Mischief on Midgard

The night before

"Well then, let's get this meeting going," Tony said, taking up a position where he seemed to be the most comfortable, right in the center of the platform that had been hastily put up in the middle of a field where everyone could see him.

They had moved their meeting place to a large park, which Tony had rented for the day. Why? Because by this point, there were too many people for them to squeeze into even Tony's largest conference room in the Tower. All of the Avengers were present. Along with those Asgardian Warriors that Odin had sent, the Wakandan warriors that King T'Challa had sent, as well as all the masters of the Mystic Arts that Doctor Strange had called upon for aid. Too many people to count by this point. The crowd was huge.

"Two months ago, we were warned of a threat heading our way," Tony said firmly, hands behind his back. "We were also given access to when and how this threat was going to attack us, giving us the precious time we needed to get ready to confront the threat. I, for one, feel that we can be proud of ourselves. We have done all we can, working day and night, to prepare ourselves. Thanos, the mad titan who would see us all die or break before his might, is only twenty-four hours away. So says our friend, the All-Seer of Asgard."

The crowd had gone silent as Tony spoke. Tension had mounted in the shoulders of more than one of the warriors called upon. Tony met the gazes of as many people as he could before continuing.

"Twenty-four hours from now, we will be on the front lines of what will likely be a near literal Hell on Earth as a battle, a war, unlike anything we have ever seen before reaches our planet," Tony fell silent for a moment before grinning and holding out his arms wide. "That's then. This is now. And now? We're all here, and it is time for one last hurrah! Let's party, people!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Tony hit the switch to start up the music. The crowd wasted no time moving to get to the drink and food tables, where Tony had set things up with anything anyone might want. Alcoholic drinks? Check. Fruit drinks? Smoothies? Sodas? All there. Even the food tables were loaded with tons of food. Burgers, pizza, doughnuts, hot-dogs, french fries, various kinds of pasta, steak, and more. Even deserts. Whatever you could think of when it came to food and drink was there, and people were happily digging in.

A party before a big battle. Another custom that Midgard and Asgard seemed to have in common. It was a way to ready themselves for the fight to come. To fortify themselves.

... and to say goodbye without words.

It was highly unlikely that everyone gathered in the crowd would survive. There were people in the crowd that would die in the battle to come. It was an unavoidable fact. No one knew who would pass on, but this was also why it was so important to forge this one last good memory. A chance to speak cheerfully with one's friends. A chance to make amends.

Loki found himself watching Pepper as she moved through the crowd. She was doing her best to smile and laugh with the rest of them, but she, like most, was fully aware of the reality behind Tony's big party. There were dark shadows in her eyes as Loki moved over to her side and the smile she flashed him was a brittle thing.

"How do you fare, Pepper?" he asked gently.

"Well, I suppose... " her smile wavered briefly, and she took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I suppose there is no denying it, is there? Tony is going to put himself on the front lines. I know why he's going to be there, why he has to be there. I just hope... that he'll survive this and... and finally be done. That this will be his last big fight, and we can... we can..."

Her voice drifted off as she looked toward Tony, where he was laughing with some of the others. Her hand fell to rest on her stomach. Loki's eyes followed her hand, and he frowned briefly before his eyes flew wide. He moved a step closer and lowered his voice.