[well, that would be step one of the plan, but -- well, semantics. he's not going to argue that, that in mind. instead, he nods and curious, asks:] Do I get to meet this friend? [it also helps, knowing who you're working with. the battle in Wakanda might have gone better if he knew how more than half the people present fought]
[he's kept up with some of what heroes outside of the Avengers have been doing, but not all. he hasn't had the time, when he keeps having to deal with his own never-ending string of crises. the last time he actually got to sit down and catch up, he was still with Jane]
I see. [don't think about Loki. don't think about the times that he's been 'dead' and has 'gotten better'. don't -- ah, damn it. he lets out a breath, frustrated with himself and hurting, and shakes his head. then, rather than explain that reaction, he continues:] Would it be unkind to ask him to tell of it, when he arrives?
[maybe he'll find some wisdom in it that will help them defeat Thanos. maybe it'll give him some hope again that maybe, maybe this is just one of Loki's tricks. maybe it'll just take his mind off of things for awhile, so he mercifully doesn't have to think on either. either way]
[he's not really hungry, either, but he knows he should probably eat anyway, to keep his strength up. between everything that happened on Asgard with Hela and then the mess with Thanos, he really can't remember the last time he has eaten. maybe on the Benetar with the Guardians?]
[maybe, but regardless, he starts to stand] If you'd like to come downstairs with me, however, I wouldn't be opposed? [the company really can't hurt his appetite]
Downstairs, then. [he'll meet her there -- and try to actually eat some of the food, and not just put it on a plate and stare at it. how well that's actually going for him by the time she arrives is up for debate, however]
[Diana joins him a few minutes later, gathering some food of her own and settling across from him. She watches him for a moment, as he stares down at the food for a moment, before taking a bit of her own.]
We were distantly aware of your people. [and by we, he means Asgard. Odin wasn't particularly interested in them, however, having enough on his plate to deal with already, so -- well, like he said, it was a distant awareness. just enough to make sure they didn't become a threat] Beyond that, though ... [he shakes his head]
[if Diana wants to tell him about them, he wouldn't mind]
That makes sense, in a way. We were very secretive. The weapons we guarded were best not left to the wrong hands. But we were almost exclusively female, which means I didn't meet a great deal of men until I found my way to their world.
That much, we knew. [a beat] Or at least imagined. [there were rumors] My father had a company of elite warriors known as Valkyrie that was composed entirely of women. [they're dead, now. the Valkyrie he knew is probably dead now. Sif, who he's surprised never became a Valkyrie, is probably dead, now]
[ ... Gods damn it, he really needs to stop circling the drain on all of the people he lost]
[he's not sure he'd call it progressive, given that his father also sent them to death on the shores of his sister's evil, but he's not going to get into that, at the moment. instead, he flashes her a tiny, albeit vaguely hollow, smile]
[Well there is that. Zeus created a daughter to murder his brother should he try and end humanity again. No father is perfect. His comment makes her laugh warmly in response, however.]
I'm sure they would have been lucky to have you all the same.
Now, perhaps. When I was young ... [he shakes his head, smile fading. up until not that long ago, when his father banished him to Earth, he was stupid and arrogant and he understands, now, why Loki hated being around him, sometimes. ... and damn it. next time he sees Thanos, he will aim for the head. damn his revenge, damn wanting him to suffer as Loki suffered]
Not then. I was a child; I did not yet understand the horror of war. [he pauses, then continues with what went through his head a second ago -- or at least part of it] I was naive and arrogant.
I think we all were guilty of that once upon a time. I certainly was.
[She offers a small smile.]
I was convinced once that evil was something men had forced upon them, rather than it being truly their choice. It took being thrown into a war myself to learn the difference and the delicacy of it.
If only it were that easy. [and the smile fades again] Though, there are exceptions. My brother ... [what can he say about Loki? there's a reason why his brother was known as the God of Mischief, but he was -- different, somehow, when he attacked New York, and then different again, and for the better, when they fought Malekith, when he ended up on Sakaar, back to his old self. he's pretty sure what Loki did in New York wasn't his fault, whether he was controlled by the Mind Stone, like Barton, or he just had no choice, thanks to Thanos, but either way, that evil was forced on him] ... was a complicated man. He did terrible things, in his time, but very few of them were a choice.
In the end, yes. [a beat] He stood for Asgard, when it truly mattered. For the whole of the realms. [in challenging Thanos, at the end. it was -- stupid, but noble, heroic. it bought time for Banner to get away, at least]
[he manages a smile at the touch, though the expression is more grateful than mirthful -- he appreciates the physical contact, especially right now. he even squeezes her hand a little, without turning it, edges of his finger catching the tips of hers just briefly before he lets go, and as he does, he nods again]
Stark was wise to name us Avengers.
[he'll get Thanos back for Loki, for everyone they lost]
[he nods once more, seriously, and is silent for a moment, before:] Have we anything to drink for all this food? [he could really use a drink, never mind how little Midgardian alcohol will actually do for him. maybe he'll have several hundred drinks]
[shame he can't go home, right now. shame he doesn't have a home to go to. if he could, did he'd raid his father's wine stores for something old and good]
[Yes, she feels the same. But she does have some very old, very strong liquors that she's been holding on to for a rainy day, and they will do some good old fashioned drinking. And maybe we can skip to a new timeline point in a new thread?]
[ I ... haven't actually seen Endgame. I've been spoiled like crazy for just about everything, but ... yeah. So, you might have better luck picking something you'd want to play with, and then expecting it to go completely off the rails. :P ]
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[Victor would likely do well with meeting more people who won't judge him for his appearance.]
We've been texting. I'm sure he'll be here soon, along with Superman.
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[he's kept up with some of what heroes outside of the Avengers have been doing, but not all. he hasn't had the time, when he keeps having to deal with his own never-ending string of crises. the last time he actually got to sit down and catch up, he was still with Jane]
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[That's ... putting it lightly.]
It's not really my story to tell.
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[It's not a story Clark is fond of, to say the least.]
But I can ask him if he will allow me to tell you.
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[maybe he'll find some wisdom in it that will help them defeat Thanos. maybe it'll give him some hope again that maybe, maybe this is just one of Loki's tricks. maybe it'll just take his mind off of things for awhile, so he mercifully doesn't have to think on either. either way]
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Until he arrives, if there's anything you need, please let me know. And there's food downstairs, if you're hungry.
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[he's not really hungry, either, but he knows he should probably eat anyway, to keep his strength up. between everything that happened on Asgard with Hela and then the mess with Thanos, he really can't remember the last time he has eaten. maybe on the Benetar with the Guardians?]
[maybe, but regardless, he starts to stand] If you'd like to come downstairs with me, however, I wouldn't be opposed? [the company really can't hurt his appetite]
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Let me drop these off with Natasha, and then I'll join you.
[She's still gotta be a good host, after all. But there will be a suitably impressive amount of food for them all to dig into.]
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Downstairs, then. [he'll meet her there -- and try to actually eat some of the food, and not just put it on a plate and stare at it. how well that's actually going for him by the time she arrives is up for debate, however]
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Have you heard of my people before? The Amazons?
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[if Diana wants to tell him about them, he wouldn't mind]
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That makes sense, in a way. We were very secretive. The weapons we guarded were best not left to the wrong hands. But we were almost exclusively female, which means I didn't meet a great deal of men until I found my way to their world.
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That much, we knew. [a beat] Or at least imagined. [there were rumors] My father had a company of elite warriors known as Valkyrie that was composed entirely of women. [they're dead, now. the Valkyrie he knew is probably dead now. Sif, who he's surprised never became a Valkyrie, is probably dead, now]
[ ... Gods damn it, he really needs to stop circling the drain on all of the people he lost]
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[She heard rumors of stories, but she was never sure how much of them were true.]
How progressive of him.
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I had dreams of joining them, until I realized.
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I'm sure they would have been lucky to have you all the same.
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Now, perhaps. When I was young ... [he shakes his head, smile fading. up until not that long ago, when his father banished him to Earth, he was stupid and arrogant and he understands, now, why Loki hated being around him, sometimes. ... and damn it. next time he sees Thanos, he will aim for the head. damn his revenge, damn wanting him to suffer as Loki suffered]
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You don't think you would have been an asset?
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Not then. I was a child; I did not yet understand the horror of war. [he pauses, then continues with what went through his head a second ago -- or at least part of it] I was naive and arrogant.
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[She offers a small smile.]
I was convinced once that evil was something men had forced upon them, rather than it being truly their choice. It took being thrown into a war myself to learn the difference and the delicacy of it.
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If only it were that easy. [and the smile fades again] Though, there are exceptions. My brother ... [what can he say about Loki? there's a reason why his brother was known as the God of Mischief, but he was -- different, somehow, when he attacked New York, and then different again, and for the better, when they fought Malekith, when he ended up on Sakaar, back to his old self. he's pretty sure what Loki did in New York wasn't his fault, whether he was controlled by the Mind Stone, like Barton, or he just had no choice, thanks to Thanos, but either way, that evil was forced on him] ... was a complicated man. He did terrible things, in his time, but very few of them were a choice.
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[The world is a grey and complex place. And in many ways, they're probably better for it, even if it makes the things they have to do harder.]
I hope he was able to find his way off that path.
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In the end, yes. [a beat] He stood for Asgard, when it truly mattered. For the whole of the realms. [in challenging Thanos, at the end. it was -- stupid, but noble, heroic. it bought time for Banner to get away, at least]
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Then we will not let his sacrifice be in vain.
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Stark was wise to name us Avengers.
[he'll get Thanos back for Loki, for everyone they lost]
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[As she is now one of them, this is her fight too, she is ready to do a lot of punching.]
It is a very fitting name.
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I'm sure I can find something. Something quite strong, I'm assuming?
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[shame he can't go home, right now. shame he doesn't have a home to go to. if he could, did he'd raid his father's wine stores for something old and good]
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