An Icee Reception

February 11, 2021 -- The 7-Beleven near PowerUp

Today on Chitter, Brenna had been challenged to a duel (again), been told there would be a team-wide tournament (not to the death), and then read that instead of fighting her, Inge actually intended on flyting her. Brenna had spent the day alternately avoiding Chitter, trying to pretend she hadn’t seen the challenge and looking at it obsessively.

Inge had asked for reservations, but Brenna wasn’t sure how to get those or if you even could get them for a corner store. So instead she was just waiting awkwardly outside of the 7-Beleven for the frost giant to arrive. Not for the first time, Brenna wished that she was shorter so she’d be less conspicuous. A 6’2” redhead could generate a LOT of anxious vibes. Trying to remember the things her dad taught her about breathing, she rubbed her thumb along her Mjolnir bracelet to feel the ridges of the design.

Inge walks towards the 7-Beleven reluctantly, like her mind is somewhere else. She’s not sure that this was a good idea. Without the mask of the internet to hide behind should things go badly...well. She’s heard the stories and the warnings to stay as far, far away from the very person she’s about to see. She knows what he—no, *she* is capable of.

She stops a few feet away from the door. Brenna hasn’t noticed her yet, busy fidgeting with something on her wrist. She takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders, and makes her way over to the bane of all Giants.

“Hello. I am Inge, child of—,” she pauses. “Ah, well, that part is not mattering on Midgard. I am forgetting this constantly, my apologies. At any rate, it is nice to be meeting you.” She stands up straight with a wince, keeping one crutch on the ground, and extending the other hand. “A shaking is appropriate, yes?” She notes absently that if she and Thor are exactly the same height, minus the horns of course.

Even as distracted as she is, Brenna notices Inge approach. She’s even more conspicuous than Brenna, at least in Halcyon.

“Right, yeah, hi, I’m Brenna.” As she shakes Inge’s hand, she appreciates that the two can look each other in the eye. Everyone Midgard was SO short. When she lets go, she gestures awkwardly at the door. “So uh, I don’t think reservations are a thing here, but we can buy the ICEEs and there are tables inside, or we could head to a little park nearby. Not Camelot Park,” she adds the last bit after a pause. Camelot Park was further away, plus she didn’t want to have to deal with anything Avalon today. Inge was far more than enough.

Inge’s handshake is unsure at first, until he gets the hang of things. “I understand. There are many things I do not know about Midgard, but I am eager to learn.” He pulls out a notebook. “No...reservations...at the...seven...beleven,” he mutters as he writes, then closes the book with a snap. “Right then, I would prefer we go somewhere where sitting is an option, but anywhere you would like to go is okay with me. I don’t know this city very well yet.”

Inge hesitates for a moment, before visibly mustering up the courage to ask this next question. “Is. Uh. Are you going to be comfortable with this? I am not wanting to cause any issues, despite what I said on Chitter. You are not the one I am having quarrels with. Your, uh? Father? Grandfather? Ancestor is.”

“I’ve got one of those, too!” Brenna pulls out a little blue notebook from her skirt pocket. “It’s so useful! Like Greta told me the other day that Midgard measures streets in blocks, not bricks, and ‘hitting on someone’ is a strange way to say you want to fight.”

Brenna buys herself a little time to answer Inge’s other question by tucking the notebook back into her pocket. “So uh, yeah. I mean, we’re going to be teammates, right? Like I said. So I’d like to get this,” Brenna waves her hand vaguely, “awkwardness out of the way, or at least in the open? Because we’re going to be working together. Um. And I don’t know which Thor you have an issue with? My father’s been Thor for the past forty years or so, and my grandma was Thor before him, and she was the first of my bloodline to be chosen as Thor, so…” Brenna trails off, shrugging, not wanting to get into the whole, ‘copies of all the dead Thors consciousnesses live in Mjolnir now’ stuff.

Brenna gets a genuine smile out of Inge when she brings out her notebook, and opens her own little red one again. “Blocks? Interesting. What is a block? And for that matter, what is a brick? We measure in branches. Our trees are...rather large, and rather everywhere. Is that not true for Asgard?” She flips a few pages, then points to a line. “Ah! And from my analysis, “hitting on someone” is a bizarre flirtation. I don’t understand it, since there’s no mention of goats or dowries or the Defeating of the Father In Law? Perhaps it has multiple meanings?”

They get a bit more sombre. “I am appreciating your sentiments. I feel the same way, since you have done nothing to besmirch the good name of my people. I do wonder, however. You make it seem like it has been many years since the original Asgardians were active? My great grandmother--Angrboda--she is still living with us. And she is the original. Is there perhaps being a time...thing, of some sort going on?”

“I’m not totally sure what a block is, I’m trying to figure it out. Hitting on having two very different meanings is going to get confusing…at least Midgard flirting is pretty close to Asgard flirting, at least the way my sister flirts. From what I’ve seen, I mean. No one has flirted with me.” Brenna has to think about the second part of what Inge said. “It could be a time thing? That seems common around here. Or maybe giants live longer than Asgardians? There have been uh...at least ten Thors? And not all the gods have mantles...like Odin and Loki never passed their powers on to anyone else…”

Brenna trails off, unsure if that was the wrong thing to say. Awkwardly, she gestures at the door. “Want to go in and get the ICEEs?”

Inge nods. “Yes, I would like to get an ICEE.” He thinks about what Brenna said about the State Of Asgard™ as he walks into the 7-beleven, and right as Brenna is about to grab for a cup blurts out, “I am not sure what the truth of the matter is, but whether we live longer than Asgardians or not, I find it curious that our experiences are so different. Asgard’s transitions have given us time to rebuild and heal after the last war, but not enough time for us to forget who we are and what makes us Jotunn. I am saddened that Asgard has simply forgotten about its conquering past, but I am hopeful that since the same prejudiced individuals are not in power, there might be a chance for lasting peace. That would be nice, don’t you think?”

He pauses for a second, and continues, “I am not sure how I am feeling about Odin, but I must admit to being glad my kinsperson is alive and the same. Amma would not have liked it if they were replaced by an Asgardian. Also, it would suck to be forced into a punishment for a crime you did not commit just because your ancestors did dumb things, would it not? But then, all of this is just speculations, and we have more important matters at hand. Like how it is one is preparing an ICEE.”

Brenna freezes from grabbing a cup as Inge speaks up. Wow she was so unprepared for this. “Um, yeah.” Eager to change the subject to something she had a bit more grip on, she grabs the largest cup -- it was the only appropriate size for an ICEE, according to Tony, and he would not lie to her -- and offers one to Inge as well. “So, for the ICEE, there are a couple of flavors.” Brenna taps one of the plastic tubs with the plastic spinner constantly rotating to keep the treat at the desired consistency. “Today there is blue raspberry, cherry, Dr. Bepper, and grape. I had the blue raspberry last time and liked it. You can also mix them. Tony mixed Dr. Bepper and cherry. I think I want to try them all alone before moving onto mixing, personally.”

Brenna considers her options for a moment before pouring herself the grape. A little more to herself than to Inge, Brenna murmurs, “Is passing a title along being replaced?”

Inge grabs a similarly large cup and pours herself a near-overflowing blue raspberry ICEE. She takes a sip. “Hmm. This does not taste like a raspberry. Or blue. It is good though. You are right that mixing too early would detract from the experience. It appears I have many many beverages to try. Perhaps we could do so together?”

She looks for a seat at a table. “I am not seeing any place to sit down that is not already occupied. Is there any other location for seating you are recommending?” She pauses for a minute, and continues. “I am not sure if the question was rhetorical, but on the off chance it wasn’t, personally I am believing passing on a title is and is not replacement. The legacy may live on, but you personally do not. This is not a bad thing, but Amma loved the first Loki. She would be saddened to hear of his death, just as she was saddened to hear of his imprisonment.”

Brenna nods at Inge’s response to her question, but isn’t quite sure what to say to that, so she moves on to the part she can answer. “Yeah, there’s a little park nearby. It’s kind of cold--” Brenna cuts herself off as she remembers who she’s talking to. “Uh, but I guess that probably doesn’t matter to you. Let me pay for these and we can head over there. It’s only a few bricks, um, I mean blocks away. I’ll meet you by the door.”

It only takes a moment to pay for the ICEEs. The cashiers all knew Brenna by now, and the plastic card money that Calder had given her works very fast. She still had the dollar that an old lady had given her the other day, with the stipulation that she didn’t spend it all in one place, but she wasn’t sure how it worked, or where she’d spend less than a dollar twice. Having paid and thanked Marcus the Cashier, Brenna hurries to the door so she doesn’t keep Inge waiting.

Inge is leaning against the wall near the door, sipping on his ICEE. “This flavor is most fascinating, it is tasting of artificial and rain. I am thinking I like it? Further investigation is needed.” He takes another sip. “No, no, this is definitely tasty. Thank you for introducing me to this remarkable beverage.”

As the two walk out into the chilly afternoon, Inge starts rummaging around in his pocket. Based off how long it took him to actually find the thing he was looking for, they’re probably bigger on the inside. He pulls out a rainbow crocheted scarf and mittens, and says “You mentioned that this park will probably be chilly. You are correct in assuming I am not needing protection from the cold. When we have found a place I will be able to make a fire if necessary, but hopefully these will be helping in the meantime. They were left in my new room at the Base, with a note from a person named Luna explaining they were a welcome gift for their “room legacy.” Perhaps you will be making better use of them than me?

Brenna looks down at the offered gifts. She wasn’t sure about the social customs for turning down gifts in either Midgard or Jotunheim, so she holds the ICEE in the crook of her arm and accepts them. It seemed like the option least likely to get her into more trouble. Besides, it was very cold out. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you, and these are really pretty. I don’t know this Luna, but will you thank them for me if you see them? I had warm things back in Asgard but I…” Brenna hesitates, realizing she’s backed herself into a kind of corner. After a moment of figuring out how to phrase it without revealing too much, she simply says, “I forgot them there.”

“I do not know who this person is either, but I will be thanking them if I see them, and I understand.” Inge pulls a rune from her belt. “I left Jotunheim on an...internship, I think the word is. My mission is to understand Midgard, and Asgard, in the hopes of figuring out if there can ever be peace between all of us. You see, we heard the Midgardians thought we were all vicious and evil, which is not the case. I will be doing my best to dissuade this, but I will not be able to return home for at least a year. Those are the terms of the internship. If I return without having proved myself worthy of serving my community, I will be forced to remain in Jotunheim until I have passed remedial training, which I am not wanting, because it will be taking forever.”

She sighs. “The point is, I am understanding needing to leave in a hurry, with or without your family’s wishes. I was...surprised when Amma sent me her runes despite her reservations about my leaving Jotunheim at all. It is nice to be knowing that she wants me to succeed or fail on my own merits, not due to a lack of resources, and that she will be loving me even when I disagree with her. I am...well, I am hoping that is the case for you too.”

The two have reached the park, and Brenna brushes some snow off a bench to make space for herself and Inge before sitting down. She takes a sip from the ICEE before quietly saying, “I didn’t say anything about leaving without my family’s permission.”

Her face and body language make it pretty clear that Inge hit the nail on the head, though. She stares at her cup for a moment before realizing she’s being suspicious. “But your mission sounds really good. I hope there can be peace. I don’t know if I’ll be of any actual help, I don’t have any training in this kind of thing, but I will if I can. Remedial training sounds so boring, I hope you don’t have to do that.”

Inge gingerly removes a crutch on the side Brenna is sitting on and leans it carefully against the bench on the opposite side, angling her arm so the second crutch is parallel to the first. The vines that were curled around her forearms start to curl instead around the bench slats, and Inge makes a face implying she’ll have to deal with that by hand later.

“I apologize,” she says. “I was not intending to make any implications, merely attempting to express empathy for a situation in which you leave home too quickly and without proper resources. I know not what your experiences are, and I do not mean to assume, or judge. I am just...bad at the English. I am in fact using a translator as we speak. Do you not do the same?” She laughs, and adds “Yes, remedial training is not fun. It is the equivalent of the summering school. Full of boring repetitive work when you should be out having adventures with friends. Not that I did much adventuring myself. I am frequently busy with my studies.”

“Oh, yeah. We -- I mean, Asgardians -- have like a magic translation thing that kicks in when we need it. I think Odin and Freya like, keep it up to date? And it works better since I’ve, y’know,” she gestures at the Mjolnir bracelet. “I’m not sure why that is. Maybe just because I’m extra magic now?” Brenna shrugged. “I think maybe I should have done more studying and less adventuring. Well, it wasn’t exactly adventuring, but it certainly wasn’t studying.” Brenna grinned at the memories of her and her Asgardian friends.

“Well,” Inge says, punctuating with another sip of ICEE, “I would be happy to be teaching you magical theory if you would be willing to be sharing your stories of Asgardian adventures. I never really got many of those because I spent so much time with my Amma. Or well, I wouldn’t have had Asgardian adventures, but Jotunn adventures, which I also didn’t have, and you know what? I will be stopping the talking now.”

Brenna smiles. “I’d like that. I know a little magic, but mostly only as far as it concerns smithing. But you might be disappointed my adventures. There’s only so much trouble the child of Thor, the next Freya, and our worrywort friend can get into. Plus my family could get a little overprotective. But if you’re willing to trade stories for magic lessons, I’m willing!”

The two sit and chat for a little while longer, until the shadows begin to lengthen and their ICEEs long finished. When they part ways, Brenna realizes that this probably counted as her first diplomatic meeting. And she was pretty sure it even went well. Maybe this Thor thing wasn’t going to be so hard after all.