Book 2: Phantasm [Thor]

Chapter 33

Having Thor as a housemate amused Anya. More than half of the appliances in the Asgardian did not understand how to operate and most days Anya found herself running around to stop him from breaking something. Especially when hearing the prince shout from the garage,

"What is this metal item that has sharp edges on the bottom? Does it turn on?"

The lawn mower. He was talking about the lawn mower. The agent couldn't remember the last time she ran so fast from the porch to the open doors of the garage. The last thing Anya needed was for Thor to cut off his fingers in the process of examining the device.

He was handy though after the young woman explained to him what certain mundane items were capable of. Then there was the matter of driving, which was completely foreign to the prince. The first time they tried he nearly drove them into the ocean. Despite the fact that the water's edge wasn't all that close, he pressed too hard on the gas straight off and didn't let up till Anya was pulling at his leg.

"We moved so fast," Thor had commented when it was all over.

Anya let out a heavy sigh, thankful that the truck had been spared before snickering. "Maybe a little more gently next time," she said. "Now let me show you how to reverse."

In the evening the young woman found herself wrapped up in the prince's embrace. Whether innocent in nature or led to other things that left the both of them satisfied. She enjoyed his presence, something the agent found herself missing when the prince would leave to travel to the other realms to keep the peace. Then the bed would feel twice as large being empty on one side. He'd be gone for days, sometimes weeks depending on the situation. Those nights Anya would dig through his side of the closet to fish out an oversized shirt and wear it because, embarrassingly, it smelled like the prince and helped her sleep better.

"When did I become so sappy...?" Anya muttered. But deep down she enjoyed the feeling, snuggling into the pillow.

When the two were together they would hike around the property and beyond to explore on days there was nothing to do around the home. And when the weather permitted it. Or the young woman would drive them to various parts in Northern Norway. The days the two chose to stay in, Thor would read one of Anya's many books while the agent sat in the center of the living room in front of the fireplace and meditated. It was one of the few things that also helped her PTSD from the incident in the desert. Sitting in silence, eyes closed, deep breathing, and allowing everything to fall away. Sometimes she'd do it for hours without breaks until her stomach growled loudly or her bladder protested against not using the bathroom. She tried teaching Thor how to do yoga, when he became interested in the stretches she was performing, but the coffee table didn't survive that one. And when it came to meditation, he fell asleep. Anya found both instances hilarious.

In her meditative state the young woman could feel the Aether's presence. The way it flowed through her body and tickled at the senses. Then there was the glowing red hue that would slowly gain in brightness behind closed eyelids. It was during those sessions Anya decided to try and understand the Aether more. This wasn't a conclusion she came to right away, taking nearly two months before allowing herself to open up to the dark matter and entertain the idea of accepting it for what it was. But it was a slow-going process. She feared being controlled again, that this was all a trap making her think that whatever remained behind had good intentions only to be overpowered in the end. Instead, things were the exact opposite. It hummed in approval at the willing connection that formed. And today she dived deeper than ever before. Her body shuddered from her place on the carpet, something Thor noticed and looked up from his book. A red glow began emitting from her body. The sight made him a bit on edge, especially when some matter began to form around the young woman and circle slowly. The prince didn't relax until it finally went away and Anya came out of the meditation.