video.

[micycle]

[For a second after the feed fizzles into life, Mike just sits there, blinking at his device in urgent confusion. Normally it would be astonishment, but the kid's been through hell and (part of the way) back, and it shows on his face; this is going to be the coolest once he gets a good night's sleep under his belt, but right now - ]

Um. [He pushes a pair of dust-coated goggles up into his hair, and coughs. The scarf below his chin seems coated with a similar substance.] Is there an Indiana here?

[A brief pause. He knows how dumb that question sounds.]

I really need to call someone.

Comments

[garotted]

[ WELL, at least he's sufficiently distracted from the stuff bothering him. ]

That's right, Magnus and I are both demigods. You familiar with Norse mythology?

[micycle]

Yeah!

[He's read all of the Thor comics, and he's read library books, and he knows a bit about the Nine Worlds and Yggdrasil and Valhalla.]

I didn't know it was real, though.

[garotted]

Well, it is where we're from, anyway. We're both einherjar; we were just in Valhalla before we were brought here. [ her lips curl again. ] .. Actually, we were working on stopping Ragnarok.

[micycle]

[Okay, that was a lot of information in just a couple of sentences, and Mike has to stop to think about it for a moment. Then - ]

You were in Valhalla? [Blink.] Doesn't that mean... Isn't that where dead people go?

[garotted]

It’s where some dead people go, yeah. Warriors, that kind of thing. I’m not a zombie or anything, though. It’s not that much different from being alive in most ways.. except that I work for the Allfather now, of course.

[micycle]

You were a warrior? Did you have a sword?!

[garotted]

[ hahaha this kid is good for her ego. ]

No sword, though Magnus has a legendary sword that talks. Maybe if you ask, he'll let you meet him.

[ she unhooks her garotte and lifts it, wrapping it around her hands to show him. ]

I use a garotte wire. You know what one is?

[micycle]

[He shakes his head. Most of his weapon knowledge comes directly from Dungeons & Dragons.]

[garotted]

Here, I'll show you.

[ she steps back, turning the phone toward what may have been a sign-post at some point, which is now just a pole sticking up out of the ground.

she straightens then, and with a quick snap of her wrist, flings one end of the wire out, wrapping it around the pole. she snatches it back.. there's a pause, and the pole topples to the side, cut neatly in half. ]

I find it's especially effective against dragons. [ now she's just feeding into this, really. better for him to be excited and interested than worrying about something he can't change right now. ]

[micycle]

Holy shit!!!

[Mike clutches his face in astonishment.

He doesn't want to be a Paladin anymore. He wants to be an Alex.]

And it's just wire?

[garotted]

[ she stretches it out to show him, trying not to smile too obviously. ]

It was a cutting wire for pottery. Seidr--magic--is part of my godly heritage, though, so I turned it into a proper weapon.

[ with her mother's help, but she doesn't claim loki. ]

You like it, huh? Maybe I can teach you a thing or two. I always say it's a good idea to be able to defend yourself.

[micycle]

[Mike certainly doesn't look displeased with this suggestion.]

Like with weapons?

[The closest thing to a weapon that he's ever held is a candlestick.]

[garotted]

Sure, I don't see why not. I was younger than you when I started learning. .. Though we'd start out with something that's not likely to hurt when you mess up.

[ a beat, lifting her chin a little. ] I noticed you're talking to Magnus, too. You feel like getting cleaned up and grabbing dinner? We can tell you some more about this place and go over your paperwork if you want.