50 Shades of Tony
By Rey

Chapter 34
Tony Stark and Yet Another War

Ýmirheim, 1st January 2017

810. Lady
Shastla, Fié's and Sai'yo's grandmum, was found and retrieved by Shálir, the duo's cousin. They don't look like a warrior or a lady, Tony thinks, let alone a former monarch. They look crazy, complete with spaced-out expression and disjointed words. But, somehow, Sai'yo can understand them and guide them along.

811. Maudlin
"Mother had the curse of foresight as well, although not this severe, so I have already been… somewhat practised in treating someone in the throws of Seeing," Sai'yo admits when Tony asks about how they're handling their grandmum. It drives them deeper into maudlin-land, though, which was already bad before.

812. Challenge
Amazingly enough, Shastla… clears up, for lack of a better word, and agrees, when Tony challenges them to make Sai'yo a full milaða. Fié and Shálir are mad with him, though, afraid that the cousins get their grandmum back only for the grandmum to die transfering their life-force to Sai'yo.

Antarctica, 3rd February 2017

813. Gratitude
Elamir, Shastla's lastborn and Shálir's mum, ended up helping their mum… do whatever the mum did to remove the "half" part in Sai'yo's milaða-ness. Tony'd rather remove himself from all the family drama, in any case, and he managed that. Only, then Shastla finds him, to… express their gratitude? Awkward.

814. Awkward
And the awkward-fest continues when Sai'yo comes stumbling in behind their grandmum, looking the same but… also different, and the first thing that comes to Tony's mouth is, "Whoa, buddy, want me to set up a team of bodyguard for you? You're now too pretty by an order of magnitude!"

Ýmirheim, 3rd February 2017

815. Coffers
Fié punishes Tony's runaway mouth by kicking him back to Ýmirheim, far away from Sai'yo, with the order to "replenish the coffers." And once there, Tony knows why they said that: In an Earth's month's time, a fleet of space-faring battleships have been built and equipped. They're going to war.

816. Ally
"We can't go to war like this, Fié. We're barely recovered as it is!" Tony hisses when Fié asks his opinion about the fleet. "We need an ally – no, allies – and… just… lots more things. What possessed you to do this, anyway? I meant them to be just home defence!"

817. Sceptical
Fié claims that many milaðen have offered themselves to avenge Tony, in addition to rescuing more milaðen like Sai'yo, who's been trapped in the service and/or territories of people like Apophis. Tony's quite sceptical. "My past self was a traitor," he points out most reasonably. "Nobody's loyal to a traitor."

818. Incite
"Besides," Tony continues, "Apophis pro'ly got powerful buddies to back him up, aside from his own forces, if only so they won't get targeted after him. Sure you're ready to incite that level of hostility? Just for me and Sais?" If only he hadn't just been from another war, though….

819. Kin
"You were always eager for battle, whether as Farbauty or Anthony," Fié muses aloud. "What changed?" Tony doesn't answer, at first. Can't. But he knows. Very well. The magical community's civil war has taught him to value his kith and kin, and those usually fall before the enemies ever do.

820. Aftermath
"The magical war. The aftermath of that," Tony lets out at last, tired with Fié's prodding. Fortunately, it shuts them up. But then, maybe Fié does understand. They're involved in relief programme for the refugees, after all. They're even one of the counsellors for the children among those broken people.

Ýmirheim, 5th ebruary 2017

821. Grand
Týo, who's been away on a snooping mission round the realms along with their team, makes a face when Tony complains to them about the aggression Fié's planning. "A grand thought," they acknowledge, afterwards. "Good timing. The realms are quiet, even here and Asgard. But we are not ready yet."

822. Association
It's unnerving that, despite all he's done to prove that he's not Farbauti, Ýmirheim's military still looks to him about things, especially the war that Fié meant to instigate with Apophis. Their care is nice, but the association with a bloodthirsty, backstabbing, horribly ruthless brute people keep insisting he was….

Malibu, California, United States, 7th February 2017

823. Missing
Apparently, the missing link that'd make Ýmirheim ready for war is another portable portal that could be set in a staging area far removed from the seat of Ýmirheim's power, at least according to Týo and their team… but Fié does agree. And Tasha provides it, through a military contact.

824. Commandeer
Tony commandeers the spare portable portal, as US Air Force – the previous owner – has nothing planned for it. Howard Stark's involved in the only US mission this portal saw, and finagled himself joint ownership for it. To gain full ownership, Tony "just" has to help make a space-worthy fighter jet.

825. Fire
Tony's not going to arm any one country on Earth with advanced tech, let alone fire power, though the jet's supposed to be earth protection. He comes under figurative fire from the US government, for that, but he remains firm. Fortunately, this time, Rhodes doesn't take a stance against him.

Earth and Ýmirheim, February-March 2017

826. List
Preparing for a galactic-scale war takes so much time and energy, especially when one wishes to defend one's homeworlds at the same time. Tony never thought he'd have to deal with so many tideous lists from logistics to back-up plans, however, in the process, and he sadly can't escape these.

827. Sail
Sailing with all the sprogs in a lake up high in the Adirondacks is a rare treat doubling as respite that Tony cherishes, among all the talks of war. He lavishes all his attention to each and every single one of them, and commits the day to memory most faithfully.