The Adventures of the Stark-Rogers

Chapter Eight: Mari's Wonderful and Tiring Adventure in the Soul Stone

Mari was bored. She tried to occupy herself with something so she wouldn't have to think about the fact that SHE WAS DEAD.

After the bandits were all dead and Mari came back from the never ending falling dimension, everyone started doing their own things. Naturally she stayed with Peter and Harley but they started tinkering with the metal globes Harley was playing with before... dying? And it died? With him.

Thinking about this whole thing gave Mari a headache.

She sat with them in a while. They made a couple of jokes and after a while Princess Shuri came over and sat with them. They all quickly got along. Princess Shuri would talk mechanic with Peter and Harley but also make jokes that Mari could give her two cents in.

Nevertheless, Mari quickly got bored and took off. She told her brothers which direction she was heading towards and walked. She looked around for something to do or someone to talk to.

She saw Dr. Strange and Wanda practicing magic. Which she couldn't do anything with.

She saw the Guardians of the Galaxy talking. She didn't know them enough so went away.

She couldn't find Bucky or Sam so she couldn't annoy them.

She ended up reaching where the Dora Milaje were practicing. They were holding their spears and moving it and themselves elegantly. Mari found herself mesmerized and staring at them for a while. A woman at the front was yelling words Mari could not understand and moved and the rest followed.

Mari didn't realize how long she stood there until King T'Challa and Queen Ramonda walked next to her.

"Mesmerizing, isn't it?" King T'Challa said.

That snapped Mari out. Looking at the two royals made Mari very nervous.

"Uh- hello. Yes, K-king T'Challa! Queen Ramonda! Ma'am, Sir. Black Panther, Queen." Mari stuttered out, bowing. She had never formally met them so she tried her best for a good first impression. When the kids met Shuri they were a bit nervous but her childish personality quickly made them more relaxed but these two weren't teenagers. Not only were they adults -and adult were scary-, they were a king and queen.

"Ah, there's no need for that." Queen Ramonda said. Her voice was sweet and very motherly. She seemed like she would cradle her kids when they fall and scrape their knee but also scold them if they did something stupid. If Mari wasn't on the verge of pissing herself because of how nervous she was, she would've laughed at the image of Queen Ramonda scolding the Black Panther for breaking a window.

"O-oh. S-sorry." She apologized. She didn't really know what she should do.

"You seem very interested in the Dora Milaje." The Black Panther said.

Mari nodded. "Their movement is very precise and elegant."

"Would you like to practice with them?" Queen Ramonda asked.

"W-what? I don't want to be a bother." Mari was not expecting that. She kinda hoped they would let her just so she could have something to take her mind off and she could learn something.

"It would be no bother." The queen said.

"It would be an honor to practice with the Dora Milaje." Mari said, smiling.

Queen Ramonda so little as looked at the one giving the commands and she walked over. "Ayo, teach the young daughter of Steven Rogers and Tony Stark of the ways of Dora Milaje." Queen Ramonda ordered. Mari's face flushed. She felt like Queen Ramonda was ordering them to play with her.

The soldier, Ayo, nodded. She gestured for Mari to follow her and Mari silently did after nodding her thanks to the Wakandan Royalty. The two Royals smiled at her, going back to their own conversation.