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Glimpse: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tJA6tnVEiIc/UmFQUqsnQjI/AAAAAAAAAtU/0iOY5s7q4F0/s1600/ivd3.jpg
Fandral decides to take Scarlett for a little stroll along the Bifrost, so she can get a little closer at the bridge and the watchtower where a certain Asgardian observes the Nine Realms. He is relaxed, in good spirits as he takes her on the stroll, "The Bifrost is what connects Asgard to your plane." He motions to the rainbow colors that flow underneath the solidness that they walk on, "The Norse described it as a burning rainbow, but as you can see it is much more than that optical illusion that you see from Midgard."
*
The redhead may be subdued somewhat after the previous evening's activities, the Crown Prince and then the Princess' departures sufficient to take the lustre off the terrestrial bloom. Nonetheless, any guard may report her behaviour to be exemplary and somewhat unusual. Reading in copious amounts, eating very little, prowling among the gardens when permitted, she sleeps only in snatches. A rotation through the glorious city allows her a chance to observe the average Asgardian commonfolk, if such exists at all. How the other half lives might be of interest.
How Heimdall lives constitutes an interest naturally, and Scarlett accepts the blithe, debonaire warrior of Thor's entourage. "I do believe," she murmurs, "I shall need to obtain something better suited for court. This may not be sufficiently suitable, though did I listen to Lady Amora, I would be unclothed entirely." This might be a tease, and probably not. All the same, the solid bridge garners a curious look. "It looks to be almost shot through by light.
*
Fandral does make a point of asking after the girl when he arrives to relieve the guards of their duties. He listens to her discuss the fashion at court and tells her, "You are dressed fine Scarlett. There is no need to go get an additional wardrobe unless you would like to try some of the interesting fabrics that you saw in the marketplace." He smiles as she brings up Amora and there is a touch of remembrance as he murmurs, "I doubt she would make such a suggest out of jest. Lady Amora has a…way about her that demands all eyes are on her." He nods to her own form, "And I doubt she could handle the jealousy if you were to traipse around here naked."
Fandral laughs and then turns it to safer subjects, "And no…no light per se, but energy, pure, glorious energy that allows us passage to other realms. Without that kind of power, it might be difficult to bridge between. As you can see, it takes a lot of power."
*
"I hardly desire to impress the court, for 'tis my lady's business to charm them." Dipping her head, Scarlett's braided coronet weaves a few native Asgardian flowers in place of typical peonies, camellias, and other seasonal blooms. They run down her back in an iridescent fall of frost, tucked into the thin braids, swaying like a pendulum. "Those fabrics provide a temptation, but not sufficient to stir me to the business of transporting them all over. I travel light, whereas my lady assuredly could not, given her station."
A pale reminder she, in truth, possesses none of any acknowledged substance. Guest right is guest right, assured over bread and Thor's name, but little more.
The smile touches her lips briefly. "The Enchantress stands beyond any threshold of measurement when captivating others. I don't seek to rival her coveted position, and me skyclad would not begin to threaten her." The Midgardner raises her shoulder, demuring. She excels at some form of modesty. "Energy that churns together. How do you not stare at it for days? Such a thing is a wonder."
*
"You have your own charm Scarlett," Fandral tells her as he puts the other ladies in her party above herself, "It is sweet, sincere and with little artiface." He deepens his smile, "In some ways that itself makes you alluring because you do not seek to gain that kind of attention." He sees the mix of emotions on her face and adds, "But, as Thor's guest, I do not want to over step the bounds of hospitality." He does not go where he is not invited.
Fandral then leans down on the bridge and places his ear there, encouraging her to do the same, "It has it's own music, the Bifrost. You can hear the tones as the energy pulses beneath our feet. And yes, it's very easy to get captivated by it's beauty or siren song, which is why I only listen once in a while."
*
Flattery might be a lost cause on a veritable child, at least to Asgardian eyes. Their lives flicker out in a heartbeat compared to the average, long-lived people of the higher realms. Scarlett lifts her hand, palm outward. "Sincere and guileless makes me sound akin to a gamboling lamb in a green field. Should you carry about a hook to guide me away from the wolves? For the Prince of them has already made my acquaintance. Ought I fear his teeth?"
Such a lamb, harmless and fragile, is equally as prone to find a ledge she cannot get her way down from or end up out in the storm while the Thunderer rages, no? Whyever Crystal chooses to bring her is a matter for thought.
"None violate hospitality. Is it not a sacred thing here? I suppose if, say, the King of Muspelheim appeared he might be treated differently, but the rules of the realm remain something of a mystery." Her head tilts to capture the music of the spheres, her gaze hooded a moment as she strains to make out the distant rumble, the reverb that hums through the marrow of her bones.
*
"You've met Hrimhari?" Fandral asks with a smile, "Oh my dear, I would trust you with that wolf any day of the week. His sense of honesty is freshing." He clearly likes that prince and it shows by his smile, "He is a good man, even if the animal is more comfortable for him than human form."
He then thinks on her words of hospitality, "It would be bad form to violate the hospitality of your host." He sits up and then places his hand on the bridge to feel the pulsing underneath, "And to be rude or discurteous in this realm might get you booted from it by All-Father or in the dungeons as it appears Loki has found himself." He gives a shrug and then gets up, offering his gloved hand to Scarlett for her to get up as well, "Let us see if the Watcher is not too busy so you can get a better view on how all of this works."
*
"Naturally so. I have begun to imagine everyone unknown to me here may be a prince, a duke, or a lord of some manner." Confessions fall in snowflake tumbles, light and ephemeral while the mortal tucks her hands behind her, crossed at her mailed wrists. "We encountered one another under strange circumstances. A being of stone and mud — leirjotun, you would call it, I think — arose out of the wooded park and attacked. I evaded its fists and then he burst out moments later, as though they chased the very same route." Scarlett's untroubled gaze reflects the brilliant hues of the bridge, skewered against the radiant emerald backdrop in her irises.
Fandral's statement causes her a moment of consideration, eyebrows gathered. "Gravitating towards polite behaviour comes naturally, though one misstep might leave me in the dungeon? Best I curb my tongue altogether, though I cannot imagine the Allfather or his queen would seek my opinion on anything. Princess Crystalia speaks well for herself." A flash of a smile appears then, and she ascends her way to the Bifrost. If Heimdall isn't thrilled about this child and her hidden secrets, so be it.
*
"You have a lovely way about you that isn't rude at all Scarlett. I do not think you need to worry about All-Father or Frigga. They will offer your friend, Princess Crystalia, more scrutiny than yourself," Fandral tells her softly, thinking of how the politics ebb and flow like the energy in this bridge, "I am more worried of those that may be jealous of Thor's attention on your princess and take their frustrations out on a mortal." He pauses and then tells her, "If it comes to that, come get me or one of the other guards. Don't get into an argument that might lead your bones broken or worse."
Heimdall then moves them to where Heimdall stands as a silent sentinel. He gives Fandral a look, "I am just here to show our guest your station." There is a bit of a grumble but the man does not stop them from looking around.
*
"They will. I worry for her, though needlessly. She deserves all the affection and appreciation bestowed upon her by the Crown Prince. Should theirs be a happy union, the Norns are kind." Scarlett has no more to say than that, lingering upon the radiant bands underfoot and altogether curious as she peers down to catch it. "Fighting is not my way. If my life or another's is at risk, I will do what I can but better to rely on gentle words and allowing someone their pride, then addressing the matter later. Especially here, where high spirits and foreign ways leave me at a disadvantage."
Then it comes to her to face down the golden guardian of the realms, the proud, far-seeing elder brother of Sif. What else can she do? She curtseys deeply, and withdraws to follow after Fandral. "This is a wonder. I cannot decide whether it serves a technological or mystical purpose, but instead, it surely must be both."
*
"Mystical and technology are not at odds here," Fandral tells her as he draws her to the grid of stars that sit before them, "They work in harmony as if the cosmos has it's own plan that only this man…" He nods to Sif's brother with a fond look, "Can decipher. I have stared at this and given myself quite a headache." He takes her hand by his, protected by the cloth that separates and then gently places her hand on it so she can touch and feel it's wonder, "It's okay to be awed. I find that life is full of mysteries, just waiting to be unraveled." He then steps back and lets Scarlett explore at her leisure as he watches with interest to see what she will do, "And it's good that you don't have a hot temper. Too many Asgardian are prone to rage." Clearly Fandral does not count himself among them.
*
The world with one at the expense of the other speaks to the differences of Asgard and Midgard. "I think long ago we turned our back on magic in the name of science, allowing the powers of the past to be eclipsed by our own creations and ingenuity. The scientific mind cannot easily subscribe to the occult, though such is a pity when they coexist in a balance, as you say. The universe's laws are ordered, yet not so easily conceived. Still, we stare to the heavens and peer down at the atom in hopes to understand the physical laws regulating our existence, and through that insight, control." She reaches up to the wall, the singing presence putting a shock through the girl that illicits a laugh. "Imagine! Had Newton been privy to this. I am honoured, truly, and Asgard has inspired me in ways I shall take home and contemplate long after this adventure. Even should I never cross the realms again, this memory will stay."
She moves along the wall, tracing the shapes and forms without interfering with them, following the dance of the unknown. "Life's mysteries are truly abundant, and worthy of admiration. Exploration, too. I will be the nemesis of every professor now, trying to piece together these things." Her eyes close a fraction. "Rage is an enemy, often, to wisdom and action."
*
"Aye, they are lass, and keep that wonder as you approach the world," Fandral tells her as he watches her explore, "It's that wonder that stays, keeps one young and allows you to continue when darkness falls." He moves back over to her, pointing out a few nuances of the patterns, "I've lived for centuries and it never fails to bring me pause when I think of how we are all connected in the universe." He motions to the Bifrost, "It's that connection that we tap into, that universal scheme that pulls us together and tears us apart in so many ways. I would love to show you the nine realms in all their glory, even where the Frost Giants lay in their cold forbidding world of ice there is beauty to be found." He looks at the pattern and there's a moment of regret as he thinks on something, "We focus too much on our limitations…rather than seeking to expand the possibilities. I think that's what saddens me most about your scientists. Their need to limit the world."
*
"Then perhaps that can be a takeaway from our meetings, and the renewal of the princes upon Midgard." Slipping her fingers higher to the very reaches of her height, Scarlett stands on tiptoe to observe the gorgeous play of proportions, the delightful tumble of geometric angles. "If they bring back different learning, could that not usher in a progressive era of thought and a flourishing of ideas? Not a revolution in a negative fashion, but one that might bring Asgard benefits. You sometimes need to stand back for an opportunity to see things as outsiders do, and yet hold the nuanced perceptions of a native." Her smile forms again, forged of moonlight and shadows, even as the vibrant lights storm and strobe across her features. "Imagine what might be done, guided by such visionaries." Thor, the visionary? Well, Midgard wife…