took a wrong turn at albuquerque

[ofstories]

Loki can always appreciate the little nooks and crannies of existence, the in-between appealing to certain facets of his nature. How he found himself there wasn't so important as what he did there, and now he's sprawled in a comfortable lounge chair in the Forum. The shabby, shoeless god doesn't take long before he decides to put his own contribution out there.

"Let's set the stage, shall we?" he calls just before he leaps abruptly to his feet on the chair.

"Congratulations, you've won! You return from a great quest with the glory and the girl or boy or whatever you sought as yours. Hear the cheers of the crowd. Yay, you!" People near him might even hear that hypothetical jubilation briefly, an echoing illusion that fades as he waves it away. "Or maybe none of that, and you came out of it with a bit of personal satisfaction and a friend." (If one misplaced momentarily. Problematic, that.) "Things were going so well, and yet, right now, right now, you're waiting around for what comes after."

"You're as free as a bird, so..." He's made a switch to a more conversational tone as he drops back down into his seat. "What d'you reckon you'd do next? What story would you spin?"

Comments

[brave_heart_verity]

"Your best friend," she corrects, almost with a huff, before the rest of what he said registers. She has her priorities. And since it all registers as true, she'll have to find a way to accept it. If only it were that easy...

"I'm going to be really mad at you in a minute, but I need to hug you first."

Oh, yes. There will be hugs.

[ofstories]

The best is implicit.

"Come on, bring it in." It's not a complicated request to honor, and it comes easily to him. Loki leans his odd staff off to the side, moving to envelop her in a proper hug. He has to admit, it's not at all a bad idea.

"Dunno where it all went off track. Sorry." His voice is soft and more tired than he'd like to let on. He could have suspicions, but he doesn't know. He's sure they'll sort it all out if/when she gets around to being mad.

[brave_heart_verity]

Oh, the mad is coming. He doesn't even know what she's been through. One month out from watching the world burn, after exhausting herself physically and emotionally trying to find him, she's more than a little fragile.

But she's going to enjoy this hug for just a moment more before the inevitable.

"Where were you? I looked everywhere. I looked in caves, Loki. I learned to spelunk." Does that sound like something she'd enjoy? No, it does not. "I couldn't find you. I thought you were..."

Oh, surprise, looks like there might be crying before the yelling. What a twist!

[ofstories]

"I think it depends on your perspective." A vague statement, but he can't help it. It's all too nebulous and indefinite. "Months in the Void, and then I'd tied your story to me. You're supposed to know, but maybe that knot loosened somewhere."

Or didn't happen at all for her?

He knows his answers can't be that helpful, but she deserves what Loki can offer. He won't go anywhere for now, one hand stroking her back just for the fact that he can.

And, because he really wants to know, he asks in turn, "Why caves?"

[brave_heart_verity]

No, she's not sure what he's talking about. The last time she talked to her Loki, he promised she'd see him again, but he never came.

The multiverse is cruel sometimes.

But the backrubs are nice. "I tried to stop your brother. You think I wouldn't fight a snake for you?" He knows that story, surely. Or maybe he doesn't. She's not sure how closely the myths from one universe translate into another. She was desperate.

[ofstories]

The tale comes to mind when she mentions the snake, and it's another maybe-was.

"That'd be something," he half agrees, not actually doubting her when she says she would. There is a lot that he could imagine her capable of. It's just too bad that he's starting to put the grim tale together from context.

"And yet Loki fell to the Void, far beyond reach, and was lost too long. It was Verity who had to save herself," he suggests, and regrets doing it. That's where it's going, isn't it? It doesn't change nearly as much as it should, but at least she was able to save herself. And, on the note of saving... "Yet, maybe you rescued me, too, drawing me in by being here. And what if you did? It'd be quite a feat."

It's a sea of indefinite possibilities there. He couldn't say why he ended up here, and that made it as valid an option as any.

Aww, right in the feels.

[brave_heart_verity]

Fear not, she didn't say she went alone. She was determined, not dumb.

"I don't even know how I got here the first time," she admits quietly. "But when I realized it was safe, and what was happening..." The things on the news and the holes she pieced together did not paint a pretty picture. "And I knew you'd love it here."

Maybe someday she'll tell him about all the crazy things she did. He'd probably be proud of her. "I kept going back. Sitting in my apartment, waiting for you. Even... when I knew it was over. I stayed and I waited for you as long as I could. And you never came."

And here it is. "Why didn't you come back? Did you leave me to die? Were you that mad at me?"

help, it's sad

[ofstories]

"No, no, listen. You have to know that's not how it is, not with us." Which is a statement that is Loki's own truth from his perspective. She must understand it, because it was Verity who believed in him when no one else did. It's selfish, but he needs his best friend and he needs things to be alright between them.

But the multiverse was cruel. He knows that all too well.

"I'd have kept you safe through it by my left hand, if I could've." Just as he had for another version of her own personal tale. Unlike his distaste for the prospect of too many of himself, he is not so disposed towards the prospect of many of Verity. Though he's never had a chance to really think about it as it hadn't been an option, it makes sense to his mind. "I would have brought you with me through it all, to face gods and gods-of-gods, for that is the story as it should be."

Quick! Somebody send in the chao!

[brave_heart_verity]

She'll listen, even with her hands balled into fists and resting on his chest like they're just waiting. Understanding hasn't always been easy between them. She knows so little of his world and what he is... but she tries. She tries and she listens, and then she takes a breath and her hands relax to lay flat. "I don't understand. Why couldn't you? Are... are you not..."

Oh. Oh.

That's disappointing.

[ofstories]

"I am Loki." The words come out soft. "I dunno why it had to be this way for you, but this story isn't done yet. For all I'm new and changed, not what you knew once, so are you."

He's talking around in circles, but he can't help it. He's trying to wend his way through any number of nebulous possibilities to find one that worked. There is more than one truth to be had here.

"You went spelunking." It's an absurd point to make, but he seems to to run down a bit towards the end. His arms start to go slack around her, but he doesn't move away. "So maybe the rest doesn't have to be as important as that."

[brave_heart_verity]

She nods and drops her head to his shoulder. Kid Loki, red-haired non-comics Loki, new Loki... it's almost an absurd collection. He's as close to hers as she might ever get, and the subtle differences don't seem to matter much.

But that wasn't what she was trying to ask. If he's from another universe, that means there might be some other Verity waiting for him. That would be terrible.

"Well, yeah," she answers softly, trying to put a little humor in her voice. "You stopped answering my calls, and it seemed the logical next step."

[ofstories]

He intends to find her, and set things right. The part of him that has a magpie's nature is increasingly convinced that having a collection of Veritys would be a great idea. Lokis, perhaps, not so much.

Yet, he knows enough to feel sure that his Verity is safe. Not with him, which was a problem, but he convinces himself that he'd know if something went fundamentally wrong. He thinks later he might even bring her along, and show her this Nexus and its many chairs.

"Does it? If I'm ever bound in any caves, I might start expecting you to save me now." Humor is good, a vast improvement over the alternative. "But I reckon we shouldn't make it a habit. Just think of my reputation."

https://youtu.be/W7t7gKh0qIM

[brave_heart_verity]

A collection of Verity's would involve a lot of eyebrows. So many eyebrows. Could he handle that? Could the Multiverse?

(If there's anything a ghost Verity will want, it's a chair. Definitely that, and not, you know, a new body.)

"Hmm. True. Maybe sometimes I'll save the snake, just to mix it up. It'd probably be really good at hugs." Hugs are an increasingly important part of her friendships, so the snake would be a shoo-in. "You're taller. Finally hit that growth spurt you'd been hoping for?"

[ofstories]

He certainly thinks he could handle a variety of Verity, but then he's never tried before. In truth, he's probably better off with one at a time, but that takes a level of introspection he's too distracted to be capable of right then.

"Dunno." He admits, and reaches for her hands between them, folding his over hers. It's a gentle gesture. It is a very different experience than carrying his best friend about on his wrist, and he sees the appeal of these little bits of affection. "Heh, of all that needed to change, perhaps height could have stood tall in my mind."

[brave_heart_verity]

If he's going to start collecting Veritys, he'd better stock up on the ice cream and wine. Just in case the inevitable happens. Or to nurse himself through the philosophical debate on the nature of truth and how many seemingly mutually exclusive things can be true at the same time.

Affection is something that was too long missing from both their lives. Maybe they should have sought more of it from one another... but what would what's-her-name have thought? The smile from the gentle touch turns into a snicker at the pun. (If anyone was wondering where she got them, now they know where to file the complaints.) "Good one. Careful, if people around here start thinking you're funny, you might start making friends."

[ofstories]

"Oh, and we can't have that, can we?" Really, he probably couldn't, but that wasn't so bad. He wouldn't judge her taste to be poor. He rather appreciated it, all in all, but it was rare.

His eyes glitter with barely suppressed mirth at a stray thought, and he adds, "Just think how scandalized the other gods would be."

Well, when the other gods were back to existing as more than the tales that defined them. He suspects that might take a while now that he's gone on his detour, but it doesn't diminish the entertainment value of that thought.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Mm, you know how jealous I get." In truth, there are a number of people who are going to want to meet him, for one reason or another but most of them boiling down to 'so that's who she was talking about'. She hopes they'll all be nice. Including Loki.

The thought of his scandalizing the other gods gets a grin. "Your brother will be so jealous. Oh, just wait until I tell you about the time I met Beta Ray Bill here."

She's been having adventures, Loki. Now she has stories to tell him.

[ofstories]

Loki has no intention to be not-nice, really. The good news is that he'll probably behave himself as well as he is able. That's just also the bad news, too, but it's the entirely unavoidable type of bad news and not worth any consideration.

It all hardly matters. He was primed to carry the conversation further right up until Beta Ray Bill is mentioned.

"You've gotten into mischief without me." This is too weird to not be interesting, and he seems briefly reinvigorated where before he'd been subdued. He steps back, holding her hands in his as that faintly manic edge to his expression is slipping back into his mannerisms. "I want to hear all your stories."

[brave_heart_verity]

Loki and his ways are always worthy of her consideration. Always.

She smiles and blushes faintly at the cheerful accusation, shaking her head and turning her hands in his so she can hold onto him as much as he's holding her. "Not mischief. Not that time. I'll tell you everything you want to know, you know that."

But even as he backs away, she's watching his expression carefully. Keeping track of his moods has always been important; sometimes it's the only way she can tell what's really happening. "You want to explore while I tell my stories very badly? We could get some coffee, or go see the wild plants in the parklands..."

Unspoken, the hope that she gets to go with him this time. Just for a little while, just until he goes back to his Once and Future Ghost-Friend.

[ofstories]

Loki, clever and aware as he usually is, doesn't entirely realize just how carefully she pays attention to him. It's certainly a practical trait given all that's gone down when he's been afoot in the past. Now, though, he certainly isn't anticipating anything but a bit of time stolen with his friend.

"Much exploration later, I think. Coffee, though, coffee has promise. Maybe... your place?" He imagines that she had to have some space here claimed as her own, exiled as she now is. Though, if she's not careful, she'll end up with a god crashing on her theoretical couch for a nap at some point in the near future.

[brave_heart_verity]

That's the way of the supporting cast, God of Stories. You should know that. She watches, she waits, and she loves as best she can. It's what she was made to do. Stolen time is all they ever really had.

"My place?" She has to think about that briefly before she nods. She kind of has permission... it hasn't been revoked, anyway. "I'm staying with... a friend. But you might like him. He does magic. We have chao."

[ofstories]

That's worth his eyebrows quirking up somewhat, but he doesn't question it aloud. There is so much to catch up on.

"Loki is a name well known for getting along with other magic users, I'll have you know. Very popular. Your roommate will be no doubt charmed." And one doesn't need to be a magical lie detector to know that untruth for what it is, especially given the wicked look he offers her. (Despite his jests, he has no intention of causing unneeded strife. It might just so happen anyway, mind, but he won't intend it.) After pulling a hand free, he snatches up his odd gold scepter to gesture grandly. "Lead the way, dear Verity."

Just what, he wonders, are chao?

[brave_heart_verity]

((Want me post up something in her journal to continue, or...? I'm open for just about anything. A requirement when dealing with Lokis, I think.))

[ofstories]

((Great question!

We could continue on in her journal with this, or, if you'd rather we'd summarize all the story telling and move onto something cute and dumb, that's fine, too. He'll be hanging around going forward like a stray cat.

Since you've been running Verity for so long, it seems fairest to default to your prefs.))

[brave_heart_verity]

((Oh man Lokity cute times my one weakness! :D Sure, we can summarize things; she's met people and done stuff and went to fancy parties and she's met Steve Rogers three times and they're all awesome. Maybe start with his post-nap need to prowl her new place and make sure she's being taken care of properly?

Please don't feel like I'm the boss of all the Lokis or something, we're a team in this.))