CHAPTER 84

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I walked with Sif around the city, showing her every little corner she wanted to explore.

It was almost adorable seeing such a fearsome warrior like her getting excited by things like a gas station hot dog, and other minor things like that, it was precious really.

I showed her the good, and the bad of the city, I mean, there was no point in showing someone only the good parts, but regardless of what I showed her, she was always excited, grinning like a kid with a new toy to play.

Our tour eventually led us to the Theodore Roosevelt Park, where I took the initiative of setting up a picnic.

I wanted to get to know her better before making any moves, though I suppose a picnic could be considered a move.

The point was, I wanted to see if my attraction to her was more than purely physical, that part was sure, I liked her, she was in peasant terms hot as fuck, but no relationship really lasted if the only thing you liked about the other person was their body.

Also, I wanted to see if she liked me, you kinda need both parties to agree on that.

"Today has been quite the adventure," Sif said, a wide blinding smile on her face as she looked at me.

"Well, considering where you live, I'll take that as a compliment." I smiled back at her. 

"It truly is a miracle how Midgardians live, besides you and your sworn shield, they look…" Sif paused for a moment as if trying to find the correct word to describe human weakness.

"Weak? Soft?" I chuckled, getting an odd look from her. "Look don't feel bad for saying it, we humans are weak by an evolution standard point of view. But is that weakness that fuels our greed for more, for improvement."

"Is that why you became so strong?" Sif inquired with a curious look, "For human greed?"

"I suppose in a way? Yes," I nodded, "I also wanted to be the ruler of my life, which was an impossibility as long as I was like everyone else."

"Freedom through power?" Sif gave me a soft smile. "I can relate to that."

"You can?" I looked at her with a curious look.

"If you repeat anything I say from this point on, I will beat you," Sif threatened in a joking manner. 

"Cross my heart and hope to die," I promised.

"What?" Sif chuckled.

"Is a human thing, it means I won't say a word," I chuckled back.

"Got to remember that," Sif smiled, "Well, as I was saying, I'm a woman."

"And that's a problem in which way?" I asked.

"That in Asgardian culture, we are often overlooked," Sif replied with a sad smile, "I trained twice… no... thrice as hard as everyone else, day and night I practiced with my sword until my hands bleed, and even then, I continued, pushing beyond my limits, perfecting my moves. I spent centuries practicing without a rest, but that didn't matter… for everyone else only saw me as a woman, my gender alone was the very chain that kept me down."

I looked at her, "I can't say I relate to that, if I did I would be lying, but those that judged you based on your gender are idiots."

Sif laughed, a bitter laugh, "They are, in the end, it was Thor's who showed everyone else I was as capable as the rest of the man in Odin's army, and with time, well, I made a name for myself."

"I have to ask, how can Asgardians be so misogynistic?" I asked, with a frown, "I mean, what about the Valkyries?" weren't the Valkyries an all-woman force? When they existed.

Sif chuckled, "I said the same, but since their demise long before my birth, well, warriors such as myself have been working against the tide."

I smiled at her.

"So I get your feeling," Sif smiled, "Power is sadly the breaker of chains, we all have chains, and only power can break them, be it the chains of one's gender, of the chains of one's innate weakness."

"Wise words," I nodded.

"I have my moments," Sif grinned.

"Well, cheers to our success so far." I chuckled, giving her a cup of wine I had pulled out of my inventory alongside a very expensive wine.

"Wine? by the All-Father, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were trying to court me," Sif smiled, grabbing the cup.

"Who knows?" I winked.

"You are playing a dangerous game human," Sif replied, taking a sip of the cup. "One that you might not wanna play if you are not sure."

"Life for a human in this universe is intrinsically dangerous, so what's a risk or two?" I shot back with a playful grin.

"I can't argue with that," Sif smiled, raising her cup. "To our freedom."

I smiled at her, raising my cup to meet hers, "To our freedom." 

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After a long picnic, and a few teasing comments here and there, we restarted the tour, this time showing her the nightlife of New York, but before we could see or watch anything good, I got a message on my phone, an urgent one.

Sabertooth had escaped.

"Is everything okay?" Sif inquired with a worried look, reading my expression.

"No, a dangerous criminal has escaped," I replied, cursing Sabertooth on my head, couldn't he escape tomorrow, I was making progress here. "And now I have to hunt him down."

Sif's worried expression changed to an excited one, "Then I shall help you with this!" she declared.

"You don't have to," I assured her.

"Of course I do," Sif grinned, "Besides, I want to see what other Midgardians have to offer in the way of combat."

I chuckled, "Okay, I suppose we can hunt him together."

"Now this is a real Asgardian date!" Sif grinned.

"A date?" I asked with a teasing smile.

"Who knows?" Sif shot back with a wink, using my own words against me.