• • •
Estrial sat on a table top in the lab with Tony and Bruce that evening, with Loki sulking in the doorway after being told to wait outside of the room. He couldn't quite hear what was being said, but he didn't care; he needed to make sure nothing went wrong. If Estrial looked frightened for even a moment, he'd jump in and save her.
"So you have no idea how you're doing the things you do," Bruce summed up after Estrial told he and Stark everything she knew. She nodded shyly, slightly embarrassed that she didn't know her own power.
"Okay, well," Tony began to brainstorm, "you can make people see things...you can unburn cookies..you can, obviously, make a human host for yourself to inhabit." He paused for a moment, turning to the star with squinted eyes, "are you immortal? Do you know?"
Estrial pursed her lips to the side. "I do not think I am immortal," she muttered, "all stars die, eventually."
"So, probably about the life-span of a god, then," Tony guessed.
Bruce nodded slowly as he took this all in. Then, he recalled something that had been long forgotten. "And the silence," he mentioned curiously, "the silent explosions, what's that all about?"
"If I had to guess, those 'explosions' are her energy going crazy," Tony went on with a small shrug, "and when it spreads out, well, everything's silent in space, right? Nothing for sound to bounce off of."
"So you're saying that, that white glow..is space?" Bruce asked, clearly not sure about that.
"Contained space, maybe; space energy, if you will," Tony emphasized, "but it's just a theory."
"..It makes sense," Estrial murmured from her seat. Both men looked to her and noticed an intense look of thought in her eyes. "I am glad, it does not hurt people."
Bruce gave her a half smile. He could empathize with her, being a creature that lost control under stress. The only difference was that Estrial didn't hurt people when that control slipped from her grasp. "Yeah, we are, too."
Stark heaved a sigh, looking around the lab for nothing in particular. Spotting a pair of thin scissors, he picked them up and examined them thoughtfully, then walked over to Estrial. His eyes were level with hers due to the high table she sat on. He held the scissors up between their faces and prompted, "I'm going to drop this; I want you to see if you can keep it from hitting the ground. No hands, okay?"
With a hesitant nod, Estrial readied herself. She wasn't exactly sure what she was preparing herself to do, but she focused on the long scissors as they fell. Tony watched in awe as light gathered in her chest. Within a second, the light was gone, and so were the scissors. They certainly did not hit the ground, but flew upwards instead, sticking a few inches into the ceiling.
"Huh," Bruce remarked, looking up at the scissors with a raised eyebrow.
Tony pouted. "My ceiling," he mumbled before smiling at the star, "but good, that was...that was good." He looked toward the door where Loki waited and waved for him to come in. "Hey, you're tall," he stated, pointing up to the scissors in the ceiling, "get that for me, will ya?"
As Loki strode over to Tony, he looked up at the ceiling in amusement. Reaching up, he plucked the scissors from the ceiling, admiring them with a mischievous grin. "They're quite sharp, aren't they," he observed.
Tony's eyebrows drew in with caution. He quickly snatched the scissors from Loki's hand, giving him a suspicious look. "What's wrong with you?" He questioned rhetorically. Loki chuckled, satisfied with the discomfort he'd caused the rich man.
"I think that's enough for tonight," Bruce announced, putting down the notepad he'd been using to scribble down information on the star.
"Agreed," Tony voiced, putting the scissors away safely. "There better be some cookies left," he then added, walking out of the lab. He was followed closely by Bruce, then Loki and Estrial.
Looking down at the star that clung to his arm, Loki asked, "they weren't too much of a nuisance, where they?"
"Not at all," Estrial responded with a small laugh.
Hearing this, the God of Mischief smiled. "Good."
• December 25, 2012 •
Loki was pulled from his dreams by a series of unwelcome pokes on the cheek. When his eyes finally opened, the poking stopped and he found himself face to face with a transparent Estrial. It was quite a pleasant thing to wake up to. His frustration with being disturbed quickly faded when he realized that it was she who'd awakened him. "Good morning, Loki," she whispered.
The demigod couldn't help but smile. "Good morning, darling."
Estrial leaned away from his face, straightening back up where she stood at his bedside. Loki sat up with a deep breath. "I am sorry to wake you," the star appoligized, "Tony is insisting that we all go to the living room."
"Of course he is," Loki huffed. He wanted to be annoyed, but he was shocked to find himself in surprisingly good spirits. Gracefully stepping out of his covers, he placed a hand in the center of Estrial's back. "To the living room, then," he told her with a charming smile, then began to lead her that way.
In the wide open room, Tony was gathered with Bruce, Thor, and Steve. Jane had left the day before to celebrate Christmas with her family and friends. Natasha was also not present, having gone to spent a few days with Clint and his family.
Once everyone was present, the Christmas morning events commenced. A breakfast of waffles and assorted fruits had been put together. And after eating, the inevitable tradition of gift giving began.