10900/The Mind of a Troll

The Mind of a Troll
Date of Scene:	25 April 2022
Location:	Asgardian Embassy
Synopsis:	Thor is advised by Jane about the troll problem.
Cast of Characters:	Jane Foster, Thor

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Jane Foster has posed:
The converted beauty of the embassy and the grandiose rule of hospitality never ceases to impress Jane. Between the giltwork and abundant Asgardian motifs, it's easy to imagine she sidestepped into another place altogether than New York City.

A few hours of rest at home, not all that far away, makes all the difference in the world. In due time she returns, switched out from her work attire for a pair of jeans and light henley. It doesn't matter; the wrappings change, but the young woman never does, carrying no ghost of lines around her face or hollows under her eyes from a lack of sleep. She's gallingly herself to the bone.

After greeting the Einherjar or shield maidens guarding the place, the brunette clears her throat. "Is the Crown Prince in?" Upon confirmation, she further inquires, "Would you be so good to let him know I came to see if he could make time to speak with me? I understand if he's not available." Truly, she does. He's a busy man with plenty of concerns beyond the bluff golden exterior.

Besides, there's always the danger of the Trickster prince and therein lies an entirely different complication. One that has, in the past, involved a glimpse into a melded realm from shattered provinces of death and some awkward questions.

Thor has posed:
    It is not long at all until Lady Jane is brought forth. At first into the embassy itself where she is given greeting by Helda who makes sure she is settled in the study for the wait ahead of her. An offer of drink, of broken bread, and company unless she makes it known she would be alone with her thoughts. Whichever is suitable and discerned from the astute head of the household and the daily affairs of the Embassy.
    Whichever the decision, however, it is not long after that the door to the study opens. Pushed forth by an armored gauntlet of the guard nearby, it allows Thor's entrance with an ease to it considering he is distracted in part by undoing the ties of a gauntlet around his left hand. His garb is armored in part, plates scrape and slide against each other as he walks in, though it seems the breastplate is missing or recently removed. And when the Thunderer manages to take off the gauntlet he meets Jane's gaze, smiles, then offers greeting.
    "Jane," The door closes behind him as his expression settles into one of ease. "If you are come to see the battle I am afraid it is likely not happening. Ulik cannot be roused." A pause then he adds in case of concern, "Oh he lives, simply..." A look to the side, a little sour, then back. "He simply... sleeps."

Jane Foster has posed:
So long as it's clear Helda enjoys the company rather than suffering to deal with another Midgardner, Jane accepts the company and the bread. A good loaf to be praised, as ever. "Your welcome here is second to none. I'm always grateful for the kindnesses you show," she offers at one point. They who dwell in the embassy must have significant work from nations around the world or cares that might defy easy clarity. Do they get all the Avengers fan mail? Or strange pagan groups wanting to confirm if their festivals are correct?

The savoring of company and bread takes time, a precious allotment for a mortal. She hasn't consumed much of the latter by the time Thor makes his appearance, but enough for appearances' sake. Some things simply deserve to be enjoyed in an unrushed manner, the survey of her sepia eyes lingering on the room, the man, and all between.

"Thor." First name basis when it doesn't undermine anyone to be so. She tilts her head, a crook of a smile there. "I came with apologies and ideas. Your choice on which I can grant you first, though I see Ulik remains here. Good to his word, then?"

The formality remains enough she doesn't laugh aloud at the notion of a sleeping rock troll. Her hand vcovers her mouth. "He is burdened with terrible weariness, perhaps? Or he feels safe to let his guard down? I don't know how else he would occupy himself. Telling stories? What does a chieftain do when not ordering the tribe about?"

Thor has posed:
    A small chuckle is heard from the Asgardian prince as he sets that gauntlet aside with a metallic clink upon the end table near. He takes up a cup of coffee from the tray nearby and lifts it in silent thanks to Helda with a nod given. She meets his gaze and begins to depart, giving a bow to each and then extracting with the elegance as is needed in her station.
    Which is when Thor sets down heavily into a seat near to Jane, but not the one Hedla had occupied, in the off-chance that she might join them at a latter point. A sip of coffee then he sets that cup down before he starts working on the other gauntlet.
    "Apologies? You never need such with me." This is said in a quick rumble of words as he slides the leather strap free and then sets the other piece of armor to join its mate. Those blue eyes lift to meet her gaze, "So best to start with the ideas, for they are likely very well thought."
    And as quick as that she has the deity's attention fully. His eyes narrow, his gaze levels. And he listens. Then answers, "He seems to hold little malice, treats the servants with only some rudeness. Making some effort it seems."
    A beat then he nods, "Perhaps," He is weary. "As for what aught else he would do? I would imagine if he truly sought a duel and my life..." Thor's eyes distance past Jane for a moment, then return to her. "Then he would not put himself in such a state. So something is afoot, Jane."
    And there, Thor is not as oblivious as some like to pretend he is.

Jane Foster has posed:
Joy can be a precious antidote to life's cares, rare and unspoilt. Jane glances about for what constitutes a cup of something to offer, but Helda already has that in hand. Thus, the slight hint of a smile repressed behind the bread as she catches herself. Some rhythms are hard to break. "Helda truly excels in her role." Quiet praise given, she turns her attention elsewhere.

She settles in, breaking a thumbnail of crust away from the soft, light bread. "I brought Ulik to your doorstep and troubled you with him, rather than other alternatives." She points out the fact of the matter, watching him remove bits of armour.

"Ulik comes here with a purpose, though one his own or someone else's, I haven't decided. It feels amiss, that something maneuvered him into the present role. Leaders like Korek rarely come out of nowhere, armed with enticing ideas and war cries. You don't have charismatic bandit leaders or chiefs springing up like a stone, do you? How convenient to set Ulik on a course to feel the only way to prove himself is setting himself against you. It feels, in its way, an attempt at honourable death. But if he succeeds, how does it overthrow Korek? Korek must, apparently, challenge him."

She shakes her head slightly and the waves of dark hair flow with an unspoiled crest down her back to crash against her shoulders. "I wouldn't advise you to engage him so carelessly without first determining what he really is about. There could no doubt be some unexpected blessing on him -- we can name between us a dozen people willing to send an enchanted foe at you to blacken Asgard's reputation. If it were so simple as a display of dominance, one that would regain his position, I could understand it. Not quite this way."

Thor has posed:
    "You brought Ulik here in a staggeringly peaceful way, unlike his usual madness of raid and raze." Thor says as he gestures with the cup, looking at her from across the brim. Then he takes another sip and seems to ease more into his seat, free hand resting on the arm of the chair, one boot forward and the other behind and to the side.
    "And Ulik sought me, so you did what was best to resolve a difficult situation. None would begrudge you." That said he turns his thoughts to other aspects of her words, gaze distancing as he nods. "I hard heard word of another Troll chieftain on the rise, but that is the way of things. If I had known that he was capable of overthrowing Ulik? Then that would require more direct attention."
    A deep breath is taken. Held, then he looks back to Jane, "Mine father cares little for the inner workings of each realm. So long as they recognize Asgard in its place and transgress not against the Golden Realm..." He gestures with that cup to the side as if to say, 'then so be it.'
    "I would fear he would tell us to let them deal with their internal matters as they wish. This..." He nods toward the side of the room, likely in the direction to the dance hall where Ulik enjoys his respite from his woes, "Could be the result of those events. Or..." He lifs his chin, "It could come from outside. If it is the latter, some spell or political machination, then we may be able to take stronger issue."
    He pauses. Sips.
    "Is this what you feel has passed? An opening gambit of some sort?"

Jane Foster has posed:
"Does that not strike you as unusual, that he chooses to come in such a calm way?" Jane ponders the question for a moment, her eyebrows lowered in thought and sketching a worried line over her mouth. "Frankly, it's a little disquieting to think someone goes to a challenge so willingly and remains in good order here among the servants and the rest. If he were truly enraged, I'd expect far more broken plates."

Her thumb paints a streak across the side of her finger, a habit to govern her thoughts and chase their tails from end to end. "I have seen desperate men. Men fallen from power. Men clinging to the shreds of their authority, who would give anything to retain it a little longer. They may bargain, they bellow, but they almost never try to conduct a transaction in an air of calm. This Korek plucked his crown away and insulted him direly to boot, to suggest that the whole of their kind lived backwards and amiss. That alone is what starts riots and rebellions. You could argue in the history of the last century, it sparked the collapse of several countries. Youth seethes with energy and idealism. If he wanted a duel to secure his own title again, he'd find a way to goad Korek. Would he not? You know the principles of war and trolls better than I do, but I can't imagine their personalities are so alien that they wouldn't respond more passionately."

Let Thor fill in those blanks. His wisdom in that field is probably near matchless, Sif's tactics about the only thing to equal it.

"It does not make sense. When something does not make sense, question it. If I had to say, yes, he is acting on his own interest but it aligns with another. I'd ask more of Korek. If he was a known person. How did he win such renown or strength? Isn't Ulik mighty enough to topple ice giants, that's no mere feat of strength. Does it feel normal to you? I may be overthinking this."

Thor has posed:
    "Ulik..." Thor begins, and there is a small parade of expressions that wander across his features as he considers all that has passed before. A slight smirk as he recalls that age old battle where he first felled him, shaking his head at the times the troll troubled him, eyes lifting upward as he recalls an escapade where he aligned with other enemies. It is clear there is a past there.
    Then he murmurs, "Ulik was always better than his kin. He was blessed in some ways, gifted in others. Smarter by far than his nearest rival, though he rarely let on. Stronger by an order of magnitude though some said such was due to the weapons he would wield, or some prophecy his mother spoke."
    The Asgardian lifts a hand and uncurls it to the side, "I consider him a peer as a warrior, and not one to trifle with. So this situation mislikes me well. It does not fit. But then perhaps it is the march of time in some way? For things change."
    Straightening up he sets the coffee cup aside, then focuses fully on Jane. "So I shall show you my mind on this, and you will grant me your advice?" He says as he smiles, asking her that favor. "I am thinking we grant this time. And we observe. Ulik conducts himself as a guest, then see what he does when given time to be a guest. Perhaps we see what powers that be who then seek to influence the matter. Yet we do not sit idle."
    For a moment Thor looks at the door, drawing his lower lip between his teeth as he worries it for a moment. "We send some who are talented with discerning lie from truth, send them to Trollheim and beyond if needs be. Find the lay of the land and act when we know more."
    Then he looks back lifting his chin slightly as he murmurs, "What say you to this, Jane Foster?"

Jane Foster has posed:
"It would seem strange someone that gifted gets overthrown by a rival without equal abilities. He doesn't show a great deal of support for treachery or underhanded deceit, if what he says is true. Neither is he from Svartalfheim or Muspelheim, where we might expect such things. Matters change, history proves that. A strong leader with new ideas might very well be taking the trolls somewhere new. Concerning for Asgard too, then, what might change the status quo?"

That question she leaves Thor to answer, having no certainty of it herself. "He could possibly return to Trollheim for a show of force, especially if Ulik comes back with new ideas of his own. Somehow I don't think it can be so simple. Thus you need the time and the information you do not have to make the best decision, and see if he overlays himself. Does anyone seek to meet him? Does he have people who will wonder why you have not fought this duel, why he has not wrested victory or been sent to Hel?"

The questions answer his own ideas, patched into the possible holes or along the fringes to feel where they might make more of a complete picture. "I agree it's better to give him enough rope and see what he does with it. He may surprise us. Perhaps he needs an ally rather than an enemy. I would like to think he isn't playing you false. For if he is...."

The future spells itself out.

Thor has posed:
    "Here is the thing," Thor says after Jane finishes speaking, having given himself to silence while she offered her insight. He did spare a nod here or here but that is his manner as she's seen before. Now, however, he returns with his own thoughts. "The longer we keep him here, allow him this respite, perhaps the more we damage his chances if word gets out."
    A hand turns palm upwards, "The longer this connection the more he may be viewed as Asgard's creature, a former leader compromised." Then he takes a breath, frowns as he looks to the side. "Bide,"
    And for one moment he reaches over to the bread and fruit left behind from what was given Jane in repast. His hand curls around an apple as he takes it up and then with no ceremony nor immediate explanation he hurtles it at the shadow in the corner of the room.
    The fruit flies, thumps into the corner, then rolls a little.
    Which makes Thor give a nod. A grunt, then he looks over at Jane. "Not Loki."
    After that he continues, "I am loathe to create deception for deception's sake. If he presses for a duel I may well have to satisfy his request. But for now..." He rubs at his chin with a fingertip, "We shall grant him enough reasons that he can postpone with no loss of honor."

Jane Foster has posed:
The bread is good, filling, but in the end not exactly the kind of nourishment needed for the moment. She sets that aside. "It would be unseemly for an enemy of Asgard to remain in Asgardian hands unless there is proper reason. A blood feud has certain requirements, does it not? Must there be witnesses, impartial ones to stand as witnesses that all was done properly? It would be reasonable to say that he must wait upon those requirements to be fulfilled. Especially if they are laws that even you might need to hold to? They might be indifferent to it unless it involves someone you both respect. Or fear." She half-closes her eyes, fingers to her brow. "I have a solution, though you won't like it. Neither do I."

The apple smacks into the wall. She winces slightly. Still. It's something of a measured reaction as she blows out a breath. "You could go the easier route, say it must be done properly with the consent of someone on Midgard. You're both here. A location where your battle won't hurt someone or something would be hard to find. Or. You name your judge someone who has authority over both of you and likes neither of you well. That would be Hela." A beat, two, three. "But she's been missing since her failed efforts to match your father's power by claiming more of her portion and awakening the Demogorge. She survived that, we know so much, but she hasn't returned in strength to Helheim or Niflheim. You could rightly let it be known you want her to sit as witness, but for that, you have to find her. Last bets on that were dealing with Pluto or Azrael, though I don't know where you find a disgraced, exiled angel of death."

Thor has posed:
    "Hmm," Thor says as he reflects on the words provided by Jane. He lightly rubs two fingers along the side of his temple as he gives such thought to them then looks sidelong toward her, "I am a prince."
    He declares such, as if it was unknown. But then he clarifies by adding, "And it is within my past that I have been known to be a touch... fickle." Which is perhaps being a little generous. He considers a moment longer before elaborating, "Perhaps the path to take is not to claim someone prominent and known, but someone distant yet unassailable." Though he does not give voice as to the who.
    He gestures with a nod toward Jane, "Or as you say perhaps we advance a need for someone feasible but unavailable. Or extend hands toward the other realms, dispatch messengers but the roads between are e'er chaotic. Such time it would take..."
    Tilting his head he looks toward Lady Foster, "We could even send word to Trollheim, ask them what is the meaning of this? See what response is given by Korek."
    He takes another deep breath then adds, "We should be able to delay things a fair amount of time before it becomes too pressing and too obvious."

Jane Foster has posed:
Fickleness for a Prince? Say it isn't so. Jane cups her chin in her hand, and she listens intently on what Thor proposes. Her loose hair sweeps over her shoulder, veiling her face. "Roads and routes are never clear. A matter that is of importance to you might be waylaid when brought to Nidavellir. Alfheim is mid-revelry in the blots of midspring, to say nothing of the fire festivals in... what, under a week? May Day." A poignant look passes over her face, her mind clearly not in New York, not present so close to the deeds of the moment. Ulik could prance through in a wedding dress and she might fail to take note. "Or it may be sent to a noted hermit. One of the far folk. Skadi's people -- they do not dwell near, perhaps."

No, the jotun of that line certainly don't.

"I like the inquiries to be made of Korek. Above and beyond having our own eyes there. Let us hear the story and, if necessary, it would be appropriate for those questions to be properly answered. If this is a legitimate fight. What other formalities need to be devised. Who knows, maybe they'll grow bored and return to how things were. As if they ever do, but we can hope."

Thor has posed:
    "Then, for now, we give Ulik his time and his guest status." Thor nods slowly, thoughtful. "Seek information otherwise and continue to proceed along the path needed so that we can show we are acting in faith." Which has him pause to add, "Because we are."
    Then he takes a deep breath and his brow furrows as he orders his thoughts. Lightly he taps his thumb against each finger then pauses on his second touch to his middle finger, he lifts his head and calls out.
    "Guardsman!"
    Which has the door to the study open nigh unto instantly as one of those armored mean appears. "Your Highness!"
    A glance to Jane is given silently with his eyebrows raise, likely a gesture meant to say that she is to listen and correct if he gets aught wrong. Then he looks back to the guard, "I will be in need of quill and ink, then six messenger. Volunteers, the journey may be of risk to some. Also if my brother is under foot send him to me."
    "At once, my lord!"
    And as quick as that he turns back toward Jane and nods, "It shall take some doing but we'll get moving." And for now perhaps that topic is now at rest for Thor advances a chance as he asks...
    "Now, what else passes for you Jane? I trust you are well."

Jane Foster has posed:
"Very well spoken and decided. No doubt Lady Sif and your brother will have embellishments better suited to task, but the core principles are sound. Much better than deciding to draw Mjolnir and leave a new surface feature on the planet. I have no doubt there would be some changes." The astrophysicist teases mildly, her tone meant to convey something other than direct offense.

She sets the bread down when the prince calls a guard, and she laces her fingers together, sitting back. "So it begins. I'll try to keep an eye open for anything unusual, like more of his entourage. Not sure why they opted to come, but he might be willing to illuminate us on that matter later. Maybe they were bored. You can count me to help however you see fit." Because being squishy, mortal, and complicated never hurts in these matters, does it?

Somewhere, a jazz-loving, wine-swilling horse has burning ears. If only it weren't enough to distract him from reading the morning news.

She laughs softly. "The same as ever. Some things change, and some appear not to. But I am glad to see that /you/ are well..."