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 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.

[damn_yourself_early]

"It's... well, I know how to get there, now. The first trip involved rather a lot of keys hidden in things that explode. We'd have to go to the library in Asgardia." No way is he not going too.

[brave_heart_verity]

Slump. That's nothing she wants to hear. "I don't think they'll let me into Asgardia."

[damn_yourself_early]

"Yes, we'd have to be rather stealthy for that reason, among others."

[brave_heart_verity]

"You would be the expert in that, wouldn't you? But I'm not sure how we'd distract Heimdall that long."

[damn_yourself_early]

"Mm, yes, that would be the tricky part. We could, I suppose, wait until there's something more exciting for him to look at."

[brave_heart_verity]

"I suppose so."

This shouldn't surprise her really. Loki is Loki and yet not.

[damn_yourself_early]

"Waiting," he continues, having secured her agreement thus far, "is of course boring and unreliable. So what we really need to do is make something happen, worthy of great Heimdall's gaze. Trick some enemy into a foolhardy rush on what they have been assured are Asgard's flimsy old balsa-gates. The horns sound, the heroes tramp out, wickedness is punished, and who has time to read these days, anyway?"

[brave_heart_verity]

"You could get up to all kinds of mischief with that sort of plan," she agrees. "And nobody would be expecting you to rush to the fight, being so young and all."

[damn_yourself_early]

"Exactly," he agrees.

[brave_heart_verity]

"How would I get back out, though?"

[damn_yourself_early]

"We'd slip out in the post-excitement hubbub. At worst, you get noticed and it's 'oh, Loki has a little mortal friend.'"

[brave_heart_verity]

"I think that's an overly optimistic view of what would happen if we get caught. They take their security pretty seriously, don't they?"

[damn_yourself_early]

"Well, yes, but remember you'd be with me. Sneaking in on your own, you'd be some kind of interloper, but coming in with me, you're my friend and I wanted to show you something in a book, and battle? What battle? Oh, my, well, we're glad you had everything in hand, well done."

[brave_heart_verity]

She still looks doubtful. There's got to be a reason her Loki never brought her around to see the wonders of Asgardia, right? Besides his being a self-centered jerk?

"If you're sure."