all_inclusive | Gathering: Summer Party

Gathering: Summer Party

Outside of the Nexus Hotel, waiters and hotel staff had begun to set up the umbrellas and the tables in the middle of the day. Soon, it became clear that something was happening in the shadow of the Nexus. White tablecloths were draped on the tables and drinks and food were brought out with the help of several waiters and servers, staffing tables with hot and cold foods beside bartending stations. Summery drinks in bright, neon colors are laid out one by one and soon, the afternoon light casts a radiant look on the scene.

Music plays faintly in the background and a note at the front desk invites all the Nexus guests to head outside and join in on the summer party, which promises to continue going as long as there are people to stay and continue keeping the warm atmosphere rolling.

On the lawn, social games had been set out -- lawn bowling, croquet, and tables were set up with chairs for anyone who didn't quite have the will or the spirit to get into such games. Soon, a small number of people had begun to mill around, but as with all parties, there's always room for more.

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Relaxing in the sun was definitely not his usual past time, as could be guessed from his rather pale skin tone, but he was as susceptible to the heat as most others were. Especially when he was feeling so downtrodden. In fact, his mother almost succeeded in sneaking up on him; he realized about a second before her hand touched his forehead. He'd allowed his eyes to close; he probably should have gone with sunglasses, but he found them to be somewhat odd contraptions and needed more convincing.

"The days are long, Mother," Loki agreed; refuting her, after all, wouldn't get him anywhere, he'd figured out. Frigga did not say things just for the sake of having something to say, after all. He sat up, but didn't rise to greet her; not out of disrespect, but that he felt from her posture that she was comfortable at the moment to just stand at his shoulder.

He looked up at her. Her usual queenly raiment was gone - he was unused to seeing her out of impressive gowns, with or without armour - but she was radiant as always. He had a feeling Frigga could look like a queen in peasants' garb, though. "What is that you're drinking?" He asked, with an almost teasing smile.

The party had provided a odd sort of draw to Natasha, feeding into her need to be at least somewhat sociable without having to actively seek anyone out for a human connection. It was the sort of mood that would've sent her out to a club or a bar had she be at home and by herself, but in the Nexus there was rarely ever need for such legwork. She'd moved through the party mostly unseen, she had to suppose, though when she'd caught sight of Loki she'd come to a stop and had briefly considered before starting to make her way to him.

He looked tired and haggard, much like he had when she'd found him in the hallway a few weeks ago, and that made Natasha believe there was business to be discussed between them. She slowed when Loki was approached by another woman but did not stop, watching with a sort of bewildered curiosity as the woman ran her hand over his head in what was an obviously familiar and fond gesture. It wasn't as though Natasha was unaware that there were certain merits to Loki, she had becoming increasingly aware of said merits' existence though the course of a few months, but it was strange to see someone so comfortable and obviously fond of Loki. That the woman had an obviously regal bearing made Natasha curious as to who she might be.

She continued forward, a smile forming as she stepped in front of Loki and the woman he spoke to. "Hello, Loki," she said, then gave a deferential nod to the woman he was with. "Hello."

"I'm not entirely sure," Frigga answered with an amused smile when Loki made reference to the drink that she was holding in one hand. It was certainly much sweeter than anything she was accustomed to drinking. The taste of it wasn't unpleasant, but certainly something she wasn't used to. It seemed to fit well with the warm sunshine of the day, however.

Frigga looked toward the young woman who approached. Frigga didn't know who she was, but then, she had met plenty of people so far who were acquainted with her sons and whom Frigga didn't know. As far as she could tell, they were all Midgardians, and this girl didn't appear to be any different.

"Hello," Frigga answered, greeting her warmly as she waited for Loki to make proper introductions.

It certainly didn't look like anything he had ever seen his mother drink before, of course, but he supposed Frigga would be more than welcoming of trying different things, which was more or less the biggest diversion of the hotel, wasn't it? Still, before he could ask her how she took to it, the rather small, familiar outline of Natasha was converging upon them.

For a moment he was struck by the strangeness of it, even though they were all in the hotel, and meetings were bound to take place in some form or another. Still, his compartmentalization of his acquaintances and companions, and the fact that he held his mother in higher esteem, gave him the subconscious belief that they weren't in the same place. Which, of course, was simply not true. Well, Sif had met Natasha, and apparently it was Frigga's turn, seeing as how both women did not have a stitch of recognition on their faces when looking to one another.

This time Loki did get to his feet, and swiftly, as manners demanded. "Hello, Natasha," he said, cordially, far warmer than the last time they met, though whether he was putting on a front or was genuinely happy even he couldn't figure out. "This is Natasha Romanoff," he said, with a graceful motion of his hand to his mother. "Lady Natasha, this is Frigga, Queen of Asgard."

Natasha watched Loki hurry to his feet in a display of gentlemanly manners, and while she might’ve told him not to bother had they been alone – he looked far too exhausted to bother with such trifles – she thought that perhaps this show was at least partially for the woman beside him. When introductions were made and Natasha came to the full understanding of whom she was looking at, she did not start or show her surprise, but she was quite shocked to learn the mother of Thor and Loki was in the Nexus. Both Thor and Loki had become separate entities to her, and while she would’ve assumed that basic biology might’ve meant they had parents, she’d certainly never expected to meet one of them.

“Queen Frigga,” Natasha said, putting hand over her heart and giving a slight bow of her head, unsure if this was the sort of situation that called for a curtsy or something of that nature, but wanting to show her respect nonetheless. Natasha was no resident of Asgard, but she considered Thor a friend, or a respected co-worker of sorts at the very least, to say nothing of her new acquaintanceship with Loki. That Frigga was warm and welcoming in addition to being an obvious force of reckoning made Natasha’s smile form fully and unexpectedly honest on her face. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

"Lady Natasha," Frigga echoed warmly as soon as Loki was done with his introductions. "It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Quietly, Frigga wondered if Loki knew this women from outside the hotel or if she was someone whom he met inside it. It was difficult to tell as she had certainly met some people who knew her sons from before their arrival at the hotel. It seemed as if there were a high concentration of individuals from their world and time, but as to why that was, Frigga wasn't certain.

"You're from Midgard, my dear?" Frigga inquired, closing the distance between them so she could rest a gentle hand on top of Natasha's.

Asgardians didn't tend to title themselves the way those in other worlds did; as such, the phrase 'Queen Frigga' was a strange one to his ears. Their names always seemed to stand alone, and their titles were more like positions. He didn't think he had ever been referred to as 'Prince Loki' in his life. Still, he did not point that out. There was no room in the conversation to make that remark politely, and if there was one thing he had learned thus far, it was that he definitely could not get away with being impolite in front of Frigga here. Not unless he wanted to upset her; and just then it served him more to have her on his side, which was tentative at best these days.

Hopefully, Natasha would keep to her secretive, catlike ways, and keep her mouth shut on that front. He didn't think he had to worry, but he was ever wary, in case she decided to pull something on him.

"Shall I get you a drink, Natasha?" he asked, with a bit of a teasing smile, suggesting he was surprised that she didn't have one of her own already. Was she culling her earthly pleasures to keep her senses sharp, now that he had found the Tesseract, or was she just cutting back on the indulgences? Or, more likely, she'd simply just downed her latest one.

Natasha was no longer a savage, nor was she a machine. She had been shown warmth in a way she understood to be honest, had learned to project warmth at others in a way that was equally meant, and still the earnest welcoming and warmth that Loki’s mother radiated was almost a shock to her system. Perhaps it was because Natasha came from a world where no one moved to touch her without express invitation, where blatant displays of affection between herself and even her best of friends were sparse and, at most times, aloof at best. Frigga taking her hand was unexpected, but not off-putting. Natasha found herself squeezing it in greeting, and smiling up into an ethereally beautiful and motherly face.

“I am,” she told Frigga. “I have worked with your son Thor when he’s paid visit to my world, but I’ve gotten to know Loki more while here at the Nexus.” She turned her gaze to Loki then, meeting his eyes and his smile and his offer of a drink with a slight tip of her head. She had just met Frigga, but Natasha was not one for gossip nor was she the sort to tell a mother what a monster her son could be at an otherwise civilized gathering. She would be making no mention of what she knew just yet. “A drink would be perfect, Loki. Thank you.”

Ah. A friend who knew both Loki and Thor. She knew that such people had to be small in number, and that it was likely, even know, that this young woman was more a friend of Thor's than Loki's -- and yet, that was still certainly intriguing. There were few people that both of her sons saw fit companions. She reappraised the young woman standing in front of her -- there were certainly some parallels to Sif, especially in the way she held herself, but there was something that was also more quiet about her. Something more aloof. Something more like Loki.

"I hope they have both been gentlemen to you," Frigga answered, maintaining her warm smile.

She turned her attention momentarily to Loki when Natasha accepted his offer of a drink, her approval obvious.

"Are you also acquainted with Captain Rogers then?" Frigga asked. Her knowledge of Thor's time on Midgard was still limited, but she knew that Steve Rogers had also been among her son's companions during his time there.

Loki heard his mother reference her hope that he was a gentleman, but he didn't stick around to hear anything more than that. He was not nervous about leaving Natasha alone with his mother - on the contrary, if she were to be as careful and pleasant as he knew she could be, her speaking with his mother for an extended period would do well in swaying some of Frigga's concern for him. He wanted his mother's love - not her eagle's eye. A distraction from him would suit him well.

He returned with a very stiff vodka concoction, which he handed to Natasha, before picking up his own that he had left balanced on the arm of his chair. He would prefer to sit, truly - he was bone weary - but now that he was up, he would not sit again until his mother, or Natasha, chose to do so. He did not let any of his show on his face, of course, as he stood next to Frigga.

"They have," Natasha said, and for the most part it was true. Loki's behavior with her in New York couldn't be referred to as 'gentlemanly' by even those most ignorant of manners, but this Loki was different than that Loki, wasn't he? Or, he was thus far. Either way, Natasha was attempting to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being, and even if she wasn't, his name-calling was something to be taken up between herself and Loki in private, not with his mother.

"Captain Rogers and I are very good friends," she continued, smiling and extending a hand to accept the drink Loki brought her with a nod of gratitude. She lifted it to her mouth and could smell the vodka before she took a sip, which burned only slightly. She found it interesting that Steve had already met Frigga, but then she didn't exactly have to strain her imagination to know how that meeting would've gone. Steve was the sort of guy that mothers loved, after all.

"Shall we have a seat?" She asked Frigga and Loki, gesturing to the cluster of chairs that Loki had been sitting in before Natasha had approached. "I have heard that Thor is also at the hotel, but I've yet to see him for myself. I trust he and Jane are doing well?"

"I am pleased to hear it," Frigga answered warmly. She also sincerely hoped that it was the truth and not just something that was being said for the sake of politeness. If anything, she knew that Loki ran a little shy while Thor ran overfriendly.

"I hope to see the captain again soon," Frigga commented. In truth, she wasn't even sure if she would recognize him -- as he'd been stuck in the body of a woman when Frigga had met him.

Frigga nodded at Natasha's question and sank down into one of the seats, although she didn't lean back into it.

"You'll both have to tell me what you know about this Jane," Frigga said, her tone almost teasing. "As Thor has been surprisingly quiet on the matter this far."

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Gathering: Summer Party

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