The motions were quick—thoughtless due to a predetermined conclusion and sheer familiarity—as you pulled the notebook from the desk in your room, tore a page free, and began to fold the corners. Your fingers moved swiftly and methodically, till a neat paper swan sat on the desktop. You examined the creature for a moment, the blue stripes of the yellow page across the Swan's body hardly visible in your room's dark lighting. Taking it up into your hand, careful not to crush it, you made your way from your room and down the hall. Your feet stopped at Loki's door and a sigh escaped your lips that was only audible to you. You placed the swan at the foot of the door and went on your way.
"Technically no, I can't do the math for shit, but conceptually it's actually similar to certain aspects of the system of magic I encountered in Nepal," you answered Bruce, as he shuffled through a few papers, explaining here and there a few of the concepts he was working on. With Clint and Natasha gone, you had gravitated towards the lab the last two days. Banner had been quite aloof since you arrived but you assumed that had more to do with your presence coinciding with a certain god's. He was surprisingly warm and inviting when you found yourself in stumbling into his and Tony's lab, especially, when the two of you realized there were actually many common topic points between magic and science. He absentmindedly fidgeted with the pen hanging from his unoccupied hand as you picked up a half-empty bag of some snack, peering inside to see what it was.
"Those are Tony's, he got a taste for the Quin Jet's freeze-dried fruits, I guess," you nodded, laughing to yourself and setting the bag down. The lab's workspaces were a strange juxtaposition of neat and total messes with no real rhyme or reason to how organized any given inch was.
"You're needed downstairs Newbie," you looked up at the sound of Clint's voice to find him leaning against the doorway, smiling.
"Hey, when did ya'll get back," you questioned, moving to the end of the workspace table and leaning on the end of it.
"Touched down a few minutes ago, just in time for a briefing," He added the last bit with a small cringe, earning a laugh from you, "you too Doc." The two of you followed Clint to a room downstairs that you hadn't been in before, a combination of the living room on your floor and the meeting room you first met them in. The whole team, minus the two Asgardians, were all accounted for. You smiled at Nat, welcoming her back and she returned it with a nod. Clint took the seat beside her on the couch with you and Banner shuffling in after him. Tony leaned against a pillar directly beside what could be referred to as a sort of holographic whiteboard. Steve took the other end of it, nodding once he concluded everyone was there and stepping forward slightly.
"Nat and Barton got eyes on an outgroup heading towards New York. From what we can tell, there is only around 30 members," Steve tapped something on a remote, hitting whatever it was three or four times before an overhead image of an armed group moving across a hilled countryside appeared, " but don't look like they're from around here. Clint picked up this from one of their camp sites," Clint reached behind the couch and tossed short sword for Steve to catch. Its handle was wrapped in thick leather straps and its hilt gave way to a short blade that formed a cliff-like structure towards its end, like a single jagged edge of a key.
"That's where you come in," Tony spoke up, moving from the wall and taking the sword, which was already extended to him.
"You think it has some sort of magical properties," you questioned, gripping the handle he had passed to you.
"That's the working theory," Tony answered. The leather was smooth under your touch but you could feel the worn imprints of someone else's hand along the straps. You eyes raked over the metal blade. It was sleek like many modern machines or weapons but, at the same time, it was reminiscent of ancient weapons you would find mounted under glass fixtures on museum walls. Still, it gave no indication of being particularly magical. You extended the sword, feeling its balance on your grip, before looking over every nook and cranny of the blade.
"As far as I can tell, it's a normal weapon," you paused, "well, not quite normal. It's certainly nothing I've seen before but I can't see anything that would indicate it has magical properties or is charmed in some way." Tony hummed to himself in disappointment and you handed the sword to Banner, who held it delicately as if it (or possibly him) was made of glass, as he looked it over.
"We have a tracker on them now," Steve continued, "We'll head out in the morning," He concluded and everyone made their way to their feet in a manner that reminded you of a room full of students packing up their things after the bell, "I had one more thing to ask you," Steve stopped you as you went to leave.
"Yeah?"
"You don't happen to know anything about a new hole in our training room do you," A smile played on his lips. You had meant to mention it but it completely slipped your mind.
"My bad."
"How are you getting along, my dear," Frigga's tone was soothing as she led you down the palace hallway.
"Fine," you didn't look up at her but a cool hand on your arm made you stop. She studied you, gently but with an intensity that never left her gaze, "Why am I here," you finally looked up to her as the question slipped past your lips. Frigga hummed in return.
"Well, I'm quite surprised you hadn't asked me before," your brow furrowed in confusion but she continued on, "To be honest dear, I'm not quite sure. One here's many things and my husband has an affinity for his secrets," the two of you began to walk again, moving slowly, side-by-side, "As do I," she added with a wink, "But I can see many things beyond what the eyes can and I can see that you belong here, part of you at least," You swallowed, listening to her words intently. The last few weeks had been a whirlwind to you. Frigga called upon you for frequent walks and one of the Princes had taken an interest in teaching you a few of his tricks, but it all felt disorienting, as if you had been launched into a movie, already ⅓ of the way through with no context, expected to simply take up the character and know your lines.
"And the other part," you finally managed, watching the corners of her mouth upturn.
"It seems that part is undecided," her words coincided with the two of you stepping from the Palace's interior out onto the stone pathway to the gardens, quickly finding your way to the grass. The fresh air felt good in your lungs and the subtle warmth added a glow to your expression. The two of you continued on in silence until a mix of grunts and the clashing of metal met your ears. A large square had been marked off in the grass, weapons sat in the far corner, as well as a few littering the ground. In the "ring," Thor's hammer met Sif's sword with a swift blow, only for his knees to be knocked out with a well-placed kick.
"Lucky blow but you will be the one in the dirt next time," Thor announced, laughing as Sif helped him off the ground. She caught sight of you, Thor's gaze quickly following.
"(Y/N)," He all but yelled, holding his arms out to the side. You raised your eyebrows in response. You were honestly surprised he remembered your name, given that you had only seen him a few times and only spoke to him once, excluding when you were first introduced. From what you gathered, he was rather arrogant but was kind at heart and almost like an energetic oversized puppy at times, "You should join us," he decided, hurrying you from his mother and into their ring. Their other spectators, including two other men you thought you recognized and a few others you didn't, most lounging in the grass, watched you carefully.
"No, I—," your protest didn't quite make its way past your lips, much to your frustration and soon you found a blunt sword being thrust into your grip, "I don't know how to use this."
"Perhaps something lighter," Sif postulated and replaced the sword with a long dagger, "Is that what you're used to?"
"No, I mean I don't know how to use any of these," Both she and Thor gave you a confused look.
"Are there no warriors on your planet," Sif questioned, a sense of astonishment and almost disgust penetrating her tone.
"No—I mean—yes, sort of, but most people don't train like this," you did your best to explain, your grip unconsciously tightening around the handle in your hand.
"Then it's time you learn," Sif decided, "every woman should know how to bring their opponent to their knees," she threw a glance and a smirk towards Thor, who rolled his eyes, "here," she adjusted your grip on the dagger, "perfect, now strike!"
