Even a God Can Need a Friend [Open to friends]

[pirateangelbaby]

[OOC: This post and its threads may contain Endgame spoilers. Potential trigger warnings include depression, alcohol abuse, and suicidal thoughts. (See the bottom section of Thor's updated permissions page for more detail on relevant warnings, Thor’s triggers, and a disclaimer about his narration style.) If you intend to tag Thor and are sensitive to this kind of content, please let me know before we begin so that I can provide a safer roleplay experience for you. Individual threads on this post will not be warned for on a case by case basis.

Thor has left his current address with the remaining Avengers, Loki (coldsong), Prometheus (liverfree), and Sif (lady_sif). Other close friends are welcome to visit by getting coordinates from those listed, which may be done offscreen (of the Avengers, Rocket is the most likely to be out and about in the Nexus right now) - if in doubt, please ask the relevant mun. This post is intended to provide Thor with moral support as he grapples with his mental health; each thread will be treated as though it is a different day entirely so his mood and the immediate setting may vary. I do not mind slow tags, and this post will be perpetually open for a long while, so don't worry if you can't get to it right away but still want to play.]


Above the Arctic Circle, in the far north of Norway, the village formerly known as Henningsvær sprawls out across a tiny chain of islands. Despite the approach of summer, the weather is cool and overcast, sea breezes often sweeping through the narrow streets. For those approaching by road, the small single-lane bridge leading from the mainland now boasts a hand-painted sign in Norsk and Asgardian runes welcoming visitors to Asvera, which the local humans have taken to calling New Asgard. Population: 832.

Though much of the world still feels half-empty and apocalyptic, there is little of that here. Asgard has filled the empty spaces, each house claimed and occupied, as well as several hotels that once served seasonal tourists. Fishing boats come and go from the harbor, dock workers hard at work learning to repair nets and lines, others processing the day’s catch for consumption. There is no market, no selling of goods; everything is distributed communally through the grocery on the main island, every citizen entitled to a share, every citizen expected to work to support the others, save for the children who are too young.

The village is quiet, but busy. There is always work to be done, or new skills to learn to survive in their new home. The king, however, may not be so easy to find. Here in the tiny Norwegian village, there is no golden palace to give visitors a place to start looking. Perhaps it’s best to ask for directions.

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[rogueinladysclothing]

Honestly, he could have left it at "good" and she wouldn't have minded. She kicks herself enough about not being attractive enough to get someone over her often abrasive personality to want to even think about starting a relationship with her (platonic or romantic) that someone else doing the same doesn't really catch her attention. Of course someone else would say it after meeting her when it's so obvious.

Really, though, the awkwardness of this whole conversation will detract from any feelings that might have been hurt by offhand comments. At best she'll remember how awkward they both were when it came to talking about her (lack of a) sex life. At worst she'll remember how she dug herself a really deep whole in the conversation.

The renewed use of Thor's magic is a good distraction for both of them, though. Amelia sits quietly as the god gets settled enough to begin again, her breath catching in her chest at the sight of the first signs of blue that leave him and find their way into the earth. She can't fully describe it, but it feels like he's putting an outside energy into everything around him and letting whatever his magic touches decide how best to use it. It's powerful in a way that catches at the edge of her senses, reminding her of other subtle uses of magic that were meant to encourage the body's own healing processes without doing anything directly. She doesn't fully understand it, but it makes her curious enough to add it to her mental list of topics to read about later.

When it's done, the rogue exhales the breath she had been holding and looks around the greenhouse with a renewed smile. What would have taken weeks or months, Thor has encouraged in a matter of minutes. Everything is ready for harvesting and not a day past perfect ripeness. Even if the recently crowned king of Asgard can't see what he's done for the beautiful, impressive thing that it is, Amelia can't see it any other way.

"Thank you," she says warmly when he's settled again. "I never thought I'd see anything like this in my life, and now I want to learn more about it." If not for her own use, then to bring knowledge of it to others (maybe even Thor, someday, if he wants to know). "I thought I'd come to offer my help, but I feel like I've gotten more than I've given. A day close to the sea, a new magic to research, my knowledge from my world actually being useful..." She huffs a small laugh. "I could be content here for the rest of my life, I think."

[pirateangelbaby]

It’s certainly not the first awkward conversation that Thor has had about helping make babies, though it has been a long time, and it probably won’t be the last. Especially if he intends to nurture this side of himself, long ignored in favor of more masculine pursuits.

Where Loki’s talent has always laid in study and sophistication, Thor’s talent for magic is more a force of nature, wild and deep and powerful, but with far less fine control. Often over the centuries, he has found himself carried along with the wind and the rain and the lightning, as if he is the heart of the storm given flesh and bone, or perhaps the storm is born of him instead. In a way, fertility magic is much the same, fingers reaching into the nutrient-rich earth like roots spreading downward, full of yearning for sky and sun and rain. Little points of light like stars, blossoming and ripening, the earth’s breath of life given form.

It’s a strange feeling still, but that is not a bad thing, and Thor does not shy away from it. He lets the seidr flow until it feels right to stop, and he sits back on his heels again, feeling somewhat like he’s finished a long and challenging run. He rubs at his forehead to wipe away sweat, leaving a streak of dirt in its place, and casts a slightly self-conscious look at her to see her reaction.

Fortunately, his anxiety here is unfounded, if the wonder in her eyes is any indication. Her words of praise for Asvera come as a surprise, as well, and he envies her a little for it. What would he give to be able to look on this place and see contentment with what it is, instead of what is gone? “Your knowledge?” he prompts, though she’d mentioned helping Vidar before.

[rogueinladysclothing]

She nods excitedly, ignoring the dirt he's smeared across his face. He asked a question she's interested in answering and everything else is ancillary for the moment. "My family traded herbs and spices in a port city on my world. I studied horticulture when my free time wasn't otherwise accounted for, and when I came to the Nexus I continued my studies when I needed a distraction. I certainly don't know everything about the plants that grow wild around here, but I was able to help Vidar name and catalogue many of them while we made our way to and from the mountain. I have pictures of those I couldn't identify so I can research them at the Grand Library in the Nexus. I'll come back to share what I've learned with Vidar and anyone else who wants or needs to know."

Her smile is irrepressible as it spreads across her face. Thor may not be able to smile honestly or move forward from the grief and guilt he feels, but the rogue's spirits seem higher now than they have almost any other time they've met. Something about this place makes it impossible for her to act otherwise.

Pressing her hands to the floor next to her hips, Amelia laughs softly as she relaxes back into them. "With the right contacts and a few months' time, I could probably get some trade going through your docks as well. If not for the plants that grow wild here, then certainly for the fish that must be in the sea. This world is far more advanced than mine, but people can still be encouraged to barter and trade one good for another. At the very least, I could probably help you get the docks more organized. I didn't look closely, but any new home can use a keen eye from someone with experience to help."

Maybe she's overstepping with that last offer, but she can't help it. This place calls to everything in her blood that she's been trying to ignore since she moved into her current apartment in the Nexus. Letting go of everything that made her the woman that she was on her world has been excruciatingly difficult, and the temptation of stepping backward, even for only a short time, is something she doesn't want to resist.

[pirateangelbaby]

Used to humans who only know enough about their vegetables and herbs to buy them in dried little shakers at the supermarket, it's another point of familiarity to hear from one who's able to forage and collect useful plants in the wild, or at least recognize them growing in a garden. Already he can see how invaluable Amelia's knowledge will be for both healers and cooks in replicating medicines and familiar dishes, of as close as they can find, anyway.

He hasn't paid as close attention to the docks as he probably should have, though that has been true of most things the remnants of his council has brought to his attention. There's probably a good deal that they don't bother to tell him these days, knowing that he'll either forget or fail to listen and respond in the first place. So whether she is overstepping or not, Thor really doesn't know enough to tell, and he can't exactly hide the shameful flicker of guilt at that realization. "That's... very generous of you. I'm honored."

Are the docks really that disorganized? It wouldn't surprise him if it was. "Most of my people were never sailors," he tells her, trying to remember if any of the survivors were those lucky few and coming up short. "We used to get most of our fish from Vanaheim as tribute. Asgard... it had a sea, of sorts, but not one easily fished. Water going over the edge of the world, you know." Speaking of home has become a bit harder since the events of the last few months, and especially since settling here. Asvera is no longer some vague, nebulous idea of hope but a real place, solid and busy and alive, and dreams of what could have been are replaced by what is real. And it is far humbler than the Asgardians are used to. Thor more than most.

[rogueinladysclothing]

Thor... honored? That isn't the reaction Amelia was expecting. Her eyes widen briefly at the statement, and then she turns her gaze away from him slightly when she notices the guilt cross his face. She hadn't meant for casual observations to cause him any distress. These are simply the kinds of things she notices because of her background. A woman raised in a port city and groomed to take over a business that flourished because of trade over the sea? Of course the docks caught her notice. Of course she noticed the ships sitting moored during the peak of the day rather than out on the water. These people are still getting settled, though, so it makes sense that not everything would be working at peak efficiency.

"I wasn't a sailor myself, but I know the basics from traveling across the sea my home was settled next to and speaking with the sailors who ran ships for my family. I'm not certain I could teach your people to sail well, but I'd be happy to help as best I could." Organization has always been her strongest skill, but a refresher from a few books and some videos from the library should give her enough to help these people. She hesitates a moment before adding, "This all only if you'd like my help. I wouldn't offer if I wasn't willing to follow through on all of it, but I don't want to appear as if I'm taking anything over from you or your people. This is your home; I'm merely a guest who wants to offer their assistance."

Assistance the also allows her time near the sea again. Dreams, it would be good to own up to that right now, but Thor's gone through enough already. This isn't her home and this isn't the time to ask for space in it beyond that offered when she's here to help. Anything more can come later when things aren't so tumultuous.

[pirateangelbaby]

Sadly, it takes very little these days for Thor to find himself slipping back towards the shadows in his mind, nearly all of it unintentional. Even moments that should be happy sometimes only serve to remind him of what he's lost, or some small detail - a faint scent, a familiar sound, a passing remark - brings the past back to him with an intensity he cannot ignore. Today has been a good day, compared to most. He's still sober so far, and he's only cried twice since he got up this morning. It's been three days since his last panic attack, which may be a new record if he was tracking such things.

He's still listening to her though, idly rubbing his hands together to knock off most of the dirt. When she seems to hesitate to offer her help, it strikes him that maybe he's coming across as ungrateful. "No, no, I- we appreciate all the help we can get," he hastens to assure her. "The quicker we learn, the quicker we'll be more self-sufficient. Any help you can give is welcome."

[rogueinladysclothing]

She nods slowly, grateful to hear that she's not about to be turned away. It means more time here and the chance to actually help those who can use her knowledge to make things better for themselves. It's such a small thing, but it means absolutely everything to the rogue. A small smile returns to her lips as she sits up straighter.

"I'll do everything I can to help with that. What help I can offer every day when I return will be yours." And she will return every day until she's certain the people of Asvera are confident in their own knowledge and abilities. She'll help them forage from the hillsides around the town, teach them about the uses of all of the plants they find and grow in their greenhouse, and get their vessels out on the sea. It will take time and patience both from herself and the Asgardians, but Amelia is certain they'll find a rhythm that works for all involved.

And if the rogue gets to enjoy more of the view and feel of this place while she aids them on their journey to self sufficiency? Well, that's simply a perk that the rogue will keep to herself while she smiles her way through all of the toil and struggles of teaching everyone her voice can reach.