6116/The great hospital escape

The great hospital escape
Date of Scene:	03 May 2021
Location:	Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala
Synopsis:	Sif comes to Uppsala's hospital, helping Thea escape with a little help from Sif's brother and a little stolen healing stone. They go back to the Verdant and they talk of shopping sprees and when Thea will die. Prune juice is a warrior's drink!
Cast of Characters:	Thea Queen, Sif

---

Thea Queen has posed:
It's a known fact that Queens don't like hospitals. And Thea is no different, what with all the experience she has on having been there on 'occasion' when she was down in life and high on drugs makes it she doesn't like repeating the experience. Yet here she was. Dark yellow walls, dripping serum to keep her stable, the ticking of the monitors driving her mad... Ugh, it was like being back a few years.. But this time she had actually gotten injured trying to do something useful, like protecting other people.

Oliver would had been proud. Slade would had called her a fool.

Ugh, that headache was coming back again. But she already had a plan to get out of here. She was done with questions, like the ones the police had rifled her with relentlessly a few hours ago. Not that she was *too* sure on what had happened. And not as if referring a battle between Gods would had helped in keeping her out of some asylum. Specially with the name and reputation she carried. Would had been a safe assumption to say she was back on drugs. Which really, she hoped she was now..

But.., back to the plan... This Uppsala University Hospital isn't exactly a top notch secure place. Sure, it has great medical care, the best the money can buy, that much was visible with how well she was being cared for but after that first questioning they had mostly left her be. One more victim from the hundreds that had been found on that festival. So now she waited until the right time came for her to slip out..

Sif has posed:
"She really is quite feisty, is she not Brother?"

Standing next to her impressive brother at his post on Bifrost, Sif looks through his scrying stone with him, watching Thea.

"She isn't dying, more's the pity. We won't have her in Valhalla yet. I guess I should tell the Valkyrior not to bother."

"Harvesting Midgard is forbidden, Sif," Heimdall says, looking sidelong at his sister.

"Details, brother dear. I had a way around it."

"It involved chicanery and my input, did it?"

"Details, brother. Details."

She turns her head and watches Thea making plans to leave. "Why the darling little fool! A kindred spirit indeed." She holds up a black runestone, glowing green along its etched lines with eldritch energy. "I think we will need to give her this."

Heimdall stares. "Tell me you didn't steal that from Freya."

"You want me to lie, Brother?"

"..."

"Send me to her room."

The multicoloured magics of Bifrost wrap her as it tears through the walls of the realms. With a single step she's inside Thea's hospital room where the latter plots her escape.

*ahem*

It's only polite to clear your throat when you've stepped out of nowhere into someone's bedroom, isn't it?

Thea Queen has posed:
The plan had been meticulously prepared. It had involved a bribery to a hopeful janitor which .., considering they didn't know english and she didn't know swedish it had been a tad hard. But money is an universal language so a janitor tunic had been procured. Along with counting the time between visits to her room.

And now was the time!

She tosses her bed sheets to the side, sliding to the edge of the bed and grimacing. That cut on her side still burned like heck. But it'd get better soon. Besides, it had already been bandaged. How worse could it get. So with some care she reaches for her sweater to start sliding it over her shoulders. It's right when she is in the process of getting it past her head that she hears that 'ahem'. Uffff. Busted..

But she has a good excuse for this. Lots of years being a bulshitter extraordinaire! "I was just going for ..." she slips the rest of the sweater past her shoulders and covering her torso, blue eyes settling on the person by the entrance. A blink, then two.

Now that's unexpected.

"It's you .., how..?" she adjusts the collar on her shirt, looking at the closed door, then back to her. Magic? She had seen a good deal of it last couple of days so ...

"You are Lady Sif, aren't you?" Give it to the smart Thea to eventually figure it out after a while looking over Asgardian mythology figures.

Sif has posed:
Sif just looks over Thea for a moment, enigmatic expression on her face. Then she bursts out laughing, merrily, at the sight before her.

"You are correct, Thea Queen, whom I incorrectly believed to be a piece of Loki's crumpet. For this I apologize. You've shown as much spirit as some of the greatest of the Vanir."

The laughter continues a bit, being suppressed. "I do apologize. Your reaction to my presence is precious. How it obliterated your cunning plan to leave." She steps forward, then, and presses Thea back to her bed, not in, but next to. "But you are not leaving in this condition. I will not permit it."

Blue eyes pierce Thea to her soul. "I am unused to being disobeyed," she adds warningly.

Thea Queen has posed:
There goes that word again. Crumpet! Expression screws up just a touch at it, perhaps her ego a bit prodded but then she finds herself grinning. She is both relieved at not having been caught but also at the infectious laughter the woman seems to carry. Larger than life it seems to be sometimes. "It's not like he is a bad dancer.." on traditional dances! Though then she nods at Sif, letting out an exhale. "I am glad to see you well. I .., didn't know what happened after I lost conscience." she admits, hand running up through her hair, some scrapes still noticeable on both palm and forehead.

"And it's a great plan actually, I am still in time if--" but then she is being pressed down to bed. And she knows better than to fight that, at leasy physically. So back to lying on bed she is. But certainly not looking defeated. Just another obstacle!

"I am feeling just fine already." she murmurs, summoning forth all her bulshitting. She suppresses from the doing the doe-eyed blink though. That's the trump card for her brother.

Those last words bring the rebel in Thea though but she bites down a sharp response and instead relaxes, "What brings you to visit me?" she asks. Seems that for now she is obeying.

For now!

Sif has posed:
"Don't lie to me, youngling," Sif scolds good-naturedly. "I dance oft with the Prince of Lies Himself, Loki. You cannot stand up to him."

Cruelly she pokes at the wound she knows is being hidden, ignoring any sounds of pain.

"Tell me again how fine you feel. You are not leaving in this condition."

Sif produces from her belt pouch a black stone with green, flickering runes on it: one that looks like an X, the other being a single vertical stroke with a single diagonal stroke, half the length, descending from the top. "A ... gift ... from the Lady Freya." Mental note: get Freya something very nice. She'll then forgive someday. "Hold it in your hands tightly. Say, then, the words *gebo *laguz. You must say them correctly so practice with me. *gebo *laguz"

For a few minutes she drills Thea until the woman can say the words correctly.

Thea Queen has posed:
Feel free to ignore those sounds but they are there! An 'ow', followed by a slender hand trying to stop Sif's EVIL ways of dismissing her lies which isn't that effective because another groan is produced, a hiss and she slides a bit further away. "Okay, okay." her hands rise up in surrender. "I am not fine.." she admits to the other before letting herself relax back on the bed. Hopefully with no more poking!

Hands go up to her face and she sighs. "I just don't like hospitals, at all." and that part seems genuine. A glance goes over Sif. Jealousy for an instant on how recovered she appears to be from all the fighting already. But that's Asgardian physiology for you.

Thea takes the stone though, a brow quirking but she doesn't question the magic of the stone. So she starts speaking the words, or trying to.

Sif has posed:
Once satisfied that Thea could say the words properly, she positioned Thea's hands properly over the stone. "Now get the sounds correct," she admonishes her. "Or you might find yourself turned into a pig."

Pause.

"Not really, but you will waste the enchantment. If you do it correctly you will be made whole and hale." She steps aside symbolically and gestures to the door. "Then we walk out together, find a place to speak, and speak. I wish to know more of you, Thea Queen. You intrigue me."

Great.

The Vanir Goddess of War is intrigued by Thea. What could possibly go wrong?

Thea Queen has posed:
"It's like that movie .., say the words wrong and ..." Thea mutters a bit to herself. But instead of undead hordes it would be being turned into a pig. Great. But at least the damage would be just focused on her. Though she squints her eyes at Sif. Takes a bulshitter to know one! So after the pause and when Sif confirms she was joking Thea nods. A bit of relief? Yes. Asgardian magics are a mystery to her so .., who knows what could happen! "So the Goddess of War makes jokes, eh?" now she is getting a touch amused.

Yet with Sif saying this will make her whole? It means she focuses into getting the words right. No bs'ing now! So fingers shift a bit on the stone like Sif told her, brows furrowing and she taking in a deep breath. Say the words right, eh?

"Why would Lady Freya gift me with this?" She then asks a bit confused. Though she swallows when she hears Sif saying about being intrigued by her. Oh, that doesn't sound good.

Yet it's not as if she backs down from a challenge, or anything really. So holding the stone she focuses and says the words. "Gebo laguz." right sounds too! Or hopefully so.

Sif has posed:
Energies flare from the stone and pierce Thea like needles piercing butter. The sensation isn't painful, but neither is it pleasant. It's very intrusive like a demanding, but distant, lover demanding possession of every piece of her body. The energy floods through her then and ... leaves behind, in its wake, as it drains from her and vanishes to wherever eldritch energies go, a feeling of peace, of wholeness, of healing.

"The best part of this is it leaves scars behind," Sif cheerfully says. "So you don't lose your mementos of your battles."

Face, meet palm.

"Once you've confirmed that you're hale, dress in your usual clothing and we'll walk out together." She repeats this again. "You intrigue me." Damn. "I wish to know more of you."

Thea Queen has posed:
Demanding, distant lovers demanding possession of her. Been there, done that! What with all the problematic relationships of her past it was bound to happen, but with it instead coming from a magical stone? That's a first... So she shudders when she feels that piercing energy, taking in a sudden breath. In the end she is left with a feeling that is very much NOT what she felt when she got rid of said type of lover. Being at peace and healed? She blinks, re-opening her eyes.

And great. A scar. As if she needed more of those. Her hand goes to her side where the bandage is, feeling it and not the pain she had. "This ..., seems to have worked." still a touch in disbelief. The stone is handed back to Sif and she lifts her sweater to unwrap the bandage from around her body, step by step until she finds pale skin. And no cut there besides the marking on where one of those arachnid creatures sliced her on.

Eyes go wide somewhat, "That .., it worked." a look up to Sif, "Thank you.." she says in that genuine manner of hers. A smile and then she slides out of the bed, reaching for her leather pants and starting to wiggle into them.

"We are a little late on schedule but I can still sneak us out of here." seems she is still on the same plan. But she probably should had began by asking on HOW Sif got in here in the first place.

Sif has posed:
Another infectious laugh as Thea realizes the effects of the stone. "Throw the stone away. It no longer has any use. Its runes have been expended." She's really going to have to butter Freya up for this and she won't be a welcome guest at Folkvanger for quite a while until she's fully forgiven.

"Whence shall we repair to after you have dressed, Thea Queen?" she asks. "Name the place. Your heart's desire. State its name clearly and fix it clearly in your mind. Then we shall together walk there."

~Heimdall, be gentle with her in her first crossing of the bridge,~ she thought to her brother. ~We can use the slow transit. Give her some wonders to see.~

Her face looks innocent as she awaits Thea's dressing.

Thea Queen has posed:
Throw a magical stone that healed her away? Damn no! And if Sif won't want it she keeps it for herself. A memento? Works for her. Maybe she will put it as a center piece on the club she is working to open up.

So after those pants are fastened over long legs and her sweater is in place too she rubs her hands together, "Alright, I am as ready as I will ever be.." she announces. No jacket though. No. That one was lost on the witch purging fires. And she liked that one ...

As for where to go...

"We could go back home but .., no need to give my brother an heart attack..." besides she isn't ready to share just yet on what she experienced in Sweden. She still had to get a few answers out of Sif too. Nosy Thea!

"The Verdant." A pause. "Or rather, the warehouse where I have chosen to get the club going, we can talk there." and it's a sort of home to her too. "So it's actual name? The soon to be Verdant club." a little cheeky smile.

She has no idea what's in store right now though. But that innocent look. She squints her eyes at Sif. Something is wrong! "Wait .., what do you mean by naming a place to go..?"

Sif has posed:
A rainbow envelops the pair. A sonerous male voice with a long-suffering demeanour intones, "As you command, sister." There's a distinct sensation of a sigh.

Sif, having slipped her hand around Thea's, tightens the grip comfortingly as the rainbow of Bifrost fluctuates around them, showing occasional scenes of their rapid transit through space and dimension. Finally, in the distance, The Verdant Club makes its appearance as they fly pell-mell at insane speeds toward it.

Then in it.

Then...

~I left you out of sight of any mortals.~ Thea has been granted the courtesy of hearing those thoughts as the pair materialize in ... the lady's washroom. Of course she may be too busy emptying the contents of her stomach in the conveniently-placed receptacles to register this at the moment. Or not. How stern is her stuff?

Thea Queen has posed:
Ah, yes. The 'you are insufferable' sigh. That has Thea grinning even between those colors starting to envelop them. "So ..." that cheeky grin remaining on her lips, "... you are also insufferable and stubborn towards your brother." see? Something in common! She can relate to that actually, having been the long-time headache to the Queen family.

"We mean well." Thea speaks up to the .., 'air'.., perhaps hoping that Heimdall hears it. Her hand tightens on the grip too as she just now realizes what's going on. It's dizzying for sure, that rapid transit making her blink quickly. Space and dimension? That's a sure one way trip to throwing up. Luckily she was being fed by drip so there are no contents to come retching up and splatter during transit. But she certainly looks ill.

"I can ..., see my house from here.." she mutters when the Verdant comes into sight. Or the warehouse that would become it in the future.

The lady's washroom is a good spot honestly. Because she leans over and starts trying to throw up the contents of her stomach. Some bile still comes out but a moment later she focuses herself, cleaning her mouth with a sleeve. "Some warning ..., would had been welcome.." one last stagger and she leans over, turning on the faucet to clean her face and mouth. "Welcome to the Verdant, Lady Sif.." she tells the other. "Or it's bathroom in this case. Good choice, really."

Though it certainly seems like it's still being built, only half-painted so far, some of it still being worked on. Clearly a WIP!

Sif has posed:
Sif watches as Thea empties herself into the porcelain throne, seemingly unsure what to do beyond helping hold Thea's hair out of the way. Clumsily, too, as if unfamiliar with this, she pats Thea on the back. (Thankfully she remembers "mortal" and doesn't break Thea further.)

"It's OK," she says quietly, in a very bad attempt to be reassuring. "It doesn't get any easier. You just learn to tough it out."

Motivational speech finished, she just waits for Thea to finish, then finish cleaning off.

At the welcome she looks around, as if noticing for the first time. "It seems ..." She strains for a word. Trying to be complimentary. Failing because of her honesty. "Incomplete."

Thea Queen has posed:
The humiliation is only complete after all that eventually her stomach groans in complaint about being hungry. "Fantastic ..." Thea mutters, hands still on each side of the sink, water dripping off her face. But .., they had actually teleported! What the heck! And it wasn't a dream!

After cleaning up her face she makes sure to give another glance around the place. Yep, that's the Verdant alright, "Yea, it's pretty much a work in progress." she says, leading them out of the bathroom and onto the place itself. Crates all around, dust, some windows still boarded up. But it certainly doesn't look abandoned, work most likely being done daily here. "But on the bright side, the bullet holes are gone by now." a grin on her expression and she gestures. "Come on." she leads them upstairs, up to a mezzanine and towards an office. This one appears a bit more arranged already, a table, chairs. Still incomplete, sure, but a touch better. She opens up a cabinet, retrieving a chocolate bar and holding it over to Sif. "An offering for bringing me home." whether Sif accepts it or not she takes another one for herself and starts biting through it.

"So, this is how you travel all the time?"

Sif has posed:
"This is how we of Asgard travel between the Nine Realms, yes, though perhaps not quite as lackadaisically as I do it usually." She winks and grins merrily. "The Guardian of Bifrost is my brother, Haimdall. I take special privileges as a result." She looks at the chocolate bar on offer, accepting it with a very formal inclining of her head before inspecting it, watching Thea out of the corner of her eye so she can figure out how to eat it.

When she does her eyebrows shoot through up under her bangs, almost.

"This is intriguing. I must have my cook learn this from your cook."

She looks around the place again, with the added information that it is a work in progress. "I look forward to seeing it when it is complete, then," she says after that once-over. "It has potential. What is it to be, a gladiatorial ring? A drinking hall?"

Thea Queen has posed:
"Uh, sure ..." This about the cooking. "I will have my royal cook bring up the recipe.." now she is teasing. Thea even winks, "But I mostly get them downtown. They are great for when I go a day forgetting to eat and then remembering it deep in the night.." a sigh as she takes on another bite as if that chocolate was the most precious thing in the world. But then .., the talk about brothers. "I know how that feels.., lots of privileges from having a brother who's one of the most known faces here in Starling.." and also a big shadow.

She settles on the edge of the table, resting her behind against it and turning to look at Sif though letting out a chuckle when she suggests it might be a gladiatorial ring.

"Unless people get too drunk no, hopefully no gladiatorial combat here.." she shaking her head before reaching to bring a loose strand of hair behind a ear, "It will be a club. Or in this case...." she considers how it'd make more sense for Sif to understand, "Sort of a mix between a drinking hall and a place for people to dance and hang out. My brother has helped but ..." and she looks quite proud when she says the next part. ".. but this is sort of my baby of a project."

Sif has posed:
"Ah. We have something like that in Asgard. We call them dance halls."

Sif's face is absolutely poker deadpan as she says that, continuing with, "They have a place set aside for dance, a place to get drink, and often source food as well with tables to sit at for consumption."

She nods her head sagely and NOW there's that little impish glint that Thea is already beginning to spot when Sif is yanking chains. "And it is good to be proud of your works," she says. "False humility is worse than no humility. It would be like me besting a foe and then telling that foe that I 'got lucky'. An insult to us both, really, not to mention the Norns who guided both our fates anyway."

Taking another bite of the chocolate and making appreciative noises, she walks around a bit, peering into dank corners, and such from afar. "There is no fortification that I see. I can perhaps advise on that topic, rendering the dance hall impregnable should it fall under attack from a troll army or such."

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea's eyes squint as Sif goes on about dance halls and how they work back in Asgard, "I mean ..., it's the same thing." a chuckle. "Fine, you got me there. I just wasn't sure if night clubs were a thing in Asgard or not. Glad to see you guys have the same places to have fun at." she then opening her arms as if to encompass the whole place. "But yep, this will be my place. Still a ways to go, but getting there. And I like the work." it distracts her from other thoughts.

The talk about humility has her laughing out loud though, "The question here is, does Lady Sif have any humility at all?" She teases, folding her arms loosely about her waist, the last end of her chocolate still dangling from elegant fingertips. "But I know what you mean, we got to own up who we are and what we do and did."

But then Sif goes about again demonstrating the differences between Asgard and Midgard when she talks about fortifying the club. "Ah, there's the police for that. Turning this into a fortress would sort of keep the people away but ..., I certainly would welcome some pointers about how to make the place more safe." she raising a finger, "If instead of trolls we'd need to defend it from drunkards or rejected Tinder dates who can't take no for an answer." well, that was oddly specific!

Sif has posed:
"I am always humble," Sif says with an exaggerated sniff. "I am the most humble person I know!"

That dissolves her into something shocking. Actual giggles. Complete with an embarrassing snort at one of them.

"This is where we of Asgard differ from you of Midgard today. Boasting is part of our entertainments. There is an art to it, however, where the claims have to be outrageous, but as close to believeable truth as possible, with a willingness to back up claims if called upon it. This helps us strive for ever-higher achievements: living up to our boasts!" She wears a smug face. "Of course all my boasts are always true because there are no heights I can't scale."

Sif watches Thea's face to see how long it takes her to understand the joke.

Thea Queen has posed:
"Uh-uh..." Thea says in mock belief about Sif being sooo humble! Not after what she witnessed both in Sweden and here! "I mean, I look at you and that's what immediately comes to mind." a beat, "Humbleness."

And whoever said giggling wasn't infectious certainly hasn't seen an Asgardian do it before. Because then it makes Thea do the same! She does try to stiffle them but does so anyway. It's also a release from all the tension she has gone through on the last few days, all the death witnessed in Sweden. A Goddess of Death. Her own near brush with death. It's certainly welcome.

"No heights that you can's scale?" She gives it a moment of thought, "Wouldn't that make existence a bit boring?" but she is catching up to it because a smirk appears on her lips. "Yet seems to me you *are* boasting up right now." a tsk. "To me, a measly midgardian.." chocolate bar gets finished and she pats her belly.

"Much better.." A pause, "And you know, you are invited to come here anytime you want. Both before and after the .., dance hall gets innaugurated. I will make sure to get you tickets and ..." she stops, ".. actually, how does one get in contact with you? You don't seem the type to have a smartphone.."

Sif has posed:
"Oh, I can be reached through the Asgardian Embassy," Sif says, waving vaguely. "Your distance speaking golems can reach it, and they will have the means to reach me. If it is an emergency, ..." She pauses, pursing her lips. "Heimdall!" she calls out. "If this mortal calls me for aid, her words are to be relayed to me without delay, do you hear me?"

Thea is brought into the conversation out of courtesy again.

~Yes, sister, I hear you. You won't be doing this too often will you? I do not wish to be your butler.~

"No, I won't share this means with just anybody. You understand why I am with this one, however, can you not?"

~Yes...~

"OK, there you are. If you need me in a situation that is urgent, just call out my brother's name loudly, and tell him to summon me."

Sif returns to the bar, leaning on it, causing the bar to creak dangerously under her weight. She adjusts her stance and the bar stops its protests. "Please use that only in emergencies, however. Heimdall might decide to simply cut off that service if he feels he's being taken advantage of."

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea gets amused. Truly amused when she hears the exchange between brother and sister. So similar to her own with Ollie! "I promise I will behave and not abuse your brother trust on Lady Sif?" that should count for something. But truly, she doesn't seem the type to abuse that kind of thing. Or at all.

Then she leans over to offer in a stage-whisper kind of a way. "He does all you tell him, doesn't he?" she asks. Because that's what brothers do!

But then she gets to that point in which she needs to ask, "What is your interest in me, Lady Sif?" her head canting slightly to the side as if considering on the whys this high-profile Asgardian would be doing all this! Brows furrow. Somehow all that attention seems .., dangerous. Call it a sixth sense or something ...

A Thea-sense!

Sif has posed:
"He looks after me, yes," Sif says with a grin. "It comes from before I reached the point where I could kick his ass." The last five words come out of her mouth louder and directed upward. "I know this will come as a shock, but I was once an intolerable, insufferable brat." She pauses with a pleasant face that theatrically gets longer and more faux-upset. "I'm not hearing any loud instant denial Thea Queen of Midgard!"

Back to the infectious laughter.

"But seriously, he has always been there for me, and I for him. We're good friends, even though we bicker like a married couple."

Then the serious turn. The direct question. And Sif's reaction to it is to suppressed an amused snort.

"Is it not obvious, Thea Queen?" she asks. "I want you to die."

Beat.

"And become one of the Æsir. In the days before we were prohibited from our Valkyrior harvesting the souls of Midgard's greatest heroes to Valhalla, your spirit that you show would have marked you as one of those worthy to become Odin's Own Blessed Einherjar. Now ... it would be trickier. But I have ways... of circumventing that rule."

She pauses.

"I'm offering you the chance to become a goddess, Thea Queen, after your death. And whether you accept or deny that opportunity is immaterial, I enjoy your enthusiasm, your fighting spirit, your willingness to face certain death with a certain flair the common simply never show. So not only am I offering you the chance for reification, Thea Queen, I am offering you the friendship of a Goddess of War."

Thea Queen has posed:
Nope, no denial comes out from Thea. She's just the same anyway! Sometimes! Loud and insufferable. That's how little sisters are supposed to be. But she grins and laughs along with Sif, the twinkle in her eye showing she understand well on how that can go. Because relations between brother and sister are the same in any universe!

The direction question, met with what she assumes will be a direct, clear answer makes Thea skip a beat. She blinks once, twice. To die?

She opens her mouth to say something. A protest? Bu then Sif continues to speak and she .., listens.

"I a .., eh?" very eloquent. She feels those first stages of dizziness that normally prequel a faint. Yet good thing she had that chocolate just moments later. It keeps her going, and besides it would had been ..., bad form to just faint in front of the Goddess of War. So instead she reaches down to hold on to her table more securely. Just in case she loses her balance.

So how to answer this without making a fool of herself? Humor! "Some guys on Tinder have called me a Goddess..." wow, that sounded a lot better in her head than actually saying it. But now she can't take it back. "But .., you are saying I have what it takes to become one of the Einherjar..." she isn't really sure on how to take it. Being proud, scared?

She goes for proud. Besides, hadn't they just been talking about false humility? "I can only hope to live up to that.." or is it to die? "And while I am not sure about dying just yet.." and she gets up to her feet, approaching Sif. "I will certainly accept the friendship of a Goddess of War." boldly extending her arm for a shake.

Sif has posed:
"You will die, Thea Queen. We all do. Even Goddesses of War. Even the Allfather Himself. The Norns have threads for each of us and cut it where they choose. You can no more fight your fate than you can outrace your shadow."

Sif becomes very intense, leaning forward to look Thea in the eyes.

"What I offer is a chance for you to be sung and celebrated in your death, not merely mourned. And the chance to be sung and celebrated again as one of the greatest company of warriors to ever have graced the Nine Realms." She accepts the arm for the warrior's clasp. "And of course I am not saying you should rush your death. What difference does it make to me if you die now or in fifty years? It's all the blink of an eye. No when doesn't matter. How does. And you have the stuff of greatness burning in your soul, shining through your eyes. The kind of spirit that makes you a natural companion in battle and out."

She leans back and the intensity shatters like a mirror struck by Thor's hammer.

"And your first task as my companion is to aid me in finding clothing suited to life in Midgard since I will be here for a while."

And again that infectious laughter. The Goddess of War doesn't seem to take much seriously for very long.

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea doesn't budge that gaze away from Sif when she talks about everyone dying. Oh, she knows. In fact there's even a glint there that seems to tell about having had close brushes with it. Or purposefully so. A death wish? Or something worse. But the intensity is retorted with a committed nod. She certainly isn't taking this like it was a joke. And with the surprise mostly gone what's left is a committed look. Yes, she'd take this head on..

It also means shaking arms with one of the greatest warriors that ever lived.

Once that is done she nods slowly. "I am honored then. To have been .., chosen for such." it's still a lot to process. But she isn't in a corner babbling incoherently at least.

Until Sif goes and speaks about finding suitable clothing. "We have a term for that in Midgard. It's called a shopping spree. And where it comes to those.." she squints her eyes. "You will find there's no better .., warrior.., for it." shopping sprees. She must have a doctorate on those or something considering how often she goes on those. Talk about pampered life! But a girl's got to have her guilty pleasures.

Sif has posed:
The arm clasp is given, then Thea gets drawn into a warm embrace. Not the bombastic clasp of siblings-at-arms but the genuinely emotional clasp of friendship. "I am happy to hear that you approve, Thea!" Sif says, grinning widely. "I'll go into more details about the plan since there's this pesky problem of us not being permitted to harvest from Midgard any longer."

Sif's eyes roll so hard they threaten to pop out and hang down her cheeks from her optic nerve.

"But I have, naturally, a way around that. When you find yourself reaching the end of your life in mortal combat, I will give you something to call out: 'Heimdall, I am done!' Can you remember that? 'Heimdall, I am done!' My brother will then take you from Midgard to anywhere else that the Valkyrior can fly, and your passing will be eased, your name sung in hymns of heroism, and your spirit reborn into a body worthy of it! As Einherjar, or possibly even Valkyrior!"

She holds Thea by the shoulders, staring into the woman's eyes, practically bursting with pride by proxy. "Your spirit would be wasted in Heven, playing those damnable harps and singing the praises of angels. That's not you. You're a warrior through and through and your eternal reward should reflect that glory!"

And it's a hug again.

"Now let us talk about this 'shopping spree'. I have not heard this peculiar term before."

Thea Queen has posed:
"I have been known to approve of things that are quite hazardous to my health.." Is what Thea replies to effusiveness she finds in Sif's wide grin about her approving of this. "So what's one more and --" pause, head canting to the side. "Wait, there is a plan?" she is perhaps not too sure she wants to hear about what the PLAN is just now. But then she goes into it and ... "Yes, I can remember." hard not to! At least now, perhaps harder during the heat of battle. But at least she nods.

"I will get Alexa to remind me daily." Who is Alexa?! And what would Sif know of digital assistants?! Most likely zero...

"What about Hell? I have done my share of naughty things in my time.." She replies. Not that she is much of a believer in religion! But hey, there are Gods among them so ..., hard not to believe something. Yet by the way she said it, and the way she winks afterwards it shows she is mostly joking about the hell part.

The hug is returned by Thea gently tapping on Sif's sides, "I am glad to have found you as a friend." she says with a grin. A grin that gets wider when they talk about shopping sprees. "Well, shopping sprees is when wild-inclined friends decide that the best way to spend an afternoon is to go downtown to look at shops, try on new clothing and just buy their heart's desire. Which normally implies bags and bags of new clothing. It's all very exciting!" she tells the other. "Of course that it can be a jungle to muddle through all there is to offer, but worry not, you have the best to guide you through it."

Sif has posed:
"You have an aide de camp," Sif says, nodding approvingly. "When I'm on campaign I could not live without my Sigrun. She keeps my days from falling apart into chaos allowing me to concentrate on battle instead of minutiae of my daily life. I had not realized you would have such."

The reference to Hell darkens Sif's face. "If you fall into the clutches of that bitch, I swear I will go into Niffelheim myself and bring you out no matter what forces Hela throws at me. You will never have to worry about going to Hel."

Her face lightens again. "Shopping sprees sounds like fun, but we must invite my Valkyrior friend from the coffee shop along. I think she would find you as utterly charming as I do, especially if she ever sees you fighting, and might well enjoy shopping as well." Sif leans back, crossing her arms. "You know why you intrigue me so, don't you? On Walpurgis I saw three kinds of mortals. The usual kind who ran from danger. The usual fools who didn't recognize danger and died standing in the face of it. And one. One very special mortal. One who saw danger, recognized it for what it was, and then ran TOWARD it. To save others. That is the spirit of an Einherjar or Valkyrior or other great warrior. Even when it is in a frail body it shines out in its strength."

A smile creeps over her face. "In this shopping spree, we must find you clothes too that let that spirit shine forth. I will think upon this."

Thea Queen has posed:
An aide de camp... Yea ..., one could call it that. But Thea laughs at the comparison. "You have no idea, Alexa just saved my life." chaos was a synonym to Thea's life in the past! Blessed be technology! "I do suppose life in Asgard and here in Midgard isn't so different, mm?"

And yea.. Hela. That brings her own expression to darken some too. It was still too soon, and she had seen the Goddess of Death with her own eyes. Quite the sight and .. "I will take your word for it." she says solemnly, and perhaps a bit relieved too.

"But enough with talks of death. Lets enjoy life while we are at it, mmm? And indeed, shopping spree it will be!" a grin, "And your friend is welcome of course. The more the merrier, for it's always best to have more voices to give opinion on the clothing.." and also meaning it can lead to very different choices about what clothes to buy. That's how you end up with soccer moms!

Walpurgis again. She listens. She nods slowly. "Well, many would call me a fool to do it but yea.., thanks.." fingers coming up to brush up at her hair, clearly not one used to praise. But eventually she smiles up. "You two were the real heroes though." Sif and Loki! "You protected us, even if we aren't exactly your people. And don't come with stories about it all just being because you wanted to see battle.." a grin.

But she pauses at those last words. "Wait .., are you saying I don't look fabulous all the time?" a teasing tone.

Sif has posed:
"I know not of 'fabulous'. I know only 'spirited'. And I think we could do something to show that spirit better. Like weaponry. You need to carry more weaponry."

She muses, looking Thea over.

"A lot more. The sticks are fine, but bladed weapons or other battle weapons: maces, say, or spears. Those are more suited to you."

It may take Thea a while to figure out when her leg is being pulled. Hard.

"Armour, too."

Is it there?

"A shield. A good round shield. Can you do shield walls? That's a shieldmaiden's speciality after all. The first thing we're trained in: shield wall and spear."

There?

Somewhere in that it becomes obvious that Thea is being teased...

"And what makes you say you are not our people. You have always been our people. Most of our greatest warriors were once of Midgard until they were infused with the stuff of the Aesir or Vanir to become our people. The realm of Midgard occupies a great place in our regard, and sadly we've let this lapse."

Thea Queen has posed:
"I do have some battle armor already.." Her black and red hooded leather outfit! "And ..." hol' up. Thea squints her eyes at Sif, hands on her hips and indignant little chin tipping up. "You *are* pulling my chain..!" at least she catches up quickly. Well .., quick-ish. "And I am more of a bow and sword type. Look at these arms. Do they look they could keep a shield wall up for long?" got to play to her strengths!

But then she is laughing and shaking her head at Sif, "We will see who's laughing last when we get through with our shopping spree..." is that a threat? More like a tease! Though it's also a challenge that Thea seems welcome to accept. Just need to keep Sif away from all the ..., 'Gimp Stops'.

"I will say that my mythology has never been to par.." She admits. She was never one to pay too much attention in school. Her smarts came from elsewhere! "But ..., I will drink to it at least." a pause, ".. Juice." which she goes to fetch from a small cabinet in her office to serve them both a cup, "To Midgard and Asgard then." she toasts.

Sif has posed:
"A toast." Sif says, then raises an eyebrow at the word 'juice'. She regards Thea a moment, then shrugs. When in Midgard.

"A toast to your glorious future." She grins. "And to the shopping spree in which you teach me how to look like I belong on Midgard!"

She raises the glass and drains it in a single, well-practiced gesture. Her eyes open in surprise, glancing at the package.

"Prune juice," she muses. "This is truly a warrior's drink!"