The Lady Sif (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bornagoddess) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
all_inclusive2014-05-25 07:16 pm
bornagoddess) wrote in all_inclusive2014-05-25 07:16 pm
Entry tags:
Journey Into Mystery
Right. It was time to spend more than roughly two minutes in Asgard for fear of losing the door back to the Nexus. Sif needed supplies, and she needed to come to terms with the fickle nature of the door back without endangering her home by shirking her duties. She would have to go back for a longer time eventually, she knew this. It was all a matter of acceptance.
Having reached a sort of catharsis where Loki was concerned, and having had quite a bit of fun - with him and others; different types of fun, from the most innocuous to the most...interesting - this was as good a time as any to return. Rather than messaging each of her newfound friends Sif had simply left a brief note on the door along the lines of
'It is time for me to spend time at home without fearing I might lose my way back. If I do, please know that I have cherished every moment spent here with you, whoever you are, and I hope to see you again. Lady Sif'
and called it a day. Whoever it was directed at would know it was directed at them, and others might simply shrug and move along. She donned her freshly polished armor as well as her sword and shield and as expected found the door back to Asgard not far from her own room, edged between a door marked 'supplies' and one with a number on it. Inhaling sharply, Sif turned the knob and went inside. Conveniently, the door had changed locations. Whereas before it had been located in the barracks (it was the door to the barracks, for her) now it lead straight into the balcony of her quarters at the palace. Sif looked over her shoulder, and found the door placed neatly on the side wall leading to said balcony, as though it had always been there, as though it belonged.
It was a foolish thing to do, but as the fear of losing her way back still gnawed at her despite coming to terms with the possibility, and as it was now in her private quarters which none had access to, Sif now planned to keep it slightly ajar. Taking long strides into her quarters she found an empty metal wine cup that she put between the door and its threshold, and found that it held quite easily. Satisfied, Sif nodded, turning her back on the door to go about her business.
[Follow Sif into Asgard! It is golden and beautiful this time of year. And all times of year, really.]
Having reached a sort of catharsis where Loki was concerned, and having had quite a bit of fun - with him and others; different types of fun, from the most innocuous to the most...interesting - this was as good a time as any to return. Rather than messaging each of her newfound friends Sif had simply left a brief note on the door along the lines of
'It is time for me to spend time at home without fearing I might lose my way back. If I do, please know that I have cherished every moment spent here with you, whoever you are, and I hope to see you again. Lady Sif'
and called it a day. Whoever it was directed at would know it was directed at them, and others might simply shrug and move along. She donned her freshly polished armor as well as her sword and shield and as expected found the door back to Asgard not far from her own room, edged between a door marked 'supplies' and one with a number on it. Inhaling sharply, Sif turned the knob and went inside. Conveniently, the door had changed locations. Whereas before it had been located in the barracks (it was the door to the barracks, for her) now it lead straight into the balcony of her quarters at the palace. Sif looked over her shoulder, and found the door placed neatly on the side wall leading to said balcony, as though it had always been there, as though it belonged.
It was a foolish thing to do, but as the fear of losing her way back still gnawed at her despite coming to terms with the possibility, and as it was now in her private quarters which none had access to, Sif now planned to keep it slightly ajar. Taking long strides into her quarters she found an empty metal wine cup that she put between the door and its threshold, and found that it held quite easily. Satisfied, Sif nodded, turning her back on the door to go about her business.
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The palace was just as he remembered, golden and fine, and the door he followed from the Nexus led to a balcony in Sif's quarters, a place he had visited many times before. He grinned when he saw the cup wedged in the jamb, cracking the door open.
"As always, you are wiser than I am, Lady Sif. I would have left Mjolnir up against it and been without defense should battle come to me."
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A sheepish grin escaped her as she put her blade back into its scabbard, pulling both it and her shield off her back as she dropped them onto a chair. "As always." Sif agreed, hubris in her voice, as she to make herself a drink worthy of an Asgardian at last. "On the other hand, Mjolnir would prove immovable by wind or malicious intentions - my cup, not so." But he would still find himself unarmed in case of danger, and that tended to be worse than the accidental closing of a door.
"Care for a drink?" She offered, hers already in hand.
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"A drink would be welcomed," Thor said, grinning at her. "I am sorry to have followed you directly but I could not resist the chance to check in and see about my home and my people. I have not had the best luck with doors."
Sometimes, he would pull a door open to Asgard and get Asgard in the midst of war and not this idyllic place.
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She motioned for him to sit, despite knowing he would have anyway should he want to. "You needn't apologize, I am happy to have you here." She said with a smile, savouring the wine with eyes closed after she spoke. "Has the hotel been less forthcoming with showing you home?"
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"It's given me New York on several occasions but I have only been able to come home once, when...during the invasion," he clarified. He did not want to speak too much of what happened then, knowing it meant his mother's death and Jane's illness; since both were well in the hotel, he did not want to dwell on sad things.
"It gives me other realms far more often."
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It was what she was doing now, despite the list of things still left to do in her mind. That could wait; for now Sif was much more interested in savouring the wine, the familiar and comforting surroundings, and the company of a dear, dear friend.
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"I have to thank you for the opportunity," he said, lifting his glass in a toast. "To old friendships."
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"You know you have nothing to thank me for, Thor. Not if I had provided you with a way home intentionally, much less when I haven't." There was not much Sif would not do for Thor, so long as it did not directly endanger Asgard or innocents. And Thor would never ask either from her. Raising her own cup, Sif smiled more widely. "Mat they live as long as we."
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"Still, I must thank you all the same," Thor said, laughing. "I have become humble in my time at the Nexus but not too humble. If I were completely selfless, you would wonder what they did with the real me."
He had always been proud, even when it became a detriment to him and to Asgard, though Thor was learning to balance that now.
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"Would you like to go see your father, or take a stroll through the training grounds with me? I must verify the recruits' progress, the men would enjoy seeing you." Slapping her leg, Sif leaned forward, suddenly remembering something. "And my horse! I must check on my horse."
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"Let us check on the men and the horses. I want to see my father but only after I have had a chance to acclimate myself to being in Asgard once more."
It was a shift, to be sure, to switch from the less formal surroundings of the Nexus and Midgard to Asgard, where he held a position of some authority as a prince and the future king of the realm.
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"Unless you would rather put some form of cloak around yourself to mask your features and everyone but Heimdall will simply think you are my latest conquest." She added, her smile adopting a more mischievous edge. "Your identity would be protected a while longer."
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Thor snorted with laughter. "Hardly. I will just go see him when I am ready. There is no sense in hiding me from our people, not when it has been so long since I have seen them."
It had been entirely too long since he had trained in the halls of his father's house and it had been too long since he had been in a place where he was the norm and not the exception. It felt good to belong.
"Come, let us see what poor skills our recruits must unlearn."
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His remark as they went out the door earned a snort out of Sif. "All of them, I'd wager." Sif prided herself in saying she was only as harsh to the new recruits as the Valkyries had been on her, and they had been harsh, but never mocking (to her face). Later Sif had learned they did not believe in breaking someone's self-worth in order to make them better, as that proved a detriment rather than an incentive in most cases. But then, the Valkyries recruited people who by their very genetic makeup were prone to being mocked and put down for their battle prowess outside their training, at every turn. If you asked her, these (mostly male) recruits needed to be taken down a step or two in some cases. However, Sif always saved her more biting remarks for a more private setting.
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"We should show them how it should be done. There is no warrior more capable than you, Sif, and they should learn by watching you go head to head with me. Are you up to the challenge?"
It had been too long since he had any friendly competition to stir his blood and Thor thought it might do much to lift his mood if he had the thrill of battle flowing through his veins. Hopefully Sif would be happy to oblige him.
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It wasn't that often one saw the heir to the throne and one of his best warriors together in the training grounds, which meant that, when they approached, the recruits' boasting and banter fell to reverent whispering. That also did wonders for her ego, Sif was sorry to admit. "Practice weapons, or do you not mind bleeding a little for my amusement?" She asked her friend.
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"I will always bleed for you, friend," Thor said. There was no point in a practice sword unless you were a green boy and Thor had been far from green for a long time. He had been fighting with live steel almost as long as he could remember.
"Are you planning to go easy on me?"
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His question just made her laugh in earnest. "You know better." She simply replied, rotating the longsword in her hand.
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"I do, but you know I find it difficult to learn," Thor said in response. Fighting Sif would be more of a challenge than he'd had of late and he looked forward to it. She was a formidable and worthy opponent and he would have to be on his toes to keep up with her.
"A little physical reinforcement sometimes becomes necessary."
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"Well, I intend to always be around to dispense it." She said before raising her sword arm as she rushed him.
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Not on purpose, exactly, but in the course of wandering around the hotel as is his wont, he'd found her note alerting him to her intentions, which had been enough to stoke his curiosity, opening the same door as the note and finding a strange new world appearing before him, gleaming and bright and, strangely, like home.
He peers inside, curious as to what he'll find, and when he sees a familiar figure wandering past the slip of open door, Olaf can't help his smile as he knocks lightly. "Do you normally have to ask permission when jumping worlds? Is that the polite thing to do?"
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Relaxing her stance Sif lowered her sword as she exhaled. "I am not sure on jumping worlds, but you should ask permission all the same before stepping into a lady's private quarters." She pulled her shield off her back and set both weapons down on a chair nearby. "Permission granted, by the way."
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In seeing Olaf there Sif was reminded of a promise she had made him while still a man, and this seemed as good a time as any to fulfill it. Having been already of a mind to pour herself some wine Sif made her way over to her drinks cabinet and produced two cups instead of just one for herself. Closing the distance between them she held one of the cups out to him. "Asgardian wine, from the finest vineyards. Drink slowly."
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"I was beginning to think I wouldn't see Asgard in my lifetime," he admits. "I never really thought we'd get there, back home. Anders is gonna be furious," he says, smirking with delight.
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Motioning for him to sit as she did so herself, Sif took a sip of her wine. "I told you I would bring you here, I intended to do so eventually." Sif hardly broke her promises, not unless she was given exterior reason to. "Well, enjoy yourself. But if you are to venture further than my quarters you will need to change into something less conspicuous. And a helmet to better hide your unknown face."
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That's not a story he wants to have.
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Olaf's request for a guide made her laugh. "I was not going to let you run amok through the halls of the palace! Your interference could even bring about the Ragnarök or some-such and I refuse to be responsible for our demise. I merely meant that if you wanted to explore - with me - you would need to disguise yourself as a precaution." Besides, who knew? He might even enjoy dressing as the person he was born to be.
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"Disguise away," he invites. "Who am I going to get to meet, today?"
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"No helmet will be required if we say you are from Vanaheim, but you still require clothes I do not possess." It was a problem, no doubt, but one that would not take too much time to solve. "What I do possess is a cloak one of the Three let me borrow which I never returned. You will wrap it around yourself and we will make for the barracks, where we will find you adequate clothing for under the cloak. And if we meet - or are summoned by - Heimdall, be truthful. He will know if you are not. He has undoubtedly seen you make your way in."
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The cloak part, though, he's more than happy to think about. He'd always thought he'd look good in a cloak.
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Instead of holding it out to Olaf, Sif wrapped the cloak around his shoulders, tying it just above his right breast. "Dear Olaf, there was never a possibility that I would leave your side in your adventure through my home." She clarified. Not that she did not trust him, despite his clear tendency for mischief (those just kept coming her way did they not?), but Sif was more responsible than letting a Midgardian - whatever his true self might be - unaccompanied through Asgard. "Heimdall sees all, therefore knows all. He has seen me return and he has seen you come in. I've been avoiding his summoning simply due to what little time I have spent here since the Nexus - he must not have had time to call on me." She looked up into his eyes. "He does not take kindly to deceit or avoidance. We're alike that way."
Taking a step back, Sif examined her handy work. As expected the cloak did not fully cover his trousers, but it was the best they could do.
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And speaking of not going well, he's grateful that they're here and not his home. He's not sure how he'd cope with Sif learning about the other goddesses. They'd probably manage the takeover of New Zealand they're inevitably planning.
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After putting the clothing back where they had come from Sif took Olaf's drinking cup and went to the drinks cabinet once more, pouring herself and Olaf another drink. "Drinks for courage, then off we go." She said, handing him the full cup.
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"Am I allowed to request to see things during this tour? Maybe Idunn's apples? Some of the famous poetry?"
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Crossing her arms, Sif inhaled deeply, tilting her head in thought. "It is quite the ride to the orchard. In fact 'tis perhaps not a ride, but a travel via the Bifrost, as we would take many days crossing the mountains alone. And there is absolutely no guarantee that Idunn would show you them. And you would have to meet Heimdall if you did not want to cross the mountains. Which...I do not advise." He might be only slightly human, but he was a human nonetheless - or at least his body was. If it was a hardship to ride through those mountains herself, she could not imagine how it might go for Olaf. Shrugging, Sif looked down at Olaf's feet and vowed to procure him some boots, perhaps trousers as well. "The poetry, that can be more easily arranged. Asgard has a sizeable library and we might find declaimers on certain locations around the city as well."
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He inclines his head in deference to her, not really thinking that he would want to meet Heimdall and a journey of that distance exhausts him just to think about, let alone undertake. So maybe there won't be any of Idunn's apples today, but he thinks that might be for the best. "What about you?" he asks, suddenly, thinking that might be a better use of his time here. "What's your favourite place in all of Asgard?"
It also means she's likely to enjoy herself a bit more, too, if she's telling him about the land that he's visiting, rather than acting like a bored tour guide.
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The Valkyries would have a field day with him, and that would be amusing, if Sif did not think they might admonish her in earnest for bringing a Midgardian to Asgard, let alone Valhalla. She was not about to go through that. "I have to check on the trainees and my horse, and you are welcome to join me. After I can show you my favourite places here in the city. The Hall of Heroes, Warrior's Walk, Museum of Weaponry...And there are places that aren't connected to battle, as well. You can learn about your home without leaving the city itself, Olaf. I would be glad to aid you."
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He bows, offering her the respect and the deference that he feels she's owed in a place like this. "You have very evocative names for things," he says, even though they have their own. "Do you have Things here, too?" He might like to sit in on a meeting of clans discussing their own issues, if only to get some ideas as to how they're actually supposed to do their own, seeing as mini-golf probably isn't the right way to go about things. "You know what?" Olaf decides, before she's even answered. "Maybe the best thing is to let you decide. I am in your hands, Lady Sif," he informs her, relinquishing all his control.
He knows that she'll treat him properly and if not, well, going out in Asgard is the most stylish way he thinks he knows.
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Once he said he was in her hands, Sif smirked. "Not for the first time, either." She jested, striding towards the door that lead out to the palace's halls. "We shall take a long stroll, then, and do all I suggested."
The guards by whom they walked bowed slightly, some speaking her name and title, some not. Sif nodded to each and every one, and if she saw curious looks in Olaf's direction she made no indication. Best to not feed that sort of thing in the first place. She leaned in Olaf's direction as they walked. "You are in the Allfather's palace, if that had not been made clear before." It was quite a walk to leave it, but knowing most every way and shortcut, Sif had cut their journey by half.
"We make for the barracks, then the stables. And then, the city." She said with a grin. As they reached the palace grounds Sif could already hear the huffs and grunts of earnest battle training, which only made her grin widen. "If someone challenges you do not respond. Let me handle it." But no one probably would. They knew better than to issue a challenge anywhere near the Lady Sif - because even if it wasn't aimed at her, she would accept it.
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"Trust me, I'm more than capable of stepping back. Generally, the boys went to war. I sat at home and waited for the battle to be over," he says, without shame.
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While Sif acknowledged she had just told Olaf not to engage, some part of her had been expecting resistance - and likewise, had not been expecting the confession that while others went to war he sat at home waiting for the fight to be ended. A grimace made its way to Sif's face and she eyed her new friend sideways, suddenly utterly ashamed of how far they had gone the other night now she knew him to be a lot more craven than he should be, by rights of shape and size not to mention heritage. Sif cleared her throat from the shock, brow furrowed. "Oh, that's...that's fantastic." She eyed him hard. "I mean the opposite, in case it wasn't clear."
Approaching the recruits more closely, Sif suddenly found attentions turning to her person - both because news of Lorelei's apprehension by her hand were still only days fresh and because she came with a friend. A courteous smile was dispensed to all as she crossed her arms. "Still your curiosity and do what is your duty. Today I am here only to watch from the sidelines and discuss with my Vanir friend what a disgrace you all are."
"The Lady Sif, admitting to watching from the sidelines? Are you ill, milady?" The sentence came from a seemingly unbroken recruit who seemed to forget his place. With a chuckle Sif eyed Olaf before approaching the talkative recruit and headbutting him hard enough that he toppled backwards, nose bleeding.
"I simply have no need to prove myself to anybody, much less the likes of you. It is a station you ought to aspire to reach, thought to do so you ought to exercise your arms and legs as much as you do your tongue. You might find it hard."
The usual chorus of jeers and whispers ensued, and after a while the trainer on duty beat his sword against his shield in a way that made steel against steel echo around the courtyard. All went quiet, and Sif returned to Olaf's side as the training returned to its usual pace. "There's always one who knows his place a little later and more forcefully than the others," she sighed.
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Olaf cannot help his chuckle at her comment noting the opposite, and the smile only widens when she makes it potently clear exactly what she means. He watches, with great curiosity and followed by delight when she headbutts the recruit, speaks to them in a tongue that brooks no argument, and he ends up standing a little straighter when she comes back to speak to him. "We just call ours Anders," is his reply, though he leans to the side to look around Sif, eyeing the manner with which they treat her, far more subdued and respectful now of her.
"See, what I do more isn't the physical fighting or any of this," he says. "I'm an oracle, which means I do all the sensing and get the information. I mean, I can brawl," he does admit, "but I'd be out of it fairly quickly. I'm not very good at it."
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"Hmm." Sif blinked in consideration, a small shrug of one shoulder noting she had reached a conclusion. "I suppose that is a commendable effort as well." It had taken her a while to reach the point where she could admit this to be true, realizing eventually that just as some doubted her fitness for her chosen line of work, it was just as wrong to regard with contempt those who didn't. She just wasn't used to a burly, capable-looking, young man - one of Asgardian descent, no less - who did not fight. Of course there was Loki, but he fought, in his way. Sometimes she wondered if he didn't fight harder than the rest of them against certain enemies. Most of his own making. But that was neither here nor there at the moment. "If you were eager to learn, may I remind you you count a warrior among your friends now." She gave him a smile. "But if you weren't, I swear I shall not think less of you for it."
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This is all very hypocritical from him, given Olaf's tendency to vanish into the surf for months at a time (and once, a few years). "I don't mind a good brawl," he admits. "I think they leave me behind because even though I don't look it, I'm an older man to them. Still, if the opportunity presents itself, my right hook isn't half bad."
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With a chuckle, Sif looked Olaf over as if she needed to after becoming well acquainted with him days before. "They sound but children if you're an old man! You haven't the stamina of one either." Well, it was the truth. At the expression 'right hook' Sif narrowed her eyes. "Right...hook..."
Looking down at her hands Sif made them into fists, and then mimicked the movement of a well placed punch. When it dawned on her, she grinned. "Ohhhh. Interesting expression, very good."
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He grins when she realises his meaning. "What do you call it, then?"