nexus_sages | It's a Bird, It's a Plane

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It's a Bird, It's a Plane

Aw, shucks. It's that large, funny-talking horse dude with the winged helmet. What's he doing with that big wooden sign? Hammering it into the ground in the Forum? And, what does it say? "FREE PIGGYBACK RIDES." He can't be serious. Who would trust this huge, jolly weirdo (even if he does clean out demons like it's his day job)? The long-snouted thief of Thor's wardrobe must be nearly seven feet tall, and he's wide enough to weigh a quarter ton!

Oh, great. He's hovering. He must really be insane to expect anyone to go FLYING with him. The 'man' looks like some kind of monster. And, is he looking this way? Too late to hide...

"Wouldst thou care to take to the sky with Beta Ray Bill?" The joy of flight is apparently worth sharing. Boy, someone must be in a good mood...

((Note: any characters taking Bill up on this offer are in danger of seriously getting their hair mussed. Horse jokes may result in one unassisted flight lesson...just one))

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It's not his fault she doesn't believe him. Her mind is wired not to take pretty much anyone at their word.

"...I'm afraid I don't," she answers after a moment, that eyebrow still high on her forehead. "I could ask around, though, if you'd like."

She's good at finding information and she gets the impression that the Nexus is one of the few places where she might actually find a recipe for preparing a lizard.

He begrudgingly agrees to these terms, with a thoughtful nod. In reality, it was a show: it didn't matter to Bill, as long as she was happy with the arrangement...though he was distantly hoping to get some quality reptile meat out of the deal! The joy of flight is simply too much for one man to bear, alone, so the giant horse-man cheerfully holds out his three-fingered hand to her.

"By what name goeth thee, fair lady?"

Don't worry, Bill, the rogue fully intends on keeping up her end of the bargain. Keeping those she makes deals with happy, or at least satisfied, with her work is something she strives for with everyone. Giant horse-men included.

She'll carefully take his extended hand. "Amelia Ronsam. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Even if she's a bit nervous about all this, she's not about to forget her manners!

His finesse and gentleness belie his massive frame, even as his large hand basically swallows hers. Bill would be the first to tell you, 'power is nothing without control!' He simultaneously does not crush her hand, but he does shake it vigorously. Unfortunately, someone should have warned Amelia that those of the Asgardian way are terrible with given names. She can expect to be forever called by her whole name, now.

"Amelia Ronsam, the pleasure be Beta Ray Bill's! Now, thou art so lithe..." He turns his back to her, and kneels so that she can climb onto his wide back. The time has come. "...be not wary, I shall bear thee with no strain."

Being called by her full name is the least of her worries. It might get a little annoying after the first hundred or so times, but such is life. The handshake gets a small chuckle and a smile. He's so excited and she can't help but take on a little of that.

"Perhaps I should set aside my weapons first? Might make for an easier ride." She pauses, looking around for a moment before patting Bill on the shoulder. "Hold on, just one minute!"

The streets along the Forum are full of doors that lead nowhere and short buildings with perfect vantage points for watching people. Amelia quickly scales the nearest story-and-a-half building and hides her weapons among some loose bricks on top. Others may call her paranoid, but she would rather not lose weapons that have no way of being replaced.

It's a quick slide down a drain pipe after that and she's back to Bill's side. After giving him a brief smile, she'll climb onto his back and lock her arms around his shoulders from underneath. "Okay. I'm ready." Does she sound excited? Because she most certainly is at this point.

Beta Ray Bill Enterprises is not responsible for any jewelry or rapiers lost during the ride. The thunderer watches curiously as Amelia climbs so effortlessly. It warms him to see such prowess, perhaps even vicariously; when Bill has to climb something, finesse usually fails him. He might eventually put two and two together, and begin to suspect that perhaps the weaponry and the climbing skills go with other, less ladylike behaviors. But he's not the savviest when it comes to humanity, and her friendly demeanor is all he has to go on. Perhaps they are equally as unfamiliar with each other.

When she returns, Bill helps her onto his back, thinking that it would be easiest if she wraps her arms around his neck and sits with her legs through his tree-like arms like a harness. However she decides to get comfortable, he hadn't lied: he hoists her like she's a pack of cigarettes. With his enchanted hammer in hand, the ground starts to slowly, slowly grow distant. No need to rush things.

If he really wants her to shift, she will, but given her strength and flexibility, this is easiest for her. She'll lock her legs around him at the ankles and hold on tight.

The slow rise from the ground elicits a small gasp from the rogue, but only in the best way. Once they get high enough that she can no longer make out the faces of everyone on the ground, she laughs. Not at Bill, not at the sight of the small people below them. No, she laughs from the happiness this sort of thing brings. Were anyone to ever offer her a super power, she would ask for flight (once the concept of a super power had been explained, of course). For now, she's going to hold tight and enjoy the ride.

You'd think Beta Ray Bill was some sort of empath, with how much it pleases him to raise the spirits of others. Throwing in a little spiral as they climb, eventually he levels out once they pierce through a big, pillowy cloud. The ground is but a memory, now, but even so...they can build up to acrobatics with time, right now it's important that his passenger be comfortable and secure with this new experience.

"How fairest thee, Amelia Ronsam?" Level flight takes a slight downward turn, a shallow dive, still at an easy pace.

She longs to let go and free fall like she did with Samus a few days ago, to hold out her arms and legs and positively soar, but she knows that's a really bad idea without a way to catch herself. Still, she's enjoying the hell out of the acrobatics, along with the rush of wind past her face that makes the hair pin restraining her hair jingle oh so nicely.

"Very well. This is amazing! My jealousy for your ability to fly about as you please is unmatched." She means it as a compliment, really. The ability to fly whenever and wherever she wanted at a moment's notice is something she'd give a lot to have.

Well, unassisted interstellar flight is an afterthought to the big Korbinite, so if by some turn of events Amelia were to fall, he'd probably catch her before she got too far. That would surely take some serious trust, though, if it were an intentional fall. Bill is fond of assuaging people's fears by telling them that, if they were to fall, he'd fly down and move the planet out of their way before they hit it. But moving the Nexus is a little beyond him.

He pats her leg conspiratorially, as they continue their descent toward the more heavily built-up commercial district.

"Mayhap thou art thou ready for a mite of a thrill?"

They can work on that later. The last thing she wants is to give Bill a fright by falling on purpose without telling him.

He can't see her grin, but he can definitely feel the slight check and tightening of her grip. "I thought you'd never ask!" She laughs heartily. "By all means, show off a little!"

"At thy wish..."

Aw...that sounded like a challenge! He didn't realize she'd danced across the sky before, so it's a bit of a surprise. Still, you don't have to tell Bill twice. The uptick in velocity is sudden, and he sharpens the descent into a very steep one. They're dashing down, directly at a building, when he barrel-rolls at the last second to dodge it. Now, the disjointed architecture of this interdimensional space is working to their favor, because these buildings in the Commercial District do not mesh. At all. Outcroppings to sail over, and skybridges to dive under...

This should be terrifying. Flying through the air on the back of a giant horse-man. Weaving through and around the tops and outcroppings of buildings. All of these things are impossible in her world. No one could even begin to dream of such things.

But Amelia? She revels in it. Her laugh fills the Commercial District as they soar over the heads of the unsuspecting people below. She even dares at one point to reach out and run a hand along the cloth awning of one of the district's many shops. The fabric is surprisingly soft and she laughs all the more as she pulls her hand back in.

This is turning out to be one of the best ideas ever.

This is going to be dangerous. You're not going to find too many people more brave than the space horse who beat Thor. Her own courage is going to cause a feedback loop of bravado, as they race ever faster, maneuver ever more intensely between the brick and stone and concrete buildings; between balconies, over lampposts and under elevated walkways...Hey, is that a mechanic's shop with the garage bays open? Bill threads the needle through the building at high speed, with a little roll for flourish and emphasis! The sudden pressure wave of their passage strews about all sorts of paper and automotive scraps.

The dive through the mechanic's shop has her a little more worried and she grips Bill a little tighter and tucks her chin in to make sure she doesn't lose anything to the maneuver. When they come out fine on the other side, though, she laughs again. The sheer control Bill has while he does this makes it all the more exciting and... well, fun. It's going to make having to land eventually be less of a let down now that she's certain he's been giving her the full treatment.

Quickly growing distant, the shop foreman shakes his head at the antics he's grow accustomed to in the Nexus and goes back to work, swapping out anti-gravity struts and nuclear cigarette lighters.

When the alien hammer-man hears her laugh after their latest hijinks, he rockets upwards, absolutely zooming skyward, making sure to keep the G-forces conducive to Amelia's continued survival. Once they're high enough to see a mind-boggling amount of the Nexus at once, he finally eases up.

"Well, mine compeer. We hath our pick of domains through which to sojourn next."

The height is dazzling, enough to cause Amelia to get just a little lightheaded, but she's used to being in rather extreme situations. Her grip remains tight, but she rests her chin on his shoulder.

"Perhaps a more leisurely flight through the Parklands? I haven't explored them very much and I hear they're quite beautiful." Double dipping seems like the best way to explore around here, given that they're flying around.

He squeezes her leg lightly and dives toward the Parklands. They level out just above the children's kites and every-so-often tree, gliding along the serene landscape with its fields of rolling emerald hills, picnics near interspersed ponds and six-legged-horse polo. When they come across a particularly large lake, Bill takes Amelia down to inches from the surface of the water, banking to skim his fingers across the unblemished blue body. All sorts of strange creatures are lurking below.

The serenity of their surroundings washes away all of Amelia's worries and makes her smile silently rather than laugh with excitement. When Bill dips down over the lake, she carefully reaches out to skim her fingers across the surface of the water as well. The feeling of the water beneath her fingers makes her think fondly of home, but the happiness soon fades into feelings of sorrow and loneliness. Being trapped so far from her home is unpleasant and being reminded of it just makes the pain worse. Her hand is slowly pulled back and she gives Bill a gentle pat on the shoulder once she's got her arm around him again.

"I think it's time to land," she says, her voice barely loud enough to be heard over the wind rushing past them.

Bill's long snout swings wide as he twists his ear to Amelia. As he cuts a wide-arcing turn, with his fingers still leaving a trail through the water, a sabretooth dolphin(?) comes hurtling out of the water on their right. It flips once in a big loop over them before it dives smoothly back into the water on their left. Bill takes that as his cue to ascend gently, still turning, navigating back toward the place where they'd first met. It's not far, as the crow flies...

Amelia's chin is tucked gently against Bill's back as he turns back toward the Forum. The jovial feelings that had taken over have fallen away, though she is still immensely grateful for the chance to have done this with him. She holds on tight and watches the Nexus roll past below them. Hopefully he won't be upset by her rather somber attitude - she really did have a good time until she let her mind wander!

Trees and ponds and green fields and laughing children with kites and bicycles all flash by on the way back. A familiar rooftop grows ever closer, until they are touching down gently, sparing Amelia the need to scramble up the side of a building. But not before Bill throws a little spiral in; one for the road. He's beginning to become aware of her sullen demeanor, though.

"Verily, Amelia Ronsam. Didst thou not take joy in the sky?"

She's pretty good at hiding it when she tries, though. As soon as they land and she climbs down from Bill's back, she takes a moment to readjust her armor then smiles brightly at Bill. "Very much so. I've never been flying like that before and all the loops, turns, and close calls were thrilling. I only hope I didn't scare anyone in the Commercial District with all of my laughter!" She adds a small laugh for effect and the smile makes its way up to her eyes. See, Bill? The flight was definitely enjoyed!

Well, you've got Bill convinced, Amelia. It seems to bring a smile to his horse-like face, but it's a little subdued and so alien that it's hard to be sure (Bill doesn't smile at most people, lest they try to set him on fire). He certainly doesn't feel any melancholy at the moment, so his generally jolly disposition being encouraged by any cheerfulness from a friend makes him obnoxiously gleeful.

"I be pleased to hear that thee wert enthralled. A braver lass than most, doth thou be."

Good, because she'd really hate to bring him down, especially since it lowers the chance of a second flight.

"I have my moments," she agrees. "Life is lived best when you let go of your fears and simply do things. Speaking of which..." Her eyes dart back and forth real quick before she leans a little closer. She lowers her voice slightly when she speaks again. "Any chance we could do that again sometime?"

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