strangetrip | Check-In Day: Around the Inn

Finished with self-imposed paperwork and emergency planning for the week, Regina permitted herself a leisurely ride on this absolutely gorgeous spring day. After a good gallop, Grace was content to walk, cropping at dried scrub and new shoots when Regina gave her rein. Regina steered the mare gently toward the west; she could teleport, of course, but she appreciated the quiet of riding toward the beach. She found, in the wake of Henry's Christmas visit, she more often craved the scent of the salt air and ocean breezes. Of course, the Pacific never quite smelled like the Atlantic, always warmer and less bracing somehow, but it soothed the wildness in her just the same.

Back at the Inn, Kitty busied herself with stocking the pool bar and generally setting up for the warmer seasons. The pool had been skimmed of winter detritus and chlorinated by the staff-spectre she rarely if ever saw, and there were fresh towels set out like a proper resort. Since the choice of music was hers, the air around the bar filled with dance beats, Afro-Caribbean today, and Kitty moved right into it. She didn't usually dance at work, but she felt bright today and maybe Lara would come down and work with her and they could goof around Cocktail style.

Sam passed through the Copper Cafe in search of a cup of coffee and a salad, or one of the two gorgeous women he'd somehow wound up involved with. His brow scrunched like a caterpillar hurrying away from a predator while he semi-consciously outpaced thoughts about babies and brothers, and possibly babies and girlfriends. His mild scowl wasn't helped by the pack of spirits trailing him and chatting at him about the lives of his family members. He'd asked them not to gossip about people he wasn't close with, but as a consequence, they talked rapidly and often about River's most recent oddness or his mother and Hathaway acting like...well, like him and Molly and Bo, and no thanks. Ditto on Dean and Jane. For all that he looked a little bothered, there wasn't anything menacing or aggressive about it. If anything, the slight tilt of his head as he strolled through the Inn looked thoughtful, as though he listened to something somewhat distant.

Lillith had come to a bit of a routine for arrival days, and around noon, she sat for tea with River Song. They spoke little, and it was difficult to tell whether the women even liked each other. But for all that, Lillith was content with the ritual. If Curnen sang, she would go out to the lawn next and listen. In fact, on such a sunny day, she would undoubtedly flop on the lawn with a sketchbook and a practice notebook, letting her mind float between image and spellcraft as it would. Out here, she would quickly veil herself at the approach of anyone new, but she often was distracted enough that they might catch her in her true form with her all unaware.

Around them, the Inn hummed and buzzed with the happy energy of winter giving way to spring. The most patient and subtle would undoubtedly note the undercurrents of tension, fear, frustration, and boredom that built up over time. But for day, at least so far as this four were aware, the worst of it had been suspended, in favor of enjoying warm sun and the company of friends.

[OOC: GP. It's a gorgeous day. Come and play! All four of mine can be available. Ping me if you're inspired to tag. <3 Welcome, Carol, Toby, and Number Five!]

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Toby clapped in delight. "Yep, just like that!" He then put his fingers to his cheeks and made a pop, pop, pop sound that was the same rhythm as the song. "Boom, boom ,shake the room, say what!"

Thor follows suit with the same sounds and words; if he has an ounce of self-consciousness inside of them, it's not showing now. Troll dances and their songs are not beneath him.

He lets out a bark of laughter when he's done. "Your trolls sound a lot more fun than mine do," he says.

Toby nodded enthusiastically. "They are! Well I don't know your trolls but the ones at Troll Market are awesome. What are your trolls like?"

"Like anyone else, I suppose," he says. "There are good trolls and bad trolls, but they're easily stronger than humans and stronger than even some Vanir and Aesir, so they have been known to make trouble. Usually only when and where they have an obvious advantage."

"My other best friend AARRGGHH is like that! Well, he is huge like you so he kind of always has an advantage, but he's way stronger than most trolls." Toby thought about the trolls in his world, both good and bad, and then asked Thor, "do they have a special place they live? Like for my friend AARRGGHHH and Blinky, it's the Troll Market under the bridge in town, but for the Quagawumps that I pretended to be their king, it was the swamps of Florida."

Thor can't even answer Toby's question because there's only one thing on his mind right now:

"Is that your friend's name?"

"What?" Toby was a little confused at the question. Blinky wasn't a weird name. Then the light bulb went on, "Oh! You mean AARRGGHH? Yep that's his name. He's great!"

Thor grins at that. He likes the name.

"The Rock Trolls live all over the Nine Realms," he says. "Except on Earth. They don't live on Earth." For obvious reasons. "They tried attacking Nidavellir a few years ago, but I helped stop them, so."

Thor wave a hand vaguely.

Toby had to wonder if his friends on Earth were one of the reasons why Thor's trolls weren't there. His eyes grew wide at the thought of Thor stopping them, "what'd you do?"

"I helped drive them out," Thor answers, intentionally avoiding the specifics. "Being Protector of the Nine Realms means I have to keep the peace."

And sometimes, keeping the peace wasn't always a clean job.

Toby knew all too well being a protector meant people died and he also knew when someone didn't want to say more. Jim was like that, holding back on some of the stuff that he'd seen. AARRGGHH, too.

"Wow, how do you know when stuff is going on in the other Eight Realms?"

"My best friend Heimdall had the all-sight," he says. "He could see and hear nearly anything in the universe. Whenever there was trouble, he would let me know."

"SAY WWWHHHHHAAAATTTT? That is awesome!" That's even smarter than Blinky and Toby didn't think that was possible. Then a sudden thought came to him, "Hey! Have you tried contacting him from here? I mean I know we're supposed to be cut off..... but if he knows sees and hears everything." He was pretty sure Thor had tried to get in touch with his friend, but it didn't hurt to ask!

Thor feels a sting in his chest at the question, but it never registers on his face.

"We've tried everything we could think of to get in touch with anyone from back home. Nothing has worked and if there was anyone who would be able to find us, it would be Heimdall."

Thor is certain of that.

Toby gave a little nod with a small sigh. "Yeah, I thought so or you'd already be gone before I got here." Which would have been tragic! "So the bubble must be really, really thick then."

Thor nods sagely. "If you manage to find anything about it, let me know." True enough, neither he nor Tony were able to figure anything, but Thor knew better than to discount anyone's help.

Toby wrinkled his nose, "I'm not really the science type. Well except geology, I like rocks. But! I like adventures and discovering things so maybe next time my hammer kind of takes me up in the sky I'll try to figure out how thick the bubble is."

"I'm not really the science type, either," Thor confesses in low tones, as if telling Toby a secret. "I learned just enough to get by in my studies."

A beat, and then, he adds:

"I like rocks, too. Once you're settled in, I need to find some for a project I'm working on. Let's search for them together."

"That would be AWESOME!!!" Toby was excited. Well about the same as he had been since he'd met Thor and arriving.

Thor holds out a hand for Toby to shake.

"I'm in room 174 if you need anything. It's the room with the pink door and the flowers all over it."

Toby took the offered hand and shook it, albeit a little awkwardly. "Sounds like I'll be able to find it really easy!"

"With all the pink, it might be more difficult than you think," he says, grinning. "I'll see you around."

"See ya around!" Toby waved and then turned to go to his room and get out of his armor.

HE'D JUST MET THOR!!!!!!!

Check-In Day: Around the Inn

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