pirateangelbaby | An Overdue Chat [for sweetcandygirl]

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harley quinn,
ic

An Overdue Chat [for sweetcandygirl]

Spring in Norway is still fairly chilly as compared to much of the inhabited regions of Earth, but Thor finds it agreeable. The snow and ice has mostly melted, though his windows tend to frost over every evening, and the rocky cliffs outside his home can be slippery from frozen ocean spray. The sun shows its face more and more every day, coming out of the deep darkness of winter, and the mountainside on the mainland is slowly beginning to bloom with green. The field out back will be ready for planting soon, once the last of the frost releases its hold on the topsoil, and Thor cannot wait to sow it.

But not today. Today, he has a guest coming.

His home is in somewhat better shape than it was when the children were staying; there's bits of dust here and there in the corners that he doesn't use, but it's relatively uncluttered. Inside is warm and inviting, though Thor still bundles up in a comfortable soft sweater, and the little pot on the stove steams with boiling coffee. Above the kitchen sink, a wooden dowel has been installed between the cabinets for the ravens to perch on, and both birds hunker on top of it while their master putters around the kitchen.

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Even though spring is in the air, Harley is aware of how chilly it can still be in Norway. She is wearing a long rainbow-colored sweater dress, a pair of neon pink tights to clash nicely with the outfit, and her thigh-high heeled boots.

Even walking over spots where it is still icy and slippery, Harley seems to have a good balance to her step. She has spend many years walking in (and fighting in) heels, so she knows how to keep herself from falling.

She is a little ray of sunshine to the village today. A bright smile to those she sees along the path to Thor's home. A wave to those she recognizes.

She does one of those knock-knock but I am opening the door at the same time things at the front door. "Thor? Hey! There you are!"

Edited 2021-04-17 23:18 (UTC)

"Here I am," Thor agrees, flashing a smile in her direction. He's in good spirits today, his little kitchen full of the smell of coffee and fresh-baked bread. "I'll be just a moment."

The bread he's baking isn't from scratch - not on his part, anyway - bought as a lump of dough from the grocery in the village. All he's had to do was shape it and bake it. He reaches in with his prosthetic hand, as good as any potholder to protect him from the heat, and pulls out the baking stone. The loaf is a bit misshapen and dark, but still perfectly edible. A win in Thor's book. He sets the loaf on a rack to cool, and turns to pour the coffee from the pot.

"Oh you are baking bread. Ya'know what goes great with bread? Tea..." And Harley sets a tea brick on the countertop in front of him. "And some jams."

"Oh, I don't drink tea." What she sets down doesn't look like a tea tin, or anything else Thor is familiar with. It looks more like a paving tile or a sculpture than tea. He picks it up, puzzled, looking it over. "What is this?"

It sort of smells like tea. But how are you supposed to fit this into a pot?

"It is a tea brick. All the tea leaves are compressed into the shape. In my world, it is how tea was first stored." Harley explains. She finds a countertop to lean against.

"Don't know if ya heard... but I took over as the head of a gang in my dimension. And been turning them around to do better things, then gang things. And in a liberation of one mansion, we found a storehouse of these."

"They actually used to be really valuable. People used them as currency waaaay back in the day. Their shape and form made it possible that they were durable during the days when we did more trade by sea and land. Nowdays… they are mostly thought of as souvenirs and novelty items."

Her spiel is informative, certainly. Thor has had just enough experience with Earth culture to know a sales pitch when he hears one, or at least suspect it of being such. He looks at her with some skepticism. "...are you trying to get rid of them?"

Be honest, Harley.

"Not sure what else I can do with them. So yes..." Harley gives a half-hearted shrug. And tilts up on her toes for a second.

"But really that is not why I am here. It is more to see you."

Oh Harley. Thor just shakes his head a little, and sets the... brick... back down. "Come on, sit. I've made coffee and everything. Much better than tea."

He pushes one of the mugs across the table in front of one of the chairs, and sits down in another, his own mug steaming hot. "It's been a while. I've missed you."

"It has been a while. A lot to catch up on." Harley finds a place to sit. And she smiles big at Thor.

"We have not had a lot of Thor and Harley time. Unfortunately."

"Well, you've been busy." He's certainly not going to blame her for not having the time to stop in and socialize. Especially if she's become leader of her... gang, she called it. Thor's still not entirely certain what that entails, but being in a position of leadership himself, he can appreciate how it can eat up your free time.

There's a flapping of wings as Huggan flutters onto the table, head bobbing as he approaches Harley, and his beady little black eyes peer up at her.

"I think... it was first mostly... trying everything I could to force myself to be busy." When Huggan lands onto the table, Harley reaches into her pocket for a shiny little plastic gem, and rolls it towards the raven.

"I don't think you know... but someone very dangerous from my world had showed up in the Nexus. He threatened Loki. Caspar. Cricket. Amelia. And brought some of his dangerous merchandise in the attempts to sell it."

"And after everything he did. It sucked. And all I could feel is anger and pain and hatred for a while. And then Loki had to do his thing..."

"And the hatred got the better of me. So I made sure that threat could never hurt any of my friends again."

"And I have been just... putting the pieces back together every since."

Harley finds another plastic gem to toss at the raven. "I think in a way... and this is something I have just learned since going to that Survivor Group I once mentioned.... that I was afraid of losing my friends. That they would judge me for what I did. For who I was... when that disaster was part of my life."

Oh, what's this? Huggan flaps his wings as he hops forward eagerly to peck at the gem, investigating it with curiosity. Is this food? Fortunately, the raven determines fairly quickly that it isn't, but the novelty of the shiny plastic keeps his interest, even when she adds the second one.

Thor has not heard much of what exactly Harley has been going through, and this is more than what he'd already known. Learning that not only was she under threat, but so was his own friends and family, comes as alarming and disturbing news, and his coffee is left forgotten as he listens intently, an upset frown creasing his brow.

"I don't know what to say." He really doesn't. "Did you fear I wouldn't understand?"

Harley nods. She picks out a yo-yo from her belt, to have something to play with during this conversation.

"I admire you so much Thor. I would dislike you... for you to hate me."

"Why would I hate you?" There's honest confusion on Thor's face, mixed with distress. Later, he might admit that she was right not to lay such worries on his doorstep when he was already suffering, but in the moment it's clearly not a thought that crosses his mind.

"For killing an enemy? I've slain thousands, more than I can count. Even... killed out of anger." The Titan's head toppling to the floor, his axe dripping purple blood... Thor waves a hand near his head as if to swat away the memory like a painful biting fly. "This man, whoever he was, was a threat to you and yours. And to mine. If you killed him, I am glad."

"I always worry about that. About doing something that would make the people who are important to me... not want to be around me anymore." Harley twirls a ponytail. "It was not even anger when I killed him. It was just... nothing..."

"I still feel nothing some days. I thought I would be... happier."

That's something that Thor knows far deeper than he wishes, a haunted look on his face. Yes... he knows exactly what that's like.

He sets down his coffee and reaches for her hand, to give it a solid squeeze. "It can be like that... I wish it on no one. Not you."

"I still feel that nothing... lost at times." Harley returns the solid squeeze to her hand, and smiles at him.

"I have been looking for my place. My heart. My home for a long time. And it is strange to actually think that I have a family now. In a way."

"People who are more than friends to me."

"And I want to be something more to them."

"In the last little while, it has been the people of Asgard, who have come to my mind the most. And how to help them most."

"And we are grateful for everything you've done, and for your friendship." Thor's not certain if she's seeking assurance, but if she is, he's glad to give it. "You will always be welcome here, Harley."

He gives her hand another squeeze and then withdraws, picking up his mug again and taking a sip. Is this deeper than what he can see? He's not quite certain.

"I have always sought a name for myself." Harley pauses, weighing her words for a moment.

"Did you know... that for a while... I called myself Loki's Valkyrie. And I know that a Valkyrie is much more than what I believed at that time. And I know that is not what I want for myself..."

"But I still want to be something. For Asgard. Does that make sense?"

"Ah." Thor hadn't known that she called herself such, and it calls to mind a imaginary Harley dressing in Valkyrie silver and blue, hefting a sword, and swearing herself to the throne. Somehow, it just doesn't quite fit her, not that kind of devotion. He's seen her loyalty in spades, and it is more personal, a matter of heart more than duty. She is a free spirit, a falcon tamed to the glove for as long as she's content and no more.

He hesitates, not quite sure what to make of her request. "You... wish for a title? Honors?" Such a thing would be within his power and his rights as king, though he hadn't expected it.

"Um...." Harley twirls a ponytail with her fingers.

"I think... that I sort of have a real title now. In the fact that Loki.. Loki has asked me to be his Princess Consort." She blushes slightly at this. And smiles thinking of the man who has become so much to her these past few years.

"I do not need to be more than that. But I think of you. And Loki. And the kids. And the others I have helped as family."

"I just... want to preserve the history and the culture of the people who I have felt closest to, who have made me feel like I belong somewhere."

"Is there such a thing as someone being considered Asgardian, even if they do not have the blood of an Asgardian?"

"He did!" That comes as a complete surprise to Thor. He'd known that Harley was dear to Loki, but he hadn't realized his brother considered their relationship that committed. Still, his response is not an unhappy one. There are many, many worse choices Loki could have made than Harley, and Thor does not mind in the slightest to have one more reason for her to stay in his life.

It puts a smile on his face that doesn't leave even as she continues speaking. "Oh, well, of course. I mean, Loki isn't Asgardian by blood, either. But he's still my brother." It's a contradiction that he's been happy to keep, despite the truth of Loki's parentage. A thousand years of childhood memories is not so easily erased. Loki aside, though, Thor takes a moment to think on it, tapping a finger against the table. "I don't know about, er, legalities and so forth, but not everyone in Asvera is Asgardian, and they're still citizens. Korg and the others from Sakaar, they're not Asgardian but they're... Asveran, I suppose."

Harley listens carefully as Thor clarifies. Then smiles brightly. "Oh! Well that is cool. I really like being at Asvera. And helping out. And making sure that everyone is becoming strong."

"Is... that what you want?" Thor asks, trying to feel out her mood. Tying herself down to a person is one thing, but binding herself to a settlement - even this little village - is different, he'd think. It's something he'd want her to decide after careful thought, to ensure that it's what she really desires. "I am king, you know. I'm allowed to make that kind of proclamation. Although, er, we're not citizens of Norway yet. We're classified as refugees, of a sort."

It's an odd sort of contradiction, especially to one raised to think of Earth as one of his subject realms. By Asgardian standards, mortal governments shouldn't even factor into it at all. "Or are you more concerned about legitimacy?"

"I know it sounds weird... I lived most of my life on my own. With no real place for myself. And a lot of that was because I was scared of actually depending on other people." Harley fiddles with another plastic gem from her pocket.

"But there is a part of me that wants that now."

"That wants a home. A family. A place where I belong."

"It's not so strange," he reassures her, picking up his steaming mug and holding it close to breathe the scent of coffee. "I know what it's like to lack a home, even if only briefly. When I was banished from Asgard, I was at the mercy of the kindness of those around me, with nowhere to call home. If my exile had lasted more than a handful of days, I'm not certain what I would have done, what sort of life I would have made." It's not quite the same, of course, but he's trying to connect, to empathize with her desires.

"After Ragnarok... I did not know if Earth would welcome us," Thor admits, something he has not spoken of often. But Harley has seen and known his fears, and he is not ashamed to tell her this. "I did not know if there would be a place we could call our own, here or anywhere else. But I'm proud of what we've built here. It's home, but... a home we made, not simply an accident of where I was born."

"I had a pretty unstable childhood. And then an unstable life of flirting with danger, just because while Arkham sucked... it was a familiar place. It was where I could just be myself."

"I know how it feels to not feel welcomed. But Loki and you... have welcomed me with open hearts. And I consider you both Family."

Thor chuckles softly. "Oh, I figured. The whole consort thing, you know." He's still processing that, to be honest. But blood or not, Harley can only be a better sister (...in law) than Hela was, no contest. "So... will you be living with him, then?" That would make the most sense, but if there is one thing that Thor has learned about Harley, it's that she does not always do the obvious thing.

"He has built me a separate little tree house near the main house. But I didn't want to settle down completely. So he understood." Harley explains.

"Plus, it gives the children a little space. Until we are more of a family."

"Good, good." He keeps his hold on his coffee cup with his prosthesis, but reaches his free hand across the table to grab and warmly squeeze her hand. "As long as you're happy, Harley. You are happy, right?"

"As happy as I let myself feel these days." Harley tells him. Smiling and returning the hand squeeze.

"I still worry that it will be taken away from me."

That sentiment is something he understands well, as Harley knows. Happiness is... not as easy as it should be, some days.

But as he has found those days to be within his reach more often than they once were, he hopes the same for her. Thor smiles a little at her in response. "Well, you may rest assured that I intend to do no such thing. Loki is... I was afraid for a time that he would have no one, but my worries were for nothing, it seems."

"I want to be there for him... as long as he wants me to be there." Harley smiles. "But I also like helping out the others. And you."

"I am just finding myself again. It is going to take time."

"Yes, it's like that, isn't it." Thor does not have to explain to her how he knows, and he's grateful for it. Learning to accept himself as he is, rather than who he was, is still an ongoing and sometimes painful process. But it's one worth going through, as he is slowly learning bit by bit.

"So, princess consort," he says, a small grin on his face. "Are you going to have a handfasting ceremony?"

"What is a handfasting ceremony?" Harley gets up and sort of perches on the chair, in her excitement to learn something new about the culture she wants to become a part of.

"It's like a wedding, I think. I don't know how it's done on Earth these days," he adds with a small shrug. "The details differ on the couple, but they're all done by joining hands and pledging to one another. Royal ceremonies can get fairly elaborate, I'm told. There hasn't been one in my family since my mother and father were joined, and I was not there to see it, obviously."

"I would have to ask Loki about that. A wedding sounds like... like I would be okay with pledging to one another. But you know that I ain't the only one he is seeing... right? There are other people in the equation."

"It hurts my brain some times."

Mild puzzlement creases his brow. "Yes, I've met his... Ian." Though he's still somewhat wary of the human - not his fault, but that face... "Why should that matter? You'd be pledging to Loki, not his other lovers. Unless you wanted to, I mean."

"Ian is a pretty good friend to me." Harley nods. "He was there for me... when Loki needed to work some things out in his dimension. Help his... Avengers?"

"I guess I would be more worried that by pledging to one another... wouldn't the other person feel left out, if they didn't have their own pledge ceremony?"

"I am cool with Loki having as many ceremonies as he wants."

"I just want... what I have with him." Harley grins. And blushes. "I want to grow old with him. Even knowing that he won't be aging the same."

Thor's smile wavers a little. He tries not to think of his human friends' lifespans, especially not these days. It was not all that long ago that Loki threw it in his face, a spiteful reminder of Jane's mortality, how quickly human lives pass. He can easily imagine Harley in her twilight years, while her beloved remains unchanged by age. He envies that human perspective, a full and satisfied life til the end.

He's still happy for her. Really, he is. But there's an old pain in his eye as he gives her hand another squeeze, smiling back at her. "Then that's all you need to worry about."

"Is there anything you or anyone else in the community need done, these days Thor?" Harley likes to keep herself busy.

"There's always work to be done." There's a tinge of weariness in that, but despite the never-ending toil, part of Thor enjoys having something to do. Somewhere to direct his restlessness, on days where he needs a purpose, and something to do with his hands.

"The junipers will need pruned soon, if you'd like to help me with that today."

"I would love to help prune junipers."

"They are one of Red's favorite plants. So hardy."

Thor's smile grows a little. It's still a pleasant surprise whenever his interest in plants is encouraged, rather than the opposite, no matter who it's from. But he doesn't blush from embarrassment over it anymore, accepting this part of himself for what he is. Something he does not have to apologize for.

"Then it's settled," he says with a nod. "Finish your coffee, and we'll head out."

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An Overdue Chat [for sweetcandygirl]

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