| DC/Marvel: Age of Infinite Heroes | ||||||||||
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Medbay. Again. America was growing antsy though she was following the rules. For now. Every now and again she would flex her powers, just to make sure they were still there and available to her, either by breaking something to test her strength or lighting up her dimensional powers. Not the full opening but enough to make her tattoos glow. Finally she sits up swinging her legs off the side of the bed to stand. The others had left, Tony was off doing something and not loitering over her thankfully, which left... "Clint. I've got to leave. Got something I need to do."
Clint is stretched out on the neighbouring bed hands behind his head, just being in the room and rising on occasion to help dispose of broken stuff. When America sits up he does too and when she says she has to go he looks over thoughtfully. What the hell he was already going to get a talking to for breaking her out earlier "You want some back up?" he offers.
"Can't." America walks to the bed he lays on regarding him with those oddly red eyes and pursed lips. Reaching out she grasps the edge of the bed to lean down closer to him. A kiss is pressed to his lips lightly before she breaks it off. "The world I'm going to ... I can't risk taking you there. You're an adult. Well... Enough of one that it'd be dangerous. There's a parasite in that world called Mother and she fucks with adults heads. Makes them her little personal slaves anytime we're in their vicinity. Part of why I left is because I was getting older, but Noh'Var's 21 and he's okay, and Kate too... I should be fine." Why was she going then? Offering a smile she states, "I can't get the Loki here to give me answers. He may not know them. This world is different enough. I need to find the Loki I can pin down and beat up. And that's the Loki that can give me answers."
Clint seems to get it, his eyes seem serious enough but he smiles "Aww, I think that's the first time I've been called an adult," he jokes lightly and puts his hand on America's for a moment. "Anyhow, sounds like a fun time, but be careful. You don't come back in a few days I'm going to Mr. Fantastic and hopping dimensions to find you," he says only half teasing.
"Deal," America murmers with a grin as she regards Clint a moment more. "Tell him 616. He'll either know what it means or figure it out. Though I just call it Earth-Earth. It's one of the main ones..." her head shakes a it before going quiet. A single eyebrow lifts and she drops her voice teasingly, "We could sneak off for a quickie before I go. If you aren't weirded out by being all blue," she teases lightly.
"Right 616," Clint says repeating it back to lock it into his memory. Then he raises an eyebrow in return. "Oh sure, now you're giving me blue parts," he complains with a grin and leans forward to give her a kiss, before settling back on the bed. "You're lucky you're pretty, even when you're blue," he grumbles playfully and nods for the door. "Go, before I start getting ideas, and seriously watch yourself, alright?"
"I will," America agrees with a nod. "You'll have to deal with Tony and Natasha but... I'm sure got experience with that." One last kiss is stolen before she pushes away and turns toward the door lifting her hood up as she goes. "This'll be fun," she utters. "At least I've got a team there. Teddy and Billy, Kate, and Noh'Varr..." And Loki. The best shot she had so far of getting some answers. She moves away from the quipment to the open floor, then she turns and flashes a grin at Clint. With a burst of light and stars... she goes heading off into the most unknown situation she's had to face yet.
Smiling after the kiss Clint says "I can handle Tony and Nat, I'll just tell them you're taking a really, really, long shower," he jokes then sits up a little more to watch her do her thing. Weird as dimension hopping was, Clint has to admit America does it with style. "Say hi to Kate for me," he says before she vanishes from view and the star goes with her.
On the other side, it New York in Autumn, same as it is here, just no Academy, well, not /this/ Academy. And somewhere, over breakfast a newly teenaged god feels a tingle in his spine and grumbles "Uh-oh, this can't be good."
Across the table Billy looks up from his waffles, the rest of the team looks over too. "What's not good?" he asks quirking his head.
The god, Loki scratches the back of his neck "Nothing, nothing," he looks for the waitress. "Check please!"
America is quick to shut the gate behind her lest something sneak through or attempt to. Since her absence, she had no idea how Mother had fared in this world or if she was completely driven out. It was quite possible Billy had managed to break the spell but better not to take chances when an entire universe was involved. With her hood still pulled up she takes off hunting for the 'usual spot' that they went knowing full well that this time of day, if they weren't on Noh-Varr's ship or out in space somewhere, they would be there. It was tradition.
A streak of familiar red-white and blue lands in front of the doors as she touches down from her rapid descent leaving her there, hooded, gazing in through the familiar glass plate door at the diner. With a grim look her head ducks low to keep her face in shadow though her curls were hanging out from the hastily pulled up hood. Pushing the door open she steps inside with that familiar jangle heralding her presence. "Loki!"
Loki is busily wolfing down his bacon while herding the team away from the table when the door chime jingles and America calls out his name. He freezes and the team jumps. The voice is familiar, but when they turn they see
"America?" Billy asks with Teddy standing dumbstruck beside him.
"I thought we defeated the alternate-dimension versions of ourselves," Noh-Varr says as his gauntlets shift into guns.
"I did too," Kate says standing up in the both. "I thought America /was/ the only America," Prodigy adds.
Loki for his part turns around and waggles his fingers "Hi," he says weakly.
"Chillax, guys, it's me," America affirms as she crosses her arms over her chest though she looks... off. The whole blue skin and red-eye thing was... disconcerting. "And you know as well as I do that I can just punch those gunshots like I do to Kate's soul-bow, Noh'Varr, so put the hardware away."
All the while she speaks her gaze is locked on Loki. Eyes narrowing she takes a deep breath, and risks walking closer as everyone was starting to go all defensive on her. "You and I need to talk, Chico," she declares.
The team glances to Loki and hesitantly, he nods. "It's her," he confirms with a sigh. The team seems to take his word for it and dials it down from Defcon One.
The guns turn back into gauntlets and the team all relaxes, though they don't sit back down. Kate smiles "Going to guess you want a little alone time," she says looking between America and Loki. "C'mon guys, we can catch up later," she says and picks up her plate and starts pushing people out of the booth. The team goes, waving or saying a greeting or two as they are frog marched past America and over across the restaurant "Blue looks good on,"- Billy. "Hey, welcome back," - Teddy. "Alone time? Speaking of alone time-" - Noh-Varr. "Later Noh-Varr! Good to see you back" - Kate. A quiet nod from Prodigy. Then it's just America and Loki.
The Norse god of mischief seems like he'd rather be anywhere else, but looks up turning his coffee cup in his hand. "What brings you back? I thought you were too grown up for us?" yeah not trying to stall.
America reaches out to grasp hold of Kate's arm as she passes giving a light squeeze. "Thanks Kate," she murmers quietly only to nod toward Billy, Teddy earns a grin (he always was the sweet one of the group), Noh'Varr and Prodigy get nods. For a moment she glances to the side after then with a sad look. It really was difficult to have left, though she didn't admit that at the time. Now after a good length of time apart she was actually feeling a bit... homesick.
America glances back toward Loki then with a scowl. "Can it, Loki. You've got a lot of explaining to do." Her hands land on the table and she leans in very, very close to hiss in a near whisper, "Or should I say 'dad'?"
Kate returns the squeeze, there's a hug from Teddy and then, yeah, they're gone and totally not watching from the other side of the restaurant. Honest!
Loki flinches at the word Dad but puts on a smile all the same and gestures to the bench in the booth. "Well, not entirely proven, but it's a fair guess," he says before taking a sip of coffee his eyes flicking to the side like someone said something, before he sets the cup down. "Anyhow, bacon?" he asks pushing the salty 'don't punch me' offering in her direction.
Was that really a good idea? America slides into the boot beside Loki tucking one leg beneath herself so that she remains half-facing him. When the bacon is slid toward her she reaches out to pick up a slice and bite into it with a forceful chomp. "I got hit with a drug that temporarily seals off the power of mutants. Only, I turned into this. Explain. Now. No more lies, chico, I'm sick of them."
Loki takes another sip of coffee then holds out a hand towards America, palm out, like he's warming his hand by a fire. "Hmm, yep definitely shutting down genetic alterations," he says putting his hand down and snatching a piece of bacon off the plate to chew on. "Not bad work, for humans," he admits talking with his mouth full. "But you're probably not my daughter," he says. "I say probably because I do have a lot of them but I also died, and so, my memory is a bit spotty, but you are at least part frost giant."
America regards Loki skeptically when he raises his hand that way to scan her over with whatever magical abilities he has at his current disposal. For this at least she's quiet allowing him to do so while she crunches down on the rest of that peice of bacon. It had been awhile since she'd eaten as she didn't get to eat much at Nat's party due to the change. "Great. So how many other Frost Giants do we know that visit Earth a lot?" She asks with an eyebrow raised... and her eyes narrowing in thought. "Wait. How /much/ 'part frost giant'?"
"That's a very good question. Two of them actually," Loki says helpfully as he turns his coffee cup and stares into the black caffeine-y fluid. "Well there's /my/ father Laufey but he's sort of very dead, and I'm pretty sure you're not that old. As to how much, at least half?" he offers less answer than question. "You see the reason you look like you do now but have all your powers is that you were altered at some point to be at least partially human. Though the blue, and the powers, that's you. The rest of it, well, I guess that's an early instalment of the perfect life package your mothers were trying to give you. After all, take it from me it's hard to grow up a frost giant in a land of um, not frost giants."
"That..." America trails off a moment only to lean back in her seat with a frown. Still her attention remains on the shifty Loki who was clearly either spinning a lie, or avoiding a truth, right now. It was the very same thing she was uncertain about knowing though. A glance is cast toward the table the others had run off to before looking back to the teenage god of lies. "That does sound like something they'd do. So I guess that rules out that one of /them/ may have also been part Frost Giant." Which was the other possibility. Frowning long and hard she finally looks away with a sigh. "Great. So. Great."
Loki leans forward on the table and reaches out a hand all supportive like, though stops a little short of putting it on America's own. "If I touch you do I get punched?" he asks before he carries on with the sincere. "Well I said at least half. So maybe one of them was part frost giant? Dunno? That's the weird thing, a lot of the great minds in the multiverse didn't really register them on their radar so to speak until they blew up and made you a utopia. It's a mystery, and one I have looked into a time or two, but sadly my investigations has not turned up a dating history for either of them," his eyes flick sideways again and there's a little flicker of annoyance at the empty booth beside him. He turns back to America again, looking her in the eyes "But I do have something of theirs for you, it's how I found you in the first place, and given where you're living these days might just help you find some answers."
"Entirely depends where you're touching." America crosses her arms over her chest sitting up a bit more, and shooting a look to the side at the waitress who was staring opely and avoiding coming over. They were the weird table to begin with. "Why would you even be investigating them..." The thought trails off with a grunt. "Nevermind." A quiet, solemn frown fixes on her at that. A curt nod is given. "Fine. It would be better to find out than to have some other..." Her hand lifts gazing at her blue hand with black fingernails as her eyebrow rises. "Surprises pop up."
Loki withdraws his hand and nudges the plate offering more bacon since the waitress values her safety more than her tip. "Sorry," he says about the whole black nails blue hand thing. "There was the Mother and all that remember, we were busy," he says as he grabs the ketchup bottle, one of the squeeze kind, and pops the top open. "I can't give you the thing here, because of the Mother," he says as he begins squeezing out a circle of ketchup on the table. "But I can show you how to get it."
Once the circle is complete and the waitress that had been avoiding them starts to glare at Loki, he adds a star to the mix, then some runes "See, when your mothers made their utopia they scattered their-" he pauses to find the right word. "- essence across the multiverse. Little motes of what made them them," he explains. "I found some of those motes in this universe before my untimely end, and kept them. Though sadly not enough to find out all the answers I was looking for however. Enter your new universe. It's different, an anchor in the multiverse it's why so many time travelers, dimensional travelers end up there," he says and crumples up some bacon and spreads it around the edge of the circle. "So, if you get what I'm giving you there, and keep it, it should attract more of the remaining motes that get drawn to that world. Maaybe enough to use to find answers, with a little help from your good friend Loki."
America reaches out to rest fingertips on the plate dragging it a bit closer to free up the table. It wasn't the first time that she'd seen him enter enchantments using condiments. At least it was better than the jam. She listens and watches the little rune notations be made. "Mm. Smeared across the multiverse, I know. That's why Mother was able to send them after me where ever I was. Proximity." She hadn't forgotten, not at all. "So what you're saying is, you can't use what you have and want me to do the foot work and share the results with you." A small smirk creeps over her as she regards him. No, she was not a stupid one, not at all. It was usually her who called him on his shenanigans. "Fine. I do want to know. If there's a trick in here, though, I've got your number."
Loki gives her a smile, which is far more interesting on newer bigger Loki than the bratty kid version and a sheepish shrug. "That's one way of looking at it. Also, for reasons... Anchor Dimension Loki doesn't like me very much," he adds quickly before he puts the finishing touch on the ketchup circle. He puts his hand over the circle and mutters away in Norse. "Okay, put your hand over the circle, I've opened a portal in the circle to my pocket dimension. Need you to get a feel for it so you can find it when you get somewhere not here, the motes are inside a metal box."
"Of course he doesn't. Though he does share your fondness for bacon," America points out with an upward roll of her eyes. Big surprise. Was it really any surprise that she'd run into Anchor Universe Loki before though? It seemed she was destined to have him, in one form or another, in her life somehow. "Don't smile like that," she chides as she reaches out to hold her hand over the circle with a frown of concentration. "Too pretty for your own good." Her fingers flex a little, and the star on her wrist lights up as she cues up her own powers--not to open a portal but to feel, to remember, and finally nod as she takes her hand away. "Right. Easy enough to find. Should I be ware of any traps? It's you, of course there's traps."
"Waste of bacon," Loki grumbles. Yep. Some sort of history there. Then he watches her put the hand over the mini portal and cue up her powers. Yes, the waitress is really unhappy now, but still unwilling to come over and make them stop. Loki smiles again, definitely on purpose and with a free hand pulls a pin from his clothing. It looks long, sturdy and very sharp. "Of course there's traps and there'll be different ones tomorrow, but for now a drop of your blood and today you'll be able to get in and out without any problems."
"Of course there'll be blood involved." America frowns looking very displeased with this. Blood wasn't just... blood. Not to someone who could use magic. She hesitates there however considering him long and hard. "I'll survive them," she finally decides.
Loki sighs. "Suit yourself," he says as he puts the pin away. "Though just remember I /did/ try to help you out." He does leave the portal open just in case she changes her mind.
"And anything else besides helping me is just icing isn't it? You're not getting my blood, or hair, or anything else that could be used for whatever plots you have. For all I know," America adds as her hand withdraws, "You'd try to funnel my power into yourself since we've got similar 'relations'. Don't think this puts you off the hook by far, either. There's still only two Frost Giants that deal with Earth." Her eyes narrow as she adds, "And you're the other one." Pushing to her feet her hands stuff back into her pockets and she gives a nod. "I'm still keeping an eye on you even if I'm not always around."
"Okay, fiiine no blood, honestly, just trying to make thing easy for you," Loki protests before waving his hand over the portal to close it and then breaking the circle. "Always were smarter than you looked," he mutters before sucking the ketchup off his finger. "Well since I guess this won't be our last little chat, I guess the proper goodbye is to say, see you soon?" he asks.
"Hmm." Smarter than she looks indeed. Smart enough that her mind was already working. America shifts where she sits to lean toward Loki. Not just above the table but beneath it as one leg drapes over his lap hooking her knee on the far side of his thigh. It seems to all appearances as if she were just leaning in to whisper, or more likely threaten him, but HE knows that leg is there just above his knees as if she could just swing over to sit in his lap entirely with one more movement. Lifting her hand she flicks a finger beneath his chin lifting it up to ensure he looks her in the eye. "Yes, I am smarter than I look, chico. You seem to keep forgetting that. So before I go there's /one/ thing I need to do...." The tip of her tongue dips out against her plump lips. Though they were blue they were still full, pouty, the perfect sort of kissing lip and her gaze drops to his mouth as if she were intending to do just that.
Her hand catches his lifting it up with her thumb smoothing over his palm to uncurl his fingers.... And her other hand stabs down into his hand with the needle she'd picked out of his pocket drawing HIS blood. With a smirk she sweeps her thumb over that little droplet and places the needle down on the table again. "This should help with the traps. Thanks."
Loki's eyes widen as America draws close and even then she can see the gears working behind them trying to figure out the play. Except when they're looking at that tongue and those lips and "Ow!" Loki complains as he's stabbed with the pin and the drop of blood is snatched from him.
Across the room, the others who were still totally not watching and were totally not holding their breath prior to the most unlikely kiss of all time let it all go all at once.
Well except for Prodigy, but he cheats.
There are a few smiles and Teddy shoots America a thumbs up. So does Kate.
Back at the table Loki glowers at America and says "And I gave you bacon. Are you done poking me now?" he asks as he slips the pin away and puts it in an /inside/ pocket this time.
America grins warmly at the approval of her peers and moreso at the way that Loki had totally fallen for it. A simple nod is given and she slips away from his side. "Would you have preferred being punched in the nose?" Pushing up from her spot she keeps presses thumb and forefinger together smearing that drop of blood between them while still liquid only to lift and press each over her closed eyelid. It might not do much, or it might, but it was worth a shot either way. Easier to keep track of it in this manner than to simply smear off by accident. "That'll do. And I only ate one piece."
With a smirk America turns to head for the door, passing by the other table with a smile offered to them all. "I've got some hunting to do. If you guys need me, Loki knows where to find me." A glance is cast back over her shoulder and she looks back frowning. Dropping her voice she murmers, "Keep an eye on him for me. Oh, and Hawkeye from the other dimension says Hi, Kate."
Loki frowns still pouting about being tricked but he nods. "I suppose this is preferable," he concedes. "Do be careful with that however," he nods at the blood and goes back to what remains of his food. "And yes, but it's one piece of /bacon/."
At the other table it is all nods, and well some awkward hugs, 'cause of the blood. "Will do," Billy promises about keeping an eye on Loki, and it's seconded by Billy. Kate smiles "There's another Clint? Is he a jerk too?" she asks with a crooked smile. "Tell him his other better self says Hi," she teases before giving a hug as well, blood or no blood.
America made it. It was a weird trip, but she made it. The dimension itself almost seemed to resist her entrance but she passed through the resistance and fell into the dimension aannd kept falling, and falling as she passes through a thick white mist.
Falling wasn't an issue, it was the landings that were a bitch. Given she could fly she wasn't overly worried however. America scowls at the mist though she allows herself to keep falling, for now, in as controlled a manner as possible. Blinking rapidly she strains to see through the mist muttering to herself, "In a box. A box... the hell does it even look like?" She utters with another flutter of her eyes trying to use the stolen blood she'd smeared over her eyelids as a means of 'seeing' through any illusions that may reside here. It was a longshot, she knew, as she had no real magic that she knew of... but it was worth a shot.
The falling continues. The mist is cold, damp, the sort that gets in your clothes and makes you hate the cold. Except in America's case it's not that uncomfortable, just, off. When her eyes close she sees what's in the mist with her. Serpents. Massive serpents that seem to be made of the very mist itself, with giant mouths full of rows of sharp teeth. They guide silently through the mist, circling something. It looks like a house, a little cottage actually, just floating in the grey.
Snakes. Of course. It was hard sometimes to keep straight the mythology of Loki as well as what she knew of him herself but in this case she tries to bring that back to mind. With the 'house' in sight she moves, flying through the mist and avoiding the coiling motion of snakes to head for it. If needed she could fight--No doubt she could--but she had no idea what other levels of traps may be here as well. It was too soon to risk tiring herself out when avoiding would work just as well.
Of course it had to be snakes; though they seem not to be able to see America as she passes through their coils and reaches the cottage. It looks like a regular cottage, but here in Loki-land, this means absolutely nothing. Though in keeping with the theme of the dimension, the place is coated with a thin sheet of ice, from the planter box outside the windows with the frozen flowers to the GO AWAY door matt that sits on the little bit of land around the cottage. Though most interestingly the door is slightly ajar.
'Go Away'. Yep she was in the right place. The door being ajar worried her but the fact that he had opened the dimension to her... Then again it hadn't been set to recognize her because she refused to give her blood. Which was fine with her. The cracked open door along with the mat however causes her to pause. With a small frown she opts to test this the way any slightly-open door around a trickster would be tested---By kicking the door open all the way without stepping through it herself. Not yet.
The door is kicked open and bangs hard against the wall. Then, nothing. At least for a second. Inside the house continues to look normal like a little piece of suburbia transported out into the grey mists of whatever-heim. Just beyond the entry way there's a living room that is a total mess, random things from Holo SBox games, to ancient looking sceptres litter the floor along side soda cans and old bags of chips, it's hard to see from the doorway but there may also be a big screen TV.
There is also a mirror hanging across from the doorway.
It's one of those decorative deals with a silvery frame that has a distinctly Norse design. A second after the door is kicked open there is a flash of blue-white light from the runes on the frame and then the frost giant America reflected there moves on its own and begins to reach through the frame pulling herself out of the mirror and into the cottage.
"Nope." The old mirror trick? America doesn't even think about it much. She licks her thumb and sweeps it over one eyelid getting a bit of the blood off even as she marches right up to the double pulling herself out of the mirror. Her hand comes down smearing the bit of blood over the lips of the mirror-image. As if that didn't give it pause enough her other hand swings around in a fist to punch the double right between the eyes trying to send her BACK into the mirror. "Stay the fuck in there or I'll break the mirror and we all know how that goes." Of course if the creature DID go back she takes the mirror down and flips it around to face the wall. Last thing she needed was Loki moping about her wrecking his place.
Other America does stop when the blood is smeared on her lips, but then she reaches out to grab America's arm only to get punched in the face hard. She falls backwards into the mirror and then shatters like glass in the mirror world beyond. Then the shattered pieces of Mirror-America shimmer and begin to grow into more Mirror-Americas. There's a dozen or so in total, but so far, all of them are still in the mirror.
America rolls her eyes with exasperation. THat was about what she expected but at least the doubles were IN the mirror. The little bit of blood, she was hoping, might make it recognize 'oh hey Loki' and shut down. No such luck. So with a shrug she pulls the mirror off the wall and lays it face-down on the floor. Just in case that doesn't work she walks behind it having lined it up with the door preparing to punt it out so it can enjoy the snakes.
The mirror begins to jump as various blue hands begin to reach out from under the frame trying to get free.
"Figures. Only you would make the most stubborn, stupid mirror monster peice of shit..." Oh, how she would love to just kick Loki right now. The mirror makes do though as she swings her leg back and punts it out the door into the mists that held the snakes. Actually, right at the snakes. Let them deal with it. With that done she slams the door shut behind her and shakes her head firmly. "Too much trouble."
The mirror flies out into the mists spilling Americas out into the void. Then the door shuts and the America's and the serpents are gone. There's just the smell of teenage rec-room and silence. The room is a mess, but there does seem to be a metal box in sight. Something small about the size of a Rubix cube but made of some sort of dull metal carved with runes, it's set on the mantle.
America glances around the room taking in the sight with a shake of her head. Really, he needed to clean up, but she wasn't about to do that. It would be nice. ... Which might freak him out. For a moment America considers the merits of it before she shrugs at the thought. Too much time. Instead she grabs the remote to the television and looks around a moment before setting it gingerly /behind/ the TV. Where no one would ever look. Only then does she head to the mantle to grab the box already expecting something horrible to happen as she touches the run covered item.
It turns out the horribleness is not always inevitable with Loki. Instead of it morphing into some sort of killer robot or something like that America feels a sudden sense of warmth radiating up her arm. The sort of warm happy feeling that her life has been short on in general and along with the warmth comes a feeling somewhere where sight, sound, touch, and smell meet of the presence of her mothers.
Naturally that's when the roof of the cottage is ripped off and a half-dozen, battered and bloody Americas stare down at her after it has been tossed away. "We want words with you, chica," they say in scary unison. Yeah, the mirror monster just won't quit. Also Loki is going to be pissed by at the state of his house.
America blinks slowly as she turns the box over in her hands gazing at it with her expression slipping from the annoyed look she typically wore. "Mi madres," she murmers quietly to herself with her eyes shutting as she holds the box close to her chest. Just for a moment she lets herself feel that old ache of memories...
Then fuck you, Americas. Looking exasperated she just shrugs at them. "Don't have time for this. Don't wreck Loki's place too much." Even as she says this her eyes flash white and the ground beneath her ignites in a star which she stomps... and drops through with a grin.
"Hey!" the Americas say at once and dive towards the portal. It closes too fast for them though and one of them yanks their hand back and shakes it out; a tip of their finger missing. They look at each other with blank expressions and then over at the TV and game systems. "Mario Party," they say in unison and move towards the couch.
Normally America would be all up for fighting... But she looked like a smurf on steroids right now and wasn't feeling her usual smashing self. Plus the addition of the motes of her parents power, or essence or what-have-you had her in a surprisingly reminiscing mood. Better to just leave. The star ignites somewhere in the Academy, likely a hall or even her own room, though she usually opted to go further than such places to arrive. Stepping out she lets it shut behind her sighing softly at the tiring trip.
The Academy is quiet and when she leaves the room she almost walks into Clint, who is heading for her room note in hand. "Hey, you're back," he says with equal parts smile and surprise. He glances down at the box a touch warily before he asks "Mission accomplished?"
America comes up short only to glance down at the note in his hand while he looks at the box in hers. "Sort of. I guess. He says he doesn't remember but that I am part frost-giant. There's only a few options either way and I'm pretty sure I'm not his grand-kid." Frowning slightly she turns the box over in her hand. "Remnants of my mothers that were scattered in the multiverse. He collected them and suggested I could have more drawn to them and find out the truth... I think it's a trick of some sort. But better I have it than him." Looking back up to Clint she offers a small smile. "Where are you going?" The note. Why else would he leave her a note?
Clint listens, brow furrowed sympathetically and then he looks down at the box again. He gives it a sort of ah-huh nod. Then he looks at the note. "Was going to go grab breakfast," he says turning the note around. It reads: Going for breakfast, if you pry the truth out of the god of lies sooner than expected call me. I can get take out. - Clint.
"Anyhow, you're here now, and we can stay in," he offers. "I actually used to be an okay cook." He really doesn't know what to say to the rest of it. Bits of mothers, gods of lies, may or may not be a frost giant, he just smiles and touches her hand careful not to touch the box.
That's good enough. America didn't quite understand a lot of it herself, really. The box is tucked to the side and jammed into the pocket of her hoodie while she steps in toward Clint wrapping her other arm around him. Resting her head against his shoulder she just holds him a moment murmering, "Kate says hi and that you better not be a jerk. Breakfast sounds awesome." Clint smiles and wraps an arm around America's waist in return, just enjoying a quiet non-crazy moment with her. Then he shakes his head "Sounds like Kate. Always with the confidence in me," he gives America squeeze then and says "So, breakfast, John, keeps the kitchen stocked, so whatever you want you got it," he says leading the way down to the kitchen.
Back in America's bedroom a fingertip sized bit of glass begins to liquefy, becoming a little pool of mercury like metal and slides across the carpet towards the bathroom. Once there it slides up the wall until it merges with the bathroom mirror, there is a shimmer of blue light glass. When the shimmer fades it's replaced by a face, America's, all blue and frost giant-y, then it fades, dormant for now.