Profession

Help (I need somebody)

Jon was comforting when I got to his room, and we went to his signing together where I sat inconspicuously to the side. He was so sweet; he directed the audience's attention to the dedication page, where he had thanked his mom, dad, and sister for always believing in him, and "my wife, who makes all things possible." I did hear some remarks that since I was made of money, that actually was possible, but I let that roll off. My money--our money--was really nice for things like accommodations and travel and allowing him to concentrate exclusively on this one project, but he had the drive and sheer ability to undertake and complete it. The credit was all to him. The audience was really receptive to him, seemed pleased to get his signature on their books or reader cases, and afterward, I hung back as a local journalist asked him a few questions. We went to the train station and then to Southampton to the yacht, and out to sea immediately. Flight was undeniably faster, and I didn't mind Jon taking flights because he could survive almost anything not kryptonite-laced and fly under his own power, but that wasn't the case for me. The previous week, another plane went down in Asia, and finding the causes was proving damnably difficult. It was putting a real crimp in flights, but as people were reluctant to fly unless they absolutely had to, a boom was experienced by ships and trains and pod rentals. My in-laws were fantastic, and called just enough to check on how I was doing without being smothering. My parents called once, although to me it felt pro forma.

A couple days after we got back to New York, a public remembrance ceremony was held in Central Park, by the obelisk commemorating the city's heroes. On the stand were the current Avengers, Avengers emeriti, street heroes, some League members--including the glowing ball that was my mother, and Earth's three remaining valkyries. With a pang, I really realized that they were getting old. They were as energetic and feisty as ever, but time was catching up to them and I didn't like it. Not one bit. The mayor spoke of Aunt Serena's long service, first in the military, then as Captain America, then as Liberty. Aunt Carol spoke for the valkyries, which I thought was nice. She was kind of a behind-the-scenes person at Valkyrie; she made beautiful things, but her name wasn't as widely known as Grandma's or Aunt Serena or Aunt Dagny. While Aunt Serena had been the valkyrie's battle captain and Grandma the overall leader, that had ended after Ragnarok, and they had always insisted on Dagny and Carol being treated with as much respect and attention as they got. Like the three musketeers, but more skilled, ferocious, indivisible, and awesome. 

After the service, the valkyries came over to me and I collected hugs from them; they greeted Jon warmly too. "I meant to thank you on Asgard, dear, for what you did for Serena," Aunt Dagny said. "But I forgot, I'm sorry. I very much appreciated someone who knew her caring for her. The women who prepared her said that they were surprised and pleased that someone had taken those actions." She blew out a breath and blinked her eyes. "I remember that she braided her hair around her head at Ragnarok, it cushioned her helmet a bit more, she said, and it was certainly more practical than long hair."

"I saw that in that film," I said delicately. Even now, they were pissed off that That Woman had recorded the battle. "Before the fighting started, she took of her helmet to make an adjustment. I thought it was beautiful and practical. It was a nice style to go out in." Aunt Carol smiled a bit.

"But you cleaned her, and did her hair, and gave her something to accompany her. She always did like scented plants," Aunt Dagny continued. "And you even trimmed her nails. It's a force of habit now, tradition, since Ragnarok is over, but it matters." I shrugged.

"I couldn't help her in the tunnel, she was already dead when Uncle Tony brought her out. I just wanted to do something for her. And she was always meticulous in her appearance."

"Skuld said that she's back in Valhalla, where she belongs," Aunt Carol said. "She'll appreciate your thoughtfulness, when she learns of it."

"I owe her a lot. When I was starting MM, she would give me lists of architectural things to consider. Things that were needed--although of course local regulations vary--things that are nice to have, a little handbook on architectural styles, and she would sit down with me and she'd point out ways to be cost-efficient without sacrificing quality or style. She still double-checked the designs I approved, all the way through the Persepolis project." Grandma smiled.