Chapter 15: My Friends
The Avengers weren't too concerned about how to handle Thor's parents. Bring them to Stark Tower, chatting with them up the yin-yang about things, and enjoy a big dinner with the Asgardians. The heroes had it covered. Their kids, on the other hand? Well… that was a different story that was mostly improvised.
Katrina and Astrid were pretty cool, being involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. and having them as your family, respectively. Katrina was professional, only speaking when necessary. She was helping her parents write data files for the two Asgardians, being able to spend more time with them. Astrid was guiding them to their rooms, explaining everything along the way…. and by that, we mean everything.
Though several of the bases had already been covered and her grandfather was silent for the most part, Astrid still had to figure out how to explain the things that that she used day to day to the royal family! She knew that Frigga hadn't meant to make her brain hurt, but Astrid knew that she was going to need a good long break after this little tour. It was somewhat comforting that the gentle goddess was writing it all down.
They soon arrived at the temporary living arrangement Tony had made for them, and that was the end of the tour, for now. Although the goddess really did want to head back home after they had seen Astrid return to full strength, Frigga relented when Odin made it very clear that he wanted to see his namesake Bakugan in battle. So, he had made Astrid swear to him that she would let him know when she would Brawl next.
Serah chose to just focus on maintaining things, more fascinated with the tech that came with them than the Asgardians themselves. She was now intently studying Gungnir (after much convincing by several parties and a swearing that she wouldn't alter it so that the King would let it go), recording everything she could learn about it in on a tablet with aid from Claire. Per her family's request, she kept a safe distance from the spear when testing its combat abilities so as to not have a misfire incident.
Christina, on the other hand, was nervous as could be. Sure, she was pretty familiar with Thor, so she had a somewhat-decent idea of how Asgardians acted and the like, but these two weren't just her friend Thor, Astrid, or any number of citizens. No, these two were the King and Queen of Asgard! She may be the daughter of Captain America himself, but she wasn't sure about how to deal with royalty at all, let alone people who were once worshipped as gods!
So, when Astrid told Christina that her grandparents had been settled into their shared room, Christina finally relaxed, sliding down into the couch. She laid her head back, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. She let her body sprawl on Tony's couch, closing her eyes.
"That was awkward. I'm glad that's over, at least for now." She said breathlessly. Astrid puffed.
"Tell me something I don't know. I mean, at least my dad is somewhat familiar with modern tech, but those two… don't even get me started!" She agreed, flopping down on the couch next to her best friend. Christina looked at Astrid for a moment, before looking at the ceiling.
"That whole healing factor thing really pays off at times, doesn't it?" She asked. Astrid simply smiled.
"It sure as hell helped this time. I'm completely fixed up, thanks to it." The Ventus Brawler admitted. Christina then spotted the royal Asgardian family (and Jane as well), standing there. The Haos Brawler took that as her cue, and left. Astrid was confused, until she saw her family. She bit her lip.
I should've seen this coming… She thought as they all stood there. Astrid didn't know what to say. The tension in the air was thick. The silence was painful for everyone, burning, even. Then, finally, Jane broke the silence.
"What the hell were you thinking?! You could've gotten yourself killed!" She demanded. Astrid began to shift back.
"Your mother has a valid point, Astrid. You willingly put your life in danger!" Thor added. The half-Asgardian looked down.
"And for what-mortals who will, at best, maybe live as half as long as you?! Are their lives-" Odin began.
"SHUT UP!" Astrid snapped, on the verge on tears. She was furious and deeply upset all at the same time. Odin shifted a bit, taken aback by his granddaughter's sudden outburst. She stood up, storming up to the man. Although being shorter and younger than him, she looked at him with burning, teary eyes and clenched fists.
"I KNOW WHAT THE HELL I DID! I KNEW THE RISKS! BUT MY FRIENDS ARE EVERYTHING TO ME!" She began.
"Astrid-" Odin tried to say before being cut off again.
"SAVE IT! YES, THEY WON'T LIVE AS LONG AS I WILL! YES, THEY'RE HUMAN! BUT THEY ARE MY FRIENDS! I TOOK THE RISK BECAUSE I FREAKING CARED ABOUT THEM! IF YOU CAN'T RESPECT THAT ABOUT ME, THEN KINDLY GET THE HELL OUT OF MY LIFE, YOU ARROGANT, SELFISH, IDIOT!" She screamed in a fit of teary rage, storming off.
Odin was completely and utterly stunned. She wasn't nearly as skilled as he was in any shape or form, yet she'd just screamed at him like she was above him! Sure, without Gungnir, he was a bit less intimidating, but still...
"Damnit. We just made a big mistake." Jane realized.
"Indeed we did." Thor added.
"And what mistake would that be, my son?" Odin asked.
"We just shot her down, hard." Jane replied.
"Her friends mean everything to her, father. She cared about them to the point of self - sacrifice. And we just attacked her for it." Thor added. Thor's little addition stung his parents. They hadn't meant to verbally attack their granddaughter. They didn't want to hurt her at all.
Odin felt like an idiot after a moment. She'd spent her whole life on Midgard-of course her Midgardian friends would mean everything to her! Why hadn't he thought of that?! She knew that she was no ordinary girl, but she'd never once seen the land from which her father came! She didn't know anything of it, and hadn't made any friends there! Sure, she knew Lady Sif, but she didn't know the warrior maiden very well at all!
"I will go speak to her."
Frigga's words broke Odin out of his thoughts. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
"I doubt she would take kindly to seeing you right now. Certainly you can understand why?"
He nodded. Thor thought for a moment.
"Man Without A Body?" He wondered out loud.
"Yes, Mr. Odinson?"
Both Frigga and Odin were startled. Jane couldn't resist a slight chuckle.
"Who is there?! Show yourself!" Odin demanded, tense.
"You have no need to panic, sir. I am JARVIS, an electronic butler created by Master Stark."
"A… what?"
"Electronic butler. I do not have a physical body, but I was created so that I could aid Master Stark, and, by extent, any of the Tower's residents."
He thought for a moment. Astrid had explained to him that the massive structure had very advanced technology, powered by "electricity", so it made sense to him. Even if he had no body, his presence in the Tower was "electronic", so he could control the various technologies.
Truly amazing, indeed. He thought.
"Very well, Man Without A Body. Would you be so kind as to enlighten us on the affairs concerning our granddaughter?" Frigga asked.
"She is in her guest room, currently observing a figure skater/singer known as Starlight Siren." JARVIS replied. Deciding to ignore what they didn't understand, as they were certain it was nothing more than petty Midgardian things, the two thought. However, one thing bugged the Asgardians.
"Who is this 'Starlight Siren' you speak of, Man Without A Body?" Thor asked.
"To summarize, she is a young, gifted singer/figure skater who is quite popular. She is famous for being loving to her fans, especially to those that are ill. She is also well-renowned for her skill in Bakugan Brawling and lack of memories from her younger childhood." JARVIS summarized. The small group was horrified.
"I'm sorry, JARVIS, but did you just say lack of memories from her younger childhood?!" Jane asked, horror evident in her voice.
"Yes. She has admitted in many interviews that she has no recollection of her life before her high-school graduation. She constantly keeps record of her life since then, just to be safe." The A.I. confirmed.
"That is truly a pity… Perhaps Astrid likes her because she can understand being different, not because of her music." Thor wondered.
"Perhaps so. I would hope to some day meet this 'Starlight Siren', and learn about her." Odin said, keeping his voice calm.
"So would I, my love. So would I…" Frigga trailed.