13185/Too Wise to Trust and Too Old to Care

Too Wise to Trust and Too Old to Care
Date of Scene:	25 October 2022
Location:	Interview Room: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Zee and Jane ponder fixing what's broken.
Cast of Characters:	Jane Foster, Zatanna Zatara

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Jane Foster has posed:
Calls from SHIELD might be perturbing. A call from Jane Foster, via her assistant, to whatever means by which Zatanna can be reached probably is less so. They've met this way before among the fabricated stars and projected planets. Tonight, the neat little cardstock sign reads "PRIVATE EVENT" to politely turn away the occasional tour group. It's understood the private event involves a display for a VIP, and therefore Jane's ability to flex her status as the Director of the Hayden Planetarium pushes away the rest of the museum staff.

An intern, Lauren, waits vigil outside until said VIP is present. She also acts as the supremely gossipy intern who will report on anything funny.

Inside, Jane calibrates some of the images brought back from a certain deep space telescope. The veritably lovely projector pivots for the details, giving some depth to the Pillars of Creation standing fifteen feet tall. She looks up at them and then recalibrates the data pad. Small objects rotate inside the great projector, shifting the projection modelled in nebulas and newborn stars lower. Twinkling prickles of light pass around her, illuminating the gloaming. Not magic, but science.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Being able to change reality does not preclude owning the latest IPhone 14 pro. It is prosaic and anchors her to the everyday world. There are times on returning from a particularly surreal encounter with a demon that Zatanna needs little reminders that she belongs in the world.

Jane's invitation warranted enough attention for the busy magician to push aside other minor business. Besides it piqued her curiosity.

Dressing for the invitation, she amused herself putting together why she was being invited to the Planetarium, especially in light of their latest 'adventure' together.

The portal opens discreetly out of sight in a nook between buildings. The rose of the autumn sun setting behind the planetarium's dome is glorious. Zee stands admiring it's otherworldly architecture a moment before rounding the corner and aiming for the assistant. Soberly dressed in a Chanel houndstooth jacket and black pants, she balances perfectly on the extravagant Gucci heels that show a flash of fishnets at every step.

Jane Foster has posed:
Nothing wrong with an iPhone if Zatanna can lock down its security. Isn't having a shiny glass surface and good camera handy? Jane's phones tend to last a great deal less time so she favours having a few of them on hand, none overly expensive. No point in blowing the budget on Samsung Galaxy this, iPhone that, or top-secret SHIELD material when it may end spontaneously ignited by a rogue Inhuman.

Her week stretches on, the hours of sleep few and far between. A fresh vantage point on lingering problems might come through excellent recommendations, hence setting up a pleasant tea service and platter of charcuterie, cheeses, and seasonal fruits and veg in case Zatanna happens to be vegan and somehow she missed it.

"Good evening," she says when the door opens, spotting the magician. Stars spattered around her swivel and dance. Her dark clothes pick up the details as a passing infant star, a few hundred thousand years old, leaves artificial ripples in the golden-brown gases stretching deep into space. "Thank you for the short notice. I hope I've not pulled you away from something important, Ms. Zatara?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Good evening. Nothing that can't be done tomorrow or another time. Besides I'm very curious about what's afoot," she responds, smiling pleasantly as she closes the distance between them to give Jane an air kiss on each cheek. She likes the woman, despite her suspicions that there is much more hidden from sight than a simple world-renowned astrophysicist or SHIELD operative.

"You must call me Zatanna if you're comfortable doing it. And, you have all my attention and my thanks," she gives the sideboard laden with food a nod. "Getting time to eat recently hasn't been easy."

Jane Foster has posed:
Kindness goes a long way with the pale, tired astrophysicist. Though compared to when they left the Spaceport she looks leagues better. For one, her complexion doesn't resemble a sheet of alabaster in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Those dreadful bruises and cuts taken running the gauntlet of several dozen angry dark elves, giants, and their various allies mostly mended. Altogether, nothing a week or so of rest can't take care of -- and probably more to boot. She's only mortal.

Just as Zatanna is only a magician. Some things remain entirely more significant than their first gloss, as ever. She tilts her cheek and allows a ghost of a smile to crook her mouth just so. "Zatanna then. Forgive me for falling back to old habits." Polite habits someone ingrained in her, anyway. "I'm going to ask for discretion regarding this since the topic could be singularly problematic discussed at large. Since it involves an Avenger and ears are everywhere. I've taken what precautions I could to choose a relatively certain location."

The tap of a pad sends up a strain of, what else, Pink Floyd? Planetariums round the country like their Pink Floyd laser light shows, but instead of lasers, they've got huge pillars of dust acting as stellar nurseries. "Hopefully not too intense?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"You should hear me when I am cleaning out the vaults. It drives the staff batty when I crank the music up to the maximum." Head tilted back, her mouth opens slightly in a smile of wonder at the immense stellar creches floating through space.

Returning to earth, the woman focuses on Jane, "You can count on my discretion. None of my contributions to the Starport are for public or private consumption. Especially not when a comrade," she deliberately avoids using his name," is in jeopardy."

Jane Foster has posed:
"Cleaning out vaults? I don't think I could imagine you doing it without music. It's the best way to sort." Jane tucks her hair behind her ears, a gesture so unconscious that she barely takes note of the motion. Autonomic reactions sustained in a time of stress, they always tell a bit. "This comes from some of the latest photographs we obtained. I have a better feed for live data, thanks to NASA. Something we hope to share for the winter holidays." An idle explanation even if they aren't a necessity, a habit again fallen back on. She can kick herself later. The elegant sorcerer has no trouble projecting her charm far and wide, or keeping her cool. Can the same be said for the psychopomp?

There, though, she can find steady ground. Footing on knowledge is comforting, familiar for her in a time where everything blurs. "Your contributions kept everyone alive. Without that or the lifeline, we wouldn't be standing here. If you feel guilty about anything, please don't. It could have been much worse than it was." Her voice trails off, roughened with disuse as it spirals into silence. Her eyes flick away, focused on the familiar contours of the Pillars, though sharpened beyond anything Hubble ever resolved. "You might remember after the explosion, not much came through. I brought together what did, every last piece I could find. In case it would help him. Give a lead."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"We would have been in quite a pickle without Dr. Strange's help. He was our anchor to Earth," her sapphire blue eyes leave the stars to search Jane's face more carefully, noting the fading signs of battle and the burden of fatigue she tries to push into the background. The homo magi's expression softens but she makes no comment.

Taking a step toward the columns of clouds rising parsecs high in space, "You caught this at the last moment? Do you think...he's there?"

Jane Foster has posed:
A slight nod agrees with Zatanna's sentiments, while the infinite blue vastness trends away to black. The room has confines the cosmos does not, and boxing it in always seems peculiar. "A formidable link in a long chain, one forged from strong metal. We haven't seen many flaws, since we are all standing here."

She sighs, circling around past the stage and gesturing at the spread of food in case the magician proves hungry. None taken for herself, as she sinks into one of the padded seats. "I gathered the pieces where I found them. Every last one. Though small bits may still be embedded in the Starport floor or dust scattered in the cracks. Nothing is larger than my fist." She closes her hand to demonstrate, arm falling back to her side. "Mjolnir held a powerful enchantment, quite unlike many artifacts. We used it to track the Spear of Destiny. I can't detect it at all know. It's inert. Herein lies my problem. How do I reassemble it?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
After following in Jane's footsteps, Zatanna busies herself with making a cup of tea, she adds a few biscuits to the tea saucer, then balancing the cup with the skill of a prestidigitator she takes a seat near Jane, all in silence as she considers her words.

"Who," she asks softly, eyes roaming the vastness of the universe, "could reforge a hammer made in the heart of a star and imbued with the powers of Asgard and Odin's spells. I don't know what shocked me more, it exploding or his disappearance?" Lost in thought, the magician ignores her tea and sweets. "I would say, the pieces should be brought to Odin to be restored but..." Her mouth opens as if she is about to offer more, but she remembers the tea and lets silence fall between them.

Jane Foster has posed:
"Odin is not an option to us. Even if we could reach him, his state precludes asking. Nor would I subject his lady wife to additional trauma." Jane faintly shakes her head again, watching Zatanna at oblique angles through her eyelashes. "Even the story how he forged it differs. Was it magic, science or faith? My partner would have me consider it from a metaphysical angle since I've exhausted science. In your court, Zatanna. Variations on the tale aren't surprising. Stories of Odin being canny and jealous of his knowledge are apt, I've come to believe. Bear in mind, he's as much of a trickster as his son."

She runs her fingers through her hair, and catching herself, makes an annoyed sound. Fidgeting isn't particularly in her nature. "I've spent hours studying how to reforge Mjolnir. That if I did that, it would reach him and help him wherever he is. Forging uru requires some unusual conditions, but possible to reach. Proximity hasn't changed the shards. Ionizing them, subjecting them to exotic and normal energy sources, nothing. What made the hammer a hammer was more than a sum of metal, Odin's will, and an inscription. It was fighting against Malekith in the end, I think. Fighting the magic, fighting his intent. And when everything went... fell apart, if you will, I couldn't feel either of them. Which would be something given the, ah, telepathy."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
The homo magi catches the eyelash shaded glance and Jane's frustration with fidgeting under stress. Let her train as a magician's assistant under the strict hand of a perfectionist to drop those gestures. Still, she holds no grudges against her father, she would not be holding conversations about magic hammers had he not drilled her so fastidiously. Another sip of tea and a bite of biscuit gives her a moment more to think.

"Sif mentioned his sleep. It could be a matter of days or years, couldn't it? Loki might know what the hammer holds. Though I don't know that Loki could wield it."

She sits up straight, blinking at a memory. "Did you ever hear Thor talk to the hammer like it was alive?" In an effort to recall all the lore she has about the hammer, Zee jumps from topic to topic. "But the need is here, even if we don't yet have the means. How else will we find him without the hammer? What about the Bifrost? Can't Asgardians be found through it?"

Jane Foster has posed:
Jane stills. When consciously thinking of other matters, sometimes she can forget the cues expected of her at times. "I've reserved speaking to the Queen as an option if other avenues are exhausted," she admits in a soft tone. "Loki might know. Loki also holds the regency over Asgard when her enemies circle like wolves." The reasons why don't need to be shared with Zatanna, they both know enough to be sure.

Her smile is a sad one, short-lived as sakura in the first flush of April. "Call me sentimental. I suppose I am. But the realms need Thor. They need someone who answers their cries for succor against terrible foes, like that particoloured jackass of an elf. Not merely Earth." A disclosure of her weariness fades into something resolute, when the enamel is worn away and bedrock alone remains. What's the colour of the mettle of a person? "Yes, sometimes. More he treats it respectfully. It comes to his call and defends him. That would incline me to think something greater is..."

She pauses. "Are you suggesting we ask Heimdall where an invisible spirit or spell-ghost has gone?"

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Yes. I am," said with an emphatic nod. "I refuse to believe he is dead and the hammer shattered past repair. If it is a living entity, then the hammer is a vessel. Heimdall should be consulted."

Zee fixes Jane with a frown, "Am I confusing tales? Heimdall can find lost Asgardians. Sif would know."

"As for Thor, the very balance of the universe needs great ones like Thor." She pauses and nearly smiles, adding with a whimsical tilt of her head, "Besides I like him."

Jane Foster has posed:
"Heimdall is an option, supposing this would not overburden him. Can you?" A question that hovers in the air. "Between you or the doctor, it seemed appropriate to ask. Loathsome to push something off in your laps when you already went so far." A rueful fact that lingers in Jane's tone, for all that she speaks quietly and certain. "The hammer may not be. There could be a relic of the magic in it, but I don't have the means to know. No story told me that Odin bargained or bound something. There could be a truth to it, there could also be a complete mistake."

She shakes her head again to Zatanna's questions. "You are not mistaken. Heimdall can see a great deal. He stands atop the Bifrost Bridge as a sentry. Yet this... He could not find Thor, nor see him. Surely? I cannot imagine Lady Sif wouldn't have asked him already to look, which then means some does elude him."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"I don't claim I know Heimdall, but when Thor mentions him, it is with respect and affection." On the end of a roughly expelled breath, "Of course, you're right. Sif will have gone to him right away. And if he cannot find him then..." Her voice trails off, then she shifts in her seat to fully face Jane.

"My efforts have resulted in nothing. I am sure that Dr. Strange has tried to find him. But perhaps, Heimdall could find Malekith." In a low flat voice, "None of us have forgotten what needs to be done with that demon."

Rising she takes her tea back to the table of neglected food then returns to her seat where she sits frowning in frustration, "We haven't mentioned the rings. If either of them came from Malekith then I am fairly certain that I can trace the entity that laid an enchantment on it."

Jane Foster has posed:
"Heimdall is Lady Sif's brother and a staunch servant of Asgard. To me, polite when I first came to the Golden City. Mortals are surpassingly rare up there. They keep their distance until they do not." She isn't at a loss for affection too for Heimdall in a distant way. A gesture of kindness that goes far. "Let's at least confirm with her if he saw anything before we dispense that possibility. There could be signs. Some conflict that calls him. Some portals."

Her clothes rustling, Jane turns to Zatanna. "I won't hear you say your work came to nothing. Even the absence shows us something. My boy..ah, partner," a mild correction, a hint of warmth, "would be quick to point out you have exhausted possible avenues and left others open to explore. We may need to be creative. You have that in spades."

She might take heart from that, if only finding her own groove. "Magic for Mjolnir. Maybe practical science to deal with the dark elf. I haven't thought much of the rings except that I need to speak with Ms. Queen and understand how she obtained hers. If they have a link to Korek, the Queen of Alfheim, or someone else entirely. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised to find out Surtr is somehow involved." There's a name spoken with dislike, respect but dislike. Hands brush down her slacks and she stands, smooth and distracted, lost looking into the stars. "The rings we need to hear from others. Lady Sif and our archeress may know a good deal there. I'm not sure how Ms. Croft fits in, but I expect the could be useful for seeing connections with the rings or investigations. Of Mjolnir, the fewer distracted by it the better. It may be a way to reach the Thunderer. Malekith has built a... bridge, it feels like, and he is a peril. One that has to be watched for. I can't see him acting immediately on that."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"I intend to put Malekith in peril," her words holding a dark promise. She takes a long restorative breath, still tasting the ire in her last words.

"I reached out to Ms. Queen, by the way. She may have time to meet me in Gotham tomorrow, but I wouldn't care if it was on top of Everest or the Moon if she has a crumb of knowledge that will find him,"

Mirroring Jane, she stands, pushing her shoulder-length away from neck, a frown still creased between her brows.

"For now, we know what we don't know. We have a negative outline of the picture we are drawing. The details will come. First, Ms. Queen, then Sif, then perhaps a visit to a certain elf. Thank you for this visit. Please don't think I'm critical, I hoped that you were going to show me where he was sent."

Jane Foster has posed:
"You cannot possibly be more critical than I am with myself." Jane holds up a hand, pointing to one of the stars. "I can tell you about the formation of a new star and a possible solar system. I could peer a billion years back to the past through a glass. Perhaps even trace out the invisible filaments of a black hole, the deadly overlap of galaxies drawn too close to their demise. Finding them is a matter of scale, easy. One man that staked my fame waits out there and where? I don't know yet. A speck for all his might, across 93 billion light years in diameter and assuming he's in this realm rather than another. A matter to lose a little sleep over. Even confining myself to the Milky Way, there's a few hundred billion stars to sort through. The dark elf would stand to be the easier way to sift through the evidence. Your peril is the better path."

Better than the relentless searching for a single god, smaller than any moon occulting a star in a distant world. "The point for me is restoring Mjolnir to have a beacon. Theirs is a bond Odin swore. There must be Thor. There is Thor. It's a matter of assembling a means and a trajectory."