CHAPTER THREE
' YOU GUYS ARE HAVING
A PARTY IN HERE . '
Ash sat on a wall, already changed into a loose black dress with a silver chest plate covering the top half of her body. Her eyes focused on the ground, and her hand tapped a steady beat. A mixtape sat next to her, blasting music through her ears, blocking out the hustle and bustle of street life.
She had put all her effort into trying to block out the part of her which was more uneasy than usual. That little part of her had sprung into overdrive when she protected the others from Jane's outburst on Earth. She could help but find the energy that surged from that human, so familiar but so different. The explanation was at the tip of her tongue, and the fact one part of her brain knew the answer but held the information ransom drove her to the edge of insanity.
One of Ash's hands fell to her side, taking the blunt curve of the brick wall around her palm and tightening her grip. Her eyebrows narrowed further on her forehead, and she clenched her jaw. Indignant words spewed out of her lips, and she fell from her position to turn and kick the wall. Her actions sent the mixtape flying, headphones ripping from her head and allowing the shattering to shriek through her ears.
"Fuck!" The words fell from her lips as she dived to kneel before the shattered remains of her mixtape. The tape was still turning slowly, a distorted version of 'Ace of Spades' spasming from the rubble. "Shit-shit-shit-shit-" she mumbled to herself, hand briefly touching writing on a label:
Ben's Lesson of Culture #5.
She fell back on her knees as the music died slowly. Her eyes didn't move from the mixtape, her face shifting to lose any emotion. A sharp breath escaped her, and she moved to sit on the ground, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her back against the wall. Her hands reached up, and she rubbed her face before pushing her hair back and tugging the roots.
"Oh, Astrid, what are you doing down there?"
She didn't look up at the Queen, remaining in her position with her head buried in her hands. "If you're going to declare we need a lesson, I'm going to kill you." Her voice was muffled and initiated with a crack. Silence followed her words, and Ash lifted her head enough for her eyes to flicker up at her.
Frigga had an expression on her face that almost slapped Ash across hers. May wore that look so often. Like when she and Ben accidentally set a pan on fire when they were trying to cook dinner, or when Ash was teaching Peter to wrestle, and they managed to knock the sofa over or when she caught Ash staying awake too late whenever she was absorbed with a new thing. It was exasperation. May's was always fond exasperation, but she couldn't pinpoint the Queen's variation.
"That was a euphemism," Ash added quietly after the silence. "For like... I don't want to-"
"-I know," Frigga cut her off softly. She made her way to the broken mixtape.
"Wait!" Ash jumped to her feet, eyes widening as she stood protectively in front of it.
"Astrid, it's sharp. You're going to hurt yourself. What is this anyway? I have never seen anything-"
Ash pushed her hand away before the Queen could pick up a piece. "Please. Please don't touch it." Her voice was quiet, and her eyes pleaded.
Frigga looked down to where Ash clutched her hand tightly and then back at her. She suddenly noticed herself, and Ash stepped back, lowering to a crouch in front of the mixtape and staring at it quietly.
"This meant a lot to you, hm?" Frigga copied her movements.
"Yeah," she replied quietly. "Ben gave it to me in the first few years I spent on Earth."
"And who is Ben?"
"He took me in." Her eyes flickered up to Frigga, a small smile playing on her lips. "He's my Old Man." The light dropped from her face as she stared back at the mixtape. "He's sick, though. He has what humans call cancer. It's caused by mutations in their cells."
Frigga gently reached over and pulled the piece of mixtape from her hand. "Well, you said you wanted to learn how to use your magic for good, and I know you said that if we held a lesson, you would kill me. However, this would be beneficial for us both. Come," she laid the broken shard on the ground and rose to her feet, beckoning Ash to follow.
She complied, eyes flickering from the Queen to the mess on the floor. She began to walk Ash through the process of a repairing spell. Her instructions were slow even if her student had a larger-than-average brain. After Frigga finished her words, Ash's gaze flickered to the broken mixtape and inspected it, but this time with curiosity. Her head fell into a tilt, and she shifted. Black formed in one of her palms, and she raised it, the back of her hand facing the sky. The pieces began to float into the air, like orbiting asteroids in the solar system.
Ash's eyebrows fell into a furrow, her index finger lifting before her hand shifted to stand vertically and turned, her palm facing her chest. She squinted before the pieces began to spin faster and faster, the tape moving to the centre and the casing slowly slotting around it. The mixtape reassembled itself with a final flourish of black mist and floated in the air before them. She glanced at the Queen.
"You see? Your magic can do many great things if you apply yourself. You might be able to do a lot of damage with telekinesis and your other skills, but they are only the tip of the iceberg."
The mixtape fell into Ash's outreached hands, and her fingers hovered over the play button before she pressed down. The music began to distort but gained volume and clarity.
"Going with the flow, it's all a game to me. Seven or eleven, Snake eyes watching you. Double up or quit. Double stake or split. The Ace of Spades. The Ace of Spades."
The corners of her mouth lifted, and Ash looked back to the Queen. "As good as new," she replied quietly. Frigga let out a hum of agreement, lips pulling into a closed-lipped smile before she looked over her shoulder at a new entree.
A castle guard stood patiently. "The King demands Astrid's presence in the infirmary."
Ash's face fell into a frown, eyebrows narrowing as she huffed and taped her mixtape to her hip. "Astrid is here, you know. Astrid is here for you to ask."
"Very well," Frigga replied to the guard. "She will be along shortly."
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Ash hauled the door to the infirmary open, having to use her whole weight to fight the friction. "God, is this a prison or a hospital?" she spoke quietly. "Or - Jesus." The darkness caused her eyes to adjust to the holographic screens, Jane lying on a slab with Thor and Odin on either side. She caught sight of a fallen guard, and she raised her eyebrow. "Clearly, I'm not needed for killing guys-" She turned around, walking backwards as she looked at the body "-You've got that seriously under control. What the hell did I miss? You guys are having a party in here."
"I killed him?" Jane's panicked voice filled her ears, and Ash spun around to face her.
"No, he's fine. He's just unconscious," Thor reassured.
Ash glanced over her shoulder. "Permanently," she added, ignoring the glare Thor sent her.
"Astrid. Enough."
She turned to face Odin, hands finding their way into her pockets. "Sure, I'll take commands now," she replied under her breath.
"I want you to look at her."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "And so we're on the same page..."
"I know you suspect something is different with her. I want you to confirm your suspicions."
She stared at him, for a moment, before sighing and moving to Jane's bedside. "Hello, Thor's human girlfriend, Jane. I am Ash, Thor's non-human friend. Please, remain calm while I take some of your energy and look at it."
Jane's eyes widened, but before she could reply, her whole body tensed. Black magic swirled around Ash's hand, the scientist's eyes turning red before shifting entirely back. Her irises mimicked the woman's, the partly blind eye looking like lava flowing through clouds. Ash exhaled heavily, and Jane fell onto the table as her magic pulled away. She stumbled away from the slab, her hand shooting to steady herself against it.
"Fuck," she breathed out, shaking her head to get rid of the red. She looked at Odin, a glare forming on her features. "How did she find this?"
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Ace of Spades - Motorhead