video + action.

[rebuildyourruins]

Who: Thor + you
Broadcast: video, fleetwide
Action: the Blue Fish
When: now

video.
[The video opens on Thor. For those who've met him, it might take half a second to realise that, because his appearance has markedly changed. His long hair has been hacked short, and he's wearing an eyepatch over his right eye. It's weird. It doesn't even have a strap. Even his armor is different, much less flashy and looking worse for wear than the other silver set he'd had previously.

The look on his face is a bit harried, but he starts off with a long drawn out:]

So... [This just had to be his first address to the network, didn't it. Thanks, fate.] Hello. I had heard before that people in this place could fall asleep and end up back home for a while. It seems I now count myself among them. I have to say it's much more confusing to experience yourself. I think it's been only a few days here.

[He rubs at his chin a bit, looking off to the side in thought for a moment. This whole business on top of everything else makes him feel downright exhausted.]

Doesn't feel like it, though. [Thor returns his attention to the communicator, with a little shrug and less of a pensive look.] I'll add it to my list of grievances against the Atroma. I'm sure we'll have a library's worth to throw at them before the end.

If anything has happened in the last few days, I would be glad to hear it. If we haven't yet met, I am Thor, son of Odin, God of Thunder, and king of Asgard.

[It still sounds strange to him, though he trucks through it as gamely as he can.]

Rogers, Natasha, I need to talk to you both.

Oh-- [He smiles a bit, though it's a shade deadpan.] And happy new year.

action.
[Later, Thor sets about re-familiarising himself with the Blue Fish again, poking around the rooms and going through the kitchen cupboards. He could honestly use the distraction that pointless busy work can give, or conversation with anyone he happens to run into.]

Comments

[outstandingbalance]

That doesn't mean it couldn't be a bad time.

[If he were Steve, Natasha would definitely give him a hug. She's never been so close to Thor, though.]

How are you doing?

[rebuildyourruins]

[There's a question with no good answer.]

Off-balance, to be honest. Being back here again.

[And if he's only addressing the here and now, well, that will do for the moment.]

[outstandingbalance]

I know the feeling. Feels to you like you were gone the whole time, but to everyone else... you took a nap.

[She won't force him to talk about anything he'd rather not.]

Are you okay? A lot of that looks fresh.

[rebuildyourruins]

Ah, it is... a few days old. It's healed up well enough though.

[Between his natural Asgardian healing and the work of healers, the wound itself doesn't hurt much anymore.]

A lot's happened.

[outstandingbalance]

That's still fairly fresh. Good to know you won't need to go medical attention, though...

Anything you want to talk about?

[rebuildyourruins]

[It's a mix of want and need, but he'll get to that.]

Yes, quite a bit. Let's go to the kitchen.

[He starts heading that way, turning back to talk to Natasha as they go - keeping her on his left.]

I suppose, first off... I still haven't seen you or Steve since Ultron. So I do not know what you're up to on Earth.

[This seems pertinent to say first, since others have already asked what he knows about the Avengers.]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha nods, appreciating his consideration in starting with that. t removes one element of stress from the situation. While that might not be Thor's most pressing concern, it helps focus their conversation without waiting for news to drop.]

So you're saying that what you're saying is that this is all news to me, even if I update.

[rebuildyourruins]

It should be, unless it's after I return to Earth. It's what I was in the middle of doing when I got brought back here.

omg i thought i'd replied to this

[outstandingbalance]

Thank you. I appreciate knowing that.

But that leaves what you have been doing to catch up on?

it's cool!

[rebuildyourruins]

Yes, it does.

[When they reach the kitchen, Thor circles around to sit at the table, waiting for Natasha to do the same. Looking up at the ceiling in consideration for a moment, he makes a sweeping gesture with his hand.]

Much of it started when I found out that Loki had faked his death, and had been masquerading as our father and ruling the kingdom for the last four years.

[And that's what Thor is opening with.]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha takes a seat across from him, leaning forward on the table in an attitude of close attention.]

That's a hell of a start. So, Loki... what was his play? He took your father's place, he had to be doing something with all that power.

[rebuildyourruins]

That's the thing... I'm not certain he really had an angle.

[Things had happened in such rapid succession after Thor returned to Asgard, that he's hardly had a chance to think about what Loki's intentions were in ruling Asgard. Some misplaced sense of self-reward, perhaps. Or just a desire to do what he wanted without his family getting in the way.]

You know I was out looking for the Infinity Stones. When I didn't find any, I returned to the Nine Realms only to find them in chaos. Loki may have been ruling Asgard, but he had let the ordering of the other Realms fall completely by the wayside.

[He pauses at that with a faint grimace, still caught in the old lessons of Asgard being the benevolent ruler of the Nine. After a moment, he continues.]

One of Asgard's enemies told me that my father wasn't there, so that's how I came to find out about it all. I made Loki take me to where he'd sent Odin, on Earth.

[outstandingbalance]

[That's a surprise, but Loki is nothing if not surprising. Natasha doesn't argue it. If Loki's plan or lack of one is relevant to the report, Thor will tell her.

She listens, thoughtful, letting Thor pick the details.]

Did you find him?

[rebuildyourruins]

Yeah, I did. [And then, tangentially--] Did you know there's a wizard living in New York?

[If anyone did, he figures it would be Natasha.]

[outstandingbalance]

Wizards are a little out of my pay grade.

[Which is not exactly a no, but it's as close as she likes to com to admitting she doesn't know something.

If she can get away with it.]

So Odin was in New York, an you met a wizard there.

[rebuildyourruins]

[He doesn't think much of it. It's not like Thor knew about the guy either.]

The wizard is the one who told us where our father was - he was in Norway.

We did find him there, but... [He's quiet for a moment before shaking his head.] ...he died not long after.

[It's still hard to think about, even with a few days passed. It had been sudden, to Thor's mind. Half the time he still thinks about Odin as though he were still alive.]

[outstandingbalance]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[She also has to wonder how it happened. Rushing that part of the story in particular seems heartless, though.]

[rebuildyourruins]

Thank you.

[Thor doesn't seem of a mind to explain the why. He only barely understands it himself, with the benefit of hindsight. He looks up at Natasha once again.]

Our father's death meant the return of Hela. Our older sister.

[This... is not a thing Thor has even hinted at before. But the gravity of it is etched into his face.]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha doesn't even hide her confusion at that. There's at least three things here that don't make sense.

She focuses n the one she thinks most important to the story.]

I'm not sure I follow. How did his death mean her return? Was he keeping her away somehow?

[rebuildyourruins]

Essentially, yes. He had banished Hela long ago and it was only his life that prevented her escape from the realm he'd put her in.

[It isn't lost on him either that his father had also banished Thor once. Not the first time it had happened, it seems. Nor the worst.]

[outstandingbalance]

And that's why you've never mentioned her before? She's been banished to some magic prison all this time?

[Clearing her throat.]

Is it safe to assume she wasn't happy when she came out?

[rebuildyourruins]

I didn't mention her because I didn't know she existed. Neither did Loki. It happened before we were born.

[Thor shakes his head, folding his hands together on the table.]

She knew what she wanted: Asgard. Hela broke free onto Earth almost immediately, right where we were standing. She destroyed Mjolnir when I tried to stop her, and followed us back through the Bifrost.

She threw both Loki and myself out of the Bifrost halfway and reached Asgard unopposed.

[And maybe, if Loki hadn't called for the Bifrost, things might have gone differently. But then Hela would have been stuck on Earth, and Thor has little doubt she would have set about massacring everyone there in a heartbeat to establish her dominance.]

[outstandingbalance]

So where did that leave you?

[A lot of this is beyond her knowledge, though the basic moves aren't that hard to grasp.

On the other hand, the practical application of what it means to be thrown out of the rainbow bridge is beyond her.]

[rebuildyourruins]

[It was a new experience for him as well. Thor had never known anyone to drop out of the bridge while it was in motion. Until himself.]

I was flung to the far ends of the galaxy, to a planet called Sakaar. I'd never heard of it before... it wasn't pleasant.

[outstandingbalance]

While your sister had run of Asgard.

[Considering Odin was dead and Thor and Loki (for whatever he's worth) both tossed aside.]