065

As Norman had foreseen, Dr. Connors' answer was a negative, which in the end did not cause any change in the plans he had with Gwen.

Once they finished their breakfast both Gwen and Norman returned for a few moments to their rooms since the little trip had not been something foreseen by Norman and had left some of his belongings that he preferred to have on hand, Gwen on the other hand took the opportunity to verify that he had not left anything that could be useful in his room.

After they both finished with that action they headed to the exit of the hotel where a car had already been prepared for them, this under Norman's orders. After all he thought it would be more comfortable than having a chauffeur with them.

"Well, what's the first destination then?" asked Norman after getting into the car and starting to put on his seatbelt.

Gwen who was doing the same action as Norman adopted a thoughtful look for a few seconds, "How about visiting the Vasa Museum?" she asked with a smile.

Norman gave it some thought, if he remembered well it was a museum where one could find what could be considered as the best preserved 17th century ship in the world.

"The address" mentioned Norman, implicitly implying his agreement with the blonde.

Gwen didn't take too long to put the map application on her cell phone to guide them to the museum.

…

During the course of their trip Gwen mentioned various curiosities that she had read about the museum, as well as the ship that was in it, it could be said that it was like a mini-guide that prepared him for the visit.

Norman was genuinely interested in Gwen's words so the time and the trip passed relatively quickly. Once they got out of the car they had to walk a bit because most of the nearby parking lots were already taken.

Once they paid the entrance fee to the museum, they could do two things, the first one was to wait a few minutes to be in a tour guide, or they could explore the museum by themselves.

In the end and after a little conversation between the two of them they decided to wait a little bit for the guided tour and in the end if there was something they found interesting, but did not have enough time to appreciate it they would explore it once they were done.

For both of them it was the first time they had visited the museum, in Gwen's case in fact she had never been to Stockholm in general and that was partly why she was so excited.

Norman on the other hand was someone who had visited before, but even in his old life it was always due to a business matter, and he never really had a chance to stop by and see the museum or any kind of tourist attraction.

So it really was a fun and new experience for both of them. They were currently in the area where they could get a better look at the ship, and it was somewhat more impressive than they had first imagined.

"The smell of wood really is strong" were the first words Gwen mentioned as her vision traveled all around the ancient ship.

"I think that was kind of obvious" Norman replied to her.

"I mean I was already expecting that kind of smell, I just didn't think it would be that overpowering" explained the blonde.

"Maybe, but at least it's not a smell that could be considered disgusting" commented Osborn.

Their small talk with similar themes had taken place for most of the guided tour, though due to not being the only ones they tried to keep their voice tones down so as not to disturb the tour of the other tourists or locals.

" Anyway you've already decided if you want to see the inside of the ship" mentioned Norman in a distracted manner.

It was about halfway through the tour that one of the museum representatives appeared to give them the invitation to explore the inside of the ship, it seemed to be a perk they had as Nobel Prize winners. If he was honest he didn't remember hearing anything like that in his old world, but he had to admit he was a little curious to see the inside of the ship anyway.

"Of course I will!" she exclaimed, though she still controlled her voice, "We are here, and we were given this opportunity, so it would be a complete waste not to do it" she added.

The guided tour continued with Gwen and Norman paying more attention to their talk than to the museum guide himself, once it was over they decided to take their time to look at the exhibits they had found interesting.

Among them were the exhibits of the artifacts that were recovered once the ship emerged from the ocean. At the end of their tour of the museum and when they considered that there was nothing left to see, they decided to accept the museum's invitation.

It was an unusual experience and one that few people had ever received, or at least that was what the museum representative told them.

Norman wouldn't consider it an exciting experience, at least in his eyes, but it would certainly be a once in a lifetime experience for some people. At least Gwen seemed happy to be able to see the inside of the ship and was satisfied once they left the museum.

…

At this point Norman and Gwen were at the second point or location that they found interesting enough to visit.

The chosen place was the Nordiska museet which was another museum that was somewhat close to the Vasa Museum, however, the difference between the two was that the Nordiska museet basically focused on the history and culture that had developed throughout Sweden.

After a bit of conversation between the two of them they had simply decided to visit it, although it would be better to say that Norman simply followed Gwen's decision, this because Stacy wanted to know a little more about the culture and history that had developed over time and Norman didn't have any specific place he wanted to go to.

He had to admit that the exhibits in the museum were interesting to say the least, from seeing explanations of traditions to folk art and jewelry to the sami struggles.

"I think the only part we have left to see would be the library right?" commented Norman who was holding a brochure of the museum with a mini map of the museum.

"That's right" replied Gwen, "I want to know a little more about the clothing they wore in the past" she added simply.

Norman raised an eyebrow at that comment, "I didn't think you were that interested in that subject" he commented with a bit of surprise.

"I'm not" Gwen replied quickly as she shook her head, "But MJ has to do a project related to the changing of the costumes of a culture of her choice" she explained, "I just think this might be helpful to her" she finished by saying.

Norman nodded as he saw a bit of logic in Stacy's words, although he was not completely convinced, "I understand, then let's go" he commented.

In a calm way they both started to head towards the new destination they had in mind, in the course of the little trip they ran into groups of tourists, although there were also some who were alone.

Norman's attention was simply divided between paying attention to Gwen and keeping an eye on his surroundings, always on the lookout for a threat.

After a few minutes of traveling, Norman's attention fell on a blonde woman wearing a long gray coat with black pants and black sunglasses. By all accounts she was a normal woman, perhaps the only notable feature was her beauty.

But in Norman's eyes there was something else, her walking style and the fact that even though she appeared to be in a relaxed position she was constantly looking around her, it reminded of himself.

Naturally and without arousing suspicion Norman placed Gwen on the opposite side where the woman was walking simply out of mere caution even though he sensed no hostile intentions at this point he had come to deduce that the woman must be an assassin or mercenary.

It could be said that soon they came into contact a few meters away from each other and the woman looked at Norman who only returned her gaze, a smile formed on her face as she gave a brief nod to Osborn and without doing anything else she continued walking.

Even though the woman had shown no malicious intentions Norman still watched her with his senses until she disappeared from his grasp, in the few seconds they had made contact Norman could basically smell the scent of death coming from the woman.

'Maybe the trip won't be as peaceful as I thought' was all Norman could say to himself in his mind.

With a quick movement Osborn pulled out his phone and after apologizing to Gwen he stepped back a bit, "What's going on?" the voice of Forge was heard as soon as the call connected.

"I need you to look for information about a possible attack in Stockholm, for the time period focus on if some kind of contract for the death of one of the Nobel Prize laureates has been requested" mentioned Osborn which generated a silence from the other side.

"Anything else?" questioned Forge.

"No" was his only word before he hung up the call.

Norman gave a sigh before walking back to Gwen who was just waiting for him, "Everything okay?" she asked, her sincere concern could be noted in her tone of voice and eyes.

Osborn flashed a soft smile, "Of course" he mentioned with a little more enthusiasm than he was used to employing, "I just had to make a little phone call" he continued sincerely.

Gwen didn't seem entirely convinced by his words, but once Norman started walking and chatting with her as usual she ended up thinking that it had only been a small matter.

…

In that way both Gwen and Norman spent a large part of the day exploring various areas of Stockholm, although of course always taking into account the time they had before the awards ceremony began.

Currently and after his excursion with Gwen, Norman was in his room while he was putting on the suit he would use during the following hours of the night, it could be said that it was even more formal than the ones he used to wear, but it was still comfortable.

To his ears came the small tone of his cell phone, and soon he moved to the desk where he had placed it, his vision first looked at who it was and after seeing it he answered.

"What did you find?" he asked immediately.

"Nothing" was the answer he received, "Even if I focused on your idea the search range is still wide, and I could find absolutely nothing, not even hints or rumors" he continued quickly.

"However the fact that you asked me to conduct this search means that you discovered something, but even when I expanded the search I found nothing that could be of use" were his last words before he fell silent and waited for an answer from Norman.

" All right" Norman said, "In a way the fact that there is no information can also be an answer" he added, "Anyway I will know if I am right in a short time" he finished by saying before he said goodbye to Forge and ended his call.

Seeing the time Norman left the room, to see Dr. Connors do the same, "Dr. Connors" greeted Osborn.

"Mr. Osborn" returned Curtis, "How did your little trip go?" he asked with a smile as he approached Norman.

"Well I have to admit it was interesting to see a bit of the history of the city and even the country we are in" commented Norman, "Plus having Miss Stacy certainly made the experience more fun than if I had done it alone" he added sincerely.

"I'm glad to hear you two had a little fun," said Connors.

The chatter between the two men continued for a few minutes until the door to Gwen's room was opened.

Norman brought his gaze and his eyes could witness a young blonde woman in a floor length emerald green dress. The dress was simple and without any embellishment or pattern on it, it was a dress that covered most of the wearer's skin and in no way was it anything that could be classified as provocative.

For all intents and purposes it was a dress that went very well with Gwen's personality and despite the simplicity of the dress somehow made her stand out in a very noticeable way.

In a shy way Stacy approached the two men, "You look really beautiful" mentioned Osborn by way of courtesy, although he was completely sincere with his words.

Norman's words were seconded by Curtis, "Really? Wearing this kind of clothing is a bit unusual for me" mentioned Gwen.

Norman nodded, "I won't deny that it's a bit unusual to see you dressed like that, but one thing doesn't take away from the other" replied Osborn.

Gwen's gaze shifted from Norman to Dr. Connors who was quick to say something similar to his boss's words, "However I think it's time to get going, so we don't be the first laureates to be late for a Nobel Prize ceremony" commented Connors with some haste in his voice.

"Dr. Connors is correct" agreeing with the words said by his colleague Osborn spoke, "So let's get going" he added as he gave Gwen his hand, as after some discussion it had been decided that Norman would escort Gwen for the duration of the ceremony and banquet.

"Of course" Gwen replied with a smile as she reached out her own hand to take Norman's hand.