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It's a revel! The feasting hall is decked with firelight, its long tables laden with delicacies from Asgard. The smell of roasting meat fills the air. There are a lot of people here, most of Asgard's nobility, various guests, servants, and even some of those pesky Midgardians. Their visit here has come to an end, and any excuse for a party.
Kai has a goblet in hand, and he's making the rounds. He enters the hall with two other Elves, who stop upon the threshold and come no further. Kai stops to talk to them. One is a small woman of a fine and fragile build, and the other a man taller than Kai with features that favor his. Both are golden-haired and possessed of the surreal beauty of the Elves, and neither of them are budging. They won't enter the feasting hall despite Kai pleading with them. Finally, he shrugs it off and leaves them where they stand, coming inside to seek out familiar faces with a smile on his lips.
Forth and back through the glories and splendours of sublime Asgard, Scarlett partakes of the final festival. Tracing her whereabouts during the revels may be next to impossible, a rather canny skill on her part for acquiring knowledge evidenced since her earliest days here. But when she enters, in hand a goblet of some liquid in hand that would possibly threaten a dwarf of Nidavellir with inebriation, it's with all the grace and ease of someone used to the marvels rather than wholly dazzled by them. She samples the drink rarely enough, enough of a flavour to satisfy the refined palate cultivated by two-millennia-old brewers and distillers whose talents would cause men to weep in frustration and wonder. It's just a drink.
Party, then, means daring and showing gratitude for the All-Father's hospitality. She cuts a sinuous path into the thick of it, seeking any not of Midgard who might in turn admire Midgardner presence. Let they taller than she wonder at what fizzing liquor she carries, and be invited to dance. The risk to the peace of Nine Worlds isn't about to be imperiled; she wears a long-sleeved dress, at least, and whatever music there is, she spins within their shallow circles to be led, leading, countering, twirling.
Who doesn't love a revel? Several of the Valkyrior are in full-swing, already. Or full-swig, as the case may be. Beautiful, strong, and fair-skinned to a woman. Well. Nearly. Moonstar is not a short woman, by Midgard standards, but the hue of her skin makes her stand out more among her sisters than her stature. Also, with the 'formal celebration garb' she was coerced into wearing, she's flaunting a lot more leg and belly than she's used to. This, combined with Mist's continued fascination with and probing of Dani's relationship with Amanda, could be why she's nearly halfway through her second flagon of Going To Feel This Come The Morrow.
Oookay, this is a lot of fancy, pretty people. Billy steps into the revel and immediately looks a little on the uncomfortable side. He's dressed in a nice and proper suit with a silk shirt beneath and a tie— which doesn't really fit in here, likely, but he has no idea what it is that suits fancy outfits in Asgard. He fidgets, and eyes the food, deciding to go over that way and see what can be found.
Like Billy's own guardian party fairy, Kai descends upon him and says, "Billy, you look great. Very Midgardian." The Elf is in Alfheimian regalia still, and it's some pretty fine finery. He has been seen about the palace in Prince Loki's company, and nothing but the most fashionable threads will do when one is seen with royalty.
He gestures with the goblet in his hand toward the elves watching him from the threshold. "That's my mum and da. They refuse to break bread with their captors. What can you do?" Then he gestures to Rogue. "And that is the lovely Scarlett." Let's see, who else can he point out? His brow furrows as he spies Danielle. "I know her from a rooftop," he says. "On Earth." He waves amiably.
Sylvan leather and gold inlay serve Scarlett in the best of senses, supporting her with the matter of fitting in some. Danielle represents something more natural than she ever will, the valkyrior an impressive lot of young ladies gathered in common ground. Through the playful turn of dances that might have an uncommon amount with their own sense of battle and martial studies in Midgard, she catches sight of the dark-haired woman and smiles in that direction, all the wattage held in check. Her partners change off as the mood and the music take them, no more than two or three whirls per turn. All the better as she keeps to a sinuous path, eventually revolving through the mix of people from varied worlds. Sooner or later taken in Dani's direction. "Having fun?" she calls out, as if that could possibly be in question.
If the warriors of Asgard are a gruff and shameless bunch, the valkyries seem intent on meeting that standard. Much to Dani's chagrin, their current (and increasingly noisy) game is something like 'how best to satisfy a bed-partner's needs'. Between the cheerful wave and the cheerful call, she finds herself with socially acceptable reasons to peel away from her sisters-in-arms. Leaving her flagon behind to be claimed by..whoever, she does snag a chunk of something meat-like and gnaws on it as she swims through the crowd. "More than I can handle," comes her reply to Scarlett, along with a pointed, but good-natured, glare over her shoulder. "Good to see some faces from home, though," she adds, nodding in the direction of Kai and Billy. And if she just happens to sway a little with the music as she chit-chats with Scarlett, well, it's a party, dammit. "I had to promise them I'd visit every now and then. Otherwise, /they'd/ come down to visit /me/."
"Isn't that sorta… undiplomatic? I thought elves were diplomatic." Billy shrugs to Kai and smiles a bit, and blinks slowly, looking around as Kai introduces the various people, nodding tot hem even if they don't quite see him. "WEll, it's certainly..festive! The food smells good. There's not any weird alien-quasi-divine food I should avoid? I heard if you accept food from weird magical things you get trapped in their realm or something."
Kai shrugs and says, "I come from bad blood, Billy. Though frankly, if you ask me, they're just a bit shocked being out of prison. There's a lot of people here, they're probably scared shitless, but you know how it is, pride demands a better excuse." He raises his drink toward his parents, who retreat from the threshold altogether. Kai frowns faintly, but briefly, and then tells Billy, "Not at all, eat whatever you like. If the All-Father wanted you captured, he's got guards for that." He pats Billy on the back, then tries to gently steer him toward Dani and Scarlett. "So tell me, how well do you metabolize alcohol?"
"I find the very notion they might come to visit you rather delightful, but then finding the right venue and the proper ways to entertain them does present a daunting task," Scarlett replies, her voice hinting at laughter around the edges without quite allowing it. The pack of death-gleaning spirits might just find too much reason to linger close to their mortal sister and her companion, but she offers her arm all the same if need be to float away from the immediate vicinity. "Their hospitality is second to none, though. And they seem to enjoy themselves immensely, so I cannot really fault their joie-de-vivre. Suggesting the many uses of…"
Not the place, not really. She pirouettes again on her toes, swiveling ot the music, as much a creature of it as apart by blood and legacy. That way lie the others, a nod given to the Midgardner otherwise here, beyond him, the elf. The drink she has is a suitable interruption.
"Sure, it /sounds/ delightful. You haven't seen their domestic habits up close," Dani mock-grumbles, but grins nonetheless. She accepts the offered arm, and semi-dances further away from her sisters. "I wouldn't trade them for the Nine Realms themselves, but I'm /not/ doing laundry. Or…" Here she pauses, as right on cue, a particularly detailed and explicit sequence of unprintable instructions carries over the general hubbub, prompting another roar of laughter. "… Moving right along." Both in coversation and sort of.. generally, as their path gradually converges with the Earth-lads.
Billy is steered, though he gives a last long look at the food; he'll go stuff himself later. He blinks a moment at Kai, "Well, so far, there's only been one kind of alcohol I like at all. Daiquiri's. Most of it tastes horrible otherwise. I've gotten drunk a couple times. Not a lot. You know." Reality warper a lot drunk? Baaad things.
"You might like mead," Kai tells Billy, pressing a goblet into his hand. "Small sips, though. If I got you drunk, and something bad happened, I'd be dead. Or a newt." He claps Billy on the shoulder, then smiles broadly to Dani. "Hello, didn't we meet on a rooftop once? With dancing lights? You were an absolute vision. My name is Kai. This is my friend Billy." He watches the dancing Rogue speculatively. Kai has yet to hit the dance floor, but it's only a matter of time.
"Getting blood out of white is a pain and then some." A solemn nod might even come across as serious were Scarlett not decidedly amused, emerald eyes flashing with the crackle of mirth. "Better they be the ones to bathe and cavort in the manner they are accustomed than trying to force themselves into New York real estate. Central Park would never be the same." No it wouldn't, dicey future ahead. The unprintable instructions she tilts her head to, and offers that slightest of smirks, an impression drawn against her profile. "Mead? I ought to fetch some." Disengaging, she turns lightly on her toes, smooth as silk in that particular company. A smile to Kai in passing, and she'll vanish into that crowd seeking honey-wine.
Agreeing with Scarlett requires only a setting-appropriate grunt, and a lifting of the chunk of meat in her fist as a salute. Dani watches the other woman twirl and slip away into the crowd, then gives her head a little shake and quirks a dry smile towards Kai and Billy. "Ho, fellas. Well met and all that," she greets. "Rooft- ohhh, I'd almost forgotten that night." If the lighting were better, or her skin fairer, it would likely be easier to see her cheeks darken. "I'm Danielle. Or Moonstar, to the insane shieldmaidens over there. You guys don't know how glad I am to not be the only mortal crashing a revel. Last time… well. Nevermind all that. Tried the boar yet?"
Billy takes the mead, and sips, and pauses, thoughtful, "Okay, that's not so bad." He looks over and follows Rogue when she goes by, but his attention is drawn to Danielle at the greeting, "Moonstar?" He asks curiously, "Well, I'm Billy, or Wiccan. Wait, boar? Isn't boar like wild pig? I wonder if that makes it kosher." He sips his mead again, before grinning at Kai, "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure forceful transformation of people into other things is against the Wizarding Laws."
Kai gives a nod to the shieldmaidens over there in a show of genuine respect. Yes, those ladies terrify him. In a good way! Honest. "Danielle," he says. "Though Moonstar is lovely, too. I'm a moon Elf, as a matter of fact. It's a heavenly body near and dear to my heart." He glances toward the food, then tells Billy, "I'm pretty sure it's not, but I think there's venison. Is that okay? I can't keep track of that religion. Had a friend once who taught me all about it, but I'll level with you, this is not my first goblet of mead." He looks around. He knows his parents have retired for the evening, but surely there is a prince about? One in particular, he's got his eye on. Toward Billy, he asides, "And yet, you'd be surprised how often I've been threatened withn newtdom."
Loki is about! He may have missed some of the guests, but he comes in, horns and all, to join the festivities. "Ahhh, Kai…other people." He greets.
Danielle chews off another bit of her meat-treat, before grinning to the boys again, "Moonstar. Daughter of Will and Peggy Lonestar. Of the Colorado Cheyenne." She puts just a touch of 'hoity-toity' in her voice for that last part, mocking an absent noble who scoffed. Once. "Boar is indeed wild pig. Very very tasty, but I'm almost positive not kosher." She peers over towards the large tables burdened with large meats. "I'm not really an expert on it myself, but I'm..fairly certain Jewish dietary laws aren't strictly followed in these parts." She trails off a bit, eyes a touch wide as a certain pair of horns wanders over. "Lord Loki, an honor."
"Screw it, I want to try some boar." Billy grins over at Kai, "I'm sure he doesn't mean it… like…sixty percent?" He nods to Danielle, "Its okay, I can't quit bacon cheeseburgers, which are so not kosher, so." He heads over towards the serving table to get up a plate and pile some food on it. Quite a bit really. This does mean he has to gulp at his mead and set it aside.
Kai looks on with approval as Billy goes to load up. "There you go. The boar won't hurt you." He's still more interested in drinking than eating just yet, goblet in hand, though even that he forgets when Loki arrives. "My Prince," he says with unsubtle warmth. "May I present my friends Billy and Danielle?" To whom he says, "And this, of course, is Prince Loki of Asgard. Have you met Loki yet, Billy?" Kai sidles closer to Loki. "Mum and da begged off. We'll probably see them tomorrow."
"I believe we /have/ met, now that I think about it. Though, its Prince, or God. Highness also acceptable, my lady Danielle. Billy…have we?" Loki looks the man up and down. "I think so…not formally." He sits down beside Kai at the table, possibly expecting to be served. This man has never done buffet in his life.
Danielle grimaces at herself. "My.. apologies, Highness. My court etiquette is rustier than a dwarf's chastity belt." Maybe the valkyries are rubbing off on her more than she realized. At least she's trying to not deliberately offend. "I possibly need another drink."
"God's out, sorry." Billy chuckles, looking back to Loki, "Dad One would be shocked to not be worshipping a former desert diety who is all about rules, Dad Two has his own three gods which I'm not sure he encourages anyone worshipping at all, but look… That would just be awkward. Go home, be all, Dad, I met Loki, he said I have to call him God and like you know cult of loki stuff. There would be talkings to." His dimpled grin is light, teasing. But he heads back to the table, sets recovered mead and food down, and plomps in. He proceeds to eat at a pace and quantity that might suggest he's not being fed properly at home.
Loki doesn't have to figure out buffet now either, because Kai sets about preparing him a plate. He knows the foods Loki likes, and he focuses on those. Only after Loki's heaping plate is set before him does Kai serve himself. "It's all right," he tells Danielle with a wink. "We're all friends here. Come, eat with us." Then, to Billy, "Are there still Loki cults? Why do I find that positively charming?" He sits again, and he offers Loki a winsome smile. "Of course people should worship you, my Prince, but none half so much as I do."
"I am certain there still may be some. It is not the same as it once was, of course. Not since the retreat to Asgard and the vow to leave Midgard alone. But, things are more relaxed, lately, where Midgard is concerned. I do not care if you call me God. That sounds awkward, anyway. I just like to mess with people by putting it out there." When Kai returns with the plate for him, he accepts it with blind trust. Of course its perfect…he knew it would be.
After a brief pause to acquire more chunks of meat and a fresh flagon of something thick and potent, Dani slides herself to a seat near the fellas. "There are still Cheyenne who follow the old traditions, make offerings to keep various spirits appeased," she mentions, "So I'm sure there are at least some Scandanavians who still remember. Grandfathers telling grandchildren the old stories.."
"There's a lot of time between the haydays of Old Norse and now, more then between Old Cheyenne and now… white folk only wiped out their entire culture within the last few centuries, after all." Billy points out to Danielle with a bit of a grin, but then he nods to Loki and Kai, "Oh there's a cult of everything. It might nto resemble anything at all you're interested in or care about, but still." He hesitates, and looks between Loki and Kai again, then shrugs, "Soo, if you're not really gods, why did the old norse think you were? Was it the oh-we're-overwhelmingly-powerful-compared-to-you thing? Seems possible."
Kai nods to Danielle. "Not completely destroyed if there are still people who make offerings to the spirits," he says. He taps his upper lip, then asks, "Do you think there are cults to Elves? I don't think we've ever been worshipped as such. I don't think I'd be a very good deity. Then again, are any of them all that great?" He nibbles on roasted boar. To Billy's question, he says, "I bet it's the powerul bit."
"Did I say I was not? No, I definitely am a god. I am the God of Mischief, sometimes lies, sometimes various sexual positions." Loki flashes a smile. "And surely the line is blurred a bit, due to…being an actual being, and tangible…but, it remains true. And no, Kai, you are a legendary hero…unless there comes a need for a god of scones." He smiles.
Danielle quirks something of a smirk towards Billy, but doesn't chase that particular rabbit. Instead, she reflects on Kai's musing, "Problem is, we don't really know what to make of Elves. It's too broad for mortal minds. Shakespeare had one kind of elf, Tolkien had another. There's all the tales of pixies and sprites and changelings and gremlins and nymphs and everything. Gods are easy to categorize. Same with heroes, devils, and monsters." She trails off as her mind wanders slightly, "Scones are tricky. Are they pastry? Bread? Sweet? Savory?" From across the feasting hall, two overly enthusiastic voices start hollering a name. When Dani realizes who's being 'paged', she grimaces and takes a generous swig from her drink. "If you'll excuse me, Highness, boys. I'd better go see what trouble they want, before they bring it over here…" Rising from the table is slightly wobblier than sitting down, but she manages, and begins working her way towards the two valkyries.
Don't tell a god he's not a god on his home turf. Yet: Billy looks profoundly— deeply profoundly— skeptical at Loki's claim, though he does flush at the mention of sexual positions. He sideeyes Kai and leans over to murmur to him, "Did you happen to tell my dad someone claiming to be the God of Mischief was hosting this shindig? Becaues if so I'm surprised he's not here newting people." But he knows nothing of elves so can't comment on them being worshipped. He nods to Danielle, adding, "Though I wouldn't give Tolkien's a lot of credence, Legolas sliding down stairs on a shield? What? So not real."
Kai raises his goblet to Dani and says, "It's been so good seeing you again. We should feast again on Midgard." He takes a drink, and he glances at Billy sidelong, nodding at the flush. Oh yes, Loki's definitely the god of that. "I accept my deification," he says. "For a delicacy as variable and intriguing as myself." He asides to Billy, "I said a Prince." And he smiles. What, he didn't lie. He glances around, then steals a quick cuddle on Loki when no one seems to be paying them all that much attention.
Loki looks at Billy with a faint grin on his face. "I believe your father and I are on good terms, currently. And…you never know…you are surrounded by magic yourself. There may come a day when you find yourself using it to describe you, as well. The difference between god and mortal is really a matter of power and longevity." There passes a beat. "And also in how your story is told." He looks over to Kai. "I like the idea of you as the god of scones. It suits you. Chaotic variety sharing a basic, pleasant recipe." He chuckles and tosses an arm around Kai during the cuddle.
Billy eyes Kai a moment, shrugs, and while Loki talks, eats a whole lot of food. The guy has a black hole in his stomach. But then he shakes his head, "I don't know if surrounded-by-magic is the right word for it. My dad says what I do isn't magic. Explaining the difference has never been successfully done, admittedly." He looks back to Billy, "Hey, for the record, I like scones too."
Kai tells Billy, "When we return to Midgard, I will grant you scones. You don't even have to worship me." He leans against Loki, comfortable with being seen with him. Proud, even. He grins at the Prince. "I'm going to learn how to make them, then I can truly be their master. You should both come to Alfheim with me, though. The desserts there! Pastries with such elegance, sweets with such splendor. Our artisans practice their craft for centuries before they're even considered good enough to serve them in public." He lets the thought hang there a moment, then tells Billy, "As far as I'm concerned, it's magic enough, whatever it is."
"Okay, magic pastries sound like a good thing to visit. If they leave enough of an impact on me, I might even be able to replicate them back home." Billy pauses, shakes his head, "On uh, midgard. I'm not sure how pain in the butt it is to go to and from uhh, Aelfheim."
"That's what generous Asgardian Prince's and a rapport with Heimdall is for, my friend," Kai says. "We leave for Alfheim anyway because my mother and father want to return home. Besides, they're kind of banished from Asgard as of tomorrow morning, and I don't think they're eager to be stranded on Midgard again. But travel for us will be no trouble. I wouldn't have brought you guys along if I thought anything bad would happen." Off Loki goes on sone Princely business, and Kai watches him go with a sappy look. "That's my boyf," he tells Billy.
"No, that's not what I mean." Billy laughs, holding a hand out, "Doritos, doritos, doritos—" and in his hand resolves a bag of blue Cool Ranch Doritos, that he ofers over to Kai. "From here to Aelfheim is one thing, my point was more if I eat enough Alefheim pastries while there, you can come over and be all, Billy! I need an elfcupcake. Probably easier." He then grins and nods, "Yeah I got that from the cuddling. Blindness confirmed as not my issue."
"Oh!" Kai says. He takes the Doritos and tears open the bag. Munch munch munch. "I love these." This grand Asgardian spread, and what does he want? Cool ranch. Munch munch. "He's so great," he adds amidst crunching. "He treats me well, and even though his parents did imprison mine, mine were guilty, and we make it work. They're not happy about it, but what can they do? Nothing." Munch. "Do you remember that thing I showed you, and how you said you might be able to replicate it? With the healing?"
"They really are the best." Billy's taste in snack food is possibly suspect, but he goes back to eating an epic ton of boar. "All that matters is how he treats you." he says seriously, then adds, "I remember, yeah. I'm not _sure_ but I remember. I mean I'm not sure I _would_ be able to replicate it, but its possible. It maybe would be weaker. The standing spell couldn't be used repeatedly in a row."
"I would be okay with that," Kai says. "It's just that I have to give the thing back, but I don't want to lose the ability to help people. I didn't fight too hard to keep it because it isn't mine, and the All-Father is already being so generous letting my parents go. If you could make it so I can heal people, I will do something suitably groovy for you."
"Let me think about it." Billy rises, "I'm gonna go for seconds." He grins, having finished his plate.