CHAPTER FIFTEEN: TEA, SMILES, AND A SPY WITH QUESTIONS
"He's got blue hair, glowing eyes, and manners like royalty. That's not a child."
🌤️ Scene 1 — Morning at Elvaris Mansion
The marble doors of the Elvaris estate swung open, casting golden light across the tiled hall.
Velmir stepped inside, soft-footed and humming faintly under his breath. His pale sky-blue hair shimmered with residual frostlight from the early sun, strands catching on the breeze like silk banners. His silver-blue eyes blinked sleepily.
His uniform was slightly rumpled.
There was a cookie in his coat pocket.
A gift from Mina, now very slightly crushed but carried with pride.
"Viera," he called gently, "status of the guest?"
"Stable. Awake. Monitoring surroundings like a cornered jaguar. She has insulted three pieces of furniture by checking them for concealed weapons."
Velmir chuckled and shrugged off his jacket. "So she's recovering well."
"Her pulse suggests extreme suspicion and mild hunger."
"Reasonable priorities."
🛋️ Scene 2 — The Lounge: Spy vs. Tea
Natasha Romanoff sat in the velvet armchair like it was her enemy.
The room was all soft edges and serene symmetry—dark wood, floor-length windows, the scent of dried jasmine in the air. A cup of untouched tea steamed on the glass table beside her. Her posture remained loose but ready. One leg tucked under, one hand near the table's edge.
Her eyes tracked every reflection. Every hallway.
When Velmir entered, she stiffened slightly.
He looked, at first glance, like a child from a dream—light hair, pale skin, a noble calm that didn't match his apparent age. Ten, maybe. But with posture that suggested throne rooms and treaty negotiations.
He bowed slightly, then settled into the armchair across from her with feline grace, folding one leg under himself.
"Good morning," he said with a smile. "I see you're not dead. Congratulations."
She stared at him.
"…You're Velmir Elvaris."
He nodded. "In the flesh. You drank my tea and bled on my hillside. So I figured we should talk."
☕ Scene 3 — The Opening Probe
Natasha picked up the teacup, didn't drink.
"I ran a check. You're listed in SHIELD's international archive. A ghost file. Ancient noble lineage. European legacy. Old money. Older properties. Zero red flags. Cleanest dossier I've ever seen."
Velmir blinked. "Great Sage does good paperwork."
"…Great Sage?"
"I talk to myself. Very efficiently."
She didn't smile. "You're flagged on three financial watchlists, but no one's found anything. Even Stark's server lists you under 'legacy holdings.' It's like someone wrote you into history a century ago and forgot to mention the part where you're… a child."
Velmir gave her a pleased look. "Thank you. That took considerable effort."
Natasha leaned forward, arms crossed. "You know how many red flags that is?"
He sipped his tea. "All of them?"
😂 Scene 4 — Velvet Interrogation
"So," he asked lightly, "Miss Human. Do you always pass out at the feet of wealthy children, or was mine special?"
She gave him a long, slow blink. "Yours had the warmest perimeter lights. Figured I'd collapse in style."
He grinned. "Well said. The preferred assassin's landing pad."
A twitch at the corner of her mouth. Not quite a smile.
"You're not normal."
Velmir placed a hand over his heart. "I'm insulted. I'm very normal. I eat cookies. I have feelings. I… watch documentaries on black holes when I'm sad."
"Sure."
He pulled out a notepad and flipped to a page. "You've now been added to the estate snack profile."
"…Excuse me?"
"Cookie preferences: unknown. Tea tolerance: above average. Danger level: spicy. Subtype: emotionally elusive."
She gave him a slow, suspicious glare.
"Are you actually ten?"
He grinned wider. "Emotionally, I'm 500. Aesthetically, I'm twelve. Spiritually, I'm somewhere between a fox and a retired god."
🍪 Scene 5 — Scones and Subtle Truths
Viera entered silently, placing a tray of warm scones, cream, and preserved figs on the table.
"If you attempt further espionage," she said dryly, "please avoid the east foyer rug. It is enchanted to scream when blood is spilled."
Natasha looked between the tray and the AI.
"…Your AI has sarcasm?"
"She was trained on Gordon Ramsay and HAL 9000," Velmir replied. "We had… calibration issues."
"I heard that," Viera said.
They sat for a long moment. Steam rose from the tea. The scones released faint cinnamon warmth into the air.
"You live here alone?" Natasha asked, eyes narrowing again.
Velmir leaned back. "Alone is a strong word. I have books. An AI companion. Occasional piano concerts. And an unreasonable fondness for seasonal jam."
She didn't respond.
He met her gaze.
"It's a quiet life. I keep the chaos out there, and the calm in here."
🌫️ Scene 6 — Beneath the Curtain
"You're not human," she said at last.
It wasn't a question.
Velmir didn't look away.
"Not entirely," he admitted. "But I am… polite."
"…That doesn't answer anything."
"I'm not trying to. I like riddles. And tea."
She studied him in silence. He was calm. Disarming. But deep behind the voice, the charm, the softness—
Something waited.
Something old. Something with scales.
"You're like a ghost story nobody told," she said softly.
He tilted his head. "Boo."
🧭 Scene 7 — The Garden Path
Later, as she stretched carefully and moved toward the glass doors, Velmir gestured to the eastern garden.
"When you're up to it, try the koi path. Very peaceful. The fish are chatty."
She gave him a skeptical look. "The fish talk?"
"If you listen hard enough," he said with a wink.
She walked a few steps. Paused.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "For saving me. Even if you are… strange."
Velmir smiled, just a little.
"I get that a lot. Usually followed by cookie theft."
She stared a moment longer—then left without a word, vanishing into the soft light of the hallway.
But her mind didn't quiet.
He was wrong.
He wasn't a ghost story no one told.
He was the kind of story that wasn't supposed to be real.
And now she owed him her life.
[END OF CHAPTER FIFTEEN]