A Meeting at the Park (IC)

[alderwitch]

"I'm the Chosen of Heshem, a name that means very little to most here but quite a bit to the realms those two are empowered by. I'm the Guardian of the Dimensional Veil." He could hear the capital letters in the way she spoke before she blew out a very human sounding sigh and muttered, "Which, more or less, means I'm here to make sure that this little debate stays a verbal sparring match only. For the record, the chances of that actually happening are very slim. To none, really."

Her burning white gaze never left the two feuding godlings and she raised her voice slightly, to point out, "I would look less than kindly on anyone drawing weapons. Or throwing punches."

[quotemyname]

Oh, he's good. Valkyrie turned a sympathetic eye toward the onlookers as if to say, "I'm sorry you had to see this."

"Rrrh." Valkyrie growled as Freedom Angel finished his tirade. "Yes, point fingers all thou wanst, Angel. But thy insults hold no grounds. Odin gave his eye for Wisdom so that He may better rule. It shows, yes. Thy God could have used a far cry more wisdom. Maybe then He would not have allowed mere mortals to nail him to a tree. Thuggish and brutal, maybe. But powerful! Yes." As luck would have it, Valkyrie's weapon was already drawn. She now lifted it in both hands. Still, her pose was neutral, but she ground the haft of the weapon in her right fist. "Odin would not have stood for such a... a... disappointment!"

[Synius]

Gigawatt nodded, hardly paying attention to the other two. When they were done comparing the sizes of the weapons, he'd pay attention again. "So you're like the inter-dimensional police, eh? That must be a lot of fun. Does this sort of thing," he jerked his head toward the other two, "happen a lot, or is this the exception?" He wondered what sort of conflict he'd opened himself to.

He hoped that this sorta thing would be rare. He sorta doubted it though, if there needed to be a special sort of police for just such an occasion. "Wonder what would happen if a guy calling himself Heracles found his way over here."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Your All-Father stood by and did nothing while his son slaughtered thousands in the name of mortal wizards and their dark, murderous causes. And worse, that son allowed himself to be bound by the sorcerers of the Thule Society to slaughter legions of men and women defending their homes from the greatest, coldest savagery this sphere has ever known. Would a _god_ allow himself to be used so?!" he demanded. His eyes hardening, he added, "The Creator sacrificed his mortal flesh to better live the pain of his people. Your All-Father hung from a tree for what? To watch as his symbols were smashed by priests and kings? To see the Creator's mark emblazoned everywhere? Oh, I am sure he gained great wisdom from the day the tongues of men ceased to praise his name."

Focusing on Gigawatt, he added, "Did she show you Valhalla? The great mead halls, the drinking, the never-ending festival? It's a fine view, isn't it? But what they don't tell you there is the price that's paid for that great hall: a price of blood and bondage that lasts until the end of the world. Those who die in peace and love who speak the name of the Aesir don't join the swordsmen and mead-drinkers, no, they polish those blades and brew that mead, an eternity of service to those who the Aesir imagine are their betters. Valhalla is nothing less than an eternity of degradation, a Hell for all but those who would drown the world in the blood of the innocent!" He blinked. "And as for Heracles, he's all right, for what he is. The Olympians generally know better than to do...THIS." He shot a look at Valkyrie, and added, "Heracles, at least, can master the venom of serpents!"

[alderwitch]

"Yes, and its a single position, not a group, sadly. I'd be a lot less harried if there was about a dozen of me floating around but alas, I am the only Chosen of Heshem at the moment." Phantom replied in conversational tones as her cloak continued to writhe. She gave the hammer a disapproving look and continued to focus on the two arguing super heroes. "It's unlikely. He's not in the dimension at the moment. Although we do have a Greek goddess in the city but hopefully she's currently behaving herself."

Phantom linked her fingers together and idly wondered how long it would be before someone decided to take things to next level and she could interfere. The sooner it happened, the sooner she could go home!

[quotemyname]

Ass!

"Thou art full of spite, Angel. One wonders what side thou truly fights for." The grinding of Valkyrie's gauntlets against Mjollnir's haft was now an audible thing. "Valhalla a hell? Ha! At least our hell gives people a place, instead of sending them away to burn! Examine closely the words which thou hast spoken. See within them the treachery spawned by thy God. 'Those who die in peace and love'? Nay. 'Those who die without ever lifting a had to defend their own,' more like."

Valkyrie was at her breaking point. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out before she snapped. "But what of those that took Odin's chance to defend themselves? They art praised as warriors in Valhalla! The highest honor we grant. But nay. These are not the words that concern me. Thou places fault upon Odin for standing by and watching as priests and kings smashed his symbols. Thou asks where mine God was? I ASK WHERE WAS THINE?! Where wast this christian god when our temples burned and our people were killed? He was there. And his followers were there! And thou wast there. That is the treachery thou hast spoken! 'Where was Odin when his people needed him' Thou sayeth? Nay, 'Tis better to be the men burning temples and killing womenfolk than to have the name of thine God fade away,' is what thou doth sayeth!"

Valkyrie removed her left hand from the hammer, and used it to point straight at Freedom Angel. "Veiled treachery! Hidden Lies!" Her hand clenched into a fist which shook with rage. "Snakes venom? Ha! What about this Angel's venom? But nay, 'Freedom Angel'. Thou art no Angel! THOU ART NAUGHT BUT A SINNER! No better than the devil himself! Thine wings should be black!"

Whoo! Did that ever feel good. she thought.

[Synius]

Normal angry conversation one can ignore. You can sometimes even ignore shouting. But the two holy warriors had become a force to be reckoned with. One that a fellow couldn't really ignore. Now he was curious to see what supernatural what-not this Phantom would unleash, but at the same time, he wondered if that might not just throw fuel on the fire. Still, the pair needed to be stopped before they came to blows. He wasn't exactly sure how that fight would go, but he suspected that the statue would most likely fall at some point, cause that's the way things went when you fought like that.

"Ya know, if you guys wanted your argument to be heard all over town, I could have just called. These some people in Grenville who didn't hear you. Damn." He looked over to Phantom. "I don't envy you your job if this is what you're dealing with all day."

[Avenger Assembled]

"I'm sorry," said the angel apologetically, landing and patting Gigawatt lightly on the arm, careful not to get shocked by his electrical body. "You're right, I shouldn't have lost my temper with her." He gave the man a warm smile. "It's all right. She can't hurt you with her magic, or make you believe anything you don't want to believe." He shot Valkyrie a hard look. "Because she knows the oaths the Aesir swore when they fled this world, and she knows what will happen if she breaks them." To Phantom, he added, "I'm sorry, Heshem's champion, I just find it difficult to deal equitably with those who'd enslave the souls of all mankind."

[alderwitch]

"No, this is actually a rather quiet day," Phantom said honestly, having not even lifted a finger yet. In her book, that was a good day. Her pale lips curved a faint smile below the shadow of her mask, "You owe me no appology, angel. I would remind both of you, however, that the mortals of this plane retain their right to free will. Your loyalty speaks well of the choices of those you each call master but remember well that you can guide, not enforce. They remain free to chose, even if that choice might be a poor one."

[quotemyname]

Did...Did he just turn the other cheek?

Valkyrie was all but speechless. Her mouth hung open in surprise. What was a moment ago a heated argument was now nothing. "Thou art finished then?" She asked Freedom Angel, "Yes, perhaps that is for the best." Valkyrie let some of her pent up tension flow out of her body.

Turning to Phantom, she addressed her most recent concerns, "Thy concerns are well founded, O Guardian. Too many times has the will of the Gods been forced upon mankind." Valkyrie's head turned toward Gigawatt, who still floated nearby. "Thou shalt find I forced nothing upon this one. He formed his opinions of his own will. Even the Orb he came to touch willingly, though I must admit a bit of deception on my part in that respect. There was no browbeating done here. Tell me, Gigawatt, wouldst thou still have touched the Orb had I told you it would take you to the gods?"

[Synius]

"I wouldn't have believed you if you had told me what was going to happen. 'Touch this big rock and you'll get to talk with a lady who calls herself Norn?' I would have grabbed it to prove you were mistaken. I'm under the impression that gem is sort of a door way, and that anyone who touches it gets an amusing experience like mine." He was fairly certain that's the way it worked, although there was the possibility that she had triggered something. He hadn't seen her do anything, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything to see.

He turned to the Angel"Can I assume the same restrictions you placed on her also go for you? I mean no disrespect, I'm just curious on the interaction with the difference forces at work here." If these were intelligent people, he assumed that they would have come to the agreement that all of them follow the same rules. But this didn't always work in practice, so there was the real possibility that each pantheon had individual rules. Assuming of course, that there were more than one. The Norn hadn't answered that question.

[Avenger Assembled]

"I don't need to do those things," said the angel simply, "nor would I want to. If you live a life of love and justice, then you do it in the Creator's name, whatever you choose to call him." He gestured to Valkyrie, then deliberately turned his back on her. "As for her patrons, they are powerful, yes, and well-worthy of respect for that power. But they were banished centuries ago for what they hoped to do to mankind, and can no longer return to the plane of mortals unless summoned by a worshiper. Do you remember your history in the Second World War?" At Gigawatt's look, he answered, "Decades ago, the Nazis used dark magic to summon the Norse gods to fight alongside them in their evil works. Donar, the one called Thor in English, and a Valkyrie too, both came to Earth and fought alongside Hitler and his Ubersoldaten. The Centurion himself traded blows with the so-called god of thunder." He nodded at that, and added, "When the Centurion defeated that monster, a sounding joy repeated all through Heaven, and the world of men and women as well. The angels have always stood alongside the heroes of this city, even if I am the first to do so openly."

[alderwitch]

Phantom sat quiet once more, her head tilted to the side and her white glowing gaze implacable. She ignored the impassioned speeches for the soul of the single mortal, her cloak billowing around her silently and as intangible as she was. She was here, after all, to make sure the two that were empowered didn't cross any lines as her soul was no longer mortal enough to be swayed to any forces. She, after all, had a different master and was, in her own way, just as bound by oaths as any god.

"That Orb is no play-thing, Odinsdotter, I would be very, very careful who you let near it." Gloved fingertips came up to touch the pendant around her throat mindfully, "You may find that the consequences go far worse than you imagined when you least expect it."

[quotemyname]

"Thine advice shall be taken in kind, O Guardian." Valkyrie responded, bowing her head at the touch from the mage. "The Orb of Fate is indeed powerful. Though I have not yet discovered all of its secrets, I am still charged with it's protection and safekeeping. To see that no harm come to the Orb, and to prove myself to Odin is my hearts desire."

Valkyrie raised her head and with it the visor. She locked Phantom's iridescent white gaze with her piercing sky blue eyes. "Thou shall rest easy, knowing that I shall never falter in mine path, nor stray from it." Sheer determination showed on Valkyrie's face and in her eyes. She lifted her left hand from her side, and pressed her hand over the place where the jewel the Orb had become was embedded in her armor, "So I swear it in the name of Odin." A soft blue glow emanated from the orb. At a touch from her hand, down came Valkyries visor once more.

[Synius]

The Norse gods? Nazis? He remembered something about Super soldiers and world war two, but he hadn't really taken history seriously. It seemed so absurd. "You're telling me that in the 1940s, the Nazi's made magic powers. And they used those magic powers to call up a god. And after they called him up, he joined up with them. Have I got this down so far?" Gigawatt tried to keep his tone neutral. He didn't want the winged guy to think he was jerkin him around. The last thing he needed was to test if he could be harmed by holy fire.

He turned to the one he considered an expert on the subject. "Is that true?"Truth was what mattered, and if it was true, there would be some unfortunate implications. Still, he wanted to check before thinking farther. The guy hadn't shown himself entirely objective when it came to the others. It seemed ridiculous to think, though. Norse Nazis?

[quotemyname]

Valkyrie let out a deep sigh when she heard the question. "The Norse Gods delight in making war. That much is true. I would be lying if I told thou that he was." she motioned with her hand at the angel. "However it is also no lie that there was a great deal of coercion involved. We may make war, but we also know how to pick the proper sides." Valkyrie laid the Hammer of the Gods back on the ground. Her hands atop the haft, she continued. "Were it not for the foul Nazi magic, we would never have fought for them. We also regret deeply those days."

Valkyrie raised her head. A new air of confidence seemed to fill her. "In lieu of words in way of apology. I offer thou my actions, which I hope will speak much louder."