strangetrip | [GP] SNOW DAY

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[GP] SNOW DAY

Thor and Loki got an early start, because there was a lot to do. Almost two weeks to the day since their first small-but-successful experiment with snow, Loki was confident that he'd improved enough for a bigger experiment. Still snow, because Thor wanted it and it did seem like a decent way to try something big-ish without causing Loki unnecessary grief with the other residents. (It was an arrival day, so there would perhaps be some grief with any new arrivals, but that was entirely acceptable.)

It was before dawn when they went out into the grounds. Thor called up clouds and loaded them with water so they hung low and heavy, covering the sky so that the sun, when it rose, wouldn't ruin the event. Loki took his frost giant shape and staff (now very familiar to his hand) and concentrated on dropping the temperature. Just around the Inn and grounds, but that was enough to be serious effort.

When the snow first started, the flakes were big and wet, and melted as soon as they hit the ground, which was still on the warm side. As they melted, they cooled the ground. After an hour or so, the flakes were smaller and more powdery - real snow, not glorified slush - and they were starting to stick to the ground.

By mid-morning, the Inn and grounds were covered with a thick layer of snow, and it continued to fall.

***

Meanwhile, indoors and inspired by the snow, Hurley and Xavin decided to try and make cookies. Cooking together was fun, since neither of them exactly knew what they were doing apart from 'follow the recipe', but since the point was 'try to make cookies' they ended up with a lot of cookies. Sugar cookies, gingerbread, all kinds.

There was no way they'd be able to eat all of them.

Instead, they loaded them onto trays and hauled them to the cafe, then brought out various frostings and candies for decorating. This had been completely intentional. Completely.

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It was probably not a good idea for Jane to admit she sort of felt sorry for Thor's sister.

"It must have been difficult for you to learn all of this later rather than earlier in your life."

"It would have been nice to have heard it from my father's lips than to hear it from the sister I didn't know about until moments before he died, yes." It comes out harder than Thor intended it, so he when his opens his mouth again, his tone's a little softer.

"He lied about our history, our sister... what else did he lie about?"

Jane was quiet for a moment, then she said softly, "I think maybe he didn't want to see disappointment in your eyes when he told you. He might have begun to believe the lies he told you as truth. We're pretty good at deceiving ourselves. Especially when you want to forget a past."

Or hope that the past you remember is wrong.

"Usually your past mistakes don't try to kill your sons immediately upon your death."

Thor tries to temper the bitterness he feels, but it comes out in the sound of his voice.

"Probably not." Jane had to agree, then she looked at him curiously. "What about any of your past mistakes? Would they come after people you cared about?"

She didn't have experience in that, except that if the FBI files about her on the laptop were correct, there were quite a few people in Jane's past that wouldn't hesitate to hurt people that she was close to.

"I'm not justifying your father's actions, or your sister's, only that there are different sides to stories."

For a few long moments, Thor says nothing.

"No," he says. "My mistakes tend to have immediate consequences." Or near-immediate. It's possible, too, that maybe he could have tempered some of his brother's animosity with changed behavior, but Loki himself seemed to believe there was nothing Thor could have done.

"I'm sorry." Jane reached over to put a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't mean to bring up harsh memories for you. One of the memories I have as Jane - if it's mine, is of the woman that raised me telling me that letting people close is a liability."

She smiled slightly, "I blew that theory out of the water since I've been here. I don't consider you or any of the others a liability, though I do think that you guys are my weakness." Jane's smile widened, "everyone has to have one, I don't mind my friends being mine."

"There are certainly worse ones." Friends were one of his weaknesses, too.

And on the subject of Jane's mother... "You know, your mother wanted you to marry me, as did my father. He wasn't exactly happy I had a Midgardian girlfriend."

Jane arched a brow at that. "Was it because I was familiar or that my mother was ambitious and wanted to marry me into royalty?" There was amusement as she asked the question.

"Probably a little of both," he says. "It probably didn't help that my father aggressively encouraged it."

Aggressively encouraged was one way of putting it. Another was that he applied vigorous pressure until the other party inevitably bent to his will.

There were some exceptions of course, like Frigga and Thor and Loki, but most people tended to want to please their king. Pressure generally wasn't necessary unless it involved one of those three, so Odin applied pressure from multiple sides. Sif's mother, who already wanted her daughter to marry into a good house, and then Thor himself, who wanted nothing more but to marry Jane.

Neither side, though, got what they wanted in the end.

"We got along well enough. I suspect that played some part in the match as well."

That made Jane laugh, "well that's a marriage I'd like to have. I got on well enough with my husband." She teased him. "It sounds like it was good luck that you went to Midgard and met your girlfriend."

Thor hums at that. "We broke up, though," he says. He doesn't regret it, but... "I don't think the two of us are going to be getting back together."

"I'm sorry." Jane said sincerely. But at least he had Tony here so that was a good thing. "Life get in the way?"

She knew what she had with Dean was temporary. They were from different worlds and apparently she had a future husband in Kurt. Life seemed to get in the way in a lot of ways.

"Something like that," he says. "She was busy with her work on Earth, I was busy protecting the Nine Realms. Long distance relationships -- they're tough."

Considerably tougher on Jane than on Thor, as she never knew with absolute certainty where he was going to be, how long he was going to be there, and when he was coming back.

Jane didn't know from experience about long distance relationships, but she was pretty sure two planets would have put more stress on the relationship.

"It must be hard being separated that far from someone you care about." It wasn't clear, but she was talking about both Thor and Jane. "Protecting the Nine Realms would at least keep you distracted. Not to mention keeping Earth safe, so thanks for that."

Even if it turned out that Jane's world wasn't the same as his Jane's world, she felt it needed to be said.

Thor smiles lightly at that.

"You know, we spent years apart from one another --" He gestures from Jane to himself. "-- and it felt entirely natural. It's not the same for humans. Weeks can feel like just a moment or an eternity to them. It's very --"

How can Thor describe this?

"-- weird," he supplies. "I don't know. Maybe if I didn't live as long as I did, I'd feel the same way they do."

Jane thought about her own experience and said, "I think it has more to do with familiarity. When I see you or Dean or Molly it feels like we just spoke and no time has gone by even though it might be days or weeks. But with some of the other people here, I can easily tell it's been a while since I've seen them."

She did nod though, and agree with him. "It is weird though."

"I think part of it is knowing where they are." True, there were people who returned home, but far more people seemed to stick around for long swaths of time. With the exception of the people he knew from his own timeline, Thor's friends had almost universally been there longer than he had. "Jane never really had that privilege. I wasn't exactly..."

How does he put it?

"...accessible."

Jane's brow furrowed for a moment because all she really knew was life at the inn, except for glimpses of other lives. She worked out what he was saying and nodded.

"Like here, except with a one way door. You'd never know when someone was coming back and you couldn't exactly call them." There was a brief pause, "that would be hard." Especially on a relationship more than a friendship.

Thor smiles at the comparison. "Something like that. It'll probably be easier once things settle down again." There was still Thanos to find and fight, but if he survived it, he'd settle with his people back on Earth.

"No it won't." Jane chuckled, "because you and I are the types that have to find the next adventure. I don't think our lives will ever settle down."

Thor hums at that. "Probably not," he concedes, he looks around, eyes scanning for some sign of his brother. "I should probably find Loki. We should probably start putting an end to the show soon."

"While I appreciate the snow, I think the others would be happy to see it end." She shot him a grin, "no offense."

"None taken," he assures her. His smile widens. "Speak with you soon."

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[GP] SNOW DAY

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