Disclaimer: I not own Thor. Anastasia belongs to mrunicorn and the Thor cast belongs to Marvel (or, frankly, the Norse). Only Karina is mine. I'm not getting paid for this.
Karina had been back in her chambers for around five minutes before she realized that she, in fact, had essentially no idea what she was preparing for. What was a soiree?
Thankfully, Jona (who was quickly beginning to seem like a savior) once again showed up to save the day, giving Karina a polite curtsy before sweeping into the room. She laid out two looser gowns on the bed and ushered her into the large adjacent bathroom.
"You will wish to bathe before the festivities tonight, I would imagine. I shall have everything prepared for when you finish. Here are your towels. Would you care for some bath salts, my Lady? The Queen often enjoys the lavender ones."
Karina blinked, studying the servant. Jona was a scrawny (though not malnourished) girl of what she had come to accept as average height for the Aesir with mahogany hair that reached her shoulders and cerulean eyes. She was pretty, but in a more…subtle kind of way.
"No salts, thank you. Oh, and Jona?"
"Yes, my Lady?"
"No more of that 'my Lady' business. My name is Karina."
Jona smiled sheepishly, "Yes, Miss Karina. I will be right outside, should you need me."
Karina swallowed a retort about being a fully-functioning adult who did not need help bathing, instead nodding thankfully and sliding down into the warm water.
"What is a…soiree?" Karina questioned scarcely a few minutes later as she walked out of the bathing chamber, a dressing gown wrapped around her form.
"Tis an…informal bout of merry making." Jona answered simply, picking up one of the dresses and holding it up to Karina. "Thor and his friends often take part in them. He will love you in this, Miss Karina."
Karina sighed, knowing that 'Miss Karina' was the most she was going to get out of the younger girl. "His opinion is the least of my concerns, but thank you."
The servant smiled a little as she helped Karina (who still hadn't figured out the art of putting on a gown) dress, sitting her down in front of an ornate mahogany vanity that sat across from the gigantic bed. "Many of the girls in the servant's quarters are curious about you, you know." She said kindly, running a brush through Karina's hair. "There are many girls on Asgard who throw themselves at the Prince's feet daily—girls of stature and wealth who would gladly give him whatever he desired—and yet he has never shown any real interest in them. The only one, well, I believe she was just to appease his father for the time being. Odin wishes for him to marry soon, you know. Then you came along and now we scarcely see him without you at his side—the one who fights him right and left."
"His father made me his responsibility." Karina shrugged, pretending to brush Jona's words off even as she filed them away for later contemplation. "He doesn't have much choice."
Jona chuckled, pulling a few strands of Karina's chestnut hair out of her face and pinning them at the back of her head with a ruby encrusted gold clip. "I believe you underestimate the Prince's stubbornness, Miss. If he truly did not wish to personally attend to your welfare, he would not. It is an easy enough matter to assign a party of personal guards."
She nodded silently, pondering over what she'd been told. It was true enough, she supposed, and it definitely gave her something to think about.
"Do you wish to know what I think?" Jona grinned, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "I think he likes you."
Karina snorted, playfully swatting the other girl away. "As if."
"It is easy enough to see why." The servant retorted, leaning around her to place the brush back on the vanity. "You are beautiful, smart, and as strong-willed as he is. You are exactly what he needs and somewhere in that huge heart of his he knows that."
She smiled a little, standing as Jona finished her hair and walking to the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. "If you say so. "
She took in her reflection, turning to the side slightly. Her hair was loosely pulled back, out of her face but still allowed to cascade over her shoulders. The dress was scarlet (something which seemed to be popping up more and more in her wardrobe with each day she spent in Asgard) and simple, hugging closely to her body but not clinging to it and leaving her arms bare where it simply tied around her neck. The material was something like a cotton and silk hybrid and was almost ridiculously comfortable. There was a simple pair of black flats-like slippers on her feet that she had a suspicion would be kicked off soon and were unofficially meant to do so.
There was a knock at the door a moment later and Jona, getting there first, opened it to reveal the thunder god himself.
Thor offered her a polite smile, glancing over her in an obvious effort to locate his companion for the evening.
Karina stepped forward and smiled back as Thor beamed at her, walking to his side as Jona left to attend to her other duties.
"You look beautiful, my Lady." He said without preamble, leaning down to kiss the back of her hand. He chuckled as her face flushed just the slightest bit and took her arm.
"Thank you." She murmured, letting him lead her to their destination.
He laughed a little more, grinning crookedly at her. "There is no need to thank me for the truth, Lady Karina."
She smiled back at him, finding his expressions of happiness to be infectious. "You don't look half bad yourself, Thor." She said before she could stop herself, chuckling herself as she saw his eyes light up a bit and his grin widen.
"So, about those Pop Tarts." He grinned, his hands clasped behind his back as they walked.
Karina raised an eyebrow, "I thought we discussed this-"
Thor brought his hands around to reveal a very familiar silver-wrapped package, "It would appear…that I have a present for you."
She took it eagerly, grinning. "How did you-"
"My brother owed me a favor," he shrugged, "and he did not mind helping besides."
She nodded. "That makes sense. I keep forgetting that he's one of the best sorcerers in the Nine Realms—being married to my best friend and all. It's more than a little surreal. Don't tell him I said that, by the way."
Thor chuckled, "Fear not, I will not speak a word. It is understandable"
She shook her head, chuckling wryly. "And then I went and slept with you—whom I have studied Norse myths about for most of my life, by the way—not once, but twice."
"Those were good times, the Vikings." He grinned, shoulders shaking a little with mirth. "And it was four rounds, actually. Your endurance levels are quite impressive."
Karina went beat red in the face, causing him to laugh a little harder and drape his arm over her shoulders. "Do not be embarrassed. It is a good thing—it will suit you well in battle."
She snorted, "I don't think I'll be seeing battle anytime soon. Your father forbade it, if I remember correctly."
He raised an eyebrow, grinning crookedly. "And you are doubtlessly known for your abilities to follow orders."
"See? You're catching on."
He shook his head, chuckling. "Alright, Karina. I believe my friends have plans to invite you to train with us soon anyway—they seldom invite people outside of our 'pride' to their soirees, as your friend calls us. She is a strange one, Anastasia."
"That she is." She laughed. She paused for a moment, "This dress is different than the other ones."
Thor chuckled, "Mother would have my head if I allowed you to be put into impractical clothing for our plans this evening. I thought this would be to your preference."
"It's still red."
He winked, "You do look magnificent in my colors, my Lady."
Karina stared at his back (possibly a little lower down than she'd like to admit) as he walked past her, her chin practically on the ground.
Damned stupid confusing Gods and their damned bipolar disorders.
"Wait up, will you?!" she groaned, jogging to catch up to him.
"It's beautiful out here tonight." Karina said, mostly to herself as she sat back on the fallen oak that was currently serving as a bench.
The five of them (Loki and Anastasia were to arrive a little later) were gathered around a large bonfire in a moderately sized grotto, surrounded by trees on one side and a small lake on the other. It was a clear night, and Karina was able to see the moon and stars in a clarity she'd never thought she would. From Earth, one was lucky if they were able to see them at all through the lights and the smog that coated most remotely metropolitan areas, and even if you did catch a glimpse they always seemed so far away. Here, she felt almost as if she could reach out and gather a few in her hand. There was plenty of smiles and laughter and affectionately depreciative jokes going around the circle, as well as various forms of the usual mead and wine. From the outside looking in, you could tell this was a group that lived up to the saying that family was far more than blood. They had fought together, laughed together, drank together, cried together. They were what she'd always wanted in a family.
And they were making her feel like she belonged there.
"So, Lady Karina. Are you up for a rematch?"
Karina grinned up at Volstagg over the fire, shaking her head. "I fear both of our livers would suffer for it, my friend!"
Volstagg feigned offence, puffing his chest out. "I think you will find my liver is forged of iron, my Lady. T'is the warrior's way."
"You spent more time nursing a hangover than she did last time you two drank together." Fandral snorted, bringing his own tankard up to his lips. "And consumed twice as much gruel. If I didn't know better, I would have to say that you suffered the side-effects of showing off."
Karina burst out laughing, slapping the tree under her a time or two before calming down and regaining the ability to breathe. She grinned, pointing at Fandral. "Person like you's got to have all the information, yeah?"
Fandral gave her a crooked grin in return, visibly putting his game face on. Karina almost had to laugh—yeah, this guy was the player.
One thing she'd learned in school? The real player, the smart one who actually paid attention while getting around? Best source of street-styled information.
Basically Fandral equals Asgardian gossip pool.
She liked him already.
"And then she tripped over the toe of her boot! Landed face-first right in the mud! Tyr never tried training her again!"
Karina laughed heartily at Sif's story of Gerd Tyrsdóttir's failed training exploits, her skin flushed slightly with the alcohol she'd consumed. She was probably a little more than tipsy by this point, and was sitting much closer to Fandral than she would be sober.
Loki and Anastasia had arrived not long ago, and now sat on her other side. They talked mostly amongst themselves, but Anastasia and Karina had had a few conversations of their own too. Thor had left around the time they got there on a mead run.
"Enjoying the soiree so far this eve, Lady Karina?"
Karina grinned at Fandral's question and the hint of a flirt in his tone. "I am. Do you guys do this sort of thing often?"
"Whenever the opportunity arises, really. It is a good way to relax. Nice scenery, good wine, and great company."
"I could've pegged you for a wine guy. More refined." She replied, choosing to ignore the obvious hint pinned onto great company.
"Most people enjoy a little refinement every now and then."
"Depends on who you ask."
"And if I were to ask you?"
"I would say that I prefer mead."
"Careful, Fandral, the fair maiden is in danger of bruising your ego." Sif teased.
"Yes, she does that." added Volstagg, raising his tankard as if it made the statement even more official.
Karina grinned, "You're the one who challenged me, Volstagg. I was just an innocent bystander until you threw down the gauntlet."
He shrugged. "I will admit, I quite underestimated your prowess. I shall not be making that mistake again."
"Wise choice."
They all looked up as Thor returned, carrying a case of mead with one arm and a couple of drums in the other. "I brought music," he grinned.
Sif and Volstagg both took a drum and got to work with them, a very familiar sort of tune reaching Karina's ears.
"Karina, you should go dance." Anastasia suggested, leaning a little closer to her. "Go on, get up."
"Nope."
"I insist."
Realizing she wouldn't hear the end of it until she agreed, Karina gave a moody huff and did just that.
Her father had practically raised her on this sort of music, and some of her favorite memories were from when he was teaching her how to dance to it. She'd been doing this for years, and it showed now as she moved around the bonfire, stomping her feet and clapping to the beat or turning when appropriate. It didn't take her long to get into it and start singing the notes as well.
"First she can drink three times her weight in mead, then she can deliver a blow on par with Sif's, then she can flirt, and now she can sing and dance." Fandral observed, now standing next to Thor and somehow managing to completely miss the enthralled look on the thunder god's face. "Gods, she is a jack of all trades. I'm impressed."
Flirt? Thor thought to himself, glancing sideways at the blonde next to him before returning his gaze to Karina. She flirted with Fandral?
He was torn as to how to process that information with Karina happened to turn his way and shot him a grin, holding out her hands as if in a gesture for him to join her. He declined on grounds that he couldn't dance—his mother had made sure both he and his brother could perform the formal sort of dances that were occasionally expected of them during feasts and the like, but as far as this sort of dancing went he was utterly useless.
She walked over to him as the music slowed to a stop, flushed and breathing a little hard but grinning. "Thanks for taking me here tonight; I'm having a good time."
"You're welcome," he said, a little stiffer than he'd meant to if her frown was anything to go by.
"Are you okay?"
He cleared his throat. "Of course."
She crossed her arms over her chest, growing a little agitated as she noted a similar vibe rolling off him in waves. "What's got your panties in a wad?"
"Excuse me?"
"Well you've evidently something up your arse!" She snapped, throwing her hands in the air. "We've been having a great time since we got here and now suddenly you're being a pompous ass again!"
"Can we continue this conversation somewhere else?"
"No, we can't. What's the matter, afraid to have your friends see you get your ass verbally handed to you by a woman?"
The two of them stood glaring at each other, nostrils flared and eyes narrowed.
"Oh, you poor unfortunate souls…"
They closed their eyes, resisting the urge to face-palm as Anastasia danced up to them.
"Your timing is stupendous." Karina informed her friend flatly, opening her eyes and looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
Anastasia shrugged. "You looked like you needed a good musical number."
"Thank you." Karina hefted a sigh, setting her tankard on a nearby barrel after downing the rest of its contents and standing up a little straighter. "If anybody seriously needs me, I'll be in my room. 'Serious need', by the way, means that either Anastasia's in the infirmary or some other similar catastrophe."
The blonde turned to a still fuming Thor as her friend walked away, raising an eyebrow. "What'd you do?"
"She is being…difficult."
"She's being Karina."
So I'm really sorry for the delay and I really have no excuse except for mild writers block and a busier schedule than I had when I started this story. This chapter is a little longer, so I hope it pleases everybody!
Obviously things with Karina and Thor are still a bit rocky. They are getting better, but just keep in mind that they're not there yet. They both have some growing up to do so please bear with them.
Reviews get a good musical number, flames get to be Karina's punching bag next chapter and she's got a lot of rage.
Boadicea out.