Amidst All The Earthly Wonders She'd Experienced, Mantis Found The Most Joy While Partaking In The Various

Mantis nodded thoughtfully, her eyes following April's movements. "I think you're right, April. When I first arrived on Earth, everything felt so strange and unfamiliar. I kept comparing it to what I knew, trying to understand it through the lens of my past. But now... I just let myself experience things as they come." She took another sip of her tea, her expression serene. "Accepting who I am now and embracing this new life has brought me so much joy. And having friends like you makes it even better." Mantis glanced at the vegetables April was gathering, scratching her cat behind its ears as he jumped up into her lap. "Are you going to feed your turtles now? Can I come with you? I love watching them eat. They always look so content, and I think Rocket likes them, too."

"Yeah? Well, that's good." April smiled at her, happy to see her friend finally feeling one hundred percent settled into life on earth. She took a sip of her coffee and sat it on the table, before going over to the fridge. "I think you just stopped overthinking it all too, you know?" She pulled out some carrots and various vegetables to bring to her turtles. "Like, once you just accepted this was who you are now and not putting too much thought into it, you settled more." She smiled back at Mantis again. "And you seem alot happier now, too."

Mantis beamed at the praise, her antennae perking up even more. She returned the shoulder bump with a playful nudge of her own. "Double points? Wow, I feel so special!" she said teasingly, glad that everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. "I'm glad nothing bad happened. I was worried that something might go wrong. It was really hard to focus on the party at times, I found myself more patrolling than partying more than once."

Johnny smiled and shook his head. "You had nothing to be nervous about. You did good, Bug." He sat down beside her and gently bumped her shoulder with his. "Mhm, it was fun. Your extensive research on all things related to Earth parties paid off. And," he continued, nodding at her. "Nothing bad happened. That's been a constant at every other thing we've had as of late, so I think you get double points for that one."

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

“She wears sunshine like a halo all over her and she has a sky of stars in her eyes. And when she gives you just a half smile, somehow you just cannot take your eyes off of her.”

— L.W. // Something lovely about her half smile

Mantis giggled at Peyton's playful smirk, appreciating her roommate's understanding nature. "Exactly! Taste is the most important," she agreed with a nod. As Luke demanded attention and affectionately rubbed against her arm, Mantis chuckled, scratching the cat behind the ears. "I'm getting you food, don't you worry," she cooed, putting the first pancake to the side and pouring the next one into the pan. She started cutting up the finished pancake for the cats to share, nodding eagerly at the invitation. "I'd love to come to the lab with you!" she exclaimed, enthusiasm bubbling over. Not that she really understood much of what they worked on, but it was fascinating to watch. "What are you working on? Anything you can talk about or is it a secret project? Oh! And when we go to the city, can we get one of those giant pretzels?"

"I can absolutely see that, yes." She looked at Mantis with a smirk, rolling her eyes fondly at the other's antics. Peyton pressed a kiss to the top of Luke's head. "That's all that matters, babes. How it tastes, not how it looks. I don't gotta look at it when I eat it." She let Luke go so he could walk over to Mantis and rub his head against her arm, insistently against her arm, obviously wanting food of his own. "Nah," she replied to her roommate's question, hopping off the counter so she could go and pluck Luke's sister off the bookshelf before she could knock a plant over. Once Leia was secure in her arms, she walked back over to Mantis. "Well, I need to head to the lab and finish something I was working on if you want to tag along. We could head to the city after."

"Of course, I can help you navigate this maze of a tower! It can be quite overwhelming at first." Mantis smiled warmly, her empathic abilities already sensing the other's unease. "You're not alone in feeling lost here. Many of us felt the same when we first arrived. But don't worry, you'll find your way around in no time. Where are you trying to get to?"

anna marie was used to being around big groups of people , at least other mutants , but joining a new superhero team has her feeling all sorts of uneasy . avengers hq was completely different to xavier's mansion , she's already lost after wandering the corridors for so long . so she's grateful when she turns the corner and is greeted by a fairly familiar face .

" hey , y'all got a big place here . wont'cha help a girl out ? "

Mantis blinked in confusion, her head tilting slightly. "Inside her head?" she questioned, trying to imagine what the inside of the giant green lady might look like, which only made her wonder if it was rude to be wandering inside of the lady to begin with. Peyton's question about fostering animals pulled Mantis from her thoughts, her heart fluttering with warmth at the idea. "Oh, I've been thinking about it a lot, actually. A cousin for Leia and Luke would be wonderful. I can sense their longing for more family," she mused, her empathic nature attuned to creatures as she reached over to pet them. "Maybe we can fit that into today's plans too, although I did ask Johnny if he wanted to come when I decided... But nothing says I have to decide today! We're just looking."

"Yep." She agreed with a nod, sitting Leia down beside her brother so they could eat the pancake together. "I don't actually know yet, but it's not top secret unless they tell me. And they didn't tell me. So..." Peyton looked up at her and smiled, before snorting at what she said next. "Yes, we can go get a giant pretzel. And go to the Statue of Liberty. You can walk inside her head." She nodded at her. "So, did you think about fostering an animal anymore? I think they could totally use a cousin."

Mantis smiled warmly as she considered the idea of adopting a furry friend, the notion of forming a connection with a small Earth creature intrigued her. "I think I would like that. Would you go with me to pick one out?" Not that she was looking to get one right at that moment, although she probably wouldn't need much coercing to change her mind. She was quite enjoying the companionship of her new friends already. Having one around all the time sounded very pleasant. "You know, when I'm ready for one. I don't think I'm quite there yet."

"Yeah. Tell me about it. It gets everywhere." The white fur on his hand after he ruffled Luna's fur was evident of that. He smirked when she curled up on Mantis's lap and looked up at her. "They've been coming with me on days we aren't out on a mission, so feel free to whenever. Just not permanently, because my husband would hunt you down," he teased and sat beside her, gently bumping her shoulder. "You should totally adopt one, though."

Me flirting: Your aura is pretty.