"Pepper, seriously, enough is enough. There is being professional and then there's just being plain petty," snapped Jazz.
Pepper paused and stared at her.
"What are you talking about?"
"The number of lists you keep shoving onto me. Even Dad never had to deal with this sort of thing and you keep forcing me to handle petty details that any idiot could do en masse! I don't care about what color the curtains have to be or what sort of food is served so long as it's edible and they don't clash! For the love of the gods, narrow it down to a more reasonable amount!" said Jazz hotly.
Loki, having walked in hearing that, had an odd look in his eye. He could tell his 'girlfriend' was very stressed out and her father's personal assistant wasn't helping in the least.
He knew that humans had a much looser definition of courtship, and to be honest he was getting very frustrated with how things were progressing.
Odds were Tony wouldn't care if they moved to a more physical relationship so long as he did the honorable thing if something happened. It anything it would help her to relax.
Tony had a rather knowing look when he saw where Loki was taking his daughter. He was all for it... Jazz was entirely too tense and from what he could tell the (god? Demigod?) would be good for her.
Sure, he was too old for her...but then again Loki was several hundred years old. He was too old by anyone's standards.
Jazz came to work two days later with a limp and was less likely to snap at people.
To be fair, even Tony had to admit that the amount of work Pepper was trying to shove on her because she was far more responsible was somewhat ridiculous. They were inventors, what did they care about the tiny little details so long as things got done and didn't get screwed up in the long term?
As the deadline drew closer, Jazz grew more and more frazzled until the date was finally on them.
Loki took her out on a proper date, made sure she actually slept properly, and then waited patiently in the front row for the 'grand entrance/opening' of the expo, which would be going on for a full week.
He had to admit, she looked glorious when she flew down with her new armor.
She was tired of being openly compared to her father, so she had opted to have the armor made of a more 'silver' colored metal rather than the gold he used, and the rest of it was a rather delightful shade of dark blue like the night sky.
It was far more 'toned down' than Tony's garish red and gold ensemble, and her armor was styled more after the images of the Valkyries from Asgard, making it very easy to distinguish herself from "Iron Man".
He found it amusing to see younger girls and a few teens wearing 'masks' identical to her own, as well as masks much like Tony's.
"Welcome one and all to the Stark Expo!" said Jazz, once her armor was off. She was in a rather delightful dress that accentuated the curves she had while being tasteful enough not to reveal too much skin.
Loki had found some of the more exposed outfits he caught human girls wearing a complete turn off. It was as if they were trying to make up for their lack of 'appealing' qualities by lowering their standards.
Loki had heard the entire speech already. How Stark Industries was trying to create the 'world of the future' that so many dreamed about, but never got around to making. Things like the 'flying craft' that wasn't dependent on fossil fuels and new designs for medical equipment to save lives, defensive technology to make the world safer and so on.
Because of Tony's old image, Jazz was the lead speaker for everything.
Tony was still annoyed she had cut out the 'dancing girls' wearing Iron Man outfits.
Her expo, her opening, and she had a much better surprise for the audience.
She sent out a discreet signal, and an odd ball was launched high into the air.
Tony and Jazz moved in unison and sent a repulsor blast to it, showering the audience with special coupons and admittance tickets for anyone who caught them.
All rather harmless, save for the odd papercut or two.
Loki easily wrapped an arm around her waist, rather smug about the whole thing even with all the cameras going off.
Jazz had never been seen dating anyone after all and with a father like Tony Stark, her romatic life was going to be very hot news for the tabliods.
Thanks to a fake background they were able to make and add in, all they would find was that Loki Odinson was from a very old family with old money and traditional values. He was also working towards a law degree and was a very refined individual who ran into Jazz during an art galla that any number of people (all SHIELD agents who were perfectly capable of lying their ass off) would swear she had attented.
And since his identity came from one of the now dead lines in England, no one would think twice about the fact that he didn't have many records. Quite a number of people were being given a rude awakening to the way 'muggles' did things and having to learn new skills in order to make ends meet.
"Words cannot express how happy I will be when this is over," grumbled Jazz, once they were in the car.
Loki smirked at her, especially when the dress slipped slightly. Jazz had a lot of energy to burn, or perhaps had very good endurance, and it usually took a few rounds before she was exhausted enough to sleep soundly through the night.
Right now though she just wanted to eat something, have a stiff drink and sleep. Preferably in that order.
Six days later...
Jazz very nearly strangled the Russian and the idiot known as "Hammer" for causing such a scene.
She was going to dump all of the paperwork for this on Tony. He deserved to share in the misery, considering he had been trying hard not to laugh at the fact she allowed Pepper to bully her into setting the entire mess up in the first place.
The second things calmed down, and Pepper once again attempted to go through Jazz to get the paperwork done since Tony refused to do any of it, Loki offered a rather mild suggestion.
"You know with your skills you could always apply to become a Valkyrie on Asgard," he commented.
Jazz moved her hand away from her face.
"Really?"
"Most of their strength comes from the blessing, and you already have quite a bit of combat skills built up. After the way you defeated Thor, I have little doubt Brunhilde would consider you for the short list. And it's not like Pepper can force you to do paperwork in another realm."
"And I can have Nyx start the map of the old paths, never mind the fact that the suit will actually be working properly this time," said Jazz perking up.
Most of the issue with the signal came from the fact that the power was sporadic and went from strong to almost dead since it was hard to get a consistent strength from magic when you were trying very hard not to fry the damn thing.
"And let's not forget the fact that mother has been wanting to meet you properly."
Odin was hard to meet, since he was the king and quite busy. Frigga, however, was doable.
"...Want me download a ton of movies for us to watch while we're there so we don't get bored, as well as books for you to read?"
Loki smirked at her.
"You know me so well."
Jazz looked at the paperwork and all the boring details Pepper wanted her to do, because she was a co-owner and therefor able to do all the things Tony refused to do.
Then she thought of Asgard, where she actually learned a lot about engineering and building things, and where the most annoying thing she had to deal with was Thor.
"...To hell with it, we're heading back to Asgard until something happens," she said flatly. "That, or we run out of movies and books and need to reload."
"Personally I want to see people's reactions to your armor," said Loki grinning. "It would only need a bit of adjustment before it would be 'acceptable' by Asgard standards in place of the one you would get if you became a Valkyrie."
There was also the potential side effect that Jazz would grow wings if given the blessing. But that rarely happened and most of the time the warrior had to work up to that point where they would manifest.
Jazz felt like she was in front of McGonagall after having screwed up royally and was now being judged.
It was not a nice feeling.
Frigga gave her a smile, and she gave a small one back.
"Come on dear, at least let the girl try to pass the trials," said Frigga.
Odin didn't look pleased his son was dating a human, but he would give her a chance to prove herself. If only so he didn't have to worry about Loki causing untold amounts of trouble.
Besides, she could weild Mjolnir, which was the only reason he was giving her a chance in the first place.
"If she can pass the trials, then I will allow it," said Odin grandly. He gave Jazz a look, as if expecting her to speak in her defense.
Instead Jazz gives him an annoyed one in return, before sighing.
"Great... yet another person all too willing to judge me based on something I never had any control over before they're even willing to try and get to know me," she said tiredly.
Story of her life really. The big, important people were always too happy to make snap decisions on who they thought she should be, rather than bother to get to know who she actually was.
It was seriously starting to piss her off.
Rather than explain what she meant, she went to find Brunhilde.
Brunhilde was a very 'traditional' Asgard warrior woman. She had thick blond hair, looked like a female body builder, a well used sword at her side and massive wings that looked like they came off an eagle or bird of prey.
Jazz had seen men with smaller hands, but wisely kept her mouth shut about that.
"So the trials are dependent on how well I take to the Valkyrie's Blessing?" she asked.
"That and your tactical knowledge, skills and ability to think in a crisis," confirmed Brunhilde briskly. She already liked the girl before her and had high hopes that Jazz would pass the trials.
Even after her sound defeat of that braggart Thor, she had yet to hear a single hint of the girl showing off or being as loud as Thor would have been in showing off his superiority.
Instead Jazz had gone right back to the same thing she had done for the past week without once bringing it up or boasting about it.
She would be a fine example for the younger Valkyries.
Brunhilde lead Jazz to the waiting area where a few other girls were. Each of them was wearing a similar dress. It was pure white, and the back was completely bare. It took Jazz a second to realize why, as she remembered that sometimes those who gained the blessing were able to manifest wings immediately.
If that was the case, then obviously it would have happened during the trials as well, hence the need for a backless dress.
Jazz went into a side area and promptly swapped out what she was wearing for the backless dress. She made no indication when she heard the surprised exclamations of the other girls when they got a good look at her back.
She knew the Horntail left some impressive scars, among others.
She waited patiently for her turn.
Brunhilde intoned the oath, and waited expectantly to see what would happen. Out of all the candidates, she expected more from the girl that was allowed to wield the might hammer Mjolnir.
And she wasn't disappointed.
The second the minor blessing took effect, Jazz grimaced, and almost fell to one knee as her back seared with power.
Magnificent wings that looked the color of the night flowed from her back, as black with hints of blue feathers filled the air.
There was a reason all applicants wore that dress...sometimes the wings would manifest early, even before the trials had begun.
It was a strong indicator that the girl in question had the right qualities to make full Valkyrie.
She was moved immediately to a private area, where she could rest after expending so much power to manifest her wings. Her trial would be slightly altered because of it, but Brunhilde had little doubt the waif of a girl would pass.
Of bloody course. She couldn't even do a simple trial normally... she had to manifest raven wings from the get-go!
It was incredibly awkward getting used to the wings, though the older women were rather sympathetic about it. Most trainees didn't get them for at least a decade, if they were lucky.
Not only did she have to deal with the sore muscles, but she also had to avoid having her wings smack her in the face when she wasn't expecting it.
She got a spectacular black eye once.
Finally she had enough, and took out a needle, some thread and some scraps of cloth she had managed to get her hands on.
If her wings were going to be this much of a pain, then she was going to make them 'disappear'.
By shoving them into an expanded 'pouch' that allowed them to stretch without smacking herself in the face for it. The only issue was that it looked rather sloppy, but if it meant avoiding another black eye she could care less.
Brunhilde and the other women were incredibly amused by this...and quietly said if she could find a way to make it look more appealing that she would have a new client base.
Their wings could be a pain, and never mind trying to sleep normally! They had to lay on their side or on their stomach, otherwise they risked crushing them. It took far too much power to 'hide' the wings, which only the senior Valkyries could pull off and not for long periods.
Jazz later hit upon a bit of inspiration when she looked at one of her leather jackets. The pouches could be easily hidden in one of those and looked rather stylish.
But first she had her trials to pass.