Gathering: Summer Party

[concierge]

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.

Comments

[the_allmother]

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.

[thelostprince]

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.

[regimes_fall]

"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?"

[the_allmother]

"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."