continued for @twinklefists
carol looked away from the night sky towards the woman sitting next to her instead. she chuckled softly. "oh really?" she teased, eyebrows raised. only moments ago they had been talking about carol's next journey -- most of the time, she didn't know where she was going. she'd go into the sky, idle on her ship until she was called to help someone, then she'd be occupied with that. she never knew it if was going to be a battle, a political statement, or a natural disaster. when she'd absently commented on how next time she went up to wait, she'd pass through the ramaya galaxy; a beautiful cluster of stars that she loved to watch our her window as her ship coasted by. she had been debating between doing that and staying here for now; that had been the exact topic of conversation when valkyrie had spoken. "it's really beautiful," she continued, looking away from valkyrie for a brief moment towards the stars, as if she could see it. "light blue, a different shade than i've ever seen on earth. colours and stars as far as the eye can see. sometimes i just pass it to relax; but it's not a super active galaxy, so i don't normally have much to do there." she considered it. these days, carol felt like she was burning out a bit, not unlike the exact stars in the sky that she missed. she didn't take breaks that often anymore. most of the time, when she did force herself to take a break, she did so completely alone. it might be nice to have company, especially company like her, and -- oh god, she really hoped that she cleaned her ship up before inviting a beautiful woman in. "i'd love for you to join me, if you'd like," she continued, grinning at valkyrie, hoping her excitement showed more than her nerves did. both were pretty relevant right now. "it's only a few jump points away. i could have you back by tomorrow afternoon. whatever you'd like."
maybe she'd been watching a little too closely when carol had turned her head to gaze back up at the night sky as she described the stars and the beauty of the ramaya galaxy. carol wasn't someone who often let vulnerabilities or softer sides show, not to just anyone at least... but there was something about the look on her face, in her eyes while she was focusing on something that didn't involve being a hero, or having responsibilities that val couldn't help but be intrigued by.
and maybe her words had been a bit of a flirtatious joke - not something that she actually expected carol to take her up on, - she knew that she could be such a private person and that was completely fair... but when carol did extend the offer, the smile that tugged at her lips was nothing but genuine.
yes, she knew that now, being king of new asgard, she had responsibilities, and she couldn't always just run away at the drop of a hat. and yes, thor was no longer here, he'd taken himself away with love, after what had happened, after losing jane... and that was something valkyrie would never hold against him. - she knew what that pain, what that void felt like. at least he seemed to be trying to fill that void with something healthier than the bottom of a bottle like she had... but with all of that being said, after what had happened with gorr, she also had confidence in her people. they were strong, even the younger ones. they had all proven that.
" it would be nice to ditch the suit and tie, pretend i'm not king for a little while... if the captain permits, of course. " her last few words were accompanied by more of a playful hint to her smile.