Tachi had been flying at full speed. Without anything slowing him down, crossing an entire ocean hadn't taken him very long.
He crossed the entire sky of the United States from East to West before reaching the state he was looking for.
'Back to California, it's been a few years.'
It was night. Tachi was afraid he might forget the location of the meeting point they had set, but the darkness actually helped him.
He was flying around the enormous city of San Francisco when he spotted a fire in the distance.
'Must be him.'
Tachi approached and landed behind a man sitting near the fire.
"You came fast," the man said.
"Does it surprise you?" Tachi walked around and stood in front of him.
The man stood up. He was tall, with tan skin and light-colored eyes. His long curly hair fell down his back, tied at the end.
"No. What surprised me is Juho telling me you were coming here."
"Don't act sad, Billy. Acting doesn't suit you well."
They greeted each other like old friends.
"So, Juho didn't really tell me why you were coming. What brings you to my lands?"
"Your lands? I see the West U.S. lord is getting more used to the role," Tachi said with a mocking laugh.
"I'm a Pomo, Tachi, North California is our land."
"I'll give you that."
They were standing on top of a high hill, looking down at the city below them.
"I'm here to find Leif. Have you seen him recently?"
"Leif? Yeah, I see him often. He's always in a bar, listening to music. But I don't know which one he's in right now. We have the same hobbies, except I have responsibilities and he doesn't," Billy explained.
"That means we need to check as many bars as possible. Let's go."
Tachi began walking toward the city.
"I hope you still like metal. You're going to hear a lot of it while we look for him," Billy said as he followed.
"Of course I do. I never stopped since you two converted me to that music."
For the next few hours, they wandered through several underground bars in San Francisco, the kind of places where heavy music was still played.
After inspecting quite a few buildings where they had no luck, they stopped for a moment to take a break.
"You're going to attack Asgard?! Have you lost your mind? The general HQ isn't going to like that," the native said.
"I know. No need to remind me. But I can't let this boy die. He doesn't even know who he is, yet he's going to be killed just because of his name. The gods' way of seeing things is so… primal and unjust. I'll take the risk with HQ. I don't even know what the big boss will do," Tachi explained.
They could still understand each other despite the music. The loud guitars and blast beats weren't enough to drown their conversation.
'My blade filled with desire'
Tachi leaned against the bar, watching the band performing.
"What's their name again?"
'We can't control it, oh yeah I feel it,
Steel of desire, embrace the fire!'
"They're called 'I AM'. A band from Texas, I think."
"Love that part. Kinda groovy."
After exchanging a few words, they left some coins on the counter and continued their search.
"How can a two-meter-tall man with long curly blond hair be so difficult to find?" Tachi said.
"The man is probably face down on a bar. Even he can't win against alcohol," Billy laughed.
They eventually reached the Bay Area of San Francisco and entered yet another bar.
Billy smiled as soon as they stepped inside.
"Oh, a Megadeth tribute band playing? I'm almost sure he's somewhere around here."
Tachi tapped his shoulder. Billy turned his head and looked where Tachi was pointing.
A man was slumped over the counter, but his unusual musculature was visible even in that position.
"That's our man," Tachi whispered.
'The next song is called… "A Tout Le Monde."'
The two of them approached and sat down, one on his left, the other on his right.
"Another beer for the blond guy. That one's on me," Billy said.
Leif didn't lift his head.
"No, bartender. If it's on him, give me six beers."
He lifted his head and found himself face to face with Tachi.
"Oh wow… and now I see Tachi."
He looked back at the bartender.
"Give me three beers. That'll do the job at this point."
'Don't remember where I was,
I realize life was a game…'
'How many liters has he drunk?' the wind god wondered while looking at Billy, who took over the conversation.
"No, you're not dreaming. Tachi is here, with me."
Leif turned.
"Billy? didn't see you." He looked back at Tachi. "Wait. I get why you're here, Billy. But what the fuck are you doing here, Tachi? This doesn't look good. What did I do?"
The bartender arrived with his arms full of beers, struggling to place them in front of the thunder god, who simply waved a hand to thank him.
Billy looked at him. "You're not wearing your glove?"
Thor drank before answering, finishing his can first.
"Nah. Not practical unless i need to wield Mjolnir. Don't worry, Járngreipr is attached to my belt now."
'A tout le monde,
A tout mes amis,
Je vous aime,
Je dois partir…'
"Good thing," Billy replied briefly.
Leif stretched. "So… why are you here?"
Tachi was about to speak, but Leif stopped him.
"Wait please. That's the solo."
They waited about twenty seconds for it to finish.
"Well, lacks Friedman's feeling. You can go."
'So as you read this, know my friends
I'd love to stay with you all…'
"I'll explain quickly. Nordic gods attacked us. They kidnapped a kid I was protecting. We're going to attack Asgard to bring him back. We need your help," Tachi explained.
"You're going to attack Asgard? Who's that kid? Why would they care about him?"
'He's not gonna like that,' Tachi thought before answering hesitantly.
"Jormungandr."
Leif laughed. "Are you asking me to attack my own people to save my nemesis?"
He finished another can. "And who's with you that makes you think this is winnable?" Thor asked.
"Hodr, Njord, and Skadi."
"Njord and Skadi are with you? Wow, wouldn't have thought that. You know that's not enough to beat the old man's army, right?" he said between two drinks.
"That's not all. Odin is dead," Tachi declared.
Leif stopped drinking.
"What did you just say?"
"Odin was killed. A false king is sitting on his throne."
"And who supposedly did that?" he asked.
Tachi looked him straight in the eyes.
"Loki."
Leif didn't say anything. He simply crushed the can in his hand.
Tachi expected some reaction, but Leif just grabbed another beer.
'Well… he did that to himself,' Leif thought.
Billy, somewhat left out of the conversation, kept drinking on his side.
Tachi continued. "That's not all. Njord told us about the day you left Asgard. I understand why you exiled yourself. I understand why you lost yourself. But he and Skadi talked about a Leif who stood up for what he believed was right, even against Odin. Help us. Please."