#m: ─ ⋆ 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐫

[myrwild]

ft. conor leslie

[myrwild]

closed starter for @dumexes

it hadn't been her idea to let non-professionals work on her dig. no, in fact she hated it with a burning passion. it was a small project and her new "recruits" were only supposed to dust off some already unearthed artefacts, nothing too difficult but still. this was a field of work that required a lot of caution and letting a bunch of ex-convicts and small time criminals run amock on her site was the furthest from cautious marlowe could imagine. but the site, and the artefacts themselves, were the property of the city's museum and it had been their idea - their order, really - to offer the excavation effort as a form of community service to the city's law enforcement. it looked good for the press, after all, and the museum's higher-ups, unfortunately, cared about little else than exposure for the opening of their new wing recently. so here she was, getting ready to chaperone whatever thieves and druggies they sent her way to "help them reform through the fascinating power of archaeology" or whatever bullshit she had been briefed on. ❝ you lot, you'll work with Professor Fawlke over there. ❞ she pointed a small group towards the tiny man and his ridiculously thick glasses, already busying himself with cataloguing artefacts by their condition of wear. ❝ and you... ❞ she gestured at the rest, only two people. she sighed, trying her hardest not to judge, not to roll her eyes at how much she disliked her task already and how unprepared they looked for this kind of work. ❝ you're with me. ❞

[myrwild]

marlowe had been walking in determined strides towards the spot where she was planning to have her new 'recruits' spend the day, but listening to one of them, she stopped and turned around. she appraised him like she would a mysterious artefact, her eyes gliding from the top of his head to the tip of his shoes and back up before settling on his face with a slightly raised eyebrow, her mouth in a line. she had been told more than once that her way of looking at people, staring at them, was disturbing and made the objects of her attention more uncomfortable than anything. she didn't care though, she had a keen eye for mysteries and people were often the biggest one to solve. this one, for example, was trying to make her tick and he - she had to begrudgingly admit - wasn't half-bad at it. she didn't dislike criminals, or at least she didn't despise them, not in the way that most people did and definitely not in the way the man sizing her up seemed to think. any person with half an interest in her field of work knew that some of the best finds had been brought back to museums by men society had labelled as scoundrels. the pull of mystery-solving and discoveries grander than oneself could often be stronger than the pull for money, and when it all converged into one same interest, it was bound to bring some not-so-moral people to the forefront of the search effort. and as an archeologist, she knew better than most that diamonds in the rough could be hiding in the most putrid-smelling puddles of dirt. an answer on the tip of her tongue, she watched the small rock topple away from his boot, pupils following its trajectory when she heard his last question and couldn't help the small snort - pure mix of shock that the question could even be asked and amusement at how ridiculous the claim sounded - from escaping her. ❝ no. ❞ she simply stated, her eyes drifting back to his face, raising her eyebrow higher, one corner of her mouth ever so slightly tilting up. she had to admit it felt... strange, to be complimented the way he did, even if it had only been to throw her off or annoy her. the only men she had been in close contact with for a while now had been colleagues. half of them were too intimidated by her to even see her as a woman and the other had been hell-bent on discrediting her for the simple fact that nothing was dangling between her legs and so she couldn't realistically be as qualified as them. having a man talk to her as an attractive woman first felt somehow foreign after all this time. not that she'd give it any deep thoughts, she could see what little game he was playing. ❝ I'm doctor adler, but marlowe will do. ❞ she nodded towards the other man in her group. she hated being called by her title, it sounded pompous and always irked her that it was somehow the norm to use 'doctor' or 'professor' while addressing anyone owning a doctorate or phD of any kind. ❝ as for your question, mister...? ❞ her tone was questioning, but she continued before he could answer. ❝ with the right buyers on the black market, some of our finds can go in the millions. with your normal buyers.. well I would expect you to make a good 30 if it's shiny, otherwise you'd probably manage to sell some centuries-old artefact for 5 bucks as a paper weight. ❞ she smirked, her eyes finding his, before turning on her heels gracefully and continuing her walk towards her work station, her new recruits in toe.

tan had been in and out the prison system since he was a teenager so he wasn't new to community service. he had done a lot of different tasks over the years but helping on an archaeological dig was new. he wasn't sure what it would involve but anything had to better then picking up trash off the side of the road. he listen to the women talk, gazing briefly over at another man who if you looked up the definition of geek in a directory, you would find his picture next to it. he could tell that the women didn't want to have to involve herself with the likes of him. despite her being attractive, the vibe she was giving him about not being pleased to have to involve criminals in her work, was making him annoyed.

he was pleased that he had been assigned to her group. tan felt it could be more entertaining then being stuck with professor nutty. "so, how much do you THINK things around here are worth then? i've heard some of the stuff you find can be worth like thousands of pounds. though," he shrugged his shoulders, a small smirk laced his lips."i've been known to get MORE for things then they are worth." he kicked a small stone that he spotted by the edge of his boot. "are you mrs fawlke? because if you are, he is one LUCKY fella., if you don't mind me saying."