Mantis Fought The Urge To Look Back To See Who Could Be Trailing Them, Not Wanting To Escalate The Situation

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."

Mantis beamed at the compliment, her antennae perking up slightly. "Thank you, April. I'm so glad you had fun and got some good content." She answered softly, her delicate fingers wrapping around a cup of tea. "I'm actually feeling really happy," Mantis continued, her eyes reflecting her genuine excitement and joy. "Seeing everyone enjoy themselves made me feel warm inside. It's probably the first time since I've been here that I've felt fully integrated, you know? It's been a crazy adjustment, but I think I finally got the hang of this human stuff."

April snorted and sat at the table, smiling fondly at the display. "You're too adorable. And yes, I did. It was amazing. You did a good job, babe. It was a lot of fun and I got a lot of good content, so that's always a plus." She picked up a pastry. "How are you feeling after it?"

"It's easy, Peter! Just let the music guide you. Feel the rhythm and let your body follow. You don't need to worry about your hands, they'll find their own groove. Trust me, dancing is like tapping into the universe's heartbeat." She extended her hand towards him, a hopeful smile lighting up her face. After a while, dancing on Earth didn't seem all too different than dancing anywhere else in the universe. "Come on, just one dance won't hurt!"

"Look, I'm refusing for your benefit, I swear!" Peter insisted, laughing. "I have no idea what to do out on a dance floor. Like, what do I even do with my hands?"

SHAY MITCHELL photographed for Tommy Hilfiger December 2023 campaign

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emotions

😡 for an angry starter

😄 for a happy starter

😲 for a shocking starter

😭 for a sad starter

🤔 for a confused starter

😶 for an angsty starter

🥰 for a fluffy starter

👻 for a scared starter

💢 to start a fight with my muse

💀 for a jealous starter

🤗 for my muse to comfort yours

plot-themed

👀 my muse catches yours in a shady situation

🔎 our muses find a clue to an investigation

🕵️ my muse helps yours on a mission

🛡️ for my muse to shield your muse from something

⚔️ for our muses to duel / fight

texts

✨ for an excited text

🔥 for a lustful text

💔 for a heartbreaking text

🗣️ for a rude text

☕ for a morning text

💤 for a midnight text

🍺 for a drunk text

muse

📷 for an instagram post

👶 for a throwback instagram post.

🖼️ to see the last pictures taken on my muse’s phone.

🎭 for a gif moodboard of my character ( or a + character name )

🎨 for an aesthetic of my character ( or a + character name )

🎵 for a mini-playlist my character ( or a + character name )

Mantis had gathered that the whistles and cheers from a bunch of construction workers while she was out for her walk earlier wasn't entirely meant as a friendly greeting although it seemed positive, and Peyton's reaction to the story only proved her assumption right. Still, she shook her head, although she appreciated the offer. "No, it's okay, but thank you. But that was what you call 'catcalling,' yes? I haven't experienced it yet... Can't say I enjoyed it."

“Wait, they said what to you?” Peyton asked, pulling a face. “Do you want me to take care of it?”

Mantis tilted her head slightly, her eyes fixated on Eddie. "No, can't say I know the meaning of LOL," she admitted, her antennae twitching in curiosity. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she observed Eddie's amused expression with genuine interest. The feeling washed over her, a smile of her own tugging at her own lip. "Is it perhaps a human expression for joy or amusement? Because that's all I can sense right now."

Eddie glanced back at her, a light scratch on his temple before his arm wrapped back around his knee. "You don't know what LOL means?" He lightly chuckled, relaxing a little on the floor as he talked with Mantis, he liked her. "Lucky you, I ain't going to tell you as I don't want our texts being filled with them."

Mantis listened attentively as Loki explained his hesitance, her empathic senses attuned to the nuances of his emotions underlying his words, though she didn't push for more details. She nodded understandingly, offering him a warm smile of reassurance. "It's perfectly alright, Loki," she murmured softly, her gentle voice a calming presence in the room. He'd been patient with her opening up regarding her past, the least she could do was offer him the same kindness and not pry. Though as he elaborated on his abilities, Mantis's eyes sparkled with interest. "Your mastery over magic is truly impressive," she remarked, genuine admiration coloring her tone. When he mentioned his ability to manipulate ice, she tilted her head curiously. "Is there a reason you aren't as well versed in that magic?"

"Oh, it's not you, darling," he shook his head, seeing her reaction. "It's just a weird thing for me." Loki leaned back in his seat and continued, "It's a long story." He tilted his head to the side, humming at her response, "That's a useful skill, though." With a shrug, he replied, "My mother was raised by witches, so she's very skilled in magic and taught me what she knew. Shape-shifting, spell-casting, telekinesis, that sort of thing." He paused for a moment, before adding, "I can conjure and manipulate ice too, but I haven't really expanded much on that ability."

A squeal of delight escaped the tiny alien as she put her hand in his. "Well then, let's go," Mantis giggled in response, leading him to the dance floor. It was nice, to be able to relax like this after weeks of being on edge, even if she wasn't exactly familiar with all of Earth's dancing customs she found the activity to be quite enjoyable. "Sorry if I step on your toes. I'm still learning, but I'll follow your lead as best as I can!"

He laughed and set his glass down, reaching out to take her hand. "Why are you begging me? All you had to say was let's go."