Three days before the date of the banquet stated on the invitation, Schiller arrived at Asgard Palace through a portal from the Sanctum Sanctorum and, under the attendants' arrangements, checked into one of the palace guest rooms.
The last time he had come here, he had soaked in the hot springs beneath the World Tree with Loki and Strange, and had even struck a deal with Odin concerning Valhalla.
Returning to the guest rooms of Asgard Palace, Schiller's first impression was that the service had improved considerably. The last time he had stayed overnight, he could call for heaven and earth without getting a response. The empty palace had not had a single servant in sight, and if he wanted a fresh towel, he had had to call Loki.
This time, there were guards at the door, stewards in the corridors, and even a service bell on the bedside table. It seemed Loki's reforms within Asgard Palace had been quite effective.
Thinking this, Schiller called both Loki and Strange, arranging to soak in the hot springs together that evening and talk about Asgard's reforms while they were at it.
That night, an Asgardian royal carriage brought Schiller beneath the World Tree, but one of the three people who had arranged to meet was nowhere to be found.
After changing into his hot spring clothes, Schiller entered the pool and looked at Strange in the distance. "Where's Loki? Didn't he say he was coming?"
"Don't mention it." Strange curled his lip. "Something came up on his end. He's not coming today... Same as usual, port?"
Schiller nodded. Strange opened the bottle on the table floating in the hot spring, and Schiller shook his head. "You actually brought your own alcohol? Aren't you afraid Thor will call you pretentious?"
"I just can't