nexus_crossings | +1 King of Asgard

+1 King of Asgard

Thor really should have no right to be as cheery as he is right now. Mjolnir destroyed, his father dead, his eye ruined, Asgard exploded, the last of his people crammed together onto a single spaceship on their way to seek aslyum on Midgard, one cannot really say they've been having a good day, to put it mildly.

But it could be worse.

It's taken him years to fully understand what it means to sit on the throne of Asgard, and now that kingship falls to him at last, the lack of that throne doesn't bother him at all. Asgard isn't a place to rule, it's a people to guide. And even if they couldn't save all of them, those who remain are precious to him. A new start awaits them all on Earth.

Or so he hopes.

Thor strides down the corridor of the Statesman, cape billowing behind him as he navigates his way towards the bridge. Hmm. Or was it this way? It's so easy to get turned around in this blasted thing. But ah, the sound of a multitude of voices; surely this is the way.

It takes him a moment to realize that he's no longer surrounded by Asgardians, or even Korg's crew. No, the people here are of all shapes and sizes, and the sky above him suddenly opens up, wide and blue. Not on a spaceship anymore. How very strange to find himself suddenly transported across the galaxy - again - without so much as being shot through the Bifrost. His attention is caught by a familiar voice, and despite his confusion, a delighted grin lights upon his countenance to see his good friend Rogers giving prerecorded messages in his battle regalia.

Perhaps this is Midgard, then? But no, the more he listens, the more he understands. A place between the worlds, hmm. A place to seek counsel, and befriend countless warriors from across the universe. Thor crosses his arms over his chest, and contemplates what question he should ask. Something somewhat relevant to his current situation, perhaps. "If you were put in a position of power, what would you first command?"

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That's a weighty question indeed. Blaze halts her patrol and folds her arms, giving it due attention even while her golden optics flick over the newcomer. It's a question of philosophy, of responsibility, of practicality. One that speaks to who a person truly is and what example they would set. Accordingly, the mechanical warrior gives it a long minute of careful and judicious contemplation before she decides:

"'Charge.'"

The tiny robot floating at her side spins as he looks up at her, as if he's about to speak. On reflection, however, he can't actually dispute that answer.

Charging into the thick of battle, he assumes. It's certainly a familiar sentiment, one that Thor has used many, many times in all his centuries. Not always the best strategy, of course, and he's learning from necessity how to wield subtler weapons than using a hammer to solve everything.

He gives her a once-over with his good eye, taking note of the armor, the scuffs and dents that come with actual use. No mere ceremonial guard, this one. She's seen battle, and more than once. "I take it your enemy is well-known to you, then."

As it happens, Blaze is headed in something of the opposite direction these days. Well, she's been told she only gets the hammer if she learns to act a little wiser, but how that pans out in practice remains to be seen.

It's a natural, easy sound when she chuckles, despite the faintly synthetic quality to her voice. "We have a whole set, and they're all equally hard to miss. Almost their best quality, if you ask me. Plus, if I'm giving orders it's probably because everything's on fire and nobody else knows what the hell to do. It's usually not hard to figure out who you've got to hit, at that point."

That gets a chuckle out of him. "Would that all situations were so straightforward. Though if it would come to that, then I hope you never find yourself in that position." Thor knows all too well how it feels to come to the end of the line, with no other way than to burn what remains. Not recommended.

"Who do you fight?"

"It's happened." Blaze shrugs her armored shoulders. She's been there probably more times than she can remember any more. But the instances she does recall, well, she's really not going to disagree with him. Those battles always seem to be her least favorite kinds.

"Heh, anything that threatens humanity. Or harms innocents in general. We're not picky. Back home that's mostly alien pirates, robot hive minds, undead sorcery," she's ticking them off on her fingers as she goes, "oh, and there's an army of this big high-gravity troopers from some kind of space rhino empire."

She gives a synthesized snort, well aware of what a mess her home system is, and how weird her job can be if you think about it. "Once in a while we kill some evil god or other. You know, just to mix it up."

Oh yes, very familiar list, as it turns out. Thor nods along, an amused grin playing on his lips. Though he can't help but be intrigued by the space rhinos. Kind of an outlier.

The last part, however, has his full attention. "It seems we fight many of the same foes. Evil gods included." Unlike with Loki, Thor has no problem seeing his sister for the unbridled violence that she was. If there was any good in Hela, he never saw it for an instant. That she mentions humanity means she's from Earth, by trade if not origin. "Are you an Avenger?" It's been several years since he's been on Earth; there's no telling what the roster looks like now.

"An Avenger?" She blinks, a quick shutter of her optics while her Ghost spins with surprise. "As in Steve Rogers's team?" The Exo laughs, flattered but shaking her head. "That'd be an honor, but no. I'm a Guardian. Same line of work, very different history. Rogers is a good friend though, and we've met a couple of other Avengers." Ex-Avengers? Look, she's not going to split hairs, in her experience she likes exactly all of them. Whatever the politics, they're good people and they've earned their title.

Besides. The cogs are turning. This guy had their interest the moment he mentioned they liked fighting the same types of enemy, and now both bots are peering at him with open curiosity.

"Sooo..." Ghost ventures, curiosity luring him into speaking up for the first time before his Guardian beats him to the draw, "if you're from the same universe as Steve... who does that make you?"

“The very same,” he confirms, a fond smile on his lips. Whether it’s because of the looping announcement still playing on the Plaza screen or Rogers just gets around that much, her familiarity with him is still a good sign to Thor. Even if she’s not part of the team, she seems worth knowing.

His eye flicks to the floating robot, only slightly surprised that it too speaks. He’d been wondering how aware the little bot is, whether it (he?) is some kind of construct like JARVIS was, or some other lifeform he hasn’t met before. No less real to him than the armored warrior, of course, and he sketches a brief, polite bow to them both. “I am Thor Odinson, king of Asgard, and one of the first to join the Avengers. Steve Rogers is a good friend of mine, too.”

Oh, dear Traveler above. Really?

Ghost's little blue optic has gone wide. Blaze jerks back a little, optics bright and startled before her hand snaps up in a salute. This is awesome. If she could grin she'd be looking so very goofy right now; lucky for her serious Guardian dignity Exos don't have that kind of expressiveness.

"Whoa- I. Uh." Exo voices, on the other hand... "Blaze-37, of the Last City on Earth. And this is my Ghost. It's a real honor to meet you- I mean, Steve's told us some incredible stories about you but also, y'know, you're kind of really popular back where we're from. Uh. Anyway, it's good to have you here."

There. Cool as a Europan winter.

Last City on Earth? Thor has a momentary stab of alarm that he's missed way, way too much over the short two years he's been gone before common sense catches back up with him. Different universes, right. Still not exactly great news that her planet has fallen so far, but better than finding out Fimbulvetr came to Midgard in his absence and he missed the whole thing.

His smile is quick to return, once that sets in, and he hears the excitement in her voice. Thor's no stranger to celebrity, and he makes an effort to have time for his fans. Public relations and all that. "It's good to meet you too, Blaze-37, and Ghost." No titles, okay, he can work with that. "So they still tell stories of me, hmm? The good ones, I hope."

'Guardian' or perhaps 'Titan' is as much title as most of them get, especially when they're as young in their new life as Blaze is. Ranks aren't as much of a thing as they used to be. Reputations, in contrast, mean a lot.

"Sure! Who doesn't love a good tale about fighting things bigger than you are? It's good inspiration. Always been partial to the one about you fishing up Jörmungandr, personally. Is, uh. Did something like that actually happen, in your universe? Probably didn't in ours but these days I kinda wonder."

If you'd told her earlier lives there were such things as space gods and sorcery and wish-granting dragons, she doubts any of them would have believed it. But that's the world she woke up to.

During his more recent visits to Earth, Thor's learned a bit more about what humans have remembered - or misremembered - about the gods who walked their planet in centuries past, and while he's still not familiar with every exaggerated tall tale in their libraries, he's heard of this one. "Oh, absolutely. Though it wasn't on Earth, and it wasn't quite a serpent big enough to swallow a realm," he says with a chuckle. "It did nearly swamp the boat, though. In hindsight, I'm sure Hymir thought we'd sink if he didn't cut it loose, but at the time I thought he was just afraid he'd lose the bet."

It's a whole other universe and it was probably pure myth on her Earth, but damn if that doesn't make the Exo way too happy. Even if she is slightly disappointed the monster catch wasn't entirely as advertised.

"Sounds like we need to find a bigger serpent," she says cheerfully. Joking. Maybe.

"...And a bigger boat?"

"Sure, if you want." She answers her Ghost offhandedly, attention still on Thor. "I guess being a king doesn't give you a whole lot of time for fishing trips, though. That's new, right?" Steve called him a prince before.

Edited 2018-10-09 21:02 (UTC)

He chuckles gamely. “If you could find one that large, I’d be willing to give it a try.” He’s only half joking, but world-sized sea serpents are probably rare enough that he won’t have to go through with it. But what a story that would make... ah well. He’s supposed to be wise and responsible these days anyway.

“That’s right,” Thor confirms, a slightly more serious look in his eye, though he’s still smiling. “My... coronation was yesterday, such as it was. We had to improvise a little.” An eyepatch for a crown, a captain’s chair for a throne, his honor guard made of commoners and children... not how he’d imagined it in his youth. But Thor regrets nothing of its reality, just glad that he was able to save as many as he did, and that they follow him. “The past week or so’s been very busy.”

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+1 King of Asgard

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