Past Friends

Part 122: Intergalactic Event 1/3

You arrived at the ball, with a platoon of guards in tow, some carrying several wooden kegs, the others simply standing guard following you in as you entered. Thor decided it was something good to bring as a gift, as he believed no party was complete without alcohol and seeing as he went off to get Jane it was up to you and Loki to pick it up. You give a polite curtsy as Loki bows, as the head guard introduces Loki and yourself to the host, being, King T'Challa, ruler of Wakanda and the Black Panther. Shield, being the ones to set this up, decided that Wakanda and more specifically King T'Challa would be perfect to open up intergalactic conversations, as he was level-headed and an excellent leader. You hadn't had the pleasure of meeting the Black Panther yet but heard only good things; he was loyal, brave, and fair, not to mention quite exceptional on the battlefield.  

You were more than a little surprised when the guard introduced you as Princess Y/N of Asgard, but you remained silent and simply smiled while trying not to look like a deer caught in headlights. You managed to keep this up, well you were more too shocked to do anything else, that was until Loki pulled you aside, somewhere you could have a moment alone. He asked you what was wrong, taking your hands, rubbing your knuckles gently with his thumbs, but all you could say was "princess" before looking up at Loki completely stunned and bewildered. Loki let out a breathy laugh while pulling you in for a kiss on your forehead, stating that he told you before, you were his and that made you a princess, meaning it literally. It began to sink in, that Loki was a prince, like a real prince, you always knew that but the gravity of what that meant and what that would mean for you finally started to click.  

You continued to process the whole princess thing as Loki took you out on the floor to dance, spinning you around and around, simply enjoying having you in his arms. You only got off the dancefloor once Thor and Jane arrived, he wasn't too late, perhaps fashionably so, but he definitely made quite the entrance. Being rather loud and charismatic, it went over better than you thought, but Loki still groaned quietly to himself, no doubt annoyed about his brother's less than tactful introduction to the other guests. The other Avengers were there as well, and when you spotted them you felt a little better, able to calm down and relax enough to try and begin talking to others beyond your own party, but it didn't last long.

Luckily not many people came up to talk to you and Loki, but if they did they just spoke to him and not you, besides the polite introduction or pleasantries, that is. You probably should have been slightly offended to be seen as merely "arm candy" but you were glad as you didn't really know half the things they were discussing. You didn't know much about people from other planets, or intergalactic politics so being seen as just a "pretty princess" was fine in your books. You were a little melancholy, you had to admit, as you noticed even Jane was able to discuss her work in astrophysics but you didn't have the courage to try and talk about anything. You wish you had the confidence or knowledge to talk with other guests, as you were sure they all had interesting stories and you wanted to learn more about other planets. 

At some point Loki had to step away, Thor needed him for something and he told you to wait for him where you were, standing off to the side by one of several gigantic bay windows. Each one had enough seating to fit at least a dozen or so people, and luckily no one was sitting or standing by this particular window, so you were by yourself, thankfully. The view was nice too, you weren't sure exactly where you were currently but wherever you were it looked over a beautiful savannah, with the evening sun falling behind some distant mountains. You were probably somewhere in Africa, it wasn't Wakanda, you knew that much but you weren't exactly sure which Nation it was and seeing as you were already here it felt kind of dumb to ask.  

You continued to look out off into the distance, spotting a herd of Giraffes coming closer and it began to lift your spirits, you couldn't take your eyes off of them. You ended up stepping out of the party, walking out onto a large balcony to get a better look, at the beautiful creatures and you soon spotted some zebras, getting really excited. You realized you must be on some sort of Nature Preserve, the kind you tour, stay the night and or throw parties at, you heard about them but you didn't think you'd ever visit one. The animals weren't scared by the lights or music, and you surmised they must be used to humans, deciding to step away from the party to go say hello. 

They were beautiful and so friendly, much more so than expected as you heard zebras could be quite mean, but they seemed to put up with you, even liked you somewhat as you played around with them. It was fun, you just floated around them, petting and talking to them, enjoying yourself much more out here than back inside, surrounded by people. You were happy dancing with Loki but that was the only part you liked, finding it rather stressful being around strangers and having the Avengers here didn't help as much as you hoped it would. You ended up just hanging out with all the animals for a while, forgetting about the party and the people, letting their presence soothe you, as you were a lot more stressed out than you realized. 

You were chilling on the back of a giraffe, just hugging and petting her neck thinking about this and that and nothing, while your giraffe ate food off a nearby tree. You realized you had been gone for a while, not too long but you knew Loki would be looking for you soon if he wasn't already and you didn't want to worry him so you decided to head back. You started walking back over to the party, using your feet instead of flying as you really didn't feel like it, only using your powers to float yourself onto the balcony as there were no stairs you could see. You stood out on the terrace overlooking the landscape, not ready to go back in just yet, hoping that if you waited there long enough Loki would just come and find you instead. 

You had your arms resting on the ledge, staring off into the abyss when you realized something didn't feel right, it was quiet, too quiet, and the music had stopped. You couldn't hear anyone really talking or giving a speech or anything, you did hear a few voices but by the tone, you could tell something was up. You got clear of the windows and summon Tizona, pinning yourself up against the wall just outside the door to the ballroom, trying to get a look at what was going on. You couldn't see much of anything, so you patiently listened in to the conversation, getting a feel for what was happening, rather than running in blind.