Amber- Another chapter! On a roll! ... now I have to just write another...
Astrid was sitting on the couch, staring out and thinking. What had that tug been? She had felt traces of her mother's magic, but what did it do? Pondering over the options, she watched the busy New York streets. She liked to think of the cars as little bugs, buzzing about on the paved streets before she squashed them. Happy thoughts, obviously.
She was just imagining how a certain yellow buggy would bend if she pushed it with one giant toe when a deep voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Lady Astrid, it is time for us to escort you back to Asgard!" Astrid had to force the panic off of her face as she thought. How am I supposed to continue on Asgard? No, you oaf, stay here, I'm not finished yet!
"Of course," She said in practised indifference. Thor, being the thick-skulled prince he was, ignored the possibility of a lie and smiled greatly.
"Wonderful! Now, follow us to our Bifrost mark!" Thor ignored her flinch as he grabbed her arm and dragged her outside onto the landing pad. Loki stood as elegantly as one could in handcuffs, waiting in the middle of the insignia.
"Good. Now, let us return before another filthy mortal comes by," Loki said, eyeing the tower with disgust.
"They have already bid us 'goodbye'!"
"You, Thor. They bid you farewell." Thor completely ignored him. He instead dragged Astrid to the center and looked up at the sky.
"Heimdall, we are ready!" Rainbows streamed down from a break in the clouds like a waterfall, soon engulfing the trio.
Astrid inwardly groaned, Mother's plans seem as if they will be foiled! But after a second thought, Astrid realized that her mother would not give up so easily.
The moment that thought occurred, Astrid landed on the hard ground of the observatory and felt the right amount of gravity pushing down on her head.
"Prince Thor, Loki, Astrid," Heimdall acknowledged.
"Heimdall, we have returned with Lady Astrid! Should we see my father about her arrangements?" Thor proclaimed.
"I was watching, and he wished that to be done. Meet him in the throne room."
"I'd never have guessed," Loki growled. It seemed he growled at anything and everything. When he wasn't spitting it, of course.
Astrid was studying Loki intensely during this conversation. She could see the resemblance, just as mother had said. The same green eyes, the same aura type, even the general face shape was shared. Of course the details were like mother, as she was female, but it was rather obvious she was related to the former Asgardian prince. How he hadn't realised yet, she still wasn't sure.
The walk across the bifrost was uneventful, except for the teasing step she took to the side every so often. Thor would stiffen slightly, and Astrid took pleasure in the discomfort she was causing. Loki just kept looking straight, walking to the best of his ability and finding it rather humiliating.
"I see that Fandral was right in you owning two left feet," Thor commented when Loki tripped ever so slightly.
"I've never needed to point out your ignorance. Much too obvious to waste my time on," He snapped back.
The guards didn't even hesitate in opening the gates upon noticing Thor's arrival. Rather idiotic, Astrid noted. He could've easily been a sorcerer in disguise.
Walking back into Asgard was like a breath of fresh air, literally and not. Not only was the air ever so polluted and disgusting in Midgard, the general amount of unfamiliar customs was hostile. Back in Asgard, every shop and person was accustomed to life as Astrid knew it- or at least the general jist.
The people parted as they walked past, half in respect for Thor, and half in fear of Loki. When the spotted the following teen, a few took a step out of line as they past to get a better glimpse, but Astrid did her best to ignore them and stay passive. Her eyes did flicker so often at the occasional onlooker if they gave her the look, but shoved her fears back inside. She had the strongest man in Asgard with her and the greatest sorcerer in all the realms, not to mention her own defences. Another man had distracted her, and when she looked forward again, the All-Father's palace loomed before them.
"Who's the little lady?" A voice erupted from the side. Astrid practically fell from shock when she spotted the largest man she'd ever let sneak up on her. Before she could object allowance to that information, Thor stepped up next to her.
"Astrid! She fell from Earth not a few sunrises ago. I'm taking her to see my father."
"This... kid got to Midgard?" Fandral interrupted, walking around Volstagg.
"We're not sure how yet, that's why me must be off," Thor explained.
"No sparring?"
"Not yet, my friend." Thor gave Fandral a firm pat that would have normally sent a Midgardian flying.
"Well, then, good luck." Volstagg boomed, dragging Fandral back to the practice area. Astrid wondered who that was directed to as they entered the throne room- her or Thor.
"Thor, I see you have returned," The Allfather said, his voice bouncing off the great room.
"Yes, father, meet Lady Astrid." Thor introduced, stepping to the side. Astrid raised her chin to stare into Odin's iced eyes.
"Astrid Lokidottir," He acknowledged, and she took a moment to curtsy stiffly. A spluttering noise came from behind.
"Please, do repeat that," Loki said from behind her, his voice dripping with shock.
"You heard me the first time," Odin said. "Astrid. Loki. Dottir."
"I never had her, thank you very much!"
"You did," Astrid piped up, and Loki turned to stare like she'd grown horns.
"You're much too old," He corrected, "so no."
"You were rather young yourself," She replied with a shrug. "Not my fault you were interested in the subject so early." He stared like her horns had exploded.
"EXCUSE me?" He snapped. "You are just-" He snapped his head to glare at Odin. "Can you explain this?"
"I think you've seemed to have forgotten my dear mother," Astrid said and redirected his attention.
"I think YOU-"
"ENOUGH!" Odin boomed, slamming Gungnir on the ground with a thud, and both heads came to fix their gazes on Odin, who was now standing.
"Astrid! You will be escorted to a guest room until I've finished explaining," He ordered. Astrid felt no objection cross her lips when a guard appeared at her side and roughly grabbed her arm, muttering a quick apology. He dragged down a long hallway and quickly opened the door, pushed her in, and then locked it.
"Your hospitality is unparalleled!" She screamed with a bang on the door. A grunt was all she heard in reply as he situated himself to guard her. Astrid almost attacked the door, then thought better of her actions and jumped on the bed. The nice, Asgardian-mattress bed, with no irritating springs. Grabbing a pillow, she curled and stared out the window only a few feet away. The sun had just begun it's drift down the horizon, streaking the golden city with rays of fire. She rolled, staring up at the chandelier, when-
THUD.
The fog dissipated, and she groaned, still holding the pillow.
"WHAT THE HECK?!" Tony screamed, not minding the profanity. Astrid shrugged it off, having heard it all. Astrid tried rolling to face him, but fell off of the table and onto the floor with a loud, and rather painful, thunk.
"WHY-! How-!" Astrid screamed, scrambling up.
Pepper came running in. "Honey, are you okay?" She asked worriedly. Tony shook his head with wide eyes, but Pepper headed to Astrid and helped her up. She was staring into space with shock.
"How did I POSSIBLY teleport HERE?"
"Forget you, my computer is smashed! And, I thought I was the honey around here!"
"Oh shut up Tony," Natasha said, appearing at the doorway.
"Was it him? I don't think it was him, it wasn't me, she wasn't there," Astrid mumbled to herself, then stopped. "Spell!" She exclaimed, and ran out.
"It actually feels nice to have her back, you know?" Steve said, walking up next to Natasha.
"Seriously? It's only been thirty seconds and you're already being the nice guy," Tony said with a look.
"Again, shut up," Natasha groaned, annoyed.
A loud, "AHA!", emerged from the guest bedroom where Astrid was located. Tony quickly opened up another one of his laptops and opened up the camera. It showed Astrid laying down on her bed, staring at the ceiling and grinning.
"Eh, what?" Tony scrolled for the footage of the past minute. She'd walked, laid down, had a weird glitching moment where her edges got fuzzy, then yelled. He was still scratching his head when a loud noise came outside. Taking a glance, he recognized the pair.
"I see, couldn't resist coming back. Told you Earth was nicer," He greeted in his Tony way. A frown replaced his grin when Loki stormed straight past him.
"Reindeer Games excluded again?" His frown deepened when Thor ran past him.
"Okay, Point Break."
Steve set down his coffee. "What's with them?"
~0.0~
Loki nearly ripped the door off of its hinges when he burst in. Astrid sat up in the bed, giving a slightly surprised look. She'd expect him to come back down eventually, but this may be a record for fastest response. She'd have to check the list- the one where it took seven hundred years for him to realise she existed.
"Hello," Astrid said casually, acting as if she wasn't nervous about being in front of her 'long lost' father. He didn't reply, instead taking time to look her over. He started circling, staring intently. Astrid stood still, her eyes only darting occasionally.
"Oops. Am I interrupting your family time?" A familiar mocking voice asked.
"Isn't your oaf of a friend more fitting of that title?" Loki asked indignant, walking back to the front.
"You mean your brother?" He asked a tad too innocently, then turned to Astrid. "He is rather excited at becoming an uncle." Realization dawned on Astrid's face, then it was replaced by repulsion.
"He isn't related to Loki by blood," She replied with a glare.
"One happy family!" Tony said, jumping out of the room before Loki could turn him into a frog or something else unpleasant. Right when Astrid thought he was gone, his head popped back in.
"And lunch is ready. Come if you don't want me to send Happy Uncle." His head popped back out as soon as it had come. Astrid wanted to bury her head in her hands and jump out the window, but no such luck. "Father" grabbed her arm and dragged her out with a firm hand.
"Let go of me!"
"You will do as I say, now come." He promptly dragged her into the Ellie Vater. She would have teleported, but remembered he could easily restrain her and stop her magic as he was much stronger. Of all the men, it had to be him.
The Ellie Vater dinged open. Astrid jumped behind Loki.
"NIECE! COME TO UNCLE THOR!" He bellowed. Astrid swore some glass cracked in the background.
"No thanks," She whispered, pressing herself against the back wall of the Ellie Vater.
Loki conveniently stepped out of the way and Astrid was peeled off of the side like a leech. Astrid was dragged out and into one of Thor's famous bone-crushing hugs with a squeak. After what seemed like hours, she was released. Before she could run off, he took her by the shoulders and stared. With a smile, he exclaimed,
"I can see the resemblance! Now, come to lunch. We have patties of a cow."
"Hamburgers," Tony corrected, but his voice was lost in the THUNK across the room. A very mad and very unrestrained Clint ran in.
"Where the hell did that bastard's fucking handcuffs go?!" He raged. Loki smiled and made his hands go into plain view.
"Problem?" He asked with a very satisfied voice.
"I have a big fucking problem with that!" Clint was about to jump over the couch at his former mind controller when Natasha grabbed his arm. She gave a stream of fluent Russian and pushed him in the opposite direction. All Astrid caught was a frustrated "Успокойся!",which her All-Tongue translated to "Relax!".
Amber- Now, I'll try to make the next one a tad bit faster than before ;)