Players:
Summary: Luna appears out of thin air at the Avenger Mansion. Eventually this brings about a very unexpected visitor.
Date: June 26, 2010
Log Title Everyone Loves Nutella
Rating: PG
NYC- Avenger Mansion
The Avengers' library is, in a word, comprehensive. Shelves line most of the walls, with the exception of the pair of doors in the room, and there are free standing shelves as well. Covering many genres and authors, the books range from historical non-fiction, to the fantasy classics such as Tolkien.
Not quite the super hero, a little girl of around eight to ten peers into the room. She's blonde and has bright, blue eyes. In fact she's quite adorable in her pink and white outfit, with a bear backpack hanging from her shoulders. Not recognizing the man, the girl bops in and offers a bright, "Hi! Who're you? I thought I knew all the Avengers." Said with a modest amount of pride.
From behind an opened book Tony hides his disbelief. How did someone not know him? He lowers the book down to his lap with a finger holding his place. A young girl is standing in the room and he has to admit she's adorable. "Hello there, little one. My name is Tony." He smiles setting his book down on the arm of the chair he's sitting in. "Would you be Miss Luna?"
Tony? What kind of super hero name is Tony? That thought is almost obvious as the girl mulls this. "I am." Luna she means. "I've never heard of a Tony. Are you sure that you are an Avenger?" She's totally dubious now. "You don't look like a super hero. Where is your costume? ..You look more like a laze-about than a hero to me." Any surprise who's daughter she is? Maybe she learned that one from her grandfather. Magneto calls Pietro worse than that quite often. Because of course, Pietro is lazy. According to his father anyway.
"Whoa…" Tony knows that his reaction isn't the smartest response in the world. It wasn't often that he ran into something like this. "I've never been lazy per-say. I'm not a big fan on costumes but I see their place with others." Tony slides to sit on the edge of his chair and motions for Luna to come into the Library and take a seat if she would like. "Welcome to the mansion, Luna. I'm really the butler. You'll see me cleaning up after everyone's messes all the time."
Luna comes into the room, but she frowns at Tony and puts her hands on her hips. If anything she looks almost totally like her mother, Crystal. "You are a liar. Jarvis and Corrin take care of the mansion." No sitting for this one, but she does at least come over to tap her foot at the man. Then the light bulb goes on over her head. Bing! "Oh! Oh! I know who you are now. You're Ant-Man." Of course it should be noted that there's a bit of a teasing expression creeping over her features. Luna can't hide it like an adult can.
Keld has actually been asleep. He does that, when he's forced to. In this case, he was asleep in the garden, but the sprinklers came on and he was forced to move inside. He's wearing just ordinary jeans and an oversized tee-shirt with a She-Hulk graphic on the front. Touristy stuff. No shoes either, but he did clean his feet off before walking on Jarvis' very clean floors.
"Oh, hey Tony, Hello human child." Keld seems a bit sleepy yet. Perhaps he'll find coffee somewhere.
The little girl before him has quite the personality. The distraction from reading the history book is welcome. "I don't think I could keep up the pretense for very long. I don't even know where I'd make toast in this place let alone miniaturize myself." Tony extends his hand toward Luna in greeting. "Iron Man, free from costumes, terrible chef and…." He sees Keld come in and offers up a smile to the barefoot Dakkamite. "Afternoon Keld."
Luna accepts that hand, shaking it properly. "Hello, Mr Stark." Said with a bright smile. Oh yes, she knew who he was. "Can you make a sandwich at least? I'm very hungry and Jarvis is busy right now." Said with a little pout. Then Keld is there and she's looking to him. "..Why are you wet?" Asked with curiosity. That takes priority over the manners. The girl is wearing pink and white, and has a bear backpack. Her hair is hanging loose around her shoulders. Straight and blonde.
The water on Keld was perplexing. Did he manage to walk into the shower half asleep with his clothing on? It was possible, after all, Tony had done that numerous times over the years. "We could slip and slide our way to the kitchen and see what we could come up with. No promises on how it will taste. Or we could go on a mission to find our friend here a towel." Tony is now resting his elbows to his knees looking rather relaxed.
"I was asleep in the garden when the machines turned on the sprinklers. My name is Keld. Mr. Stark probably doesn't know where Jarvis keeps the special peanut butter for sandwiches though. Would you mind if I came along?"
Keld seems, if anything, indifferent to being wet.
Hearing the story about the sprinklers, Luna giggles. She hadn't thought about those. Maybe she should find out if she can play in them later. For now she brightens at the idea of peanut butter. "Could we, please? I'm Luna!" Hurries to the doorway that leads to the kitchen, for she knows the mansion fairly well. "I tried to find Corrin, but he must not be working today." Of course she hasn't actually mentioned asking her father, has she?
Tony rose from his chair to place his book back into its space in the nearest bookshelf to where he was sitting. "What's in special peanut butter or do I not want to know?" Tony asks Keld as he heads out of the library toward the kitchen. He looks about the halls wondering if Pietro is somewhere in the mansion or even Lockjaw. Maybe the cosmos thought it was wise for an innocent kid to wind up hanging around him for a day. It was enough to scare ten years off him if not the parents of said child.
"As far as I can tell, it's been prepared pre-mixed with grape jelly. One of the stranger ideas I've seen here. For myself I prefer chunky and with the orange marmalade." Keld shrugs, wandering along with the others. "Corrin is off duty today, I think."
"Does Jarvis have that chocolate peanut butter?" Luna means Nutella, but doesn't know the name. If the two men are willing to make her a sandwich she will gladly lead them to the kitchen. If there's any sign that she's done this before, the girl scampers in and promptly climbs up onto a stool at the counter. She awaits her meal, gentlemen! Oh yes, her father is going to be beside himself when he hears.
"Chocolate peanut butter?" Where had he been all these years? That sounds like something that was right up his alley. Tony looks like a fish out of water in the kitchen. He begins searching cabinet after cabinet from left to right. Eventually he comes upon several different jars of peanut butter that he pulls out to set on the counter. The bread is still elusive as is the silverware. Not wanting to admit defeat he keeps pulling open drawers and cabinets.
"Tony. Peanut butter is in the pantry. The pre-mix is in the smaller refrigerator next to the wheat bread. The nutella is also in the pantry but I don't know if it makes a good sandwich." Keld is very good at not laughing quite out loud when he says this.
"Nutella!" Luna exclaims. "That's it. I want that, please." She's watching Tony though, in a speculative manner, "Mr Stark, have you ever been in this kitchen before?" Noticed that, she did, sorry. A curious look to Keld, "He doesn't know where anything is." Even she has a better idea than he does. For all it's from watching Jarvis and her father.
With some sort of direction Tony manages to find the pantry and pull out the Nutella. "No, I haven't been in this room before. When I'm here I'm normally too busy to go wandering around." The unspoken truth is that he almost always forgets to eat and when he does remember he calls upon Jarvis to remedy the situation. The bread was indeed nearby to the small fridge. Looking like the conquering hero Tony manages to put all of the jars he found on the counter top in front of Luna. He manages to find the knife and spoon by process of elimination. "All right, are we trusting me to do this or is Keld taking over?"
"Oh, no, I'm going to sit back and watch," Keld says grinning. "I want to see how the master of terran technology assembles a sandwich."
He leans back against the sink and watches.
Tony groans, "You both owe me after this. My ego's taking quite the hit today." He points the butter knife at Luna and then Keld in turn. "Hmm, Nutella for the lady and erm…jelly. Forgot that." Tony spins around to the fridge and pulls out the various jellies. "Choose your luck Madam."
Luna laughs for Keld insisting that Tony to do it alone. "I'll help!" The nine year old slides off her stool and sheds her backpack. "Let me show you." She trots around the counter, and like a little princess at court, frowns at the assemblage Tony has presented her with. "You forgot the plate!" To the right cabinet, for all she's not tall enough to pull the plate down. Can get the door open though, standing on her toes. "That one, please."
Tony walks over to the cabinet to pull down the dish for Luna. "Sorry about that. Guys normally just eat off the table." He hands her the plate casting a glance over at Keld. "Well, its truth." Tony steps to the side so that Luna may make her lunch. "I'll keep a good watch on how you're making it so that next time I can be more helpful."
"Oh come on, Tony, even I can make a sandwich, with help from a friend, and I hardly ever include cardboard or plastic any more."
Keld is only slightly joking there - he has been known to snack on the cedar bark mulch. Alien metabolism, and some genetic engineering from sources that would best be left undescribed in a kitchen.
She eyes Tony with an expression that could have only been inherited from her father. "You will forget later. If you haven't learned by now.." But accepting that butter knife, the girl does go about making her sandwich. Carefully spreading jelly after she's found the bread. There's a look of concentration on her features as she tries so very hard not to mess this up. She has to show Tony how! "Doesn't that mean you sometimes do put in plastic?" Luna asks of Keld, making a face. Yuck!
*Bing-bing-bong-bing* *Bong-bing-bing-bong*
Even the Avenger's Mansion doorbell is stately.
"Ahh, so you do know me. I hope whatever you've been told hasn't been all bad. I'll admit to even forgetting to put socks on half the time if you would kindly make me a snack as well." Tony knows that Jarvis is busy so when the door announces a visitor he accesses the computer systems security monitors. "Oh," Tony says surprised. "I'll be right back." He leaves the others in the kitchen and makes his way up to the front door. What could this be about? He opens the front door and greets the man standing on the doorstep. "Afternoon."
Luna smiles up at Tony, not a bit irked with him really. "I've heard of you." Hasn't met him before today. That she remembers anyway. Did when she was small. As Tony heads off, the girl continues her sandwich making. Even hums to herself a little as she does so. Yummy chocolate spread!
"Is this the kind of sandwich you have often?" Keld asks of Luna, not at all certain what humans … or for that matter, normal Dakkamites … would do as part of a regular healthy refueling cycle. The joys of being raised in a military creche! (Actually it was quite pleasant in most ways. The food was just bland and very healthy.)
Ice blue eyes, white hair, and that unmistakeable red-and-purple costume. Magneto waits, helmet under his arm, outside the main door to the mansion. He turns to face that door as Tony opens it. "Mr. Stark. Good evening. Is my granddaughter here?"
This was not something Tony was prepared for. Was Luna's grandfather on good terms with her father? He wasn't entirely certain, nor was he sure how he was to handle this. "She is here. Is there any particular reason you're stopping by? I know you're not here to sell me cookies." It sounded asinine but what else could he say?
"No." Luna shakes her head. "We don't have food like this on the moon. It's a lot better here." Actually that's just her opinion. Earth food is new and there for much better. Even if it really isn't. "My father makes sandwiches for me when I visit him." Nutella is spread on bread, and the two halves carefully placed together. The girl cuts the thing diagonally and after putting down the blade takes up half in victory. "Too bad Mr Stark missed it." Said as she takes a bite. Yum! Luna is curious about the door bell, but she waits.
"No sandwiches on the moon? What do you eat there? I used to eat nutri-plax when I was stationed on a moon far away from here."
Nutri-plax. Keld almost shudders at the thought. Human food has spoiled his appetite for the neutral tasting fiber-rich cellulose confection.
He looks up and listens intently for a half second, and says, "I think I need to make a quick phone call, Luna. Please pardon me, and don't forget to tidy up your preparation if you're done before I am back, please."
He steps outside and uses his Avengers commlink to call Pietro, in case that answer Tony needed was "no"… but he'll communicate it to the man in either case.
"I am here because she was spending the afternoon with me. However, she and Lockjaw disappeared, and I tracked them here. I gather they are well?" There's a certain amount of tension rising off the Mutant Master of Magnetism, like steam off hot water. He's not gritting his teeth, though… yet. "May I come in?"
"Well, that at least explains a few things," Tony comments as he steps away from the opened door to allow Magneto to enter. "Pietro warned that she may appear from time to time without announcement. Please, come in." Tony is being a gracious host up to a point. He's hoping that things will remain civil.
Luna finally has enough. She had listed off some strange sounding things, but as Keld excused himself her curiosity got the better of her. Taking sandwich with her, the girl heads out and peeeers around the corner. "Eep!" Rashmi would be proud. Luna spots her grandfather and ducks back. It's not a girl who's afraid of Magneto. This is a girl who's been caught where she shouldn't be. Her grandfather is going to be maaad.
Magneto nods acknowledgement as he steps past Tony Stark to enter Avenger's Mansion. "Thank you, Mr. Stark. I need to check to be sure she's all right, for form's sake, at least. While I do trust Lockjaw's ability to keep her safe, she was in my care." He pauses long enough to let Tony take the lead, but his head snaps around at that 'Eep!' More steam. "LUNA."
"I understand. I haven't seen Lockjaw yet." Tony hears the 'eep' from the little girl. "She was in the kitchen. I will show you the way." Tony hopes that whatever caused Luna to vanish originally doesn't send her vanishing again because her grandfather is in the mansion. "Luna?" He calls out knowing that she's in range to hear them if they heard her.
Luna suddenly wishes she had the ability to shrink really, really small. Magneto couldn't find her then, right? Sandwich in hand, she thinks desperately of some way to get out of here.. but comes up with nothing. Scrunching up her face at that LUNA, she hunches her shoulders too and gives a tiny little sigh. While it's slow, the girl edges into view. "..I was bored!" Protested. Oh yeah, that's so going to help.
One white eyebrow goes up. "Indeed? I believe you were the one who requested a day at the zoo. Were the hippopotamuses somehow not up to your exacting standards?" Magneto is not speaking loudly, but every word is crystal clear.
Tony has taken up position behind Magneto. He didn't want to seem intrusive but he couldn't just walk off leaving the two of them in the hallway off the foyer. He is thankful that Luna wound up at the mansion and not somewhere else.
That sandwich is suddenly the focus of her whole world as Magneto speaks. Luna wants to argue, but what's to argue? She left when she shouldn't have. And then her father is there. Pietro appears without even a gust of air, his eyes luminous with anger. The look he's giving Luna could be said to be a mirror of the one his father wears. As strange as it may be, the speedster does not at all even begin to blame Magneto. "Luna." Heavy disapproval. It's the last straw for the girl and she bursts into tears. "I'm sorry!"
Pietro shows little sympathy as he puts fingers to lips and gives off a shrill whistle. Even as Lockjaw appears a short distance away, the man looks to Tony and Magneto, "Tony, I'm sorry for this." Then eyes to Magneto. "She didn't give you too much trouble, did she? I'm going to take her home. If she's going to do this, she doesn't deserve to finish out her day with you." Luna immediately protests of course.
"No, she was no trouble. She was teaching me how to make a sandwich acutally." Tony tries to lighten the mood for Luna's sake. The Avenger understands that what Luna did was dangerous and she would have to answer for it but with all of the adults caging her in at the moment it might be overwhelming. "I don't want to poke my nose into things but you are all here and relatively safe. Feel free to use the parlor to work things out."
Keld returns through the kitchen, and frowns at the uncleaned prep area. He listens, and sighs, "Ah. Discipline Issue. Leave it to the local authority, Jonahl."
Instead of returning to the foyer or otherwise intruding, he starts cleaning, and then speculatively, speeds up and makes up three… no, five, more sandwiches, two of them nutella and marmalade, the others with grape-cranberry jelly. Perhaps they'll calm the outrage of the elders. Or just give them something to enjoy later. Cleaning as he goes, the mess is gone a few moments later as he heads towards the others, tray in hand.
Magneto looks from his son to his granddaughter and back again. "I don't see how I can argue with you," he says, ignoring Luna's protests. "Evidently, she considers my presence not only unnecessary but actively to be avoided. I do apologize, Pietro. I felt a zoo visit would be a good day for the both of us. I'll know better in the future."
"Don't go anywhere." Pietro says to Magneto, pointing at the man. There isn't anger in it however. "We'll talk when I return." Tony gets an apologetic look, "I'm sorry. Don't worry, Tony, you're fine." Sorry for the trouble. For Magneto on the door step especially. That's not an easy thing to deal with. "Luna." So firm that name and he looks to the girl as he says it. She's looking incredibly sulky, eyes watery, but she goes over and takes his hand. The two disappear after Pietro lays a hand on Lockjaw and says, "Home." They all disappear. Pietro is gone a few minutes.
Tony places his hands behind his back as he walks over to lean against a wall. "Is there a way to contact you in case something like this happens again?" he asks Magneto. "I truly hope that it doesn't come to that but better to be prepared." Tony notices Keld coming from around the corner and waves him over.
"I suppose this is too late," Keld says as he comes up behind Tony. "I brought sandwiches. Terran diplomatic protocol says to share a meal to ease tensions and promote social re-integration, but it seems the parental control has been re-established already. I apologize that I didn't bring tea, but Jarvis would scowl at me if I hurried the preparation and I'd never live down the shame."
Magneto gives Tony a long, considering look for his question… and then he raises one hand and metal spools toward it off his costume. He usually uses ambient metals, but… this is Avengers Mansion. Less than a minute later, he has a small cell-phone like device in his hand. "Considering your proclivities and your background, Mr. Stark, I do have reservations about giving you this." He offers the device. "However, I think it will be no surprise to you that it works magnetically."
He transfers his attention to Keld, then, a frown line appearing between his brows. "You are an alien?" Blunt, yes. "You are not Kree nor Skrull…"
Pietro reappears, but not with Lockjaw. In the same manner he did originally, arms folded over chest, and next to his father. Likely as that phone is being offered to Tony. Eyebrows arch in surprise, for that's shocking. It could be a good step however. He doesn't speak however, allowing the two to have their exchange before he interrupts. Keld though is snorted at. "No, I doubt food will ever be too late." Amused at that at least.
Tony takes the device from Magneto and inspects it. "I promise no drunk dialing or giving your contact information out to Hef's playmates." He turns his focus on the device to see how it works. Stark finds it fascinating and with a new toy to puzzle out he almost misses the fact that Pietro has returned. "Hey, everything all right?" he asks Pietro and blindly reaches for a half of sandwich to eat.
Keld is either being diplomatic or exhibiting extremly dry humor. He answers, politely, "No, I'm not Terran origin. I am, not Kree, Skrull, Dalosian, Shiar, Badoon, Brood, Aakon, Arcturian, Rigellian, Cotati, Galadorian, Kymellian, Majesdanii, … the list of races that we know to have visited this world is quite long, should I continue?"
He holds the tray while he waits, and in an aside to Magneto, "The square-cut ones are made with Bridges Dundee marmalade, the others with a hand-canned fruit gelatin that Jarvis favors. All of them contain nutella."
Magneto catalogues the list for later consideration. "You aren't a Watcher, either," he says, just as dry. Leaving Keld to state what he is — if he so chooses — he looks back to Pietro. He raises a brow. Tony, for the moment, is left to enjoy the new toy.
Arms fall to sides as he's looked at, but Pietro isn't about to chide his father in front of people. "She wasn't avoiding you." Said simply. "She's a child. They have the attention span of gnats.. and yes, the irony of that statement from me will have you rolling in the aisles I'm sure." Never mind that the man is in fact amazingly patient and able to focus well beyond most. He has to due to his speed. "That's why she wandered." He knows his father has little experience with children, so explains this. Doesn't blame Magneto. His fault for giving the two a few hours to bond, and trusting Luna would stay.
Tony pockets the device Magneto gave him into his jeans pocket. With his sandwich also polished off he is paying attention to the conversation Pietro is having with his father. Having no children of his own, and a limited history with his father, this was interesting from a outsiders perspective. "I think I will give the two of you a bit of privacy. Please give my regards to Miss Luna and thank her for teaching me how to make a sandwich." He bows his head towards Magneto out of respect.
Keld smiles at the rejoinder. "Not a Watcher, no. Not even my famously outsize ego would require me to have a head quite that large."
Keld listens to the conversation; still unfamiliar with "real" children, Keld simply has no idea why they would behave so randomly, since no creche-raised child was ever allowed to become bored. There was always some new thing to learn, some new task to train, even sometimes there was semi-unstructured recreational play! Of course they filled that time with creating a hierarchy and rules of engagement, but don't all children do that?
When Tony suggests leaving them alone, Keld suddenly and rather obviously realizes he's failed at being hostly and asks, "Does your… caninoid friend wish a sandwich as well? I can make one if you wish."
"Perhaps avoiding me was not what she intended, Pietro, but it was the impression she left me with. I do hope she understands that." Magneto doesn't say that the word he is thinking isn't gnat, nor that the word he is thinking rhymes with it. There are strangers present, after all.
Tony is given a polite nod as he takes his leave. "Mr. Stark. A pleasure. If only this were different circumstances." Which, given this is Magneto speaking, could mean anything. "Have a good evening." Playing with the 'toy', if nothing else.
Keld is given yet another considering look. "I believe Lockjaw has gone home with Luna. I am sure he appreciates your consideration, however."
Pietro shakes his head at this all. "Thank you." To Tony about some time alone. He hates chasing the other off, but this isn't a talk they should have before others. A nod about Lockjaw to Keld. "He's back where he belongs, with Luna's mother." Never mind Pietro clearly has easy access to the hound. He just tries not to abuse it. "Father.. you are treating her like an adult. She wasn't thinking anything of the sort. Nor does she understand such concepts. I don't blame you for this." He was hoping it'd be different, but ah well. "She wanted the time so I allowed it. If you with to continue seeing her, and I don't mean that as a threat, I'll simply have to come along to mind her."
Tony has said everything that he thinks is relevant enough to the situation. He waves to everyone so as not to interrupt their conversation as he slips from the hallway back through the foyer to the parlor. He's quite glad that the mansion wasn't over run with Avengers at the moment. A great many of them would have probably blown the door apart rather than see why Magneto had shown up. It was unsettling to say the least to be in the same room with someone capable of ripping technology from your body. Hopefully he would never have to face such a situation. It wouldn't end up pretty and unlike Logan there wasn't a chance in hell he'd regenerate from that.
"She's nine years old, Pietro. Not an adult, no, but more than old enough to be told that the consequences of her actions reach beyond herself. She's even old enough to understand that I am unhappy with her behavior and believe it implies that she does not want to spend time with me. It may make her think twice before pulling such a stunt again… in short, allow her to grow a patience that exceeds that of a 'gnat'." Magneto is very, very irritated. He's trying very, very hard to remain polite. Never mind those sparks along the edge of his cape… they're harmless….
Pietro snorts, knowing full well Magneto has never truly been a parent. "You're too irate to talk about this." Like it weren't completely obvious. "Good day, father." This little talk is over. "This likely isn't the place to linger." There's a smirk for that, for all that Magneto was welcomed in. How many times as someone wandered in and taken things the wrong way, leading to a fight? The speedster amuses himself with that as he leaves his father in the hallway.
As Tony prepares his escape, Keld nods to Pietro, and murmurs, "Honored to make your acquaintance," to Pietro's father, and prepares to leave the tray of sandwiches on one of the odd bits of furniture that seem to have been designed with that kind of thing in mind, preparing to slip out out behind Tony. But then, Pietro vanishes. Well, this is awkward.
Magneto flexes his fingers and a brief (very brief) expression of fury lights his eyes when Pietro disappears. Smug much, son? Assuming much? Then he clamps down again. "It would seem that I no longer have a reason to be here. Good night to you all." With a swirl of the cloak, he strides for the door — and a flick of those fingers to open it. It isn't locked… one hopes.
All protocol requires that one escort a visiting dignitary to the exit, even when they're striding imperiously, so Keld does the escort thing, and his lack of uniform is not evident in any way from his bearing. The door wasn't locked (or if it was, it did so by itself and can fend for itself opening!) but Keld does hold his position at the entrance, while Magneto leaves, and gives him a Terran style salute-to-visiting-dignitary if he looks back, but then, does close the door properly once the man has left the property.
