2017-11-20 - Return To Life

Ding. The elevator dings, and when it opens it lets in a young lady in jeans and a t-shirt. Barely recognizeable from the gothic lolita she used to be, the girl isn't even wearing makeup. T-shirt is just a white shirt, she looks like anyone off the street. But it's Nico, the asian who's been here before. So, the security let her in anyway.

We would assume all arrangments have been made while Uncle Tony is off in Europe. Security would tell her how to get to ASia's nursery which is just that, imagine a combo between a childs bedroom complete and a plant nursery. It's beautiful, light with special lighting to feed the plants, it smells wonderful. Asia is laying on her stomach with a stack of building blocks and two potted plants near by apparently the three are playing.

Nico didn't really expect to get in, but this is Stark freaking Tower. So anything goes. She wanders over, leaning on a door frame, and looks at Asia quietly for a moment. The purple right arm is a reminder of other things, but she smiles a bit looking at the kid with the blocks. "Asia, you have company," she says gently.

Asia blinks and stops playing she looks up, pushes herself up and looking at Nico for just a second, then a breath before she realizes. "Nico?" she steps forward. "Nico? Is that you?" she then squeals with delight rushing toward her. "Nico!" smiling her toothless smile and a full burst of innocent energy.

Nico Minoru goes down onto one knee to take Asia into her arms. She says nothing for a bit, just taking the hugs as they're meant. Innocent, and full of life. She might need it just as much as Asia does, right now. "It's me, I promise." She closes her eyes for a moment, then opens them and peers at Asia. "Have you been growing? You seem taller."

Asia gives her a nice warm kiss..warm..yep Asia's warm to the touch this time of year. She is so happy to see her and giggles. "Ah dunno ah use to be taller buh that was when it was summer now I'm not tall anymore, but I'll be tall again." she says. "Soon as the warm comes." she grins. She seems..well smarter her vocabulary is vastly improved since Nico last saw a little version of Asia.

Nico Minoru smiles. "See, this is what happens when you only see a girl a couple of times a year. Molly's taller too, but if she keeps growing I'll have to let out the hems on her pants. Girl's going to be all leg." She relishes the normal conversation, even though she'snot sure that Asia is catching all the details. "You are growing though..I think?"

Asia giggles at her and nods. "Molly is tall, or she was last time I saw her but I was taller then, what's the opposite of all leg cause that's me." she grins. "I don't sleep as much as I use too,"

Nico stops, yknow, clinging so much. Her metal purple arm should be quite visible, but she doesn't make a big deal about it. Holding Asia at arm's length so she can look the girl over, she sighs. "Actually, the opposite of all leg is just...normal. I think that might be the only way anyone can ever call you that, but there it is. Not sleeping, is that...good? Nightmares?"

Asia grins at her as she's held out, she's got a cute little playout fit on with a t-shirt that has a cartoon pony on it, and a pants set with her diaper poking out so not that much has changed no pun intended. She has one sock though, where the other one went is a complete mystery. She grins and tilts her head and shakes her head. "Whats a nightmare?" she aks curiously having no idea what that is. "I use to sleep a lot like all day and night it's good that I can stay awake longer," she still takes a nap or two during the day but no longer these eighteen hour mini comas she had.

Nico Minoru hms. "Well, a nightmare is a dream that isn't happy. I don't actually know if you dream or not," she says as she brushes her hand over Asia's head. "What happens when you sleep? Do you have stories in your sleep, like I do?" She doesn't need to go into detail.

Asia noddies. "I dream, I dream everytime I got to sleep." she thinks about that. "I guess sometimes I have sad dreams, but it's just a dream it can't hurt you." she says happily.

Nico Minoru very carefully edits her response to that one. "You're absolutely right. Dreams can never hurt you, and I'm glad you understand that." Her grammar might not be great, but she's been watching kids for long enough to know how the brain works. So she gives Asia a hug for being so smart, and then shows her the arm. "Do you like purple? I'm a little bit purple now." Asia smiles at her. "I saw you have a new purple arm I like it very much it's very pretty." she says. Asia'snot like most kids, one thing she dosen't understand fear like most kids so even if she had a nightmare she couldn't register it as such. She slides down from her grasp and takes her purple hand if Nico will let her. "i wanna show you somethin neat." she says. "If ya wanna see it." she still toddles, her coordination is terrible, it's almost she learned how to walk last week.

Nico Minoru doesn't mind. She's just glad that the metal arm isn't freaking the kid out. At lteast it's warm, like her skin would be. Magic. "Show me anything you want, hon. I'm enjoying the drama-free environment right now." She sounds a little tired, but at least it's not sarcasm.

Asia smiles at her. "If you wanna spend tha night you can, Jarvis make sthe bestest snacks." she says, and drags her off to one of the tables with the plants on it. She crawls up on a chair and offers Ncio the other one. She leans over and points to a strange little Green tree, with funny little red and blue leaves. "This is from Outer Space.' she says. "Uncle Tony gave her to me."

Nico plants herself (no pun intended) on a seat where directed. Looking from Asia the the plant, she kind of seems a bit confused. Not sure if she should address the plant directly or just nod interestedly, she says, "I've never seen a plant like it." She wonders if she should have brought along Klara; the two kids would probably have more in common. "Does it need special food, or soil?"

Asia shakes her head no. "It's doing good or at least I think it's doing good, I can feel it, but it's asleep, most of the plants are asleep cause it's winter time to sleep.' she says. "But it's very neat, " she says. "You gotta new arm, and I gotta new plant, we both have very new things."

Well in the future maybe Nico can arrange a play date for Asia and Klara.

Nico Minoru laughs. It's quick and honest, but she stifles it quickly as well. "Yes. Yes, we do," she agrees even though she's not quite sure there's an equivalency between amputation of a limb and getting a plant. But she's here to relax, and to visit a friend. "How about this, you tell me when the plants are starting to wake up and I'll meet them properly, alright? I'd hate to interrupt their dreams."

Oh Asia has no clue about coorlation or relationship but to her a new thing is a new thing and it makes sense. She grins and hugs Nico, kissing her cheek. "Okay dokay." she slides down, toddling back to her blocks, she goes to pick up the little potted sprouts she had, and she moving to put the mback where they belong. "Ah'm firsty, you wan somethin?" she asks. "And my bed can turn in to all kinds of beds so if you wanna sleep over you can you can stay and relax long as you want, everything is good and safe here."

Nico's kinda glad she didn't come in her usual getup. Wondering if she's getting over the goth thing, she kind of hops to her feet and wanders so she can see Asia and her plant buddies. "Irish coffee, but that's not going to happen, so maybe a glass of soy chocolate milk if you have it? No that's silly...um, milk please." Giving away her L.A. roots. If you go into a restaurant and feel you can order literally anything, it's Los Angeles. Asia grins at her. "Do you really want milk or ya think you gotta get milk cause ah'm the baby and babies drink milk." she giggles at her. "It's okay you can drink what yu like." she hit the button on her stark pad.

"Yes Miss Asia..do you need anything?" the voice replies.

"Can ah haf some jooice please and cookies." she looks to Nico. "And whatever Miss Nico wants too?" she looks over to nico to allow her to order.

Nico blinks. She doesn't think she's ever actually met Jarvis. "Um, hello? Sorry, I didn't know anyone was there. Do you have..." she decides to take a chance, and goes with her first choice, "an irish coffee? I mean, I'm happy with soy chocolate milk, since Asia thinks that only babies drink milk and clearly I'm far too old to be a baby." She's babbling a little, but then she's also not being shot at today so it's a little out of her normal world.

The voice from the wall says, "You're still a little young for that order, ma'am. Though I admit that Mr Stark often orders the same, for now let's just get you that soy milk shall we?" The sound of amusement in Jarvis' voice is clear, since he's not about to serve whiskey and coffee to a minor today.

Asia dosen't get the irish coffee thing cause well she dosen't drink or really know about alcohol. she grins. "Thank you Jarvis." she syays. She tries to say please and thank you, good habits to have. She shakes her head and heads back to Nico to get one more hug, she really is happy to see her and is triple checking she's real, it has been a long time and the child is just happy to be so blessed.

Nico hugs easily, almost like she actually needs them. "So who's Jarvis?" she asks, not sure who she's been talking to. "Are we being watched, like by the security team or something?" She's sure that security here is pretty tight, so it would make sense. But also is a little bit creepy, and she thinks maybe she should wear shirts that are a little less see-thru next time if that's the case.

Well I mean it's less creepy since Asia's a literal preschooler, someone needs to watch her just incase right? "Oh Jarvis helps Uncle Tony." she says proudly. Speaking of Jarvis walks in to the room, with a tray with a sippy cup of juice and small tray of cookies, and a cup of soy milk as requested."

"Here you go." the butler says happily. He does enjoy Asia almost as much as Tony does, or rather he's happy to see Tony really try tobuild a family.

"Oh Ms. Minoru can I ask a favor?"

Ms Minoru looks up as the butler enters. She tracks him like she does everyone, like she's used to combat and wants to know where everyone is, until she knows if they're packing or not. But Jarvis is just impossible to be suspicious of, and by the time she's taking her soy milk she's smiling. "Thank you sir. And asking is free, always. Answers are based on reality and my personal failure to understand the question."

Jarvis smiles at her wit. "I have to assist Mr. Stark with something that will take an hour or so, would you mind keeping an eye on Ms. Asia here, honetly after her snack she is scheduled for a nap, but she sometimes don't stick to schedules, you will be compensated for your time of course."

Asia lets the two big people talk, Asia more focused on the cookie which she starts to munch on. Oooh yeah Cookie.

The snort that Nico makes is immediate and has an associated eyeroll, after Jarvis' request. "Mr Jarvis, I hope I can call you that? I'm guessin anyway. Um, I'm visiting a friend, I'll gladly stay for free for a bit. You go do what you need, alright? Maybe I'll need a nap too." She gives a slightly knowing smile to Jarvis, her raised eyebrow saying without words that it's not the first time she's put a child down for her nap. "Go. Help save the world, stave off the forces of bad hygeine or whatever it is this time."

Jarvis smiles and nods. "AS you wish my thanks." he says before headed off.

Asia grins and passes her a cookie. "These are good," she says. She sits on the floor by the table and watches the two she super happy, can't stop smiling or giggling.

Nico Minoru turns to Asia as Jarvis heads off to polish some beakers or fight Doom in single combat. "So. Tell me about your best plant friend," she says as she gathers Asia up in her arms, heading for the 'bed'. "You can take your cookies, they clearly are important. Noone should be without their cookies."

Asia grins and holds onto the cookie. "Oh that's Old George, and he's in Central park." she says as she is scooped up, she reaches quickly to grab her juice of course. Asia's bed has a terminal beside it with all sorts of configurations, currently it's in toddler but a few buttons and it can be a double bed so they both can be comfy.

Nico will figure the bed out quickly enough. She's the celphone generation; quick with technology. So she's sitting on a double bed soon, and putting Asia down so she won't spill her joose. "Old George, he sounds like a tree. Is he tall? I bet he's got all kinds of nice colors in the right seasons." She's not sure if she's interested or not, but Asia needs her nap and this is how you do it.

The bed is cool, it rumble a bit and then starts shifting and thanks to some nanotech and whatever technical wizardy Tony cooks up in about twenty seconds a larger more comfortable bed appears,complete with pillows, blankets and such. Asia lays down holding her juice watching Nico. "Yes he got green leaves in the summer and sprinkg ,and red one and yellow ones in the fall and he dosen't have many in the winter when he sleeps but he sings the best and he been in the city before teh city was there." she says excitedly. "he knows the old magic of the Indians, and the spirits, and he seen the new ways comes in."

Nico Minoru looks at Asia. She blinks, having never heard the little girl be so articulate before. Unexpected, and surprising. "Well. You should introduce me sometime, then. I don't know nearly enough magic yet, and maybe an old tree like him wouldn't mind singing some for me." She leans and kisses Asia on the forehead, then sips her soy choco-milk. Mm. Good stuff they get here. "I mean, if he thinks I'm worth singing to. I'm not old like trees are."

Asia smiles, things have changed for Nico, they have for Asia too over the last year, apparently being here at Stark Tower has done wonders for her. She sits up and nods to her. "Oh he'll sing for you and I can even make it so you can hear it, because I love you and I can share it with people I love." she says happily.

Nico Minoru huh. She never thought that any of the old magics still lived in the world, and if they did she'd never have anyone who could teach her. Or would teach her. She's the daughter of blood mages, after all. Only somoeone who was also dark, like Raven, would ever teach her. She gulps a little, actually nervous about meeting this old tree, and nods. Then tucks it aside and pulls up a light blanket, so Asia knows it's naptime. "Well, that's for another day then. And you know something else?" She smiles, a little more warmly than when she arrived, and whispers. "I love you too."

Asia frowns at the blankie but she knows it's nap tme, she does slides her play pants off cause she not sleeping in those, she hands them to Nico. She smiles happily though when she is told she's loved as well, that makes Asia happy. She scoots over. "Are you going to stay?" she asks curiously.

Nico shrugs, not sure about staying or going or really what the question means. So she says, instead, "I'll be here when you wake up." Sometimes kids don't understand the future any further than that. But Asia's been surprising her more today. So she doesn't lie, and doesn't commit. Yet. After all, there's other children who need her too. And some days, she just doesn't want to be a nanny anymore. Luckily, today isn't one of them. And Asia's just cute.