John's life became simpler.
The black and white owls perched on the Manor's second floor, their necks tucked down in the study. From behind, they looked like balls.
Riddle often flew out. Sometimes, he would appear somewhere high above the city, looking down over it.
Basil was more straightforward and aggressive: he beat up any owls that crossed his territory.
Occasionally, dogs out for a walk also fell victim to him.
Tom now had an amusing new job.
He followed Martha around, making the dog-fearing girl wish she had an extra pair of legs.
Martha's ability was not as bad as they had imagined.
Her control over blood allowed her to speed up her circulation, improving her physical performance.
She could also instantly make the blood inside her body better at absorbing blows.
Now, she slit her palm and formed a web of blood in front of her, trying to stop Tom as he ran toward her with his tongue hanging out.
The web she formed was tough enough to suspend three adults.
But Tom opened his mouth wide, his sharp teeth tearing the blood apart as easily as biting through marshmallow.
"Why are his teeth so sharp?!"
Martha wailed and kept running.
After several more attempts, she collapsed from blood loss.
John checked the time and raised an eyebrow. "A little better than last time. You lasted sixteen minutes."
With Tom licking her head, Martha weakly gave him a thumbs-up.
Vines burst out of the ground, wrapped her up, and carried her back to the Manor.
His phone vibrated. John glanced at it and saw a message from Natasha.
More than three months had passed since S.H.I.E.L.D. disbanded.
Some of its people had left, while others had found new organizations to work for.
After all, the Avengers still had