one axe.

[berkian]

[ It's been about a day and a half since Astrid woke up here, and she's pretty certain she has enough information to actually make a move. ...And if she doesn't, well, screw it because she's not sticking around in the woods in a flimsy white dress reading from a magical book for any longer than she has been.

The book talks and writes and shows pictures (that one had nearly knocked her out of the tree she's taken up residence in for the moment) and Astrid's pretty certain she can figure out how to make it work in her favour. She's just not sure exactly what the hell is going on, even after reading or listening to the most recent things available to her.

The last three entries or so were useless (...if only she'd read back just a bit further, and overall she's given up deciphering the meaning of the magical words in the magical book and is going to take a leap of faith and just...ask. Admittedly she's been spending a lot of time just working up the nerve to use the mystery magical book, but, well, what other options are there? She's far enough out in the woods that wandering off would probably end badly. ]

Hello? Is this thing working? How are you supposed to be able to tell? [ Magical books are pretty new to her. There's a frustrated little sigh. Following the sigh is muttering, meant to be under her breath but still audible, because controlling her voice is the least of Astrid's worries. ] This is the sort of thing Hiccup or Fishlegs would like, not me. I don't even know if this is actually something that works or if I've officially lost it. Next thing you know I'll be thinking I'm a dragon, living on the edges of town hunting sheep. That's always assuming I have officially lost it, which would explain a lot more than being sane would. I'm sitting in a tree with a makeshift spear. That's probably not the best sign for sanity.

Unless you can't find your axe, in which case making a spear is pretty sane a choice. I mean, it'd be less sane to sit in a tree without any sort of weapon, right?

Why am I even talking to myself about this? This is ridiculous. How does this ever help him?

...Whatever, if it isn't working or real, I guess I'll figure it out in a minute or two.

[ Raising her voice again. ] My name is Astrid Hofferson. I'd appreciate any directions you could give me to... [ distinct hesitation. She's...not totally sure what's happening still, but she's pretty certain "Berk" is out of the question for just now, and so she'll shelve that until she has enough on her side to worry about it. ] ...Whatever village is nearest, I guess.

Comments

[markofthewise]

Nothing! Nothing. Well. Some things? Definitely good, great things. Like, you know, the whole great viking warrior sort of thing. Trust me. But you know, it's good you don't hate Hiccup. He's a good guy, really.

[But whew, it seems a crisis has been averted here.]

[berkian]

Then why do you think I'm going to try to kill him? Are you covering for him or something?

[ HUFF. But fine. ] He has his good points. And you are...?

[markofthewise]

Because you sort of kinda tried last time you were here? [No delicate way of putting that, really. But he tries.]

But I'm Sokka. You could say I'm his boss. And I'm very interested in keeping him in tact.

[berkian]

[ She's about to argue - takes in a breath and starts a word and everything - but. Okay, she can think of a few times she might have been less than happy with Hiccup. Astrid finally compromises with her instinct to argue and the need not to aggravate someone who apparently owns a (the?) smithy. ] ...I don't remember being here before.

His boss. He said something about a smithy. [ She can do weapons talk. That is totally a thing she can do. ] I'm not going to hurt him. [ punching isn't hurting, right? ] He could probably stand not to lose any more limbs, occupational hazards aside.

[markofthewise]

Exactly. You can only lose so many, right? So that's good. Great. No killing Hiccup then. [Well now he doesn't have to go find Hiccup and save him. So that's a plus.]

But that happens sometimes. You show up here for awhile and then you get sent back and don't remember anything. And then you come back again without the remembering. There's probably a great explanation for it, by the Malnosso hasn't told us.

[berkian]

[ Wow, he's really focused on this killing thing. ] I may know more about axes than relationships, but I do realize it's frowned upon to kill your [ boy? ] ...friend.

The sciencey-magic guys, right. [ She's trying to sound less at sea than she actually feels, here. ] So, what, I tried to kill him last time?

[ ...and of course Hiccup is coming to pick her up without any apparent qualms about that, if it was a thing. Wow, she needs to talk to him about proper paranoia levels. ]

[markofthewise]

Well, I don't think you guys were... [similar pause] friends then. Which, I guess, you are now. So, you know, that's a good development. Positive relationship building. Always important among... friends.

[Okay so maybe he kinda knows Astrid is meant to be more than that.]

[berkian]

[ Right. Positive relationship building. She's...working on that, with the whole not living in a war any longer. That's a thing that is happening. ]

Yes. We are. Friends. [ this is excruciating ]

...So this smithy. Does it have axes? I would have asked Hiccup to bring me one, but. [ HE'S HICCUP. He probably would have fallen over or something. 8| Such faith. ]

1/2

[markofthewise]

We have axes. Tons of axes. In fact, the numerous amounts of axes we have has resulted in my earning the name Thunderaxe on account of the thunderous number of axes in my- our possession. [Yes, it's a true story. Entirely.] We may even have your axe. Or I could make you one. Really, when it comes to being here, a lack of axes is the last of your problems!

[markofthewise]

In fact, you can just axe anybody.

[berkian]

[ ...okay, that got a laugh out of her, albeit a reluctant one. Weapon-related humour. Nice. ]

You might have my axe? [ Wow, this conversation just gets better and better. ] It belonged to my grandmother, so that'd be nice.

[ viking family heirlooms are normally practical and murderous, okay ]

Sokka Thunderaxe? So do you fight with them, or just make them?

[markofthewise]

[Anyone who can appreciate a quality pun like that is okay in his book. So this is a good start.]

I can take a look around. Or Hiccup can. Either way. [Probably the latter. It seems like a nice... bonding thing. In any case, Sokka totally gets the deadly family heirloom thing.]

As for me, I do a little of both. I mean, I have an axe. Hatchet, really, since those are universally useful. But I'm personally more of a sword and boomerang kind of guy.

[berkian]

He's coming to pick me up right now. So I guess that works. [ Looking at deadly weapons is the epitome of bonding, clearly. ]

Axes tend to be better against dragons, which - isn't a concern anymore, but. Swords are pretty bad for throwing, you know? You need a weapon that can accommodate a change in distances. [ preferably a lot of them.

But the sword-to-axe comparison aside... ] Boomerang?

[markofthewise]

[He happens to be quite a good sword thrower! Although otherwise he doesn't disagree.]

Boomerang. It's a throwing weapon. Not only can it accommodate changes in distances, but it can make changes in direction too. Pretty much the coolest weapon to ever come out of the South Pole. I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it.

[Sokka. Smithy worker. Meat and sarcasm guy. Weapon hipster.]

[berkian]

[ ...Well, she's completely interested now. Tell her more, Weapon Hipster. ]

So you're saying this place has weapons I haven't even heard of.

[ And of course this is the thing that gets a genuine grin. Excellent. Weird crap she doesn't understand is going on, but there are weapons. ] Where can I learn to use this boomerang thing? What does it look like?

[markofthewise]

Just look as the journal. This? This is a boomerang.

[He positions his journal so he can show it off. Is this not the most glorious thing her eyes has ever laid her eyes on?]

Of course, there's not many boomerang masters here in Luceti. In fact, I'm pretty much it.

[berkian]

[ Maybe not the most glorious, but it's pretty impressive for a girl whose main interest is all things combative. ]

Do you give lessons? How much damage do those things do? [ All the previous awkward pauses are gone, and Astrid's pretty obviously shifted to being what is, for her, friendly. ]

[markofthewise]

Uh, well, I don't know if I do lessons, exactly. But I could be persuaded into it. [He's already giving them to his niece! Sort of. And Buffy was interested in it. HM.] But the kind of boomerang I use isn't for the casual beginner. It's sharp enough to cut clean through rope without being slowed down. So, lessons would be a good thing, if you like keeping your fingers.

[berkian]

[ Dryly. ] My parents had me holding an axe as soon as I could get my hands around it. I'm not a "casual" anything.

[ Although if his only dealings with Berk vikings have been with Hiccup, she...okay, that is a reasonable concern from that point of view. ] Whatever you can dish out, I can handle. Hiccup's...Hiccup.

[markofthewise]

He is! I just, you know, meant beginner for the boomerang. Not for, you know, fighting. It's not an easy weapon! It's not just about hitting a target with it. The boomerang comes back to you. So you have to throw it just right, otherwise it might fly back and land somewhere inconvenient, like the top of somebody's house.

[He speaks from experience. Learning it was quite the frustrating chore as a kid.]

[berkian]

[ this is only serving to make her more interested in this new-fangled weapon of yours, Sokka. ]

It comes back to you?

[markofthewise]

Only if you throw it right. It's not magic, after all.

[It doesn't work like the boomerangs that a certain pointy eared elf boy uses.]

[berkian]

And you could be persuaded into lessons how? Traded labor?

[markofthewise]

... I hadn't given the matter much thought. Generally speaking. I usually work for favors. [A beat.] I have a lot of favors owed to me.

[berkian]

Agreeing to nameless favours just strikes me as a bad idea. Someone could ask for something you're not willing to give.