Stories and hobbies and other ways to pass the time

[brave_heart_verity]

Verity's in her favorite seat in the forum, drinking coffee and trying to read a book that's frustrating her. It isn't long before she puts it down with a scowl aimed at the cover (or possibly the concept of books). "Does anyone understand Norse mythology? Is that a thing? Because I do not get it."

"Alternately, any suggestions for hobbies for someone with lots of time and few skills? Preferably things that aren't group activities."

((A note about Verity: she's got a magic spell stuck in her that lets her always know when someone is lying to her. Please respect this; if your character is trying to lie to her, please make that known so she can react appropriately.))

Comments

[brave_heart_verity]

She bites back the snarky reply, just barely.

"You sure you want to know? It might not be good for you to hear it."

[damn_yourself_early]

"I could keep fumbling around with uninformed guesses, if you'd rather," he points out.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Better I waste my time than you get hurt." Have a little squeeze of reassurance. "So how have you been? Been on any interesting missions lately?"

[damn_yourself_early]

He's disappointed. He'd hoped appealing to her desire to find her friend, combined with the puppy dog eyes icon, would get her to spill some beans. "Well," he answers airily, "I've had to find homes for a litter of puppies, lately. That has been somewhat diverting."

[brave_heart_verity]

Yeah, sucks to have a friend so good she's technically someone else's friend and still is willing to sacrifice herself for you. Poor poor Loki.

"Puppies? That sounds... really unlikely. I always figured you for a cat person."

[damn_yourself_early]

Yes, but he's still left in the dark, and adults never tell him anything important unless they're villains!

"Hel-wolf was, it turns out, something of a ladies' man during our visit to Hela's realm, and spent some time in the company of the great she-wolf who guards the gates. Hela sait since the puppies are a consequence of my visit, I had to be the one to find them homes. And I did!"

[brave_heart_verity]

Hey, she has told him lots of important things. Well. Several.

"Oh? That's good. Good job." Is that what he wants to hear? Is it what he needs to hear? The hell if she knows. There are books about this kind of thing. She'll have to read one of them.

[damn_yourself_early]

Good luck finding a parenting book that isn't a cavalcade of untruths.

"I found homes for all of them except one; the troublemaker that nobody wanted. He's going to be my dog, and he'll be the best dog ever."

He really believes that.

[brave_heart_verity]

Damnit.

"I'm sure you're going to take really good care of him." She gives him an encouraging smile and hopes the little beast doesn't eat any of his limbs. "What's his name?"

[damn_yourself_early]

"Thori!" He already tried that with Tyr ("Not again!").

[brave_heart_verity]

Doesn't mean he won't try again.

"That's sweet. Have you told your brother yet?"

[damn_yourself_early]

"Not yet. He, er, isn't back yet. There's a wrong story somewhere, but it's very persuasive. Pervasive. At least one of those."

[brave_heart_verity]

"Maybe both. But you're more so." He's also getting a hug now. "You're the god of stories. Nobody's stories beat yours."

[damn_yourself_early]

Oh, hey, that's a good hug, there. "You really think so?"

[brave_heart_verity]

She hesitates only long enough to make eye contact with him. "I know so."

She'll hate herself for it later.

[damn_yourself_early]

Oh, look at him beaming!

[brave_heart_verity]

That's why she does it. Anything for Loki.

Given certain values of who Loki might be today.

"Just make sure it's a good one, hm?"

[damn_yourself_early]

"Well, you've given me a very high reputation to live up to. It'll have to be the very best."

[brave_heart_verity]

"Your brother deserves nothing less. And so do you." This part at least she won't feel guilty about later.

[damn_yourself_early]

"Aw, thanks." He'll take a small cuddle now, please. And then, "so, what was Ikol dealing with, when he vanished?"

[brave_heart_verity]

...damnit. Yes, he can have the cuddles, and he's going to be able to feel how tense she gets when he asks.

"He. It. It's complicated. ...is Ikol here?"

[damn_yourself_early]

Yeah, that's... that's something to wonder about. A definite sign of things she isn't telling.

"Of course. He's right on the end of the armrest. You still don't see him?"

[brave_heart_verity]

"No." There's a lot of heartache in the word.

"The short version is that an alternate future version of him who turned out very badly came to visit. It wasn't pleasant."

[damn_yourself_early]

Loki nods thoughtfully. The continuing mystery of Ikol remains, but it will have to wait. "Then I know where he'll have gone. A very special place, that no one will find him, because no one but Loki knows how to find it, and no Loki would want to go back."

[brave_heart_verity]

"Where is it? How do I get there?" There's no chance she's not going. Not really. And gods help her.