[we come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow]

[assemble_the_lovbacken]

WHO: Thor Odinson
WHERE: The Bunker, around the village
WHEN: Late November
OPEN TO: OTA
WARNINGS: N/A, will update as needed

---

Arrival in the Bunker

It started with the Devil's Anus.

Or did it end with it?

The last thing Thor can remember is the rumbling, shaking, and rocking of the leisure ship the Valkyrie had convinced him to commandeer on their seemingly futile mission to make it back to Asgard before Hela utterly destroyed it all. He remembers the chase towards the Anus (he wishes there was a different name for it, but when on Sakaar ..), and remembers entering it with nothing more than a fool's hope at coming through the other side unscathed, and ..

That's all.

Did he ever come out of the Anus? (Ugh.)

He must've, for when he opens his eyes, he's no longer on the Grand Master's Orgy Leisure Ship but rather .. in water. Water? Has he somehow landed elsewhere amongst Yggdrasil? Alfheim, perhaps? Submerged in one of its lakes or ponds?

It takes some time for his eyes to adjust, but when things slowly come into focus under the harsh, artificial lighting, he realizes he's in no pond or lake, nor is he on either Asgard or Alfheim. Perhaps the Anus has obliterated him and this is all some sort of .. strange posthumous experience, or perhaps it only led to Midgard instead. A sweep of his gaze tells him that the tube in which he finds himself and the odd room in which this tube is being held look more mortal-made than anything else.

Has Stark been experimenting on him? Or worse, Banner? No, surely Banner wouldn't betray him like this, even in the pursuit of knowledge. Would he do this to obtain an eighth .. oh, what were they called? Pee-aytch-dee? Would Stark do this instead? It's not that Thor's upset at the possibility so much as he would have hoped the man would at least have the decency to ask.

Right. Time to make quick work of this strange cylindrical chamber.

He reaches a hand out for Mjolnir only to be metaphorically slapped with the memory of watching Hela crumble it like a cookie. He's still got super strength, though, so this shouldn't be too bad, even without his beloved hammer.

He gathers as much of his strength as he can and uses it all in one go, fists pounding against the glass in front of him. Expecting a glorious explosion, he's thoroughly disappointed when there's no such event, and instead, the tube remains as intact and unaffected as ever. He tries it again, and again, and again .. Until he can barely do much of anything, suspended in liquid.

He's exhausted already? But how? He's no stranger to fatigue, but to be bested by a pathetic tube in so short a time? Pathetic! Embarrassing! And yet, those feelings do nothing to help solve his current conundrum: how to get out of this blasted cell. When all else fails? Shout! Shout as deeply and ferociously as he can while pushing through the aches already formulating in his body.

Surely someone will hear him struggling, won't they?


Around the Village

If one happens to be walking around the South Village towards the end of November, one might see a large, blonde man in bright, yellow scrubs scurrying around, trying to inconspicuously communicate with various woodland creatures upon which he stumbles. If one listen's closely, the name "Loki" and the term "brother" might be called out to these various creatures followed by a series of questions, but what all of those things have to do with squirrels, raccoons, croc-dogs, and the like has yet to be parsed.

One might also see this large man striking various odd poses, like one that looks like a rockstar ending a concert - legs spread apart, head thrown back and looking to the heavens, arm raised as high as it'll go. Reminiscent of Freddie Mercury, only more Scandinavian with less pizzazz and music. Or he might jump in the air and slam back down to the earth into a low crouch, fist making contact with the dirt as though he's cursing the very ground upon which he stands. What's he doing?, one might ask. Why is he doing that?, one might also ask. If curiosity gets the better of the observer, maybe they'll be brave enough to approach and inquire.

If one is fortunate (?) enough to avoid the above scenarios, one's fate might catch up when visiting the Inn. The walking ball of proverbial sunshine will probably be planted near a fireplace, huddled over a large bowl of soup or stew like he's a goblin protecting his hoard of jewels or .. whatever it is that goblins collect. He's learned not to smash the bowl in order to show his appreciation (an improvement!), but it seems that his stomach is bottomless. He might need to be cut off or, at least, be told to slow down so as to save some food for the others.

Comments

[notsoangry]

"You're probably cold, Thor. You were in water and now you're soaking wet and it's winter outside." It isn't freezing quite as badly down here, but it's also not hot. "Your body might also be in a slight state of shock, it can happen when you go through something extreme." And this would qualify as extreme. Human bodies were on the whole very frail, and Thor was one of them now. What a crazy thought. "Once you change, try rubbing your hands together, get some warm friction going. Stretch out your fingers so they don't go numb."

Bruce doesn't watch him get changed of course, glancing to the side so he has a little privacy. The question gives him time to think before responding. It was all terrible. He's only heard about it, and he feels like it's traumatizing. "Tony and Steve had a falling out. The planet decided the Avengers were too rogue and not accountable for their actions. They wanted to rein them in. Tony had a team that agreed on oversight. Steve had a team that did not. And they decided fighting each other was the only way to get through it."

There were other factors, sure, but it was the general idea. "I think they tried to talk first, but when you have two stubborn mindsets, compromise isn't really a thing." Bruce is king of compromise, so if he was there maybe he could have helped, but then the Hulk would be involved and that was a disaster waiting to happen. "So being a superhero on Earth now, unless you agree to work for the government, is illegal." Which was insane for someone like Thor, who isn't human, but in general Bruce wouldn't agree to that. Ever.

[assemble_the_lovbacken]

There isn't a single piece of Thor's mind that's concerned about whether he has privacy or not whilst he changes. That's not something generally on his radar. Besides, he's also seen the Hulk stark naked before, though .. he now realizes he's never told Bruce this before. But now's not the time for revealing such things; he'll have to tell him later on.

He manages to get his wet clothing off with some effort, then struggles with pulling on the dry clothing because of the lingering wetness on his skin. He suddenly understands why Bruce would get so angry he would turn into the Hulk. If Thor could do something similar, he'd do it, and he's been human for what, an hour? Less? How is it that Bruce ever managed to stay human with all of these human issues?

Eventually, he's changed and already feeling much better, and he remembers to do as Bruce advised. He begins to rub his hands together. It feels like a fire is growing between them, and he looks on in wonderment at both his burning hands and his friend for giving such advice. He wants to revel in the creation of heat with his own two hands, but he can see the pain in Bruce's face to know that it's troubling him to speak of what happened between Tony and Steve.

"It's ... illegal?" Thor asks as the speed of his hands slows. "But .. what if one simply .. has powers? If I were to go to Earth, I can control my powers - or, well, I could when I had Mjolnir - but I .. shouldn't have to agree to abide by your government's rules if another Ultron were to appear suddenly." He considers his friend for a moment. "How do you feel about it?"

[notsoangry]

Bruce is fairly sure all of his teammates would have or could have seen him naked by now. He's always naked after turning back from the Hulk, and they're good about getting him clothes and blankets quickly, but that's just his reality. He's a modest man, so he tends to respect other people's modesty ... whether or not they care.

"Unfortunately, I think if you came back to earth and did that, legally they could arrest you as an invading alien force or an immigrant of some kind, I don't know the details. But yes, they aren't supposed to let people be a superhero or vigilante without the UN's supervision now." And yes, it troubles him greatly. Deeply. He makes himself sick with anxiety over it sometimes. "Steve and Nat are considered criminals now." Bruce scowls. "Two of the most fervent fighters for the world and for justice, criminals." Basically, he hates it, he hates everything about it. Especially because it means that Tony and Nat are on opposite sides. They tolerate each other here, but it's still there in the background.

Bruce's shoulders slump. He tries hard to give everyone a fair shake, to see every side of an issue, to be understanding of all opinions. But it's just wrong. "I feel that going home is not going to turn out well for me. The Hulk is already too dangerous, if people try to control us, it won't go well. That's even if I won't immediately get arrested for Johannesburg or the other Hulk incidents that they let slide when I was an Avenger." And if anyone attempted to do that, the Hulk would destroy everything in sight. Bruce is very grim about this. They had the Thanos part to worry about first and reverse, but after that? He didn't think he could be on earth anymore.

[assemble_the_lovbacken]

"An invading alien force or an immigrant?!" Thor repeats, incredulous. He can't even begin to wrap his mind around it. "When we saved Earth from rampant creatures and those who would wish to destroy it or enslave all humans for their bidding? We would be the ones at fault?! We would be the criminals?!" No wonder this caused such a great schism between the other Avengers. He's beginning to understand how big of a deal this is, and how different the opinions on how to handle it could be.

He scoffs in disbelief that the mere suggestion of Steve and Nat being considered anything but defenders of Earth, do-gooders, heroes. Absolutely preposterous.

At seeing his friend so upset, Thor reaches out and places a now-warmed hand on his shoulder. He gives it a supportive, confident squeeze.

"I am sorry, Banner," he says, giving his shoulder a gentle shake. "I am sorry that that is what you were dealing with before you arrived here. It makes no sense for any of them, any of us to be considered criminals, especially when we were defending your realm. Maybe — maybe time here in the village will allow the events of Earth and your government to come to their senses. Maybe things will be different when you return."

[notsoangry]

Bruce agrees with that incredulity, he really does. He's quieter about it, but he's no less appalled. For himself, he understands that, the Hulk is dangerous and unpredictable. But the others? They've fought for good every step of the way, they didn't deserve something like that. "It was extreme. They pushed it so fast. Given time and some lawyers, maybe there would have been a deal reached that everyone could agree to. Or at least live with. I think Tony and Nat were thinking of that when it first started, that maybe if they said yes, they could negotiate terms for everyone later." It's standard diplomacy, but it meant giving too much ground from right off the bat. "Honestly I'm not sure how it got past any lawyers in the first place. Vision's an android, Wanda's a citizen of another country, you're an alien, none of that is under US jurisdiction."

He appreciates the hand on his shoulder, because honestly, he needs it. He's been trying so hard to be calm and collected on this subject, because all of their friends lived through it. Only Thor would really understand being separate and coming back to madness like this with shock and horror. "Steve and Tony can't even be in the same room as each other. Tony generally isn't on good terms with Nat or Wanda either, both people who are here." Bruce can't talk this openly with anyone else, especially not Tony.

"He's my friend, and I just ... he knows that I don't agree. That I wouldn't have accepted the Accords. I know it hurts him, that I wouldn't have been on his side." But Bruce wouldn't lie and pretend, it's not in him. "He has it in his head that somehow he could make it all work out for me, that he'd be able to pull the right strings or protect me if I came back to earth, but he can't." Bruce lets out a deep breath. "Which means whatever disaster could happen to me, to us, when we come back to earth, was orchestrated by Tony." And that's just devastating.

[assemble_the_lovbacken]

"Part of me wants to dismiss this all as your human politics, which has always been so messy and complicated, but," Thor starts with a snort, gesturing above him as if to Asgard. "I cannot say that we were or are any better. And we've been around for so long you'd think we'd have gotten our act together by now. But even now, even recently, my father drops a Truth Bomb on Loki and me about our sister, that we never knew we had, that had been banished to Hel for all these years! No, truly, I can't say much about your human politics, except that we're all terrible at it."

And, as luck would have it, all of this talk has mostly distracted Thor from his feelings of coldness, so the vibrating has stopped. He's grateful for that.

"Friends don't have to agree with everything their friends do or say. In fact, I think that's part of what makes friends who they are. They tell you when you're being stupid, or when you're making a bad choice, or they rescue you from glass tubes full of water and prevent you from drowning." He offers a gentle, quiet smile of encouragement before letting out a sigh. "I wish I had an answer for you, my friend. I really do. It sounds as though there will be no easy solution to be had, no matter which way the winds blow."

[notsoangry]

"You have a point there," Bruce agrees with a small smile. He didn't interact with Hela himself, but she seemed much more like Loki than Thor. And no one needs multiple Lokis in their family. Bruce has no real interest in complex, he wishes things could be simple, but then that wouldn't be life. And with Thor reminding him about their own friendship, the sadness in his heart lessened and he couldn't help glowing from it.

"No, but we can't really worry ourselves with what happens in that world until we figure out what's happening here." Now that Thor seems to be shaking less and getting some of his strength back, Bruce hits the button for the pod to start moving. It's only a few minutes away from there, and he hopes that the boat will be there. "We have a better chance now with you here." And really, Thor makes everything better. So they'll have to get back to the village and settle him in.

[feels like a good place for a wrap! I have a new Banner post up if you have time!! :) ]

[assemble_the_lovbacken]

OOC: Wrapping works for me! And yes! I have it open in a tab to tag it :D <3 I love these two ;_;