Dragonscales

Chapter 5|Escape

I stood in the doorway to my new room. "It's my turn to cook dinner. I'll let you know when it's done." Steve said before marching towards the kitchen. I walked into my room and set my weapons on the desk. I decided to take a bath since I hadn't done that in a while and it seemed relaxing. I went into the bathroom. There was a big bathtub and a separate shower. On the counter next to the sink was a bundle of clothes with a small piece of paper. 

Thought you could use some new clothes. 

-Natasha

I took off my clothes and put them in a pile in the corner. I filled the bathtub up with warm water. I added a lavender-smelling bubble bath to the water. I sat down. I couldn't remember the last time I had a relaxing bath. I scrubbed off all the dirt that accumulated over the two years on the run. I then began working on my hair. It fell a little below my shoulders and was severely tangled from two years of neglect. I felt a sort of odd shame, hair was extremely valued in elf culture. To let your hair fall into such disarray meant you were a disgrace. I brushed it out with my fingers and used a large amount of the flower-scented shampoo and conditioner on the rim of the bathtub. It seemed this bathroom had everything. 

Once I was done bathing, I drained the bathtub and dressed in the clothes Natasha provided me. I assumed it was Fire-Hair, the only woman who went on missions with the Avengers that I saw. The fabric was soft. The outfit was comprised of a dark blue tank top, black pants, and a black jacket. I looked at myself in the mirror. My face looked so gaunt. Sprayed across my nose and part of my cheeks was a cluster of white freckles barely visible against my pale skin. My white hair had long lost its shine, which was replaced by tangles and grime. I had washed out the grime but I still needed to brush it. There was a hairbrush on the corner of the counter. I gleefully used it to restore my hair to a fraction of its former glory. I heard a knock on the door to my room. I left the bathroom and opened the door. There was Steve. "Dinner is ready." 

I followed him back to the kitchen. There were all the Avengers and a man I hadn't met yet. He had long, raven hair and pale skin. "Tonight's dinner is chili," Bruce said while scooping some into a bowl. I grabbed a bowl and scooped the stew into my bowl. I sat down next to Arrow Guy, whose name is Clint, and the woman-whose-name-I-assume-is-Natasha. "Do you like the clothes? Tomorrow we could go shopping since your options are kind of limited at the moment." I took her question as confirmation of her name. "I do like this outfit. Um, do we have to go shopping?" I replied. I didn't want to make plans that I wouldn't uphold. Tonight once everyone went to sleep I would leave and find Tourmaline. I worried that her strength would give out completely and she would die from keeping the spell going. 

"So where are you from?" Tony asked. He had visited me once while I was recovering. "An island miles from here," I replied. I didn't want to give too much information. "I would've guessed Scotland because of your accent," Tony said. I did speak differently from most humans. One time I heard someone with my accent and thought they were an elf in disguise. That had been a bad day. "What is your realm like, Lady Thistle?" Thor asked curiously. I thought about what I would tell them. "Well, only elves live there. And we built our country in nature, only it's a really small country because there's only one city, so it would be more like a city-state." I tried explaining. 

"In nature?" Bruce asked. "The buildings are kind of one with the trees. The royal palace is actually one really big tree with rooms built on the branches and inside the trunk." I admitted. "Your home sounds interesting, Thistle." Steve complimented. I shook my head. "It's not my home. Not anymore." Steve frowned but relented.

"Can elves do magic?" Thor inquired. "Yes, although I'm not very good at it," I answered. "She can do magic too, brother!" Thor exclaimed to the dark-haired man sitting next to him. "I know, I can sense her magical energy." The man said, almost bored. He was handsome and had an air of royalty about him. I could sense his magical energy too, parallel to some of the strongest magic users I knew. "This is my brother, Loki," Thor said. "Nice to meet you," I said politely. I didn't want to make enemies with someone extremely powerful with magic. Loki smirked. "Likewise." With a flick of his hand, his bowl vanished in a shimmer of green magic. He got up and left the room. "He's not much of a people person," Thor explained. I nodded and went to get another bowl of chili.

We then had continued talking about mundane things. After dinner, everyone went to the living room. "We're going to play some Mario Kart, want to join?" Tony asked. "What's that?" I asked. "It's a game of video where people race each other!" Thor boomed excitedly. I laughed. "How do you play it?" 

I found myself sitting cross-legged with a controller while Bruce instructed me on how to play. "You're not playing?" I inquired. "No, I have anger issues," Bruce answered. "Why would that matter? It's just a game." I wondered. Clint laughed. "You'll see." Everyone chose their characters and cars and the race began. I soon figured out that Mario Kart was the type of game that ruined families and friendships. I did see why Bruce wasn't playing. This game would make anyone with anger issues rage. 

"Damn!" Steve yelled as his character got hit with a red shell for the third time. The whole team took the opportunity to yell, "Language!". I was currently in fifth place, right after Tony.  I picked up a red shell and tossed it at him. "Hey!" he exclaimed while I passed him. I smirked. "This is enjoyable!" The race ended when Thor crossed the finish line. "Another!" Thor said angrily while throwing done the controller. "Okay, that's enough Mario Kart for today," Tony said and started collecting the controllers before Thor could break another one. 

The team then started retiring to their rooms one by one. I went to my room and strapped on my blade sheaths and quiver. I held my bow in my hand. I slid my bow into its place on my quiver and left my room. Just as I was about to leave the tower, I heard a voice. "Where are you going?" he asked. I looked back and saw Steve. I ran out of the door. Once I was outdoors and could feel the moon and stars giving me magical energy I cast an invisibility spell. I sprinted to where Tourmaline was still hiding. As I ran our telepathic connection strengthened. I finally got to the alley. I could feel the spell radiating off of her. I quickly destroyed the spell. Tourmaline materialized in front of me. She was curled up and shaking. I immediately placed my hand on her forehead and transferred my energy into her. She stopped shaking and got up. Can you get back to camp? I asked worriedly. Yes, but I'll need more energy or a healing potion when we get there. She answered. 

It was a slow and steady process getting Tourmaline back to our camp. By the time we got there, Tourmaline had used up most of my energy. It was a small price to pay for her health though, as she was on the brink of death. After making Tourmaline drink a healing potion, I crawled under her wing and we fell asleep, joyful that we were reunited.