Chapter 1: Delmar, the Nosy Neighbor

"Greetings, friend," said Idunn as the bell at the door chimed. She had come to Delmar's Deli-Grocery for breakfast, as she had every day for the past month—since complications placed her in Queens, New York. The deli's familiar fluorescent lights and crowded aisles were decidedly unpretty, not that Delmar or anyone else cared.

Delmar was an Italian man, around the age of fifty, with a full beard and equally full belly. He had taken to Idunn quickly, remembering her name and was completely fine with not getting paid in cash, so long as he got paid in some respect.

"Hey there, Edie," said the man, using the name that Tony had given her to hide with. "The number five, right?" said the man.

"Yes, with pickles and grilled, please."

"Your parents back in town yet?"

"Uh…" Idunn didn't know what to tell him—she actually didn't have any parents. "Why hello, Sir Murphy!" Idunn bent down and set the woven basket she had brought on the floor to pick up the long-haired cat that had been purring and rubbing against her legs. She scratched its belly as she cooed. "What a shame you are not big enough to ride. What a magnificent mount you would be if it were so!"

Behind the counter, Delmar rolled his eyes at her attempt at avoiding the subject and turned to his nephew and delivery boy, "You hear that, Antonio? She says shit like that every day. Never the same thing though ... So, you bring your payment?" he asked her.

"Yes, of course. I always bring payment. To not would be dishonorable."

"Hand it over then, kid."

Idunn handed him the basket, still managing to hold onto the cat as it flicked its paws in her hair.

"This girl," Delmar said to Antonio as he unfolded the cloth that covered the contents of the basket, "makes the best damn pastries I've ever had. Don't know how she does it."

"Practice," supplied Idunn. "I'm sure you could make them too."

"Okay, kid, here's your sandwich. Have a nice day and stay safe out there."

"Thank you, Delmar," said Idunn, setting the cat down to take the sandwich from Delmar before rushing out the door. "I'll be back for that basket tomorrow. Goodbye, Murphy! Bye, Antonio!"

Idunn stumbled off the ledge at the doorway but managed to right herself quickly. When she had to go into hiding and assume a new identity, Tony had insisted she have some sort of disguise. Idunn had decided to wear glasses rather than dye her hair; Tony had made them big and round, and the glass thick to magnify her eyes, but they altered her depth perception. She was still getting used to them.

Her apartment was just a short block away, but Idunn unwrapped the plastic around the sandwich and ate it as she walked anyway. Humming to herself, she observed the goings on of the street around her. Most people walked rushed and alone, trying to get somewhere. Her eyes easily scanned over them, and found instead the interesting characters on the street: the older man sitting on a lawn chair outside a shop, drinking out of a mug and reading the newspaper, two women chatting easily with two strollers between them, and the young couple that didn't seem to notice anyone but the other.

Before Idunn came to Queens, before she came to Midgard, she had never seen so many people so frequently. It was fascinating, seeing into the lives of strangers. Fascinating, but it made her ache, deep in her chest.

Idunn successfully made it back to her apartment. She had the route from apartment to deli down now, but she had gotten lost at least eight times her first week in the city. It had led to a few close calls when it came to sleeping on the street because she couldn't find her way home before dark.

Finding herself bored, she decided to watch the television. Happy had shown her how to use it, and Idunn found her favorite thing to watch was a program called Seinfeld.

The crew was at the diner, and Idunn had just opened a bag of chips when the tv screen changed.

Incoming Call: HAPPY HOGAN

Idunn knew just enough about Midgardian technology to know she had to accept the call before Happy's face would appear, but she didn't know how to do that. She grabbed the remote and looked at what seemed to be hundreds of buttons. Unsure of her choice, she picked the biggest one and pressed it.

Happy's face appeared on the screen. Idunn tried to hide her obvious relief.

His voice, which seemed to be in a constant state of stress and impatience, cut through the apartment. "So, your month to acclimate is up. You're gonna start school on Monday."

"What?" said Idunn. She didn't remember going over any of this with him.

"Remember? We talked about this." From what Idunn could tell, Happy was in between two other things, neither of which involved calling her about school. The image bounced as he walked and the background moved so fast she couldn't tell exactly where he was.

When Idunn gave no indication of recollection, Happy sighed and stopped his walking.

"As part of your efforts to blend in, you've got to go to school. All kids your age have to go to school here. Plus, Pepper went a bit overboard when she had all your fake documents made; so now the state of New York thinks you're an actual citizen, and I'm technically your guardian. Which means, if you don't go to school, they'll breathe down our necks and eventually figure out that you're not who you say you are. It also means that if you wind up dead or missing, I go to jail.

"Remember you had a month to figure out how to blend in? I hope you've been doing your research because school starts on Monday. Be ready by seven thirty. I'll pick you up and take you, but that's the last time you get a ride to school from me. I've got better things to do than be your chauffeur. After Monday you walk—don't worry, it's not far, and I'll show you the way when we drive there. I'll bring what you need, so don't worry about supplies. Now, does all of this make sense?"

Idunn nodded, trying to think back over the long list of things he said to make sure she understood. "When is Monday?" she asked.

"In three days," said Happy. "And in those three days, you better learn the days of the week. Those are gonna come up a lot."

"Okay," said Idunn, hoping she would remember.

"Any other questions?"

Idunn shook her head.

"Alright, I'll see you on Monday. Take care of yourself till then."

"Thanks, Happy," said Idunn, but the screen had gone black before she finished. Seinfeld came back on and the laugh track seemed to be directed at her and how she didn't know when Monday was.

Peter Parker's Friday was going just great. First of all, it was Friday. Secondly, he barely had any homework for the weekend. And most importantly, Liz Toomes, the prettiest most perfect girl in school, had smiled at him and told him to have a good weekend. And even though that was great, the best part about Fridays was that Peter didn't have to worry about how tired he would be when he got home from his work as Spider-Man.

"Hey, Mr. Delmar. Hey, Murph," said Peter Parker as he walked into the deli, picking up the bag of chips that Aunt May had asked him to grab. Aunt May frequently and conveniently got the munchies right before Peter passed Delmar's Deli-Grocery on his way home from school

"Peter Parker! How ya doin'?" said Delmar, ringing up the chips as he spoke, barely looking as he did.

"Good, I'm good," said Peter, looking around the register area, eyes never landing anywhere for long.

"Keepin' your grades up?"

"Yeah, yeah, 'course."

"Okay, kid. Listen, I've been wantin' to talk to you about somethin'."

This piqued Peter's interest. He and Delmar never went beyond small talk and little quips thrown back and forth. Maybe this was something Spider-Man could help with. He met the man's eyes for the first time. "Yeah?"

"So there's this girl," said Delmar, and Peter contained his groan of disappointment. "She's about your age, comes in here all the time. You know her? Her name's Edie."

"Uh, no. I don't know any Edies. Why do you ask?" said Peter, fishing around, hoping that Delmar thought she might be a criminal.

Delmar shrugged and turned to lean one elbow on the counter, "she doesn't seem like she has many people, y'know? I worry about her. I don't think she has any family either."

"Oh, well, that's a shame," said Peter, immediately kicking himself for his unsympathetic tone.

"She's real nice, don't get me wrong, but she's kind of a kook. Murph really likes her though."

"What do you mean a kook?" said Peter.

"Oh she's just a little weird—got these crazy big glasses. I just figure she could use a friend," said Delmar, handing Peter back the bag of chips in a sack. "She comes in every day, y'know. And I'm all for regular customers, but that's a little too much."

Peter managed a chuckle. Delmar, for all his smart remarks and gruff exterior, cared a lot. "I'll be on the lookout for any Edies that seem lonely, and if I meet one, I promise I'll try to be nice." Peter decided that then was a good time to make his exit, and he was halfway to the door when he remembered. "Oh, and by the way, Aunt May says hi!"

"Take care, kid! And tell that Aunt of yours to come in any time!"

Peter was out the door and had fallen into his usual half-walk, half-jog, anxious to get home and don his suit. All thoughts of a strange, possibly lonely girl disappearing quickly from his mind.

I'm diving back in! Please let me know what you think by leaving a review! I'm really enjoying diving into each of these characters. Reviews keep my motivation/ideas going!

Love, .more

03/19/2020