8702/Little Person, Big Hearts

Little Person, Big Hearts
Date of Scene:	08 August 2019
Location:	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Synopsis:	Spider-Woman and Elixir have dinner and dessert with Anna in Santo Domingo.
Cast of Characters:	Elixir, Spider-Woman (Drew)

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Elixir has posed:
US Consolate, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The consulate in Kinshasa was used to hosting UN overseers, aid agency heads, diplomats. But this was the first time it had hosted an Avenger. The Consul General, a late career former State Department big wig from Boston, was a genial host. He made accommodations available for Anna, and for Jess, Josh or anyone else who was with her to use.

Unsurprisingly, the paperwork was moving quickly. It was not hard to get one of the village elders from Altagracia to the consulate to attest to Anna being an orphaned mutant. Good lawyers, the presence of an Avenger, the healer from the news back home and a desire for nothing strange to happen in the consulate were solid motivators.

For now, everything was quiet though. The suite they were given to use was more like a hotel room with a kitchenette than anything else, though the consulate kitchen staff were more than happy to bring food. The remains of dinner are on the table.

Jess and Josh are sitting on either side of Anna on the couch in the room. Anna has her Spider-Woman mask, which she had not let out of her sight or grasp since leaving her village. She looks better, cleaned up and in fresh clothes, but still too thin. A small assortment of toys are laid out on the coffee table for Anna.

"Crazy, huh?" Josh asks Jess with a grin.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jess hasn't stopped beaming since they arrived. She watches Anna, who is clutching the mask to her chest with one hand, and trotting a blue My Little Pony with a rainbow mane over the coffee table.

"Wild, and beautiful," Jessica replies. "Want a little dessert? There is still Strawberry shortcake on the cart," Jess says, nodding toward the cart loaded with trays. "Quieres pastel, Anna?"

The girl jumps up with am enthusiastic "Si!" and bounces over to the counter, trying to peer up on top of it to look for plates.

Elixir has posed:
Josh has been just as excited, if nervous. Being with Anna was bringing home the reality of the commitment he was making. But he had no doubts. The more time he spent with the girl the more he was certain about what they were doing.

He just grins seeing Anna peering over the top of the cart and shoots Jess a big smile. The young man gets up and walks over to the cart to help Anna get some plates down.

"Put them on the table," he says with a smile and gestures toward it. He walks over and taps on the table. "Table."

"Mesa!" Anna corrects him. It was quickly becoming a game between the two.

"Mesa," Josh grins. He sets about clearing dinner from the table. "I think your mask is in for some competition, Jess. Anna likes her pony."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica smiles, but it is a bittersweet expression. "As much as it makes me happy to see her cling to it...if she knew the story that led to her claiming it, I'm not so sure she would want it."

Anna is bouncing around Josh as she helps him set plates on the table. Jessica has taken a plastic clamshell off the top of the cake, and set it aside. She moves to the table with the frilly, creamy cake, and serves three pieces onto the plates, then dips heaping spoonfuls of strawberries over the whipped cream, the juices running down to the plate.

"There...and if you guys aren't full after this, there's no filling you up." Jess grins, eyeing the "pizza bones" - crusts piled high, that she'd had to trade new slices for to get Anna to relinquish them.

Elixir has posed:
"Hope we don't make her sick," Josh says. He grins as he watches Anna dance around the table helping out. Josh sends her after the cutlery. Anna comes back with three spoons in one hand and three forks in the other.

"Cuchara," she says and holds the spoons out.

"Cuchara. Spoon!"

"Si, spoon" Anna says seriously. "Tenedor."

"Tenedor. Fork," Josh replies.

"Ffffork! fffffffork! Fork!" Anna sing songs and jumps around the table again. She stops in front of Jess and beams up to her Aranna. "Fork!"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
As Anna repeats the Fork word over and over again, Jess sighs and nods. "I've had days like that," she says, looking up and regarding Josh seriously, before cracking a grin. "Fork!" Jess repeats back to Anna, and she kneels down to take the fork and place it beside the girl's plate. "And now..." She scoops up Anna and airplanes her overhead, landing her gently in her chair. "Dessert."

Anna frowns. "Dirt. Sand."

Jess smirks. "Eso es desert. Esto es dessert."

"Ahhh..." Anna nods as she cuts off a bite much larger than her mouth. Jess could have been explaining quadratic equations, for all Anna cared. As long as strawberries and cake made it into her mouth.

Elixir has posed:
"We've been looking for houses," Josh says to Jess as he settles in at the table. He shakes his head at the size of Anna mouthful.

"We're thinking Westchester by the water. Not too far from everything but can get land and a dog and whatever. Room for people staying over to visit a lot," Josh adds with a grin.

"Been looking into schools... Everything. I thought I was busy before," Josh says with a chuckle. "You okay with private school? Figure she'll get more support, you know?"

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"Anna..." Jess breathes a laugh as the girl tries in vain to close her mouth to chew, but it's just too full. Anna giggles, trying to push the rest in with a finger. Jess shakes her head.

"Private would be better," Jessica replies to Josh. "Public schools, I'm afraid, won't be as strict on bullies or purists." Then she looks to Josh and nods slightly. "It sounds lovely. I'm so happy for you. Your life seems like it's really coming together in so many happy ways..." Jess looks back down to her own cake and takes a little bite with a slice of strawberry.

Elixir has posed:
Josh gives Anna a conspiratorial wink when Jess dissuades her from pushing all the cake in.

"It is," Josh agrees with a smile. "Need to make it settle a bit, you know? Don't want everything to be crazy when we all get home."

"And hey, it's working out for you, too, right? You'll get to see Anna so much more! We'll make sure we have a room just for you," Josh promises.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica nods quickly. "Oh right, of course. I will be so happy to know she is in a safe place where something like that can never happen to her again." Jessica smiles fondly, watching Anna demolish her piece of strawberry shortcake. "The very thought of her being in a place that could be targeted at any moment makes me shudder. Whether down here or in my house. I'm so grateful for you, Josh. I don't know what I would have done without you. Take her into hiding. A new name, a new home. No more Avenger. I would have done it. But it might not have been safe. It isn't exactly like I can completely hide anywhere, anymore."

Elixir has posed:
Josh beams. "I'd say you're welcome, but it feels kinda selfish," Josh admits. "I'm so excited..."

Josh suppresses a grin and raises an eyebrow at Anna. She has another huge mouthful of strawberry shortcake ready to go. Anna makes a big face and plops it back on her plate to try again with a smaller bite. She manages to get a bunch of the whipped cream on her chin and giggles.

"We'll keep her safe, we'll get extra protection for the house," Josh promises. "A magic girlfriend is kinda big help, you know? And whatever we gotta do. She'll be okay. Nothing's more important, right? And she still gets to have her Aranna."

Anna looks up from her dessert. She glances between the two adults, seems satisfied with what she sees, and goes back to her dessert. She kicks her feet while she eats.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica smirks as Anna concedes her ginormous bite, and she watches the youngster eat with all enthusiam. "She gets her appetite from me," Jess advises with a sober nod.

"I'm glad she has you, and that Wanda can help. I just sort of feel like this was meant to be. I mean, what could possibly go wrong with a magic user and an indestructible healer in the same household?"

Elixir has posed:
Josh laughs.

"Well, I dunno about indestructible. But it'll be good. It really will," Josh agrees. "You /will/ be around a lot... Right?" Josh asks for the umpteenth time. "She's gonna need you."

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica grins, watching Anna shovel the last bite of her cake into her mouth and set about scraping up every bit of whipped cream and strawberry juice she can into her spoon. "I'm gonna be here every step of the way," she advises. "You'll be bribing me with pop rocks to get me to leave." She looks up at Josh and winks. "She's my girl."

Anna, seeming to have understood that last line, looks up to smile at Jess, her cheeks still full of cake, like a hamster. "Mi Arana," she agrees. "Me ensenaras a volar con telaranas?"

Jessica laughs. "Quizas algun dia. Por ahora, compartire el mio." Then Jessica looks up to Josh. "She wants to know if I will teach her to fly with spiderwebs. I told her maybe someday...for now I'll share mine."