15328/This Is My Axe!

This Is My Axe!
Date of Scene:	07 July 2023
Location:	R and D Labs: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Thor brings Stormbreaker to the Triskelion and gives out an autograph.
Cast of Characters:	Thor, Natasha Romanoff, Quiet, Monica Chang

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Thor has posed:
    Some time ago in the depths of legend there had been a man who had extracted a promise from the being who claimed to be Thor of Asgard. It was a promise that was given with heartfelt sentiment and such an oath binds for the word of Asgardian royalty is not to be taken lightly. Unfortunately that man over the course of years, over the passage of time, over the tumult of eldritch powers no longer dwelled in the mighty halls of the Triskelion.
    Yet a promise is a promise.
    Which is why the people of WAND had rushed through the building and laid claim to no less than four laboratory and test areas in the broad greater R&D area. They had been given word that Thor was coming this day to fill some bargain he had made with those past. And this bargain?
    Was to be to allow the mages and scientists of WAND to look into what brought the latest Uru Artifact into existence, the mighty Breaker of Storms. Which was what sat upon the pillar in the middle of that test area. A test area that was open and part of that larger lab area. People were free to walk past, to observe, while a bevy of scientists all took readings of the large silvered axe that had a twisted wooden branch as a haft. It rested on its side, blunt end down while the axe blade gleams in the glowing light of the Triskelion.
    "What exactly is Uru metal?" One of the scientists asks as he holds his tablet in hand.
    "A metal that is known only in Nidavellir, one of the nine realms. It is the stuff of the universe, the blood of life as it were. It holds... an affinity to magic." Thor says as he stands there amongst the crowd, arms folded over his broad chest. At a glance he would seem little out of place for he wore normal civilian clothes. A grey hoodie, blue jeans, brown work boots. Though, to be fair, with his height he stands out.
    And the eyepatch.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff had not spent much time with Thor since his return from Asgard beyond dropping a note on what his dear adopted brother was up to. Having spent a substantial amount of time (by her standards) having to play observer for the one-time invader of Earth being with a friend was a welcome. So as she's heard that Thor was coming, she's on her way down to the laboratory area.
    There's a wistful look around as she arrives and glances about. As if expecting from some corner Jane will wander past and start talking. Joined by Darcy. And there will be chatter of magic, myth, and legend.. All so real.
    But things move on. People change. They die. They change. MEntally and physically. The Thor now is different than the one that she had known before he was sent into space an dhad returned. It was reassuring in a way.
    That even the gods could change. That nothing lasted forever - even the status quo. Sos he would enter in, and give a nod over to Thor. "Odinson. It's been too long. I'm sorry for having not made an effort to catchup earlier." Thor was a comrade. He was also one of the few beings in existence that Natasha would call a friend.

Quiet has posed:
Agent Houston is not a scientist. She's not a techie. She's not a lab rat in any shape or form.

She's a weapon specialist. She's a sharpshooter, and she has reflexes that even Wonder Woman would be impressed by.

This is why she's often here. SHIELD lab tests often involved weapons, be it Man made, or Alien made, thus Stefani was a perfect candidate to help test fire them.

She'd been testfiring Shi'ar weapons all day, working with some of the science types on the ins and outs of the gear, but since she doesn't speak verbally she mostly is just following orders and instructions, happily shooting the strange technology in the gun range.

Here and now though, the young looking woman strides in and slows when she sees the group gathered around the tall man with the eye-patch.

Eye-patch... Stefani stares at Thor's face for a few moments, standing about ten or so feet away on the other side of a lab table. Dressed in a sleeveless black top, a black ballcap on her head, and dark grey loose-fit tac-pants, the young woman looks like just your a-typical SHIELD Agent.

She starts to slowly make her way over to where they are, her green eyes going from Thor's face, down to the weapon he brought, then back up to his face again.

It's quickly becoming an awkward amount of staring...

Monica Chang has posed:
Monica was working that day but she'd been in one of the private lab areas deep in the depths of R&D working on her pet project. Because she was off work today. Thus of course she was here working. She'd had an idea this week she'd been working on and it had only needed a few more tweaks to come to fruition.

Thus she had moved into the little testing bunker off the private lab and tapped a few buttons on the control pad. This control pad had been incorporated into a mechanism that wrapped around her left forearm and had a small display screen on it to relay information from the drone.

The drone in question was HAL. A former Hydra weapons drone that Monica had captured a while back. It had been reverse engineered then rebuilt but with new programming. The AI was coming along well and in testing stages. A few button pushes and the floating silver ovoid, that was about two to two and a half feet long, floated to the firing line with the new weapon in place.

Then Monica heard the sound of a voice and it actually caught her attention. She shut down the weapon system on the drone and moved to peek out into the hallway, listening and now hearing that voice again.

Which led to her wandering down the hall and peeking her head into the lab where the small gathering was. Her eyes widened a bit upon seeing who was visiting. Though a moment later, her attention was fully on the weapon he'd brought with him as she wandered in. The drone with her floated in and hovered just over her right shoulder but up out of the way of people. Monida was dressed in civilian clothes: Jeans, black t-shirt with the caption "Education is important but gaming is importanter", and a pair of jeans. Yet she did have the white R&D lab coat over the top which had her blending in, sort of.

Thor has posed:
    The scientists were abuzz, speaking in those short sentences meant for each other, each advancing some thoughts or having it admonished in the same rhythm. Thor stood there as on of the technicians brought forth a multi-field spectrometer to take a reading on the large weapon of war that reclined as if at ease upon the elaborate electronic dais. Over the magical axe floated a holographic display that showed small notations and gave as much data as it could.
    Though in that display... there were entirely too many question marks for the research teams to be comfortable with.
    When Natasha arrived she would spot him first. She likely knew the many faces of Thor, and the one he had on was the politic one. The polite one. The one used for the public as he discharged a duty that wasn't entirely something he enjoyed. He answered the questions, did as he had said he would. Yet it wasn't until he caught sight of his friend Natasha that his smile eased more toward the genuine.
    "Natasha." Not the booming greeting he so often had given in the past. But still a warmth to it as he stepped forward. A hand to her shoulder giving a very faint pat and a squeeze, then he stepped back to stand at her side as the scientists adjusted now to the addition to the 'circle' of people observing. "It is good to see you. I had hoped to catch you."
    In that moment he became aware of the approach of Miss Houston. The steady gaze and way she paid such intent attention upon him had him return the gaze with that polite smile as he gave a nod to her. Then he spoke and his voice perhaps was not fitting to the mental image she had in her head.
    "Greetings."
    That informal hello was given to Stefanie and then toward Monica when they joined them around the resting Stormbreaker. One of the scientists then asked, "Is it powered by your father, usually such items of such significance have some sort of exterior connection or... patronage? If you will."
    To which Thor answered, "I believe not. Thought he haft was brought forth, a branch of the World Tree. It is not ensorcelled, not woven with magicks, yet it seems... bound to me in a fashion."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would dip her head over to Agent Houston upon the rendezous. "Good to see you. I take it testing continues well?" The first question someone in R&D might want to do was how to figure out how something worked. Failing that, to get it to do things they wanted. Natasha?
    Natasha was pragmatic. If she could use it to kill or cripple someone, that was all she needed. At Thor's approach to her she would smirk, giving him a light punch to his shoulder and speaking in Norse. "I'll have to hear all the stories and the songs. We'll have to set some time aside. You need to have a skvald by your side when you recite them so they can be properly remembered." Norse prose remembered in song and speech, not sonnet. Spoken and passeda long throughout the centuries of life, toil, raiding, and war.
    Turning to the others, Natasha would switch to English. "Progress goes smoothly on all affairs?" She just knows that tehre's testing going on - not necessarily what the specifics are. And doubting it would involve her. If SHIELD is going to have someone wield a magical artifact to attack gods with, they have specialists in the ranks for that.

Quiet has posed:
Stef's eyes remained locked on Thor's face up until he spoke to her. That is what broke her of the trance-like stare at him. She smiled softly then and there, before her eyes went over to Natasha. She was a big fan of the Black Widow's, having seen her in action many times now, and nothing earned Stefani's approval more than a person who could do the kinds of things Nat could do. Stef is quic, to give Nat a 'Yes' in ASL, believing Natasha to be educated in at least that much of the language.

Her stare dropped to the holo-image floating over the weapon that Thor had brought then, which she lingered it for a few moments upon the stats being displayed. 'It is very impressive.' Stef went on to sign next, whether anyone could understand her or not.

Her hands then went to her pockets as she glanced back to Thor. She tucked them in to the entries of the pockets and began to root around in them, searching for something.

Monica got a smile of warmth from the brunette woman in the black ballcap next as her hands came out o the pockets again.

She is holding two items, that she extends to Thor...

In her right hand is a black sharpie pen.

In her left is a Troll Doll with bright yellow hair, a camo BDU outfit on, and an eyepatch over his eye just as Thor's is.

She stares at him with a hopeful expression, and that same soft warmth from her smile.

Monica Chang has posed:
Monica gave a nod and a smile to those gathered but then her eyes were back on the weapon. And she quickly reached to the controls and tapped a few buttons. a moment later, HAL floated over above Stormbreaker and started taking his own readings. Although honestly, it was unlikely the drone would pick up anything the rest of the system testing machines weren't already doing. And entirely too many question marks. There were materials and elements here that were not known to humans. Or some aliens. Since they did have some information from other space-faring species in their databanks.

Monica then could turn her attention back to the visitor and other agents. Seeing the troll doll brought out, she had to smile but she didn't say anything.

Thor has posed:
    There was a faint chuff of an exhalation that came from Thor, not quite a scoff, but a friendlier thing as he shook his head in Natasha's direction. He answered her in that same flowing eloquent English it seemed, though perhaps it was simply the gift of All Speak that loaned such to the Asgardians. "You could always take up the tales spoken by firelight, craft and smith your own words. Leave all this behind."
    The Asgardian Prince half-smiles and gestures broadly to the side with one hand, gesturing to the bank of display devices and sensors, but likely more meaning the entirety of the Triskelion, or even the world itself. "None would fault you for the services you have rendered is more coin paid than any king and country so deserves."
    Yet even as he preaches the benefits of retirement to one of the Widows in the room... his attention is drawn back to the weapon. Curiously he seems to understand the hand gestures made by the silent SHIELD agent. For he answers her, "It has not the craftsmanship of Mjolnir, for that hammer was... forged over many years. Stormbreaker is a thing raw in its power."
    For a moment Thor's gaze distances, that one eye giving him a thoughtful expression. Before his attention is drawn back to the... pen. The troll doll? His eyebrows knit with a hint of confusion as he accepts one. Then the other. Though hesitantly as if not entirely understanding. Then he asks, "An autograph?"
    Which he seems inclined to do. Though he smiles and holds up the doll toward Natasha. "This is so cute." Yet he tries to find a suitable place. Perhaps right on the right lapel of those BDUs, room enough to swipe that pen a few times. Sharp stern letters.
    THOR
    Then the troll doll is handed back, he smiles openly to Quiet and says, "Tony Stark would be terribly jealous."
    He notices the drone hovering over the relatively young Uru weapon and he looks up at it, then down toward Monica. "Ah, Agent Chang. I was told I owe you thanks for the part you played at the Starport." A slight smile is given sidelong toward Natasha. "Natasha as well, but if I thank her too often she begins to expect it."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would almost smirk - the not-quite gesture but that Thor would know was the full one, and Monica knew her enough to spot the tells as well. But Natasha always did have to keep a lid on her emotions and just keep herself focused. She did have a reputation to maintain after all. And if she was seen smiling around other people.. That would hardly keep up to the legend.
    "What I do is best left in the dark and unremembered. No joy should be taken from it. All there should be someday is a note in a file buried deep in a bureaucratic sinkhole until the end of time. What I do is not to be celebrated. Because that implies that it is something that others should aspire to." Natasha was pragmatic.
    Which meant she had the awareness that while her job was necessary in a world, in a galaxy.. It was not something to take joy in.
    Glancing back over to Stefanie, her introspective moment vanishing once more to her normal mask. "And I'd get bored if I ever tried to retire. It would be the most miserable thing that I could imagine."

Quiet has posed:
The little drone that Monica summons to inspect Thor's weapon does draw Stef's attention for a few seconds, as such tech is often a fun sight for her to behold. But, when Thor reacts to what she'd signed, it ultimately draws her eyes back to him right after he asks of the autograph request. She nods as she holds her smile, her head tilting ever so slightly to her right shoulder. When he takes the Doll and the Pen, she is freed up to sign again, and she offers him a explanation, with both hands and facial features, she replies.

'Not many here speak sign language. Thank you for the autograph. You look a lot like someone I once knew.'

She grins at him actually writing his name upon the doll's BDUs, and when he offers them back she gladly accepts, lets her eyes linger at the writing for a moment before she puts the pen away on a thigh pocket of her uniform pants. The Troll gets a little wiggle causing his mane of long yellow hair to wave gently in the wake of the motion, then it too is slipped back in to her right side pocket.

She signs again. 'Thank you, Mister Thor.'

Monica Chang has posed:
"I did what I could to help. I wish I could've done more." Because things hadn't worked out as greatly as she would've liked. "But thank you."

The opposite of her fellow Widow. Of course, Monica was far younger. She actually as the age she appeared to be, unlike some cheaters. THough in truth, she would someday hopefully live to be as old as Natasha.

Or was that a curse? She wasn't quite sure yet. Something to ask about perhaps someday.

She glances to her wrist a moment at the readings then punches a few buttons to summon HAL back over to hover near her again.

Thor has posed:
    "Indeed," Thor offers, added on to the end of the words Natasha murmurs. "A life without adventure? Impossible." His lip twists up as he gives the elder Widow a slight nudge against her shoulder with his own upper arm.
    Then he brings his attention back toward the silent agent. His good eye lowers to follow along with the gestures she gives him in lieu of the spoken word. His chin lifts as he nods once, then smiles gently. "Hopefully someone you think well of." She offers him thanks and he affects a slight confused look, as if he could have not done anything else as he says, "Of course."
    When Monica answers him he nods a little more, "I was told that our victory was in part due to the work yourself and." He straightens slightly, "Agent Foster performed before the battle. It is well you did." Then he straightens up a little. "Though I agree, I believe we all feel we could have done more. Though for your part, and Natasha's..." His smile eases slightly, "It is hard to see how. You both acquitted yourselves well."

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
Natasha Romanoff would nod, "Agent Foster is whom saved us. Her sacrifice and.. That of many others." SHe's too professional to say 'too many'. And there will always be more sacrifices. And there will always be too many. That's something that she's accepted and understands. Perhaps she mourns. Perhpas she does not. Perhaps she's just perfected at putting up the facade so well she's not even sure herself anymore.
    "That's part of what being alive is. Second guessing. Wondering what if.. What we could have done. If we'd reacted a second faster, been a little more alert, been aware of something we took too long to notice.. All we can do so many times is wonder what.. If."

Quiet has posed:
Stef's arms crossed together over her stomach, rumpling the mesh-like material of her sleeveless black shirt. She listens to what the group speaks of, her eyes finally taking in the finer details of the weapon that Thor brought to the labs.

But from behind her, where she'd come from, one of the scientists she was working with calls her codename out, garnering the young woman to turn her head to look over her shoulder. The man simply tells her that they're ready to go again, and with a nod, Stef looks back to Monica, Thor and Nat to offer them a wave of her left hand along with a smile once more.

She turns then, her stride casual as she makes her way back toward the gun range entrance, with two of the lab technicians handing her a long barreled weapon that glints with a strange silvery shine.

Stef hoists the weapon up, walking in to the gun range with it laying horizontally in her arms, her eyes scanning it over.

It is only mere minutes after that that through the observation windows she can be seen firing long range blasts that absolutely obliterate moving targets down range...

Monica Chang has posed:
At mention of Jane, Monica's expression darkens slightly. But then she forces herself to get past it. The expression gone. Back to normal. Neutral. Though no hint of a smile now. Because that is what is expected of her. Or perhaps a more precise statement, what was drilled into her. It's what they were taught among thousands of other things. They could probably get an Oscar if they had gone into another way of life after leaving the Red Room behind.

Then she focuses on what was said by Natasha. A little shrug of her shoulders as she forces herself to look at the duo left after giving a little wave to Stef a she departs. "What if is part of life. It's what we do as humans. As stupid as it sounds. We know it's futile and changes nothing yet it's always there."

Thor has posed:
    For a time, Thor's gaze drifts after the young woman who had asked silently for the autograph. Then he smiles and his attention returns to the others. He takes a deep breath, then murmurs. "It seems like these good gentlemen will be a fair amount of time. Correct, Dr. Keene?"
    To which the lead scientist looks up from one of the displays. "Mmm? Oh, yes, at least the rest of the evening and if you wish to leave the hammer here with us..."
    Thor's response? "I do not."
    The doctor nods quickly, "Then yes, by the end of the evening?"
    "Very well."
    He turns to Monica and Natasha then says, "Perhaps then we could pass this time sharing what tales we have. Perhaps you would wish to hear... of how I met Jane?"
    And with that Thor smiles and starts to walk down the hall, likely toward the nearby break room.

Natasha Romanoff has posed:
And the moment is gone. Natasha bows her head to Thor, "I'll catch up with you sometime at the Embassy when you're on Midgard." She would then go to start to walk away. Introspective.. And then it vanishing. She had her obligations to tend to. "Agents, keep up the good work." In passing to Stefanie, to her fellow Widow Monica.. It was time to go out and face the real world.
    To aliens, to monsters, to mutants, to abominations.. And all that it entailed.

Monica Chang has posed:
"I'd love to hear that story," Monica said, that little faint sad smile. And with that she turned to head out the door and followed Thor where he was leading. And, as always, that floating drone followed along with them. Always watching.