Summary:Nico teleports into Nadia's tiny castle and sets off her tiny security system! Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
  |
The Crystal Castle is a little mazelike inside. Deliberately so. So when Nico magically appears inside she finds herself in a richly decorated study. Lots of comfortable armchairs, some light reading on the bookshelves and plenty of thick rugs covering the floor.
It's also a little louder than usual. Moments after appearing there's the blare of a distant alarm and the door to the room makes an ominous clicking noise as it automatically locks.
On the plus side the air conditioning system seems to have automatically turned on. A hiss of cool air inrushing that has a mildly floral smell.
"Oh, good. I was able to find this place," Nico mutters to herself, stepping out of a rent in the air like a fissure of light. The goth emerges into the study and makes a point of looking around, squinting slightly as she studies the room carefully. "Oh, her office. Perfect." The young woman takes a deep breath and waves her staff, which rapidly vanishes.
"Mmm. That smells nice." She sniffs the air slightly. "Not lilac…." Nico wobbles a little bit then, and makes her way toward the armchairs on the far side of the room. "Too much power? I've never tried shrinking down like this before. …Damn it…" She inhales again, slowly. The better to ward off dizziness nand swimming vision.
"I shouldn't have stayed up so… Late…" Having just sat halfway down onto the end of the chair she proceeds to slide forward and topple onto her knees and face on the rug. Faint snoring follows seconds later.
It's not possible for Nico to tell exactly how long has passed, but when she eventually comes round a few minutes later it's in another place entirely. A high vaulted ceiling, walls lined with beeping medical machines and of course there is the awkward matter of being strapped to a stretcher.
"Nico? Is that you?" Nadia wonders in her faintly Russian accent, shining a little light into each of her eyes in turn. "You have… kinda set off my security system and got a tiny bit… gassed." She turns the bright light off. "Don't try get up just yet. You'll still be too weak to stand until the first stage wears off. That was a knock out gas." She peels back something like a nicotine patch and sticks on her Nico's neck. "This should revert the second stage, which is a muscle relaxing drug. But the third stage… I can't really revert that."
She winces. "Third stage is…" Her cheeks flush with a hint of a blush. "It's /not/ a truth serum. But it has a similar effect. You'll find it really hard to say anything but the truth for the next four hours."
"Of course it's me, dumbass. Get a lot of clones teleporting in here to mess with you or something?" Nico blinks slowly, her pupiles thoroughly dilated as she stares into space, trying to focus her attention onto the woman standing beside her.
"What the- agh! Stop it with the lights! God damn it." A brief pause as she grimaces. "…What the hell? "Not" a truth serum in the knockout gas? You really were raised by crazy spies or something weren't you?"
A moment later Nico adds, "Why am I strapped down?" The woman adds blankly, giving her head a slow shake as she does. She blinks a few times and gives her head a couple hard shakes, as if trying to clear it. "Why are you blushing? …S'kind of cute." A beat. "… Damn it."
"No-one else has /ever/ come here. I didn't even think it was possible for anyone else to visit without my help," Nadia points out. "And my security system as set for your biometrics after I shrank you. I have no idea how you got here!" She shrugs. "Clones were a concern. Even a small deviation and it triggers the non-lethal suppression system."
Her head tilts. "The light was to make sure you hadn't hit your head on the way down. I'm done with that now. It's not a truth serum technically, because instead it by-passes the step in your brain which decides if what you want to say is appropriate or not. A real Red Room truth serum would be much more invasive."
She makes to undo the restraints. "The straps are to stop you falling off or trying to stand up while your legs were jelly." She bites her lip. "I'm blushing because I was reading a book in my PJs before every alarm in the place went off and I had to respond immediately." She is indeed in a plaid pajama PJ set with her hair tied back. Complete with fluffy bunny slippers. "And because I have to ask an awkward question… The muscle relaxant can sometimes relax a little too much, if you know what I mean. Should I find a change of clothing for you?"
"No, I'm good. Great even. This stuff is kind of nice, actually." Nico closes her eyes for a second after this admission. "Little bit of a headache, though." She wrinkles her nose then, tilting her head slightly to the left as she considers what she might say next.
"Getting here was easy. I just had to ask really nicely. Magic castle!" The dark-haired goth throws up both of her hands, grinning. "And poof." She shrugs slightly then, shifting her weight slightly from left to right. "I wouldn't worry about it. I like the slippers. I want a pair." SHe pauses. "No, I don't. Why would I say that? …That was a lie. I totally do."
Finally, Nico breathes a soft sigh. "I should stop talking. You got something to eat?"
"That's good to know," Nadia says with a sigh of relief. "The antidote for the truth drug has some /really/ awkward side effects. So I'm glad you don't need it. But remember to go if you need the ladies room. Don't put it off because it doesn't feel important. Got it?" She nods matter-of-factly. "Especially that no-one insisted you come here. Coercion has always been a concern security wise."
She offers Nico her arm for support. "Lets go upstairs, grab some ration packs. I don't have anything fresh but they're hot and filling!" She takes a few steps and with each one her slippers make a squeeky noise. "They're very comfortable. Is there anything specific you fancy eating? There's a half dozen menu options. Mostly stews of some sort but they all come with snack bars and things. Or you can have cereal."
"…Do you have Captain Crunch?" Nico asks, accepting the offered arm. She leans on Nadia slightly as they make their way out of the room, accompanied by the procession of squeaking footwear. "Anyway. No one told me to come here or anything. I just wanted to see you again. I figured I'd surprise you… Joke's on me." SHaking her head, Nico lets that rest as the pair proceed from the room.
"All this stuff, and you don't even have a refrigerator? Jeeze. Are you living on MREs?" Used to the effects o the drugm Nico seems pretty calm. Docile, even. And, of course, uncharacteristically forthcoming. Nadia will have no trouble leading the now pliant sorceress wherever she desires within the castle.
Nadia Van Dyne sets off towards the kitchens. Sorceress in tow. "I have refridgerators," she assures. "Plenty of them. But I don't stock them that often when I'm here to work. And you wouldn't believe all the stuff I've got to work on right now! I met a real life alien and I should hopefully have funding for G.I.R.L sorted for /months/."
She keeps herself slow and even to match Nico's walking pace. "Captain Crunch? Hmmm I don't think so. There is a chocolate museli which is pretty enjoyable if you mix in the portion of chocolate spread that comes in the same bag." She beams a smile. "It's nice that you wanted to come see me! And I'm really sorry you got gassed. If it makes you feel any better I don't mind people speaking honestly. I'm very hard to offend. I /am/ a bit worried you'll be mad when you sober up though. Don't want you to think I was taking advantage of your situation…"
"Don't worry. Doesn't feel lik you did anything. You didn't, right?" A beat. "Right. So we're fine." Nico shrugs slowly, apparently taking mental stock of the convesation as they proceed. After a long while she asks almost hesitantly, "…What is muesli? …Oh, whatever. It's chocolate. When this stuff wears off I'm going to be cramping like my uterus is trying to turn inside out. Give it here."
Grumpy? Maybe a little. But Nico's voice is calm and matter-of-fact as she relays her response without dwelling on it too much. "And I love aliens. My best friend is an alien. I couldn't really bring her along, though." SHe glances at Nadia before asking, "Do you need me to, like… Go grocery shopping for you once a month? You shouldn't just eat, like, /stew/ all the time."
"Do anything? Other than my house drugging you? No nothing weird or bad. Although I did pat you down for weapons," Nadia replies with a giggle. "It's rolled oats and grains. Sometimes with dried fruit but in this case the milk is chocolate and it has little dark chocolate lumps. It's healthy and filling." She leads Nico into an elevator that drops off near the kitchens. "Here we are. If you sit yourself down I'll mix us up something to eat."
Nadia starts ambling around the kitchen, heating pouches up as she talks. "You know an alien? I bet that was supposed to be a secret, right? I promise I won't tell anyone. I'm working on a design for intergalatic communcations gear." She breezes past long enough to hand Nico a bundle of fruit bars. "Shopping? No it's okay. I eat fresh stuff at G.I.R.L all the time. I don't always live here you know! Besides it's expensive to shrink fresh foods. Because they don't last as long it's not very cost efficient."
"…Fig?" Nico is unwrapping one of the fruit bars dubiously. Then she shrugs, tears the package off the rest of the way and bites right into the fruit bar. She spends a few moments chewing, staring at Nadia as she works.
"Mmm. Leathery." So saying, Nico slides onto the seat that was indicated and leans forward, resting her chin on her right hand. "Anyway. Why did you build this place really? It seems ike a /lot/ of work. I mean, having your own fairy tale castle is a good enough reason, I guess, but I bet that's no the only reason you're hiding out in here.
"..And seriously? No one else has ever gotten to visit?"
"I grew up in a Siberian bunker with absolutely no privacy," Nadia points out matter-of-factly. "I needed somewhere private to do my reseach and… I needed a /lot/ of storage space for all the things I stole from the Red Room. Research documents, training materials, records and all sorts. I have about six different libraries."
She adds hot water, stirs and leaves the pouches to finish cooking. "I've told six people it exists. Of those six people only you seem to have the ability to shrink down and visit without my help. Everyone else I see at G.I.R.L all the time. They know how to reach me if they need me, so they just call for me to come out rather than come in themselves."
After a little while she pours the steaming hot chocolate dish into a bowl.
"As amazing as this place is? I'd've figured they'd all wnat to see itr," Nico replies earnestly.. She blinks at the steaming hot bowl of chocolate cereal for a moment when it is presented to her but doesn't comment. Instead, Nico asks, "So you come down here to get way form people for a bit? I get that. I guess that's why I'm your only visitor." She watches Nadia thoughtfully past her bowl fo cereal. "I hope I'm not intruding /too/ much. Beyond, you know, being a literal intruder who set off our security system and everything I mean. I wasn't trying to freak you out."
"Oh. Well they know some of the documents in here are classified," Nadia explains with a shrug. "Like /really/ classified. The Red Room stole stuff from people like SHIELD. And they would be able to understand them so… Yeah they don't come in for security reasons. I probably sound a bit paranoid right? But people really are out to get me."
She holds her hands out as if to say what can you do. "Oh I don't mind you visiting! It's nice seeing you again actually. It's been quite a while since we got to hang out.. And hey at least you didn't appear when I was doing anything embarrasing. What if you'd magically appeared in the bath house?"
"I get people being out to get you. And stuff. Don't worry, no one's going to be able to follow me or anything. Promise." Nico nods once and then Prods her food a couple of times with her spoon. Finally, she scoops up a bit of it.
"What if I had appeared in the bath house? Um." Nico pauses. "I don't know. It mighht be a pretty nice view? I mean, um. That would be /awful/. I wouldn't want to violate your privacy like that…" Nico'svoice takes on a tone of overly sincere concern. Then she blinks again and silences herself with a large spoon full of muesli.
"Violate my privacy?" Nadia repeats, blinking and starting on her own bowl of food. "I just meant you'd have passed out in the water. You could have drowned. Best case you end up soaking wet. Like I said I grew up in a bunker. I'm used to communal showers. Doesn't bother me in the slightest." Her head tilts to one side and she points with her spoon. "You on the other hand might have found it embarrasing if I'd had to change you into dry clothing while you were knocked out." She winks. "Just promise if you do ever teleport into a library room don't open any of the books. People would kill for some of the secrets in here!"
"Don't open /any/ of the books?" Nico asks. She's almost pouting. She stops with her spoon in hand, steaming cereal an inch from her lips. Finally, she sighs. "OKay. I promise to try not to open any of your books unless you're in the room." Then she glances down at her cereal as she grumbles, "Now I /really/ want to read them." Then she shrugs and takes another bite with an audible 'clink' of teeth against metal. She holds it in her mouth hands free for a second before pulling it free. "So, can we rigt hings so it doesn't gas me next time?"
"If you want I could loan you some non-classified stuff?" Nadia offers with a shrug. "But if you appear in a library without knowing where you are.. Yes. No touching. I don't think you'd actually enjoy /any/ of those books. Mostly they are in Russian." She scoops up some more of her food. It's warm, chocolate-y and probably a ton better than Nico imagined it'd taste. "The honey trap training guides have pictures though. Probably safe to let you borrow one if you /really/ want to know Red Room seduction techniques?"
"And before you ask no I was doing scientific work before they taught those classes." She giggles. "That's already been taken care of. I took some very accurate non-invasive scans while you were asleep. So long as you don't dramatically change in weight or physical dimensions it should be fine."