capeandcowl | [video]

[There is a blue-eyed child looking at you. She can't be more than three. She is, however, wearing a very grown-up expression of dissatisfaction. And some kind of superhero outfit with a big "6" on the chest.

Ordinarily, Val would be cagier about immediately going public in a strange place, but, well, she has A Problem. When she speaks, it's with fully adult syntax and no hint of a lisp or any other childish speech impediment.]

Hi. I'm Valeria Richards. Assuming no alternate timeline stuff--not a safe assumption, I know, but sometimes you gotta live dangerously--it looks like there are a few people out there who're friends of my parents. You've got a couple of hours to come get me before they [she turns the phone to show a pair of what are presumably social workers, looking simultaneously put-upon and patient] try to stick me in foster care and things get sketchy.

[Anyone who knows Val will know that's more for the prospective foster parents' protection than hers. No one wants her turning some unfortunate family's appliances into her robot escape army.]

...'Bye.

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[ He actually smiles at that. ]

He must be. [ She's way too articulate. More than the professors at Lutwidge and it's the most prestigious school back home. ] Does he tutor you himself, then?

[ Too young for school... right... ]

Ha, that'd be a huge waste of everyone's time. Mostly we just check in every couple days and then I totally school him at soriteses.

Education is not a waste of time.

'Course not, but I don't need him to teach me. Past a certain point, autodidactism is much more efficient.

Autodidactism?

Teaching yourself. I didn't need anyone to explain multivariate calculus to me. I just derived it from the calculus of a single variable. It's totally the natural progression when you start thinking in terms of arbitrary degrees of freedom.

[You know, like you do.]

Ah. [ That actually makes some sense to him.

But he doesn't want to pursue this conversation anymore. He feels incredibly embarrassed a three year old is that much smarter than him. ]

So... Mr. Stark is -- Tony Stark, you mean? I've heard the name here before. Your father is friends with those Avengers?

[She's smarter than everyone, Gil!]

Yeah, Mom and Dad were on the Avengers for a while before I was born. Dad and Mr. Stark collaborate on research sometimes, but they have different areas of interest, mostly.

There's quite a few of the Avengers here. Will they take you in?

Oh, probably. Do you know which ones are here besides Mr. Stark? [Since there are roughly a million Avengers.]

I only know the names of Hawkeye and ... [ What is Bobbi's again? He pauses. They don't exactly keep a low profile so he guesses it's okay to say her name: ] Bobbi Morse. I know there are others who lives in their mansion, but I haven't met them.

[ No, he doesn't know his own boss, Natasha, is/was an Avenger. ]

[The Black Widow is not high on the list of people who should be doing childcare.]

Mockingbird. [Val doesn't personally know Bobbi, but with a memory like hers, being aware of the Avengers roster is easy.]

No big deal, I can do a traffic analysis to see who they talk to. That should get me a list. [That's not creepy, Val.]

[ Are you sure you're not a demon child, Val. ]

Are you sure you're alright? You are remarkably calm, however being separated from your family isn't good.

[Dr. Doom laid a spell on her when she was born, so, you know, maybe.]

Yeah, I know, but stuff like this happens all the time.

[It'll sink in later, after Tony gives her details.]

It shouldn't... not here. The machine that brought us here is broken... something like that.

The AI comes off as pretty sketchy, yeah.

[Not, like, Ultron sketchy, but still pretty sketchy.]

Not much is known about it... [ OR MAYBE THERE IS AND I FORGOT BUT GIL SUCKS AT TECH ANYWAY. ]

Edited 2013-05-02 04:31 (UTC)

I'll just ask Mr. Stark.

[Because Gil appears to mean well, but is getting filed under "kind of useless" in Val's head.]

[ Modern technology... ]

What are you planning to do? [ It's weird talking to her like she's... his age. But he's certain if he dumbed down his speech she wouldn't like it. ]

[The Val Experience is a special thing.]

Assess the situation. [Obviously.]

Just don't touch the Porter, alright?

[ Please, you are too tiny and adorable to die. ]

[That's basically telling her to go do it.]

Why not?

Well, nobody can get close to it anyway... but it's been known to hurt people who try.

What do you mean, "no one can get close?"

[Don't tell her things are impossible it just makes her want to do them.]

[ He frowns, not realizing he's putting bad ideas in her head. Kind of like how Oz operates... ]

I don't think it's been opened up the way you could with regular machines here. It'll sense it... somehow. I've heard it's electrocuted people who've tried.

Edited 2013-05-05 22:31 (UTC)

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