"So you're telling me you had access to alien tech this entire time?" T'Challa asks Nick Fury loudly over the other voices in the dining hall.
"That I have," Nick Fury answers. "Albeit, very limited access. My friends aren't doing well in the financial department."
"Why didn't you use it or ask for help during the invasion of New York?" T'Challa asks, confused. "Or any of the other disasters after that?"
"You underestimate my friends' financial dilemmas." Fury answers. "They hardly have any resources at all. They've been surviving off scraps from Earth for almost fifty years."
T'Challa study's Nick Fury's face with concern, not sure what to say.
"Plus!" Nick Fury adds. "I did not want to place their civilization at risk. They are not a very well received alien race, and if others were to learn they are here, it would not bode well for anyone."
"You seem to be a resourceful person, Nick Fury." T'Challa responds.
"What about you?" Fury says a little sassier than needed. "Where were you when help was needed?" Nick spins her finger in the air to imply all of Wakanda.
"Until recently," T'Challa starts to explain. "Wakandan law stipulated that to protect the country, we were to always remain a secret. Don't you watch the news."
"Alright alright." Nick Fury responds, getting the hint.
"So you don't even know where you're from?" Shuri, who is sitting next to Nick Fury, asks Mantis aloud.
"No," Mantis responds. "Ego, Peter's father, took me in and raised me."
"And you haven't run across any other species like you?" Bruce asks.
"I've been all across the galaxy," Star-Lord answers. "You can find a lot of empathic species with green skin, and a lot of humanoids with antennas, but all three combined are not common at all."
"I could even be from Earth!" Mantis says excitedly in his boyish voice.
"Pfft! As if!" Peter huffs and says in a valley-girl like accent.
"You never know." Shuri responds. "Things have really changed here over the last thirty years." Mantis gets even more excited at the idea. "Bruce here can turn green from time to time."
"Really?!" Manti asks happily. "I want to see that!"
"It's not really a party trick." Bruce responds awkwardly. "But you definitely have an Earth-like look to you. Sort of Asian-Vietnamese features to your face."
"Wow!" Mantis says, excitedly grabbing Star-Lord's arm again. He looks at Peter and happily says, "I don't know any of those things."
A piece of fruit suddenly comes flying in between them, landing on the table..
"Hey! Watch it!" Star-Lord shouts at the group sitting next to them. Her protests seem to go unnoticed.
"I love this guy! He's so amazing!" Thor says standing up and pointing at Groot.
"I am Groot." is the only response he gets.
"I'm telling you," Rocket says. "He's my growing boy! Gonna be as strong as his papa one of these days." Rocket rubs the back of Groot's head and it seems to get a happy smile out of him.
"I am Groot." He says without looking up from his game, which he is holding with one hand. He lifts his left hand and places an elbow on the table.
"There you go!" Thor proclaims. "It's your turn!" He nudges Valkyrie, encouraging him to arm wrestle Groot. "He says try his left hand now."
Valkyrie is rubbing his right bicep and studying Groots outstretched hand. He smirks with conviction, gets up, and sits in front of Groot, offering his left hand. Despite not looking up from his game, Groot smiles at the challenge.
"Ready, Go!" Thor shouts excitedly. Valkyrie is clearly having trouble right off the bat.
Drax and Gamora are watching with interest as they enjoy their drinks.
"Do you want to try?" Drax asks Gamora with a hefty chuckle that causes her bosoms to bounce.
"I think I'll wait." Gamora says, clearly still interested in the challenge. "How about you?" He asks Drax, turning back to look at her. Just for a moment his eyes dart toward Drax's breasts. He feels an odd pang of excitement that he is not used to, but brushes it off.
Drax is watching the match with a huge grin. "I'd love to, but I already know I'd lose." She turns back to Gamora and smiles with a flush face. The alcohol is already getting to her. "Groot has been able to beat me since he was this small." She hovers her hand roughly a half meter above the table.
Nebula tries to smile and makes a smirk. Drax is looking at her own hand then down at Nebula's arms, resting on the table.
"You may have better luck than me." Drax says as she reaches down and touches Nebula's muscular forearm. Despite Drax having large hands, the size of Nebula's arm is huge by comparison. He pulls away abruptly.
"I'm sorry." Nebula responds. "I am not used to being touched."
"I meant no offence." Drax tells him. "It's just, you are the most beautiful warrior I have ever set eyes upon. The men of my home world dream of possessing a physique such as yours. We have even erected statues of similar..."
Groot brings Valkyrie's hand smashing down onto the table, sending more food flying. Thor's hardy laugh fills the room. He walks over to Nebula and pats him on the back, making him smile.
"Nebula, my brother!" Thor says. "Would you like to try?"
Nebula looks toward Drax for approval, unsure why, then turns to Thor. "I'll give it a try." Drax smiles, and admires the kinship Thor and Nebula have quickly developed.
Nebula sits across from Groot, and Thor takes Nebula's seat.
"Fascinating, isn't he?" Drax asks Thor, who's too drunk to notice who she's talking about.
"Yes," Thor responds, lifting Nebula's wine jug and shaking it. "The tree has spirit."
"More wine!" Thor shouts, standing quickly and raising the jug into the air. There is a light cheer from several of the guardians and Valkyrie.
Thor starts peering around the room for one of the servers from earlier, but sees no one. He sets the jug down and steps away from the table. "I'll be right back." He says to no one in particular. "Gonna get more wine."
Thor manages to take a few steps toward the exit when someone steps in front of him.
"I believe you've had enough already, my friend." A sweet feminine voice says to him. Thor has to peer down to see who is talking to him.
"Ah, T'Challa!" Thor addresses her. "Son of... Uh, son of the king. I would like to partake of more wine."
"Well, you've already drunk it all." T'Challa answers, hoping it'll be adequate enough reason.
Thor looks at T'Challa with confusion. "Drunk it all? This is a palace. How's that even possible?" He turns to the table and laughs at no one in particular.
"Well, you drank all of our cooking wine." T'Challa explains. "And we're supposed to be meeting the others to discuss strategy."
"Strategy?" Thor asks loudly. "Nonsense. I'll just swing my axe." Thor does a poor gesture of swinging his axe. It looks more like him using his hammer.
"Well, I believe you've had enough." T'Challa says firmly. "Now please, let's enjoy the food and not make an issue of this." T'Challa gestures to the table hoping it's enough to avoid a confrontation.
Thor looks at the food on the table. "It does look good." He mutters. He then looks back toward T'Challa, and then toward the dining room door. He contemplates running for the door, but a brief moment of clarity stops him. Thor looks at T'Challa and tries to think of his best option.
"Can we please have some more wine?" Thor suddenly pleads with general concern. "I've just learned my people are OK, and this is the first stress free day I've had in months. I really want to celebrate."
"Come on!" Rocket shouts over the arm wrestlers. "Let him have some more wine." The others don't seem to notice and Rocket seems to forget almost as quickly, as she goes back to watching the match.
T'Challa doesn't know how to respond, as she was legitimately expecting a confrontation. "I don't know if it's a good idea. You seem to have had quite a lot already... And your friend there doesn't seem to be doing so hot."
They both look toward Valkyrie, who is trying his hardest to bite into a piece of wood.
Thor looks back to T'Challa. "He's just hungry. He hasn't eaten in days."
"I'm pretty sure he's eating one of the tree's fingers." T'Challa says with legit concern.
Thor reaches behind him and pats Valkyrie on the shoulder without looking away from T'Challa. "That's not food." Valkyrie looks at it for a moment then tosses it, looking for something else to eat. He shows no concern for his mistake.
"I'm sure it's okay, brother." Shuri says from behind T'Challa. "They're just having fun."
Thor points to Shuri with an open hand. "See, your brother seems fine with it."
T'Challa turns back toward Shuri, shakes his head, and gives him a look. "I don't know." She says as she looks back toward Thor. "It may not be a good idea."
"Oh, come on." Thor says pleadingly. "How about we make a game of it? We'll arm wrestle."
T'Challa looks at Thor's arms and contemplates it. "I don't think I could beat you even with my suit."
Thor crosses his arms and tries to concentrate. "How about..." T'Challa watches, not expecting anything fair. "I know!" Thor declares. He turns away from T'Challa and reaches out his hand.
There is a momentary crash and after a short rumble, Thor's axe comes flying through the entrance. T'Challa ducks to avoid impact and Thor, who is actually facing away from it, has to turn back around quickly to catch it. "Sorry, my bad." He says.
Thor holds the axe in between them before turning it downward and placing it on the floor.
"How about if you can lift my axe," Thor starts. "We do what you say."
"And if I can't?" T'Challa asks, a little confused.
"Another round of drinks." Thor says happily. "On me." He adds this last part with a chuckle.
"Oh, I've seen this trick." Bruce says happily. "Only Thor can lift it." Shuri looks at Bruce intrigued now. "It's usually a hammer though." Bruce adds.
T'Challa looks at the axe and studies it for a moment, expecting some sort of trick. The others are watching curiously as well. T'Challa reaches out, grabs the handle, and with a quick tug, lifts it easily. She studies it for a moment, and estimates it can't weigh much more than 30 kilos (65lbs).
Thor watches in shock at T'Challa carrying the axe easily. She studies it for a moment, then sets it back down. "How?" Thor asks in confused sadness.
"He is a king." Bruce offers, as a solution.
"I'm sorry my friend." T'Challa answers. "Perhaps when this is all done, we can celebrate in the city."
"I just don't get it." Thor says, lifting the axe and looking at it. Some of the others who were watching are now just shaking their heads and looking away. T'Challa is sitting back down near Nick Fury.
"Maybe it doesn't work like the hammer." Bruce says.
Thor's eyes suddenly light up as he realizes Bruce is right. "Not like the hammer? That's right!" He turns toward Bruce and has to resist hugging her. "My father enchanted my hammer! I just need to do the same enchantment!" Thor says almost giddily.
Thor looks toward T'Challa and shouts, "Re-do! I did it wrong."
T'Challa makes a face of concern, and looks to Shuri, who shrugs his shoulders. Thinking, 'What more could it hurt?' T'Challa says, "Alright." and stands back up.
"Alright. Enchantment..." Thor says to himself. "What did my father say?" He tries to concentrate. "I wasn't there when he enchanted it, so what would he have said?"
Thore lifts the head of the axe to his lips and touches it to his forehead. "Hello, axe. Uh... He so whoever should wield this axe.. Uh. May he be the manliest of warriors and kings, or something like that." There is a sound of thunder as Thor assumes his enchantment works. He places the axe on the floor. "Now try!"
T'Challa looks at the axe, then at Thor and questions this new game. She reaches for the axe and lightly tugs at the handle. It doesn't move this time. She tries pulling it again, and notices it's clearly heavier.
"No way!" Shuri says.
"See, I told you." Bruce tells him.
T'Challa gets a good grip on the handle and pulls as hard as she can. She can't even move it. The angle alone feels like it should topple, but it only stands there in an awkward position.
"Let me try!" Valkyrie says excitedly as he jumps up and tries lifting it with no luck.
Soon several of the others are pushing and pulling at the axe hoping they can move it. Thor, Bruce, and Nick Fury enjoy watching everyone's attempts, being they've seen this before. Groot is still playing his game.
The chatter in the room begins to grow again and no one notices a group of guests walk into the room followed by several servants with more food..
"What's going on here?" Tony Stark asks aloud.
Thor and the others turn toward the door to see Tony, Happy, and a male Pepper Potts standing not too far away.
"Bruce!" Pepper says gleefully as he rushes to give her a hug.
"Tony!" Thor shouts happily. "We're ordering more drinks. On the King!" Thor gestures toward T'Challa who is now rubbing her temples as Shuri shakes his head with a smirk.