if the sky can crack [OTA mingle]

[sixthiteration]

Hail had been falling for two days now, peppering the ground and shredding the grass but rather than melt away like a late spring storm it had only intensified, growing in diameter and moving from a mild annoyance to damned near deadly. As the storm raged, ice flew up through updrafts and was forced back to earth in the downdraft, accumulating layer after layer of murky debris until it went hurtling toward the earth with wicked accuracy.

Shingles were ripped from roofs, the wind howled and lightning cracked. The hail had driven both humans and animals into the safety of the indoors, to the dark corners of buildings that might withstand the assault. With only candlelight and the hushed voices of villagers to stave off fear and boredom, the storm raged like a sentient being heedless of those who might be caught in the path.

After the storm, a calm came over the land and weak sunlight glinted off smoke-tinged ice. Steam rose from the melt and humidity was thick in the air; petrichor hung heavy, a soothing scent after a savage display of natural fury.

[OOC: Your hail mingle post. Feel free to have characters on the run, gathering animals or inside the Town Hall waiting out the storm.]

Comments

[almightythor]

"I could tell you about my mother," Thor said. This, naturally, would be a more intimate story than the old legends that had made their way down to Midgard as the tales of the gods. He missed his mother deeply. No matter how much time passed, Thor still felt the loss of Frigga keenly and he wished there was some way to undo her death. More than anything, he wished his mother could meet Annie. He felt like they would have got on well together and he couldn't ask for more than that.

"She was very wise, in her way, even if it was my father that had the wisdom of all the Fates. She used to always know if my brother and I were lying. I don't know how she managed it but I couldn't ever hide anything from her."

[jetsetting]

The last time Thor had mentioned his mother, he'd told Annie that she had passed away; he'd mentioned her along with the other warrior maidens that he'd likened her to, and it'd made her feel special, like she'd be welcome among them. Now, as he talked about her again, she leaned against him even more, getting comfortable as he told his story.

"I think all mothers have that gift," Annie said with a smile, touching her head to his. "They probably give it to you when your kids are born." Lifting her head to look at him, her gaze was gentle. "She sounds like the most extraordinary woman, Thor. I'm sorry she's gone."

[almightythor]

"I loved her very much. I wish you could have met her. Now, my father? He was a great warrior but more than that, he was a brilliant man. He sought knowledge over battle. We're not very alike," Thor conceded, laughing a little.

"I am not known for either patience or discretion. I tend to barrel in without a lot of either and hope for the best."

[jetsetting]

"I wish I could have met them both," Annie confessed, though she had to admit to herself that the idea of being in the same room as Odin and Frigga would have been a little overwhelming; sometimes, she had to remind herself that Thor was, at his core, just a man - like he'd told her. Separating the truth (as he told it) from what she'd learned a child was interesting. It was something she was actually grateful for in being where they all were.

When he said he wasn't known for patience or discretion, Annie laughed and hugged him a little tighter. "I could have told you that," she said with a kiss to his temple, resting her head against his. "But I have no doubt that your parents would be proud of what you've done here."

[almightythor]

"I hope to make them proud. I haven't always," Thor admitted. At this, he kept her close because her faith in him, her admiration for him always gave him strength. It was amazing to him that those of Midgard could be inspired by him and respect him in this way considering he came from another world entirely and Midgard no longer esteemed him as a god.

"I was a different man once. I used my influence and my military prowess to be a proud man instead of a good man."