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[color=544aba][b]#544aba[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]......[/color] [url=https://i.ibb.co/b5KCyw4d/IMG-0094.jpg][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b]soulstice[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]..........................................................[/color] [color=cdb6d6][b]#cdb6d6[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://i.imgur.com/buYdS0y.jpeg][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b]ronin[/b][color=2e2c2c].....................[/color]

[i][b]Near Descendant's Tower[/b][/i][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]Rune had kept a running list of things she wanted to do if she ever reached Midgard. It had begun when she was thirteen, a quiet catalog of possibilities she revisited whenever Hel felt too still. Stealing clothes from a mannequin had never been part of it. She wasn’t even certain what people here usually wore, for one, and stealing, in general, left an unpleasant prickle in her chest. Not wrong, exactly. Just… unsettling.

She had meant to be practical. Judging by the looks she’d earned so far, she might have missed the mark. The white knit shirt over a gray turtleneck, the teal trench coat, the orange-and-purple plaid skirt, perhaps it was more colorful than necessary. The coat matched the funny little hat, at least. The neon yellow socks matched nothing at all, but they had been part of the display. Surely that counted for something. [color=544aba][i]Mannequins,[/i][/color] she reasoned, [color=544aba][i]were meant to give guidance.[/i][/color]

What bothered her most was that her mother’s portal had delivered her into a locked clothing store instead of her actual destination. It felt oddly discourteous, if portals could be accused of such things. Still, Rune was capable of adapting. She decided to add hiking to her list, if only out of principle, because that was what she was doing now. Hiking.

Her mother’s instructions had been simple: follow the road, seek the large edifice, and pledge allegiance to the organization that had sent out the call for aid. It sounded promising. Rune had always wanted to be part of something larger than herself. Some of the spirits spoke fondly of teams and the shared purpose of having a place where you were needed, wanted. Honor came with that, she supposed, but what she really wanted was the experience. The walking, however, was proving less charming than she’d hoped, especially in the borrowed shoes. Shiny white, sharply heeled, and entirely unforgiving. After some consideration, she decided they were designed less for travel and more for endurance.

[color=544aba]“I could take them off,”[/color] she said lightly, thinking aloud as she often did. Long conversations with spirits had taught her there was nothing wrong with that, as long as she didn’t argue with herself. [color=544ABA]“I imagine they’d be easier to manage that way.”[/color]

That decided it. She stepped off the road and carefully eased herself out of the shoes, one and then the other, mindful not to scuff them. For a moment, she weighed leaving them behind, but that felt unkind. Instead, she tucked them under her arm and carried on, her steps immediately lighter. She tried to whistle as she walked. The sound came out soft and uneven, but she didn’t mind. Practice was part of learning.

The day itself was lovely. Blue sky stretched overhead, scattered with drifting clouds, and though the sun had warmed her more than expected, it was a pleasant sort of warmth. Rune wondered why Midgardians didn’t travel more often in those rumbling metal vehicles, they seemed far more efficient, but she suspected there were rules about such things. Still, the thought made her smile, and she made a mental note to ask someone later. She followed the road without hurry, balancing carefully along its center line when she could, attentive and content, as though Midgard were already beginning to meet her halfway.

Some dozens of yards behind her, a black SUV rolled over the asphalt in the direction of the Tower. With a clear line of sight to Rune's back, the vehicle began to slow before it came to a stop. In the driver's seat, Jules leaned forward on the steering wheel with a set of binoculars held up to her eyes. She took in the sight, a short barefooted woman with an audacious sense of style walked calmly. Jules’ eyes shifted to a small screen in the center console that displayed strange readings of radiation unfamiliar to this realm. She leaned back into the seat, setting the binoculars down on a tray near the center console.

The agency was right: a fresh god straight from another realm had touched down suspiciously close to the old academy. Everything about the readings read as vaguely Asgardian. Jules glanced at the large sidearm resting on a holster connected to her door and took a deep breath. First contact was never her strong suit, but someone had to make the first move. Worst case, she'd have to make sure to spam the buttons on her pager and hope the agency got the SOS in time.

The SUV rolled up a few yards behind Rune, sliding to a halt on the shoulder of the road. Jules popped open the door and stepped out, readjusting her jacket to hide the freshly holstered gun under her arm. She took a deep breath as she slammed the car door shut, approaching the stranger. She still couldn't quite muster up a greeting, settling for the most direct opening. [color=cdb6d6]"Good Morning… Are you lost?"[/color]

Rune slowed at the sound of the engine, turning with an unguarded curiosity rather than alarm. The woman who stepped from the dark vehicle looked purposeful in a way Rune recognized from stories, someone accustomed to being the first to speak, even when she would rather not. She adjusted the shoes under her arm and let her bare feet settle against the warm road before smiling, bright and open, as though being stopped like this were simply another part of the journey.

[color=544ABA]“Lost?”[/color] she echoed gently, tasting the word as if it were new. Her head tipped to one side, thoughtful rather than confused. [color=544ABA]“I am not quite certain I qualify for that yet. I have never been to Midgard before, so I do not actually know where I am meant to be standing at any given moment.”[/color]

Her gaze drifted briefly down the road, tracing the painted line beneath her toes, then lifted again, earnest and mildly amused. [color=544ABA]“The roads are very strange, though. I expected them to be… bigger, I think. Or perhaps louder. In Hel, paths are more a matter of intention than construction.”[/color] She gave a small, apologetic shrug, as if she hoped the comparison wasn’t rude.

Rune shifted the shoes against her side once more and straightened, her tone warming with purpose. [color=544ABA]“I am looking for a large edifice,”[/color] she continued, the word pronounced carefully, tone matter-of-a-fact. [color=544ABA]“Something important. An organization, I believe. My mother sent me there.”[/color] A faint note of pride slipped in despite her best efforts to keep things simple. [color=544ABA]“Hela thought I might be of use, after the call for aid.”[/color]

She paused, then smiled again, soft this time, hopeful rather than certain. [color=544ABA]“If you happen to know the way, I would be very grateful for the direction.”[/color]

Jules’ mind raced as she stared at the demigod straight-faced. [I]Midgard[/i] was a very specific term, one used by the Tower's resident Asgardian. [I]Hel,[/i] as spoken, could refer to the resident biker's ‘dark passenger’ or an Asgardian domain. But the name [i]Hela[/i] clicked things in place. Daughter of the Queen of the Hel… on any other day, the protocol was simple. Jules would bring her in to the office and let the bureaucrats deal with this. Given things with Zaria and Tobias, letting another powerful being out of her sight seemed like negligence. After all, they hadn't been able to stop any abductions so far… but the folks at the old academy had.

[color=cdb6d6]"You're in luck,"[/color] Jules replied, turning her head to monitor the horizons. [color=cdb6d6]"I am working with the folks you are looking for."[/color] That wasn't a lie, but Jules wasn't entirely certain on which [i]exact[/i] organization this extraplanar traveler was referring to. [color=cdb6d6]"I can take you to them… save you some of the effort."[/color]

Rune’s smile warmed like sunlight on frost, brightening her whole face as though gratitude were something that glimmered out of her. The shoes remained tucked beneath her arm, but she stood a touch straighter at Jules’ words, relief softening the quiet tension in her shoulders.

[color=544ABA]“Thank you,”[/color] she said, voice clear and earnest, each syllable shaped with the careful diction of someone who had learned speech from books and spirits rather than other people. [color=544ABA]“That would be most welcome. I have been told the journey would be simple but, as it happens, simplicity is a matter of perspective.”[/color]

She turned her attention to the looming metal contraption behind Jules, expression curious but edged with caution. It was a wary sort of wonder, like someone standing at the shoreline of an unfamiliar sea. Rune stepped closer by degrees, bare feet whispering against the pavement, her gaze tracing the shape of the vehicle as though trying to locate the heartbeat within it.

[color=544ABA]“If I may ask,”[/color] she ventured, head tilting slightly, [color=544ABA]“What is it powered by? It moves without hooves, and I do not sense magic. I had thought perhaps Midgard relied upon enchanted machinery, yet there is no tether of power that I can feel.”[/color] 

Her smile flickered back, soft with sincerity rather than embarrassment. [color=544ABA]“My mother spoke of Midgard as a realm built upon innovation. I am beginning to understand her meaning. Though everything is very… flat.”[/color] She drew in a steadying breath, gathering both her courage, and her shoes, and inclined her head in a small, formal nod, courtly without pretension.

[color=544ABA]“If you are truly one of the people I have been sent to find, then I am very fortunate indeed. I would be grateful for your guidance. And I promise,”[/color] her gaze shone with a hopeful spark, [color=544ABA]“I shall be a useful aid to the cause of the organization."[/color]

Jules looked back at the vehicle as Rune approached, asking questions about its function. She paused, readjusting her jacket again as she mulled over the questions. She was never the “first point of contact” for dealing with folks like this. When undercover, she could fall back on an identity and the profile assigned to the role. As herself, there was a vulnerability and a loss for words in how to approach the situation. Unlike her acquaintances at the tower, jumping in the sack probably wasn’t the easiest approach… especially if she would have to walk the godling through it. [color=cdb6d6]"It’s got wheels instead of hooves so it can just roll forward. As for how it moves…"[/color] Jules trailed off, sighing slightly as she wasn’t even sure how to conceptualize an engine in terms the stranger would get. [color=cdb6d6]"It’s complicated. We’ve got nerds at the Tower who can explain."[/color]

The description of Earth as flat was… amusing, given her time abroad. The smallest of smiles pierced the professional mask she presented, taking a look around at their surroundings. [color=cdb6d6]"[i]Midgard[/i] can vary more than out here,"[/color] Jules simply remarked, shrugging her shoulders. She took a couple steps back towards the van, nodding towards it with her head. [color=cdb6d6]"Why don’t you hop in so I can take you to meet the others? We’ve got someone there who would be [i]very[/i] interested to see you."[/color]

Rune paused before the metal beast, toes curling against the warm road. The peculiar handle beckoned, an invitation of polished metal, and she reached for it with careful curiosity. It yielded beneath her fingers with a soft click, the entire side of the contraption swinging outward like a door to some hidden chamber. Her breath caught, wonder blooming bright across her features, eyes lighting up. [color=544ABA]“Ooooh…”[/color] The sound slipped from her, quiet and delighted, before she remembered herself and straightened, spine elegant despite her uncertainty. She climbed inside with the same cautious reverence one might show a temple, gathering her skirt and tucking her knees as she settled. The door thudded, too gentle to latch properly, and she winced, cheeks warming as she tried again, this time coaxing it closed with a firmer push.

Her borrowed shoes sat primly in her lap, like small, obedient animals she was determined to keep in line. For a moment, she smoothed the teal coat around her, steadying her nerves with the familiar texture of its sleeve. When Jules joined her, Rune offered a bright, grateful smile, one hand curling loosely around the shoes as though they tethered her to bravery.

[color=544ABA]“Thank you for assisting me,”[/color] she said, tone formal but warm, like sunlight filtered through silk. [color=544ABA]“It is most kind of you. If I may… what is the proper name by which I should address you?”[/color] Her gaze lingered on Jules, not demanding, merely earnest, as the engine’s hum stirred beneath them.

Jules opened her door to the SUV and turned her back to Rune for a moment, removing her sidearm and slotting it into the holster in the door. She readjusted her suit jacket and turned to face the side of the SUV, checking her reflection carefully. She looked put together enough, a good first impression. Some habits from going deep cover were hard to shake, even when she had no character to play. A moment later, Jules slotted herself into the driver’s seat and quickly buckled up, looking her passenger over.

[color=cdb6d6]"My name is Jules. What’s yours?"[/color] She hesitated a moment before throwing the car in drive, considering whether to try and get the Asgardian to put her seatbelt on. If she was anything like her kin, a car accident was unlikely to even leave a mark. Without much fanfare, Jules began to pull out from the shoulder and onto the road proper. Her eyes remained fixed on the road, only flicking away to check the mirrors or horizon. [color=cdb6d6]"Did I hear you say something about Hela?"[/color] The question was swift, simple, and to the point.

Rune paused for a heartbeat as the vehicle rolled smoothly beneath her, eyes tracing the contours of the interior with a mixture of fascination and caution. She dipped into a gentle curtsy within the confines of her seat, the motion subtle yet deliberate, and offered a bright, almost radiant smile.

[color=544ABA]“I am Rune Helasdottir,”[/color] she began, her voice lilting like a soft breeze through the branches of Hel’s ever-silent woods. [color=544ABA]“It is a  pleasure to make your acquaintance on such a sun-kissed morning, though Midgard is… most curious to me.”[/color] She drew a delicate hand to her chest, gaze dropping briefly to the shoes she had tucked into her lap, before rising to meet Jules’ eyes once more.

[color=544ABA]“Yes, I did speak of Hela,”[/color] she continued, a faint blush touching her pale cheeks. [color=544ABA]“She is my mother, sovereign of Hel, and this is the first occasion I have ventured beyond the borders of my home. To blend, as it were, I found it necessary to acquire garments from a… doll within a shop. I trust my attire is… passable?”[/color] Her words lingered in the air, soft but earnest, carrying the quiet wonder of someone seeing the world for the very first time, and the careful, sincere attempt of a daughter eager to do her mother proud.

[color=cdb6d6]"It’s…"[/color] Jules hesitated, keeping herself as focused on the road as possible. She did sneak a glance back towards the interesting assortment of fabric and colors. She tilted her head slightly in acquiescence. [color=cdb6d6]"It seems to suit you."[/color] Jules offered the tiniest smile as she took in a breath, processing everything else she said.

Rune’s arrival was certainly no coincidence, especially given her mother seemed to receive the [i]call for aid[/i]. From her recollection, Hela didn’t seem to be on the same side as the Avengers or Justice League. The fact that she picked up the signal meant that nearly anyone could have, and that would certainly be a problem for the folks at the old academy. Another headache, and another reason to limit these solo excursions away from its grounds. Certainly the Waynes and Starks had made plenty of defenses for the Academy grounds to prevent a direct assault, or buy them time to escape.

Jules let out a small sigh, trying to wipe her usual pessimistic paranoia from her mind. She had a job for now, a simple one: survey the situation. [color=cdb6d6]"So… what did the sovereign tell you of the situation in Midgard?"[/color] The question felt ridiculous to utter, but the wording was probing enough to try and get Rune talking. It was best to determine everything she could before walking a potential threat straight in the front door of her new home. 

Rune’s face brightened at once, the approval settling over her like a benediction. Her shoulders eased, and she dipped her head in a small, graceful nod, as though Jules had bestowed something more meaningful than a simple compliment.

[color=544ABA]“I am glad to hear it,”[/color] she said warmly. [color=544ABA]“I feared I might appear… improperly assembled.”[/color] The corner of her mouth curved with gentle humor, and she smoothed the skirt in her lap with careful fingers, the shoes resting neatly atop the fabric as if they, too, were listening. At Jules’ question, Rune turned her gaze toward the passing world outside the window, watching the landscape scroll by like a living tapestry. When she spoke again, her voice carried a thoughtful cadence, unhurried and sincere.

[color=544ABA]“My mother has watched Midgard for a very long while,”[/color] she explained. [color=544ABA]“It has ever been a realm of… contradiction. Fragile, yet relentless. Brief in its lifespans, yet endlessly inventive. I believe she finds it fascinating.”[/color] A pause, then a soft addition, almost fond. [color=544ABA]“One might call it a hobby, though she would not.”[/color]

Rune shifted slightly, offering a small, almost careless shrug, as if what followed were of little consequence rather than cosmic weight. [color=544ABA]“Of late, however, her attention has sharpened. The call for aid did not reach her by chance, nor did she answer without deliberation. She feels the balance here has begun to… tremble.”[/color] Her fingers traced an idle line along the edge of her coat sleeve. [color=544ABA]“Not in a manner that is wholly dire,”[/color] she added, gently reassuring, [color=544ABA]“But enough that observation alone no longer suffices. Thus, she sent me.”[/color]

The explanation did little to soothe Jules’ growing concerns. From her recollection, Hela was an adversary to the allies of the IHA in Asgard. If she had a vested interest in Earth at such a precarious time, the odds were she wasn't on their side. That being said, years of experience had honed Jules’ gut. She could tell in her core, with a high degree of certainty, whether someone posed a danger. While Rune was almost certainly strong, her defenselessness made it clear she wasn't like most soldiers she faced. She was not being careless because she thought herself better, she seemed curious more than anything.

If Hela had chosen this girl as a spy or a weapon, she had certainly chosen poorly. Perhaps whatever danger the descendants faced even had gods and goddesses fearful that they were next. If that was the case, then having another demigod on their side would prove a great boon. Still… Jules could relate, in some way. [color=cdb6d6]"So… she sent you here to help out…"[/color] The statement hung more like a question than a fact, Jules’ gaze briefly flicking to her passenger. [color=cdb6d6]"We could use any help we can get at this point, but they might be a bit… weary. You'll need to convince them if you plan on sticking around."[/color]

Rune hummed softly at that, a low, thoughtful sound that lingered in her chest like the echo of a distant bell. She considered Jules’ words with care, eyes drifting once more to the road unfurling before them, to the steady certainty of its direction even as the world beyond it shifted and blurred.

[color=544ABA]“I am here to be of help, if they will have me,”[/color] she said at last, her voice gentle but sure, shaped with the gravity of an oath even though she spoke it lightly. [color=544ABA]“It would please me greatly to lend what strength I possess, though I would rather it be given than imposed. Aid is best when it is welcomed, I think.”[/color]

Her hands folded neatly over the shoes in her lap, fingers resting there as though they were upon a small, patient creature. She lifted her gaze to Jules again, open and unguarded, without the slightest hint of offense at the notion of mistrust.

[color=544ABA]“If there is doubt, I shall answer it,”[/color] she continued, a faint, hopeful warmth threading through her words. [color=544ABA]“I will speak to them of my mother’s intent, and of my own, and of the place from which I come. So long as they will listen, I shall explain all that I am able. Truth is not fragile, even when it is quiet.”[/color]

A smile touched her lips then— small, sincere, almost shy in its brightness.

[color=544ABA]“I have never belonged to such a gathering before,”[/color] Rune admitted, with the soft wonder of confession. [color=544ABA]“The thought of standing among others with a shared purpose… it is a rare and precious thing to me. Even if they decide I am unsuited, I will be grateful to have tried.”[/color] She tilted her head slightly, as though already imagining the faces of those she had yet to meet.

Jules’ grip on the steering wheel tightened, her face remaining blank as it continued to observe the road in front of them. The one kindness her father had shown was taking over the responsibility of teaching her so that she could ignore tedious topics like plays and poetry. Every word Rune spoke felt like a rhyme in some grand poem about happiness or grief or whatever topic poets felt like wasting a reader’s time litigating. Getting a straight answer felt like pulling teeth, though the pain of that would arguably be a bit more bearable.
 
Despite the frustration, Jules’ face remained an expressionless mask. She loosened her grip on the wheel, letting the tension in her shoulders relax slightly. There was a through-line, one that was becoming increasingly clear: this girl was isolated. Isolation was often a means of coercion, a tool to mold someone in their own image. This Rune, whether she knew it or not, was another pawn on the chessboard. Whether she liked it or not, there was nothing really she could do about her now except to bring her to the heart of the operation. She could let the others determine the truth, parse through the jumbled mess of metaphor and verse to figure out who exactly she was.

So, for now, Jules drove down the lonely road, clicking her tongue slightly as she considered a response. When she did speak, her tone was flat. [color=cdb6d6]"A… gathering like this isn’t all it’s cracked up to be."[/color] It was an oddly vulnerable statement, one masked under an almost dismissive tone. [color=cdb6d6]"It’s a bit easier to work alone. It’s a more controlled environment, less variables. Mistakes are your own, not the fault of anyone else. And the gathering we have is… volatile. Tense. This whole thing is bound to collapse at any time, and a lot of people are going to wind up hurt when it does."[/color] She let out a soft sigh, her eyes drifting briefly to the girl dressed in a visual cacophony. There was a part of Jules that felt sorry for her, seeming to acknowledge truly for the first time just how unprepared the stranger seemed for what laid ahead.

[color=cdb6d6]"So… I would be careful of getting too attached."[/color]

Rune hummed again, soft and distant, the sound threading itself between the low growl of the engine and the whisper of air against the windows. Her gaze drifted from the passing fields to Jules’ rigid profile, then back to the long gray ribbon of road, as though the answer might be written there in motion rather than words.

She did not seem troubled by the warning itself. The emotion beneath it, weariness, caution, the old ache of disappointment, registered only dimly, like a language she understood in theory but had never needed to speak. That, she supposed, was something deeply human, to bruise so often upon hope that one learned to keep it folded small.

The danger, however. The volatility. The promise of fracture.

That was interesting.

[color=544ABA]“The darkness of the storm determines the brightness of the rainbow,”[/color] she said at last, voice light, almost conversational, as though remarking upon the weather.

A small smile touched her lips as she watched the world slip by, green bending into brown, sky thinning into distance. There was no fear in her expression, only a quiet, thoughtful sort of anticipation. To Rune, collapse was not merely an ending, it was a crucible. Mortals forged meaning in such moments, from loss, from ruin, from the fragile bravery of standing together even when standing promised pain. They carved their songs and poems and stories from it, spun beauty from the ache, called it art, called it love, called it living.

If this gathering was destined to be volatile, to wound and be wounded, then it would be [i]real.[/i] And reality, in all its brief, burning strangeness, fascinated her more than any untouched eternity ever could. She said nothing more. The smile lingered, gentle and unreadable.

The corner of Jules’ eyebrow raised as she passed a glance towards her passenger. The optimism was a change of pace, once that she wasn’t acclimated to. Maybe a splash of color in the tower wasn’t a bad thing, with all the brooding badasses and self-obsessed narcissists. Jules merely shrugged her shoulders, turning her head back to face the road. She muttered her response under her breath, more an internal monologue than a statement. [color=cdb6d6]"Well aren’t you a ray of sunshine… they’re going to [i]love[/i] you.."[/color]

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