glance.

"No trouble the rest of the day?" He looks to be fine. Good. The spy has been worried about Han.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"You say that like you think I go looking trouble."

He's found that it's a common misconception among the people that know him. That his antics cause problems, but the truth of the matter is that trouble finds him. He's always thought there was a very distinct difference between the two.

Han is at the holotable. He has a bright blue drink in a glass balanced precariously close to the edge of it, while a one person sabacc simulation is running in the projection field. It's okay for wasting a little time, but he's never been a fan of fake sabacc. So much of the real thing is lost when there aren't other players around to metagame with ...

"Been avoiding the forum. Far as I can tell, it seems to be the source of it."

[red_room]

Nat shrugs.

"I meant more, any of your other friends affected. I can see for myself that you're just fine."

She smiles then although it's small. Has found it's a little more difficult to do 'subtle expressions' with this new face. She'd spent nearly two hours in the mirror practicing but it all looks so foreign and wrong to her. It's an exhaustive project she's taken on. And there's no guarantee the curse will last long enough to get the work done.

Hence her rushing.

She turns a slow circle in the doorway before approaching the holotable and taking a seat on the other side.

"What do you think?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"Not sure. I headed back to the Falcon after I ran into you."

Han watches the simulated card chips on the table shimmer - indicating that the values of the cards are about to change. The look on his face sours for a moment when he sees his 'new' cards. Then, his right hand enters the projection field. It's an advanced enough sim that he can make a gesture that looks a lot like turning over his hand, indicating that he wants to fold, and the computer knows to play out the round without him.

Then his attention turns back over to Nat. She's struggling with fine expressions and he can tell. Some looks are too broad. Others not expressive enough. It's understandable that she's having a hard time with this brand new face. Anyone would. Practicing in the mirror or not.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

It's not a phrase he uses lightly and he almost didn't say anything, but she did ask him. He figures he should be honest.

[red_room]

At least her regular expressions still come across just fine. The raised eyebrows and quirk of her lips still read as 'oh, really?' loud and clear. Being herself is easy, even if it looks strange in this body. It was easier to pretend to be a man in her own body, weird though that is.

"Relax, I'm not going to sleep with anyone. They'll be dead or arrested long before that happens." Gives a dismissive wave of her hand. "All I need to do is get close, sweep her off her feet, and get the information I need."

Simple plan, difficult execution.

"Besides, that's why I came here. You're going to help me fine tune my techniques before I leave."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

The eyebrow raise is very distinctively Natasha's. It's the same lift, held for the same length of time and the same green eyes leveling at him as the unfamiliar form is doing it. It makes him internally sigh - because he'd love to see the rest of her remind him of the Natasha he knows.

"Oh."

It's one of those kind of jobs.

Han had never slept with someone to get something he wanted, but he'd come damn close. Hell, he'd gotten 'married' to someone for the sake of a con, but for some reason, it hadn't dawned on him that Nat was going to try to seduce her target like this ... the assurance doesn't particularly make him feel at ease.

Han stabs a button on the table to kill his game and then he reaches for his drink. It's the kind strong that Nat could likely smell from across the table and Solo is taking very shallow sips.

"I hadn't considered that you might, but I'd warn you against." Not simply because he'd hate the idea of someone else sharing a bed with the Black Widow, but also because ... "The mechanics are easy to learn, but difficult to master with the kind of time table you're on."

"Have you gone for a workout, yet? Or a run?"

[red_room]

Natasha's work usually revolves around recovering dangerous information, stolen goods, or putting down very very bad people. She's spent most of her life being a lot less picky about the work she does. It's left a rather large stain in her ledger.

Cleaning out all that red isn't always easy or tasteful.

"Yeah." Nat nods. Careful to adjust the way she sits to a more masculine relaxed posture. Which is admittedly makes a lot more sense now that she has to live in this body. "I hit the gym right away. My times are a bit off, but the adjustments aren't too difficult. Still flexible, but less than I used to be."

Tch.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Certainly, Han had put some thought in the fact that Natasha probably did some things he'd rather not know about. He was hardly in a position to cast a stone himself, he'd done a lot of things he wasn't proud of in his lifetime too. For the moment? It's just something that's understood between them that they don't really talk about.

And maybe that's unhealthy, but it's been working alright for them so far. He ain't about to try to fix something that ain't broke between them.

"Then you've noticed your center of balance is a lot higher by now. That'll be pretty important."

It's hard for him to decided what's important to tell her and what isn't. What doesn't need to be said because she's no doubt picked up certain things already. She's coming off a little bit like someone acting and not being, but he's also scrutinizing every detail in a way others won't be.

"I think getting tired out might be something you have to be mindful of. You're still in shape, but the energy is gonna be spent differently and you're gonna wear yourself down a little quicker trying to concentrate on the little things."

He sets his drink down and purses his lips thoughtfully.

"What's the play? Dinner with your mark?"

[red_room]

"It's something I've used to my advantage before. Something I'll have to worry about, now."

Her head tilts to the side slightly when she talks. It's a habit of hers when she's trying to think through multiple things at once, trying to project an image while at the same time cataloging everything worth noting in her surroundings.

Han's staring at her; judging her work. She can't smile now, not when the game's already started. Though amusement still shows in her eyes as she shifts in her seat. Leans forward just a bit.

"Have you ever known me to tire out on you before?" A joke. A reassuring sentiment. Natasha knows her own limits. Trying to act beyond them is a good way to get herself killed. Especially on outings such as the one she's planning.

"Something like that. My contact is working on getting me a meeting. Luckily, as a former SHIELD operative, all i have to say is 'classified' and he stops asking how I suddenly acquired a man's voice and physique."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han makes a face at the male Natasha. No, he hasn't noticed her tiring out on him before, but the stakes of pulling a fast one on him were never so high. Nor was she spending the kind of mental energy that it was going to take for her to 'act male' - which he can only assume is kind of exhausting when you're not used to being one.

"It ain't the same thing, sweeth ..." He frowns. Stopping himself from finishing the term of endearment. It just doesn't feel right for him to be saying right now, considering. "... Natasha."

Han waves a hand, as if it might smooth away the sudden awkwardness, and continues.

"So you're just gonna lay on the charm during some random meeting."

[red_room]

"You can call me sweetheart, cowboy. It's still me, you know."

Nat taps her fingers against the edge of the holo table a few times before sitting back and flattening out a nearly invisible crease in her suit. She's quite proud of the look she's got going on here. Wears it well.

"I don't need the girls on my side to get attention." Not that her curves were her only selling point. Not by a long shot. But she does miss her body. This one carries the same stress as driving a new car. Sure, you've got the basics down, but it's really not the same as having your own.

"Don't know yet. My contact is arranging the meeting. He'll tell me what role to play. Considering the target...? I'm probably posing as a potential buyer. She's in the human trafficking business. Been trying to bust their operation up for over a year now. Which means I'm probably supposed to play a chauvinist despot eager to 'make friendly' with the mark."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han shrugs. In some moments, she feels exactly like the Natasha he's always been close to and in others ... she just doesn't. He might resent this nexus curse more than some of the others because it's making him unpack some of the feelings he's never really examined before.

"The hair is pretty good." He admits, not entirely realizing it could be modeled after his own. The suit is a little stuffy looking to him, but it's not like he understands earth fashion. She's got nothing to worry about from a visual inspection as far as he can figure.

His face quickly turns to stone when she mentions the phrase Human Trafficking. Which is kind of unsettling from someone as expressive as Han normally is.

"You're talking about slaves."

[red_room]

"Figured you might like it."

A lazy smile spreads across Nat's face like a drop of ink in a glass of water. How does Han usually relax? Elbows up against the back of the chair, posture open. Sure of himself. A man unbothered by his surroundings no matter where he finds himself.

Though her eyebrows raise when he stiffens. She makes no move to sit up straight just yet though she nods only once. Slowly. Eyes locked onto his. The smile is gone, replaced by her own cold stare.

"Yes. Forced labor. Prostitution. Soldiers. Test subjects. I've shut down three of their bases of operation but never been able to remove the snake's head. This may be my chance. My only chance."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

She's right about Han. He's careful about projecting nonchalance. Sometimes it's because he feels it, but there's a lot of times where it's to disguise the fact that he cares. Han just doesn't want people to realize he does. Most of the time.

And speaking of not caring ... he shouldn't care that 'Tasha is involved in a slavery ring. He doesn't for a second think that she could be supportive of it on principle. It's just that the whole thing is leaving a hell of a bad taste in his mouth. She's taking on a dangerous op while putting up with a Nexus curse and she'll be rubbing elbows with the scum of the underworld while doing it.

Perhaps he shouldn't be so sour about it - he'd ruined the days of a few slavers, after all - but he doesn't think he should be especially encouraging either.

He shrugs and looks away.

"Is this happening on earth?" He says forcing impassivity into his voice. "Aren't you concerned the magic might not hold or might not wear off if you leave the Nexus?"

[red_room]

"It is."

Nat nods again. "If it's permanent because I left the Nexus then I'm already screwed. I left to get this suit after we split up earlier."

A thought she doesn't want to focus too hard on, at the moment. Losing her body for good is a frightening thought, not least of which because she'd need to train this one all over again. What use is she if she can't be an Avenger anymore?

"I'm no one's hero, Han. But at the very least I can get rid of the person behind the whole thing. That alone will save a lot of lives. That's why I'm here. I need you to help me refine my plan. Make sure I've got the part down."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

Han winces at the response that she's already left the nexus.

It shouldn't have surprised him all that much. Somehow Natasa - despite coming from a mysterious and unstable a background as his own - never did develop that healthy sense of self-preservation that he had. Or she was just used to completely ignoring it, which, makes sense considering what she does.

Chiding her about it won't make a difference now. Hell, for all he knows, maybe she did consider she might mess up the curse and left for earth anyway.

He sighs. Dramatically. So Natasha is very acutely aware that he doesn't like any of this.

"How can I help ..."

[red_room]

Natasha has taken a lot of instruction from her more morally upright team members over the years. Some thigns are bigger than any one person, and if spending the rest of her life as a man will put an end to one of the biggest human trafficking rings in the last century?

It's a price worth paying.

The sigh makes her smile. Her expression losing the sharpness it had held before. She leans forward again, resting her elbows on her knees and looking up at Han.

"What I need from you is help perfecting my act. You're a charismatic guy. Pretty good at talking a lady to bed or at least to your point of view when your mind's on it. Being good at pretending is one thing, but you're the real deal. I need to learn your body language inside and out. Speech mannerisms. What makes you so damn good at making a lady smile."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

There's a fallicy in play here that he's debating on addressing - the notion that you could teach someone how to be interesting, funny and charming - much less that you could pull it off as a crash course. Han is pretty positive that you can't teach that sort of thing to somebody else. You have it or you don't.

The thing of it is ... she doesn't have to be as funny or charming or interesting as him, she just has to be charasimatic enough to complete the mission. Plus it ain't like 'tasha isn't all of those things herself. She just has to adapt what she's already got for the task at hand. So. He swallows back the urge to set her straight and thinks about what advice he can give to actually help.

"I'd say that the biggest thing to keep in mind is that being coy and demure isn't as fetching in a man." He says leaning forward slightly and propping his elbows on the table. It's body language that reinforces the words. "Most places, even in my galaxy, male humans get preferential treatment. So act like you're used to getting you way, for the most part. If you're gonna flirt with someone - don't waste time being subtle."

[red_room]

"I felt a lot more confident pretending to be a man when I wasn't one."

It's an admittedly contradictory statement to make, but Natasha feels like it's a truth all the same.

"I knew how to adjust my posture, my voice, my mannerisms. I knew exactly how to dress and where to stand. But like this...I feel like a baby giraffe. All ungainly limbs and balances. Unsure if I'm over or under speaking. Acting. It's all so awkward. Which is where you come in. There's a good possibility I'm overthinking this. The talking I can do. It's the body language I feel out of sorts with."

The spy gestures to herself while she talks. And there's something more she's overlooking, though truthfully it's that she hasn't even considered it would be a problem.

"As for why it has to be you, well. If I'm going to practice flirting with someone it might as well be a someone I don't mind between my legs, right?"

[twelve_not_fourteen]

"Okay, fine." He says with a shrug. "I think the advice still applies, though. People used to being accepted and getting what they want tend to carry themselves a certain way."

If she doesn't want to be coached up on what to say, that's fine. The gist is don't tread lightly and that applies to body language too.

Han takes a thoughtful sip from his drink again, sputtering slightly into the glass when the decidedly masculine Natasha starts to flirt with him. He forces a cough when he replaces the glass back onto the table.

"Get up. Show me how you've been walking."

[red_room]

Nat's grin only turns more wicked when Han begins choking on his drink. She taps her finger against the table in clear amusement until the pilot tries to regain some control of the situation and starts barking orders at her.

"Yeah, yeah." She runs a hand through her hair the way she's watched Han do dozens of times before and gets to her feet. Squares her shoulders and loses the edge to her grin. Something more cooly confident. Channel some Tony Stark into her routine. Squared shoulders and completely at home in this suit that costs more than some peoples' cars. She moves around the table and goes to pour herself a drink, uncaring about the way her steps echo on the grate flooring.

Gestures with her glass when she half turns around to address Han again.

"You do realize I'm a spy by trade, right? This is hardly my first undercover mission as man. Just the first time I happen to actually be one."

[twelve_not_fourteen]

He expected to see more of the real Natasha showing through in the way that she moved. Maybe it's because she seemed so unsure of herself leading up to now, but it's a pretty convincing act that she's put on for him. Nothing about her act jumped out at him like a sore thumb so far.

"Sounds like there's nothing to be nervous about, then."

Han slowly pushes himself up to standing. He takes another shallow sip of his bright blue drink and he walks over to Nat, positioning himself close to her so he can get that up close look at her.

"Here. Go again. I want to see from here this time."

[red_room]

"Nervous, no. But when you only get one shot, you need it to be as close to perfect as you can get."

She watches the way he approaches. The slink to his step. So much different than her own. Where she sways he stalks. She hadn't expected to see him actually get into it considering her body being the way it was. It's a good look on him. One that makes her own pulse quicken. Focus, Natasha.

Deep breath. And out. You good? Damn right you're good. You're the best at what you do.

"Alright." She sets the glass back down and walks back to the doorway. Think like Han. Think like Tony. Never ever let Tony Stark know he's helped you do your job unintentionally.

"Because while I know I can talk the talk--" Natasha lets one hand stay in the pocket of her slacks this time as she circles round the table again, gesturing with the other. "I have to be able to walk the walk. Sell it."

She picks the glass up again and takes a sip from it before finally removing her hand and gesturing with that one while her right holds onto the drink.

"Own it." He's watching so closely now. She finds her own eyes meeting his more than she means to. Back off the looks, he knows you're talking to him. Someone of this stature doesn't care what another person thinks.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

To be fair, Han has more of a swagger in his walk than almost anybody. It's not something that everyone happens to pick up on right away, because it seems to be so genuinely him that it never looks out of place ...

Anyway, when she walks, his gaze is on her hips. He's looking for even the barest hint of a feminine sway to them. This task puts the hazel of his eyes around her groin and her ass while she's practicing her walk. He's pursing his lips and watching carefully.

Till he's abruptly taking his eyes off her and shaking his head.

"I think you're moving your hips too much." He says, getting right up behind his recently masculinized girlfriend. When he's so close that she can feel him breathing down her neck, the weight of his hands settle heavily on those distorted pelvic bones.