6602/Conversating in the Avengers Courtyard

Conversating in the Avengers Courtyard
Date of Scene:	21 February 2019
Location:	Avengers Mansion, New York City
Synopsis:	Everyone gets updates on the status of New Asgard. Janet is Janet. Steve is Steve. Thor is Thor. Everyone leaves happy?
Cast of Characters:	Thor, Captain America, Wasp (van Dyne)

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Thor has posed:
    An eventful few days had passed and it was only then that the God of Thunder had been able to get away. Much had been discussed at the moot between Asgardians, held after those same events. It had taken much effort to get the people of Kvalvika to decide on one course of action that was finally accepted by Thor...
    It was only afterwards, after people were set to their tasks, that the Thunderer was able to get away. For he had his own tasks as well. One of those being to reach the island of Manhattan, flashing across the skyline with Mjolnir carrying him aloft.
    Within the mansion sensors would alert those within to the approach, clearance accepted, arrival announced three minutes out. Then, once those moments passed, the Asgardian monarch set down in the back yard, landing with a light /thump/ next to the large frozen fountain, the yard still covered with a dusting of snow.

Captain America has posed:
Out on the terrace, not having yet departed from the concrete in his boots, one Steve Rogers awaits the arrival of the Asgardian monarch. Of the many distractions from his preparations, this was a welcome on. Enough time had passed -- and enough instances warranting discussion -- that he looked forwards to speaking with the man.

Hearing the disruption of air on high, the Captain glances up in time to see the blur of arrival along with its consequential audible WHUMP by the fountain. Even as the snow is settling again around Thor, Steve's got a hand raised in greeting.

"Thor," he calls out across the lawn as he begins to walk across the lawn towards him. In the standard winter jacket and jeans, he leaves prints in dark-green in his wake. "Good to see you."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Hi Thor!" Janet's lilting voice is raised from the entryway to the mansion, where she's hugging herself tight and hoppign around as if trying to restore feeling to her limbs. A greyed plaid-pattern skirt contrasts with fur-lined knee high snowboots and a rose-pink vest, worn over dark, close-fitting thermal gear. Her pink earmuffs bobble wispily with the motion.

"Can we do this meeting inside, please? It's freezing cold and you two lummoxes forget that some of us don't have much body fat," she says, teeth chattering a little.

Thor has posed:
    "Captain Rogers," Thor rests Mjolnir upon his hip and steps towards Steve. It can be seen in the tall blonde man's good eye a certain harried aspect to his expression, though that does not stop the man from extending a hand for that warror's greeting grasp of the forearms and followed by a thumping on the back with his free hand.
    "Much has passed," He murmurs as he moves inwards, then his gaze falls upon Janet. No he is not wearing the clothes she chose for him, the big jerk, but the reason for that might be the heavy black and red armor that hugs his form. "Friend Janet,"
    Tossing a nod inwards he says, "Aye, let us head inwards away from Winter's bite and prying eyes." Though there are none obvious there might well be some from afar.

Captain America has posed:
A solid, resonate sound for the friendly whump between Steve's shoulderblades. Thank goodness he's strong, otherwise there might have been a stumble. Having returned the handshake with the traditional warrior's grip of the wrist rather than about finger, he glances back towards the manor upon hearing a familiar voice.

"Just made coffee," Steve shares with the two of them once he's reached the terrace again. "We can talk in the meeting room off the kitchen." Quietly, the Captain takes the lead. Drinks and respective munchies are gathered and it's not minutes before Steve is shutting the door behind himself after ushering both Janet and Thor into the room.

It's not official, this meeting room, beyond the use of fine woods and spartan decoration. Along the back wall, a number of floor-to-ceiling windows to allow in natural lighting and put the back gardens on display. Steve chooses to lean hipshot on the one desk in the room. He's got a mug of coffee in-hand against the exposure of earlier cold. "I'll be blunt. I've heard some things have gone on over in New Asgard," Steve begins, his eyes briefly flickering to Janet and back to Thor. "Everything alright?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet gets two cups of coffee. One is diluted with chocolate mix, and the other gets set on the desk. She steps forward and with a subtle rush of air shrinks to a mere ten inches tall, the size of a Barbie doll. Clad in pink as she is, it's not even a bad comparison. She wraps herself around the much larger coffee mug and sighs happily at the warmth flooding into her tiny person. Once she's warm, she sits with her back to the mug and her boots dangling over the vast gulf under the table. Legs swing back and forth and she sips daintily from her tiny carafe.

"Well it seems to be," Janet supplies helpfully, in a high-pitched Tinkerbell voice. "But she's a hard read for a blonde. At least Carol cracks a smile once in a while. Nuala plays it pretty close to the vest. I think she's into Thor but, y'know, she's got that demure Swedish milkmaid thing going for her, so..."

She looks back and forth between Thor and Steve. "What? Isn't that what you were talking about?" she asks, puzzled.

Thor has posed:
    Walking into the room, Thor's armor shifts with each step, subtle scuffs of armor plates being heard as he moves. He moves towards the tall windows, his silhouette blocking a good bit of the sun reflected off of the snow outside. Turning to face them he says, "No. Ill matters proceed apace."
    But then Janet offers her opinion on Nuala and that leaves him with this perplexed flummoxed look on his face, one eyebrow lifted, the other furrowed. "N.. no. Not exactly."
    That having been said he rounds to face them both, "Nuala is formerly of the Nova Corps." He folds his arms over his broad chest, leather creaking faintly. "She broke her vow of non-interference to aid me and mine when we came to Midgard after the events of Ragnarok. We owe her much."
    He spares a glance towards Janet, quirking an eyebrow behind his strapless eye-patch, then continues. "The Nova corps remotedly seized her ship. If matters stopped there all would be well for the ship and the equipment are theirs by right."
    To the Wasp he says, "This happened but moments after you left our company." Back to speaking to them both, "Nuala leapt inside the ship to try and communicate. I and Vintridr followed. The Nova Corps used the security equipment to attack her and attempt to bring her into custody."
    He takes a deep breath, holds it, then says, "For her efforts in our aid she is one of my people. She is of Asgard as far as any of us are concerned. This was an attack against one of our own. It shall be addressed."

Captain America has posed:
Between the near-polarity of the responses to his query, Steve visibly pauses with his coffee cup at his lips. His regard shifts between the Wasp and Thor as he quickly extrapolates between each stance on events and then slowly nods. A sip of his steaming drink and he sets it aside.

"'m sorry to hear of the misunderstanding, Thor. Sounds like you have all those ducks lined up. Let me know if you need any assistance in discussions. I'm not looking to get into a spat with Nova Corps if it can be managed," he explains calmly. "We've got enough to deal with here as is." A tiny vein of stress underneath his words reveals itself by tone before disappearing again. "Is that the only ill matter apace?"

Thor has posed:
    A short sharp nod is given by Thor, "Aye, matters are in capable hands." He looks towards the window for a moment, then looks back with a quirked eyebrow. "We are dispatching Loki to gather information and negotiate on our behalf."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet spit takes at the word 'Loki'. She doesn't want to get cocoa on her nice clothes, so she ends up burbling back into her hot cocoa and coughing repeatedly. She holds the dripping mug aside with a grimace. "Steven, tear me off a bit of napkin please?" she requests, wiggling fingers at the coffee service table.

"Is there any chance of resolving this diplomatically?" Janet inquires of Thor, surprisingly urbanely. "I know that she's protected by your asylum rights and under Earth law, that gives her refugee status. The Nova Corps aren't just attacking Asgard, they're literally defying our global resolution on the protected status of refugees in asylum-granting countries. They can't take her any more than we'd let, like, North Korea take someone out of the United States."

She looks at both men, then rolls her eyes and gives them an aggrieved look. "*What*? Stop looking at me like that. I've done a lot of goodwill stuff with UNICEF over the years. You pick some things up when lawyers start droning at you."

Captain America has posed:
Steve doesn't fare much better, though he doesn't require a napkin in the end. Upon hearing the decision as to who will carry the banner of diplomatic discussion in Asgard's name, he half-scoffs, but still manages to get the mouthful of coffee down the right tube in the end. One last hard true cough, eyes glittering briefly with forced tears, and he sniffs to clear his nose once.

Janet does end up with her piece of torn napkin, about the size of a Bandaid, and then Steve's giving Thor an openly incredulous look in passing on the way back to his cup of coffee. However, the surprisingly rational discourse by the Wasp has him paused, yet again, with his mug lifted near to his mouth. A shrug from Steve towards Thor now, as if to silently convey, 'She's got a point.'

Thor has posed:
    The coughing that comes from Janet and Steve just causes Thor to quirk an eyebrow though he steps forwards a touch to help them should they need it, just his body language of him reaching out subtly. But then they seem to be alright and he gives a nod towards her, "Aye, we feel there may be." A possible diplomatic solution, though he looks on Janet curiously, perhaps a touch surprised at her insight.
    He takes another breath and faces Cap and Janet, looking between them each in turn. "I know you both may have misgivings about Loki, but I feel he would not perform ill service in this capacity. As for the Nova corps, they are in a deceptively weak yet strong position."
    Thor reaches down to the desk and starts to push around various office paraphernalia. "They are in geater number than we are, this much is true." Some paper clips are spread out casually in a pile, with a smaller pile representing Asgard. "Yet if we go to war, they either refrain from attacking New Asgard which grants us freedom to strike." He spreads out a few small pins pointing at the big pile of paperclips, "Or they strike and destroy our home, but that leaves those of us who survive to... avenge our people. Which might not be enough to fell their empire, but would weaken the and their place amongst their peeers."
    He sweeps a hand across the office supplies and waves it away.
    "In any case," He looks up with a curiously optimistic smile. "Loki is going amongst them to see if they realize this. Or if they operate under some other presumption."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"I don't like either of those plans," Janet informs Thor, with her characteristic bluntness. "That's either go to war with Nova and die in a blaze of glory out in space, or Nova Corps attacks New Asgard and you all go down in a blaze of glory anyway."

"There's got to be another solution. I know they're spread out and they've got big fish to fry but war with Nova Corps would be, like, SUPER bad," she says, for emphasis. "And it'd put Earth right in the middle of the fight. Either we're sheltering you and are complicit or you're using us as a base of operations and we're a military target."

Captain America has posed:
The Captain gestures towards the wee Janet on the table with his coffee mug and free hand. "She's right, Thor. I'm not about to bring innocent people into something that could be resolved with a talk at a table. You know I'd be at your side in a New York minute if it came to blows, but you're going to have to take it elsewhere. Not here. Not on Earth. Midgard."

A little shrug and he adds with a rueful hesistance, "Loki's gonna have to see if he can sue for peace. I bet he can do it." And by his tone, Steve's fairly convinced that the silver-tongued Trickster can accomplish his ends.

Thor has posed:
    Nodding at Janet's words, Thor flares his hands as if accepting the difficulties of what lies in the future, but able to endure. "I do not feel it comes to such a situation. War is not desirable for either of us. We are just not sure if they know as much as well."
    He spares a glance for Cap and adds, "It was e'er likely that with our fall another culture or society would attempt to strike out at us. We have made plans for such a possibility."
    That having been said he nods at the mention of Loki, "There is a chance there may have been a misunderstanding as well. But Nuala's liberty is not something my people nor I will bend on. She holds a place of high esteem amongst us."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"'With us'," Janet mumbles into her coffee mug. It's faint enough only Steve would hear her, or the quiet snickering that vanishes into her drink. She gives Steve a pointed 'told you so' look, but otherwise bites her tongue in a remarkable display of self-control.

Captain America has posed:
Janet gets a significant side-long glance from Steve over the edge of his mug. Whether or not she acknowledges it is another matter entirely. "I'm glad to hear that war isn't desirable." It's not meant unkindly; the active sharing of the opinion is proof of truthful personal stance on the matter, at least in the Captain's relative life experience. "I hope the misunderstanding can be solved peaceably."

Draining the rest of his coffee, the man then seems to resettle himself in his half-sit upon the shined desk's top. "There's another thing I gotta touch base with you about, Thor. I ran into an Elf the other day nearby to the mansion." Steve's gaze lingers on the Asgardian, gone keen on watching his body language. "Arella. Said she landed here and Alpha Flight granted her sanctuary. She also said she didn't take them up on it. What do you know about her?" At least the blond soldier's not going to beat around the bush about things.

Thor has posed:
    Shaking his head, Thor's features darken a touch as he scowls. But he holds up a hand as if to stay any concern about his sudden shift of mood. "An old enemy who seeks refuge here. Committed many crimes against the peoples of several systems. Were it within my power I would have her struck down."
    His arms refold over his chest, tighter this time. "She was held under the purview of Alpha Flight. She must have been released under her own recognizance. A mistake that may have deadly consequences. But it is out of my hands."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet looks at Thor with a level expression. She also ignores Steve's side-eye, rather pointedly. "That's kind of how it works with refugees," she tells him. "The rules gotta apply to everyone or the whole system comes apart. Every refugee is stuck living next to someone they hate. Heck and that's just from Earth wars. If we just told everyone 'hey go nuts, settle your hash in the backyard with knives' we'd have a bloodbath by nine AM. The whole 'refugee' argument means leaving behind old disputes and starting fresh with a new life. Everyone gets an equal chance."

Captain America has posed:
"Right," Steve agrees quietly in regards to the Wasp's take on things. "Also, can she get the benefit of the doubt? I wasn't about to accept anything she said on face value. But..." The Captain pauses to gather his thoughts as his eyes slide off to one side.

"There was once a man who was a great speaker. He said all the right things and at one point, he had most of the world believing that his way was the right way. He was tyrannic when he had enough power. Millions of people died here on Midgard because of his beliefs. But not everybody believed in him. Even some of his own 'people' thought he was mad -- that he was wrong on a fundamental level -- that he was so amoral, he should have been taken out back and shot like a dog. I dealt with the consequences of his actions." Steve grits his teeth back and forth before glancing up at Thor again. "I don't punch every German I see these days. What if she's an outlier? What if she doesn't want to kill anyone?"

Thor has posed:
    A small nod is given towards Janet and then Thor looks on towards Steve as he gives voice to some words from the past, albeit not Thor's past per se. "I understand, the rule of law is important. I just hope naught ill will come of this act of mercy."
    That having been said Thor gives a nod towards them both as he starts to walk across the room towards the door leading out, "Just if you encounter her again, I would recommend drinking naught she gives you, nor letting her touch you, nor even remaining in her vicinity for an extended period of time. The Dark Elves were known for the many..."
    He turns at the doorway and pauses, hand upon the doorjamb. "Many. Ways they poison those around them." He holds up a hand as he waves while moving out the door.
    "Until next time, my friends!" His booming voice carries and then fades as he steps down the hallway.