Book 4: Arcane [Thor]

Chapter 6

This being the third time experiencing the Asgardian brew, nothing changed in regards to her reaction after two sips. At least Sif knew her limits from their nights in at the house in Norway. Though there were no Midgard alcoholic drinks to switch to here in a social manner. Thankfully, the female warrior and barkeep mixed something milder together for the young woman to enjoy instead. It had a fruity after taste. It felt like Anya's fingertips were tingling, a buzz on the brain. Her surroundings swayed a bit when stood so she stayed seated at the table Volstagg rounded up for them upon their arrival.

"I must say that I'm impressed," Hogun commented. "I half expected you to be passed out on the table top or lying on the floor."

The next time she indulged like this Thor needed to be present to see for himself.

"I just feel loopy," Anya drawled out.

A few times the young woman swayed in the chair, Sif reaching out to hold her steady. It made the agent laugh and the female warrior chuckle into her own pint.

"This is most amusing," the larger warrior bellowed. He slammed down his empty mug, beard a bit wet from the alcohol.

"Your cheeks are almost as red as an apple," Fandral stated.

He poked at one of Anya's cheeks. She swatted his hand away and gave a pout in response.

"You're red too," she pointed out.

"Pink, maybe. But too early in the evening for me to be red."

They stayed till late in the evening. Anya didn't quite remember leaving the pub. There were flashes of Sif and Hogun leading her back to the palace when the agent woke the next afternoon. And a bit of a headache. Asgardian alcohol directly from the source seemed to be a lot stronger than the canteen Sif would bring along, which was probably older. A note and a drink sat on the night table. Courtesy of Hogun's family hangover remedy it seemed. After a nice hot bath and a change of clothes, Anya already began to feel the pain in her head ebb away.

The young woman ventured out to the field where Odin's herd grazed. After a night out like that she had no intentions of hitting the library. Besides, a person always deserved a lazy day once in a while. Gyllir enjoyed having her around. He followed the agent on her walk through the outer grounds. Then being used as a pillow when they decided to rest for a bit in the sunshine. A few of the other stallions joined them. Anya rather liked this mode of relaxation. Which is why with the permission of the historian, he allowed her to bring along a book to read outside the library. One that wasn't from the archives.

Eventually, the research on the Infinity Stones began to dry up. Which was a bit disheartening. The historian had reached out to his contacts in the Nine Realms for more information, but there was even less to go off of there. It seemed no one liked to speak about the stones. They brought nothing but destruction and ill will from their reputation. Anya decided to read a bit about Asgard's history instead to pass the time.

No word from Thor came as she kept her promise to keep an eye on Odin in his absence. The young woman tried to search for anything out of the ordinary in regards to his dreams– nightmares. But nothing seemed to be threatening the throne at the moment. Even the few times the young woman managed to eavesdrop on conversations, there was nothing of note. And the Aether appeared to be rather calm as of late. If even a bit more careful so to not be found out. Which in a way, Anya should have expected. The Aether and Asgard had a history. Though there seemed to be things... missing in that area too. Asgard's past looked rather sparse in areas. At least compared to folklore heard on Midgard. Like things had been purposefully removed.

"The history of this realm in the library," Anya inquired one day to Sif, "it's the same as it's always been?"

"It's what all of us grew up on," the female warrior confirmed. "Though we've only experienced a small fraction of its history."