Heart Of Stone

Chapter 17

Bruce helped me get to my room again and after thanking him he told me that there should be some sleepwear in the wardrobe. I checked, then changed into the strange red one-piece with brown teddy bears that covered my feet as well as the rest of my body. It was actually quite comfortable and slightly too big, but I liked that.

I was about to climb into the bed when someone knocked at the door. "If I walk in I'm not going to see you naked, right?" Tony's voice asked. "Not that I wouldn't be happy to, of course."

"Testro lacksi mindez," I remark. "Or rather a man with an inappropriate mind. Yes, I am decent, you may enter."

He walks in and looks me up and down. "You look adorable in that onesie. You could pass for a two-year-old."

"My age excels your own, I am sure," I comment, not wanting to let him say this about me. "To me, you could 'pass' as only a day of age."

He doesn't seem to know what to say to that, so he just ignores it and moves on. "So how do you like the place?" "I find it very nice," I reply politely. "It is very unlike the accommodations I am used to."

"Bruce tells me you're over a century old?" He stops trying to initiate a conversation with small talk. "I simply age gracefully," I confirm with a small smile. "I will not physically age until I near my time of death. Only then will I show signs of my advanced lifespan."

"I see," he nods. "Any other tricks up your sleeves? Healing factors? Force fields? Shoot laser beams out of your eyes?"

I don't know exactly what he means, but I understand enough to answer vaguely. "I do not have any of those abilities except for a marginal healing factor when I am in water. Telepathy, the ability to read minds and hypnosis are all the other abilities I know, though I can breathe underwater as well."

"Impressive," he nods. "Do you know what... your... people... are called?"

"We go by many names," I shrug. "My personal preference is Stone Sirens, though I believe Natasha knows the term Singing Statues."

"I'll do a search," Stark nods. "One more question; why can you touch people in water but otherwise you avoid us like the Hulk's fists?"

"I am not inclined to say," I snap, growing colder. "But if your so-called research is successful, you shall know." "Noted," he nods. "You just go to bed then, don't expect any surprises in your sleep." With that he leaves and I make a mental note to stay awake tonight.

But the bed is so comfortable that I can't help but adore it. My bed at home is old and hard. It's nice, but this is way nicer. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

When I wake up the sun is shining and the birds are singing. I stay submerged in the warm blankets for a while, just enjoying the wonderful perfect feeling, before I get up and change. My clothes have apparently been washed overnight as they're clear of dirt and grime and have a distinct lemony smell to them. Strange.

I'm about to pull them on when I notice a black dress right next to them. Am I supposed to wear that? But it's so revealing! I wear tights beneath my usual attire, but this dress has none that go with it. I consider it for a moment, then try it on just to see what it looks like.

It's just as short as it looked and was very... let's say snug. It showed off my figure nicely, but I wasn't used to this kind of outfit.
I almost put it back. What changed my mind was the thought that it might come across as rude not to wear something more of this age.

I paired the short dress with a pair of shoes with a small heel that I found underneath the dress, then brushed my hair (almost everything was taken care of, even a hairbrush) and sat, waiting. I didn't know exactly what I was supposed to do. Was I supposed to go out there? Was I supposed to stay here? What were the rules?

Eventually Vision flew threw the wall. Literally. "Did you sleep well, Miss Grey?" He asked politely, his face emotionless, but not in a negative way. I've come to accept that facial expressions are not something he uses, save for the odd smile.

"That I did," I confirm, my face as empty as his. "Thank you for asking. And you may simply call me Lexis if you wish."

He nodded slightly. "Well Mr Stark asked me to take you to breakfast. Can I assume you're ready?"

"That you can," I nod, standing up. He nodded back, then lead me through corridors, drifting as a ghostly entity. When we arrived, Loki was the only one there and Vision abandoned me with him. Loki wordlessly pushed a plate over to me. When I just stared at it for a moment, he looked up from his own food. "It is yours. This mortal food is not as bad as it seems. Eat."

I didn't really feel hungry, but I obeyed anyway, starting with some warm bread. Loki's right; it's pretty good. Nothing like I have at home.

As I eat I start thinking about home. Will I be able to go back? These guys don't seem intent on letting me go and even if I could get away that stranger was after me. People would just come back for me.

Such depressing thoughts for such a powerful mortal, Loki commented telepathically. I looked over at him blankly. Whoever said I was a mortal, God of Mischief, was misinformed.

I have underestimated you, Lady Lexis, he concludes. You are truly a very puzzling woman to me. I cannot fathom what you hide with your cryptic ways.

I send him an old memory. A scream. My scream. Then it was replaced by a sound that resembles taking a cork from a vial. That small release of air as everything is sealed over and last breaths are drawn. All this is combined with horrible pain which makes him yell out as he feels it. Finally I end it with sickening cracks and a rush of relief and freedom.

There is a mere taste of what my 'cryptic ways' hide, I tell him telepathically before I walk out, not in the mood to socialise anymore.