11616/And Then There Were Dragons

And Then There Were Dragons
Date of Scene:	15 June 2022
Location:	Asgardian Embassy
Synopsis:	Sif tells Jimmy the the tale of their adventures in Trollheim then shows him around the Asgardian Embassy.
Cast of Characters:	Jimmy Hudson, Sif

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Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    A first time visit to the Asgardian Embassy is an interesting thing for sure. For Jimmy Hudson he had seen the Villard House and its surrounding environs in passing a few times. A beautiful building back before it became an embassy. Beautiful now, to be fair, but when he had walked on up to it he was surprised to see the guards in place, as well as the area in front marked with the seal of Asgard from the blaze of the Bifrost. And then there was approaching the guards which had him wondering if this place was like that Palace in England where they weren't allowed to talk...
    "Uh hey, I'm James. James Hudson. Here to see Lady Sif?" Jimmy was a tall drink of water, to be sure. But these fellas were... a good bit taller. Though when one nodded and stepped back, then opened the door for him they did so with a military precision and seemed... without judgment.
    And then there she was. So strange to see the woman he first met while talking about horses at a state fair in this setting. The gal that labored on the ranch all rough and tumble and here in a more formal setting and looking rather well put together. "Hey there." He had said and the greeting was a warm one.
    Not too much longer after that they found themselves seated in a study drinks before them, seated in comfortable chairs as she gave him the tale of what passed in Trollheim. Which he followed along with as he smiled, sometimes leaning forward, sometimes chuckling. But he did get her to pause at one point.
    "So you mean dragons, like big big dragons?" Because apparently if it was a small dragon he wouldn't be as surprised.

Sif has posed:
If that seemed odd to Sif, she didn't show it. She was dressed as duty required. For she was technically here at the beck and call of the Princes if needed. Being 'on duty' in a technical aspect, she was in her armor. Which meant Jimmy got the full Asgardian warrior woman experience, from her headdress to her cloak and a sword at her left hip. Though she was ambidextrous with the blade, the right was her dominant hand. When they had seated themselves, she had pulled the scabbard from her belt and laid it to the side within easy reach.

"They were of a size." Which to her meant they were big enough. How big a dragon had to be to be 'big enough' was up to interpretation. "Though it was large enough that we were unable to see the rider upon it until the beast hand landed on the ground in a show meant to intimidate. Perhaps any others might have cowered before the beast but we are Asgardian thus we faced it with confidence."

They either were really that good. Or they were really stupid. Again, open to interpretation.

"Though the rider was an odd one. He seemed...what is the term on Midgard. A fan? When he recognized me. But when Lady Caitlin took offense and pointed out her prowess in combat, he turned his attentions to her."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    A hand on his glass of water, since he was driving of course, Jimmy was eating it up. His smile was a wry thing as he watched Sif regale him with such tales as if they were naught at all. Yet he would sometimes shake his head and silently chuckle to himself. It's a little challenging getting used to the different layers of life that come with an Asgardian.
    "Well that's good, I'd have hated to have had to go have a throw down with some dragon rider fella for steppin' to ya." Since clearly that's his role, to defend the Honor of the Goddess of War.
    He shook his head with a smile, "So a'right, so the guy was chit-chattin' and what happened then?"

Sif has posed:
That earned a bit of a laugh, the thought of him stepping up to the rider for daring to show interest in her. It was not something she was used to. After all, she had worked very hard to become the warrior she was respected as. That being the case, she never really gave someone the chance to treat her like a woman being courted in the traditional sense. So experiencing it amused her but was also sort of touching in some way. She wasn't offended by it in the least. After all, he knew what she was, knew she didn't need protection. It just meant he cared.

"Thor remained focused on the task at hand. He offered over their traitor, Ulik, who was bound. Turned him over to Korek, the rider. He seems to be perhaps half troll, half elf. I am unsure precisely."

Then she slams her hand on the table. "And the trap was sprung! Ulik was not bound, but only seemingly. He was able to challenge Korek but the dragon chose to enter the fray. We drew weapons to battle the beast! It was a short battle but furious as the beast attempted to scorch us with it's breath. I was able to put a lance into it's chest, as Lady Caitlin struck it with mighty blows of her fists."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Ah! Like Star Wars." Jimmy say as he's swept along with Sif's emotional story delivery, but then he chuckles a little and shakes his head, "I mean, sorry. Go on." And he falls silent as she continues the tale, following along with her words and his deep blue eyes following her own, watching with a warmth and engagement that makes him smile openly.
    She gets to the battle with the beast and his eyebrows rise, nodding as she mentions the dragon leaping into battle and her charging in with Caitlin.
    "So you guys dove in and fought the dragon? What did the other dragons do? What about all those trolls on the walls?" Since when she regaled him with that part of the tale he figured if it came to blows they'd /all/ jump in.

Sif has posed:
"Of course we fought the dragon." As though she was saying 'of course I bought bread while at the store'." Like it wasn't a big deal. It was just what one did in those circumstances.

Sif shook her head negatively though at the mention of the other trolls. "The other trolls were serving their master, Korek. Who had taken the spot as their ruler. Ulik challenging Korek was a formal combat. They could not interfere in that which left only us. I suspect they thought the dragons likely would have us well in hand."

Then he would see a bit of a smug smirk on her face as she picked up her mug of mead. "The trolls were wrong, of course. After the dragon was blooded, it lost all will for battle and sought to escape. One of the trolls helped though she was an adoptive member of their tribe. I do not know of what blood she was born but she was raised troll."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Which, to be fair, he should have expected that so he just nods a little and blinks as if saying to himself, 'Of course, what was I thinking?' Yet he listens as she tells him all the more shaking his head. "All in a day's work I imagine." Though, to be fair, at the Xavier mansion strange things have a tendency to happen as well that might be just as surprising to her.
    "So Ulik and this Korek guy are fighting, and you guys had the dragons under control." He shifts in his seat a little, resting his ankle on his knee and his hands on that leg, watching her with a tilt of his head. "What happened at that point?"

Sif has posed:
"A second dragon thought to enter the fray but was convinced of a better path. The third never attacked. The trio made an escape. Though admittedly, I hope that the one I injured was able to recover." She frowned a little, thinking about the beast with half a lance stuck in his chest.

Then Sif put that behind her and focused on the tale again. "It came to Ulik and Korek. The battle was fierce for Ulik's anger was palpable after what had been done to him, being labeled a traitor but the usurper. He was about to take the day and..."

She brought up a hand and then splayed out her fingers. "Poof! Korek disappeared before the killing blow could land! With parting words that indicated this would not be the last he was seen."

She picked up her mead again, moving the cup to speak with it as though punctuating her words. "Ulik returned as leader of the Trolls. And immediately told us to leave their realm. Or else. Which is ever his way. By allowing us to leave that was him giving us his thanks for assisting."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    That causes another chuckle to come from the mortal man as he shakes his head and repeats to himself when she says, 'convinced of a better path.' The way Asgardians speak it does make him smile now and again, that curious way of boasting in such a modest way.
    Yet he nods, then his eyebrows rise at the mention of Korek disappearing, "Oh he made a last minute escape? Oh that's bad news." Which has him looking thoughtful as he draws his lower lip between his teeth to nibble on it for a time. "Do you think he'll be back?" Since his thoughts drift to other individuals who have made similar boasts in the past and it rarely works out well for any of the parties concerned.
    Then he shakes his head slightly and looks across the way at the armored woman, "Well, least it seems like you guys took carea business."

Sif has posed:
"Sadly, there was no way of stopping it. Loki was busy elsewhere in the keep and had not been able to assist with his magics." Her voice doesn't give away if that was a good or bad thing. With Loki? It could be either. Or both at the same time.

"The beasts were defeated. Mainly by the Lady Caitlin and myself. The little troll girl did her best for the situation." Then she seems to think of something and she wrinkled her nose a little. "Thor helped. A little."

And that was all the credit the Prince was getting. After all, he swung a hammer. Once. They did /far/ more in that battle.

"But here I am babbling onward with tales while you have not told me how you fared in my absence?" Not that she knows the truth of where he worked and the hazards they might face. She simply was asking after his life.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Again Jimmy follows along, and for some reason at the mention of Thor his smile broadens a little, that small wrinkle of her nose adding a touch more human to her manner as he can perhaps relate in some ways. Yet he doesn't voice them, not now at least. All he says for now is, "Ah."
    Then she aims the conversation back at him and he chuckles, shaking his head. "There's no tale there to share, the school is..." His blue eyes distance for a moment as his head tilts a little to the side. "Hectic." Is the word he settles on. Then he looks back to her with that small smile.
    "Classes will be out next week, lotsa kids goin' off or back home so things will be quiet. Thinkin' I might put in more hours at the ranch if you have a list of things needin' doin'. Could take a crack at that."
    Then he spreads his hands, "Other than that, not much, and nothin' worthy of a story like yours."

Sif has posed:
"I am certain there are tales. Though, not being Asgardian you are not used to turning all things into a story for around the fire with your brothers and sisters in arms."

She likes hearing what he shares about his work though he is often pretty close mouthed. General statements. Not a lot of detail. She wasn't sure if that was the nature of it since he had students who were underage or something else. Not like she knew a lot of teachers outside weapons.

"We will work on it," she teased. "As for the farm, there are many things I could use assistance with. Now that we are back, I intend to focus there. I hope to be ready in the next month to start receiving stock."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Ah," Again with the Ah. But Jimmy's smile broadens a little, "That'll definitely add to your day to day." He sits up and takes a sip of water, then sets the glass back down. Both eyebrows rise as he gives thought to the ranch she had bought for breeding horses. So naturally and instantly he's already thinking about what'll need doing.
    "I'll need to get the barn in good order, stock up, mebbe take a run at that field on the other side of the stables. We get a fence up there you'll have a good run and place for them to graze." Then he's rubbing the back of his neck and making a small face.
    "And when you get them on the ranch we'll need to acclimate 'em with each other..." And she can tell he's lost in thought for the moment. Then he looks back over at her a little sheepish. "Sorry, just... yeah."

Sif has posed:
"That run would be excellent." She was looking at it all in her mind's eye as he made mention, picking out details. "Having it ready first. Perhaps even the second on the opposite side of the entry road. To keep the Midgard and Asgard apart. Though yes, even the Midgardians will need to get used to their own species before we let them loose. See how their personalities lend to interactions."

But Sif had caught that moment. "What caught your attention? That made you feel the need for apology."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Ehn," Jimmy says with a crinkle of his nose, "When I'm sometimes presented with a problem I try to solve it like instantly." He shakes his head slightly and waves a hand to the side, "Which ain't always conducive to conversations."
    Then he's pushing himself up and out of his seat, rising slowly and setting his glass fully to the side. "C'mon, darlin'." He offers his hand to her and then murmurs, "Why don't you show me around this place here, I always wondered what it looked like on the inside when I'd wander by years ago."
    That said he meets her gaze and his smile grows a little. "I'll try to be less fix it now, and more live in the moment."