IT WAS AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION WITH THE NOVA CORPS TO SAY THE LEAST. After being hit by one of the Nova Corps' ships, the two were jostled and thrown about, knocking into the controls and nearly sending themselves hurling into an unknown destination, if not for Kaipo immediately throwing himself onto another set of controls to make sure they didn't, sighing and slumping onto the floor as their unit intercepted a call from the ship.

"Are you alright?" a young, fearful sounding voice called through the intercomm, "Uh, we-we-we are with the Nova Corps. Not-not actually, though, we're still learning, we're on an educational excursion, please-please don't attack us."

Thor groaned and sent out a call of his own, rubbing at his neck which Kaipo had accidentally kicked during the collision. "Don't worry, though I would like to talk to your representative about the Nova Corps."

"We, er..." the voice replied, trailing off, "Okay, we're lying, we just went joyriding, please do not tell our commander."

Kaipo scoffed, pulling himself up to sit. "This is Kaipo Etera and Thor Odinson, heirs to the thrones of Asterius and Asgard, respectively. Now, we won't say anything, but you need to cooperate with us." Cutting off the transmission, he glanced over at Thor. "Why do we need to talk to the Nova Corps?"

"Because there are four out of the six Infinity Stones already found, and I would like to make sure the one they have is the still safe," Thor explained, trying to stretch out the crick in his shoulder.

Kaipo furrowed his brow. "Wait, you know where four already are?"

"I was given a vision in this underground cave where I was struck by lightning and saw the Infinity Stones and a being who wants to use them all for his own gain," Thor explained roughly, "You have infinite knowledge, do you have anything that could help us?"

Kaipo tried to think, but shook his head. "That is not how my memories work, I hold them all, but they only rise when triggered by something, because they are not mine. It's complicated."

Thor snorted. "Just like the rest of your life."

Before Kaipo could even open his mouth to try and tell him off, Thor sent a transmission back to the Nova Corp unit. "Just let your representative know that we will be coming in to discuss the condition of the Infinity Stone they have in their possession."

"Will do," the young voice replied, then cut off all transmissions, the unit racing off and away from the two.

Kaipo sighed and glanced over towards him, settling back in his chair. "You hadn't gone to check on it before?"

Thor shook his head. "Of course I had, but that was immediately after I had begun my search, ever since then I've just been looking, but I have never been able to find anyone who knows anything. That was why I was hoping you had some information."

"I think I might know a place that will," he said, "There were copies of certain texts we had in our library, and I'm sure you can find your answers there. But I would need a map to be able to tell you where we have to go."

Thor groaned. "How helpful are you actually going to be?"

"I'm trying my best," Kaipo argued, "It's hard to sift through these thoughts, I can barely remember what I know and what was given to me, and nothing is coming up. I'm working on it."

Thor didn't seem pleased with that answer in the slightest, but he accepted it nevertheless, sighing heavily. "I need a drink."

º º º

"This is a terrible idea, and if you get stabbed, I won't help you."

Thor rolled his eyes as the two parked the unit in the landing zone, hopping out, boots crunching against the ground as they made their way towards the tavern that doubled as an inn of some kind, as Kaipo could see the windows on the higher levels of the building.

He had heard of planets like these, ones that had low population counts when it came to people who resided there, but large traffic of people who came for rest, pleasure, or some form of the two. He had always wanted to go visit one with Alasdair, but they always had had to report back home after battles, and now that he had sworn them off, he never had any good reason to leave his home.

"Kaipo," Thor called out, snapping him out of his reverie, the god walking back over towards him, his eyebrows furrowed, his flippant, calm disposition now swapped for one of concern, "What's wrong?"

Kaipo shook his head, pulling away from the god, dropping his head and marching towards the tavern. "Nothing, let's go."

"No," Thor said, grabbing his arm, "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," he said, pushing his hand away, "Just go in, drink, I'd like to get our clothes washed."

Thor didn't seem to believe him—Kaipo hadn't pegged him for a more emotional type, but he had to appreciate his concern to some extent—but the accepted it nonetheless, the two making their way inside, and Kaipo could see that Thor wanted to squeeze his shoulder or offer him some form of psychical comfort, but he was glad he didn't do it without asking.

The bar was dimly lit and every surface seemed to be sticky from being drenched in whatever alcoholic drink that had been spilt all over it. There was a sweet smell that seemed to permeate around, but Kaipo didn't believe that the various sources were anything he wanted to have anything to do with.

"Over here," Thor said, the two making their way to a booth in the corner, Kaipo with his back towards most of the bar, Thor facing it, looking around, as if to make sure no one was going to bother them, and Kaipo remembered that the god was tasked to protect him.

"Thank you," he grumbled, "For keeping your oath."

Thor nodded solemnly. "My word is my bond. I don't understand why you don't want to fight, but I'm not going to let you get hurt because of it."

Kaipo tried to give him a small smile. "I appreciate that."

Their conversation waned off as a server approached them, and Thor surprised him greatly by conversing in the native tongue of the server—Kaipo could understand what he was saying, but only because of the knowledge he had consumed—easily ordering two tanks of mead, smiling and laughing before turning back to Kaipo with an easy smile.

"I didn't think you would have known how to speak that language," Kaipo commented, and Thor shrugged, splaying out his hands.

"Asgard offered multiple electives with languages, I learned a few here and there, I wasn't allowed to take all of them, but the ones I didn't take someone else took, and I'd just learn off them," he explained, "My brother was more focused on his magic studies, but as future king, I though it would be suit me to learn about other cultures and people I could ally my kingdom with. It got out of hand very fast."

Kaipo couldn't even disguise his surprise, and Thor simply laughed. "Oh, I love fighting and I spent most of my time in training, but I'm smarter than you think I am. That was my downfall all those years ago. I was too smart, too powerful, too great-at-everything. It gave me a big head."

"You still have one," Kaipo pointed out, and Thor laughed.

The tankards arrived a few moments later, and Thor raised his own in cheers before downing half in one go. Kaipo didn't even touch his; he hardly ever drank, even after successful battles, it just was never something he wanted to partake in.

Yet there was still the feeling of pain and loss in his chest that just wouldn't go away, and there was no one to look over except himself anymore, so he could afford to drink, at least enough to numb himself.

So, with a deep breath, he lifted the tankard to his lips and downed half of the beverage, unsure of how to even describe what the mead tasted like, but knowing that it had to be incredibly strong as he had started to feel much lighter.

Thor smiled at him from across the booth, already on his second tankard. "What happened there?"

Kaipo shrugged, leaning back as he finished his first tankard, realizing how large it actually was once he set it aside, feeling much more relaxed, but was still, for the most part, aware. "I'm grieving."

Thor furrowed his brow in concern, barely softened by his own drink. "I'm sorry."

Kaipo waved his apology aside, taking the second tankard and taking a large swig before setting it down, watching Thor drink more than him yet again. He watched with mild interest, but was otherwise unimpressed, and caught the eye of the god when he set his tankard down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Challenge?" Thor offered, motioning towards their tankards, and Kaipo snorted.

"Some other time," he said, because he knew saying no would not appease the god at all, only urge him to try harder.

Thankfully, Thor was sated, at least for now, and simply continued to drink, relaxing as the night wore on; Kaipo at least assumed it was night. It was clear the Asgardian knew how to drink and, as a result, they found themselves there for quite some time, though Kaipo had to give him a budget on their currency.

"Of course," Thor said, but he said it with a lazy kind of drawl, and Kaipo merely motioned towards the server that the last tankard would be the final drink served.

"Will you not drink more?" the god asked, motioning towards Kaipo's measly four tankards, the last of which was still not fully empty.

"I'm not as used to these as you are, this is enough," Kaipo replied, still much more sober than Thor was, "Will you be fine in your own room?"

Thor shook his head. "We should save our money. I'm sorry, this was reckless of me." He motioned towards the drinks, and Kaipo shrugged, checking to see how much it all cost, surprised by the number.

"This barely made a dent," he said, looking around, "You'd think at a planet like this, they would charge more."

Thor shrugged, finishing his last tankard. "I told them who you were. News travels fast, surprisingly enough, they lowered the price to let you grieve properly."

Kaipo's eyes darkened, and he felt a flash of anger. "You capitalized on my planet's destruction?"

Thor shook his head, surprisingly serious for a being who would have drunk most under the table at this point. "That was not my intention. They asked who you were, I told them. They lowered the price on their own."

"Why would they do that?" Kaipo demanded, "Why would these people who need to sustain themselves want to lower their prices for a man who just lost all of his people?"

"Because the Setera attacked my home as well."

The two turned to find a being standing in front of them, a sad expression on their face, and Kaipo immediately sobered, recognizing the being to be of Athren descent, the fins on the sides of their face and the gem in the center of their forehead making it quite obvious.

"Why are the Setera mindlessly destroying planets, I understand conquering—I don't condone, but I understand—and I don't see the merit in destroying and leaving it for ruin," Thor asked, looking between the two beings that had lost so much.

"There are whispers," the Athren explained, only to shudder and shake their head violently, the gem in the center of their forehead turning a bright red, "I apologize, I cannot speak about this. Be careful, be safe."

With a final nod, the Athren rushed off with their scaled shoulders up to their ears, gone in a flash, leaving the two alone.

Or alone as they could be within the fairly filled bar which was starting to become incredibly rowdy as the night wore on.

"We should rest," Kaipo suggested, "I want to discuss the Setera with the Nova Corp, because this is ridiculous."

Thor gave him a concerned look, and he shook his head with a sigh. "I do not want to talk about it."

In that moment, one of the patrons was thrown into their booth, breaking the table in half.

"Hey!" Thor shouted, and Kaipo turned to look as well, seeing a few other patrons—he couldn't tell what species they were as their clothes prevented him from seeing—stalking over towards them.

"None of your business," one of them spat, trying to shove Thor aside, and Kaipo could see the flash of anger in the thunder god's eyes.

"C'mon, now, I believe in a fair fight," Thor taunted, shoving them back, helping up the scrawny victim who was genuinely shaking in fright.

"This doesn't concern you," another one of them spat, and Kaipo took a deep breath, watching Thor's expression closely; the blond wasn't going to get out of this without being a part of the brawl.

"Thor," he said softly, trying despite knowing it was futile, "Let's go."

Thor took a step towards the group, towering over them. "Not until they leave."

With a sigh, Kaipo turned towards the still quivering victim, lowering his voice and leaning close to rumble. "Get a room and don't come out until morning."

With a nod, he scurried off, and one of the members of the offending group lunged after him, only for Thor to grab him by the arm, pulling him back and sending him sprawling into his comrades.

"Only cowards attack when backs are turned," Thor declared, and while Kaipo agreed, he couldn't help but sigh with exasperation, taking a few steps away from the group; if Thor was going to start fighting, he might as well get a head start.

He felt a hand on his shoulder that pulled him back, but before he could yank out of the grip, his assailant was being thrown into the wall by the door. Whirling around, he found Thor glaring at the group, the veins in his arm glowing a faint gold.

It seemed that the oath was truth.

"Thor," he called out, "Stop."

Of course, Thor didn't stop. He just took the punch aimed at his jaw with ease, jumping right back and punching his attacker, knocking him out. Within minutes there was a full out brawl, Thor against nearly everyone else, save for the two who decided to side with the winning man, though in Kaipo's eyes, they were all to lose.

Those who could not find any other means to solve a problem were destined to fail in the end.

He softly whispered to the bartender who was watching with mild interest. "Are you going to stop this?"

"Just wait," she replied breezily, continuing to polish the tankards set up in a row behind the bar.

After a few minutes of watching Thor fight off an entire room full of fairly capable beings, Kaipo had had enough; just because the god was sworn to protect him didn't mean he couldn't do anything to help. He walked over, taking a deep breath and sighing.

Bending his head, he began to mumble, glad for having harnessed all the knowledge previously, as he would not have been able to remember exactly what to say at this moment if not for that; at least it was good for something.

He could feel it travel down his arms and legs, his head growing light at the feeling, and he wondered if it was the mead or the magic, but whatever it was, it felt good and it felt right. He wasn't sure if his eyes were opened or closed, but when he finally was able to see, he found all the attackers asleep on the floor, Thor standing in the midst of them, looking utterly confused.

Leaning against a booth, his energy spent, Kaipo sighed. "There are others ways to win besides fighting."

Thor pointed to all of them. "I could have taken them easily."

Kaipo nodded, trying to stand, but only succeeding in swaying. "I know. But they couldn't have taken you. That is the problem with war. Even if at a draw, people get hurt." He motioned towards the gash Thor sported from being cut with a broken glass. "Let's rest."

Thor picked up Mjölnir and walked towards Kaipo, holding him up as they made their way to the stairs leading to the various rooms. The bartender watched them with the same mildly interested expression. After a brief nod, the two made their way up, searching for a vacancy.

"One room," Thor said to the innkeeper who met them in the hall with a confused expression, and Kaipo was unable to try and request for two.

"You started the brawl downstairs?" she demanded, raising her chin up at them.

"We stopped it," Kaipo said, nearly about to pass out; he shouldn't have tried to expend his energy after being inebriated, but he wasn't about to let a fight continue.

She sighed, but motioned towards one of the room, telling them where to put their clothes if they needed them cleaned, her voice a monotonous drawl that nearly sent Kaipo to sleep on his feet, Thor holding him up.

They made their way inside, and, to their surprise, the bed was incredibly spacious, which pleased the two of them greatly. Thor dropped Kaipo onto one end of the bed, the man shimmying out of most of his clothes and dropping them on the ground unceremoniously, Thor locking the door then doing the same, going to the opposite end of the bed, turned away from him.

"Thank you," Kaipo mumbled, "For defending me. Idiot."

Thor snorted as they both drifted off to sleep. "You're welcome."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

( 05.19.18 )

I did some research, and forgot all about the vision Thor had about the four Infinity Stones he was already aware about, and like, ya'll, I did a bunch of research and I'm really excited to show you what's gonna go down because it's gonna go DOWN, so this chapter was yet another exposition piece, but we also see the recurring theme of Thor fighting and Kaipo finding a way to solve the problem without violence.

So sorry about the filler, but I mean, it showed a lot, I like to think, so...yeah whatever.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!