Benjamin stood in the slightly crowded room, looking about the faces of his fellow Order members. He couldn't help the slight smile that spread over his lips as he did one more scan. Although he didn't like the fact that they had to move, he felt slightly smug to be in a group Victory wasn't. She'd spending basically her entire life teasing him about anything and everything. Thinking she was high and mighty. Yet here he was, part of the group that Victory had stalked across Manhattan to be a part of. He was pulled out of a rare moment of smugness by Astrid's voice.
The woman and her brother Ásbjorn were basically his siblings. He loved them both, even with Astrid's detachment, bitchy disposition the past few years. But she was getting better, and Benji couldn't be prouder of her for it. “Basil and Orfelina are going to be out for a while. Their dads are taking them on a summer vacation, so. Yeah.”
Benji sighed, he'd been looking forward to seeing Orfelina. He'd probably just stand there awkwardly and mutter occasionally in a vain attempt to talk to her, but he liked being around her. She was pretty, incredibly intelligent, nice to him... A wistful smile had adorned his face as he thought, staring at the corner of the ceiling as he remembered the day he'd met her. He'd been floored by her beauty and spent the good part of the next few hours stuttering through his introductory speech and drinking too often as his mouth dried out due to his nerves. He'd gone home that day and fallen onto his bed expecting her to think of him as a complete and utter fool. But that hadn't been the case and Benji had been thrilled to hear that she would be part of The Order.
He was once more pulled from his own thoughts by Astrid's voice, and this time she brought up a subject he wished dearly to never discuss: Loki. The man unnerved him and made his stuttering worse than most times and he often dropped things out of shock when he came too close. He was terrified that the man would do something to him.
“Look. I know Loki's a dick, but maybe you should try and look at things from his point of view. Everyone looks at him like he's a wicked man with a black heart when he's more like an angst ridden red-headed step child. Which one of us here hasn't striven for the approval of our family and friends? He's got really big shoes to fill - Seriously. Can any of you imagine the pressure of trying to be your own person and be known for great things while having Thor as an older brother casting that kind of shadow? All I'm saying is give him a chance. Hell. You've been giving me chances for nearly ten years.”
Benji tried not to shudder and watched as Astrid picked up a tablet, tapping a button to make a television appear. “Just look at the positive reviews for "Joker". People love him. Let us not forget that he's on parole under my custody - Unless one of you want to babysit while I'm on duty...?”
Benji pursed his lips before sighing. Astrid was right, "Joker" was one of the highest ranking Order members, something that Benji couldn't wrap his head around. Swallowing harshly he looked around before steeling his nerves to speak up, "M-m-mayb-be we just n-need to get u-u-used to him being a-around?"
His cheek twitched slightly before he took a step back, half hoping that everyone would ignore what he had just said and went on as if nothing had been said.
"Good morning Miss. Stark. It is 6:30am on the 21st of June. The sun is already up and it is a nice 18 degrees Celsius outside an a comfortable 25 degrees inside. Pancakes are being prepared in the kitchen for you and I wish to remind you that you need to run a system diagnostics on your limbs later today as Orfelina will not be around for a while and maintaining them will become more crucial than usual. I suggest not hunting after The Order until she returns in case you damage them. I doubt your father would look kindly upon your deceit."
The synthesized British voice of Alexis cut through Victory's sleep. She rolled onto her back, staring sleepily up at the ceiling. Stretching she sat up, watching as her android stepped away from its charging port, metal limbs moving as fluidly as any natural limbs. Blue eyes stared out from the metal face, focusing slightly before the planes on its face moved into a sort of smile, "Do you wish for me to prepare you your coffee this morning?"
Victory swung her legs out of the bed and twisted her back, listening to the air pockets in the cartilage of her spines escape with loud cracks. She sighed in relief as the tension in her back left her and she stood, taking a few unsteady steps towards the door that led out of her massive bedroom. "Thank you Alexis. A chai latte please."
The Android nodded and Victory watched as she walked out of the room, a slight sound coming from the pistons that allowed for the movement. Victory grinned and turned to see her German Shepherd, Schatz lifted its head from the mattress, her tail wagging slightly. Victory grinned at her dog and clapped her hands together, watching as her dog leaped up, tail wagging furiously as she ran to her owner, sitting down with her hindquarters shaking from side to side, tongue lolling out of her mouth.
Victory knelt before her dog, taking its face into her hands and patted her, letting the German Shepherd lick her face as she spoke, her voice babyish as she coddled the spoilt dog, "Yes! Good morning my little Schatz! Did you sleep well? Did you sleep well? Yeeah!" She grinned and got to her feet, skipping towards the large double doors that led to the hallway. Her bedroom, while massive, held relatively little. The far wall was glass, showing off a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline. Large bookcases dominated another wall, an ornate desk sat nearby with a high backed chair that she loved to twirl around in when someone entered, pretending to pet a cat. A couple of cushioned arm chairs sat before a fireplace that was situated in the middle of the floor space. A large walk in closet sat close by her bed and the door to her own bathroom next to it. Her massive four poster bed sat with its sheets advertising her favourite book series, Harry Potter.
She made her way to the kitchen, Schatz trotting behind her before dashing forth as she spotted her breakfast next to the island counter where Victory's breakfast sat, a small bowl of blueberries beside the stack of pancakes. She hopped onto a bar stool before popping a blueberry into her mouth and pulling a pancake onto her plate, hand reaching towards the syrup. "You really think I should give up on joining The Order? They need me to add a little spice to their group. Without me they'll just be Avenger wannabees. And I can't have anyone sullying the good name of The Avengers and therefore my father." She rolled her eyes before continuing, not letting Alexis get in a word edgewise, "I mean... they're all so uptight! They didn't even realize they had found the person to make their group from mediocre to plain and outright awesome. And they kicked me out! Didn't even listen to what I had to offer. Just showed me the door and said 'how-do-you-do'!" She scowled, "So I made a tiny mistake. And they blow their heads!"
If there was something that Victory hated, it was admitting she had made a mistake. The Order would never hear that, ever. Alexis turned and placed her coffee before answering, "I believe that for the time being staying low may be best." The android seemed to hesitate, if Victory didn't know better she would have said that Alexis was nervous about what she was about to say, "Miss. Stark may not agree to this-"
Victory groaned and took a bite of her breakfast, "Oh. Here we go."
"- But it may be best if you try and get into their good books. At least act like your not above them so that they let you in before you decide to climb their ladder too high. Your father was initially denied access to The Avengers himself for similar behaviour."
Victory rolled her eyes, she had to admit though, Alexis was right. She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath before taking a sip of her drink, allowing the taste to wash over her tongue. "How about this? I'll think about it before I go track them down again. hmm?"
"As you wish Miss. Stark."