"Home"
Home:
/həʊm/ Noun
A place of laughter, comfort, and security; where memories are made. A place where you will always belong.
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“What is a home if not the first place you learned to run from?”
-Courtney Loves to Pray Oregon, Clementin von Radics
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March 5, 2013/ Southwest Crest Valleys, Vanaheim
A warm breeze swished the long grass on the top of the small hill illuminated by the setting sun, and the sky full of oranges and purples. A blonde woman in her late twenties wearing a scarlet-sleeveless dress was sitting and reading a leather-covered book under an enormous apple tree. As she caressed the grass under her fingertips, pieces of long wavy blonde hair were blown with the breeze.
When she heard two footsteps approaching on her way, she asked: “ Hello to both of you. What do I owe this visit, Nova?”
The auburn-haired woman gave her a tight-lipped smile. “ Hello, Iðunn. We need to talk.”
The blonde sighed and calmly put her book on the ground after marking the page she left, the book disappeared in thin air with a green flash. “Alright then, let us talk.” She patted the space next to her, “ Come, sit.”
Nova sat opposite her, Prem on her lap, nuzzling her for the awaiting tough conversation. She took a deep breath and looked into the goddess's amber eyes. “ About two weeks ago, we visited Midgard. I know what happened.”
Iðunn glared at her apprentice. “ You did what?”
The woman couldn't manage to maintain eye contact. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried again carefully, “ I needed some endemic herbs for a potion I was working on and there weren’t any in the marketplace. We were planning to leave as soon as we purchased them but the realm was attacked by an alien species we don’t know of.”
She paused for Idunn to digest what she said, “ There was a team we ran into several times, some Midgardians. We helped them to take the aliens down and protect the civilians each time the attacks happened while we were there. They said a fascinating thing to me, Iðunn. They said that Prince Loki was alive. And ever since he got brainwashed and tried to invade the realm before Prince Thor helped to stop him and his Leviathan army; Midgard was constantly under attack.” She looked at the white cat on her lap, “ And Prem admitted that he knew all of this. He said that everyone knew and kept it from me as a secret.”
The blond woman took a sharp breath and started with a low tone, “ Since when did you start to question our judgment? What is the meaning of this imputation?”
Nova sighed dreadingly, “ I had the right to know, It’s my home!”
Iðunn snapped. “ Your home has been here ever since you took my offer!”
Nova protested, “My choice has nothing to do with this.” She argued defensively, “ You know both here and Earth are my home, and one of them is defenseless right now.”
The blonde woman pinched the bridge of her nose and took a breath to calm down, “ What is it you asking of me, girl? We do not intervene in the businesses of realms. We taught you the laws, did we not?”
“ Yes, you did. The laws state that I have a claim to defend my home. I am not asking any of you to do the same, I am asking you to let me do it. Besides, when the coven took me in, didn’t you already intervene a little bit?” Nova looked into her master’s eyes pleadingly. “ Please, Iðunn.”
“ No, you will do no such thing. Defending Midgardians is nothing but a vain pursuit. They are worthless.”
“Maybe, if both Odinsons decided to make a fuss about it, Midgard isn’t as worthless as you think.” Nova murmured, “The realm is in danger and the people need help.”
“ I said no. Don’t make me forbid it, Novandéyri.”
The young woman shook her head in defiance, “ I never asked of you anything before, I did everything you asked for my entire life. Why can’t you just let me do one thing I want, even for once?”
“ If you knew even half of the dangers I know of, you would understand my struggle to protect you!” Iðunn said exasperatingly, “ You do not have even the faintest idea of what is coming.”
Nova tried her best not to roll her eyes, “ Enlighten me then, Iðunn. What other secrets are you keeping from me? What exactly did Norns show you?”
“ Enough of this!” the blonde woman yelled. “My decision is final, you are not going to Midgard. Don’t bring up this matter again.”
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The auburn-haired woman wiped out her tears as she gazed at the small stream next to her cast on by moonlight. The meadow and the willow tree she was sitting on at one of its branches were illuminated by three moons of Vanaheim and starry night heavens.
“ Look at the bright side, witchling. That talk could have ended way much worse,” Prem tried.
Nova huffed and rolled her eyes, “ Yeah, sure. Remind me how it could end ‘way much worse’? I am grounded for months!”
“ She could’ve cast a spell forbidding you to leave the realm for good,” the white cat murmured.
The young woman glared at the white feline, “ Oh, why don’t you go and remind her, then; you little menace? Earlier you were pretty much tripping me up from going there??”
Prem sighed, “ Why can’t you see that I am on your side?” He looked intensely at her gray orbs, “Just think Nova, the coven has always been obscure about their plans. But this time, they were a bit of a stretch, weren’t they?”
“They’re up to something big,” Nova finished his train of thought. She shook her head, “ Prem, we can’t find what they are hiding out here. Everyone’s eyes are on us constantly. And after tonight, it’s even more impossible.”
The white cat narrowed his jade eyes and dreadingly said: “ I would never dream of the day I would say this,” he looked into the woman’s widened eyes. “ We have to go and save Midgard.”
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March 6, 2013/ Washington, D.C., Earth
“ I should never have come up with this plan!” Prem yelled in panic. “It has been merely a day since we fled to this mud hole but apparently, we are dealing with not only monsters. We are dealing with the mortals too !”
Nova rolled over to the ground to avoid getting shot. After getting up, she turned around and swung her silver spear; blue-white plasma exploded from the tip of the weapon and blew up the armed men hiding behind the black van. “Quit whining and help me, we need to move the civilians away from the bridge to safety!”
The white cat growled and hissed at a coming enemy. “My hands are full too, Witchling, you know,” Azure flames swallowed the black-uniformed man and he screamed in agony. “Where are your mortal friends anyway? Weren’t they supposed to be here already?”
“I’m sure there is a good reason for their delay.” She threw a force shield over some people in the way of bullets. “ From the sound of the jet motors, they must be on their way.”
A few seconds later, a red-white air vehicle landed somewhere near their location on the 14th Street Bridge. The Avengers left the Quinjet quickly and the team started their work.
“Hey Sabrina, you’re back!” Nova turned to the voice and beamed at the man in the red iron suit and the redhead woman in the black jumpsuit a few feet behind them. “ Oh, hi Mr. Stark, Lady Nathasha! Prem and I were wondering where you guys have been.”
The redhead woman gave Nova a wry look as she hid behind an empty vehicle and shot some black-uniformed men approaching from the darts in her wrists. “Don’t call me that. Natasha is fine.” She gave Tony a wiseacre smirk, “ And don’t call him Mr. Stark, or he will sauce and think he’s something important.”
The brunette man gave a fake hurt face to the ginger spy behind his red-golden helmet, “ I know of many people who would disagree with what you just said, Nat. I am a man everyone wants to take a bite made with pure awesomeness.”
He shot repulsors in his palms toward the coming giant monster as he answered Nova’s question. “ We were dealing with the damper Thor and some monsters put on us this morning.”
Prem and Nova looked at each other incredulously, “ He’s here??”
Tony gave a nod. “Yep, Pointbreak finally decided to grace us with his humble presence. Legolas is keeping an eye on him and Hulk to deal with the situation in the tower currently.”
Nova gave a disbelief laugh, her fidgeting fingertips glowing with her silver-blue seidr as she threw a protecting shield over herself from coming shot fire. “ How in the nine realms does his highness even let you call him that ?”
Tony smirked as he shot another ogre with the ugly red and black emblem on his chest, “Oh, he doesn’t.” Natasha agreed with the brunette man while kicking a man in the chest with the same uniform.” Tony doesn’t give a shit about what he or anyone likes him to call them.``
The auburn-haired woman gave her a chuckle: “ Rude. I can’t help but wonder what happened that made you this sour.”
The brunette man grinned wickedly at Nova, “I decided to be a superhero in my forties. I’m probably too old for this shit, kiddo.”
The white cat smirked slyly, ‘ I would be more careful with whom I call ‘kiddo’, tin man.’
Nova gave Tony a heartful laugh- it was more of like a snort- and pointed to the meowing white cat, grinning. “ Oh, dear. If there’s anyone old, that’d be the grumpy one over there.”
Tony quirked his eyebrow at what she said. “ How long does a cat even live? A decade?”
The auburn-haired woman snorted this time while looking at the white cat annoyed. “Actually, it’s nearly twenty years for a regular cat. But just let me give you more hints. My furball is a lot more than average and ancient.”
Prem rolled his eyes and kept throwing his azure seidr at enemies getting too close to some civilians, and with a mocking voice: ‘Oh, the pot calls the kettle black. Shut the Hel up, you old crone.’
Nova chuckled at the grumpiness of her friend, “What? You're twice as old as me, crusty. And, since I’m way older than almost a millennia, I'm pretty sure that makes you ancient by mortal standards.”
Tony incredulously turned at the duo. “What!? You’re kidding, right?!?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Jesus, how the hell is this even possible???”
Nova giggled cheekily, “ I already told you I’m not human, what’s the big deal?”
“ You weren’t specific about what you are exactly either, Kiki,” grumbled the man in the iron suit while shooting another ogre.
The auburn-haired woman frowned while sending another explosion to another man with her spear. “Currently, I’m just a homeless rogue, Stark. I’m doubtful that it’s a good time to discuss my bloodline. Let’s save this conversation after the battle.”
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Prem looked at the scene upon him, his tail flicking anxiously. The soldier just pulled a little girl crying under the debris of a metal vehicle and was trying to stop the bleeding on her glass-pierced nearly ripped to the half torso while Nova covered them. Her silver-blue seidr danced through her fidgeting fingers and held the force field to protect the other civilians in the crossfire.
“ Her stomach is punctured and she’s bleeding fast, She needs some paramedics ASAP but we can’t get her out of here in time, ” the soldier said worriedly, looking at Nova expectantly. “ Can you do anything?”
The young woman nodded confidently, “Yes,” She looked at Prem’s jade orbs pleadingly while drawing her steel dagger from its leather sheath pressed on her chest, “ Cover me and the civilians.” He nodded to the woman reassuringly. ‘Just do your trick Witchling . I will keep you safe, as always.’
After his assurance, Nova rushed to kneel to the small girl in Steve's arms. " It's okay, honey. You're gonna be fine, I got you." The young woman closed her gray eyes while chiming in her ritual words. “In the name of Three, I give a part of me. Norns, please accept my offer, and save this poor soul from the claws of Hel. All I have is given willingly, take my compensation as nothing comes for free.” Then, She took a deep breath and cut her right palm until her wrist, wincing with pain.
“What are you doing, are you mad??!” Steve asked, watching the rapidly dripping blood on Nova’s arm, horrified. The silver-blue mist started to dance in her fingertips again as her gray orbs glowed with a silver hue.
“No magic comes free, Mr. Rogers.” She ripped the cut on her blouse with the bloody weapon to see better the deep wound on the little girl’s ruptured stomach as she kept her explanation.“ For small tricks, seidr users can use whatever they got, and even then it can have dire consequences if we’re not careful. However, healing isn’t something that can be considered small, especially on this scale. If I don’t make a sacrifice, this poor girl’s cells will eat themselves as they starve.”
The little blonde girl was terrified, but she was doing her best not to cry. She couldn't be older than twelve. " Just look at me, sweetie. Try to focus on my voice, okay?”
Nova looked at the sharp glass sticking out from the little girl’s tiny body, “ I’m sorry there’s no other way to this, but I need to pull this glass out of you. When I finish counting from three, I’m gonna pull it out, OK? Captain, hold her still when I tell you.” She gave the little girl a tight-lipped smile for assurance, “ I know this is pretty scary and I'm sorry this will hurt, but I promise you will be fine. Just look at my face."
The little girl nodded silently with her teary eyes, “ I’m scared,”
“I know honey, I’m sorry. I promise everything will be fine,” Scaring the little girl further would do no good to anyone, Nova knew she had to distract her. "What's your name?"
"Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Lizzie. What's yours?" The auburn-haired woman smiled at the little girl encouragingly. " I'm Novandéyri but everyone calls me Nova. Nice to meet you, Lizzie, you're such a brave girl. Steve, be ready.”
After counting back from three Nova fastly pulled the glass with her silver-blue seidr and the little girl screamed with pain as Steve kept her steady. The auburn-haired woman started to bind the whimpering girl’s tissues with her magic immediately.
‘ Tell the mortals I won’t let anyone in or out of the field, If they are planning to do something they better do it now.’ Nova looked at the white cat a few feet away, his azure-colored seidr glowing as an expanding sphere above his head. “Captain, Prem is putting a force field. Tell your team if they are planning to do something, they do it within ten minutes because once the field is complete, nothing can get in or out of the sphere.”
Steve nodded, “ Tony, you heard the girl, evacuate all the civilians out of the parameter fast. Once it’s done, we’ll take them all down.” He looked at the young woman worriedly. “ Are you any closer to being finished? We need to get everyone to safety.”
Nova nodded at the soldier, blinking tiredly. “ Almost done,”
‘How is your seidr level, Witchling? ’ asked Prem worriedly. ‘It’s been more than ten minutes already, you lost too much blood and are too close to depleting all your seidr!’
Steve also noticed how exhausted the auburn-haired woman looked, her olive skin was whiter than paper, glistening with an unhealthy sweat. “ You don’t look good. Are you sure you’re alright, Nova?”
“ I’m fine, it’s nothing a good night's rest can’t fix,” said Nova while gritting her trembling teeth. She swept the sweat on her forehead as she smiled at Lizzie reassuringly and pointed to the blockade a few meters away from where other civilians were hiding with police officers and paramedics, “ Honey, when I tell you I want you to run over there, okay? Mr. Rogers will protect you till you go there.”
Nova kept healing the little girl’s wound until it turned into a faint red scar. “ I’ll cover you. Now, run!”
The little girl looked at her with gratitude, “Thank you, Miss Nova.”
As all three of them sprinted off the ground, Nova manipulated her silver-blue seidr to create a force field around the soldier carrying the little girl in one hand and holding his shield in the other. She pushed herself to keep the field until she saw Lizzie run past the blockade and a police officer took her to safety. The auburn-haired woman gave a tired smile, her knees buckled as she felt sudden dizziness and blackness swarming her vision, and all voices bled out to deafening silence.
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