I'm alive! I decided to give y'all ANOTHER update :) As you can see, I have WiFi I will be working on backlog when I return, I am giving myself a lil rest as I have a TON of backlog :3 I probably should've not, but hey! It's a lil present for y'all! 3 I busted out 1,798 words! I am so happy :') Please enjoy! Disclaimer! I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or their characters, I do own my OC's!
Five days passed quickly as Nova bonded with her Soulmates. She had to wait those five days to do her 'test', (Nova was confident she would win.) as Clint and Nat were adamant that she allow herself more time to heal.
Clad in a brown sports bra and shorts that matched with Nova's caramel eyes, blonde hair wrapped into an unruly bun, and a tight grip on her large duffel bag, Nova climbed out of Nat's car and stared up at the new and improved Avengers Tower. Stark had fixed up the Tower in record speed, and rumors from the builders was that there was a floor for Galewind.
Nova waited for Nat as she parked the car.
"Ready?" Nat asked.
"As I'll ever be." Nova said, work badge in hand.
They entered the building and approached the elevator.
Happy approached them, tapping his badge.
Used to his rule enforcement, Nova held up hers, allowing Happy to scrutinize it before giving her a nod.
He glanced over Nat's badge before quickly handing it back over, obviously afraid of making Nat angry.
Nova tapped her badge on the scanner and smiled when the doors opened.
Upon reaching the training level, which had an entire floor dedicated to a gym AND training room, Nova and Natasha were greeted by Tony Stark himself.
"Well if it isn't Dorothy herself." Tony said, approaching Nova with an outstretched hand, "I would have never guessed that little scientist would turn out to be a potential Avenger."
Nova took his hand in hers, squeezing his hand just enough that it hurt, but not enough that she broke his hand.
She released his hand, feeling satisfaction when he discreetly nursed the pain.
"We'll get you started on the treadmill while we wait for everyone to arrive." Tony said, gesturing with his uninjured hand.
They entered a section of the gym that had all sorts of monitors that converged around one treadmill.
An unassuming man stood a bit nervously to the side.
"Dr. Banner here will be assisting me with the test."
"The Dr. Banner?" Nova's eyes twinkled in excitement, she approached him with a bright grin, once again looking like a golden retriever.
"I've read all of your papers, and I mean all," Nova said, startling Dr. Banner with her excitement.
"Well, ah, I'm glad you enjoyed them." The sentence was phrased more like a question than a statement, "if you'll please come over here so we can get you set up."
After doing warm up stretches, Nova was prepped for her test.
The preparation took a little over twenty minutes, with EEG monitors strapped to her chest, an oxygen monitor clamped around her finger, a oxygen mask placed on her face, and a blood pressure cuff placed around her bicep.
Nova began her run with ease, taking each level in stride until she was sprinting.
Stopping when she felt tired, Nova slowed to a walk, cooling down.
Tony and Bruce leaned over the tablet, murmuring as they discussed her results.
Nova, sweaty and tired, took off her oxygen mask and vitals equipment before approaching the two scientists.
"So?" Nova breathed, manicured hands on her hips.
"You lasted almost nineteen minutes at a full sprint." Bruce said, "your vitals remained steady throughout."
"You almost beat Cap's record, his is twenty." Tony said, gaze on someone behind her.
Nova turned, spotting Steve next to Nat.
Steve nodded in acknowledgement, hands in his pockets.
Nat handed her a water bottle, which she promptly drank it all.
"We'll have to check your long term running another day, are you up for sparring?" Tony asked, seeming a bit too excited for Nova's taste.
"Give me a moment," Nova breathed, "I'll regain my energy in a bit. I probably shouldn't have pushed myself that much."
Feeling a gust of wind from the A/C, Nova snapped it up.
She closed her eyes with a sigh as the air wicked away the heat.
Nova caught the glimpse of an image of Tony leaning closer.
"Take a video, it'll last longer." Nova said, keeping her eyes closed.
"How did you…?"
"I see images of what the wind has touched." Nova said with a shrug.
Tony shot off different questions, which Nova answered to the best of her abilities.
They chatted for a few hours, waiting for Nova to regain her stamina.
Clint arrived thirty minutes in, Destiny in tow.
"Dee is here to show what I can do." Nova said.
"So, you're gonna go up against Dee, Clint, Nat, and Steve." Tony said.
"Seems reasonable," Nova said, scarfing down her ninth protein bar.
Nat gave her an amused look, "are we sure your leg isn't hollow?"
Nova rolled her eyes, getting up and stretching once more, "my body works on a higher metabolism, remember?"
The group converged on the training room, cushioned by mats.
Nova lifted her staff from her bag.
Hand carved by her Aunt when she was ten, the staff was taller than her by a foot. Aunt Eileen had adorned it with hawk feathers that were tied to leather straps which looped through a hole bored through the top, made out of Appalachian Hickory, a durable and bendy wood.
The practice originated from the Speakers who lived in the Appalachian Mountains for their combat staffs, which many other Speakers adopted the practice of using Appalachian Hickory in their staffs, admiring the durability and endurance to bending and impact.
Many different communities had their preferred wood they would craft with, but as Aunt Eileen was a descendant of the Speakers from the Appalachians, she made sure no other wood would be used for Nova's staff.
Nova smiled fondly at the staff, the familiar rattle of beads reminding her of her Aunt.
"Hawk feathers," Nat observed, watching Nova swing the staff around in her hand with practiced movements, "little ironic, don't you think?"
Nova chuckled, tapping the staff into the ground.
"My Aunt always insisted hawk feathers suited me best. I guess she always knew." Nova said, thumb running over the grooves.
"Was that before or after you got your Mark?" Clint asked, curious.
"Before." Nova shrugged, "she always had a sense of a hawk whenever the wind spoke of me, or so she liked to say."
The two Soulmates could sense the unfathomable grief radiating off of Nova, though she hid it well with a practiced smile and casual remark.
"She liked to say she could discern the weather three days off with pinpoint accuracy, although I didn't really believe her. The last time I trusted her, my birthday party was disturbed by a heavy rainstorm." Nova chuckled, the image of a twelve year old Nova and party goers sprinting to shelter from the pool as lightning cracked overhead played back in her memory.
"She did like to play fire with the weather. She also said she knew you would be a Speaker." Destiny chuckled.
"Oh she did. Her guesses were more accurate for *people than the weather."
"So, how does one become a Speaker?" Tony asked, curiosity eating him alive.
"It's a genetic thing. Passed down through generations." Nova explained.
Tony nodded.
Destiny, having grown tired of waiting, struck first, her hands igniting with bright dancing flames. With one swift motion, Destiny sent a fireball hurtling towards Nova.
The observers were startled to see a large fireball inevitably hurtling towards the distracted Nova.
Nova reacted instinctively. Using the wind that she had already gathered around her staff, Nova deflected the flames using her staff and scattering them harmlessly across the room.
The air around them crackled with energy as the elements collided.
Destiny kicked her staff into her hands, darting forward and swinging the staff startlingly fast towards Nova's side.
Nova's staff easily met Destiny's, the impact sounding out a resounding crack!
It was a surprise that the staves hadn't shattered on impact, speaking to the resilience of the wood in which the Speakers relied on.
Destiny's lips were fixed into a wide grin, an air of wildness about her as excitement spurned her to swing again.
Nova blocked her with a well placed spear, an air of calm about her as Destiny's blow was reflected away.
The two women faced each other, a lull in the fight as the two assessed each other.
Destiny moved, impatient, her staff igniting with a fiercely bright blaze as she swung it in a wide arc.
Nova dodged, feeling the heat of the flames as they passed close by.
She countered with a thrust of her own staff, her gathered wind swirling around the wood to enhance the strike. The force of the blast pushed Destiny back a step, but she quickly recovered.
The duo moved in a well-practiced dance, their staves clashing with the sound of wood against wood, each impact resonating through the training room.
Nova gathered together all of her wind to propel herself high into the air, gracefully landing behind Destin and attempting a low sweep with her staff.
Destiny retaliated with a burst of flame that sent Nova back, staff raised defensively as the heat seared the air.
The flames were split by the wind gathered on Nova's staff.
The heat melted the foam below, silently testifying to the deadly blaze above.
The group was captivated.
Clint's gaze followed every move, concern and admiration mingling in his eyes. Steve crossed his arms, nodding appreciatively. Natasha's face was impassive, but her keen eyes missed nothing.
Destiny spun her staff in a flaming vortex, sending tendrils of fire towards Nova.
Nova countered, creating a whirlwind around herself, dissipating the flames before they could reach her.
Nova lunged forward leading with her staff, the wind she controlled added speed and power to her strike.
Destiny quickly lifted her staff, meeting Nova's with her own. Her hands quivered at the impact, wincing at the loud crack that emitted from the collision.
Fire and wind clashed, the meeting creating a hypnotizing show of elements. Sparks flew, the air shimmered with heat and energy.
Nova pushed herself harder, using her wind to amplify her speed and strength. Destiny countered with bursts of flame, each of which were strategically aimed to throw Nova off balance.
They were evenly matched, each attack met with an equal defense.
Finally, in a swift series of strikes and parries, Nova managed to disarm Destiny.
Destiny's staff clattered to the floor as Nova's hovered near her throat, wind swirling menacingly around the Hickory wood.
Destiny held up her hands, a grin spreading across her face. "Alright, alright, you got me."
Nova lowered her staff and let the wind scatter, a victorious grin on her lips.
She extended a hand to Destiny, who took it, pulling herself up.
"Good match." Destiny breathed.
"Good match," Nova agreed, her breathing heavy, yet exhilarated.
She turned her grin to the group, glowing with satisfaction.