Flight of the Valkyrie - Homecoming
Aug. 22nd, 2017 08:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsA familiar face in an entirely unfamiliar role appears at the mansion.
Early evenings in the summer were times that the mansion grounds really stood out. The lengthening shadows challenged the waning sunshine, casting the topiary and architectural features in relief, as if everything was bolded with the thick lines of an untouched colouring book. More than a couple of residents were taking advantage of it, sprawled in comfortable chairs with books or laptops, walking in small groups chatting about work or school, or getting in a last swim before the twilight started to come down in earnest.
Kane had chosen an empty chaise down by the lake. He had the ballgame on his tablet, watching the third inning between sips of beer and occasionally looks over the lake. With a day job in the city, it was nice to be able to pretend to be relaxing out in the woods, as opposed to the backdrop of the mansion behind it. That was the reason he saw the horse first.
He knew that a Pegasus was the flying horse from Greek myth, but most of those movies failed to mention the armor. No, even with the wings, this was a warhorse, spiraling down from the sky. As it got closer, he could make out the armored figure in the saddle, clad in a mixture of silver plate and chain mail, holding a spear braced against her stirrup. His first thought was whether it was a threat, but her slow descent made him pause. If she was invading the mansion, she was doing it on her own sweet time. The horse landed with a click on the wood of the dock, its rider regarding him from behind her helm.
He kinda wished he wasn't wearing his 'Happy sushi' swimming trunks at the moment.
"Um... I- can I help you?"
The rider tilted her head slightly to the side and made what could only be described as a long suffering sigh, echoing in the metal of her helm, as her winged horse advanced forward, hooves surprisingly light on the planks of the dock considering it was a good eight feet tall.
"Seriously, Garrison? Why you. You didn't even go to Asgard."
"I... did not... crazy horse lady. Um..." The one thing Kane hated about the mansion was that experiences that were the sign of advanced alcoholic psychosis in the real world were possible diplomatic issues here.
The eye roll behind her helm was nearly audible. Dismounting smoothly she continued to advance, until her shadow covered his face. Finally, she pulled off her helmet, long blonde braids falling over her shoulders, familiar dark blue eyes and a smattering of freckles across her nose.
"Hey Moosejaw."
"Paige? Wait, shit- Paige?" Kane took a step back, seeing the familiar face on the body of a mystic warrior. This was not the Paige he remembered, and thought died protecting her students. He looked her up and down trying to process. Finally, he went with the only thing his stunned brain could come up with and pointed to her chest armor. "So, uh... those are new."
"Upgrade for dying-not-dying," she deadpanned in return, a tone that suggested she felt she was going to have a lot of headaches from all the eye rolling and long suffering sighs. "Also, a flying horse. Six year old me is so jealous right now."
Her gaze flicked down from his face to his rather loud swimming shorts and back again. "I require an audience with the professor and all of those who have visited Asgard. If you're not too busy."
"Um, sure. I guess. Let's see if he's in his office." Kane turned off the game. He had a feeling this meeting was going to be far more entertaining.
***
It wasn't often that Charles Xavier was stunned into speechlessness, but the sight of one of his previous students standing in his office as one of the handmaidens of Asgard when she was supposed to have died was enough to do it. His helpless gaze swept up from the booted feet to the tips of the wings on her helmet, brushing the high ceilings of his office, and back down to the amused expression on Paige Guthrie's face.
"Er, Paige?" he managed at last. "You've grown."
Smile warm, Paige gingerly removed her helmet, mindful of the chandelier, and tucked it under her arm. It was in stark contrast to her so far stony expression. "Hello, sir. I apologize for arriving unannounced, especially considering the, um, circumstances. However, it is of great importance, both for your land and mine. I must speak with those who have traveled to Asgard."
Charles noted the use of "your" and "mine" to denote Earth and Asgard. "I am happy to assist, of course," he said, moving his chair out from behind the desk. "But may I ask why?"
"There is a threat that only those who have traveled to my realm can assist, possessing a unique quality, an aura if you will, to battle those who wish to do not only my sisters but the former god of thunder harm," she replied, chin lowering slightly to keep his eye line. "I make no demands, but I also would not come here were the situation not dire."
"Of course you wouldn't." Charles replied gently. "You are welcome to ask any of those left here who have been to Asgard - they are all adults and quite capable of making their own choices." He smiled a little at the memory of Molly's recent 21st birthday post.
"Not... quite," Paige said haltingly, eyes flicking out the large window overlooking the gardens. "One of them is Illyana Rasputin."
Charles's face clouded at the mention of the name, but he held his peace. The urgency he was receiving from Valkyrie's mind, plus her warnings, told him the request was not lightly made.
"Illyana? But she-" Kane bit his tongue. He knew that Illyana from before the incident had been to Asgard, but not the current version. "She's going to hate this..."
"She won't be the only one," Paige replied, turning to Garrison with an almost sad smile. "Surprise?"
"Wait, what? Me? I've never been to-" Realization dawned on his face. "Are you kidding me? I got Asgard beat into me?"
Charles could not help a small snort at the wording. "It appears so, Garrison. It appears so." He looked back to Paige. "Some of those you will need are in the mansion at the moment. They should probably join us."
***
Angelo was the first to arrive, starting to ask as he entered, "Charles, what do you n-" before cutting himself off abruptly to stare at his dead ex-girlfriend who had... grown. "...Paige?"
Marie-Ange nearly bumped into Angelo's back and then backed into the doorway, hand already in one pocket for cards. "No. I do not mean to, no, yes, I do mean to be alarmist, has anyone made sure this is not a sick joke?" She met eyes with Charles, steadily, trying to hold the image of a horned helmet and green armor in her mind.
"This is no joke, Marie-Ange. You are indeed seeing what you are seeing," Charles reassured, as much to the group as Marie-Ange individually. "Although your cards are not wrong, either," he added. "It appears Asgard requires our aid."
"Really? Asgard needs our aid?" The blonde popped up right behind the red head. "That is a first." Her attention was drawn to the Valkyrie who saved her life. "Paige! I am so tempted to give you a hug, but I don't remember the protocol for hugging The Valkyrie."
"At least this time Asgard is asking," was Amanda's wry remark on the heels of Tandy's. She gave Paige a nod. "Looking good, 'specially for someone who died."
Paige gave a small, awkward wave. "Hello, everyone. It is a long story, but suffice to say not surprise hugs are encouraged and I can honestly promise to not be an evil zombie. Or any kind of zombie? Probably."
"Of course it is a zombie. A pack of zombies. Bitch life-sucking zombies that are ruining my plans for a weekend of baseball. And drinking. And blackjack! In fact, screw the baseball."
Ignoring Garrison, Tandy walked over to Paige and gave her a non-surprise hug. "Definitely not a zombie."
Angelo looked up at her, still slightly poleaxed but getting past it. "Yeah, no calling for brains is a good sign."
"And as usual we all revert to jokes and nonsense instead of assessing the situation." Marie-Ange was the picture of disgruntled. "What assistance does Asgard request, and why are we required? Other than the obvious, since many of us were there once."
"Yeah, and for those of us who haven't been there and are obviously come kind of accounting error?" Kane said hopefully.
"The Valkyrie request your assistance in rescuing their sisters," Paige replied stonily, before sliding across the rest of the group, warming considerably. "You are those who still possess the," she paused, making a bit of a face. "I am reluctant to say 'aura', but I suppose 'residue' is not much better. That possess the ability to challenge the dark curse from Asgard."
"You know us, cracking bad jokes in the face of doom is a coping thing," Amanda reminded her team-mate. "Doesn't mean we're not taking things seriously." She looked back to Valkyrie and then the Professor. "How about I go track down the rest while Paige here goes about explaining things?"
Charles nodded. "Include Ms. Rasputin in that list." Amanda looked surprised, but nodded and left the room. Charles indicated those present should be seated. "Very well, let's assess the situation, shall we?"
Early evenings in the summer were times that the mansion grounds really stood out. The lengthening shadows challenged the waning sunshine, casting the topiary and architectural features in relief, as if everything was bolded with the thick lines of an untouched colouring book. More than a couple of residents were taking advantage of it, sprawled in comfortable chairs with books or laptops, walking in small groups chatting about work or school, or getting in a last swim before the twilight started to come down in earnest.
Kane had chosen an empty chaise down by the lake. He had the ballgame on his tablet, watching the third inning between sips of beer and occasionally looks over the lake. With a day job in the city, it was nice to be able to pretend to be relaxing out in the woods, as opposed to the backdrop of the mansion behind it. That was the reason he saw the horse first.
He knew that a Pegasus was the flying horse from Greek myth, but most of those movies failed to mention the armor. No, even with the wings, this was a warhorse, spiraling down from the sky. As it got closer, he could make out the armored figure in the saddle, clad in a mixture of silver plate and chain mail, holding a spear braced against her stirrup. His first thought was whether it was a threat, but her slow descent made him pause. If she was invading the mansion, she was doing it on her own sweet time. The horse landed with a click on the wood of the dock, its rider regarding him from behind her helm.
He kinda wished he wasn't wearing his 'Happy sushi' swimming trunks at the moment.
"Um... I- can I help you?"
The rider tilted her head slightly to the side and made what could only be described as a long suffering sigh, echoing in the metal of her helm, as her winged horse advanced forward, hooves surprisingly light on the planks of the dock considering it was a good eight feet tall.
"Seriously, Garrison? Why you. You didn't even go to Asgard."
"I... did not... crazy horse lady. Um..." The one thing Kane hated about the mansion was that experiences that were the sign of advanced alcoholic psychosis in the real world were possible diplomatic issues here.
The eye roll behind her helm was nearly audible. Dismounting smoothly she continued to advance, until her shadow covered his face. Finally, she pulled off her helmet, long blonde braids falling over her shoulders, familiar dark blue eyes and a smattering of freckles across her nose.
"Hey Moosejaw."
"Paige? Wait, shit- Paige?" Kane took a step back, seeing the familiar face on the body of a mystic warrior. This was not the Paige he remembered, and thought died protecting her students. He looked her up and down trying to process. Finally, he went with the only thing his stunned brain could come up with and pointed to her chest armor. "So, uh... those are new."
"Upgrade for dying-not-dying," she deadpanned in return, a tone that suggested she felt she was going to have a lot of headaches from all the eye rolling and long suffering sighs. "Also, a flying horse. Six year old me is so jealous right now."
Her gaze flicked down from his face to his rather loud swimming shorts and back again. "I require an audience with the professor and all of those who have visited Asgard. If you're not too busy."
"Um, sure. I guess. Let's see if he's in his office." Kane turned off the game. He had a feeling this meeting was going to be far more entertaining.
***
It wasn't often that Charles Xavier was stunned into speechlessness, but the sight of one of his previous students standing in his office as one of the handmaidens of Asgard when she was supposed to have died was enough to do it. His helpless gaze swept up from the booted feet to the tips of the wings on her helmet, brushing the high ceilings of his office, and back down to the amused expression on Paige Guthrie's face.
"Er, Paige?" he managed at last. "You've grown."
Smile warm, Paige gingerly removed her helmet, mindful of the chandelier, and tucked it under her arm. It was in stark contrast to her so far stony expression. "Hello, sir. I apologize for arriving unannounced, especially considering the, um, circumstances. However, it is of great importance, both for your land and mine. I must speak with those who have traveled to Asgard."
Charles noted the use of "your" and "mine" to denote Earth and Asgard. "I am happy to assist, of course," he said, moving his chair out from behind the desk. "But may I ask why?"
"There is a threat that only those who have traveled to my realm can assist, possessing a unique quality, an aura if you will, to battle those who wish to do not only my sisters but the former god of thunder harm," she replied, chin lowering slightly to keep his eye line. "I make no demands, but I also would not come here were the situation not dire."
"Of course you wouldn't." Charles replied gently. "You are welcome to ask any of those left here who have been to Asgard - they are all adults and quite capable of making their own choices." He smiled a little at the memory of Molly's recent 21st birthday post.
"Not... quite," Paige said haltingly, eyes flicking out the large window overlooking the gardens. "One of them is Illyana Rasputin."
Charles's face clouded at the mention of the name, but he held his peace. The urgency he was receiving from Valkyrie's mind, plus her warnings, told him the request was not lightly made.
"Illyana? But she-" Kane bit his tongue. He knew that Illyana from before the incident had been to Asgard, but not the current version. "She's going to hate this..."
"She won't be the only one," Paige replied, turning to Garrison with an almost sad smile. "Surprise?"
"Wait, what? Me? I've never been to-" Realization dawned on his face. "Are you kidding me? I got Asgard beat into me?"
Charles could not help a small snort at the wording. "It appears so, Garrison. It appears so." He looked back to Paige. "Some of those you will need are in the mansion at the moment. They should probably join us."
***
Angelo was the first to arrive, starting to ask as he entered, "Charles, what do you n-" before cutting himself off abruptly to stare at his dead ex-girlfriend who had... grown. "...Paige?"
Marie-Ange nearly bumped into Angelo's back and then backed into the doorway, hand already in one pocket for cards. "No. I do not mean to, no, yes, I do mean to be alarmist, has anyone made sure this is not a sick joke?" She met eyes with Charles, steadily, trying to hold the image of a horned helmet and green armor in her mind.
"This is no joke, Marie-Ange. You are indeed seeing what you are seeing," Charles reassured, as much to the group as Marie-Ange individually. "Although your cards are not wrong, either," he added. "It appears Asgard requires our aid."
"Really? Asgard needs our aid?" The blonde popped up right behind the red head. "That is a first." Her attention was drawn to the Valkyrie who saved her life. "Paige! I am so tempted to give you a hug, but I don't remember the protocol for hugging The Valkyrie."
"At least this time Asgard is asking," was Amanda's wry remark on the heels of Tandy's. She gave Paige a nod. "Looking good, 'specially for someone who died."
Paige gave a small, awkward wave. "Hello, everyone. It is a long story, but suffice to say not surprise hugs are encouraged and I can honestly promise to not be an evil zombie. Or any kind of zombie? Probably."
"Of course it is a zombie. A pack of zombies. Bitch life-sucking zombies that are ruining my plans for a weekend of baseball. And drinking. And blackjack! In fact, screw the baseball."
Ignoring Garrison, Tandy walked over to Paige and gave her a non-surprise hug. "Definitely not a zombie."
Angelo looked up at her, still slightly poleaxed but getting past it. "Yeah, no calling for brains is a good sign."
"And as usual we all revert to jokes and nonsense instead of assessing the situation." Marie-Ange was the picture of disgruntled. "What assistance does Asgard request, and why are we required? Other than the obvious, since many of us were there once."
"Yeah, and for those of us who haven't been there and are obviously come kind of accounting error?" Kane said hopefully.
"The Valkyrie request your assistance in rescuing their sisters," Paige replied stonily, before sliding across the rest of the group, warming considerably. "You are those who still possess the," she paused, making a bit of a face. "I am reluctant to say 'aura', but I suppose 'residue' is not much better. That possess the ability to challenge the dark curse from Asgard."
"You know us, cracking bad jokes in the face of doom is a coping thing," Amanda reminded her team-mate. "Doesn't mean we're not taking things seriously." She looked back to Valkyrie and then the Professor. "How about I go track down the rest while Paige here goes about explaining things?"
Charles nodded. "Include Ms. Rasputin in that list." Amanda looked surprised, but nodded and left the room. Charles indicated those present should be seated. "Very well, let's assess the situation, shall we?"
