Do you even realize the effect you have on women?
Who: Elsa, Diana and briefly Kitty When: Recent Where: The museum What: Random meetings and Diana being amazing as usual status: complete Rating: PG
Elsa had been making the effort to get out more. It had been easier when her dreams had made her feel much more free. She’d let it go, and it had felt kind of amazing. But as dreams were won’t to do, she’d discovered her freedom had come with a cost. An eternal winter, and her sister hating her.
She supposed it made leaving the house more important. A stubborn desire to not let her dreams dictate her waking life, though she ran up against anxiety issues half the time too.
She was dressed smartly in blue slacks and a matching top, her hair pulled back into a French braid. Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked, and she was distracted by her phone when she ran smack into someone. It was a bit like walking into a feminine wall.
Diana was making the rounds, keeping an eye on the exhibit. She had her iPad in her hand, making some notes and flicking through something akin to a spreadsheet on it. Diana was keeping tally of what pieces were the most popular and if she should change any of them out. Keeping notes of these things would most certainly help keep the exhibit fresh.
She herself was dressed smartly, an expensive-looking red dress hugging her figure. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. Diana was busy looking at her iPad when someone ran into her.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” She was quick to say, even if it wasn’t her fault, hand moving to try to catch or steady the young woman that had run into her. “Are you alright?”
Elsa tried to steady herself, only to have someone steady her. She blinked her eyes, staring at the statuesque woman in front of her. "I...ah..."
Had never seen anyone quite like Diana. Elsa cleared her throat, and continued, "I'm okay, are you all right? I wasn't looking where I was going. I’m sorry."
Diana took the staring in stride. She got that reaction a lot, so she didn’t even really acknowledge it. “I am okay, do not worry about it. I should not have been standing in the middle of the walkway.” She said with a smile.
“I shouldn’t have...You’re tall.” Elsa smoothed back an non-existence strand of hair behind her ear. “I mean, You could have fallen. I could have fallen.”
She exhaled, unable to disguise how flustered she was.“Is there a section on architecture and buildings in the ancient world?”
“You would be surprised how often being tall equates to not being seen as easily.” Diana chuckled. She certainly thought this young woman was adorable, and she could tell how flustered she was.
“We do, yes! Are you looking for any specific time period or culture?” It wasn’t completely within Diana’s realm of expertise, but it was still under her area of the museum to work with. She had some excellent examples on display.
Diana was just so tall! And pretty. She wasn’t Elsa’s type, not at all, but she was very pretty. “I’m… not sure? My family is scandinavian, but I studied in London. I’m an architect. I guess I’m just looking for inspiration.”
“Scandinavian? I may have something for you.” Diana said with a smile. “Scandinavia is a bit out of my realm of expertise, but we do have some examples of Viking architecture.” She started to lead her towards that part of the museum. “My name is Diana. I am the antiquities dealer for this museum.”
“I’m Elsa.” Even if her family hadn’t actually been from that part of the world in a very long time, it was still a part of her heritage. Even her dreams seemed to be in some version of Finland or thereabouts. “Have you been here long?”
It was kind of a stupid question. The last time she’d been at this museum she’d been twelve and that was a very long time ago.
“I have been here a couple of months, I believe. It is sometimes hard to keep track of time.” Diana responded with an easy smile. Time flew when one was both busy and having fun. And Diana had been doing both. “How about you?”
“Then you’re way after my time.” Elsa smiled nervously, having a hard time meeting Diana’s eyes. That smile was blinding. “I moved away from California to get a degree in London. I just got back after seven years away.”
“Congratulations on attaining your degree, and welcome home. I have not been to London, but I hear that it is a beautiful city rich with history.” One day, Diana would visit the city. Diana reached the exhibit that had ancient architecture. “Ah! Here, there is some Viking examples here. I believe there are also some eastern European architecture. And, of course, Roman architecture. If you ask me, the Romans are a little over-rated, but that is simply the Greek in me speaking.” She chuckled. Diana had some intense Greek pride within her.
“Thank you.” Elsa nodded her head at Diana. “And it’s really gorgeous. I didn’t … get out much at first, but eventually I did see a lot of the things I wanted to. Buildings and landmarks are a lot easier to deal with than people.”
She clasped her hands in front of her, her eyes lighting up. “I feel like Greek structures held up very well, but the Roman’s had the best concrete.”
“I understand. Sometimes I prefer to be in my office amongst artifacts than be around people.” It was probably hard to imagine because Diana genuinely liked people, but sometimes she was prone to wanting to be alone.
“You are correct, the Romans had better construction and understanding of how to build things to last. It is awe-inspiring to see their remnants now and how well they held together. Especially for an area of the world that can be hit with earthquakes and volcanoes at a moment’s notice.” But volcanoes also tended to preserve as much as they destroyed, as was evidenced in the ruins of Pompeii.
“If I never had to be around people I’d probably have an easier time of it.” The air around Elsa actually dropped two degrees, before adjusting back up again. “I wonder what they’d look like, if people had stayed around to keep the structures maintained.”
She leaned in to look at some of the exhibits a little more closely. “Less stone structures in northern europe, so we have less preserved.”
“They would probably be in far better condition. Or perhaps have been changed as time progressed. Each generation tends to build over what the those who came before built. But the core generally still tends to be there.” Diana smiled, gazing at the exhibits. “True, wood structures do not survive the weather of time as easily. Though we at least have written descriptions and other art telling us what has been there before. Much of this is reconstruction, but I try to keep it as authentic as possible.”
“Did you build some of it yourself?” She looked at Diana, one of her eyebrows rising. For once she didn’t try to avoid her eyes, but maybe she was just trying to be more polite.
“I built that one,” she said pointing to the exhibit of a shrine to one of the Norse gods. “Arts and crafts aren’t precisely my strong suit, but I make certain to do my best when doing recreations. Building models like this is far easier than attempting to replicate a mural. Which I don’t do. I am not an artist.”
“It’s beautiful,” Elsa replied. She studied it, then turned her attention to Diana. “I think I might just find it inspiring for my own work.”
Diana smiled that warm, bright smile of hers. “I am happy that you find it inspiring. Though there may be something else you may find interesting.” She led Elsa around the corner, and tucked off to one side of the gallery was a model of a stave church. Specifically, it was the Heddal stave church. “I have always found stave churches to be very beautiful, and even architectural marvels. I have never been to one personally, but the craftsmanship that goes into the wood is marvelous to me.”
The cold didn’t really bother Elsa anymore, but she felt suddenly warm. But she came to a short stop, mouth dropping open. “Oh it’s beautiful. I’d like to see one some day. I’ll bet a similar design would be very welcome in parts farther north.”
This, this she could talk about without being made to feel like she was blubbering.
“I think they would be. Anywhere with a concentration of Scandinavians would probably welcome it. Though if you ask me, such a design would be welcomed in most places. It is very aesthetically pleasing.” Diana had quite the appreciation for it.
“It’s functional too,” Elsa said, pointing at the sloped roofs. It had been what she’d meant. “In areas with heavy snowfall, you want a roof with a large slope to it. The last thing you need is snow piling up and collapsing everything onto you. It’s why ski-resorts and winter retreats are usually built like upsidedown Vs. But there’s something timeless about this design.”
Diana tilted her head as she looked at what Elsa talked about. Coming from Greece, snow wasn’t something that happened often. Diana hadn’t seen snow much in her life so this was new information to her. “Ah, I see! That’s just more proof that our ancestors were not as backwards as some think they were. After all, the vikings were knowledgeable enough to build roofs to withstand the winters of their lands. Other ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians, performed brain surgery, and the Chinese could treat diabetes thousands of years ago. Not to mention all the accurate maps of the stars and planets that various civilizations had. They were all very sophisticated, and it is represented in their architecture.” And now Diana was probably babbling, but she really liked learning new things and she was very enthusiastic about history in general.
“This is really your thing, isn’t it.” Elsa could understand that. Get her talking about design theory or structural mechanics and it might be hard to get her to stop. Or geometry. She loved geometry. “You said you were the antiquities dealer. Is there anything in particular that’s your absolute favorite?”
“Yes, while I enjoy history in all of its facets, I am most enthusiastic about artifacts from the ancient world.” Which wasn’t just limited to weapons, though she had many of those in the collection here. “Amongst what I have in the museum here, my favorite would have to be a piece of pottery from ancient Crete depicting the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Overall in the world, being from Crete I am very partial to the ancient Minoan sites. Though the ruins of Delphi are very breath-taking as well.”
Once again tucking non-existent hair behind her head, Elsa asked, “Can you show me that? I’m really curious now.”
Be the Confident Queen Be the Confident Queen.
“I’d be happy to!” Diana said with a warm smile before she led Elsa to a different part of the exhibit. There was a square glass case sitting in the middle of one room that held the pottery piece in question. For being a couple thousand years old, it was remarkably intact. “This is one of the best examples of Minoan pottery and art that I have seen. It’s roughly four thousand years old. It is one of the pieces I just recently got in.”
By the time they got there, Elsa had managed to calm her inner thoughts down. The exhibit helped, too, but she hadn’t expected to feel so flustered by someone. “It’s beautiful! And it’s more intact than I thought it would be. It’s kind of amazing how well some of these pieces manage to survive.”
“It is amazing. But every so often archaeologists get lucky and find pieces largely intact. Having these glimpses into the distant past is simply awe-inspiring.” Diana always admired what the ancients had been able to produce. Compared to some things today, the ancients had better knowledge of how to build things to last.
“It’s almost enough to make me consider going to school again,” Elsa joked. “If only I didn’t like my design work so much. Maybe one day I’ll create something they’ll remember in two thousand years.”
It was a form of immortality.
Diana chuckled at the joke. “I’d consider going back for an archaeology degree, but I’m happier right where I am.” She had to smile, though. “You just might! Architecture is a form of immortality.” That is if it could weather the ravages of time. No one could build something that would stand every potential disaster from hurricanes and volcanoes to nuclear war, but there were ways to design and build something that could stand through many of them.
“I doubt that I’d build something that lasts like the Parthenon or Taj Mahal did, but something distinct might be nice.” She doubted she’d ever love someone enough to build them a Taj Mahal either. But she could appreciate the romance too.
“You never know what will last and what won’t. Though I have faith that you will leave your mark on the world.” Diana said with a smile. Sure she’d just met Elsa, but she believed everyone left a mark on the world in different ways.
“Thank you,” Elsa replied, her smile brighter than before. Diana seemed like a wonderful person, sunshine optimism like her sister but in a different, less hyperactive kind of way.
A cute brunette bounced up, leaning on her toes and kissing Diana on the cheek. Kitty had thought to surprise Diana since she was pretty sure she was almost done with work. “Hey!”
The air around Elsa dropped two degrees again, though she didn’t quite get why she might have lost control just then, but she hopefully managed to retain her composure. “I really should go. Thank you for the lesson, Diana. I think it was what I needed.”
“You’re welcome,” she said with a smile. Then she blinked in surprise as Kitty came up and greeted her, but she smiled warmly and kissed Kitty’s cheek back. “Hello to you as well,” she greeted before looking back to Elsa.
“You are welcome, Elsa. If there’s anything more you need, do not hesitate to ask or come visit here again. The exhibits rotate and change now and then.”
Okay so she’d always kind of known that was an option, but it was an option. Elsa nodded. “I think I will. Thanks again.”
After Elsa had walked away, Kitty turned her head back to Diana. “Do you even realize the effect you have on women?”
Diana smiled and watched Elsa head off. She then looked back to Kitty, arching an eyebrow. “Apparently I do not. Why? Did I miss something?” She asked, glancing back the way Elsa had gone.
Kitty laughed, and captured Diana’s lips with her own. “Never mind. Want to get dinner, or are you going to stay late?”
She returned the kiss, then smiled brightly at Kitty. “I am always more than happy to have dinner with you.”