driftfleet | Libuscha IV System Mingle (no. 1)

Just gotta rush in and be a hero, huh?

[That's something Taako understands - although not him. He's the last person ever to rush into something, preferring a (mostly?) thought out plan and relying on his magic to get him out of nasty situations. If he ever lost it? Taako internally shudders at the thought. He remembers what it is was like being that helpless, constantly alert for danger, and he doesn't relish the thought of going back to that.]

But it looks like it worked out for you in the end. Powers all back and, yanno. [He gestures at Thor.]

Not dead. How'd you win?

[Thor scratches his cheek, humming in thought.]

It was more of a steady walk, but - yes. That was the idea. [Shaking his head finally, he hitches up a smile.] Doing that made me worthy of having my powers again, and they returned to me along with my hammer. That brought me back.

[Then he smacks a fist into his other palm.]

And then the Destroyer didn't stand a chance against me.

Wait, you have to be worthy of your powers?

[That's one hell of a caveat.]

You're a god though. Don't gods just kind of auto-radiate power?

Edited (Spelling (´・д・｀)) 2018-12-12 14:01 (UTC)

[His smile turns a little less bright, something more tired tugging at it.]

Not if you father decides to strip them from you as punishment.

[It really wasn't that long ago. Seven years, barely a blink in his lifetime. And yet it feels far more distant, the time between who Thor had been back then and who he is now. Not to mention how he had seen Odin then and what he knows today.]

[That's. Huh. That's surprising? And it shows on Taako's face. He didn't think gods could do that to one another. At least the gods he knew wouldn't or couldn't. If the Raven Queen decided to mess with Istus' powers, por Oghma went after Pan for whatever reason, there would probably be a world melting war that ensued.]

Well shit. What'd you do to deserve that kinda punishment?

[The words are out of his mouth before he can really consider the consequences of them. And once his brain catches up, he shrugs his shoulders, crossing his arms over his chest.]

You know, if you wanna talk about it. If not, totally cool.

[The vagaries of the gods aren't something Thor often explains to his mortal friends. For one thing, they don't ask very often. For another, Thor had essentially exiled himself the last time he was on Earth, with too much fresh disillusionment and grief to want to discuss it much. This particular incident in his life? He doesn't talk about it often. There are worse things to have happened to him since then, but the first stroke cuts the hardest.

He's not surprised to be asked, though his mouth sets into an unhappy line. Taking a deep breath, Thor shakes his head.]

I don't enjoy it, but it isn't something I consider a secret. Just a story I don't often tell here.

[He paces away for the moment, glancing up at the tree glowing brightly overhead.]

I disobeyed his direct order and tried to start a war with another world. In response, he took my power from me and banished me to Earth.

[When Thor moves away, Taako hooks his hands into his belt, following his gaze to the tree. It seems to be glowing brighter now that they're talking. This is what that thing wants, huh? A spilling of non-secrets?

Huh.

It's weird to think of the gods able to make their own mistakes and fuck-ups. There were stories, certainly, but he never expected to have one recounted to him by the god himself.]

Got a little too ambitious for Dad, huh? Why'd you want to start a war anyway? Isn't that kind of a, yanno...bad thing? Did they wrong you?

[The tree is certainly reacting to something. Thor heaves a sigh, turning his head again to look Taako's way.]

Well -- the Jotun had invaded our vault. I thought that an act of war in itself, but Father said we would not retaliate. There was a peace treaty between Asgard and Jotunheim. [With a grimace, Thor shakes his head.] That wasn't a good enough reason for me to ignore the insult.

I took Loki and my friends with me to Jotunheim to seek vengeance. [It's an ache to remember that now, both for his own stupidity and the loss of his friends in the years since.] We might have been killed there had Odin not intervened.

[Honestly, Taako would have gone scorched earth if someone stole from him, too, but only against those who had commmitted the act. And it's not like he hasn't done some seriously bad shit, enough that some people probably had started to hate Sun Elves like him for it. He's a spectacularly bad example of elves though, so he's not sure how he feels about Thor's old way of thinking.]

So...some assholes stole from you, and you decided to just say "fuck it" to the whole peace treaty?

[Daaaamn. It's obvious he regrets his choice now with the way he grimaces at the memory of it, and the guilt that hid in his eyes when talking about this whole thing. It's an old grievance, certainly, but Taako knows how that sort of shit just sticks to you, no matter how many years pass.]

No wonder your dad got super-pissed. What happened to the treaty? Did they retaliate?

I honestly didn't think about it much at the time. [He shrugs then, rubbing the back of his neck.] I was an idiot about the whole thing, and absolutely deserved the punishment.

[Without it, there's no telling if Thor's arrogance would have continued to grow over the years. He wonders now in the wake of Ragnarok whether Odin saw Hela in Thor's actions, and that's what prompted his immediate banishment.

Sometimes, he wonders if he would have become as monstrous as Hela, had events fallen differently.]

They did, though there were other things going on at the time. When I was banished it was to another realm - I had no way of knowing what was happening back on Asgard until I returned. As for the treaty... [Thor drums his fingers on his arm, drawn back to more immediate matters.] In theory it still holds, but in reality I'm not sure it matters. If I'm ever in a good position to do so I would hope to establish friendly relations with Jotunheim again. Since I'm king now that would be my duty.

But that day is likely far off.

[Sounds like it was a lesson learned, so Taako shrugs and nods. Yeah, this Thor definitely doesn't feel like the kind of guy who'd just go buckwild for war and attack a different people.

But it's still something to keep in mind. People, even gods, had an inherent nature. It could be tempered, it could be shifted, it could even be changed, but it could never be erased. Traces of what made you as a person always clung to the edges, ready to rear their ugly heads the moment things got desperate.]

Far off 'cause you're, yanno, stuck here? Or far off 'cause of shit going on back home still?

Because if the former - totes get it. If the latter? Thaaat sucks.

The latter. There are more important things I must do first, since Asgard is--

[Thor cuts off with surprise as a loud splash rings out from the pool beneath the tree. Whipping around, he can see the ripples spreading out from a point just next to the shore. With a uncertain glance back at Taako, Thor approaches the disturbed water. Something's in there where there was nothing before. He reaches down and pulls something out from under the surface - then barks a startled laugh.]

Oh my god, I haven't seen this in years.

[In his hand is a silver, winged helmet, all sweeping lines and flawlessly polished. He spins it up to hold it in both hands, frankly astonished that this is what the tree chose to give him. Seven years wasn't that long in the grand scheme of his life, but it felt like an age ago.]

[Taako actually jumps when something crashes into the water, instinctively sliding behind the biggest shield in the room - Thor. The ice caves had been safe so far, but with his luck a giant worm or kruthik or something would pop out of nowhere ready to devour them. But when no monster appears and Thor glances at him, Taako shrugs and motions him forward.

Something was there in the water and?

Thor's laughing? Taako takes a step forward and peeks at the thing he's got in his hands now, puzzled at the appearance of a silver helmet.]

That thing belongs to you?

[He glances up at the ceiling, but there's nothing by softly glowing ice and crystal stalactites. How the heck did it end up--

Oh.

Taako looks back at the tree which has reduced in its brilliance and frowns. So that's the game, is it?]

Neat little nostalgia bomb, huh? God of Luck's luck holds out yet again.

It does, yeah. I haven't worn it since my coronation a few years ago.

[And it was lost in the destruction of Asgard, same as anything else. Flipping it over, Thor raises it and puts it on his head. It's ostentatious as hell, but it does look good.]

I don't know what I was expecting from this tree, but it wasn't this.

[It's ostentatious as fuuuuuck, but it works and Taako loves it. It's like a shiny crown and who doesn't want a shiny crown on a coronation?

He gives the helmet an appraising look, then claps in appreciation.]

Not bad for a tree gift then, not bad at all.

[Better than whatever Lup got that sent her into a depressive spiral.]

Looks good on you, bud. You gonna wear it around?

[It's a shame he doesn't have the more elaborate armour he used to wear to go with it. Asgard always was good at blending their highly stylised fashion sense into everything they did, battle-gear included. Thor grins brightly at the applause before he chuckles.]

Maybe if they throw a suitably important feast. [With a shrug, he reaches up and takes the helmet off again, shaking out his hair.] But I haven't worn this thing into a fight in a long time, so I probably won't start doing so again.

Curious to know what would be considered "suitably important" for a god.

[He isn't sure if he could figure out how to make a meal that would fit that moniker. A feast for the gods? He might cook for one, but that wasn't really a "feast" per se.

When Thor shakes his hair loose from the helmet, Taako bites his lower lip. It's like a Fantasy L'Oreal commercial. It's both weirdly attractive and just plain hilarious.]

Well, unless we have some kinda Candlenights fight coming up, you might have to set it on a shelf for awhile. Sadly.

I did already say coronation. That's fine, though. [He regards the helmet in his hands again with more seriousness, rubbing a thumb long the edge of one wing.] I don't know that it suits me anymore regardless.

I dunno; I thought it looked pretty good.

[There's something there in the way Thor looks at that helmet. He'd been about to say something earlier when it fell into the water, too. Something about his home, Asgard. Maybe something bad, judging by the look on his face.

That's no good. If all the things this tree gives out leaves people feeling shitty afterward, Taako isn't sure if he wants anything anymore. Except that no, he does, he really really does. He isn't even sure what the tree could give him that would make him feel like crap. Merle's arm? Gross. Not hi fault. His one and only regret had only been cleared up with the Chalice, and now he just wanted a place where he could be alone - away from everyone here for a few minutes to an hour at a time. Just so he didn't have to think about it all.

Taako clears his throat and tries to lighten the mood, shrugging a little.]

Maybe we can crown you king of your ship or something and give you a big ass feast that way. I have no idea how ships work. Is that how ships work? They have captains not kings, right?

Captains, yes. And I could do that but I think Riona is doing a fine job of it already.

[Not that Riona had wanted the captaincy. It had gone to her after Sokka left, and Thor took the First Mate role she had vacated. Truth be told, he isn't keen on being a captain either. Thor's taken his own responsibility by the reins ever since Odin's death, but there's still a part of himself that wishes someone else could do the job. A private part.

Thor settles the helmet under his arm and grins.]

I wouldn't say no to a feast though. The end of the year is coming up, surely that deserves one.

This entire planet is in Candlenights mode so a feast is bound to happen.

[Although making a feast for Thor is still a sticking point. He's only recently started making food for people he actually cares about again. And a feast? Well, he'd need help to create it and letting anyone else in his kitchen still makes him twitchy.

He considers for a moment, then gives a noncommittal answer.]

You'll have to keep an eye out for what's going on. Considering the time of year, I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of people got some ragers going on.

Oh, they have feasts all the time here, I'm not worried about finding one.

[Joking aside, Thor's ship isn't quite big enough to warrant a feast of any sort these days. If the planet is going to throw them every day, he'll make use of that.]

You must be busy doing cooking for your own ship as well.

Mmhm - them and the Melting Pot.

[People he doesn't have to worry about. Loki and Haggar are made of magic and Tyrion is generally cool with pies and tarts, which he can source the materials from. And Akeldama? He's a freaking immortal vampire. It makes cooking for them fairly easy.

None of them seem to care much about food so he hasn't really had to think too hard about them. It's the Melting Pot where he has to be careful - but also where he doesn't have to care as much since he doesn't have to see who's eating.]

Taako keeps himself busy, but I'll make an exception and come see you in your fancy helmet if you make an appearance.

[Thor hasn't been over to the Melting Pot in a while, so he blinks with surprise.]

You took over the Melting Pot, did you?

[Since Jarvis left Thor hasn't frequented the place as much. It's really only in drift times that he goes over to the Iskaulit for any reason other than visiting his office. Even that has tapered off now with his mounting frustrations.]

[He shrugs with an incline of his head. He didn't exactly announce it since he was still on the fence about how he felt running a restaurant, but seeing as no one had had any trouble so far? He was slowly putting it out there.]

I am indeed. Mickey, that invisible seraphim dude? I got the job from him.

I take it you haven't come by and noticed the significant uptick in food quality, huh?

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