At What Price Respect

[brave_heart_verity]

Verity in the forum? Not a strange sight. Verity without coffee? Rather less common. Verity slumping, exhausted, into a couch? Unusual. Verity covered in scrapes, bruises, and dust? Definitely strange.

"Help isn't if it's forced on someone. This is true. Someone not in possession of all of the facts cannot give fully informed consent. This is also true. But nobody can be forced to listen." Of course Verity has things on her mind. Who here doesn't? "How do you reconcile that? Is ignorance truly bliss? Or do you do what's needed to save someone despite their choices?"

((A note before you come to play with Verity: she's got a magic spell stuck in her that lets her always know when someone is lying to her. This includes sarcasm and knowing when someone believes something to be true when it isn't. This doesn't include lies of omission. She can also see through illusions. Please respect this; if your character is trying to lie to her, please make that known so she can react appropriately. [I completely understand this isn't going to be everyone's idea of fun.] Thanks.))

Comments

My money's on Billy Kaplan

[brave_heart_verity]

Here Loki, have the woman who was supposed to make sure her world's version of you didn't do that anymore. Fate or ill luck or a sentimental boy borrowing his future self's supreme power over magic gifted her with the curse that meant she could be Loki's one true friend. No more causing Ragnarok, no more burning Midgard to ashes, no more being alone.

Except for the part where he's missing and she's lost, but we don't talk about that.

She doesn't want to answer that question. The slightly guilty shift in her posture makes that clear. In her heart, she knows she wouldn't miss her mother the way society tells her she should. Her mother was her only protector and often her worst bully when she was a child, trying to smother the truth with a saccharine sort of love and a faith in mediocrity.

Better to challenge the premise and hope the question is forgotten. Even if he believes it, even if it's true, maybe she can change his mind. She'll never think well of herself, but that doesn't mean other people can't.

"How exactly is my mother's choice going to be on me?"

[frodleikr]

Loki watched her with an intrigued and keen eye. Oh, he knew all about these things. What is right and what is wrong and how troubling it was to always be against the tide. It was a topic, he'd think, most wouldn't want to address. What kind of monster wouldn't care for their parental departure?

What kind of monster celebrated reckless war and pillaging? What kind of monster lied to their children? Truth, he thinks, is a very grey subject. A matter of perspective more times than not.

"Do you think I'd judge you if you didn't care?" He returned with another question as he crossed his legs over her lap and smiled.

[brave_heart_verity]

Of course, he would think that. He's Loki. It's his job.

But she's the literalist, the lonely girl with a limited palette who cried at lullabies and drove away the people who were supposed to love her. Truth either is or it isn't.

Wait. What.

"What do you think you're doing?"

[frodleikr]

Yes, well. There is that.

Loki tipped his head as if he didn't know what she was talking about. People these days. So shy. He lacked the toe of his shoes together with a growing smile.

"Drinking ale and asking you personal questions? But honestly," ironic thing of him to say, "do you care?" If she dies.

Causing trouble. What else would he be doing?

[brave_heart_verity]

"Of course I care." The emphasis is in the punctuation, which is her pushing him off. So long as he's not touching her, he can stay, but there's a line. There was a time her reaction would have involved a lot more yelling, so, yay progress.

"She's my mom." She seems to think this answers any and all questions, but really it's the heart of the problem.

[frodleikr]

This particular Loki had a very long list of women that would likely spear him the moment they saw he was alive, again. Given they were too. Her reaction rewarded her with an almost sing-song laugh and he leaned in to issue a very quick and cheeky "sorry" before leaning out again.

"Well then save her," he said with a shrug and a tip up of the bottle. "But blood doesn't mean aomeone is worth saving."

Just saying.

[brave_heart_verity]

And how much of that did he earn?

There's a little frown forming from being laughed at, but sincere apologies have almost always been an easy way to soothe her temper. He's a strange one.

"And she doesn't get a say?"

[frodleikr]

Most of it, honestly. There were unfair and cruel happenings in the life of a Loki but the retaliation from women was not one that fell beneath unjust. Its entirely possible he does it on purpose.

"She already has, hasn't she?" Look, a Loki isn't a decision maker. A Loki is a questioner. A catalyst. And you would be strange too if you lived over and over only to lose your mind and destroy everything each time!

Let's ask another question. "Is her freedom of choice more important, or is your freedom from guilt more important?"

[brave_heart_verity]

She didn't come here looking for someone to decide for her. She's grieving, but she's not crazy. Crazier than usual. Who would let this group of weirdos make important life decisions for them?

(Her Loki's predecessor put his mind in a semi-unreal bird to keep it safe. She's still trying to come to terms with this. She's still trying to come to terms with a lot of things.)

"I.. don't know." These are deep and philosophical issues and she's spent most of her life trying to avoid examining her own inner workings. Her mind is a dark and lonely place.

[frodleikr]

When she spoke again he nodded both satisfied and grieved. He won't say it will be okay. That was a lie far too damaging for even him.

"I'm sorry," that was honest. "Habits."

[brave_heart_verity]

It's not a lie she'd appreciate, so best he not try.

"Thank you." She looks down at her hands for a long time before asking, "Who are you? I haven't seen you around here before."

Here it comes

[frodleikr]

He finished his bottle and looked over his shoulder seeing if there was anyone worth throwing it at. Usually hed have the tricks to make that kind of shit disturbing worth while but maybe it was best to lay low for a bit so he dropped it beside the couch for now.

"I am Loki," he said with a proud tip of his head and pulled back to sit up high o the arm chair again. A smile finds his face.

"Oh, and yes. That Loki. And this Jesus fellow? I assume you're from Midgard or earth or whatever its called now. Hes not real. But I am!"

So there. Eat that for breakfast, modern religion!

[brave_heart_verity]

She's just staring. Staring and thinking. Staring and thinking and waiting for that ping from the spell that never comes.

"A Midgard," she corrects finally. "You're not the Loki from my world."

She is very certain about that. The attitude and the mischief are spot on, but no part of him is or ever was hers. It's not entirely a surprise. She knew this was likely to happen someday.

Just.

Why did it have to be today?

[frodleikr]

Interesting.

Loki pulled up his knees and laid his chin on them in silent thought for a moment. Well, at least he didn't need to say much more. How different could a Loki be from another Loki? (Strangely, very different.)

"What is your Loki like?" He asked after the silence had passed, a sort of calm that was missing until now had eased into his voice.

Hey, if Loki had good timing he wouldn't be Loki.

[brave_heart_verity]

The silence doesn't bother her. It gives her time to collect her thoughts, which are both scattered and painful. It makes answering the question easier. She doesn't want to cry in front of him, and she doubts he wants her crying either. Crying people are no fun.

"He's wonderful. He's kind and clever. He used to tell me the most wonderful stories, about growing up in Asgard and the pranks he'd play on his brother, or the dwarves, or... whoever caught his eye. He was a great cook." This is pretty much her favorite subject ever, so. Feel free to draw the same wrong conclusion everyone else does. She's not as good at hiding how crazy she is about the boy as she thinks.

"He was... like spring after a lifetime of winter." See? Poetry.

[frodleikr]

His brows weaved inward as she spoke. Uhoh, someone liked a Loki and liked him very much. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. She spoke about her Loki with so much care and he couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for her Loki to let her down.

"You must be very special to see a Loki like that," he said, with a touch of sadness creeping in. This Loki still wasn't sure where he fit in. A few thousand years ago, he knew exactly where he belonged. Not that this world wasn't interesting. The technology was incredible! But he was, well, lost.

[brave_heart_verity]

He shouldn't assume her Loki never let her down. He had, but he'd made things right. That's the trick. That was the magic spell that made their friendship work: they kept trying.

"I'm... maybe." It's not her, it's the spell and who the spell made her be. But now he's sad, and she can't abide a sad Loki. "Hey... what's wrong?"

[frodleikr]

Good point, Loki would be Loki. Sulking was more the appropriate term on what he was currently doing though. Jealousy, a nasty thing, and completely unsurprising that he could be jealous of even himself. Not at all that he never had chances to be happy, even then, but he'd ruined those by his very nature. Although.. if this Loki could try, well then maybe he could to!

Right? Maybe he could start again, right? It was his duty to crete change so why couldn't he change himself, or turn against the current of what people thought he was?

A finger idly twirled a lock of red in thought before those emerald eyes found their way back to her, "Hm? Oh! Your Loki is lucky, that's all. What's your name?"

[brave_heart_verity]

((She's not a telepath or anything, so, very little narration gets through to her. Alas. But thanks.))

Loki being able to change was the whole point of her comic book, so she'd be all for his trying. She's a firm believer that the future is not immutable, that people can change, and that anyone can learn to be happy. All excellent traits in a Loki-friend.

And after all: if she can learn to see something good in the world, anyone can change.

"Oh." She's faintly blushing now. "Verity Willis." Have fun with that.

[frodleikr]

(okiedoke!)

Oh, no. A blush! Now his smile is returning full force, how could it not? He crossed his arms over his knees and leaned in a bit more- his chin on his forearms. He didn't know where he laid on the idea of fate... it had happened time and time again, so much that he couldn't remember how many times he'd been through it all. Loki liked to think change could happen, part of his nature was to incur change, teach a lesson, but at the same time... well, there was a cycle, wasn't there? A cycle that needed to happen.

But maybe it didn't need to happen that way, right?

"Verity," oh, that was fun. "Hello Verity. Think we can start again?"

[brave_heart_verity]

He is a fire god, it's only natural some of it would end up in her cheeks when he's being sweet.

As for the hows and whys of these things, Verity doesn't pretend to understand. She only knows that the future is a blank page and people can change their stories if they're willing to put in the effort. There's always a new hero waiting to take the stage and a new villain waiting to emerge. Rolls can change. People can become more themselves, or less.

"...if you want? I didn't think we'd gotten off to such a bad start." She may be missing the philosophical nature of the question. Literalist.

[frodleikr]

Serious matters for another time, maybe. Enough of all this woe and doubt, how about they explore? The mischievousness crawled up into the narrow of his eyes before he leapt up off the couch.

"Well," he patted himself down a bit and offered her a hand, "I should like to see what this nexus is like! Would you care to join my travels?"

[brave_heart_verity]

She recognizes that look. It's strange for her to see it on another face, but that's not enough to let her resist. Her hand is in his before she's really thought about it and next thing she knows she's on her feet. She is almost certainly going to regret this, but she'd regret not going far more.

"Happy to." And that is sincerely meant.

[frodleikr]

But now they had almost matching hair!

He gladly took her hand to pull her up with a smile and a nod before letting go. A happy Loki was an almost childish Loki, full of adventure and trouble. It was nice to meet someone who didn't fall blank when he tried to tell them who he was, not mocked or laughed for it. It was hard being a powerless god in the 21st century!

He clasped his hands together and skipped a bit ahead of her. Turning around, "well Verity, where shall we go?"

[brave_heart_verity]

He looks like if she and her Loki had had a baby, and don't think that's not going to give her issues.

The adventure and trouble aren't anything she hasn't faced before. She should introduce him to the pint-sized Kid Loki running around. Wait, no. That would be a terrible idea. They'd either hate each other or (even worse) get along famously.

Seeing him so excited makes her smile. She can't help it. "I'm told we can go anywhere from here. Generally food is this way, shopping is that way, parks are over there. Are we looking for any kind of thing in particular?"