+1 King of Asgard

[pirateangelbaby]

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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[pirateangelbaby]

Thor listens in silence, letting Steve talk his way through an even longer story than his own, the events of which are nearly as devastating. He's never really fully grasped the nuances of Earth politics, with all their hundreds of squabbling countries and territories, but he knows enough to follow the tale.

His brow might be permanently furrowed by the time the story winds to a close, a little stunned at how much he's missed in such a short time, and deeply concerned for all parties involved. Though as Rogers is the one currently sharing a table with him, he's the target of most of that concern, at the moment. "Is it? Does Hydra share none of the blame, or Zemo? Or Stark?" Not that he'd call Rogers blameless in all this, but it seems extremely unfair to place all of it on his shoulders, especially if he was being manipulated along the way. Even with only one side of the story to go on, none of Steve's choices strike Thor as being outstandingly unreasonable, especially given the circumstances.

[shieldborne]

Steve's gaze is intent, searching as he winds down, trying to anticipate Thor's response before it comes out. When it does, some of the tension in his shoulders unwinds, visibly. None of the Avengers are flawless, and while he may not say so, Steve has pretty strong feelings toward all of his team members, but out of the lot of them, Thor is probably the one whose respect he desires most. He'd hate to have lost it.

"I don't know," he says after a moment to think it over, with complete sincerity. "I was supposed to be the leader. Feels bad to have led them wrong. And I think Nat and Sam have decided I'm emotionally compromised."

"I'm not saying it's easy. I feel pretty lost sometimes, but..." But what?

"I'm still standing, I guess. Yeah, I'm happy to put the blame on HYDRA, and Zemo...I have to give him credit for knowing his enemies and coming up with a good plan. I'm not sure I can blame Tony, though. People have a breaking point. He's always walked the line right next to his, and never let anyone else try to help get the demons off his back."

That seems like mixing metaphors, and also Steve could very easily be talking about himself right now. "I just hope he's okay. He won't talk to me. If you see him, keep an eye on him, will you?"

"And I hope...I hope you'll like Bucky. He's a good man, and he's suffered more than any one human being ought to." For which Steve also blames himself, coincidentally, but Thor is not his psychotherapist and he's not about to bring it up.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor has never really understood why emotional involvement in a situation is supposed to be a bad thing. He's never met a single person who serves a cause faithfully because they don't care, and while he certainly acknowledges that there's a point where you've gone too far, a passionless leader is a poor choice.

Human culture is so alien sometimes.

At least now he has the good fortune to be forewarned what his people will be flying into, once they arrive at Earth. Midgardian decision-making can be incredibly rapid, and months to think it over is a valuable headstart on tackling the problem.

The promise to watch over Stark, should the opportunity present itself, is an easy one to make. "I will," he vows, and makes a mental note to mention it to Heimdall when he's back aboard the Statesman. It's probably not what Rogers meant, but it's the next best thing, until he can meet his teammate in person and follow through.

Thor's heard a little of Bucky Barnes, after the fall of SHIELD, when all the Avengers were asked to watch for signs of the Winter Soldier. Not much of the man behind the mask, however, aside from brief anecdotes of happier times from youth. "I look forward to meeting him, someday. He is...?" The word 'well' seems ill-fitting at best, and Thor pauses a moment while he grasps for a better one. "He is safe?"

[shieldborne]

There is a line between caring and feeling, in Steve's mind, but then he's a semi-repressed guy from the 1940's, so how he thinks of emotion in general probably doesn't match how Thor does, or even how men and women born to the modern era do. He always cares. Soldiers are supposed to care; for their duty, for their comrades-in-arms, for the civilians they protect. But they're not supposed to cry, metaphorically speaking. They're not supposed to allow their caring to turn back and injure them.

It's hard for him. He's been a pretty passionate little sonovabitch since long before the serum.

In any case, Thor can't wipe away Steve's guilt and worries with one conversation, nor is he expected to, but what he has done is said more or less what the man needed to hear. He seems to be relaxing a little, and he lights up in a real smile when he says he looks forward to meeting Bucky. He thinks...he thinks they'll get along well. Bucky is still on the reserved side, and not perfectly comfortable with the strangeness that is acquaintance with gods and aliens, but there's something immensely reassuring about Thor's upbeat extroversion. Might be a perfect foil, for a man who's spent decades in his own personal hell without even being granted enough freedom of mind to be aware of it.

His smile fades again as he considers the question, but he nods. "He's recovering. In Wakanda. Their science is...it's mind-blowing. I mean, I know I'm biased, since I'm on the old-fashioned side, but I'd bet money even Bruce would be impressed with what they can do. They're good people. I'll give King T'Challa a heads-up about your ship headed our way. If you can make a landing there, with his blessing, you probably should."

[pirateangelbaby]

Seeing his friend relax puts Thor at ease too, and puts a small smile back on his face. A pain shared is a pain halved, and he's in good company with the captain, despite the unpleasantness that got them both here.

He nods at the suggestion. "As long as we have permission and they have the space, absolutely. The Statesman is only a little bigger than a helicarrier." Thor hasn't had much time to really reflect on the implications that come with being on the throne, but he has decided one thing: under his rule, Asgard will not repeat the imperialistic mistakes of his forefathers. Midgard may be one of the realms under his protection, but they're not his subjects; Asgard has been absent long enough that he has no right to impose on their territory without so much as asking first.

He can't help but be intrigued about the mention of Wakandan technology, though. "Mind-blowing, you say," he says, leaning forward a little in interest. Sure, most Earth tech he's seen has been downright primitive by Asgardian standards, but they've also advanced in leaps and bounds in only a few short years, too.

[shieldborne]

Thor might find himself getting a hug at this rate. Now the worst of his confessions are out of the way; there are details that make it all uglier, like that moment where Tony clearly expected him to smash his head in with the edge of the Shield (and Steve can't honestly say it wasn't a possibility, but it wasn't his immediate intention), but the basic 'I fucked up' has been met with forgiveness and 'apparently a lot of people did'. So that's good. A relief.

It almost feels like the camaraderie of old times all of a sudden, and Steve needed that more than he knew.

"I'll...well, there's no way to be sure we come from the same world, but I'll clear it on my end and give you some maps and information so you can at least contact Wakanda when you get close." Yeah, the rest of the planet will be frightened, most likely, but it's a better solution than landing in North America or Europe and immediately running afoul of the Accords.

"I haven't seen the half of it," he admits, regarding technology. "They're very cautious about outsiders, and honestly I wouldn't understand all the details, but they have a lot more Vibranium at their disposal than they let the rest of the world know. Which was smart of them, if I'm being honest. And they know how to use it for everything from medical technology to transport to weapons to electronic communications."

"I think you'll like the king. He's new to the position, but he has a hell of a solid moral center. He's a good man."

[pirateangelbaby]

Ah yes, that pesky little multiverse problem. It's easy to forget, when he's speaking with someone who looks and acts exactly like the Steve Rogers he knows, and might very well be. How do you tell the universes apart if they're all but identical, anyway? Well, no matter. If they really are from different universes, both Thors will theoretically benefit from the exchange anyway, if not as much as just one of them would.

"I'd appreciate that. Maybe it's a good thing this trip is going to take a while; it'll give both sides time to get used to the idea first." Not every Asgardian is going to take their uprooting as well as Thor has, once the shock wears off. And then there's Loki, who rightfully doubts his welcome on Earth even without knowing about these Accords.

Well. More time to think on that first is definitely a blessing, then. It's going to be a diplomatic nightmare from all sorts of angles.

Thor's definitely making mental notes to learn more about vibranium, his experience with the material somewhat limited, at least in terms of how Earth's chosen to use it. An advanced society, mostly closed to outsiders, with a brand new king... sounds familiar. "We may have a lot in common then. Though I do hope his siblings are less power-hungry than mine," he adds, because Thor would not wish royal power struggles on anyone.

[shieldborne]

Steve doesn't consider quantum mechanics too closely; he has the base intelligence for it, probably, but not the bent of personality required to pick through all the implication without losing his mind. Still, it's occurred to him that any encounter in the Nexus might have a ripple effect across any number of adjacent worlds. Maybe the fact that he and Thor are talking about this could indirectly help other Thors and Steves they'll never know about.

Or not. But he doubts they're hurting anyone.

"Well, I mean it about pizza delivery. If your people need something--food, water, medicine, clothes--I'll make it happen."

Steve gives a half-grimace, half-chuckle at Thor's joke. "I wasn't gonna be the one to say it. There was some trouble with the king's cousin, but that's...a long story, and he handled it. I wasn't even in the country at the time, but that's probably just as well. I don't think he'd have wanted my help."

"He does have a little sister. Cute as a button, but I think she might hit me if she heard me say that." Or maybe she'd just laugh; Steve says it like an old person complimenting a friend's grandchild.

"She's also a genius and she's basically given Bucky a new lease on life, so I'm...real grateful." Which is a tremendous understatement. He doesn't know what they'd have done without Shuri's help.