Tony patted the girl's little head, then stood up and looked around at his teammates.
"All right, everyone's here except Thor, who's off Earth. I don't even get this good a turnout when I call a meeting."
"It's just a coincidence, Tony," Steve said. "And speaking of meetings, you're the one who's late most often."
"Of course. Tony Stark's time and his genius brain aren't meant to be wasted on useless meetings." Tony defended his double standard without a shred of shame.
Pepper had long since grown accustomed to the childish streak Tony displayed from time to time. She gave a soft hum, smiled warmly, and walked over to Miaomiao. "Hello, Miaomiao. It's lovely to meet you. I'm Pepper Potts. Thank you for the bracelet. It's beautiful and very useful. I love it."
On the wrist Pepper raised was an exquisitely woven bracelet. The cord was made from an unusual material and adorned with pearls and glittering ornaments.
On his last trip to Gotham, Tony had asked Miaomiao to weave it from mermaid silk and pearls, along with her own hair and scales. Wearing it daily could soothe the mind, but most importantly, when danger struck, the spiritual power imbued in it could form a protective barrier capable of blocking one fatal attack. Tony had a men's version himself.
Pepper understood what the bracelet meant. At Tony's insistence, she had kept it on throughout this time, no matter how she changed her outfits.
Apart from Natasha, however, none of the other Avengers had noticed this detail.
"All right, everyone." Tony clapped his hands, drawing their attention back to him. "I assume you've already introduced yourselves, so I'll keep this short. Miaomiao Wayne is my childhood friend's newly adopted little darling. I invited her to spend a few days in New