A Second Chance // Thorki

Chapter twenty one

Loki, although back on their ship, with air conditioning and comfortable clothing, along with wonderful blankets and soft pillows, in a safe environment, couldn't manage to sleep a wink.

It didn't help that Thor snored, and tossed and turned while he slept. And it also didn't help that his stomach would roar with hunger what seemed like every few seconds. And so, when he finally managed to fall asleep, of course, he didn't stay that way long, even with Albin cuddled up to his side.

And after such a sleepless night, of course, the very next day they had to discuss the planet and they Hamadryads they'd found.

Thor had allowed the trickster to drape himself rather dramatically over his throne, the thunderer choosing to stand instead while Loki struggled to keep awake. In the control room, everyone worked on their respective things while they had the conversation.

"So, what's the planet like? Safe?" Banner has asked, eyebrows raised.

"It's safe, from what we could tell. Hamadryads were the only creatures we encountered other than a few small fish in an underground lake." Thor was glad that the back of his throne was so wide- he was able to absentmindedly play with Loki's hair while they spoke. The gentle touches did nothing but lure the trickster closer to sleep. "And the Hamadryads were perfectly friendly. The only thing we're worried about is the heat, and the fact they're in a food shortage as well."

"A food shortage? Did you find out why?"

"Disease, I believe..." Loki uttered, "And an infestation of grasshopper-type creatures destroyed a lot of the crops..." he gave a yawn, sitting up and taking a moment to straighten up his hair before peaking over the top of the throne at the people around him, "I spoke with the king of the Hamadryads, and they seemed perfectly alright with the idea of having us inhabit the planet, however their foods are... acidic, and lack the nutrients we need. And we'd have to genetically modify most of their flora for it to have the nutritional value of Aesir-suitable food... Thor and I had one meal down there, and though we both ate plenty, we were hungry within an hour at the most, and we both felt rather drained... you know, midgardian fast food? Imagine eating that every day, for every meal. The root vegetables we ate down there were very similar... though, they tasted like vegetables instead of delicious, artificial delicacies."

He sunk down into the throne, finding a comfortable position to lounge in again.

Banner looked disgusted by the thought of eating fast food all the time, though the rest of them seemed unfazed by it.

"...Alright. You said the temperatures were high?" Valkyrie questioned.

"Far too high." Loki had a hand over his forehead, draped over the throne, dressed in nothing but black. The dramatic little twink answered in a rather bored and tired tone, "They were in their summer-like season, where we landed... it must've been almost fifty Celsius. I spoke with the king about winters, and they don't get very cold... you know, Asgard's climat was very similar to that of Greece, and where we landed was very similar to that country, latitude wise. The planet is, in general, hot. Far too hot. It would take multiple generations to adapt to the climat."

Heimdall leaned on his sword, golden eyes flickering between Thor and where the voice had come from. "What about the Hamadryads?"

"Very fine people, sophisticated and intelligent, despite living in a rock. I'd like to consider them somewhat similar to various ancient midgardian societies... Aztec is what comes to mind first, though without the sacrifices. I'll have to look into it. While they are woodland spirits, their trees and such are built into the rock in which they live... it's complicated." Loki shrugged, giving a slow sigh, eyes squeezed shut. "They were friendly, though Laverne was the only one to speak any English. Their main language is something I've never heard of, but Laverne and a few dozen others spoke french, as well."