II. THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD

Amara's phone went off in the morning, a buzzing alarm that she'd set earlier. It was a rainy day, and she still needed to unpack. Sheild had provided furniture and some dishware, but she needed curtains, a laundry basket, and a list of items. She writes things down as she unpacked, making a mental note that she needs to go shopping. She grabs a mother bowl of cereal, making another mental note to get groceries when there's a knock at the door. Grabbing a sweater and throwing it over her old shirt, she opened the door.

Natasha stands there, a smirk evident on her face. "Thought we had a date," Natasha said, tapping her foot.

"Yeah, let me get dressed. I'll be out in like ten?" Natasha nodded and closed the door. Amara put on a pair of jeans, a bra, and a sweater. she got her old covers from her duffle bag and headed outside with a purse and her keys. After locking the door, she got into the elevator and heads to the lobby where Natasha was reading a Vogue Magazine.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Natasha said, Flirtation thick in her voice. "You ready?" she placed the magazine on the table.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Amara replied. Natasha stood and grabbed her purse, walking out with Amara, her hand hovering over the french girl's upper back. City sounds fill the pair's ears. Natasha holds out her elbow for Amara to take, and she does.

"You've never been to New York?" Natasha asked. Her hair had little droplets of water preserved in it. it's sort of a rainy day, dewy look. Her hair is slightly damp but pretty, her curls loosening with each step. The pair didn't have an umbrella with them. The rain wasn't heavy at the moment, but it made a nice pit-pat sound on the cement. The early autumn cement hadn't cooled, so it was creating a mist. It made the city feel even more mystical than it already was. They turned into Times Square, and Amara gasped.

It was Times Square. It was busy and touristy, a great people-watching spot. There were too many people, but it was still interesting. The signs showed broadway shows, advertisements, etc. It would've been beautiful if there were fewer people, but it really placed a damper.

"We should go to a "quieter" part of the city," Amara said, placing air quotes in the word 'quieter'. It's NYC, there's no quiet part of the city.

They continue to walk around, stopping to get lunch. They go to target and get the stuff Amara needs, and head back to the apartment building. At around 5, Amara got tired, still on Paris time. 

Natasha watched as the girl in front of her started to fade. Exhaustion overcame Amara, but Natasha knew the importance of pushing through. They watched a movie in Nat's apartment. Natasha got takeout and set an alarm on Amara's phone for 6:00 AM. Amara's first official day of work started tomorrow, and Natasha was taking care of her Jet lagged friend. at about nine, Amara had passed out.

Natasha carried her to her Apartment, setting her down on the bed. The girl was peaceful, sleeping softly. She tucked her in and placed her phone on the bedside table. She went back to her own apartment and went to bed.

☾☼☽

The morning came and Amara woke up in her bed. She had fallen asleep on Natasha's couch. she assumed that Natasha carried her here, and a light blush crept onto her face. She climbed out of bed and got dressed. She put on a simple dark blue blazer and a pair of heels. She ate a quick breakfast and headed to work. She'd put a sandwich in her bag, and headed to the office.

Natasha had already gotten to work and was situated at her desk. Amara headed in and saw Clint talking to the Receptionist. He saw Amara heading to the elevator and caught up to her.

"Hey!" he said, pressing the button to the elevator. "The same floor right?"Amara nodded. "So you and Nat went on the whole city tour?" he asks.

"Yeah, It was fun. Natasha's nice," Clint smiles. Natasha said the same thing about Amara.

Natasha was sitting at her desk, doing some reports on the new agent when Maria rolls in on a rolly chair. Natasha looks up at the brunette. Coulson had situated himself on her desk, a SHIELD magazine or pamphlet of some sort in his hands.

"We still on for lunch?" Maria asked. Natasha smirks.

"Yeah, what are you planning?" Nat questions in return. Maria shrugged.

"I was thinking, maybe go to the deli or that Indian food place down the street," Coulson said. 

"I'm down with that," During Their time at SHIELD, Nat and Maria had created these lunch dates that they'd go on with Coulson. It was a thing they'd do when they found out about Clint's secret wife. It started to spy on him, but eventually, they just started going out to catch up. It was nice that Natasha finally had friends other than Clint, and it was good for her. But they all noticed something was missing from her.

She and Clint had gone on a mission a few years ago. Something had happened, nobody but Natasha knew what it was. But Natasha had gone into a depressive state. But when Amara had walked into her life, however, Natasha had been a bit brighter. It was only three days, but everyone noticed the change in their Natasha.

Amara had gotten logged into the security systems, she got a key card, a SHIELD Uniform for missions. There weren't any upcoming ones, and she did get a desk by the window. She was slightly suspicious of some of the workers, the ones dressed in darker clothes than anyone else, the ones who constantly had a little black earpiece in their ear. But it was Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, and well, it was a mouthful, they really wanted their initials to spell SHIELD. She laughed at the thought. The day was filled with Boring SHIELD stuff, checking security making sure aliens didn't invade. The usual. At five, she was cleared to go home, and she did so.

She finished unpacking all of her stuff and ran to the grocery store. She took the bus there, then on the way back hailed a cab. For being new, she was actually god at that. Her voice could get pretty loud, and she could whistle. She carried all the groceries up in one go, something she'd gotten used to in Paris. she unpacked the bags and recycled them, being the good citizen she was. the hustle and bustle of the city didn't dim as the night grew longer. She was cooking pasta in the kitchen, trying to figure out what shows to watch. She had all of the F.R.I.E.N.D.S on CD and had seen it many times. She scrolled the Cable she had from her job, finding some background noise shows. It was an uneventful night in the Sinclair household, but it was still perfect.