Jotunheimr

[throneenvy]

Thor Odinson was not ready to be King.

That much had become suddenly and sharply clear to Odin All-Father, a sharp pain that he would rather not have had. He had been blinded too long by love for his only heir, seeing only his affable way of gaining friends and his strength on the battlefield, but ignoring how he had become spoiled and arrogant. He had glossed over the reports from Thor's tutors that his son had not studied the other realms or the duties of a King as he should, and had instead spent much of his youth carousing with his favoured companions, hunting or getting into trouble together.

But this... this was beyond a childish scrape.

Egged on by his friends, or so it had come out since the act, Thor had decided to go to Jotunheim - a forbidden act - for the sole purpose of finding one of its inhabitants and slaying it. A proof of his mettle as a warrior, to kill one of the fearsome giants, the monsters of the icy realm. He felt ashamed, sick at heart that his only son could be so ignorant as to think that any race were just monsters. He might have hoped these were just rantings, but he saw preparations begin to take place and he knew that they meant to commit treason by disobeying his orders of no contact with Jotunheim and perhaps start another war.

Arrangements were hastily made, pushed through Frigga who had more goodwill remaining to her among the Giants, and when Thor arrived at the Bifrost, he would find Odin standing by the great sword rather than Heimdall, his one eye forbidding.

"Why are you so eager to seek out war, my son?"

Comments

[throneenvy]

"Perhaps not, but their choice in clothing is to be commended."

Loki grinned, half teasing, as he shot a rather pointed look at Thor's naked buttocks. The quip pleased Fandral, for it was his sort of humour, and he laughed appreciatively, which gained him a warmer look from Loki. Perhaps he would find that he could tolerate other Aesir after all.

"Did your father not tell you to keep secret who we were, and now you have found yourself judged insane by mortal standards. What did you do, Odinson?"

"He entered mighty battle with a Midgardian skiff," Volstagg supplied, already laughing. "Though he came out the worse, the skiff became reduced to nothing, so I might call it a draw."

[thunderboltsandlightning]

“I have seen no skiff like it. Tall and red, angry. Why do so many people feel need to move together? And why is it so overcrowded? If feels like a war camp here, with much less singing and festivities.” Thor had no shame, crossing his arms and ignoring the human that kept trying to get him to take the clothing. Instead, all of those gathered in the waiting area just seemed hellbent on getting them all dragged right back into the psych ward. Strange rolled his eyes and, quickly, cast a spell to keep them all from being seen. It was better to do this between planes than to have to deal with lookerson.

They all noticed the sudden oddity of the bent reality and Fandral was quick to lose his humour. Sif, as well, though she took up a weapon to the human’s throat for his arrogance and spellcraft. “Undo what you’ve done—”

Strange did not. He simply jumped away. He might not want to pick a fight here but he also didn’t want to be fought with.

[throneenvy]

Oh, Norns, this was just what they needed.

Why were all Aesir so quick to battle, as if any weapon would do anything other than make things worse? If they killed the sorcerer who brought them here, then they would be trapped. Or, they would be if it had just been them, Loki had no such issues.

He simply waved a hand and a tear in the fabric of reality appeared, a way through the hidden branches of Yggdrasil back from this warped world and into the odd room full of chemicals and cleaning supplies that Strange had first taken him into.

"Do not be so hasty, you are hardly trapped. Go back through if this otherness offends you so, I do not believe harm was meant, only to take us from prying Midgardian eyes."

[thunderboltsandlightning]

At least one person here was sane. Strange had started to wonder just who he was dealing with. It felt a little like a science fiction story, aliens and inter dimensional beings raising up the moniker of god to impress people. Perhaps they just selected names at random. He didn’t know and it wasn’t relevant.

“Tell me something. If you are what your friends says you are, here to travel and observe, let me be the first to tell you that you’re doing it all wrong. I’m here to protect my planet. You’re causing it a lot of distress. People were hurt because you don’t understand the rules here and I don’t have time to teach them to you. But if you’re going to be hit by buses and injure two dozen people, there’s going to be a problem.”

And not just with him. Iron Man would want in on this. And maybe Captain America too if rumors were true that they’d found him.

Thor looked concerned and turned towards his friends. “It is not anyone’s attention to cause harm. I believe we will need a guide.”

“Maybe. But it won’t be me,” Strange said.

[throneenvy]

"Perhaps you would at least guide Thor and his companions to a local hostelry and see them with food and into rooms for the night."

Loki tilted his head towards Thor, trying not to seem too impatient. He was also out of place here; more so even than the Aesir, for he had travelled beyond his own realm far less than they and would be much less welcome if revealed as what he was, and yet he managed to observe and not make a fool of himself.

"If you await me within the rooms of a hostelry where you cannot create more trouble, I will find us a suitable guide and return to you with them."

If anyone was smart enough to do that, it would be him.

[thunderboltsandlightning]

“No.” Strange groaned. “I can’t have you people running around like it’s all right to let a bus smash into you. And I can’t have you telling the whole world who you are. You’ll just make trouble. Most people aren’t ready for you.”

And he was pretty sure that was the truth from what he had seen. Most people were just happy to go about their lives as if nothing else mattered and any upset in that balance?

It wasn’t a good thing. Not at all.

Thor frowned. “This Realm is under my protection, granted to you by Odin All-Father himself. It has been for many millennia.”

“Has it? Because no one here will have ever heard of you.”

[throneenvy]

Loki was becoming very tired of Strange. This mortal sorcerer had driven him from his goal, made demands of them, transported Aesir who had no magic themselves to get back from another pocket realm, and had overall been an irritant. The chaos in him refused to play nice any longer.

"You have not the right to detain us or to command our actions. I have told you that we mean no harm to Midgard, and I have spoken truly. If you do not believe those words, then I no longer care to try and convince you. Thor-- companions, do as I say and return to a hostelry. I will find a suitable guide."

Loki gestured for them to step through the portal he had made and, when they had, he simply disappeared. He had magic beyond what Strange had, and he was done allowing him to dictate the day. Now-- to find a guide. The leader of this realm would be best, it would be disrespectful to ignore that when they were two princes visiting.

It took a short while for him to work out who ruled, but eventually he found that mortals, much like dwarves, worshipped money and ever increasing technology. And so, apparently their ruler was a man called Tony Stark, stupid name, and that was who he would go to.

It would be the very early hours of the morning when JARVIS paused the music blaring out as his master perfected yet another suit of armour and interrupted in his ever-polite voice. "Reception has sent an alert that you have a visitor, sir. Apparently he is expected, should I have them send him away?"

[starkingenuity]

Tony didn’t miss a beat, shaking his hips as he dropped his wrench into his workstation and grabbed a power screwdriver of his own design. He couldn’t help but be thankful for JARVIS, though he would never say that, and turned twice in his dance despite the music being turned off. “Where’s Pep?”

“She’s at a conference you refused to go to in Germany, sir,” JARVIS said politely.

“Oh. Well have Happy keep my guest for the next two hours and then turn off all of the lights in the lobby.” It was probably Coulson. Again. Tony wasn’t sure why he kept coming around. Such a hassle. Either he wanted him or he didn’t want him.

Frankly, in this case Tony thought it was all right not to be wanted.

[throneenvy]

"Very good, sir."

So Loki was told to wait in a side room and then soon accompanied by a rather overweight and flustered man who bumbled on about how Tony Stark was busy but if he would just give Happy his business card, or tell him why he was there, he'd be glad to pass it on just as soon as he had time.

He told the fat man nothing. Oh, he was polite, utterly vague, and entirely unhelpful. He had come to see the ruler of this realm, and he would not be sent away. When the lights went off, he blinked in confusion, but he was not alarmed. The amount of light that came from outside still made it seem as bright as day, not the true night of Jotunheim where no light could be seen for hundreds of miles, save a fire that a traveller might have of their own.

"Will I be expected to continue to wait?"

"Uh--" Happy just sounded even more flustered. "It might be best if you went home and I'll have Tony's PA call you and make an appointment when he's free."

Loki simply sighed and crossed his legs.

"No. I have come to see Tony Stark and I will wait."

Three hours later, and JARVIS once more interrupted his master. "Sir, your visitor is still here and refusing to leave. Happy is showing signs of exhaustion and unhappiness."

[starkingenuity]

Usually people got pissed off and left. This was really pretty remarkable and Tony finally set his things down, washed his hands, and headed to the elevator. He wasn’t inviting Coulson up but he’d go down and ask him what was so important that he couldn’t put Happy in a sleeper hold and just come up the elevator anyway.

Seether was playing in the elevator as it took him gently, but quickly down eighty floors to the lobby. “J. Lights?”

The AI obliged and and Happy looked relieved. “Mr. Stark—“

“Go home. I’ll need you back here at ten tomorrow. We have a flight,” Tony said, ignoring the look Happy gave him before he turned to see... not. Coulson. “Uh. Okay. Hi. Leave now.”

[throneenvy]

What a strangely small man to be the ruler of this realm, but then Loki was used to a world of giants where he was the runt, and yet even he stood head and shoulders above this diminutive mortal. The rude dismissal was, he supposed, to be expected. Strange had known that he was not of this world, and so Loki should assume that the ruler also had sorcerers at his disposal who could tell who and what Loki was.

Perhaps this 'J' who had conjured the lights? It was unfortunate, but hardly unexpected, that a Jotnar prince would be treated with such disdain. Although it got his hackles up, he forced himself to remain polite and rose to bow, shallow but polite, as befitted one heir to a ruler.

"I understand that my presence may not be welcome," he said, suddenly realising that he didn't know what this man's title was. Should he address him as Stark-King in the manner of the Jotnar, or did he have a title such as All-Father? "I have come bearing reparation gifts, and I ask you please for an audience."

[starkingenuity]

Tony lifted his chin to look at Loki, not only because he was so tall, but because he liked looking down his nose at people. It was one of the habits he did try to, but never managed to, break. “Uh... Huh. Okay, how about you sit down here and I’ll just call some people— J, I think we have another BCF incident—?”

“I’ll handle it, sir,” JARVIS said, leaving Tony to stand there with his hands in his pockets. He really needed to get working on those subdermal neural implants. He could probably use a suit call button too. The male BCF’s (basket case fans) were usually more prone to violence. The females were usually more willing to leave with a hug in lieu of their planned desire for love at first sight. Tony had a girlfriend. Pepper was in no danger. Not even by the biggest of racks.

“Why don’t you just sit down. I don’t need any gifts. Thanks but— Well if I want something I just buy it, you know? And I’m not interested in any art. Not even art of myself. So. Thanks but— You can always just go. I won’t say a word.” But he would have him tagged and followed for awhile. Fans could be dangerous. Very dangerous.

Especially British ones.

Short phone tag sorry

[throneenvy]

“I have no art of you; if that is a common reparation gift then I will have some procured. However, I ask that you give me an audience before this. I do not come alone, a delegation from the All-Father accompanied me and we are in need of a guide. We shall not impose on your realm long, only as long as our business requires, and we intend you no harm.”

Loki glanced around for the source of the voice and was irritated that he couldn’t even sense it. This seidr user must be powerful indeed to cloak even his presence as well as his physical form. Loki would need to be ready lest this did turn into a fight for he might be outclassed. He would do his best not to let it escalate to there.

“If it is prying eyes you fear, do not, I can take you to them by unseen ways.”

Re: Short phone tag sorry

[starkingenuity]

Tony’s jaw clenched. This was a threat, no one could mistake that. He pressed his lips together and made a step to the side. “I really think you should go.” He also really hoped JARVIS would deliver on the police sooner rather than later. Tony tried to stay above board on these things so he didn’t seem so much like a vigilante the papers sometimes reported him as being. The news was not always his friend, just like the government was not always his friend. “I don’t grant audiences.” He mocked the accent, which probably was a bad idea but he couldn’t help himself. “I don’t do meetings. And I don’t like it when people threaten me in my own house.”

He was on edge. Nervous. Afraid. And also pretty damned annoyed. All of these things Loki might get a sense of, coming off of this mortal’s skin. Or maybe he’d sense it in his chest.

“No one has to be stupid here. No one has to fill out paperwork with the authorities. Just walk yourself out.”

[throneenvy]

Loki did not understand the fear coming off the mortal ruler, nor his words. Loki had not been threatening him; if anything, he had been trying to offer him comfort and consideration. He understood that being seen going to a delegation might be a sensitive issue, and so he offered secrecy, and he had made sure to say that none of them meant any harm.

Irritation coloured his words now, was this ruler of simple mind that he couldn't understand the most basic of conversations?

"I have not threatened you. I understand that you may not be comfortable with a Jotnar delegation, but you are shaming your realm by treating me so. Our differences have other truths than you might have been taught, and you are showing not even a basic courtesy to me."

"Sir, you will be having more visitors in three minutes." That was JARVIS' way of letting Tony know how soon the police would be arriving.

Loki span around, face furrowed in a frown. "And you! Coward! I hear you, do not think to hide yourself like a knife in the dark. We have no quarrel and yet all I have been shown here is disrespect!"

[starkingenuity]

Was this what it was like to listen to him? He couldn’t understand half of what this guy was saying but now that he was getting upset, that just made Tony even more worried. “Jot— What? Is that British slang for something? Listen, I have no idea who you are and as much as I would really like to put down your brand of trouble right now, not tonight. I have a date with pizza I’m technically not allowed to have for my health, which is ridiculous because I take very good care of myself, and I really don’t need you enacting a medieval suicide pact here for my attention.”

Three minutes was a really long time to wait here and Tony planted his heels to... do what? Try to dodge a bullet? He couldn’t tell if this guy was packing a gun or not but he really didn’t want to end up like John Lennon. Not yet at least. He still have a few good years left of making the world a better place.

He put his hands up to show he was no threat just as JARVIS, with all of the politeness that Tony programmed into him, explained: “I am an artificial intelligence. I lack a body and I am not hiding from you.”

He was also sending down the armor in the elevator, in full sentry mode. Hopefully it could react quickly before this man did and potentially hurt Stark.

“Listen. Listen, no one is insulting anyone here. But you have to admit that you’re talking a little unstable here.” And this was what Strange had been talking about.

The majority of the people here did not know him.

[throneenvy]

This was incredibly frustrating and Loki had no idea how to really proceed. He did not want to be here when more visitors arrived, he was no fool and he understood that was likely code for armed guards. Or possibly seidr users like Strange had been and this JARVIS surely was. He had no idea what an artificial intelligence was, but Stark was his main priority.

He exhaled forcefully, and made himself speak more calmly, entreating.

"Listen, I have come to you because you rule this realm. I do not wish you harm, I wish only to speak to you in private. I will answer any questions you may have and provide any proofs you may need of my word, but I will not be thrown from here as though I were a drunkard in an inn past closing."

He stood up and allowed his shape to shift back into his true form, pale skin becoming blue with Kyn lines, and green eyes becoming crimson.

"Perhaps it was my form that had you confused, but you can see that I truly am a Jotnar."

"Sir," JARVIS said, with a twinge of concern that he technically shouldn't be able to feel. "I advise taking a step back, your BCF has a current body temperature of minus five hundred degrees centigrade." Which was, technically, physically impossible at nearly twice absolute zero on the Kelvin scale. But it was still what JARVIS registered the temperature at.

[starkingenuity]

Now was not the time to be impressed, nor was it the time to stand his ground, eyes wide. At least Tony wasn’t prone to just randomly touching things. He couldn’t help but suddenly look impressed and curious. “J, call off the Calvary. I think I’m going to-- Wait. Do you think I rule the planet? Wow, J. Record that. I want that for my ring tone. And tell Pep-- No. Don’t. She’ll decide to come back too soon.”

Tony kind of wanted to hang out with an alien on his own before he let the World Council in on this pretty awesome development.

“Not to disappoint you, but I don’t rule everything. There’s no one person that rules everything. I still don’t know what you’re supposed to be, unless Roswell really happened and the government is covering it up, I don’t think humanity has met aliens before-- Oh shit. Do you guys walk among us in people suits? Is that what that last thing was? Wow. What sort of power source are you using for that?” The elevator pinged and Tony waved the armor to stand out. “Come upstairs with me? Wait. If we stand too close in there, will I freeze to death? Are you using a thermal dampener?”

[throneenvy]

At least Stark was no longer attempting to throw him from the building with disrespect, but it seemed that Strange had told him the truth and his kind was not instantly recognisable here. That took the breath from his lungs effectively, how could this be? Did the mortals not keep histories of what had happened on their realm? Did they think themselves wholly alone on the branches of Yggdrasil? Did they not even know the meaning of Midgard any longer?

“You do rule this realm,” was his first rejoinder, as inadequate as it was. “I researched your people and I see that you worship money as a species and many of your texts make mention of you as the King of Tech.”

He had no idea how much he must be stroking Tony’s ego to know that an alien species would think that he ruled the world. Loki changed form once again to his mortal skin and spread his hands.

“It would be unwise to touch me in my natural form, it would likely kill you. This is no suit, I am a shapeshifter and can take mortal form. My companions are not so gifted, but are from a race physically similar to yours. Have you truly no memory of Jotnar or Aesir? It has only been a single millennia since we last walked here!”

[starkingenuity]

“King of tech—” Oh, he liked that. He headed for the elevator and waited for him to enter first, next to the animated armor, before he stepped inside. He didn’t notice a chill coming directly off of Loki’s skin, still blue (and interesting!) but he thought that perhaps it was merely touch-activated. And that was cool too. He’d see the scans, which happened automatically, later and try to puzzle it out. “Technology. And I do rule that. But technology is things, machines, gadgets. Not people. I employ people. I help people. So you picked me because of a few magazines?”

Oh, that tickled him that he was better thought of than the president or any of the other ruling bodies.

Tony was nothing if not a creature of supreme ego after all. “What’s Aesir? J, Aesir?”

“The Aesir are a mythical people proclaimed as gods by the Norse pantheon,” JARVIS said helpfully. “Also a fictional race of beings in multiple science fiction media such as Stargate.”

[throneenvy]

Loki was not comfortable until he stood in his pale mortal skin again for he did not want to accidentally kill Stark with a mere touch. Perhaps he was not a ruler, but it seemed true that mortals worshipped money and people with money. The texts of this realm has called him hero, warrior, and King of technology, that had to count for something. He hoped that he had not made too grave a mistake in coming here.

“Gods, yes, but it is not just the Aesir who are Gods. Some Vanir and some Jotnar, even some dwarves, may become Gods. The Norns speak at the birth of a God and gift them their title. I am not Aesir, but I am a God. I am Loki-Fyri, Laufeybarn, God of mischief, lies, and stories.”

He stood at ease beside the odd sentry of metal and listened to the weird music being piped in.

“The companions I spoke of are four Aesir and a Vanir, but only one is a God. That is Thor Odinson, God of Thunder. But we are also accompanied by Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral, and the Lady Sif.”

[starkingenuity]

“That is not strictly true,” JARVIS decided to pipe in. “Sif is listed as one of the Aesir gods. Goddess of soil. The other three I can find no reference of.” What JARVIS said gave Tony pause.

And then it made him smile as he strolled out of the elevator, leaving Loki and the suit behind to follow. The armor would follow Loki out and stand guard at the door.

Stark Tower was as opulent as the home of Strange but in a very different fashion. Everything was clean and metallic with bright lights instead of dark wood and age. “So you’re making half of this up. You’re taking stories and attributing them to suit you huh? Are you really Loki? Did you used to come around a few thousand years ago and make trouble for us? And now you’re upset that no one remembers you?”

Tony wasn’t very familiar with the whole Norse pantheon or the epic poetry. He didn’t even remember his social security number.

“Drink?”

[throneenvy]

Sif was listed as a God because the Aesir farmer who had stayed behind after the war, and who had considered soil an important aspect of his life, had thought fondly of the young girl for kindness her family had shown to his in the past. Not that Loki knew any of this and there was true confusion on his face.

"I have never visited Midgard, I was born when the war was in its final days, I passed my millennial only a few months past."

He was only just a man in his majority.

"I can assure you that I am making nothing up, though I am given to lies it would hardly suit my purpose now."

[starkingenuity]

A millennia. Sure. That was normal. Loki hadn’t said either way if he wanted a drink so Tony poured two glasses, standing behind the bar in the main area. “So what would suit your purpose then? Attempting to blend in but really failing miserably is probably the only purpose you’ve suited so far. Guess it does take more than looks to get by in the world.”

At least Loki’s earlier words were starting to make sense now that he had context for them.

Tony capped the glass bottle and held out a tumbler to his now better suited to be around him guest. He didn’t hate the blue though that was a reminder that he was something Other. And Tony wished he still had that.

[throneenvy]

"So it seems."

Loki took the glass and sniffed the liquid in interest before taking a sip. Not bad, earthier than mead, with a sharpness that he quite enjoyed, not something that he had tasted before.

"Midgard has been closed to the Ways as long as Jotunheim, and yet we did not think to see so much-- different. Your realm has advanced and changed in ways that we could not have identified, and we require a guide to assist us in navigating your realm without causing incident as we continue on our task."