Guest List Preparation

Posted on Sun Apr 19th, 2020 @ 6:45pm by Baroness 2nd Class Schwein von Alcott & Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox
Edited on on Sun Apr 19th, 2020 @ 11:21pm

Mission: Return to the Core
Location: Asgard
Timeline: 2397

The Baroness Schwein von Alcott turned Asgardian goddess of... Well, she wasn't quite sure what she was a goddess of yet, but Odin had told her that she had the potential and that with the... ah... 'infusions'... from Thor... She had become something more than mortal at the very least. She just needed to find her own path.

For now though, she was working on the path of the bride. That meant that today she was going over invitations and the special requests of specific guests as assisted by one of the several wedding planners assigned to the proceedings.

"I don't want to offend anyone, but I do not think that Surtur should be allowed to..." Pausing, she held up a request card and read it aloud. "Render in twain the land of Asgard and begin the days of Ragnarok in celebration of your most holy of unions.'"

"Ah, yes. Surtur is... dramatic." The serene faced, young-looking wedding planner said. They were a wispy, lean, androgynous Asgardian with almost fluid hair that flowed down their broad, but lean shoulders. They wore an ethereal wrap that graduated in color from a pale pink to a bright teal and seemed to shift along the entire color spectrum as they talked. "Any excuse to try and start Ragnarok... again. It's tiresome. Might I suggest bringing this matter to your betrothed? He would likely enjoy reminding Surtur of his place."

Interrupting the wispy wedding planner, the golden-haired Valkyrie, Hildr groaned from the large chair in the corner, a large flagon of mean hanging loosely from her hand. "Bah, let him try! I would welcome the distraction or armageddon from the... frilly nonsense, Beldanna."

"Some of us enjoy frilly nonsense, Hildr." The wedding planner replied, rolling their eyes with the lightest of grins. "What say you, Mistress? Yay or nay?

Schwein wanted to sigh loudly, but instead, she considered it seriously, trying to come up with a good compromise. "There is to be a brawl after, ja? Perhaps he would be inclined to participate in that to a limited degree? Without the threat of ending worlds?"

"Surtur may TRY to kick off Ragnarok, but he shan't get far. And a good brawl will do a bit to quench the need for combat for many. Trust me, my Goddess. NO FORCE in the Nine Realms will stop a brawl from breaking out." Hildr said, taking a massive swig of her mead. "Tis but a matter of exactly when and exactly how. Hence, why you will have not 'bridesmaids', but instead, 'shieldmaidens'. Well armed shieldmaidens."

"I look forward to romping with fair Ethel again, I freely admit. That was a woman!" Hildr said, looking in her flagon with an almost wistful expression. "Pon that subject, how many of your former shipmates will be in attendance? And how ready for a brawl do you think they will be, my Goddess?"

The silver-haired woman smirked knowingly as she thought about how many from the Hera would likely attend. "Hmm... Enalia would likely allow as many as possible. I know of at least seventy, with seven as shield and spear maidens. There may be as many as three hundred."

"Starfleet focuses on ranged weaponry rather than unarmed so we may have to go easy on them," the one-eyed pirate added.

"YOU may, my Goddess." Hildr scoffed with a wicked grin. "Personally, I like to see the mettle of those I stand with in battle."

"This is hardly helping with the arrangements, mighty Hildr." The ethereal wedding planner said in a sing-song voice as they brought up a small stack of additional invitations and compared them with the confirmed list that appeared in the air next to them with a wave of their hand. "Ahhh... yes. This raises quite a potential conundrum. These mortals from your former vessel will be bringing a number of decidedly less mortal beings with them. The Ambrosian, Hera. The Cosmic embodiment of Death. I can... foresee problems here."

"With their finger, Beldanna began moving names through the air from one place to the next. "Particularly regarding the placement of Embodiments and their aspects. If Death is seated... here... and Hela is with Loki's party, we want them well and far away for each other. Have you any... preference to where she is located, Mistress? I know you and she share... a history."

"Ja... Ja, it may be quite bad if we seated the mistress of the underworld next to the Universe's embodiment of Death..." As she contemplated where Rei would be ok with being seated, Schwein had a flash of insight, wondering if this was what Enalia went through every time she was caught between her Starfleet and Artan responsibilities. "Just in case she has to slip out for work, let us place her here... at the end of the first row reserved for Hera crew. Far from Hella..."

"And Hera? Perhaps best to sit nearest your mortal friend, Reba?" Beldanna said. "Her advocate? Just to ensure things do not go ill? Or has she her own entourage?"

"Her name is Rita and she will be one of my spearmaidens," Schwein corrected, pointing out the arrangements. "Hera, I believe has her own entourage now. Mostly the female security members that have accepted her blessings such as Ethel. We should reserve an area near Odin and Loki for her and her retinue out of respect."

Blushing a color not unlike a rainbow upon their cheeks, Beldanna bowed their head slightly, their mid-length and light auburn hair falling in thick ringette curls for a moment. "My apologies, my mistress. I shall make the necessary arrangements."

"That said... we have the crewmembers from the Hera allowed for. What of the Artans?" The wedding planner asked hesitantly, as Schwein rarely spoke of that side of her life. At least not around them. At the question, Hildr raised an eyebrow as well.

'Ah... ja..." The silver-haired pirate paused a moment as she remembered the last time she saw her old crew. She was watching two of her ships burning in space and she had ordered her own vessel's crew to abandon ship. Unfortunately, she was the only one to have survived, even then.

"Unless you can bring them back from the land of the dead..." she muttered as she ran one hand through her hair. "Sarika should be with the Hera crew already and the rest never... ja..."

Hanging their head again, Beldanna pursed their lips while Hildr got up and walked over. A mountain of a woman, the golden-haired Valkyre shook her head and her usually jovial tone became a bit more serious. "My goddess, with the conflation of forces in play at this ceremony, know that all you have ever loved will be in attendance, even if even our eyes cannot see them. This is the life that is now yours. You are to be the crown princess of the realm eternal. But it is a burden few others would be worthy to hold. Few but you, my Goddess."

Placing her strong hand on Schwein's shoulder, Hildr nodded. "Perhaps it is time for a break in this task. A flagon of mead, song, and revelry will do you good, methinks. What say you, Goddess?"

The silver-haired woman nodded solemnly, tears in her uncovered eye and a soft smile on her lips. "Ja, that would be wunderbar. Then perchance we may find a way to tell Jörmungandr that he may not eat any of the guests and not all of the goats are for his pleasure."

"HA! Then it shall be!" Hildr said as she walked over to the lithe wedding planner and slapped them a bit hard on the back with an abundance of energy. "Come, Beldanna! Let us take this triviality and sort it away for later! For now, the Goddess and I must prepare for merrymaking!"

"Ughh, yes Great Hildr." The slightly irritated planner said, rolling their eyes slightly as they picked up the books and left for the door with Hildr. As she did, the voluminous Valkyrie turned with a sly grin to Schwein. 

"I shall meet you at the gates and we shall rock the realm with our rivalry, my Goddess." Hildr said, as she closed the doors behind her. The grin told the silver-haired Pirate what she needed to know. Hildr picked up Schwein's need for a moment to herself before they continued, and made it happen.

And indeed she did need a moment as now the tears poured freely from her uncovered eye and from under her golden eyepatch. She had lost so many in her life, from those at the secret colony where she was all but grown from a tube and raised alongside, to those in her small fleet in the Artans. She had never even hoped to even see any of them again, let alone speak with them or even share such a special day with them.

She felt lucky to have been able to share the day with her Queen and closest friends. Now she was being told that not only they would be there, but everyone that she'd ever known as well and it gave her heart such a buoyancy that she'd never known before. She wanted to share this overflowing happiness with everyone in all the universe and all the realms so that they too would know the joys of such hope and fellowship as she had found having gone from being a factory augmented mortal, to a pirate Baroness, to now the Goddess in line to rule next to the King of Asgard.

But before that, a piratical smile spread on her face as she dried her cheeks, because for now there were drinks and merriment to be had and Merriment in Asgard usually meant a very good fight which the silver-haired woman was more than happy to engage in.

Getting to her feet, Schwein checked her slightly used cudgel at her hip and headed for the gates, her grin widening as she readied herself for drinking mead and seeing who can smash the most ice giant skulls.