InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Yes what?"

Loki Laufeyson (seidr) wrote in valloic,
@ 2020-11-23 21:00:00

Entry tags:

!action/thread/log, !network post, marvel: loki, marvel: loki laufeyson, marvel: torunn thorsdóttir

Loki & Torunn
" It felt like Asgard, but- it also felt like a secret."

The palace of Asgard

When Loki journeyed into the forest, he certainly hadn't expected to find home - or, well. From the distance he first viewed it, it looked like home - the closer he got, the more apparent it became that it was different in the most subtle of ways. Living for millions of (human) years in a place tended to make one familiar with the cut of its silhouette against the sky and the arrangement of buildings, windows and spires. Regardless of the differences, this was not something Loki could doubt. It was Asgard's palace, from a different version of the world - perhaps as Torunn was and Atreus, with his knowledge of Jörmungandr and the other legends of Asgard and the Aesir.

It likely wasn't the best idea but Loki simply couldn't help himself. His feet were moving of their own accord as they took him past empty buildings and through empty streets that were similar yet different to those that he had walked in his youth. This place was- odd, to say the least. It looked like Asgard. It felt like Asgard, but- it also felt like a secret, somehow. A secret he almost selfishly wished to keep to himself, if only for a short period of time. He knew it couldn't have been something that had arrived for him because of the differences but Loki still found himself walking through the grounds, running his hand over golden walls as he followed a familiar pathway to Frigga's gardens.

They were as beautiful as he remembered them being in their glory days, so to speak - when it was Frigga maintining them rather than himself as Odin, heading down in the dead of the night so that he could breathe both seidr and life back into the plants to remind them of their true caretaker. Perhaps he could... take some cuttings.

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childofthor
2020-11-23 10:14 pm UTC (link)

Her plan was to spend most of the day at the meadery, she had work to catch up on and as the lone brewery for the facility, it required focused attention. Her plan had definitely not involved a warning from Nyx's magic that someone had entered the grounds of Asgard.

She wasn't panicked about it, she could get there in literally seconds, and there was always a chance someone would wondering onto the grounds. It was, after all, a breathtaking castle in the middle of the forest.

Dropping what she was doing at the meadery, she grabbed her sword and strapped it to her back (just in case), then took off. Torunn's speed in the skies had her flying over the grounds of Asgard in no time, scanning the area for whoever it was that caused the alert. On her first pass over she was able to spot a familiar figure headed toward the gardens.

The slight tension she held in her shoulders eased just a little. It was Loki. That was fine. She could never fault him for entering the grounds after discovering this place.

Torunn descended from the skies, fairly slowly so Loki didn't think she was about to dive-bomb and attack him. Her feet hit the ground several yards behind him, where he had already walked. "Are they anything like the one you're familiar with?" she asked, motioning to the gardens around them. "I'm never sure how many similarities there are."

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seidr
2020-11-23 10:25 pm UTC (link)

Loki was half expecting the shadow above him to reveal itself to be Thor. While he had a tentative truce with his brother, he rather wanted this moment for himself as so few had been in his Asgard. Everything had always been overshadowed by Thor, people congratulating his achievements while ignoring Loki's own. He felt sour words rising in his chest as he heard somebody land behind him and he turned with a long-suffering expression on his face that dropped as soon as he saw who it was. He hadn't seen her in person before, but there was no mistaking her status as an Asgardian - blonde, powerful, giant weapon strapped to her back? She was almost certainly Aesir and Loki found himself staring at her in curiosity.

This wasn't Thor's daughter - correction, it wasn't the daughter of the Thor that he knew. She wasn't technically his niece, but if they were talking technicalities, she also was. It was more complicated than he'd imagined and he tilted his head as she spoke, considering her words for a moment.

"They're familiar," he looked over the blooming plants. "They seem happy enough, too. Mother always tended to them daily with her own magic," he felt no real need to keep family secrets from a girl who apparently hadn't had them, from what little research he'd done upon realising that their secrets were pasted on the internet for the world to see. "Similar, but different. Imagine that you're dreaming you're in your own house, but everything is... reversed. Flipped, a mirror image - not quite the same but similar enough to be jarring. It's like that," he ran his thumb over a tree leaf and turned to look at her. "You have a magical ward on the place, then? I was a little worried you were my brother, truth be told."

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childofthor
2020-11-23 10:39 pm UTC (link)

She didn't mind the staring. It had happened before, it would probably happen again. She was something most people didn't see coming, so she waiting patiently, staring at him right back. His face was absolutely familiar to her.

His explanation made sense enough, the same but different. She wasn't sure there was a better way to describe it. "I don't even know if your mother is alive in my world. Odin isn't. But she might still be the one looking after them on Asgard for all I know." the flowers certainly seemed in good health, and Torunn was hoping the magic in the first would...somehow feed into that. She really didn't know much about magic.

"I do. I had a friend add it when it arrived. But I'll get you added to the guest list so you don't trigger the warning if you ever want to come back." She had no problem with him being here. The most dangerous things in the castle, like the vault and armoury, were all locked down. Torunn had no idea if his magic could get past it if he wanted to, but hopefully, that wasn't something she had to be concerned about. "I'm not even sure if Thor knows this place is here or not. Valkyrie may have told him, but I didn't get around to mentioning it."

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seidr
2020-11-23 11:12 pm UTC (link)

Loki looked over the flowers again. They certainly had Frigga's touch, even though it wasn't the seidr that he recognised as the one that had taught him. "I would be able to take care of them. Not quite as well as my mother, but I was taught by her. I saw her do this more times than I can remember," he hummed, somewhat distracted by just how much she did resemble Thor in the sense that she had a sense of power about her that he hadn't truly seen anywhere else. He would never quite admit it, but he was impressed by her presence.

Torunn not telling Thor about this place was curious but he didn't press it - Thor had mentioned that family was complicated and he hadn't elaborated on it and Loki had no interest in pressing any sort of issue. "It would be appreciated. Triggering magic alarms never concerned me too much considering I can simply evade notice if I truly wish to, but I suppose I see no reason to yet," he shrugged one shoulder as he looked around the gardens and started to walk, somewhat assuming that Torunn would follow him. He wasn't... entirely sure what she wanted from him, nor what he should make of her. She didn't seem like she was coddling him into a cage where he couldn't hurt anybody, at the very least.

"Have you explored it thoroughly? I wonder if some of the secret passages I used to use are here."

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childofthor
2020-11-24 02:20 am UTC (link)

It had never really occurred to Torunn that she would need someone to take care of them, or that past watering on days it was too hot, it would need more attention. Clearly gardening was not your thing. "Oh." she blinked once, her eyes scanning the flowers. "Absolutely, if you want to. I'd probably end up killing them." with very little effort.

That was right- she knew he was excellent at magic, but he could probably do more than she ever dreamed. "Please don't, I'd appreciate it. You're more than welcome here and the last thing I need is to think my security system is broken." she didn't want to start layering too much magic onto the place, it wasn't her thing and she didn't want to keep up with it.

She did follow him, and with a smile on her face. Now that he knew she was here she didn't bother to stay several feet behind. Instead, she flew right up beside him and then dropped to the ground and started walking to match his pace. "Sort of," she said with a shrug. "When the place first arrived a few people came with me to explore. I doubt I've found every room, but we were looking for things like the vault and the armoury to make sure they were safe. The liquor supply because obviously. Atreus wanted to see the library so we found that. In the Thorne room, I poked around a few bedrooms. But it's way too big to live here on my own, or with James. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. Maybe throw parties or something eventually."

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seidr
2020-11-24 03:34 am UTC (link)

"I don't think you'd quite kill them. They seem to be well-tended by the weather conditions here, at least," it was lucky they hadn't suffered through a drought or a freeze - not that Loki would know, but he doubted they would be in such good condition if they had. Perhaps he was wrong and the magic was stronger than it seemed, but it definitely wouldn't harm them to assist it.

"Understandable," he chuckled softly, feeling oddly at peace with the area. Normally, he would have been incredibly on edge, not just in the palace alone but with somebody beside him who just so happened to be Thor's daughter, but. Perhaps he was simply tired after the ordeal of the past few weeks of his life, perhaps essentially being allowed to put a pause on his own death had made him rethink a lot of things but he didn't feel much need to push Torunn away yet. Keep her at arm's length, yes, but she apparently 'knew' him. Whatever that meant.

"It would be a place for a party of epic proportions," Loki started to walk down the hallway with Torunn flying up next to him. "You can fly," he commented curiously, tilting his head a little as he turned to walk backwards for a few steps, glancing over her. He was heading in the direction of what had been his bedroom. It likely wasn't here, but there had to have been some version of himself that existed in this universe, too, and yes. It wasn't his bedroom, but in its place there was a room that held items that were similar to those Loki recognised. The balcony would have overlooked the city if it were positioned the same but now it simply overlooked the ocean, oddly peaceful in its way. "I'm fairly sure this was your Loki's room, I suppose. He has terrible decor taste."

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childofthor
2020-11-24 10:18 pm UTC (link)

"I wouldn't underestimate my lack of a green thumb. I was kind of hoping they'd just be fine on their own." She knew the garden wouldn't be as pristine if she left it, but it was better than destroying it. "Unless the magic she used also includes making them hard to kill." But she really had no idea what her grandmother was capable of.

Very epic, "I feel like it would be an insult to this place if it wasn't epic." who threw a bad part in in a palace?

"I can," she confirmed with a nod, "I've been able to fly as long as I can remember. One of those natural progressions. Crawling, walking, running, flying." She didn't need her sword to fly, though the sword was capable of moving on its own if she willed it. "No weapon needed." Though she imagined if someone else were to ever be able to wield her sword, they'd be able to use it to fly.

She didn't know exactly where he was leading them, but she didn't really question it. He must recognize something in the room to know this space probably belonged to his counterpart "...what's wrong with his taste?"

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seidr
2020-11-25 02:22 am UTC (link)

"Considering the feasts that we used to have? They would span days after a particularly arduous battle. Many warriors would end up falling asleep where they stood and awaking the next day simply to continue the party," he wrinkled his nose. "Although, I can't say I would recommend it without the staff who have the enjoyable task of cleaning up the messes left behind, especially considering the fact that you've supplied Midgardians with Asgardian ales," he certainly didn't seem unhappy about that - amused more than anything, perhaps a little sentimental that he could have things from his lost home in this new, strange world.

"Ah, see - my progression was crawling, walking, running, turning into snakes," he smirked a little as he started to look through the possessions in the bedroom he'd ended up in. None of it was his but there were some books that were certainly of interest and the broken horn of a helmet all too similar to his, something that he held up to his head to test the length. "Nothing in particular is wrong with his taste, it's just- a little gaudy," he snorted softly. "I wouldn't have kept anything of importance in my bedroom and neither did he, it seems. Or he fled," which in hindsight made a lot more sense.

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childofthor
2020-11-25 10:54 pm UTC (link)

A party that went on for several days was not something she had ever experienced, but she could almost picture it. Though it wasn't the picture that she had issues with. "Wouldn't that start to smell pretty quickly?" Drinking and eating, and then sleeping all in the same place would probably lead to some questionable odors pretty quickly. "Parties here typically just last a day or night, maybe both for people who have enough stamina." It would be interesting to experience that at least once though.

Torunn smirked, shrugging. "We have Asgardian ale, but I also made some recipe changes for ales that are more appropriate for normal mortals. I'm not looking to kill any of them with alcohol poisoning." She could draw in a much bigger crowd if she did that. "And if all goes well I'll have ale and spirits soon. I'm going to need to hire more staff." Her business goals were getting too big to work as things were now.

"Did you used to bite Thor? And turn into more than just snakes?" She figured she'd never know all there was to know about Thor, Loki, and their relationship, but she'd learn as much as she could.

Fled? "Maybe." she said, clearly unsure. "I wish I could tell you for sure, but-" she shrugged. "I guess no one wanted to change the room if that's the case."

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seidr
2020-12-03 09:02 pm UTC (link)

"Well, as I said. There were people dedicated to cleaning as we went," he tilted his head a little at the statement. It didn't really surprise him - he'd walked down the streets at night and seen clubs, bars, various different groups of people shouting and talking while very clearly inebriated. It was a lot more separated than Asgard, but it wasn't overly different, in some ways. Their celebrations were simply much more mundane than the end of a short war or a grand battle.

"Understandable. I doubt most mortals have the constitution of a God," and that was an interesting thought - in some ways, Torunn would have been a god if her situation had been different. Thor was the God of Thunder in name, at least, but he couldn't help but be curious. Goddess of Lightning, perhaps? War? Goddess of Swords? Goddess of Alcohol seemed appropriate, judging by what he'd drank in New Asgard.

"I've bitten Thor as a snake on one occasion, but I regretted it. He yanked me off and threw me against a wall in shock, which hurt quite a lot. As for shapeshifting, if you can picture an animal, I can turn into it," he paused. "Within reason. I can't quite alter my size to be a behemoth."

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childofthor
2020-12-05 10:59 pm UTC (link)

"You won't find anyone here for that now," she said, knowing very well it was obvious. This wasn't Asgard or any kingdom for Asgardians. A few Asgardians just happened to live here.

"They don't. But there are other people here who do. Mortals really aren't the majority here." Elves, fae, vampires, werewolves, she didn't think they qualified as mortals. Maybe they weren't gods, but they were more than mortal. "So luckily for me, there's a market for both."

She couldn't not laugh at the story. Both and Loki biting Thor, and Thor throwing him against a wall. "You're both ridiculous," she said with a shake of her head. "I probably can't talk though. It's not like I was any better with my foster brothers." How many times had she thrown her sword at them, or had to deal with Pym or Azari using their powers. Though Azari's hadn't been bad, she could easily absorb his powers.

"What about your magic? Is that something you've always just been able to do or did you start training in it when you were younger to learn?"

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seidr
2020-12-09 07:37 pm UTC (link)

Loki chuckled at the comment. They were both ridiculous in equally ridiculous measures - for all of Thor's delusions of grandeur, Loki could admit to his own internally and his varying levels of petty pranks aimed at both his brother and his friends as penance for their perceived slights against him, some true, some that Loki had perhaps imagined in his youth.

"Mortals aren't the majority? I suppose the vast number of outlanders who speak on the- er, the network skew the perception of that a little," he tilted his head a little, eyes flicking to her at the mention of magic. He was searching for some kind of mockery in her expression and her words but he found none, to his surprise. Perhaps her upbringing had given her no reason to have an inherent distrust for sorcerers of Loki's kind or a reason to look down on them, but Loki still spoke with a level of caution when he finally did speak again.

"A mixture of both. Many are born with inherent talents, but they need to be honed and shaped into something useful if they are present. My mother was raised by witches and I, too, was raised by a powerful sorceress in her."

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childofthor
2020-12-12 09:55 pm UTC (link)

"I don't think so, though I think many of different species probably just look mortal. I mean, people could easily look at us and assume we're human," she said with a shrug. "There are humans here, definitely. But they're not the majority.

She listened carefully as he spoke about his magic. She was curious, and never had a reason to distrust magic on its own. Part of her wished she knew some herself. "I heard that your mom was a sorceress too. It's pretty cool, honestly. I've met some pretty powerful witches and people with magic since my reality hopping career started." From the second she was pulled through her first portal when she was 15, she learned pretty quick not to piss off a witch. "I'm still trying to figure out how you and dad to that convenient costume switch thing with lightning and magic, or whatever it is you do." That was definitely not a skill she had.

"I was kind of left to figure my powers out on my own. I've been lucky enough to meet different versions of Thor, Sif, and someone from the Greek Pantheon who's worked with me when they can. I'm hoping I can figure out how to wield lightning without needing a tool to help me before I hit my first millennia." This might have been a joke at Thor's expense, but really, he had that one coming.

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