Morning light visited the bedroom again, seeping in first through the gaps in her eyelashes.
Artoria's consciousness drifted slowly upward amidst a warm, cozy sensation.
The first sense to return was touch—her back pressed against a warm, soft curve, an arm wrapped warmly and securely around her waist, and her own cheek seemed to be unconsciously nuzzling something, the texture soft and possessing a reassuring, constant warmth.
Then came the sense of smell, a very faint scent, like a mixture of clean metal and sunlight, belonging to Minerva.
Then, memories returned.
The agreement to sleep in each other's arms last night.
At this moment, the soul of the former male college student would always reflexively stir with a trace of subtle shyness.
Even though she had been accustomed to it for half a month, and even though she knew that in Minerva's logic, this was just an 'optimal health management plan,' waking up every morning to find herself completely enveloped in the embrace of another 'female,' feeling that intimacy without any barriers, still caused her heart to skip a beat and her cheeks to warm slightly.
She quietly opened her eyes.
Her gaze landed on Minerva's neck, just inches away; the synthetic skin was so delicate under the morning light that no texture was visible, rising and falling slightly with her simulated, extremely faint breathing.
Artoria could even clearly see the individual strands of her silver-white eyelashes (decorative, but very realistic).
Too close...
She tried to shift backward inconspicuously, giving herself a little space to breathe and cool her cheeks.
However, the moment she made a slight movement, the arm wrapped around her waist tightened subconsciously; it wasn't a restraint, but rather more like an unconscious attempt to hold on.
Minerva's steady voice sounded from above, carrying a slightly low, just-'woken' texture:
'Good morning, Artoria. Your heart rate increased by 12% within thirty seconds of waking up, and your body temperature also rose slightly. Did you have a nightmare? Or is something uncomfortable?'
She was awake.
Or rather, she might have been in a low-power alert mode all along, knowing Artoria's physiological changes like the back of her hand.
Artoria's body stiffened, and the heat on her face seemed to rise a little more.
'N-no... I just woke up, a bit dazed.'
She said softly, too embarrassed to admit it was shyness.
Hearing this, Minerva relaxed her arm and lifted her upper body slightly.
She lowered her head, her optical sensors calmly 'gazing' at Artoria's flushed cheeks, seemingly conducting an analytical scan.
'Facial capillary dilation, confirmed to be one of the normal physiological reactions after waking up, but the magnitude is slightly higher than the previous average. It is recommended to replenish fluids and slowly perform morning activities to let the body adapt to the waking state.'
She finished her serious analysis, then naturally lowered her head and gently pressed her forehead against Artoria's.
This was a 'Minerva-style' gesture for checking body temperature.
But the warm sensation of skin against skin, and those blue optical sensors calmly gazing at her from inches away, caused Artoria's heart to skip a beat again.
'Body temperature is normal.'
Minerva concluded, then fully sat up and nimbly rolled out of bed.
She was wearing the beige knitted pajamas she had bought last night; the soft material made her look a little less sharp than usual.
'Please follow the health schedule, perform five minutes of waking stretches in bed, and then wash up. I will go prepare breakfast.'
After speaking, she walked steadily toward the door, her long silver-white hair tracing a sharp arc in the morning light.
Artoria lay in bed, watching the closed door, and raised her hand to touch her forehead where she had just been touched, as if a little warm, soft sensation still lingered there.
She covered her slightly hot face, took a few deep breaths, and then slowly sat up to begin the waking stretches from Minerva's 'medical advice.'
Honestly... she was the one who hugged first, and she was the one who did these intimate things with that matter-of-fact attitude... Why am I always the one who gets shy!
Artoria complained to herself in her heart while stretching her arms.
But the corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably.
This feeling of being meticulously cared for, completely accepted, and protected, even with the shyness, was so warm that it made one yearn for it.
When she went downstairs after washing up, the aroma of breakfast had already filled the air.
Today's breakfast was vegetable salad, pan-fried cod fillet, and whole-wheat bread, paired with freshly squeezed mixed fruit juice.
Minerva stood in front of the kitchen counter, using hands as steady as tweezers to precisely place the golden pan-fried cod fillet onto the plate, garnishing the edges with a few sprigs of bright green parsley.
She had changed into the light blue striped shirt and dark slim-fit jeans she had bought yesterday, which made her figure look upright and her temperament refreshing.
'Breakfast will be ready in three minutes. Please wait a moment.'
Minerva said without turning her head, her sensors having clearly captured the sound of Artoria coming downstairs.
Artoria walked to the living room, habitually turned on the TV, tuned it to the morning news channel, and turned the volume down to serve as background noise.
She picked up the newspaper that had already been delivered—in this digital age, she still kept the habit of subscribing to a physical newspaper, liking the smell of the ink and the tactile sensation of flipping through the pages.
The headline news was still the follow-up impact of Stark Industries closing its weapons division, with stock price charts fluctuating.
Inside, a financial commentator analyzed that Obadiah Stane had been frequently meeting with high-level Military officials recently, speculating that Stark Industries might be facing a power restructuring.
Tony's own whereabouts remained a mystery.
Flipping through a few pages to the international news section, a short news brief from New Mexico caught her attention:
'Last night, a strange celestial phenomenon and a violent impact occurred in the Puente Antiguo region of New Mexico. According to witnesses, a 'burning meteor' fell into the desert, causing a brief earthquake.
The Military has cordoned off the relevant area, claiming it was an 'accidental fall of meteorological monitoring equipment' and is currently conducting recovery operations.
Local residents reported seeing strong lights flashing and hearing loud noises similar to thunder inside the cordon at night...'
New Mexico... meteor... Military blockade...
Artoria's fingers gripping the newspaper tightened slightly.
This timing, this location, this description...
Mjolnir? Thor has been exiled?
One of the important nodes of the Marvel main storyline seemed to be unfolding at this very moment, in the distant New Mexico desert.
Is this what Fury meant by 'lively' in his text message? Or is it something else?
'Breakfast is ready, Artoria.'
Minerva's voice came, and she had already exquisitely arranged two breakfasts on the dining table.
Artoria put down the newspaper and walked to the dining table to sit down.
She poked at the tender cod with her fork, somewhat absent-mindedly.
'You have something on your mind.'
Minerva used a declarative sentence.
She did not touch the food in front of her, just sat quietly, her optical sensors focusing on 'looking' at Artoria, 'The news content triggered your emotional fluctuations. Is it about Stark Industries, or something else?'
Artoria hesitated for a moment, pushed the newspaper over, and pointed to the news brief.
'Look at this. New Mexico, meteor, Military blockade... this description is very much like...'
'Mjolnir' impact event, and the starting point of Asgardian prince Thor being exiled to Earth by Odin.'
Minerva replied calmly; she had obviously long incorporated the key events of the Marvel main storyline into her intelligence database, 'According to the timeline probability model, the probability of this event occurring is over 87%. This means that contact between Asgard and Earth is about to begin in an informal way, possibly accompanied by small-scale conflicts and an increase in the attention of cosmic-level entities.'
Her analysis was calm and precise.
Artoria nodded: 'The 'lively' thing Fury mentioned is very likely this. S.H.I.E.L.D. is probably already so busy they don't know which way is up.'
'The event location is over 2,500 kilometers away from us and involves multiple factions: the Asgardian realm, the Earth's Military, and S.H.I.E.L.D. The risk-to-reward ratio for direct intervention is extremely low.'
Minerva analyzed, 'It is recommended to adopt an observation strategy; simply monitor public information channels and encrypted communication streams that may be leaked by S.H.I.E.L.D. to understand the progress of the situation. Unless the event directly affects the safety of this area, or you have explicit instructions, it is not recommended to actively participate.'
Very rational advice.
Artoria also knew that running to New Mexico now to watch Thor find his hammer, or trying to change anything, was neither necessary nor easy to avoid drawing trouble.
This period of Thor's exile on Earth was key to his growth and an important foreshadowing for the future of the Avengers.
But knowing is one thing; that feeling of 'the story is happening right beside you' still made her restless.
This World was no longer a movie or comic book seen through a screen, but the place where she lived her real life.
Those heroes and gods, those conflicts and crises, were all real.
'I know.'
Artoria sighed, speared a piece of cod and put it into her mouth, the delicious taste lifting her spirits slightly, 'We are just bystanders, it's best to just live our own lives. It's just...'
She looked at the calm sea outside the window, 'I just feel that a storm is gathering, even if we hide by the seaside, we might still be swept by the aftershocks.'
'Then let's make sure the storm cannot get close.'
Minerva's voice was steady and firm, 'I will ensure the safety of this place. No matter what happens outside, this will be your harbor. If you want to know the progress of the event, I can try to infiltrate the peripheral communication network of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operations in New Mexico to obtain non-core intelligence, with controllable risk.'
'Not for now.'
Artoria shook her head, 'Let's wait and see for now. If... if things really get blown out of proportion, or if innocent people get dragged into it, we'll see.'
She didn't want to go looking for trouble, but she also couldn't just ignore potential disasters, especially when it was within her power to do something.
'Understood. Strategy set to: silent observation, limited intelligence gathering, and intervention only in extreme cases or upon your explicit request.'
Minerva summarized, then her gaze fell on Artoria's plate, 'Your cod intake is below the recommended value; please consume at least another forty percent. The juice also needs to be finished to replenish Vitamin C.'
'Yes, yes, yes, Doctor Minerva.'
Artoria smiled helplessly, the bit of annoyance in her heart diluted significantly by Minerva's 'health management-style' care.
She lowered her head and continued eating breakfast, deciding not to over-anxiety about things in the distant desert.
After breakfast, Minerva cleaned up the kitchen, while Artoria returned to the living room and picked up the remote to change channels.
Several news channels were broadcasting trivial current events, and occasionally mentioning the 'meteorological event' in New Mexico, but everything was vague.
She turned off the TV and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
The sun was bright, seagulls were soaring, and the waves were sounding.
Everything was as peaceful as usual.
Perhaps Minerva is right.
Protect the life right in front of us, and quietly observe the changes in the World.
Their power might be able to do some things, but they needed even more wisdom to judge when to do them and how to do them.
She felt someone approaching from behind.
Minerva walked to her side, also quietly looking at the sea.
'The plan for the morning is to optimize the humidity control system in the basement; I have already prepared the tools and materials.'
Minerva said.
'Mm, let's do it together.'
Artoria nodded.
'In addition,' Minerva paused, her optical sensors turning to Artoria, 'According to the schedule, this afternoon is your free time for reading and leisure. If you are willing, I can try to learn the 'massage' skill. The database shows that moderate shoulder and neck massage helps to relieve mental stress and muscle fatigue. When shopping yesterday, I purchased relevant tutorials and massage oils.'
Artoria looked at her in surprise, then her heart warmed, and the bit of detachment caused by the 'plot' was dispelled by this tangible care.
'You even...'
'Taking care of your physical and mental health is a core duty.'
Minerva answered calmly, but Artoria seemed to hear a hint of something imperceptible called 'wanting to do more for you' in her steady tone.
'Okay, then I will have to properly evaluate your learning results.'
Artoria smiled and reached out to gently hold Minerva's hand.
Outside the window, the World continued to run along its established, magnificent, and crisis-ridden trajectory.
But on this hidden and protected seaside cliff, time was slow and gentle, filled with the warmth of human life and the peace of being together.
The storm might come, but at least at this moment, the sun was just right, the tea was warm, and the person guarding her was right by her side.
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