[IC, open to all] Thor Fight Club

[pirateangelbaby]

It's a beautiful spring day in the Nexus, rolling green hills boasting bright splashes of color where flowers have blossomed in all their glory, birds singing in trees sheltered with new green growth, and the sun is shining merrily through puffy white clouds, the breeze only a little on the cool side.

In one of the flatter fields out towards the Wilds, however, things are not quite so peaceful at the moment.

There's an enormous rough ring marked out with scorch marks in the grass, large enough to rival the gladiator arena on Sakaar, and on the edge of the ring there's a cloth laid out with a small variety of weapons that look... well, very second-hand, to put it mildly. But enough to give a good selection of swords or axes or hammers, with a shield or two for protective options.

Thor stands to one side, checking his armor to make sure it's securely fitted before battle, training session or not, and can't quite chase away the grin on his face in favor of a more serious, kingly expression that he probably should be wearing. Learning to compensate for his missing eye is a matter of life and death, probably, whether his or someone else's, but he can't help but feel excited to face something other than a half-assed training dummy shoved into the corner of the cargo hold.

Right, then, who's up for a little sparring with the god of thunder?

Comments

[milaje]

She's used to elegant Vibranium weaponry, much of which is more complicated than it looks, precision engineered to be used up close or at a distance. The weapons he has sitting here are far simpler, made practical. She makes a soft humming sound that indicates she might be judging a little. But for training purposes, this stuff isn't half bad.

"I don't know any targets," she tells him with an arch look. Her face is expressive, bright, professional dignity overlaying an undercurrent of oh-you-will-respect-me. "But I am almost finished with my frappuccino."

Look, this also counts as intelligence-gathering, facing off against an Asgardian warrior.

[pirateangelbaby]

Oh yes, she definitely reminds him of the Valkyrie, with that attitude. More regal than drunkard, though Thor rather doubts that'll affect her willingness to knock him on his ass if given the opportunity.

He chuckles at her response. "Well, I wouldn't want to presume." She seems like she's up for it, though, and he's more than willing to meet her challenge. "Might I have the honor of your name, my lady?" he asks, and okay, yes, he's laying it on a little thick but it never hurts to stay in a stranger's good graces until you know where they stand, right? And it's only fair, if she recognizes him.

[milaje]

She will most certainly try. In a friendly way. There's more than one reason she might bring Valkyrie to mind, though neither of them know it. Both have been leaders of the elite guard to which they belonged, and both have known grief and political turmoil because of it.

"It would be unwise to presume," she agrees mildly. "My name is Okoye. Of the Dora Milaje. You have heard of Wakanda?"

Maybe he has, maybe not. If not, she's decided he's gonna learn. She steps around his gathering of weapons to lean her spear against a tree, and sets the mostly-empty frappuccino cup on the ground beside it. "Do not touch either of those," she tells him, with a look that says there might be a real fight, if he does.

(Maybe not over the Starbucks, but definitely over the weapon.)

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor still has a lot to learn about Earth's geography - the sheer amount of countries in one Realm still seems excessive at best, never mind the states and provinces and territories they've further carved those into - but to his mild surprise, he does recognize the name, from both the debacle surrounding Ultron, and in conversations with the Steve Rogerses since Thor first found the Nexus. "I have. Not much in the way of detail, but I'm told your country is a sight to behold."

And a possible site for his own people to seek refuge, but that's something Thor would rather not bring up on a first meeting, especially before he's even gotten to talk to their king first. He's not an invited guest, and given how quickly he's learned that Earth politics shift and change, it'd be a foolish idea to assume they'll be welcome just because he's popular.

Okoye's warning about leaving her weapon alone has his curiosity immediately, but he knows all to well how it feels to have a weapon that feels so like a part of yourself that it would be unthinkable to let a stranger mess with it. "You have my word," he vows, serious despite his smile. "As you're the challenger, the right to choose which weapons we use is yours."