"Oh, I don't know if you want to read what I want to read," she manages to respond with a rare, almost self depreciating tease in her voice. She's getting more comfortable around him and that's strange; she hasn't spent enough time around him to justify that, but it seems that it's a little easier to be comfortable when someone is openly capable of killing her. He can end her, and he hasn't. The way she sees it, they're good.

"And yeah, that was me. Don't worry about it, we had it under control." Barely. She smiles a little down at her dish as she dries it. "So you can imagine that I'm not a stranger to being in the same room with someone stronger than me. ...I'd say that you'd be a great ally in something like that but there's a lot of bloodshed. The smell is thick, even I can pick it up when things get really dirty. Or maybe that's just because I'm the one who's usually bleeding at the end of the day... I'm not a giant suit of armor type of girl." She finishes with a sigh, putting her plate away before turning to lean back against the counter. Instead of approaching the table again Natasha instead folds her arms, watching Jasper with an inquisitive tilt of her head.

"You would know what to do though, wouldn't you, soldier?" It's a nickname she usually reserves for Steve, but it's fitting for him. She can see that. "You've got a touch of military in you. It's buried in there, under all of that proper southern gentleman mess." Another tease in a smile. Genuine this time; pretty, and not in the usual artificial way with her. "You haven't served in a while though, have you?"