She nods a little, not disturbing their cuddle as she tucks herself against him more fully. The quiet between them is tense, but not so much that she can't enjoy being out here with him for a time. He's settling, slowly, and what space she offers him to work through his thoughts is the same she's been given when she needs it most. There's plenty of time for them to do exactly as he needs.
What he eventually speaks of is not completely unfamiliar. They've spoken of Asgard, what it was at its height of glory and those things that made is so, on various occasions as he's been willing. That his thoughts stray there now after a nightmare in which Asvera was lost doesn't surprise her. How often had her own nightmares pushed her to do more back home? How many times had she sacrificed sleep and her own goals and safety for the sake of others? This she understands completely, and she has an idea she hopes might bring him more fully through the last grips of his anxiety.
"If something were to happen, you wouldn't be alone. Others would come at your call, and I'm sure Valkyrie would stand up against any threat. I would stand, too, because this is my home to defend, and I won't let anything happen to it or its people without fighting it." She reaches an arm around him, not caring how soaked it becomes under the rain.
"Perhaps it's time to invest in our people again in such a way. Not to make them into warriors, but to teach them how to help if anything were to happen." Her tone isn't dismissive or judgmental. It may be unlikely to happen, but it can and she knows that. "Self-defense, how to fight fires, first aid, and even how best to hide, to name but a few. We could make things easier for them if anything should happen, make it easier to handle the stress of a calamity." They can never abate it entirely, but they can help.
She tips her head to look him in the eye, a small, hopeful smile on her lips. "What do you think? Is it worth trying? At least to start? There is always more we can do, but to begin with our people shows them we care about them more than the land upon which they've built their home."
no subject
What he eventually speaks of is not completely unfamiliar. They've spoken of Asgard, what it was at its height of glory and those things that made is so, on various occasions as he's been willing. That his thoughts stray there now after a nightmare in which Asvera was lost doesn't surprise her. How often had her own nightmares pushed her to do more back home? How many times had she sacrificed sleep and her own goals and safety for the sake of others? This she understands completely, and she has an idea she hopes might bring him more fully through the last grips of his anxiety.
"If something were to happen, you wouldn't be alone. Others would come at your call, and I'm sure Valkyrie would stand up against any threat. I would stand, too, because this is my home to defend, and I won't let anything happen to it or its people without fighting it." She reaches an arm around him, not caring how soaked it becomes under the rain.
"Perhaps it's time to invest in our people again in such a way. Not to make them into warriors, but to teach them how to help if anything were to happen." Her tone isn't dismissive or judgmental. It may be unlikely to happen, but it can and she knows that. "Self-defense, how to fight fires, first aid, and even how best to hide, to name but a few. We could make things easier for them if anything should happen, make it easier to handle the stress of a calamity." They can never abate it entirely, but they can help.
She tips her head to look him in the eye, a small, hopeful smile on her lips. "What do you think? Is it worth trying? At least to start? There is always more we can do, but to begin with our people shows them we care about them more than the land upon which they've built their home."