"Here we go, here we go,

It's about time that we set it off,

Here we go, here we go,

Red lights, I could never stop,

A dreamer with the fever to be great was all I ever want, all I ever wanted,

A finder with the fever for the fame was all I ever want, all I ever wanted...,"

-Legend; by The Score

It shouldn't have been much of a surprise that the tall figure entering the pet store was Thor, but it was. Opal, upon entering the pet shop, found herself feeling surprised and annoyed upon seeing Thor inside. He didn't notice her at all, which was probably a good thing. She was taking a moment to just drink him in. If Opal were being completely honest with herself, she thought Thor had left town after their departure. Seeing that he was still lingering around was definitely odd. But he wasn't causing too much commotion, which was good. Or...well, maybe Opal thought too soon on that. As it would turn out, Thor was only doing a quick inspection of the pet store before he decided he was going to hassle the young employee. Opal watched pitifully as the young worker shifted from one foot to the other, looking very uncomfortable under Thor's gaze. It wasn't much of a surprise that someone as big and muscular as Thor would automatically come off as intimidating to someone, and Opal didn't hold that against the employee. Mere hours before, Darcy had tased the tall blonde unconscious after he'd been run over.

But in all honesty, Opal could only witness so much of the interaction before she started feeling uncomfortable herself. That was why she chose to intervene.

"Thor?" she exclaimed, hoping to keep her tone as light and friendly as possible. "Is that you?" When he turned around, Opal could see the confusion written on his face before it vanished. Thor's features relaxed when he saw the familiar face, and Opal was thankful for that. Quickly walking over to him, she placed a hand on his back, a forced smile on her face as she stood beside him. Opal had to come off as someone being friendly, not wanting to cause anymore problems for the already stressed out employee. "How are you?" Opal asked. She was doing whatever she could to keep Thor's attention on her. "How've things been going?"

"Things are looking well," he responded, his blue eyes watching her movements carefully, his brows furrowing slightly. "Are your friends not with you?"

"We...decided to call it a day." It was the best vague answer Opal could come up with. Whether Thor believed it or not was up for debate, considering Opal turned her attention to the employee. "Was he causing any problems?" she asked. When the worker hesitantly shook his head, Opal nodded. "OK, good. I'm sorry, if he made you uncomfortable, though. He just got out of the hospital not that long ago. He's probably still doped up on whatever medicine they gave him."

"Y-Yeah," he responded, his voice practically squeaking. "No problem."

"Have a nice day," Opal exclaimed, leading Thor out of the store. "Sorry for the trouble!"

Once they made it out of the store, Thor stopped walking, causing Opal to stop as well. Seeing those vivid blue eyes looking at her made the young mutant feel a shiver run up her spine. She couldn't pinpoint what exactly that shiver meant, but there had to be some kind of significance to it. Maybe it just had to do with whatever power Thor seemed to be exuding, a factor about the tall blonde Opal never noticed before. That powerful feeling was subtle but strong. Was it the way Thor held himself? It was no secret that he was very arrogant, so maybe that played a big role in it. Or maybe Opal's mind was playing tricks on her. Whatever the reason, there was definitely something about Thor that Opal hadn't seen or felt before. It was a curious feeling that settled heavily in the pit of Opal's stomach.*

"What's the matter with you?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. Opal's tone was clipped, showing her obvious annoyance. "I thought you left town after what happened earlier. What're you still doing here?"

Thor's answer was a simple: "I needed a horse."

"A horse?" Opal snorted, shaking her head. "There's no way in hell you'd find anyone selling horses around here. Now are you going to tell me the real reason why you're still here?"

"I did." The simplicity of Thor's answers were quickly losing their humor. Opal figured it was probably his arrogance that was bubbling into his attitude at the moment. Maybe he was feeling very defiant after her intrusion. It didn't matter.

"Look, I'm really not in the mood for you to be acting like this," she hissed, "so get your head out of your ass and tell me the real reason."

With his brows shooting up in surprise, a hint of a smile came across Thor's lips. "I'm looking for a horse to get back home," he responded. It was a little more detailed than his previous answers, and Opal had a feeling that was about a detailed as they'd get.

Rubbing her hands on her face, Opal did her best to calm herself down. She could just feel her blood pressure rising. "Why can't you just drive?" she asked. "Don't you have a car? A license?"

"A what?"

Oh my God... "Where are you trying to go to again?"

O.O.O.O

It took some time, but Opal managed to get back to Jane's apartment and take her van. She made sure to let Darcy know, considering the college student was the only one available at the moment. Wherever Erik and Jane had gone to, Opal could've cared less. (That was actually a lie. After what happened with those 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' people, Opal was pretty worried on whatever plans they had left for the small group.) Opal made sure Thor stayed with her at all times, not trusting him to be wandering off by himself. It was through sheer luck that Darcy didn't see the lumbering blonde, and Opal thanked her lucky stars Thor didn't make himself known. He had told Opal outside the pet store he still planned on going to the crater site, but he needed a quick way to get there. And considering he didn't know what a license or a car were, she'd have to be his transportation. As terrifying as that sounded.

"You're crazy, you know that, right?" Opal looked over at Thor, who sat comfortably in the passenger's seat. "The government's apparently claimed that site all for themselves, why're you so interested in it?"

"It will prove my worth." The two shared a look before Opal gave a disbelieving snort. "This humors you?" There was a light chuckle in Thor's words, and Opal shrugged, keeping her hands firmly on the steering wheel.

"I don't even know what to think of this," she said, shaking her head. "I'm taking some random guy to a crater site because he wants to be worthy. I don't even know what's going on anymore."

"I can see where this may be odd for you," he said.

"It is very odd." Opal looked at Thor for a moment, a solemn look was on his face. "Have you ever done something like this before?"

That was when he started cracking a smile. "Many times," he chuckled. "You're brave to do it."

Opal hummed in response. "I wouldn't call it brave," she said. "It's stupid. Erik's gonna have my head once he finds out."

"Is he your father?" Thor asked, looking over at her.

"No, he's a close friend. I'd like to consider him a father figure."

"Does you know about your magic?"

Furrowing her brows, Opal stole a quick glance at him. Thor's gaze was on her still. "Magic?" she stressed.

"Yes. The magic you performed at the eating establishment," Thor answered. "Stopping the cup, gathering the information. That was a form of magic, yes?"

Opal simply shook her head. "I don't do magic," she said. "Crap like that doesn't work here. What I did back there...whatever you saw, that was all me. No tricks, no illusions."

"How can that not be magic?" Thor pressed. "Where I come from, it is common for people to practice in such things. And it is not considered...crap, as you say."

"There's no such thing as magic," Opal said, her voice tight. "What I can do...it's part of my mutation."

"Mutation?" The confusion laced its way into Thor's voice.

"It's genetic," Opal responded. "Fathers carry the mutant genes. It's either passed to their children, or it's not. It's a guessing game, really."

There was a moment of silence, and Opal had to wonder what was going on in that man's head. She could've used her telepathy, but she knew better than to do so. Using her telepathy always felt intrusive, so she tried not to use it if she could help it. But Thor's unusual silence made her feel a tad antsy. What if he didn't believe her? She didn't believe his claim on magic being real. Who's to say he wouldn't believe her claim on there being mutants? He saw her use her telekinesis to stop the cup he threw in Isabela's. He saw her use her telepathy to get info on the crater site. Why wouldn't he believe her?

"I've never heard of these 'mutations'," Thor responded, a thoughtfulness hiding behind his words. "You Midgardians are strange."

"Thank you?" Opal responded.

"But this mutation of yours," Thor went on, "it makes you unique. Clever. Far more clever than anyone else in this realm."

"Realm?" Opal laughed, glancing at him. "Really?"

"You think me strange?" Thor asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Yes. Yes I do." A small smile came across the young mutant's mouth. "Considering you think us...what was the word? Midgardians? Considering you think us Midgardians strange, why not clump you in there?"

A light chuckle escaped Thor. "Good strange or bad strange?" he asked.

Taking a moment to just look at him, Opal thought it over. His gaze was on her, waiting patiently for a response. Since the moment they first met, Thor had been very...eccentric? Overly imaginative? Was there a proper word for him? Was there an appropriate way to describe him? Thor changed Opal's life and her friends' lives so quickly they were still trying to process most of it. And with everything that happened with those S.H.I.E.L.D. people, they were given even more junk to process. Jane's research was being heavily documented by a bunch of weird people in suits claiming to be the good guys. There were people dropping from weird sandstorms, talking about realms and magic. There were no proper explanations for what was happening, and Opal didn't like it. So when it came to Thor being a good strange or a bad strange, there was no definitive answer that came into Opal's mind. He was, for the meantime, just strange.

"I don't really know," she answered. "I'd have to know you better first."

It may not have been the answer Thor was looking for, but it was the best answer Opal could give.

(A/N):

Sorry for the wait (and for the terrible chapter). Work and school's been a total bitch, so I've been very overwhelmed. Hopefully you guys find some kind of enjoyment in this chapter, though. If there's any need for improvement, don't hesitate to let me know. Give constructive criticism where you think it's due.

The MCU does not belong to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in. If you've got ideas for a subplot or an OC, don't hesitate to let me know. Leave a PM or a review.

How many of you have seen THOR RAGNAROK? If you ask me, I think it's better than the first two THOR movies. While the first THOR is, in my opinion, better than the second, RAGNAROK definitely does a better job with its characters than the first two. The movie was actually funny! It felt like they finally allowed some character development for Thor! Loki was being the same lovable piece of shit! Jeff Goldblum was hilarious as the Grandmaster, he was perfect for the role! I loved how the Hulk/Bruce Banner was in the movie. Cate Blanchett was a total badass as Hela, and I absolutely adore Valkyrie.* And Korg! I freakin' love Korg. Just, in general, I thought the movie was amazing. But that's just me. What did you guys think?

I digress.

Let me know if there's anything I can improve on.

Thanks a bunch.

Judith W