InsaneJournal

Who: Thor, Valkyrie, Loki
What: bringing the Asgardian refugees to Earth
When: sometime before Dec 24th
Rating/Notes: Green

All was ready for the arrival of the lost Asgardians. The larders were full of food, and the first round of building supplies from Vanaheim were on site on Edgeøya, already arranged between the government of Norway and Asgard's King. The only thing left to do was to bring the Aesir remaining back to Earth. And so......



'Twas the night before Yule Eve and all through the Aesir warehouse,
three persons stirred by the fountain, and none were quiet as mice.
None knew why socks should be hung near a chimney (so they didn't care).
All that mattered is that the lost Asgardians would soon be there.

Soon Aesir children would be nestled safe in new beds,
while visions of kid-sized weaponry danced in their heads;
and a Valkyrie with her daggers and Thor with his axe,
looked more than ready to settle down for a much needed nap.

That was when Loki said, "Let's do this in an orderly manner,
or we'll be here all night sorting out the whole matter.
If you take too many at once, my lists will be bogged down.
See my hands on my hips? Do you see this stern frown?"

Off Thor and Valkyrie went to round up and reclaim,
and escape Loki's usual inclination to complain.



Valkyrie

It wasn’t that Val found Loki’s tendency to micromanage annoying, as she would with anyone else who tried to lord over her and boss her around. When it came to him, then it was just entertaining. It was like an unspoken agreement that he would try to command her and she would promptly ignore it and do whatever she intended to in the first place. Loki would get frustrated but relent… rinse, wash, repeat. But she did try to heed his advice as much as she could once Thor delivered her to the planet she had left their people on if only for the sake of the headache he would cause her later if she didn’t.

Valkyrie hadn’t realized how worried she truly was until the relief washed over her at the sight of everyone still mostly put together. It was like being reunited with family, sweeping various people up in her arms and even wiping a few tears from children who had apparently been as worried about her as she was for them. But Val absolutely did not tear up or cry at all, merely had some space dust in her eye, of course.

Her voice carried quite far so it was easy to relay her instructions as she walked through the crowd that began to gather when they arrived. “Families stick together, gather only the smallest essentials you can fit in your pockets, and you will be taken Home.”


Thor

This was all? In his mind, he seemed to remember the ship packed with people, so many people that he wasn’t able to keep track of them. It wasn’t until he gazed at the motley crew that he realized that was what he wanted to see. He didn’t want to recognize faces, didn’t want to see how many people weren’t there.

And now he had to face reality, one trip at a time. Although he was powerful enough to command the bifrost, he was not able to do so for a large group. In fact, even with people huddling around him, the most he could do was a circle at a time if he hoped to spare people from too much jostling on the rainbow bridge

As it was, there were several people who landed in the Asgard compound and immediately vomited, with others who passed out from the stress of the journey. It was a sobering reminder to Thor that not everyone was like him, even if they were cut from the same cloth, so to speak. Still, he continued on, trip after trip, barely stopping to get the next group Val had arranged, trying to keep his mind light and free but how could he?

There was so much to be done, and they hadn’t even started yet. Yes, Loki had been indispensable to the negotiations with Norway, and had taken on the brunt of the planning, but the physical work, the actual building of houses, of infrastructure, of economy …. Thor was putting that on himself. Until he saw the actual frames of houses going up on that cold island, until he saw the faces of children unlined with worries, until then. .. he wouldn’t stop and he wouldn’t let anyone know the burden he’d put on himself

With the support of his brother, of Val, of Jane, he’d manage. In the meantime, with a smile on his face and a caring gaze, he would give his people what he could of himself -- which was everything.


Loki

Within the converted warehouse Stark had granted leave to use, situated at the base of the yule tree near the fountain and grand staircase, Loki had a table set up. He had fussed over housing issues and food stocks for this moment. Now he set to work creating a list of names, ages, and trades (if any), as well as an overall headcount. By the time Thor delivered what looked to be the last group, the list was only at one thousand four hundred and eighty-seven survivors.

Out of the untold thousands that once called Asgard home, this seemed such a sad and meager amount. The decimation didn't spare the people where already halved from a slaughter on The Stateman. It was unlikely to get better, either. The birth rate among the long-lived Asgardians was notoriously low.

Despite any dire thoughts, he remained carefully composed and cordial when greeting each individual or family. All persons were assigned their own small living quarters on the second and third floors, including a key and a map printed from one of Stark's machines, so that new arrivals could easily find their way around.

A bleary-eyed Loki was looking down with pen in hand, ready to write down the next name on his list, when a familiar voice interrupted with familiar prattling on.

"Hello there, freakin' ghost. It's me, Korg, and my friend, Miek. I've been carryin' him around since we escaped the ship, on account of him losing his slicey limbs and my still feeling guilty about stepping on him. Oh, look there? I like your fountain."

"Uhh..." Now staring up at the bulky creature made of pebbles, Loki was already trying to formulate the most convincing plea to keep two obviously non-humanoid aliens to stay indoors. At least until they could make it to New Asgard and the duo could walk around outside, freely.

"It's good construction," Korg continued babbling. "Sturdy stuff. Holding water, like good fountains should do. Hey, why's there a tree with baubles in your house? Those belong outside, don't they? Where trees live. Bauble-less."

"Yes, normally that's true," explained Loki, "but it's Yule. A Midgardian celebration where you decorate a tree and give gifts. That's why there's wrapped presents beneath it for everyone, including the both of you."

"Oh? Well, that's so nice of...." A rock landed on the table with a plonk. "....oops? Sorry. I shed a rock or two when I'm stressed. Mum said it was anxiety and I wasn't getting the right minerals. Guess that's your yulesy gift. A little piece of me to you. Probably make a good paperweight for all these papers on your desk. Got a room for me and Miek?"

"Yes, of course." Loki placed a key on a map and slid it across the table, with an ear-to-ear smirk as he put the rock on top of some of the papers. "There you are. Enjoy."

"Thanks, freaky ghost," Korg said, raising and lowering a squiggling Miek in what looked to be some mock salute.

As they walked toward the staircase, Loki wrote down the following:



Name: Korg, Kronan of Ria. Age: Unknown. Occupation: Revolutions, oversharing, possibly construction.

Name: Miek, Sakaaran insectoid. Age: Unknown, larval? Occupation: Possibly parasitic.





The Asgardians were finally on Earth having endured a great plight,
SO A MERRY YULE FEST TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOODNIGHT.