· CLOSED ·

[carmesi]

Who: Himeka, Nero, Thor, Wanda
When: A day in July
Where: Solvunn, Gardsbruk Farm
What: Wanda returns from her trip, important discussions abound
Warnings: pure of heart, dumb of ass (TBA)

[truth be told, wanda needed that trip away from the settlement to unwind. she would not trade going on a horse for so long again, but the smell of the salty breeze and to feel the ocean waves on her feet and legs was a most welcome experience. but, if she was to be honest, she kind of missed being back at the farm; helping out with the animals, nero's random mumbling of songs when he thinks no one is listening to him, himeka's cooking, and thor trying to get them all to partake in drinks and games.

that, and she wants to make sure her little shrieking weed (nero) is alive and well.

wanda arrives close to dusk, walking the rest of the way from the gate to the farmhouse, bringing with her a leather bag of things she collected from her trip. after a moment she stops, and heads towards the barn—she can actually hear the racket from another(?) argument(??) taking place inside, and so wanda supposes she is right in time for dinner, and it is not unusual to have it in nero's room, considering how loud they get. they wouldn't want to disturb their solvunnite hosts.

pushing the door open with her shoulder, she lets herself in, casting a glance around the place.

filling her lungs with air, wanda speaks, a little quietly, to announce her arrival.]

Hey, guys.

Comments

[aquaveiled]

[ Yes, there is one plate of ribs for Thor and one for everyone else. Himeka has (wisely) cut them up prior to putting them on the table so there doesn't need to be any arguments over trying rip the thing in half. (Not making that mistake again.)

She settles down next to the naughtier Nero, equally eager to hear how Wanda's trip went. ]

Ah, you made it to the coast! It's lovely, isn't it? Even if the Tertiary Settlement has seen better days.

[ That's a lie--it's never seen better days and always looks pretty rundown. But they do have access to the best fish so that says something to her.

The shells, though...Wanda may act like it's no big deal but Himeka's eyes light up instantly. She happily takes the scallop shell, turning it over in her hand to admire both the colorful front as well as the shimmering smooth inside. (Close to her scales, right?) ]

This is lovely, Wanda! Thank you so much...

[ Don't mind her as she takes a huge, loud sniff of it.

Pork Chop imitates Himeka with its little shell. ]

[ofthesword]

[Point: he really wishes they hadn't named the damn thing after him. Not exactly flattering (which was the point.)

But hey, bonus: Wanda showing up means no one has to acknowledge Thor actually made it to five ribs. 'Cause Nero definitely isn't forking over any cash right now. Maybe later. If he feels bad enough for the guy.]

Sounds pretty nice, honestly. [Sincerity?? No way. Maybe even more of it as Wanda places the shell next to his plate. He picks up up, poking at the sharp points.] Sweet. Thanks, Wanda.

[It's only a shell, yeah, but it's not like he's been the recipient of a lot of gifts. And this isn't bought out of some seaside shack hawking goods to tourists. He only just stops himself from pointing out his is the biggest. (And coolest.)

At least, after all this time around Himeka, her doing something like smelling a shell barely registers as weird anymore.]

Guess you missed the same weird, spooky shit Solvunn gets up to. But us? Totally all normal, farm-y stuff.

[thunders]

He was more well-behaved than Original Nero. [ Thor assures her. And less likely to welsh on a bet, apparently.

He busies himself letting Plant Nero down from the baby carrier while Wanda speaks of her journey. It has been nice to have these small communal meals over the past few weeks; it's an easy way to learn about his new friends. He watches the other two receive their gifts from Wanda; Himeka seems wistful, and Nero almost disproportionately happy - for Nero.

Thor, for his part, turns the shell over in his hands. He doesn't smell it like Himeka, but there's some of that same wistfulness in his expression. ]

Thank you, Wanda. I hope your journey allowed you some ease.

[ He inclines his head toward Nero. ] As Original Nero says, it has been uneventful... but now that you've returned, there's something I wanted to ask all of you.

You've all been here longer than I, and you've had some strange forays into the wilderness, yes? [ That's what the brochure said. ] If I wished to seek out the Gods of this land, perhaps see if an offering would allow me to have words with them, which of the shrines would you recommend?

[carmesi]

[their reactions at the shells are enough to put a small smile on her lips, one that she quickly hides away by taking hold of a rib and taking a knife and fork to cut into it. she is more hungry than anticipated; all the more reason to chow down on himeka's cooking. the amount that wanda cherishes all three of these individuals is surprising even to her, but she has to be careful—the wounds she still nurses are wrought from losing loved ones, after all.

all those here understand some amount of that pain, but as thor speaks, wanda is reminded of his intrinsic understanding given the many mysticisms of their world.

it means something, all this, and she listens as thor takes charge of the conversation. an uncharacteristic moment amidst all his humorous quips and more immature-seeming contests of worthiness with nero. it reminds her of a sense of more grounded purpose from within the avengers; of doing things that matter, of being part of a team, of keeping occupied enough with things worth fighting for. of course thor would wonder about the gods of this land. wanda has been curious too, but never quite enough to take a step forward in that direction.

she waits a few seconds after his question, gauging the table's reaction, before speaking up.]

There are shrines throughout the settlement. I am also sure the people here would let you know which ones they prefer to go clean and make offerings to. [solvunnites are all too happy to help the summoned with any questions they may have.] As I went towards the coast, I ran into some farmers. They told me about a shrine near a wooded area.

We went by it — not too close — but I could still feel its magic. It felt more alive than the other ones I've gone past around here.

[she glances up, looks over at himeka. an anchor, her very first friend in this world.]

I just got back, but I don't mind traveling again. We could think of offerings to take, though if you're thinking of contacting the Old Gods, we might need to think of something significant. [a short pause] Didn't you have an experience with a shrine before, Himeka?

[aquaveiled]

[ There is a reason that she likes cooking, and it's not just because she likes eating (though that is part of it)--food brings people together and there are few feelings as satisfying as having everyone around the same table again.

The "weird spooky shit" seems to be more run-of-the-mill these days. Himeka nods along quietly as she places the shell carefully near her plate so she can admire it while she eats. She wants to make something of it...a new hair piece, maybe?

She looks up when Wanda speaks again, idly picking up a rib herself. ]

Mhmm.

[ She nods and takes a bite, fully intending to go on with her mouth full. ]

I travelled out into the forests to the east with a companion. There was an old hollowed out tree that was used as a shrine. It didn't look like it had been attended to for some time, but--

[ One second. She's swallowing. ]

--when we made an offering and I prayed to it, I heard the tree talk to me.

[ That's just a thing that happens sometimes, apparently. ]

It was a shrine to a god you don't hear much around the settlements... "Vimorskas".

[ofthesword]

[Nero sputters.] Can we stop with this "original Nero" thing? I'm the only one!

[He does not recognize any lesser, leafy Neros, thanks. And he's gonna take a particularly raucous bite of a rib while eyeing that plant particularly, as if to establish his place. Important people gave him this name, all right? (So maybe important people gave the salad his name too, but -- not the point.)

Nero straightens up, giving a passably generous look to Thor when he talks about meeting up with gods (good luck, buddy), but otherwise interested.] Oh, so we're all tired of the normal, farm-y stuff already? Cool.

[Anything to not be reminded of his drinking goopy shit and punching his father into a statue. You know. Just Solvunn things.]

Do you guys make a habit of this? Praying to random shrines? Fucking with gods? [Not that he believes in them, thanks, and he'll scoff to make sure that point. Hits. Home. But you don't have to be a god to be a monster, and he knows monsters plenty. And plenty of 'em love being seen as gods.] Vimorskas, huh? You know, why don't you name that stupid thing after that? Then no one has to share my name.

[Actually, it would be a pretty sweet name.] So, what? You wanna go out and meet him? [He wipes sauce from the corner of his mouth with a napkin. (He has manners.)] All right. I'm in.

[It's really that easy. And maybe he's thought of doing something similar anyway -- Solvunn's got plenty of superstitions and even more woods to camp out in. He's bored out of his mind and fucking with so-called gods sounds like, well. More interesting than chores.]

[thunders]

[ Thor is just going to carry on as if he hasn't heard Original Nero's protest about Plant Nero at all. He gives Plant Nero a little consoling pat on the head. ]

No no, the farm-y stuff is great. [ He says, with absolutely no conviction. He's dying. He's bored out of his mind. ] It just... seems polite to say hello, see what they can tell us. Wanda has found a shrine that seems to posses some real magic and it seems to have worked out for Himeka when she tried. We'll all be there. What's the worst that could happen?

[ Thor shoves an entire rib into his mouth, pulling out just the bone, completely stripped of meat. With his mouth similarly full he turns to Himeka. Earth table manners are a little different than what he's used to, and he's adapted to them over the years, but it's nice to be around with someone who has no such concerns. Himeka would be right at home in Asgard - if there was still an Asgard. ] These are really excellent - anyway, I don't think I've heard of a Vimorskas. Do you know aught else about them? Or any of the other Old Gods?