strangetrip

If a thing done more than once could be said to be a tradition, then tradition was observed. The restaurant was set for a party, overflowing with whatever the cooks and bakers of the inn had chosen to create. The bar was stocked from the wine cellar. The bartenders had created a couple of special New Year's cocktails for the occasion in addition to the usual champagne: Blue "Drunk Jack Frosties", frothy pink "Mistletoe Margaritas" and warm boozy hot cocoa.

Caroline had tried to convince each of the guests she knew had musical talent to perform, at least a song or two, but had a playlist ready in case they didn't. For those without their own instruments, the karaoke machine was set up in the lobby, conveniently near the bar so one could find courage as needed first.

Between Christmas and today, the decorations had been changed out - the tree was still there of course, and the mistletoe. But now golds and silvers dominated the colors of the streamers. Sparkling snowflakes dangled and sprays of gold stars. A banner hung over Darryl's head, wishing any who glanced his way a Happy New Year! There was even a disco ball, dug out from some storage closest, turning slowly and sending little shards of light dancing over the pink rose carpet.

Even from the outside, the inn radiated good cheer and hope for the future, as if by sheer will, they could all make it so.

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"Haven't you thought about changing it? Finding a way to tell fate to screw you?" Because Bo thought that's what she would do. She'd find some way to fix everything or die trying.

"About Asgard?" he asks. "No. There was never going to be any other way to stop Hela."

But other things?

Yes.

"When I get back home, I have something called The Garuda to fight. The Ash made me his champion." She eye-rolled at that, but when to pour more drink for Thor. "The Garuda's the reason I had to kill Nadia."

"The Ash?"

Thor waits for Bo to fill his glass, then takes a swig, watching Bo all the while.

"The name for the leader of the Light Fae. Why? I don't know. His real name is Lachlan and we don't get along. I don't exactly trust him, but I don't have a choice either." And that irked her very much.

"Why no choice?"

She did a palms up gesture - not because she didn't know, but to same something along the lines of 'isn't that always the case?' "Because the Garuda is coming no matter what and Lachlan is some sort of big snake." She paused, thinking. "A Naga." She wondered briefly if that was a thing for Thor like her run ins with Norse mythology in the past - she mostly didn't listen to Trick about the origin of a Fae. Bo was more concerned on how to stop them.

"He has poison and it's apparently the only way to kill this thing so," she had to.

Thor is familiar with Nagas.

"Are you the only out there, fighting things?" Thor gestures vaguely with his drink-less hand.

"No. But everyone else is limited by politics. Dyson, for example, is Light Fae. Technically can only operate in Light Fae territory unless he gets permission from the Dark." And the Dark liked to not be amiable on principle sometimes.

"Nothing stopping him from joining you on the neutral side," Thor says, though he has no real understanding of fae politics beyond what Bo has told him already. Thor was a forceful personality, and sometimes he did things against the judgment or suggestion of others.

For better or for worse.

"Dyson's very old school." She had no idea how old he was, but she was pretty sure he was around when the Vikings were. "Oaths and promises and all that. But if you think you can change his mind, by all means." She'd really rather welcome that, actually.

"I think oaths are important, but not as important as people." That much was true. There was a lot that was sacred in Asgardian culture, but he was happy to have it all burn to save Hela. It was sacrilege, but it needed to be done if he wanted to keep other people alive.

"I'm afraid I don't understand your friends."

"You and me both." She gave him a smile though, because while she didn't want to be aligned to a side, she was fond of them. "They're aren't bad, though. And I'm mixing up their world a lot." She winked playfully.

"I don't think most humans are all that bad," Thor says. "I think they're pretty cute, most of the time." It's true.

"Surprisingly, I only have a few human friends back home." Here was a different story, which was nice. Bo smiled, though it was tinged with sadness around the edges. "Safer to keep humans out of the Fae world. They aren't exactly treated equally."

"Most other species consider humans uncivilized and backwards," he says. "Kept them safe, at least. No one really interfered with Earth, even though everyone knew where it was."

Thor didn't think humans nearly as stupid as some species thought they were, but he'd also spent more time with them than most. Thor pushes his glass towards Bo.

"Can I get another?"

This time Bo pours Thor a triple, filling the glass up. "How many alien races look like us?" She gestured between her and Thor. Neither of them were human, but they both could definitely pass as one.

"How much like humans?" Thor asks, his fingers curling around the glass. "Plenty of humanoids, some might have a far easier time passing as humans than others."

NYE

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