1964-03-23 - Rebels and Spies and Witches, Oh My!
Summary: Tommy introduces Ava and Nico.
Related: If there are no related logs, put 'None', — please don't leave blank!
Theme Song: None
nico ava tommy 


Another night at Casa De Shepmers. Sumherd? Whatever the little apartment shared by Tommy and Hope and occasional gathering place for their circle of friends and teammates can be called. Once again, Tommy's got company over — so food's put out, mainly convienience-style; chips, little blocks of cheese, sticks of beef jerky and little bits of fruit here and there; including orange slices like the one that Tommy's munching on right now.

"Then there were like, a dozen pirates running around and I'm trying to run in some weird /dress/ and my uncle's getting kidnapped by a hooker and… yeah, it was crazy." Pause. "You haven't run away yet; either you think I'm perfectly sane or don't really care. Either way, bonus points to you." Tommy quips, flashing a thumbs up to the room's other occupant.

*

Ava comes and goes in mysterious ways. Or rather, she has an actual job that she has to go to, lest the spy organization decide they want to find out where she goes and what she does, and she tries very hard to avoid that. Lately that's meant searching for stories about disappearing people. And even more recently, really hoping that if they find the missing Daniel Sousa, he doesn't melt.

Speaking of melting, though, there's something about that she needs to share with the rest of the team, which is why she arrives at Hope and Tommy's place. That, and she trusts Hope enough to go to her place. She knocks at the door, leaning against the wall next to it.

*

Nico has been spending a fair amount of time at Casa Whatever. After all, she can't communicate with her roommate, and one can only spend so much time sewing any given day. Sure, she enjoys it, she's good at it, but sometimes one must take a break, even from one's favorite hobbies.

And Tommy and Hope are, frankly, great. Nico feels so much better after having met the pair. She flashes a thumbs-up back at Tommy with a smile. Actually, she's brought some of her sewing with her — she's embroidering a black poodle on a pink skirt that rests in her lap. Sure, poodle skirts are so very ten years ago, to use anachronistic jargon, but let's be honest: if somebody were going to pay her for it, Nico would embroider a Chinese flag on traditional samurai garb.

*

Then comes the finger. Index finger held in the air; it's a sign that he's about to go do something else and that thoughts should be held until he returns. It's not something he explains, but instead something learned by experience. Whether Nico's learned this or not? A moment after the finger is shown, he's gone.

He doesn't go far, though, only zooming over to the front door, pulling it open at lightning speed and… "Ava!" Tommy greets warmly, taking a couple steps back to allow her in. "Not exactly the cute redhead I was /expecting,/ but always welcome." With that said, he's gone and back to his spot on the living room-side of the kitchen counter. Legs dangeling along, fingers reaching out to munch on some chips. "Nico, meet Ava; she's a friend of Hope's and mine. Ava, meet Nico, she's a bad-ass superhero that helped Hope and Lorna save a chick a couple weeks ago; was in the papers and everything."

There's a point, now, to the corkboard and the article pegged to it along with others. Having spent quite a bit of time over here? Nico's probably seen the board before. Tommy, at the very least, isn't one to reject company. Social butterfly the boy is. Even if he does make sure that all the doors are locked to keep various bad people from waltzing in. Which he zips over to do if Ava misses that detail of entering!

*

Ava steps inside when Tommy opens the door, though there's no need to worry about her locking it behind herself. Security is always her primary concern, after all. She doesn't move quite as quickly as he does, though. "Hello, Nico," she smiles faintly to the other girl as she enters, waving a hand with an awkward wave. "Funny you should mention Lorna. Was that…before or after she disappeared?" she asks, looking to Tommy with a quirk of her brow.

*

"Hi," says Nico, raising a hand from her embroidery to wave her needle. "Nice to meet you, Ava. I think we can agree that Tommy has a penchant for hyperbole." Bad-ass superhero indeed. She was in the right place at the right time. Her eyes go from Ava to Tommy. Lorna disappeared? When did this happen? She doesn't ask the questions, just assumes they're understood. She wasn't even introduced to Lorna at the event in question. Just learned the woman's name after the fact.

*

"Before." Tommy clarifies, popping a grape into his mouth, before a second is tossed up into the air. Finger follows it along for a few moments… and when nothing happens, he just snatches it out of the air with his teeth. "Wurf thass fu—" Pause. Chew. Swallow. "Why's that funny, though?" he asks, arching a platinum brow slightly. Confusion, it is here. Nico's accusation of exaggeration? Just gets a cheeky grin of amusement flashed in her direction. He won't deny the accusation, clearly.

*

"Tommy may exaggerate, but he doesn't usually lie," Ava smiles faintly to Nico, pacing along the perimeter of the room, restless. "It is funny, because I saw Lorna the other day. Or rather, I thought that I saw her. Except she was acting very strangely. Too energetic, too excited, not…herself. She hugged me."

Anyone who knows Ava knows this is not standard procedure.

"Then she ran off. And by the time I reached her again, she had melted. I do mean melted. Into some sort of…goo. I suspect that this means it was not actually Lorna."

*

"Unless it's some new power she's developed," Nico suggests, "though honestly, I don't see how it'd tie in neatly with the magnetism and whatnot." She's bent over her sewing again as she says this. After a moment she pauses, stretches the skirt out in her lap and examines it closely before wrinkling her nose and starting to pull free several stitches.

*

"Wait, wait. /Hold on./ It's open-hug season on you, Ava? Remind me to pass out the commemorative napkins." Humor; it's Tommy's self-defense mechanism of choice when it comes to things that could upset him. The grin doesn't even fade from his face, and the thought /does/ amuse him. Inside Tommy's head, there's a line out the door, around the block, and down to his favorite burger joint.

…now he wants burgers. A quartet of slim jims shoved between two slices of bread will have to do for the moment, though, as the topic at hand is too important to actually leave the room for. And few things are more important to him than food.

"Wait, wait, melted?" Pause. Consider. Why does that sound… "…that's a Mojo trick. Lorna had the same thing happen to her, except it was that Seth kid who melted. Then she was about to knock out half of Spain before I…" Tommy trails off, wrapping his knuckles once against his head. "/Which/ reminds me of something I've been wanting to get ahold of /you/ for. We know where he's going next."

How much poor Nico knows? Up in the air. Tommy, at least, wouldn't be shy about sharing that info. Unlike the secrets of those people he actually /likes,/ big fat slug secrets are broadcast priority #1. Plus, it's just such a surreal experience half the time that he can't /not/ talk about it.

*

"Mmm. I thought perhaps it was a Mojo trick," Ava grimaces. "And no. It is not…open-hug season. Do not start that. I will break your wrist." She's kidding, right? Surely she's kidding, she wouldn't do that sort of thing. It doesn't look like she's kidding, though.

Step after step takes her along the perimeter of the room, glancing to windows, watching the door. It's habit for her. Restless, endless habit. "Have we heard of him taking people without powers?" she asks. "There are…others who have gone missing recently."

*

Nico knows nothing, Tom Snow-hair. But she's listening in, figuring that she can ask Tommy for details later, if needed. More important to get the information out so she knows what to ask — in her opinion, anyway. She starts sewing again, more carefully this time, though she looks up at Tommy and Ava regularly, trying to follow the conversation.

*

Tommy flashes a cheery grin in Ava's direction. "Could be worth a broken wrist." the boy quips in amusement, eyes lit with mischief. However, it doesn't look like he's going anywhere, more content to put sandwich to mouth instead.

As for the question? The boy considers for a few moments, crinkling his nose slightly. "Well. He took Lorna. Me. Hope, for a second. The Seth kid. Not sure if he's powered or not, Lorna always kinda just talked about him as her buddy more than anything else." And now the only one who could answer that question? Poof. "His cronies had powers, obviously. So.. my /guess/ would be powers only, but…" A shrug. "…got photos of the missing people? I run around the city on the daily /anyways,/ I could keep eyes out."

*

"He takes the people with powers because they offer an entertainment value," Ava wrinkles her nose. "I suspect he would take someone who didn't have powers if he believed that the people coming after that person would provide entertainment value. Daniel Sousa is missing," she explains. "The husband of the director of SHIELD. It seems disingenuous to believe that he would be taken by the same person we are tracking, but…" She trails off, shrugging.

*

"Makes sense." Tommy replies, rocking back and forth a bit on the counter and letting his brain work. It takes a moment to put the pieces together and…. "…you might be onto something. When he… arranged… for my visit to New Guineas or wherever, I kinda remember hearing about Howard Stark having been there, too. What better way to drag Iron Man himself into the picture than by grabbing his dad, right?" There's a bit of a face made, and more consideration given. "If he /did/ grab this Sousa guy, that /really/ makes me wonder about the… 'invitation' Hope got." Pause. "Apparantly, big yellow ugly's called us out and has decided to make a battleground of the happiest place on Earth. At least, we /thought/ it was us he called out." …but if he's got an interest in SHIELD now, too?

*

"Perhaps, but I have a hard time imagining Mojo using men with a van to snatch someone," Ava muses. "He seems more likely to use one of his pets with powers, or else one of those odd little assistants. I feel like men with a van is…passe for him. And from what I have heard, no one needs to drag Tony Stark into the spotlight."

*

"Men with a van?" Tommy considers. "…yeah, that doesn't sound… flashy enough. Unless it was one of those big dramatic scenes, /then/ maybe, but…" A shrug. "Lorna was portals. I got mind-screwed. Seth was teleportation. Powers seem to be the key to his grabbings." Pause. "I'll keep my eyes open anyways, though. If we can get Lorna /or/ Seth back, they might be able to tell us if there's anyone else being held." Then an amused grin, "…and probably not. The man knows how to make an entrance." Tony Stark, role model? …maybe a little bit.

*

Ava rolls her eyes slightly, but there's a hint of a smile at one corner of her lips as she does. "Well. Regardless, he has our people, and so we will get them back, on way or another. So what is this about a battlefield?" She finally stops pacing when she asks that question, though it's only to square herself, feet shoulder-width apart as if she's ready to start fighting this very moment.

*

"You can say that again. Whatever it takes, we don't leave people behind." Tommy replies, just a biiiit of seriousness cracking the otherwise humorous exterior of the speedster. Maybe it's because it's family who was taken. Maybe just because. It's not always easy to tell. "Hope was peeking around W-ILD with a couple other friendlies; they got into the door with no knob." Which they weren't able to do during the initial 'attack' on the studio. "Apparantly, The Blob That Ate Tokyo came on the screen and said he'd be showing up at Disneyland, live, tomorrow. At least Florida's not too far away," …but even for his mix-up? Walt Disney /World/ in Florida? Not a thing yet. Oops. "If it's a chance to get Lorna, Seth, and maybe even that Danny-guy back… we gotta take it." Then, a glance is offered towards Nico. "And if it's a showdown he's wanting, we could use all the help we can get."

To be fair, Tommy /assumed/ showdown. Whether or not it actually is…

*

Nico looks up from her sewing. "I don't know anything about the guy," she says, "but if you guys need me, I'm in."

*

"Florida?" Ava squints. "Disneyland is in California, Tommy. It is a good thing Billy makes the portals." She considers Nico for a long moment, nodding slowly. "We will need help," she agrees with Tommy. "But we should try to be educated before we go in. I met someone who might be helpful, but it's too early to say. What is it you do, Nico?" she asks

*

"It is? When'd they move?" Tommy asks, seeming more than a little confused by that… then shrugging. "Oh well, California isn't that far, either. Not when you've got hands on our ways of travel." AirBilly or TomTrak, whichever seems more useful in the moment. A smile is offered over to Nico, "Thanks, Nico — we could use it." Pause. "Fair warning, though, it's probably gonna be insane. And dangerous. Last time we tangled with him he set bulls loose in Spain to ambush us." Another pause. "But if you're with us, you're with us, you know? We're gonna watch your back as best we can."

Which is saying something, considering what Nico knows about Tommy and Hope, the pair that move faster than sight. Ava's latter comment about having found someone too brings curiousity, then a nod. "Feel free to bring someone by, or invite us over, if you find out someone might be on our side."

*

Nico pauses a moment, then sets her sewing aside before she takes a fresh needle from her kit and jabs it into the ball of her thumb. It's usually easiest to demonstrate. And Tommy certainly knows the drill. A voice, raspy, deep, comes from Nico. "*When blood is shed let the Staff of One emerge.*" And then the staff bursts out of her chest (it's magic, so there's no blood except that on her thumb, happily). And then she props the staff on the floor, between her knees. "You want guinea pigs this time, Tommy?"

*

"They may not be interested," Ava shrugs. "But if I see them, I will see if-" But then Nico is demonstrating, and she arches a brow. "I feel as though that is…sufficient demonstration," she says slowly. "You just made a staff come out of your body. I am likely to believe you if you'd like to just explain it."

*

"Fair enough, Ava — just keep us updated." Then when Nico's demonstrating? Tommy's eyes stay on Ava; he's seen this before, he wants to see the /reaction/ this time. Of course, then Ava suggests that she's already seen enough and… well, it makes sense. "Tempting, but if you can only do each one once… might wanna save it for sometime that we need an army of guinea pigs, you know?" Pause. "Man, it's tempting, though. Wonder if there's any pet stores open…"

No, Tommy. Don't think it, Tommy.

*

Nico chuckles softly. "This is the Staff of One. It used to belong to my mother. It attached itself to me when I escaped from Los Angeles. There are few things it seems incapable of doing — but I can only use any given spell once. Last week I summoned rabbits to demonstrate for Tommy and Hope. And I made the attacker's knife rust to nothing when Hope and Lorna and I helped save the woman in Queens." She pauses a moment. "Also, it lets me fly."

She nods to Tommy. "Check. Save the guinea pig army for squealing 11-year-old girl wannabe world conquerors."

*

Ava tilts her head, rolling it over in her mind. "So you can do anything, so long as you can think of it quickly enough and haven't done it before," she summarizes. "That is…the antithesis of something you can train for. Training is about practicing something until you've done it enough times for it to become second nature." It doesn't sound like she's upset about it, so much as she's trying to figure out just how that works.

*

"Not anything," Nico says. "Most things, but not anything. I can't bring people back from the dead." She glances at the staff. "Somebody made that very clear to me at some point."

*

Nico has left.

*

Finger taps to nose, lips curve into grin. "She gets it in one; bingo. Kinda like what Billy does. Except one time only, and…" Pause. "Well. She seems to get what she /wants/ more often than not." Bunnies brought bunnies, afterall. And they were cute and yes, Tommy couldn't help but pet them.

*

Ava looks after Nico as she goes, turning a flat look on Tommy. "Best not to assume that. With a power that requires that no two actions be alike, it's hard to have a control to test against." She is the child of scientists, after all. "But as long as she can be creative, then it will be useful. Hopefully." She frowns, sitting on the arm of a couch. "You said he'd come after you and Hope as well?"

*

There's a shrug of shoulders then; Ava's the daughter of scientists, Tommy's the son of… well, either horrible parents or magical beings, dependinh on which set one speaks of. "I'm planning to take her to see the Doc soon, see if he can give her any help with you know, the magic stuff." Cue the wiggling of fingers. "I mean, there's only so many words in the dictionary, right? Some kinda reset's gonna be important."

Of course, for all he knows, that's the key: 'Reset', all spells usable again.

"Yeah, he yoinked Hope away when we were at W-ILD after we found Seth…. it was for like, five minutes before she came back." Pause. "She's real, though. I've checked." Ava probably doesn't want to ask the 'how' on that. "Me… the mind-reader chick got into my brain and made me run over the ocean, then I got flattened and put into a mirror, or something… I don't really remember everything, just what Billy told me about."

*

Ava's brows rise at the description. "That is…interesting. So he has taken Lorna, attempted to take you, attempted to take Hope. What about Teddy and Billy? Although I imagine that once he had a viable captive, he no longer needed to capture all of us. Better to keep us split. Of course." She scrubs a hand over her face, slipping off the couch. "That's exactly it. He knows we won't fight to entertain like his pets, but we will fight for one of our own."

*

"Makes sense. Guess he's smarter than I give the tub'o'lard credit for." Tommy remarks, making a bit of a face at the thought. "Probably don't have to worry about him taking one of the /rest/ of us while he's got Lorna, then." Which means he might not have to run around checking on them, at least. Though that doesn't really take much time. "Hasn't touched Teddy or Billy, yet. Maybe because he hasn't had to?" A shrug. "The question is, though… when we get Lorna and Seth back… how do we stop him from coming /back/ after us and starting the whole game over again?"

*

"Take away his ability to use portals?" Ava suggests. "Though that puts Billy in more danger of being taken, since he'll have a specific use. But if he can't go places, then he's no threat." She paces a few steps, then heads for the door. "I have things I need to see to. But I will see if there is anyone else to help us. And I will be there to help get Lorna back."

*

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