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❝ God, how I ricochet,

between certainties,

and doubts. ❞

~Sylvia Plath

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She showed up outside the Avengers tower that very next morning, suitcase in tow. If Tony had a room for her she figured she might as well get some use out of it. She'd left a small letter on her dusty table should Logan show up again anytime soon.

Fury was waiting for her in the entrance to the large tower, and they were escorted up to the secure floors. They were the highest floors of the building. The first of the Avengers floors was a large lounge and a full kitchen, complete with a bar. There was also a training room somewhere, though she wasn't entirely sure where. The place was massive.

Tony met them in the lounge, a smile on his face. "Welcome to the Avengers tower. Your own little piece of paradise." He gestured grandly to his surroundings. "Well, technically my piece of paradise I'm just tolerating your presence."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark, I look forward to my stay."

"Please, it's Tony," he winked as he moved toward the elevator. "Come on, lets get you settled."

The following three or so floors were residential, with a small lounge and kitchenette on each floor. Presumably for when the Avengers would move in together. Whether or not that would ever happened still remained to be seen. 

They got off the elevator at the third floor, and were led to a room at the very end of the hall. It was quite large, at least the size of her entire living space in her old apartment. There was plenty of natural light, and it was decorated impeccably with soft, antiqued furniture.

"Pepper took care of the decorating," Tony confessed as Asta abandoned her suitcase. "We could use someone like you on the team. You know, if you're interested."

She blushed. "I hadn't thought much about it, Tony." She thought for a moment. "I'll have to think on it a bit, I'm afraid I'm out of practice." He smiled warmly at her.

"He should be arriving soon." Tony cleared his throat. "What name do you want me to have put on the door?"

"Well, are we talking real names? Code names?" He paused in thought for a moment.

"How about both? We can do that. That makes sense, right?"

"I think Asta will do just fine," she answered him, a smile growing on her face. "And I guess Sigmund is my code name."

"Sigmund? Did I hear that right?" She nodded enthusiastically.

"You know, like Freud. It's my old code name, from way back."

Her mind drifted off in memories of Raven and the night she'd nicknamed them all. Alex destroying the statue, Sean shattering every inch of glass in the room. Darwin with his head in the fish tank, Hank swinging from the chandelier. Raven and her kept it on the low down that night, laughing giddily. She remembered how furious and disappointed Charles had been. A pit in her stomach grew as she realized that half of her closest friends were dead, and she wouldn't ever have the chance to look on their faces again.

"I like it. Get yourself settled, I'll have J.A.R.V.I.S let you know when Reindeer Games arrives."

With that, Tony left Asta and Fury and she turned to begin unpacking as he made his way to the door.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"I have questions I need answered, and some relationships that need some attention." She paused, unsure of how to proceed. "If I keep my eye on Loki, can I have a few days? It isn't urgent, but it's important to me. I'll bring him with me."

"Sure. Let Tony know. Mind telling me where you're running off to?" She smiled meekly.

"I'd rather not, Sir."

"Don't be gone long then."

He turned on his heel and left, and she exhaled with relief.

Loki and Thor were in the lounge by noon, and she was waiting there to greet them. She'd forgotten how piercing his green eyes were, as she showed him to his room across the hall from hers. He said little, and very nearly slammed the door the second he stepped inside.

Asta turned to look at Thor. "What is with him?"

"I think I angered him on the way," he shrugged, a knowing smirk on his face. They made their way back down to the lounge.

"Oh, I never introduced myself. I'm Asta, I've been placed here to come alongside your brother, help him adjust. I know you have other things to tend to, so I just wanted to let you know that I'm here to help him. He's in good hands." Thor nodded thoughtfully.

"What a lovely name! Asta..." She blushed, turning to look out the window.

"Thank you, I was named after my grandmother. Anyways, Loki and I got along well before, so hopefully that continues to be the case. I'm taking him on a little trip tomorrow, we'll be away for a bit. I have some personal matters to tend to."

"Oh I am well aware you got along just fine. I have no concerns. I may stick around for a while though, I like Earth. I would like to come back frequently, too. He is my brother."

A knowing grin graced the gods lips and she couldn't help but smile back, despite her anxieties about the coming days.

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