asobouyo | ♥ Appointments Post ♥

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♥ appointment post

♥ Appointments Post ♥

This is a personal appointment post for anyone who wants to contact Elicia Hughes (

asobouyo ) without going to the trouble of setting up a log/journal; as I'll say with all my characters, if you have any reason to contact her at all, go right ahead here! Voice, Video, Written, or Action is completely acceptable. Just keep in mind that she's at school at certain times on weekdays (it's sketchy enough to say 'after school' or before or what have you)!

Please put the the month and the type of communication—i.e. [March 29th][Action], or anything in that sort of way—in the subject line (putting why you're there is totally optional; I'm sure I'll figure it out through the character eventually. |D).

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[Tony, come on in. Lead to her room? She's sitting at her small table looking at a pad of paper, making dots. She's not really, uh... sure what to draw, right now. Considering the whole 'hero' thing isn't panning out, and she's worried about her new friend, and everyone seems so serious, and she's still a little scared and hurt--

She looks up, but she knows Tony knows, so she closes her mouth and just frowns, waiting...]

... Are you here to take away my certificate?

[He knew this wasn't going to be easy.

But then she comes out of the starting gate with a question like that.

And suddenly, he feels impossibly tired.

He regards her with a sad, sorry kind of smile, before he steps over to her little table and takes a seat himself. The chair is small and he might look ridiculous, but he doesn't care.]

From what I hear, you were very brave today. If anything, that's earned you some extra stars.

[She tries for a smile. It's the best she's got right now.]

I... um...

I was trying to make a card for Mr. Loki.

It's always bad and scary, when you get hurt, so...

[His expression mars with concern. The irony in her action is not lost on him. Making a card for a villainous monster who had no scruples with taking the lives of so many others as long as it befit his purpose. Would she make cards for all of them? Even if Barton was reckless to do what he had done, there's no way he can think of Loki as a victim. Just no way.

He's silent for a moment, considering her. He has to be careful about this. Because the last thing he wants to do is cause her more heartache. But at the same time, he will absolutely keep her safe, no matter what it takes.

He owes her that as her hero. But really? It's so much more than that.]

Elicia. [Actual name. Now you know he's serious.] I have to tell you something about Loki. And it isn't something you're going to want to hear, but you have to promise me you'll remember--I'm trying to keep you safe. That's what heroes do. And keeping you safe--[after she'd stayed so close to his side to heal him with all she could, after she'd clung to him and cried herself to sleep in the wake of losing her family]--is very, very important to me.

... [He nods, grave and prepared.

She's scared of what he'll say. There are so many things he could tell her.

But she's silent, unquestioning save for the confusion in her eyes.]

[He picks up one of her crayons, and twists it between his fingers. Careful, careful as he proceeds, not wanting to scare her anymore than she's already been scared, but needing her to understand just how vital this is. How serious he's being.]

Every hero has someone they have to fight. A villain, you could say. Someone bad, who hurts people because they want to get their way. They claim they have their own reasons, but those reasons are wrong. That's why we have to become heroes in the first place. To stop them from hurting people and keep everyone safe.

[He thinks of the draft. Again. The way the General had been so purposeful, insisting in the justice of their cause as his forces slaughtered. And it occurs to him how Loki would likely find the conviction of the Third Party downright inspiring.]

In my world, Loki was that person. He tried to take over the world. And he hurt a lot of people in the process. We stopped him, but he came very close to beating us. [It's easy to admit to her.] He's a powerful magician, and he's very good at lying. Good at tricking people. And he's not someone you should make a card for. Because he could try to hurt you, too.

[And a thin note of exasperation seeps into his voice.]

Do you understand?

[She's deathly quiet through the entire explanation.

And then at the question, she nods. Maybe he can see how so many gears are turning in her head. How she's trying to make it all make sense, fit into her image of him, alter things—it's a lot to process, and she... she's not sure what to say.]

But... But he's been nice to me. He's been nice—

Why would he hurt people like that?

[He considers the crayon between his fingers carefully for a moment, before setting it down on the table and meeting her eyes with precision.]

Sometimes people who are bad--they're nice to people because they want those people to help them do bad things later. [But that's not all there was to it. Loki might be viewing his adult allies in the village as people he could use as pawns later, but he remember what Pepper had told him about her encounter with Loki at the art gallery. He'd practically admitted to being fond of children. And who could possibly want to hurt Elicia Hughes?

And yet. Tony had been a witness for so much pain she had gone through. He would put a stop to her going through any more.]

He hurt people because he wanted to rule my planet. He brought a whole army so he could try and defeat us and control us however he wanted.

I still don't understand... Why would...

B-but--but I don't think he would hurt me, Mr. Tony! Why did he help me when he didn't have to?? He got hurt, but he still made sure I was safe...

[He's silent for a long moment before he reaches over to weight a reassuring hand on her shoulder.]

I don't think he would hurt you, either. [Loki's actions made that clear, as well as what he'd heard from Pepper. But still, saying it feels dangerous and reckless. But he's said it anyway.] But he might hurt other people you care about. Your big bro and big sis. Your friends. Me. And if he hurts people you care about, then he's not a good friend at all.

I... I won't let him hurt any of you! I'll make him not hurt you!

[That's gotta be something, right? It has to be something that can work, right?

Anything that'd work. Her mind is making ideal ways to counteract this, so that nobody gets hurt; there surely must be a scenario that works...]

You won't be able to make him do anything. You can ask him to be nice all you want, but the only one who can make that call is Loki himself.

I know it doesn't sound fair, and he's been nice to you. But he's a very bad person. And he could do very bad things here. I want to keep you safe from that, so something like today doesn't have to happen ever again.

... I understand... [Even if she's not sure about anything, she understands.] And I know you just wanna make sure I'm safe.

[He nods levelly at that.] And being friends with Loki isn't safe.

[... after another good, long pause, she nods.

What else can she do? This is grown-up stuff. This is bigger and badder than she can even wrap her mind around.]

[She's feeling bad, and he knows it. He wants to do something about it, but what could he do? He didn't want to press the point any further. She got it, as much as she could, and that would only make her sadder. He could try alternative tactics that are still, admittedly, pretty foreign to him, but...

Well.

It won't kill him to try.]

Hey. [He opens up his arms towards her.] Come here. Come on.

[She hops right into his arms and hugs, secure and content with the gesture; she doesn't want to say because maybe he'll think it's weird or he'll be mad at her, but... His hugs remind her of papa, for some reason. She likes when things remind her of papa. It's not the same entirely—it's like an echo that has its own unique aura to it. Like her dad, but like a hero. Like Tony.

She squeezes his neck a little in her arms, eyes closed tight.

Just a sniffle. She cuts herself off there.]

Thanks for letting me stay a hero...

[He holds onto her tight as she fills the space between his arms. He remembers the last time he did this; it's painfully vivid. The way he'd elected to hold her as long as she needed to be held, no matter how inconvenient it might have been, no matter how much of his personal space he had to negotiate. That didn't matter at all. Not when it came to her.]

Are you kidding? You were more heroic than anyone else today.

[She squeezes again, reassured by his words. She tries, despite everything, for a small smile.]

I learned from really good heroes.

[He lets her go, but keeps his hands on her shoulders as he looks at her directly again.]

Everything will be okay. Okay? I'll make sure.

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♥ Appointments Post ♥

[action, september twenty-fifth] would you like tummyache kicks with that

[action, september twenty-fifth] no thanks that sounds harmful

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