| Owner | Pose |
|---|---|
| Jane Foster | Good ideas come in any number of flavours. But in the smorgasbord of life, bad ideas are infinitely more common and often tantalizing until someone bites in, making a terrible mistake. Such mistakes frequently only reveal themselves well after the fact, like discovering that charming canyon-spanning bridge rotted out last winter and the locals never bothered to upgrade their main tourist attraction. At least the terrible idea comes with tacos, regardless of being on the Moon or not. Jane prefers hers liberally shot by avocado and cheese, ambitiously seasoned to enhance the meat. "We're tracking mass murders as incidents connected to destabilizing Asgard. Given my responsibilities at the moment... Well, hear me out. Dark elves belong to a hive-mind, taking their orders and lead from their monarch. Their leader is currently Malekith, a sadistic and ambitious bastard using Earth to cause a war. An exile of theirs can link back into the hive mind to acquire information, though the connection potentially goes both ways." Wiping her fingers off on a napkin is an essential distraction, practical and delicious. "The plan vetted by Director Fury goes something like this. I skim the uplink to acquire or verify the data for the next attack. If it works, we save lives. If it doesn't, you or a wizard pulls me out." The lengthy pause follows for Blackagar to digest. SHIELD has been chasing down those casualties after the attack on the space port, and for them, it's almost certain another will follow. Given the excitement of finding corpses littered in the Fijian lagoon or scattered over a Canadian island in the Atlantic over the last few weeks, finding out before Malekith and his forces strike again just involves a little telepathy. A little. Can't go wrong at all. |
| Blackagar Boltagon | When a man does not speak, a much of his communication becomes conveyed through other means. Expressions of his facial features, body language, the like. Therefore, when the flat look is given towards Jane as she explains the 'plan', it perhaps speaks loud volumes of the uncertainty with the scheme. Uncertainty about its effectiveness, and certainty about disliking it. Blackagar usually skips the avocado, having expressed before it is merely a texture thing for him. Thus there is only the green of lettuce upon his. The soft crunch of him taking a bite rather than responding, followed by a second. Then it is set down and thought is sent. <<This seems to be a horrible idea with far to many ifs within it.>> |
| Jane Foster | The flat look carries enormous weight, the gravitation force of the Moon on the world's tides. She may be only a glass of water beside the full weight of the Atlantic Ocean, but even she leans heavily into Blackagar's consideration. Why even bring it up if not to invite his calculations and strategies on the matter? She fiddles with a sliver of avocado that eluded the hard corn shell, neatly wrapping it up in a torn corner of lettuce leaf and rolling the two up neatly. "Two hundred people died so far for Malekith's plans. We do not have sufficient intelligence to reasonably predict the next location or reason. The choice between waiting, guesswork or taking a calculated risk doesn't leave any good options," she replies mildly, not one to sway him to either direction. "The dark elf we contacted, an exile, has no love for his brethren. They show up and he loses as fast as we do. However, Mr. Tannenberg is still a dark elf and likely prone to scheming; exiled or not, he may try to extract a heavy price for what he knows or withhold information. He doesn't know we can read the datastream, if in an unconventional way. We've already considered blackmailing his cat but supposedly that's a limited source." Probably kidding. Probably. Except Jane actually does bloody well speak Cat. |
| Blackagar Boltagon | Silence, yet again. Then slowly he unfolds his hands and Blackagar begins 'speaking' with them and thought both. <<First, if this is a highly focused form of communication through telepathic means it would require someone with the capacity to do such, and while you know I treasure your abilities this is a nuanced situation. Speaking with me is much different than ... infiltrating an alien hive mind.>> He must really not like the plan, considering his bluntness around it. Of course, concern over her often trumps many other considerations. <<Second, what would you estimate your probability of even finding the correct information if you are successful in gaining access?>> An eyebrow lifts towards Jane at that one, his thoughts rather clear, low percentage on top of low percentage would equate to small chances. <<Third. As you enter, what guarantees do you have that your knowledge is not accessed in turn?>> |
| Jane Foster | Jane, for all her faults -- and there are many -- prefers to listen rather than speak, especially when plunging into the unknown. Seeking expertise or feedback, even from the least experienced person, requires her to gift them with the whole of her attention. Blackagar receives the avid interest and the concentrated beam simultaneously, the faint wavering outlines of her psychic aura hardened when something does not call her Valkyrian projection to go escort them into Valhalla, Hel or several points in-between. <<He will be seeking and tapping a specific line of inquiry. Doing so will produce results; either scattered details accessed from multiple sources or a single repository, essentially. Either offers a good chance that I can independently verify what he says based on seeing it myself or find something else along the way. Or nothing at all, which I concede is possible.>> Her reaction is mild and moderated; this is not something she is obviously hell-bent on. <<However, another angle to consider. He manipulates small but detectable amounts of dark matter.>> Her smile fades, and she sets the napkin aside, folding it twice. <<Dark matter and antimatter react poorly, often destructively, with real matter. You. Boats. Daisy. If that's the medium used, it could be nearly impossible for our technology to detect or people to safely be around. I've at least got experience working with it.>> |
| Blackagar Boltagon | Blackagar lifts an eyebrow, a bit of humor filtering through despite his rather serious disposition through the conversation. <<Who is the 'He' in this situation?>> The question is given for a moment before a tilt and a pondering occurs, <<Given all you say, it does not change the reality that there is no guarantee it is not a two way pathway and therefore, a trap of some kind. I would ask you to consider something.>> He gestures around them, <<Between Attilan, and Asgard, and all the other knowledge you possess. Does the potential gain of information compare to what could be lost if your secrets were stolen in the process?>> |
| Jane Foster | <<Hubert Tannenberg is the name we've been using as that is his mortal cover. Svartalf names tend to be significantly longer.>> Jane supplies that readily enough, her heavy-lidded gaze slanting upward through the blackened lashes. It's not coy, rather a gesture of lengthier consideration. And that settles matters in ever so many heartbeats, until her fingers rise to the chain around her neck, dipping into the squared neckline of her shirt. "No." However hard that may be to say. <<I briefed Ms. Zatara and Doctor Strange about the situation as fail-safes. They or Loki would be well positioned to do this. We know targets are at risk. But I cannot exchange yours or Asgard's for this.>> |
| Blackagar Boltagon | <<That is not the question.>> Blackagar tells her, shaking his head slowly. <<The question is if you believe it is the correct course of action knowing what could be at risk. If you truly believe it is, then there is a path.>> Shoulders raise a bit, <<Your home.>> <<I trust your path in that regard, but did want to bring it to the fore front of your thought as well. That you have considered those weights in the decision.>> |
| Jane Foster | <<I have more interests than the average person. Sometimes, those conflict. However important I ensure that we get ahead of Malekith's actions -- and we must, he'll hurt people otherwise -- it cannot be at the expense of Earth, Asgard, Attilan, or me. Not necessarily in that order.>> He should know Jane puts herself at the bottom of that order, though. It always will be that way. <<We might acquire enough from him to make a psychic skim unnecessary. No one wants to see further losses. Softening or eradicating the prospect altogether would be fantastic.>> She uses one of the little prewrapped hand wipes to clean off the remnants of the meal from her fingers, and then wipes down the tabletop for good measure. <<The gain will be significant, but it doesn't have to be me performing that. I can live with that. I can protect them if things go awry.>> |
| Blackagar Boltagon | <<I do not want you to think of us as a hindrance, or an obligation, only a consideration in the equation of decision making,>> Blackagar points out softly towards her, reaching out to take a hand and hold it reassuringly. <<What other options are available? You mentioned some others perhaps to access the data you are looking for, but that could hold the same risks. Were there other plans put forth?>> |
| Jane Foster | Jane's eyebrows raise a fraction, and her smile blossoms to the forefront. <<A hindrance? Only when you steal half the blankets. It may surprise you to know that anything under you can be hard to pull aside.>> The mellow gold of a teasing tone permeates her thoughts to find his mind, right as he reaches for her hand. She curls her fingers into his, stroking the bare span of his fingers to the first knuckle. <<I cherish what you have shared with me. Where I am involved -- not Valkyrie, not wielding Mjolnir in Thor's stead -- you are the paramount priority. That commitment to your person means Attilan, too, if it needs to be said. I care about your safety, your people's safety, and their happiness. It's your home. Is that not reason enough to regard it with care?>> She blows out a breath that isn't truly needed, her bangs fluttering. The chair squeaks when she shuffles it around the rim of the table to sit next to him, leaning in. <<We can monitor potential sites, but there are many of them. Spreading out among them might give us some forewarning, not much. Let the Vision or the Avengers crunch data and see if they can project more likely possibilities -- though again, we don't have clear patterns or data points to use for why sites are being targeted or who.>> |
| Blackagar Boltagon | <<So you need to be in many places at once without knowing which places to be in,>> Blackagar says back, pondering. <<I do not know anything of these... Dark Elves... or this Malkeith, but whatever their motivation is leads them on the path of their destination. You stated that roughly 200 people have perished thus far. That does not sound like an act of mass killing but rather something more pointed. Testing responses? Measuring how it is handled?>> |
| Jane Foster | <<They want Asgard destroyed, foremost. Malekith caused Thor's disappearance and he strikes at Asgard even now. A long-lived sorcerer twisted by misery and hate to the brink of madness, that much I can be certain of.>> The brush of an idea simmers away but Jane refuses to dwell on that, focusing elsewhere to matters she can answers more easily. She licks her lips out of habit. <<The victims in the first two attacks were unusual. People recognized for their virtues, like their charitable endeavours or fostering neglected animals or children, but they all had hidden criminal pasts. Accusations or convictions for abuse, embezzlement, and so forth. The second set were all considered oathbreakers by some standards. They were dishonourably discharged from the military and their death empowered ancient rituals that freed an old ally of the dark elves from their wars long ago. An ally called a dreadnought, so old that it might as well be a myth to a civilization that's already fifty millennia old.>> |
| Blackagar Boltagon | <<So people whom possess a spiritual energy about them that is abhorent in civilization but would be tantalizing to those seeking to destroy it. A ... Dark Matter ... of sorts? Some kind of dark soul energy?>> Blackagar surmises towards Jane, pondering as he does so. <<So the deaths of these individuals powered the ... ally... as you say? What further would be needed to strengthen it? It certainly does make it difficult to identify a group of people who would fit the category of esclation, were all of these deaths at the same time? Centralized?>> |
| Jane Foster | <<Yes. They seem to share a commonality of corruption or darkness under the surface. That fuels the rites and rituals being used to coordinate an attack. Why Earth rather than other realms? Pure opportunism, I imagine. It's hard to find what you need in that vein in Asgard or Vanaheim. The dark elves can't wander into Alfheim without being attacked on sight. No, they did not happen at the same time. Spaced out. Without a third to go on, we can't guess if it timed to specific events like celestial phenomena, holidays or the like.>> Call that a matter imperfect but his ability to grasp the situation warms the brunette into another of those fleeting smiles. But to clarify a point: <<The ally we've found, Hubert, is an exiled dark elf. His practice in magic is apparently limited. He sealed himself off somehow from the hive mind, though he can re-establish that with difficulty.>> |