A New York Secret

Chapter Nineteen

The day seemed to fly by as Emily and Loki watched several lessons. At one point Emily even dozed off, her head resting on Loki's shoulder. She awoke when a rustling sound alerted her, causing her to slowly open her eyes. Across the living room she saw Mary going through a large box full of decorations while she sat on the floor. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked groggily.

"Not long, maybe a half hour." Mary told her. "It is almost time to go get a tree though."

Emily glanced up to see that Loki had also dozed off and was asleep. "How long has he been asleep?" she asked.

"About an hour. Elephants did not go over very well at all." Mary chuckled.

She furrowed her brow at her friend. "Why? They're a neat creature, I think."

Mary shrugged. "I don't know. He just thinks they are too weird to actually exist."

Emily chuckled. "I'm sure there's animals where he is from that we would think the same of," she replied. "I'm sure he will think of other animals the same way."

"I don't doubt it." Mary chuckled. "He liked the fish though."

"Fish are neat. I think we should show him nature programs so he can see more of our world. What do you think?" she asked.

"I think that is a good idea. A small betta fish would be good for here in the condo, and he might like that as well." Mary suggested.

Emily nodded. "A fish tank would be a nice touch in here."

"It would, and it might be calming to him." Mary pointed out.

"I could see that. Should we get a small tank or something bigger?"

"Why don't we let Loki decide? We could take him by a pet store while we're out." Mary suggested.

"That sounds like fun. We just have to tell him no dogs or cats. I think Tony would kill me," Emily said with a chuckle.

"I was thinking just fish." Mary chuckled. "He could pick the kind he likes though, and see what the tanks look like."

Emily smiled. "I think he would like that."

"Do you want to get him up so we can go? We will need to do the pet store first... wait, will Stark let you use a vehicle for the tree?" Mary asked her.

"I'm sure we could use an SUV. We can just take one from the garage," Emily replied, then turned to Loki and gently pushed on his shoulder. "Loki?"

Loki muttered to himself as he slowly woke up. "Elephants ears are dumb." He mumbled to Emily as he opened his eyes.

Emily chuckled as she pushed on his shoulder again. "Wake up sleepy head. Do you still want to help us pick out a tree?"

"I'm awake, I just don't want to be awake." Loki clarified, then yawned. "Yes, I want to pick out the tree with you."

Emily smiled and brushed Loki's hair back from his face. "You need a haircut soon," she said softly. "I heard you enjoyed watching the fish on tv."

"You sound like my mother... she hates it when my hair gets too long." Loki chuckled. "Yes, they were much nicer than the other creatures, and I have seen them before."

"Mary and I were thinking of getting a fish tank for the condo. Would you like that?" Emily asked.

"I don't understand... what is a fish tank?" Loki asked, confused.

"It's a tank of water that houses fish as pets. You can decorate it and make it look really neat," Emily explained.

"I have never heard of such a thing. It would need to be a massive house for a fish though, do we even have room?" Loki asked her.