Snake in the Grass {Jormungandr}

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It was a bit disappointing that the magic trick hadn't made Astrid freak out even a little. Jor would have liked a bit more respect for his power, or maybe even a bit more respect in general, but this was the Vikings they were talking about. They prized strength and stupidity above all, as evident in their admiration for that bumbling fool Thor. He should know better than to think so highly of the mortals.

However, Jor was pleased when she guessed who he was. Of course, as soon as she mentioned Thor killing her, and showed her lack of knowledge in regards to that section of Norse mythology, his good mood vanished faster than you could say 'Slepnir'. "Thor did not kill me," he snarled, leaning forward as if he intended to attack. The snake on his arm hissed viciously as well, its mood changing to reflect his own. "Clearly you know nothing of my legend, or you would know that if Thor killed me, your little mortal sphere would be no more."

Still annoyed with the girl's ignorance and the mere thought of Thor defeating him unscathed, Jor stood, rising to his full height and fixing the girl with a cold glare. "I am Jormungandr, son of Loki, serpent of Midgard, enemy of Thor, and harbinger of Ragnarok," he announced, the game forgotten in his rage. "And I will not stand for such an insult to my name. As if Thor could kill me."

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"I knew that Thor's supposed to fight you," Astrid pointed out, feeling her anger fueling that face-punching urge within her, "and that you're the son of Loki."

She was tempted to stand there and list off everything that she'd more or less figured out on her own. True, she wasn't exactly as brushed up on her obscure mythic figures as some people; she was pretty confident that she would have never guessed Jormungandr's name without him pretty well flinging it at her in an all too familiar manner.

"And yeah, Thor could kill you. He could definitely kill you right now, since you're a pretty normal sized guy and he's a god and all. I'm sure you'd give him some problems or something,' said Astrid. She stared at Jormungandr, then blinked. 'Are you really expecting me to quiver or something? I already told you I fought your brother, remember? That was, like, one of the several things. No offense, but you gods and monsters and stuff are kinda getting to be normal anymore."

She paused, shifting her stance, which reminded her of the scratches along her legs, which made her wince slightly. "So," she said, meeting Jormungandr's eyes, "are you going to tell me who put the pole in my way, Jormungandr," man, was she lucky she got that name right, "son of Loki, serpent of Midgard, soon-to-be-enemy of Thor, and possible harbinger of Ragnarok? Or are you going to break your word?"

Yeah, now she had one of those cocky smiles that made you want to commit acts of face punching...

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Jor snorted, crossing his arms bitterly and glaring at the horizon. He plopped back down, slouched in his seat and ending up almost lying down on the bleachers. "Oh yes, good for you," he grumbled, completely ignoring the fact that he was sort of crushing the snake he had just created. "It's not like those parts of the legend aren't the most famous parts..."

He wasn't just bitter because of her insolence. He was also annoyed with himself for having ruined the game. He'd gotten pissed off and gone and let his name slip. But maybe he could play a bit more, if he was careful.

His plotting was cut short when the Viking dared to suggest that Thor could kill him. "You know nothing, mortal," he hissed, whipping his head around to glare at Astrid again. "I might be in this weak form now, but that doesn't mean that I don't have the ability to change back." He was lying out his arse on that statement, but he was looking into it. He refused to be on the mortal plane without a backup plan in case he ran into the thunder god.

Pouting like a bitter child, Jor mumbled under his breath, "You should be quivering. Mortals should know their place." It was loud enough for Astrid to hear, but quiet enough to seem like he hadn't been intending for it to have been heard. It was childish and immature, but then, what could you really expect from the child of a god? They were childish by nature, and Jor didn't have the humbling experience of being around people who didn't immediately respect him. The Viking's lack of respect pissed him off, and his anger was starting to warp into his scheming.

Ah, but then he remembered the terms of the game. Astrid herself had to guess his name for her to win. Grinning devilishly, he cocked his head to the side and stared her down. "I don't think I will," he drawled. "You never really guessed my name, now did you?"

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Astrid shrugged. "Like I said: you're the second offspring of Loki I've face, and I fought the last guy to a standstill," Astrid was still counting that as a win. Though if she thought about it, simply facing a monstrous wolf and walking away, even if the wolf was in some human form, should probably count as a win in and of itself. Totally not the point right now though. "Plus I've been training with gods and goddesses, so, yeah, I'm beginning to lose that whole awe thing."

Which was true. It seemed to Astrid that the divinities weren't that much different from, well, her. Artemis seemed more like a big sister or helpful aunt than anything, whereas Thor was more the drunken uncle. Loki was the cousin nobody talked about, and Fenrir was that crazy guy you put on the edge of the island and fed sheep to every once in a while (what? every island has one, right?)

Then Jormungandr had to get all clever. Astrid let out a groan of frustration, stomping her foot. That just helped to remind her of her whole current wounded state. Spitting a curse, she turned to look at the pole. That was when an idea sparked, and she turned to Jormungandr.

"But I still have questions left," she pointed out. "So then, by your own rules, the game never stopped. So..." she folded her arms, quirking a brow. "Is your name Jorumungandr?"

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"Pah. I'm sure you just got lucky," Jor snorted, waving off Astrid's comment about fighting Fenrir. Secretly, though, he was a bit worried. If she was as strong as she boasted, she could be a threat. He couldn't exactly kill her, either, if what she said about knowing gods and goddesses was true. He could get himself into serious trouble if he killed a favorite of the gods, and he wasn't too keen on being on the gods' shit list right after arrival.

A huge grin spread across his face as Astrid caught on to the endgame. "Ah, you're catching on," he smirked, making her wait before he answered the question. He dropped the spell that held the tattoo snake on this plane of existence, and it dissolved back onto his arm. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Jor stood to his full height, staring down at Astrid with what could be called a hungry, predatory expression. The smile dropped from his face, and when he spoke, his tone was serious. "I am indeed Jormungandr, serpent of Midgard, son of Loki, enemy of Thor, and harbinger of Ragnarok. As your reward, I shall give you the name of the person who so callously placed that pole in your path."

Pausing for a moment, the slightest of smiles crossed his face. It was a cold, cruel smile, and it hinted at how cruel the person wearing it was. "The person who placed that pole in your was was me." The cruel smile turned into a full blown grin, and he waited for the excitement of all hell that was about to break loose.