13138/Ulik, rhymes with Droolik.

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Ulik, rhymes with Droolik.
Date of Scene: 28 April 2021
Location: Central Park, Manhattan
Synopsis: The Avengers confer about what to do with the oncoming incursion. And something about cheesecake.
Cast of Characters: Thor, Slipstream, Black Widow (Romanoff), Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver




Thor has posed:
    Last week Central Park's underpass tunnel had become the focal point of a curious and unfortunate congress of ley lines passing through the storied underworks of the city's famous focal point for recreation and peace. A place normally taken to for some hint of rest and reflection upon the state of nature so encompassing the great city... had devolved into elements of chaos when rapacious little Kobalins had assaulted the nearby denizens of New York.
    Yet that was not all that had passed, for the next day the passage had blossomed into a vortex within the depths of that underpass and tunnel, destroying the road and causing detours to be set up along 5th Avenue to circumvent the use of the cross street. Luckily it didn't cause too much commotion beyond that initial explosion for the vortex... as the subtle swirling of arcane power and inter-dimensional fabric was not terribly visible to the naked eye. Though those of a particularly magical inclination can perceive it much moreso than those not so gifted. But eventually Ulik, Chieftain of the Trolls of Nornheim, had emerged with his brothers to lay claim to a stretch of the land. Words had been shared with the Avengers there on the scene, and an agreement had been wrought. Cheesecake! For appeasement. The trolls stated they would return, either this day or the next.
    And lo, at the appointed time, the worthy did gather. Word had been sent to Thor and he had agreed to arrive and represent Midgard against the trolls. Though for now, all was quiet in the early evening as the Avengers gathered. As well as a small cadre of humans observing from a disance beyond the temporary security fencing that had been constructed around the explosion's crater. Though some of them are equally curious about the large Cheesecake Factory catering truck that seems to be parked at the end of the damaged road with its hazard lights on.

Slipstream has posed:
If this screws up, this is his fault. Totally his fault.

Drake is staring at the cheesecake trucks with a blank look upon his face, then reaches up to run a hand down it with a long sigh. He has made a mental note to never, ever, open his mouth again on a mission. He's dressed in his Avenger bomber jacket, black shirt and jeans. He even has some tactical armor under his shirt he's wearing, just in case he takes a punch to the chest by a twelve foot creature from another realm. Next to him floats Snowball, his small health bot as she bumps against his shoulder at times. For now, he's just waiting for the rest of the team to show, having arrived early to 'patrol' and ensure the peace is kept.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha arrived at the appointed time and place. She was in costume with her various weapons in place. She joined the other Avengers in their small grouping, prepared for combat but finding themselves waiting around mostly.

Which, as happened with any group in such circumstances, led to conversation. "Exactly how tough are these trolls? Should I have brought bigger guns?"

As she asked those questions, her eyes going to Thor. "I still vote for no negotiation and instead we just take care of business. If you negotiate with them, they might just show back up next week again demanding more." Now a glance at the truck from the Cheesecake Factory.

She frowns and walks over to the line that Ulik's brother had dug into the dirt to mark his territory. She started a shuffling, shifting walk, using her shoe to try and fill it back in. At least she felt like she was doing something that way. "We can just have the cheesecakes delivered to the mansion."

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda Maximoff had looked over the situation with the ley lines seriously. She had come to the sad conclusion that it would take her weeks, at best, to move a single ley line. Let alone three of them. Even with the power at her disposal. And so she had let that notion go as an idea of folly.

Thus, she arrives. The fire arrives before the Wanda. And then she is there, as the fire clears. She's wearing crimson and black today with her usual leather longcoat overtop of it all. And crimson heels. Her red hair is loose as she turns from her arrival location to walk toward the crater. She carries with her a platter of cheesecake. From the looks of it, visible through the plastic cover, it's a cherry cheesecake. "Well," she says once she reaches the group, looking over the Cheesecake Factory trucks. "I guess I should have thought bigger." She sounds amused.

She watches Natasha for a moment, and then sets the cheesecake down and walks over to help remove the circle. "Do you wish it to remain somewhat visible, or be gone entirely?" This asked even as she uses a shoe to help fill it in.

About now, Wanda pauses and glances to where she'd arrived. The fire appears again, and spits out Pietro, sending him tumbling across the grass. Wanda smirks, and goes back to helping fill in the circle.

Quicksilver has posed:
Hopefully the notion -- and the taste -- of cheesecake will go over well with the trolls. There is, after all, likely a fair amount of it on the Cheesecake Factory truck that's parked nearby. And if the trolls don't happen to like it, well... all the more for Pietro? Or so he might hope, anyways. Cheesecake is divine stuff.

Sometimes, Pietro wonders why he agrees to take advantage of his sister's methods of transportation rather than relying on his own. This might be one of those times! After tumbling thrice across the grass after being spit out by the fire, he gives a mock glare to his sister, then hrmphs, grumbling in Romanian under his breath. But at least -he- wasn't on fire, even if part of the grass was. And he moves a bit, to stomp out a flicker of flame near him. Hrmph.

Thor has posed:
    Thor had arrived with little fanfare, floating down from on high with his cape flared courageously and the hammer held light in one hand. Greetings had been shared, and to his credit the Thunderer had managed to look rather thoughtful as he pondered the mess created by the explosion as well as the swirling vortex.
    "Ulik and his kind have an honor of sorts, and they hold to bargains struck well." The Asgardian monarch turns to consider the others there, eyes falling upon Natasha as it was her statement he was addressing in main. "He has sworn fealty to Geirrodur of Nornheim, their King. Nornheim had treaties with Asgard and was a protectorate for some time. How things lie now, I do not know. We have not had word from them since the fall of Asgard."
    That said he then steps forward and proceeds to follow in Wanda's and Natasha's shadow, casually using the tip of his armored boot to scuff-scuff-scuff the dirt back into place. A few more steps and he nudges more dirt into the small furrow made by the troll before he asks, "What are we doing?"
    And then he furrows his brow to notice the tray of cheesecake, then points off in the distance. "And cheesecake?"

Slipstream has posed:
There is a slight clear of Drake's throat as Thor brings up cheesecake. He rubs the back of his neck and starts glancing about, anywhere but towards the God of Thunder. "They were demanding a payment for us to get our territory back and to not be invaded and I may have mentioned that New York has the world's best cheesecake. You know, figuring it would stall them while we came up with a better plan. Instead, they accepted the terms .. and .. so .. we have a lot of cheesecake. We have Cheesecake Factory, we have Veniero's, um.. Eileen's .. Pasticceria Rocco .. which is one of my faovrite's... so we have a bunch of different cheesecake types."

He gives his foot a scuff on the ground a few times. ".. So .. that's .. where we're at.. and it looks like Natasha is doing take-backsies."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha continues on her portion of that arc drawn on the ground. A glance to Wanda first. "I just figure might as well remove their marking. I think filling it in is sufficient. Complete removal of it isn't necessary."

Then a glance to Thor. "If they turn around and say, okay we agreed not to invade but we already marked this so it's still ours, figure eliminate that possibility?"

Then Drake's and she pauses. "Take-backsies?" She looks to the dirt. "I suppose technically that's correct. Mainly I wanted to be doing something and this seemed like something."

She continues her work. "We need to take into consideration if they ask for more than what we are willing to give though. We just said cheesecake. We didn't say how much or agree on an amount. And we don't want to keep buying this much every week or something. Unless it's just for us to enjoy at the mansion but I think this is beyond the levels needed."

She looks to the others. "So what do we do if the cheesecake doesn't work?"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Cheesecake is good. Hopefully it can fix this. Else it will likely come to a fight. Not that Wanda will hesitate, of course. She meets Pietro's mock glare and grins, then lifts her hand and blows him a kiss from it. A kiss that lands with a loud smooch sound and leaves a red lipstick print on his left cheek. "Love you too, brother," she says, still smiling. Oh yes. Clearly, someone is in a bit of a naughty mood. And it's not the naughty one! It's Wanda, for a change.

"Is there likely to be backlash on you Asgardians if we have to fight Ulik and co?" No. Not company. Just 'co'. They don't rate the full word. She glances over to Thor. "Removing the circle they drew." As for the cheesecake, she hooks a thumb toward Drake. "His idea. They liked it. Who'da thunk?"
nda grins at Drake. "There's nothing at all wrong with take-backsies. Afterall, they're invading us, not them. And all's fair in love and war." She lifts a hand and salutes Natasha. "This is funner anyway," she says with a grin at the woman, and keeps moving on her portion of the circle, filling in the dirt that had been removed when the circle was first drawn.

She considers the question posed. "Well. If the cheesecake doesn't work, we could offer pizza instead. That or fight, I suppose." She pauses, stopping what she's doing as well as speaking, and tilts her head thoughtfully. "I like the notion of pizza." Wanda shakes her head and resumes circle filling in take-backsies.

Quicksilver has posed:
There's a moment taken by Pietro to dust himself off a bit, and then he lifts one of his hands to pull his fingers through his hair. And then he eyes his sister as he gets be-smoochified by her. "One day, Sister," he grouses, though it's not sour-natured, at least. And it's an empty threat, really. She puts up with him, after all. He retrieves a handkerchief from his pants pocket to at least make an attempt to wipe it off. Satisfied -- at least for the moment -- he tucks the kerchief away and starts to head over where the others are. "I would think that if cheesecake doesn't work then that would be where the bigger guns and more bullets come in?" Pietro suggests, raising an eyebrow slightly.

His gaze turns to the marking, and he tilts his head to one side. "If the marking is magic, then will they not still be able to sense it even if it is covered?" he asks, curious. "Just... saying. No offense intended," he adds. He doesn't really want to make Natasha mad, after all. If she could catch him, she could probably hurt him. He looks to Drake and quirks a bit of a grin. "Tried all of them, eh?" Then he looks to Wanda and tilts his head to one side. "You always like the notion of pizza."

Thor has posed:
    At Drake's revelation Thor gives a good nod, several times nodding as if he understood entirely. He says, "Ah." Then he adds, "I see."
    Then his eyebrows lift a little and he sort of shrugs with just a tilt of his head, likely perhaps not fully getting it, but trusting to the wisdom of his teammates. "In truth it is not a bad idea. The King of Nornheim has called end to feuds of blood when presented with gifts unique and inspiring. Perhaps there is something to be said in this offering."
    He does take a deep breath, however, and glances across the way at the gathering of people who are still watching from their place on the other side of the safety barriers and netting. Some are taking pictures with their phones, and there seems to be at least one person streaming as they're speaking exaggeratedly at their phone and gesturing goofily. Which leads to Thor frowning as a flicker of silver flame flashes over him abruptly, slicing over that armored form and leaving it its wake garb much more fitting to an outing in Midgard. Something along the lines of jeans, and work boots, and a red t-shirt with a flannel hoodie that hangs loose upon his chest. That black strapless eyepatch, however, remains as it was. Though Mjolnir is now a cane.
    "We likely will not know until we again face the trolls. Much will be gauged by how they react to our... reaction."
    Then his attention slips to Wanda, "Backlash? I should think not. We have battled many times even with the treaties. Though there has always been a somewhat..." Thor shakes his head a little side to side, "Gamesmanship aspect to it."
    He stops filling in the dirt and stands there, cane lightly held in one hand. "Did they give you a better idea of when they would return?" Yet it's something Pietro says that has him reflecting on it. "If Cheesecake doesn't work, they do at times honor duels and challenges and the like. Mayhap we can offer such. If only to prevent damage to the city. Though I should warn, they are no easy opponent. Ulik and I have fought several times, his brothers... though not as strong as him, they are still formidable warriors."

Slipstream has posed:
"I believe they said we would have two weeks, and that was last week." Drake say as he slips his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket. His shoulders bunch up a bit as he offers an upwards nod of his head towards Pietro. He offers up a smile to Wanda for a brief moment before he looks over towards Natasha and her work once more, then back toward the gate.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I don't think this mark was magic. The brother sort of dug it in the ground after the fact so I think it's just to mark their claim. Like the miners on Knowhere thought we did with the Bifrost mark."

As Drake answers, she nods. "They said a week or two. So it could be either. Since there seems to be no sign so far, maybe it will be next week."

She stops and considers, glancing off to the catering truck again then to the plate Wanda had set on the ground. "If ants get in that, I'm going to be very, very sad." A random thought which she immediately continues from.

"So if they aren't satisfied with a single offering of cheesecake, we have issues. I mean even if they like it, they will end up wanting more. I mean--it's cheesecake." As though that explains everything.

"So I think it will come down to more action needed rather than offering them foods from a place they won't be allowed to come back to again." A moment to think about what Thor said.

"What sorts of challenges could we set up? Stack things in our favor. Obviously strength is Thor's area of those here. Unless they would accept other kinds of challenges or duels? While moving leylines is probably out, Wanda, can you close their portal so it can't be used again? Or would you need more magic types to do that?"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Wanda Maximoff grins cheekily at Pietro. "One day /what/, brother?" She doesn't stop her work on the circle while she talks. "Oh, it's not magic. It's just a line. In the dirt. You know, like the line in the sand. Cross it and face the consequences." She giggles. "We might face consequences filling it back in." Once more, a grin to her brother. "Of course I do. It's pizza. Who doesn't like the notion of pizza? Only silly people, that's who."

There's no reaction to Thor changing his clothing, though she has to have sensed the magic of it. She looks curiously at him, filling in a bit more dirt. "Gamesmanship is good. And bodes well for us. That hopefully means they won't be ruthless if it comes to a fight." If. Not when. She still has hope!

"They said a week. Or two. Ish. More or less." She glances to Natasha. "Or it could be somewhere in between." She chuckles and shakes her head. "I think the cheesecake will be fine. And even if the ants get into it, another can always be gotten. What flavor do you prefer? I'm torn, and can never decide if I like cherry best, or raspberry."

She glances to the portal and shakes her head. "I don't think so. Not even a full coven would be able to close it. A full coven might be able to move the ley lines, but it would take more time than we have. Just a single ley line will take at least two weeks. And there are three of them. The portal... there's nothing I can do about. It's caused by the ley lines meeting here and being in a convergence of stars all at the same time. Until the stars get out of alignment, it isn't going anywhere unless we move the ley lines."

Wanda finishes removing the dirt from her section of the circle and steps back from it. She looks to the portal. "In theory, a barrier can be set up, but... I will need to do some more reseaerch and gather spell components. And... well. If I set a barrier to just keep things contained, they'll be able to break it eventually. And I'm reluctant to set the other kind of barrier. To turn things into goo, anything that comes through. What if they send the puppies again?" She shakes her head.

Quicksilver has posed:
There's a hrmph from Pietro. Oh lovely. Fighters. Why is it never footraces that the 'bad guys' ever challenge? Hrmph! He crosses his arms in front of his chest. He looks to Drake, then tilts his head to one side. "Well, if they accept the cheesecake then perhaps we'll have to make a celebratory run to one or the other of the places that offer it," he comments, a flicker of amusement to his voice.

Then he looks to Natasha, considering her words before giving a nod. "Maybe that is why the miners on Knowhere thought the mark was a claim. It was a circle," he muses, considering. And one of his eyebrows quirks up slightly at her comment about the tray of cheesecake. "It would be a terrible waste of cheesecake," he agrees, inclining his head slightly towards her.

His gaze turns to Wanda, and he smirks softly. "One day, perhaps when pigs learn to fly without humans intervening, I might find a way of paying you back, Sister-dearest... or I might just cross a certain proverbial line," he comments, half bowing to her. "And pizza is delicious, depending on what's atop of it," he adds, his eyes showing a sparkle of amusement. He glances down towards the line in the sand, then back to his sister.

Thor has posed:
    "Hrm," Sayeth Thor.
    "That is a possibility, we could challenge them to certain areas of expertise, or games of chance, or yea even a footrace. They do enjoy gambling. Though they are extremely... volatile if they feel they are being cheated." Perhaps some memories of a time past with Loki might well prey upon Thor's thoughts.
    The Thunderer nods toward Natasha as his way of offering kudos for the idea, however. Then he folds his arms over his broad chest and shifts his weight to the other boot before he looks over toward the Scarlet Witch and asks, "Can you sense the power of the vortex, Wanda? Has it grown since we've arrived? Likely if they were in transition from one plane to another, it would surge."

Slipstream has posed:
"We could also teach them how to make the cheesecake if they decide they like it. They could bring home both the dessert and make it for themselves. Bet it will make them look pretty impressive in their friend's eyes." Drake says as he shrugs his shoulders upwards. "I'm really good at chess and other puzzle games .. or hand eye games .." He leans himself back against a tree as he listens to the others talk about feats of strength and speed of feet. He shifts his jaw to one side thoughtfully.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
The image of giant trolls cooking cheesecake amused her. "Before next week, get a copy of a cheesecake recipe. That might just be an idea."

Natasha focused back on the challenges idea. "Well a race we have in the bag." She waved a hand at the two speedsters. "Unless trolls run faster than we know or they have someone that they could pull in for the challenge that would be a contender? For me, gymnastics or accuracy with weapons. Though not as accurate with something like a bow since not sure if they use guns?"

Scarlet Witch has posed:
Isn't that how it usually works? Fighters, not flighters? She grins at her brother. "Mushrooms. It has to have mushrooms." She eyes him speculatively. Then glances to Thor. "I'm very sure that Pietro would adore a foot race." She shakes her head to Thor's question about the vortex. "It has not. It did last week when they came through, right before they came through. It's been holding steady the whole time since then." Which gives the impression that she's been keeping a mystical eye on the thing.

"Teaching them to make cheesecake is a good idea," she agrees. She doesn't offer up things she's good at. She's good at one thing. Magic. And everyone knows it. "If they want to use a bow, we can always call Clint in." In theory, at least.

Quicksilver has posed:
"Why do I have a feeling that satisfying their desire to not be cheated would mean not using me for a footrace?" Pietro comments, wrinkling his nose. He keeps his arms crossed in front of him. His gaze turns to Drake, and he considers the younger fellow for a moment before giving a small nod, perhaps tucking away that knowledge for future use. His gaze turns to Wanda, and he blinks at her. "Yes. You would want mushrooms," he comments, with a flicker of amusement to his voice. "And I would. But they might feel cheated," he comments, giving a chuckle.

Thor has posed:
    Thor uncurls a hand in Drake's direction, as if to say that perhaps such are options or possibilities though he does not know for sure. He does say, however, "Indeed, a race we should have well in hand." That time sparing a nod for Pietro as well.
    "Though I think they put little stock into marksmanship beyond axes." A pause then he adds, "Or boulders."
    Yet when Wanda verifies that the vortex has not gained strength he takes a deep breath and murmurs, "Then likely they are not arriving any time soon." He looks around to the others, "Perhaps we can place an alarm or such upon the portal, or trust in SHIELD granting us the heads up should we be needed. Though I would trust more a spell by Wanda if it is in her repertoire."
    Yet after a moment of listening to Pietro he replies, "It would depend on how we spoke of the challenge perhaps. If we were clear that you were very fast, yet perhaps impugned their courage... their own arrogance might grant you the victory. Still."
    He takes a deep breath then gestures with his cane. "For now, I..." He lets that single syllable hang there, "Shall go sample this cheesecake. Who is with me?"
    And with that he starts to walk toward Wanda's tray though also seems to have shot a glance toward the delivery truck.

Slipstream has posed:
"I'll talk to Eileen's and get their cheesecake recipe. It's currently the highest ranked in New York City." Drake says as he rubs the back of his neck, giving a bit of a smile to the others. There is a blink of blue light as he portals with a kick off to one of the lines to snag a piece of cheesecake, then blinks off once more as he will make his way to secure a secret recipe from a decades old bakery made famous.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Since we seem to have plenty, why not." Natasha follows suit, heading for the platter of cheesecake. Which seems to be completely free of ants, despite her earlier fears.

"We'll work out some ideas and details through the week. The SHIELD devices gave us pretty good warning last time but I would be all for something better or more sensitive if Wanda can do that."

Scarlet Witch has posed:
"And if you're not careful, I might just fill your bed with mushrooms," says Wanda, to her brother, with a grin. Then a nod. "Well. They might. Or they might be impressed. Or maybe both. Kind of hard to know." Which is true! Hard to predict.
She glances to Thor and shakes her head. "I don't need a spell to feel that thing. I can feel it from everywhere I've been in the city. I can probably feel it from nearly anywhere on the planet. It's..." She rolls her shoulders as though there's an itch in the middle of her back. "Not a comfortable feeling. I need to figure out how long this convergence is going to last," she says, voice introspective.

She shakes her head. "If you like, if, when I feel it surge, I can let you all know. Or bring you all here, but the ride won't be comfortable." She doesn't argue to the thought of cheesecake. She turns toward the tray she'd sat down and waves a hand, disappearing the lid off of it. "Have at. But you should probably share with Nat, lest she poke a few holes in you." She grins, amused.

"For now... I'm going to skip. Everyone, enjoy. I'm going to go do some research." With that, she waves her hand again. The magical fire surrounds her. When it is gone, so is she. Pietro.... has been left behind to find his own way home.

Quicksilver has posed:
There's a raised eyebrow as he looks over to Thor, and he considers what's said about the footrace before he gives a nod. "Perhaps something along those lines might work. There is time to consider it, at least," Pietro muses. He looks to Drake and gives a nod. "And maybe pick up the ingredients on the way back. After all, we might as well test it, right?" he comments with a grin. He glances towards the vortex, and then over towards the cheesecake. Cheesecake is definitely preferrable to negotiating with trolls. He glances towards Wanda and chuckles. "Something that gives you the creepy-crawlies? That's surprising," he comments, amusement in his voice. Teasing his sister, because he can. And it's expected. He's her brother, it's his job! "Later, Wanda," he comments, quirking a grin. He doesn't seem to be bothered by the fact that she's left him behind. He knows the way home.