[video]

[smarterthandad]

[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.

Comments

video

[hellionated]

[ ...the Richards kid. He met her when Laura was babysitting. Which is a whole clusterfuck that he doesn't really want to remember, but whatever.

The point is, she's here, and she's like, a tiny little kid. The fact that she's also ridicusmart is beside the point. ]

What are you gonna do, stand there and wait for social services? You want to get out of there, kid. Come to the MAC or something, at least there's other ImPorts there.

permavideo; robin comm

[xuffasch]

There are ways around them.

_{( The social workers, the laws, and etc. )}

[aggressiveapathy]

Are you a vampire toddler or something.

1/2

[invoking]

[ Do... three year olds even talk that much? Gil stares transfixed for some time. ]

video

[invoking]

[ He flicks on the video, since he assumes she would prefer to see his face. Hello, have a gold-eyed English dude asking: ] Who are your parents, if I may ask?

video

[smarterthandad]

Julian. [Huh, wasn't expecting to see him.]

They're claiming I'm not legally competent, which is patently untrue, but it does mean they're not letting me leave. [She doesn't realize she has powers now, fortunately for the social workers.]

permavideo;

[smarterthandad]

[Val notes the mask with a raised eyebrow. Secret identities aren't nearly as much of a thing where she's from.]

I'm trying to be reasonable. [For instance, she hasn't used the actual working lightsaber in her backpack.]

[smarterthandad]

[What.]

...No.

video

[smarterthandad]

[Neither the eyes nor the accent give her pause.]

Reed and Susan Richards.

[aggressiveapathy]

[Pause as she thinks of alternatives]

Ancient god in a classic ritual gone wrong plot.

video

[invoking]

[ Aaaand he doesn't connect Susan Richards to Sue Storm. Good job, Gil. ]

I'm sorry, I can't say the names are familiar. [ Well, Reed somehow sounds like it but he's not 100% sure. ] I haven't seen names like that on the Network either.

Are you alright? Do you need someone to assist you to the MAC?

[smarterthandad]

My father and grandfather are supergeniuses, and my parents were both exposed to enough cosmic radiation to permanently alter their genetic structure.

[And weirder stuff, but that's private. The story of the Fantastic Four is something everyone knows.]

[aggressiveapathy]

That's boring.

I'd run with the god thing. People give sacrifices.

video

[smarterthandad]

I need someone who's willing to accept custody because they apparently think I'm going to wander off into traffic if left to my own devices despite the fact I can properly use phrases like "my own devices." [She. Hates. This.]

[Val brushes some of her hair back behind an ear.] And, no offense, Mister, you're just some random guy on the internet, so I don't think I'm leaving with you.

[smarterthandad]

My brother's the god. [Not even exaggerating.] I'm not sacrificing anything to that idiot.

video 1/2

[invoking]

[ He cannot believe she really talks like that. MAYBE SHE JUST LOOKS YOUNGER THAN SHE IS...

Or she's a demon child. ]

Perhaps there's someone from your wo--

[aggressiveapathy]

Is he here?

video

[invoking]

[ DFGHJK. ]

It's not like that at all!!

video

[smarterthandad]

Yeah? How do I know you're not a supervillain?

[Why, what did you think she was suspicious of?]

[smarterthandad]

Probably not. By now he'd be yelling "Avengers Assemble!" into the phone or something.

[aggressiveapathy]

So. Be the god. Not like there's anything better to do.

video

[invoking]

A super... villain.

[ Of all things. ]

I'm nothing of the sort.

[smarterthandad]

I could create life ex nihilo, or at least ex chemistry lab, but I'm more interested in physics than biology. Besides, gods have a terrible track record. I'm going to be better than that.

[She is dead serious about this.]

[xuffasch]

Why? They won't be, soon enough.

[aggressiveapathy]

Mm. Gods and E.T get their own apartments. Nerds go to daycare.