Lady Jane and Darcy had coached him on Midguardian etiquette in preparation for this event and he is truly grateful. This feast, though he uses the word loosely as he has seen very little food, is in celebration of his lady and her fellow scientist and the last thing he wishes to do is distract from their achievements. Though he does not understand the use of this garment Jane called a "tuxedo". It is uncomfortable and restricts his movements, should they come under attack, which Jane had assured him would not happen though based on past experience he was skeptical, he would not be able to act without damaging it. Darcy had threatened him with a multitude of very creative fates should he so much as stain it. It was apparently a "rental," though none of them had taken the time to explain what that meant.

Jane is engaged in debate with a few of her fellows and Thor contents himself with standing by the wall within sight of the plant in a pot behind which he has hidden his hammer and enjoying the sight of the flush that comes to his lady's cheeks as she argues her points with restrained passion. She is speaking with an elder man, who, though the hair on his head is white and he walks stooped has bright clear eyes full of intelligence. Also with them, though listening more than he speaks is a slender youth, who's pale skin and dark hair send a sharp pain through Thor's insides as the scene is briefly replaced in his mind's eye by the courts of Asgard, the youth by his brother. (Though it has been centuries since Loki was as small as the Midguardian boy.)

In the nature of the worlds, that is when the attack comes.

They are Midguardians, human but some of them command large machines, robots Stark had said their kind were called. Thor grins and rolls his shoulders, wincing as a seam splits. He will have many apologies to make to Darcy when this is over.

The first to approach him is a large man, taller even than he, but he is helpless against the power of an Asguardian and is laid out with one blow. Thor wades into the fray, reaching over and pulling Jane behind him.

It is a good fight, he destroys three of the robots and fells eight men, there is no need to call his hammer to him for this battle, which is why he does not notice that it is missing from behind the plant until his attention is caught by the familiar sound of Mjölnir striking metal.

He whirls on his heel, searching for the source of the sound and is struck dumb by the sight of a golden-haired girl, younger even then Darcy, wielding Mjölnir as a club to beat one of the robots off of a huddled figure on the floor, which proves to be the youth he had noted earlier. Behind him Jane gasps and he is assured that his eyes have not been deceived. The maiden uses both hands to lift the hammer, but shows no more difficulty that could be expected from a mortal of her size bearing a weapon of Mjölnir's.

The robot that she fells is the last, and once it is destroyed the girl stops, not even breathing hard and casts her gaze around the room until she sees Thor. A smile grows upon her face, brilliant and cheerful and she walks over until she stands before him.

"Hi!" she says, releasing one hand from Mjölnir to adjust her sleeve, which has been torn, exposing the skin of her arm, littered with scars of battle. A shield maiden then indeed. "I think this must be yours, because I really can't imagine any of the other people here would be the sort to leave a giant war hammer around, but you kind of have that big, buff, viking look going on and-"

She seems like Darcy in that she would continue on as long as she was permitted and Thor is still in too much shock to say anything so he is rather relieved to hear Darcy's voice from the side.

"Wait. You can lift Mew-mew?"

The shield maiden frowns and looks at the hammer. "Should I have not touched it? It was right there though, and the evil robot thing was kinda crushing my date and it would be a very awkward explanation if I went home without him and then his family would be mad at me 'cause he might be annoying sometimes but-"

The youth has come up behind her and chooses that moment to make his presence known with a polite cough before tapping the shield maiden on the shoulder. "Steph we need to go. Why don't you give Thor his hammer back and then we can leave."

"Steph" as the shield maiden's name seems to be, nods. "Okay. Wait. Thor?" She looks from Thor to the hammer and back again several times before paling. "Waffles!"

With that strange comment, she practically shoves Mjölnir into Thor's arms.

Before the two of them can leave Darcy manages to chime in with one more comment, this one directed at the boy. "You're cute. Shame you look like jail-bait. Don't have an older brother by any chance?"

A strange look twists the boy's face and the shield maiden practically pushes him towards the door where the police are beginning to make an appearance. "Gotta go! Thanks for the hammer loan!"

The two of them disappear into the crowd and Thor simply stands, looking at his hammer. How was a Midguardian girl able to lift it?

He asks who she was and no one knows. The boy, her "date" was Timothy Drake-Wayne, the recently adopted son of a man who Jane informs him is a great rival of Stark's, something of a lord though they do not have such things in America.

But nobody knows who the shield maiden with golden hair and more battle-scars than a child her age should bear, who is worthy to wield Mjölnir might be.