10382/Acts of General Drinking

Acts of General Drinking
Date of Scene:	07 March 2022
Location:	Folkvangr
Synopsis:	Asgard issues are raised.
Cast of Characters:	Jane Foster, Aldrif Odinsdottir

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Jane Foster has posed:
Folkvangr is, by no real stretch of the imagination, in New York. As a matter of fact, it resides on Staten Island where the other residents of Manhattan and Long Island peer quizzically at somehow this outpost of New Jersey gets included at all. Relatively residential, the neighbourhood stands a world away from skyscrapers and cluttered streets choked in pedestrian and vehicular traffic. How suitable then for a restaurant with appropriate bar named after Freyja's blessed bar.

Jane has reason to be here, despite it being daytime rather than evening. Her world revolves around the stars, and nightfall provides the ideal time to research the mysteries of the heavens. Her work at the Hayden Planetarium downtown occupies those days, though not today. Instead, she looks down onto a tablet screen and pokes away at the details listed there whilst nursing a drink. A good proper cider, rather than mead, which may be slightly less telling. It's still a drink heavy with ripe fruit and flavour. Alas, the poor thing has not been consumed in a gulp while she puzzles over a matter that leaves a line between her brows, as if she still has a great deal to contemplate.

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
    Likely just back from some bounty hunting work over the last few weeks the tall redheaded Asgardian arrives with no real fanfare. The atmosphere is still a novelty to her and the drinks are definitely to her liking. With ribbons wavering around her to ensure she has the space Angela desires as she approaches the bar, retrieves a drink and then turns to look out over the crowd of day drinkers before she settles on a spot.
    The stoic, neutral expression of hers makes it difficult to know whether she's simply amusing herself or not as she approaches Jane's table, uses the ribbons to tug out a chair then slips into it leaning elbows on the table to look over at the tablet. "What book are you reading?" She asks, tone relatively flat as her white eyes flick up to Jane's features after asking.

Jane Foster has posed:
Drinks come in a few speeds; strong, warming, and especially potent. Nothing equivalent to the Asgardian Embassy over in Manhattan, but very few normal Midgardners ever get permission to cross those doors. The brunette with her head in the stars is one of the few, though by rights, drinking any of the mead should put her under a trestle table. Blame Thor for keeping such proper drinks on tap.

Jane hums a half-heard melody under her breath, nudging a few more equations around on screen. The result recalibrate dots on a matrix that shifts across some interminable volume of space. Whatever the data tells her apparently isn't quite to her liking, warranting distraction while she re-runs the program with a few changed parameters seconds later. Excuse enough to see a malleable red and gold ribbon sauntering past, proverbially. Those thin strands cause her to stiffen slightly, and she reaches for the glass out of habit. When in doubt? Drink. Proof positive that Odin marked her for some reason or another. White eyes from the bounty hunter meet those warmer brown, utterly normal; nothing strange to see there. Nothing save perhaps the halted regard someone as striking as Angela probably creates in everyone. "Not so much a book as methods to travel through interstellar space at high speed," she explains. "A tome of quantum physics, then. It has been a time. A good path for you, lady?"

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
    Of course the golden brew rests within the glass Angela sets down, fingers remaining curled around it as she can't help but glance over to what her brand new companion is drinking. Likely she can smell exactly what it is.
    Those ribbons seem intent on keeping the conversation closed at the moment given the way the other seats at the table are nudged in completely before wavering slowly in a distinct 'no vacancies' vibe.
    "I see. So, ships? Or something new?" Of course she wonders given that she flies through space without a concern. "Given the past, I'd say that it's been a very good path. Yourself?" Something about the question makes that neutral expression tilt just a touch towards actually pleased, but then it fades again. "What is the need for something new?"

Jane Foster has posed:
Said companion's cider hosts the crop of late autumn apples shocked by a bit of lingonberry and a broad stripe of spices and the occasional small floral nectar to add dimension. It isn't particularly dry, though far from a candied beverage. Ciders made relatively strong appeal to the palate here, after all.

Jane's impression for those ribbons may be substantial, watching their sentient intent to lay the boundaries out against anyone conveniently shuffling up. That could also include the server, so she carefully nudges the basket of complimentary bread and its petite tureen of whipped butter to Angela. "Help yourself if you are hungry," she offers. "It should still be warm." The tablet bears no crumb or buttery smudge mark, but she nudges it aside for the safety of the glass.

"Mm. Likely for ships, yes. Putting anyone else out there in space is a death sentence, given our inability to breathe or the logistics of carrying oxygen with us for any distance. An enclosed vehicle overcomes the hostile environment that would be found in space or on the other side of such a jump. So far the numbers aren't good for avoiding tearing a craft apart, but these things ultimately work at scale. Somehow other races make it possible." The lacing of her fingers is somewhat casual, a touch more relaxed as the steel in her spine eases away and she pulls her sleeves over her knuckles as a habit. "Very good that you are doing well. May it continue you to favour you. Something new... I suppose we are not a people given to sitting about content with what has always been?"

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
    A slow draw is taken from the golden liquid in Angela's glass, tongue slipping out to wipe free any remnant from her upper lip as she listens. "No thank you." Angela remarks about the offered bread, though it is given a glance that speaks of it's temptation at the very least.
    "Well, yes. I am surprised given the number of ships that have come here from other planets that this is still necessary. Do they not share this information?" Leaning back slowly in her chair, Angela makes her presence a little less more casual and it shows in the ribbons as well with the way they draw back towards her more closely. "Sitting still has never been a strong suit of mine, either. I understand." Another swallow of her drink before setting it down. "It does not appear to be going how you wish."

Jane Foster has posed:
Suit oneself. No pressure on Jane's part to try any of the bread, and her own lunch has largely taken a liquid variety over a neat loaf cut up into generous slices. The basket can sit where it is, and the bartender keeps an eye on the pair as he does the rest of the tables. A light crowd enables his distant sentry duty, though he probably isn't going to question two people with their heads together and clearly not fighting. Easy job, eh?

"No, as a rule, visitors here try to conceal themselves or keep a low profile. Humanity is so newly known to different empires that..." She trails off, looking for the correct turn of phrase. "Being circumspect with us seems to be preferable. Even more warlike alien races are cautious, possibly because they discover soon enough that our societies can be rather martial. Thus, they aren't inclined to share their technology with us. Asgard has been reluctant even though we stand on very good terms with the Crown Prince." A wry smile lifts then, dimple dotting her cheek, and she takes another sip of the drink. "My research? It will always be slow. Much of what I am trying to do hasn't been studied well here before. Trying to fashion a bridge in space isn't easy."

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
    Who knows how she feels about taking things from someone else even if they were given freely by the establishment. Perhaps she doesn't feel like making a particularly angelic bargain over some tasty treat. It does smell amazing, though. Another glance at it before her lips purse.
    "Ah, yes. A violent group of children who exhibit powers ranging from harmless to galaxy threatening." Angela recalls with a bit of a nod, "Understandable. Attack one, fight them all." It's said more matter of fact than speculation or even as a joke.
    "That crown prince is over rated." Now, there's no smile to accompany it and her stoic affect remains, but at least she doesn't -sound- serious about that. "Well, it should be given more importance. Perhaps fewer entities would attack Earth if they were afraid you would follow them home when they turn tail and run."

Jane Foster has posed:
The exchange of currency for a meal is simple enough as a transaction goes, but the peccadilles of a woman raised in the Tenth Realm are, to a degree, lost on the brunette astrophysicist. The silent presence brooding inside a celestial storm wrapped around her wrist in an unassuming, inert golden bangle could be another matter, but Undrjarn isn't talking.

Angela's choice of words earns a smile out of Jane, her chuckle warm. "Children before your long-lived people, though surely not everyone has lifespan in millennia or else we'd be very crowded indeed. I wondered if someone declared us off-limits a long time ago, or what made our unremarkable planet circling an unremarkable star far out on the fringes of the galaxy so appealing. The more I think about it, the better perhaps not questioning the sudden arrival of archangels, aliens, and demons may be. Certainly it spares a host of uncomfortable existential questions for which we cannot possibly have an answer." Her legs uncross and recross under the table as she shifts a little bit.

"Fewer entities might attack Earth if they knew our penchant for survival and getting even, but those are such horrific terms to greet the universe with. But I can't change the nature of those who are belligerent or interested in conquest. Wouldn't it be nice if they came for a good drink?" she asks lightly.

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
    More a question of: Free bread given by someone who didn't pay for the bread, but the establishment clearly has expectations of patrons partaking simply by providing the free bread. But perhaps simply that she bought a drink is enough of a trade in this situation.
    A hand reaches out to snag one of the slices before slowly dipping it into the whipped butter.
    "I think that if it were the case, as with other species, your people would have figured it out. Or warred with one another until such a time as the resources matched the population." Angela notes with a dismissive shrug. "Generally, long lived species do not propogate as quickly as your bunnies." And a bite of the bread. Crunchy crust. Soft interior. A satisfied little sound from Angela.
    "Unfortunately, first impressions that are spread around the galaxy will likely plague Earth far into it's future." Finishing her own glass moments later, Angela lifts a hand towards the server and motions to Jane as well, "Refill for her on my tab." Then a glance over to the darker haired woman, "Acceptable trade for the bread, yes?" Apparently she decided.

Jane Foster has posed:
Breaking bread peacefully, a sign of shared culture, brings a smile to Jane's mouth for a moment. She makes no comment further, leaving the Asgardian huntress to enjoy her meal in peace and without additional commentary.

"Rather good, isn't it? And we have extended our general lifespan by twenty years with the advent of better living conditions, education, and medical breakthroughs. Still, that does not change the likelihood that our lifespans are most certainly a fraction of yours. Thus the need to replace those generations sooner, though it would be nicer that the growth rate spread out evenly. Not everyone can benefit from health and safety the way we do here." Her eyes aren't blind to the truth of her fellow man, or their plights.

She rakes her teeth lightly across her lower lip, given to thought. "Whatever else plagues Earth, we aren't alone for a tarnished reputation. Surely nearly everyone has that. Though if you happen to ever hear of the Kree on the planet, would you let me know? I can furnish equal information to other avenues, as long as it doesn't break any promises made." A clarification there out of antiquity but it stands in the modern era. The server can come by with another drink she nurses with care, bringing something similar for Angela to enjoy, and she adds, "More than fair as a trade."

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
    "It is." Simple but clear. She grows quiet and finishes the bread, not having any issues licking a bit of butter off her fingers before snagging a napkin to wipe them off on.
    "So, you need to be able to go to travel just to find resources and trade that will allow you to continue to grow. At least that's my guess." She muses, "There's always pain and suffering. Always the haves and have nots. In every society." Again a pause before Angela remarks, "At least that I've seen." And she's seen quite a few.
    At the proposition of a deal, Angela's finely crafted brow lifts and it's as if she's considering this trade seriously. Or perhaps trying to remember if she has already committed to a deal that might conflict. "I see no harm in making this agreement. Information for information. Yet, I would take into consideration the quality or importance of the information simply to ensure we are not taking advantage."
    A ribbon pushes the basket of bread towards Jane, "Fair?"

Jane Foster has posed:
The bread and the butter shall call what they will. "I am not an expert on solar system-level politics or colonization. I leave that to the likes of people paid much more than me." The hint of a smile lingers there, something beneath the surface peculiarly satisfied with herself. At peace, more than anything. "We stand on the cusp of a new age where the stars may welcome us or harbour greater danger, but that's always been a direction progress takes us in. Danger, true, but promise of gains beyond our imagining. I am sure that we will do our best to find a path that leads to growth and not abject enslavement, annihilation and everything else disaster movies and books come up with. Speaking of, there /are/ some good movies out. You might enjoy the cinema or theatre. It's quite a good exchange."

Angelic hunter in the theatre, just imagine the patrons who don't take it seriously. Jane, what have you done?

Her satisfaction lingers as she sips the cider, and then dips her head. "I would expect nothing less. I don't want to give you something you have no use for, and if I cannot find a fair bit equal to that, we can talk about what would help you. Sometimes there may be assistance I can offer as my part of the equation that I'm unaware of. For example, finding an excellent movie." Therein lies a wink, but she is serious enough; fair of mind and fair of heart are truly at the core of some people's being, and a hammer willing to thump her upside the head for being misaligned to honourable ends does wonders for keeping a girl on the straight and roughly narrow.

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
    "I don't pretend to be, either. Not an interest of mine, but I have grown fond of New York at least." Angela muses, "Though, mostly, I think because Sera likes it." A shrug of indifference is given.
    "Let's hope that it goes well overall. It has gone poorly for quite a few planets." Though the mention of movies cause Angela's brow to lift a little bit, "I have heard of them. It's like a larger television, correct?" Whether or not she would yell at the screen is up for debate.
    "I am fine and an understanding of mutual help as needed. In general, most of my work does not require the assistance of others." Mistress of Hunts and all. "I do not find this concerning. It is not as though I cannot find you if I need to."

Jane Foster has posed:
"New York is a city of a special flavour. There are other, larger cities around but this one possesses something unique unto itself. A kind of energy I've not seen elsewhere, but maybe I'm biased." Jane admits to that with an easy shrug and a smile in return. "Sera is happy here? That is a good thing. Have you both been exploring?"

She gives a nod to Angela's question about a larger television. "Much better sound and projections too. Several have come out that are fully immersive, so it feels like you're on the set."

Mistress of Hunts indeed. Her thoughts flicker slightly as she gives a faint smile. "That might have been useful."

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
    A little sound is made by Angela at the sentiment New York has a unique flavor. "Travel more." She says simply. "She is. I think she likes having a place to come back to more than anything." A swallow of the new glass of mead and Angela shakes her head a bit, "Have not much at this point." Given both players are new!
    "Better sound seems to mean louder in most cases." Angela notes from her experience. "Fully immersive? I cannot imagine they are that exciting." Says the Godling.
    "Were you lost? Did you need to be found? Or is this some kind of philosophical kind of lost?"

Jane Foster has posed:
Says one god to another, how is it that exciting? "I find being in the story can be rather intriguing, compared to watching it on the screen as a flat surface, like I am staring through a window. There is something very interesting about that, but then I play with projections of stars and satellites and moons. Perhaps I should ask you if they really look like they do." Consulting with an Asgardian, that's nothing new at all.

The long fingered tap to the glass is thoughtful and she laughs, shaking her head a little. "I was displaced for a... while, yes. Where almost no one could seem to find me, and there is something surreal and strange about being set adrift. I would not wish it on many. My luck was such that my seekers did not cease in their search, though plenty got in the way. It's something of a survival skill placed before us."

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
    "I suppose. I guess it comes down to what draws your attention." Angela admits, not being the most imaginative one out there. That's what she has Sera for! "Being here, I would imagine there are plenty that could tell you. But perhaps if I have no work for some time we can come up with a deal."
    Draining the majority of her glass as she listens for a moment, Angela nods, "Yes. It would have been good if they had hired me to find you. Adrift in space can be rather boring I imagine." Not a problem she has to deal with. "What put you in that position? Something that might happen again?"

Jane Foster has posed:
Sera, imagination station for an Asgardian huntress? Excellent to know.

"A number of angry soldiers who decided they hated your people missed and got me instead," Jane explains rather simply, which might give a whole passel of questions in and of itself." She seems rather calm about the matter, such as it is. "Not particularly lost in space, else I wouldn't be in very good shape. Remember, I cannot breath up there any more than I could at the bottom of the sea. Foibles of being human."

The twin strands falling in front of her face are pushed aside. "Do you find it easy to settle here? I imagine you must be able to leave to pursue your quarry whenever you like."

Aldrif Odinsdottir has posed:
    "Ahh. Yes, our people have plenty of enemies." Angels included. "I thought you might be in a ship or such. I'm aware of how fragile you are." There might be a touch of amusement in that. "Most creatures need protection from lack of atmosphere. Or breathable air."
    Another swallow and Angela finishes the last of the mead she has. A moment later she's fishing out some money and puts a handfull of bills on the table that likely pay for the drinks a few times over.
    "It is. We have a brownstone." Angela offers, "I can simply fly to get them. You know, since I don't need air. Or a ship." There may be the -tiniest- of smirks.
    "I apologize, but I should be going. Thank you for the conversation. And have your friends let me know if you need to be found." A pause, then she offers, "It'll be interesting to find out what price they put on your life."