|
Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2013 21:51:51 GMT
It was a calm afternoon and Nico left the foster home as she needed a nice break. The days had been very boring in Father Flanagan's home for Unwanted Gothic Kids, they usually didn't do too much. The most "interesting" thing she did with the other kids was sitting and talking about their worries and other stuff. The biggest drama that many of those kids had was that their parents never were during their soccer games.
And Father Flanagan wasn't very useful at giving advices and, well anything. She wondered who thought that it would be a cool idea to leave him taking care of a group of teenagers. Gosh it was a miracle she could go out all the afternoon, or she would end mad. She was dressed with a black top, a black skirt, she had black gloves in her hand, and black boots. She wasn't sure of what to do today, maybe she would walk around looking for something interesting to do or hoping that a criminal appeared from nothing so Nico could stop him. After her parents died, many criminals appeared from nothing to take control of everything that belonged to the Pride and to fill the void of power.
As she walked trough the streets of L.A., Nico looked around with a boring look in her eyes before she checking her phone.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2013 2:11:24 GMT
Quinjets were a truly beautiful thing. Even more beautiful was the fact that Young Avengers, like Peter, could use them on any excursion that was deemed team business. And recruitment certainly sounded like business to the teen wall-crawler, or at least that's what he'd tell Fury later while getting chewed out. So Parker promptly parked the plane outside of L.A. and stayed in his civvies, no need to draw attention by running around as Spiderman outside of New York, besides, it wouldn't be TOO difficult to locate the young woman with some investigative reporting.
So upon reaching Father Flanagan's home, Parker inquired about Nico, and after some poking and prodding to the old man, he agreed to tell the boy just where the girl was under the pretense that he was interviewing her for an article on troubled teens in The Daily Bugle. Completely ignore the fact that he was a photographer and not a writer, he still had his press pass and no one looked too closely at those things after The Bugle's logo anyway. Troubled Teens, daughter of one of The Pride? It only made the most perfect sense.
After wandering around the city for a little while, Pete located Nico as a dot of black among the ocean of people. Moving through the crowd rather quickly, until he was ahead of Minoru, and then turning around and walking back towards her, it was a matter of moments before the two collided. Parker landed on his posterior, catching himself at the last second, and shouted, "my god, I'm so sorry!" In a very apologetic tone, "I didn't hurt you did I?" The wall-crawler asked as he stood up and looked towards the other teen.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2013 8:15:35 GMT
Nico was really focused looking at her phone looking at the time. Well she had still time to do something, maybe she could try and search a job, that would be the perfect excuse to be less time in Father Flanagan's foster home. She didn't like him too much, and she knew that the feelings were the same, he thought that Nico was a trouble maker and thats she would probably end like her parents. And yes he had told her so she knew his opinions from first hand.
As she focused again in the streets she bumped in someone and fell to the ground. "Ufff!"said Nico as she hit the ground. As she got up, she looked to whom she bumped to apologize as she wasn't paying attention. He was a guy of her age, or maybe a little older, and he was pretty handsome.
He apologized. "No, don't worry I'm fine. I've been hit worse"said Nico with a chuckle. Indeed she remembered when Topher, the crazy vampire that tried to kill her and her friends, use he Staff of One to hit her like she was a baseball. "You aren't from here right? Usually in L.A. when this stuff happen it's very weirs to see people apologizing. In L.A. manners is something of the past"said with a chuckle. "I hope you aren't injured either"said as she started to rub her dress. "I'm Nico, nice to meet you"said as she extended her hand.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2013 21:01:53 GMT
Offering his hand to the girl to her assistance in standing back up, Parker continued spouting a stream of apologies until she was erect on her feet. "Yeah," he then replied with a sheepish expression and body language, "I'm from Queens, people aren't really friendly there either, but I was just raised that way." After she chuckled, Parker then inspected both of his hands, the only exposed skin to hit any pavement, and unsurprisingly uninjured. His skin was thick and dense to it was only natural that a little tumble like that wouldn't actually do any damage.
"I'm Peter Parker," the young man replied as he took her hand and shook it, taking cares to be careful and not crush it in his grip. "Look," he then said after introductions were out of the way, "I feel really bad about running into you like that and would it just be okay if I treated you to some coffee or something?" This was naturally a way for him to be able to move the conversation to a more discreet location, and carry it on until he could find a way to bring up her joining the team. This entire process was a long one, but if it went through the way he hoped they would have another spellcaster on the team, and be giving someone who needs a place to be somewhere to belong.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2013 22:37:18 GMT
"Don't worry about that I'm fine"replied Nico as he kept apologizing. It was an accident after, it wasn't like the guy intentionally hit her. She wasn't injured either and for a moment she thought he got the worst of the hit, but he was fine too. "So then you are from the East Coast? Wow, you really came from far away, but I doubt you did it to hit with a Gothic girl"said Nico with a chuckle. The guy was totally nice. "Well it's a good thing that you learned manners, I think it's something essential or then people would probably start killing each other"added Nico.
As she shook hands with Peter, she realized he had a lot of strength in his hand and he was being careful with her. She then listened to his idea. "Well as I said before it was an accident, but yes we could have a coffee or something like that, it sounds as a good idea"said Nico with a smile. Maybe after Alex she wasn't interested in dating other guys, but Peter was very friendly, and it would be just a cup of coffee or tea between friends. "I know of a good place"said the Japanese girl as she started to walk towards a cafeteria.
After a few minutes, they finally arrived and they sat in one of the empty tables outside the place. "So, what brought you to L.A. from Queens?"asked Nico with curiosity.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2013 23:49:44 GMT
"Yeah, well," Peter then flashed his press pass, "I work for the Daily Bugle so it moves me around quite a bit, right now I'm trying to find some photos for an article we're doing." Following the girl to the coffee shop, pulling out her seat before she took her own as a gentleman should. Then he seated himself across from Nico and had a sip of his own hot chocolate.
"Like earlier, work, but not actually for The Bugle," he then admitted when asked as to why he came to L.A. Being forward about why he was really there as quickly as possible would be imperative to seeming more honest than he had been so far in the encounter.
After a moment to let that sink in, Peter then followed with, "Nico, I AM Peter Parker, but more people know me as Spiderman, I work for SHIELD." Secret identity out, nowhere left to go now, "I run this team of other young heroes that's active in New York, the media have been calling us the Young Avengers due to the similar set up we have. My reason for being L.A. is I want you to join the team, you were imperative to defeating The Pride, and we need someone like you to help us defend the world."
Going on afterwards he then said, "we're also part of the team to become better heroes and train to work with each other so that we don't end up being incompatible with different people in a team-up, besides Nick's being a complete jerk, it's actually a very good set-up we have."
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2013 8:02:26 GMT
Nico looked at the press pass that Peter had. "So then you work as a photographer? That's interesting"said Nico. Indeed it was. "What kind of article you were working?"asked the Gothic girl.
As they sat Nico also ordered a cup of hot chocolate. Then he confessed he didn't came to work for the Buggle. Nico rose an eyebrow and looked at him with an inquisitive look. He then said he was Spiderman. At first Nico snorted a laugh."Yeah like Spiderman would be interested in travel to L.A. to have an accident with a Gothic chick"said with a chuckle. But she looked at his face, he was serious. Then her expression became serious too, she was talking with Spiderman.
He then said that he was the leader of a team called Young Avengers and he came to recruit her for her team,because she was key in defeating her parents. "Well of course me and my friends were imperative in defeating our parents. We tried to contact the Avengers to help us, and they only came when everything was over. The Avengers only cleaned the remains and took the merits"said Nico angered. According to the news outside L.A. it were the Avengers the ones that defeated the Pride. The Avengers could be heroes, but for Nico they were the garbage men, that cleaned the remains. "Oh, and I also forgot they used their all mighty wisdom and decided to separate us and move us in different foster homes"
Nico took a pause and deep breaths to calm herself. "Look, I'm sorry for jumping like that, but after everything that I passed, I think that I earn the right to express my opinion about those guys. I know that you have good intentions at all in recruiting me, and I'm not sure if it is a good idea, the main reason: would the other young avengers ready to trust in the daughter of dark evil magicians?"asked Nico. Indeed when people discovered her history they started to fear her, and she didn't like it too much. "Also, although I totally hate living in a home filled with unwanted Gothic Kids...I still want to find my friends, I need to know they are safe"confessed Nico worried.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2013 20:04:45 GMT
What she said wasn't surprising, she DID have a lot of baggage, and clearly her last encounter with The Avengers was not a good one. Plenty of people in the heroic community didn't quite see eye to eye with the super-team, heck on several occasions Peter willfully did the opposite of what they told him because he felt they were in the wrong. Letting her get it all out, and making sure not to interrupt the girl, Peter nodded as she said her things and showed that he was listening to what she was saying.
"Well, none of us have perfect histories, all of us are pretty screwed up too Nico." Peter then replied honestly to her argument of using her parents, "even I've done things I'm not particularly proud of." The point of her friends could hardly be refuted, though, as Parker would probably do the same thing in her situation. One thing was certain though, if she didn't want to join he couldn't actually force her.
Sighing pronouncedly, Parker then said to the girl after taking a sip of his beverage, "well, I'm not going to make you do anything, but if you need help finding your friends you only need to ask."
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2013 21:04:34 GMT
Nico was glad that Peter listened to her and didn't say anything. It was good that finally she could find someone with whom she could talk about all that happened with her. How could she talk about the Pride and the Gibborim to a bunch of kids that their worst moment was that their parents didn't assist to their football games? "Yes I know that, I really appreciate you listened to me Peter"said Nico with a nod.
She also appreciated that Peter came to her with sincerity. Usually people always come with half-truths and Nico usually hated that. But Peter told her he was Spiderman and he wanted her to be part of his team. She still wasn't sure about joining, but maybe after what happened with Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen that attacked her.
"I really appreciate the offer Peter, and I would like to make sure they are fine. They are my family too..."said Nico as she took another sip of chocolate. "If I join your team...how many times do I have to meet with the adult avengers?"asked Nico. Joining the Young Avengers was very tempting indeed, but she would prefer to avoid seeing the grown ups heroes.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2013 3:49:42 GMT
That question was a valid one. If she had a personal issue with The Avengers, she probably wouldn't want to see a whole lot of them in the scenario that she was a member. "Well," Parker began, "that answer is a relative one, sometimes we see a lot of them in the form of Iron Man and Hawkeye and them just being around the helicarrier, but on paper we see them once every two months as a training session with Captain America." Usually someone said this like it was a good thing, it felt a bit weird talking about seeing The Avengers as if it were some type of horrible thing.
Taking another drink of his cocoa, Peter then went on to say, "Really, we only share part of the team name with them, and it was more Power Man's and Iron Fist's idea, we're actually a SHIELD team and all SHIELD employees." Intern was actually a more accurate term as no one who was on the team got paid a salary in the strictest terms of speaking, the kids who lived on the helicarrier did their jobs and were given a place to live and eat, along with a decent weekly allowance. Peter himself didn't actually see a dime of money, they told him it had all been going towards a fund to attend college, and if he were to be paid otherwise it probably went to fixing his house every other month. Well, that was the life of a teenage SHIELD agent.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2013 6:45:29 GMT
Nico listened to Peter as he explained the frequency his team meets the Avengers."Once every two months? Yes I think that I could handle it"said Nico with a nod. The less time she met the avengers, the less anger and feelings of turning them into frogs, she would have. It was better if she didn't see none of them, especially Captain America himself, the one that found them and "arrested" them, after she and the others defeated their parents.
Nico smiled a little when Peter said that they only shared the name and that they weren't related to the Avengers. She knew he was being sincere. "Peter, I have to say that I'm interested in your offer, especially now that you told me that we wont see the Avengers too much... but I hope we can help in L.A. too, after the Pride was defeated, a hole of power appeared and many supervillains of the east coast, have been coming trying to claim power..."explained Nico as she took another sip of her cocoa. "Do I have to move to New York if I join the Young Avengers?"asked Nico worried as she looked at Peter again.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2013 3:33:54 GMT
"Yeah, some of the members are actually disappointed when they hear that we get to train with them so infrequently." Peter said, smiling a bit as he thought of his teammates. Some of them were pretty goofy, and the group was certainly a good one, and they would make great heroes some day. Nico would too, and that's probably why he was trying so hard to get her on the team.
As she asked the questions, Peter bit his lip a bit. "That is kind of a drawback to people who don't come from that part of the country," he knew that Danny, Ava, and Luke all had to relocate when SHIELD recruited them. "We mostly focus on the Eastern US since the Helicarrier is right there, we occasionally do missions that take us to other places, but that's usually because someone we were already butting heads with made their way elsewhere." The next part would probably ruin his chances of getting Sister Grimm on the team, but to keep with the honesty that had been going, "you WOULD have to move into the helicarrier that does predominantly fly above New York."
He knew that it was a big thing to Minoru that she be able to stay in the area, but part of being in The Young Avengers was choosing one heroic jurisdiction over another.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2013 16:19:50 GMT
"I think that I'll live if I don't see none of the Avengers"said Nico with a chuckle. She wondered how the other young avengers could be, she guessed that many of them would be fanboys that wanted to be like their biggest idols. At least they had role models, although those models were just jerks. She wondered if she would fit with them if she joined the team.
Then Peter said that she should move to New York if she wanted to join the Team. That made Nico's eyes open wide, she saw it coming yes, but still it surprised her. She has lived all her life in L.A. all her memories, the few friends she had left, where in L.A. It was a hard decision, and she had to think about it. Moving to the Helicarrier wasn't a trouble, the Avengers lived in a tower or something like that so she could avoid them easily. "Peter, if I join your team and move to New York, would I have the chance to visit L.A. when I can? I think it wouldn't be hard to arrange meetings and visits right? If SHIELD can't arrange that then I have serious doubts of their effectiveness and capacity to deal with things"said Nico. Maybe SHIELD could be the perfect chance to locate Karolina, Molly, Gert Chase and Old Lace, and she wasn't going to let it go.
|
|