(no subject)

[almightythor]

Thor was uncertain, exactly, why his manner of dress seemed to be attracting positive attention of late instead of the usual confusion he was used to experiencing from those not of Asgard. He had long learned that the people of Midgard did not dress in his style and while those comrades-at-arms he knew as the Avengers did not care, the average person had a reaction ranging from laughter to hostility.

But that seemed to have changed. He had spent the morning in New York, enjoying what was certain to be only the start of a slide into autumn and when it began to rain, he had decided to come back to the hotel, yanking open a door that seemed to go into an abandoned building and ending up in the Nexus once more. While in New York, his attire seemed to be amusing to most and while a few told him that "Halloween is in a couple weeks, you're early," or something of that nature, most seemed agreeable.

Thor wasn't sure what Halloween was, exactly, so he hadn't thought much of it until he got a similar comment from the bartender in the hotel. They didn't normally speak much to him other than to say hello and ask what he wanted and he thought the comment strange, especially given New York, so he wondered if anyone could explain it to him. While he was far from shy, he did have some measure of pride and overcoming that pride to ask what seemed a simple question was often a battle within himself. In the end, his desire to know overwhelmed his desire to not look like a fool.

He sought out the library, then, and started looking among the books to see if there was a clue about this Halloween. He assumed it was a festival or holiday of some sort, based on the way it had been used, and he had pulled out a large tome that professed to be a compendium of known holidays around the world. While he wasn't stupid, his talents lay more in the physical and less in the mental and he wished that Jane could just explain it to him instead of him trying to find it in a book. It would take less time and probably be more enjoyable in the end; while he did not always know what she said, he always enjoyed listening to her say it.

He put the book down and put his face in his hands, trying to soothe his wearied eyes.

"If anyone can explain Halloween, I will buy you a round of any drink you desire."

Comments

[malachai]

Since the bookshelf on the island had been pretty much a crapshoot of crappy books that either upended people's lives or gave them nothing interesting to read at all, Nick had avoided it was a portal to Azmodea. Here, however, things were different and he was making good use of the library.

He was just walking in to return his latest when he heard a vaguely familiar voice. Since meeting Bella's doppleganger here, he didn't automatically assume that familiar faces were here from the island, but it did help understanding things quicker.

"Do you mean the current way kids celebrate it with costumes and candy, or the history of All Hallows Eve?" Nick asked without a trace of sarcasm.

[almightythor]

"I want to know why people seem to associate my dress with this celebration," Thor said, slightly less friendly than usual out of sheer confusion. He was unsure why the opinion of the public had seemingly swung in the opposite direction from normal.

"Why is that?"

[malachai]

"Just a guess, but it might have something to do with the cape. Outside of Hallowe'en and conventions that cater to role players, we just don't get a lot of capes these days," Nick said, smiling a little. "You might find one or two sporting them, but chances are, they get the same questions."

[almightythor]

"But they dress like me for this holiday?"

It seemed a strange way to celebrate a holiday but Thor would not question it too closely, not when he got looks of admiration instead of the usual strange stares he garnered when walking around New York. "Asgard dress does not seem to align with that of Midgard."

[malachai]

"Whoa now, don't go getting all full of yourself there," Nick countered with a laugh. "I said capes. I've only ever seen a few that I'd call a complete mimic of what you're wearing. For the most part, it's just taking on a persona other than their own and lets be honest, what you're wearing is pretty bad ass."

His mind was still wheeling around a little, trying to sift through memories. From Wulf, and from the guy that practically decayed in front of his eyes. "You're going to have to help me with Midgard and Asgard, though. I mean, I've heard of them but I'm more familiar with the Greeks than the Norse."

[almightythor]

"We were once called gods on Midgard but few think of us as such any longer," Thor explained.

"I am Thor, son of Odin and rightful heir of Asgard."

[malachai]

"For the most part, humans like to think they're in charge and gods and goddesses don't fit into that mindset very well," Nick nodded in agreement. "For the record, I'm not one of them and my best friend is a Greek goddess." He smiled, just thinking about Artemis.

"It's my honor, Thor," he said with an extended a hand, no surprise on his face over the name. He'd put that much together already. "I'm Nick Gautier and I know someone who would maim, if not kill, to be standing where I am now."

[almightythor]

"Nick, son of Ga...how do you say it, again?" It was a tongue that he was unfamiliar with in his admittedly-limited experience with names on Midgard and he wasn't sure he was equipped to pronounce it correctly.

The idea that someone else had experience with gods and goddesses was comforting, though Thor did not recognize the idea of a Greek one over what he considered himself and the rest of the Asgardians to be.

[malachai]

"How about we keep it at just 'Nick' and leave my father out of it?" Nick's back went rigid and he felt the surge of anger through his body, silvering his eyes. "Gautier," he said, slowing the pronunciation between the syllables so the pronunciation, go-shay, was clearer, "is my mother's name. The demon that sired me is long dead and rotting in a hell realm somewhere."

[trulyoracular]

Generally, Olaf tries to go with the bad feelings he gets. He feels them, he listens to them, and he gets out of there. The trouble is that sometimes he's a bit too stoned to know better. This is one of those times. He sees the man, gets the bolt from above (so to speak) and doesn't move. No. Instead, he stands there and gapes.

"Thor," he says finally, swallowing hard and hoping that this version is potentially less batshit than the ones he generally deals with.

[almightythor]

"Yes?" he asked, turning around to face the man who had come in. He wasn't used to being addressed by name other than by Jane or his brother and this person was new. It wasn't unwelcome, by any means, but unusual.

"Have we met before and I am just suffering a lapse in memory?"

[trulyoracular]

Well, he's definitely more attractive than the last Thor that Olaf had run into. His quick reply makes it seem even more likely that Olaf truly has run into another version, but the accent doesn't exactly scream Hawke's Bay to him. "No, we haven't met," Olaf says, but he's grinning. "Sometimes, I know things," he explains with a helpful hand gesture.

[almightythor]

"That is not a power I normally associate with humans," Thor said, slightly cautious. Still, it was his instinct to trust rather than be suspicious and he felt like this man meant him no harm. His judgment had served him well in the Nexus so far.

"How did you come about it?"

[trulyoracular]

"It was a twenty-first birthday present," Olaf says. He's always liked the freeing knowledge that when you're around other gods, there isn't rule number one lying above your neck like a big threat. No, it's all 'which god are you' and 'what does that mean' and 'how much weed do you think we can smoke before we go blind'. You know, normal stuff.

[almightythor]

"Some present. I have never had such gifts. Mine tend to be strength," he said, hefting Mjolnir a little to illustrate the point.

"A relic of my father's house. I lost possession of it for a while but now I intend to keep it for good. No other can lift it and I cannot if I am not worthy."

[trulyoracular]

"Mjolnir," Olaf muses with awe, eyeing the hammer with more reverence than the last one of those he saw. "I knew a few who could lift it, but admittedly, they were all Thors, too. And most of them weren't so sane about using it."

[almightythor]

"From conversations I've had, it seems that I am not always a nice person," Thor said, laughing warmly.

"I assure you that I do not intend to use it to bring harm."

[separateworlds]

From experience, Jane understood that Thor was far more intelligent than his hunky outward appearance might make him seem. There was no denying that physicality was his forte, but he could also be reflective, deeply thoughtful and surprisingly patient—He never got tired of answering her endless questions about Asgard and the Bifrost. Even so, seeing him reading any book was a rarity. Jane tucked her own notebook into the crook of her arm and smiled as she stepped over to Thor's chair.

"At this point, it's a pretty silly holiday," she answered, and lifted the book from his hands with a quiet oof. The thing felt like it weighed a ton. "People dress up in costumes, mostly kids," she absently continued as she flipped through random pages. "It used to be about honoring the dead, but now it's not really about anything at all. Except for candy."

[almightythor]

"Do people dress in the Asgard style, then?"

While he might not normally admit to not knowing something for fear of embarrassing himself, Jane was a different case. She was someone who complimented him in every way - intellectual where he was physical, small where he was large. He could not help but flash her a smile because in spite of the annoyance of not understanding something, he was happy to listen to her explanation of it.

[separateworlds]

"Some do, yeah," Jane replied, and when she glanced up to see his smile, she instinctively mirrored it with her own. "Technically, people are more likely to dress like Vikings than how you and your friends dress. I don't know if that counts or not. I bet tons of kids will be dressing like Thor this year, though," she added with a coy tug on his lapel.

[almightythor]

"Because of New York," Thor asked, smiling a little. While he did not aid the others solely to seek fame and fortune but he could not deny that it felt nice to be admired by the people of Midgard, especially the children.

"I do not seek fame intentionally like Stark does," he pointed out, "But I am not against it."

[separateworlds]

"Because of New York," Jane agreed, and while a shadow passed over her expression, it was brief and quickly pushed out by a fond smile.

"It would probably be nice to step out the door with my— friend and not be swamped by reporters and fans, but yeah," she said, tucking a bit of hair behind one ear, "I'm not against it, either."

It was amazing what having a famous friend had done for her career, what doors had been opened. Five years ago she might have been bitter about that, but now she was just grateful to finally be taken seriously.

[almightythor]

"Friend?" They had not clarified exactly what they were to one another and while Thor certainly considered Jane his friend, he considered her a good deal more than that and was not sure this was the terminology he would have used in this instance.

"I will try to keep the more persistent fans of my glory away. I have found that adoration leads to arrogance I never want to become the arrogant man I was before I met you."

[separateworlds]

"You were still a little arrogant when you met me, Mighty Thor," Jane reminded him with a smile. "But you've come a long way. I'm proud of you," she added with a slight duck of her head, and hefted the big book onto a side table.

"They're supposed to be having a Halloween party of some kind here at the end of the month. We should go, you could find out firsthand what the holiday's all about," she said, hastily shifting the subject.

[almightythor]

"I would love to go," Thor said. He noticed the change in subject but decided that if Jane did not want to follow up on his question, he could not force her to do so. It would come in its own time, or not at all, and he would just have to remain patient.

"Do I just go as myself, then? I hear that's an option that many are taking this year."