Who: Sif, Valkyrie, Loki What: Sif and Valkyrie meet, and Vermonsters are obtained. When: backdated to last Saturday, before this log with Darcy (Monday). Rating/Warning: Green.
Now that everything was done, Loki was idle. That was a state he didn't enjoy being in for very long, since idleness meant there was nothing to keep him occupied. There were no great schemes to tend to, no great tricks to play, and all he could do was sit and think of how those great schemes led to ruin, and that his tricks were unwelcome for the most part. Actually, they might not be entirely unwelcome, but him simply being him was what was being frowned down upon. Combined with the somber send off with Sif for the Warriors Three, there was quite a lot of conflicting thoughts on his mind. It was getting harder to concentrate.
It was the reason he was staring at one of the books he had saved from his time in the dungeons. He had taken all of the books his mother gave him, swiftly tucking them away in his inter-dimensional storage before departing with Thor, as well as several of her belongings when he was later in the guise of Odin. They were treated with the same sort of reverence that was reserved for holy objects. This book had been Frigga's, although he could never understand while she saw fit to give him such a thing when he was to rot away in a dungeon. And while it was quite interesting, he found himself reading the same line of runes over and over again, or was left watching the gold inlay magically twist and turn around the image of some long lost relic that his mind wasn't quite willing to grasp hold of quite yet.
He snapped the book shut and stood up, and made a tossing motion so the book suddenly disappeared from his hand. He needed a distraction. Away from all of the loss, Infinity Stones, Thanos, and losing Darcy before they ever really started anything.
And that was why he immediately went to Valkyrie's door and knocked upon it.
Val had been terribly busy trying to decorate her spacious room in a way she loved that didn’t bankrupt the “nation” of Asgard or herself. She had bought everything second-hand off of the Internet and done everything herself with the help of the Internet. Right now she was on the floor trying to carpet it with some black and white print she had found to her liking. The room was definitely inspired on Sakaar, but with a lot more luxury too. She was tired of metal this, functional that. Scrap, scrap, scrap. At least here on Midgard her scrap could look a little less like what it was.
The bed was still unassembled off to one corner and there was a stack of armchairs next to it, with a pile of clothes on top. But she had faith and energy, and things would be set right in no time.
Unless some bored little prince came a-knocking.
Valkyrie sighed, momentarily hoping it was Thor, then mentally scolding herself, and then got up to open the door. Of course it wasn’t Thor. Val didn’t bother smiling or greeting Loki in any way. “What’d you want?”
"Hello to you too, Valkyrie," was Loki's unenthused reply. He looked over her to the state of the room and noted the sheer colorful ecclectiness of it all. "Your room looks to be coming together."
Into what, Loki did not know. But he wasn't about to test the boundaries of her patience, after having done so quite recently. He might feel differently in another hour or so.
"I was wondering if you would like to go forth with me." He flashed her a grin, in the hopes that it looked civil. "To acquire ice cream."
And company, but he wasn't about to say that out loud.
Valkyrie looked over her shoulder to her messy room and shrugged. “Do what I can.”
She wasn’t about to take decor tips from someone who seemed happy to paint every surface black and put a mirror in every wall to watch himself cry. Not that Loki was always that way, but he was now.
The invitation was unexpected, as evidenced by Val’s bemused blinking. She thought about it for a few seconds before raising one finger. “I need to change, hang on.”
She shut the door in his face and changed into something more presentable. Minutes later Val opened the door again. “Alright let’s go."
It wasn't like his room was black and covered in mirrors. It was actually a very nicely rendered facsimile of what Thor and his own chambers once looked like, if the two were wedded together. Like a magician's library and an armory were slapped together and plated in gold.
And that was perfectly fine for him to wallow around while in abject misery, thank you very much.
When the door opened again, Loki squinted against the sheer brightness of Val's jacket. He supposed he should wear something than his usual Asgardian casual wear. So he waved a hand and was left wearing an all black somewhat casual ensemble, including one of the long black coats he favored so much.
"We should see if Sif would like to join us," he said. If anyone else was in need of ice cream, it was Sif. And Thor was busy, so it was up to him - Norn's forbid but it was true - to try to boost their morale. Even if only marginally.
As it was only a short distance away, he made his way over and began rapping a knuckle lightly upon the lady's door. He wasn't sure if she was in or not.
Sif was in and was in fact in the process of drying off from her shower though she didn't let something as small and insignificant as being clad only in a towel stop her from answering her door. She had no reason to be embarrassed as her dignity was after all protected by the purple fluffy towel she had procured on the way to the bathroom.
"Loki," she greeted as she rubbed at her long dark hair with the other towel she had in her hand. "What brings you to my door?"
Well. This was a development. One that Loki was trying not to notice, and failing miserably when his eyes flickered down for a brief moment.
"Hello, Sif," he said, with a sudden smile that was a little too sly for such a commonly offered greeting. "We were about to get some ice cream. Would you care to join us?"
Lucky for Loki the Lady Sif had noticed the way his eyes had strayed though her eyes did narrow at the smile, suspicion flaring in earnest, but her brow did furrow at the mention of ice cream.
“Ice cream? Is that the Ben and Jerrys that I have heard of?” She combed her fingers through her hair and quickly and adeptly pulled the strands back into a braid.
"Indeed it is this Ben and Jerry that you have heard of. Or some other Midgardians that make ice cream."
He schooled himself to not stare, as the memory of Darcy was still too fresh in his mind, and he didn't want to try to eat ice cream after being run through with a sword.
"It would be good for you to join us," he added, hopefully. Hopeful that he could distract himself from staring as he used to, long ago. "There is such a vendor close by. I would ask Thor, but he is off trying to learn more about improving the current situation for Asgard's people should they arrive. Perhaps next time."
Thor would probably eat the entire ice cream shop out of ice cream. This is probably a wise thing to not take him this time, because it left some for the rest of them.
It wasn’t long after Loki knocked on Sif’s door that Val came to join them. She had at first decided to let them discuss the plans between each other but then curiosity won over; she hadn’t met Sif, but had heard of her. And it was high time the two had met.
Valkyrie walked over behind Loki to offer Sif a smile, her own leering much more subtle than Loki’s had been (she had been doing it longer after all). “Hello Sif. I’m Valkyrie. Good to finally meet you.” And oh, was it ever. She waved. “If you want to join us we’ll be happy to wait.”
Without telepathy she couldn’t tell Sif how much she needed a third member of this troupe since she’d spent so long alone with Loki lately, but neither did she say so out loud, not wanting to invite another argument. The only thing left to do was hope.
By all means, Loki wouldn't get in the way of Valkyrie's oogling, and so he stepped off to one side, so the two could see one another more clearly. He leaned a shoulder against the door, folding his arms over himself in the manner of one who was waiting.
He'd been spending too much time with the Valkyrie or with Sif as it was, and surely that was a trying experience in and of itself, for the both of them. It would be good for them to meet, and probably good for Sif to not be dwelling on matters of loss and grief, on her own. Sif wasn't ever meant to be like him, after all.
Sif's eyes left Loki and came to focus on Valkyrie, the fellow Asgardian with whom she had conversed with over the network but had yet to meet her face to face. "Same," she offered with a smile to Valkyrie. "I had been meaning to come see you sooner but time it would seem has not been on my side."
And whilst Valkyrie could not communicate her desire for a third member Sif could sense it as contrary to popular belief she could be quite intuitive.
"Let me get dressed and I will join you."
Loki merely motioned with the raise of one hand for her to go ahead, and left it to Valkyrie to respond if she wished to. Otherwise, he was set on ice cream. Even more so than usual, due to the downright dirty theft of the pint in the freezer.
Valkyrie smiled right back at Sif, shrugging when the other warrior expressed her regret that she hadn’t come to Val’s room sooner. It wasn’t like her room was presentable anyway. When Sif declared she would get dressed, Val nodded and stepped back so as not to hound the door when Sif came back out. Meanwhile she went to stand beside Loki in silence, their awkward conflict from the other day still very present in her memory.
The door was soon closed as Sif disrobed from the towel and pulled on a rather simple ensemble as she would most definitely not blend in if she were to go out garbed in her traditional Asgardian attire. There was something to be said for not causing a stir everywhere you went, especially given Midgard’s apparent disdain for heroes and supers.
With boots pulled on Sif opened her door once again and a knife could be seen being slid into the back of her jeans as she was not one to go anywhere without a weapon.
“I’m ready.”
"You both look lovely as always. Even though one of you is brighter than the other," Loki grinned at Sif and then at Valkyrie. "Let us be off."
He started walking to go downstairs and out the door, at a leisurely pace. It wasn't like it was a race or the likes. If it was, he insists he would win anyway.
Valkyrie shot Loki a brief smile that held no mirth, and then followed him down the stairs, looking back at Sif as they went. She wasn’t exactly in the mood for ice cream, but also wasn’t not, as she doubted such a being existed who wouldn’t have ice cream if offered.
In looking for a subject to talk about the only thing that occurred to her was asking Sif about her whereabouts when Hela had attacked, but that was a sore subject for herself, and probably for Sif as well. So, Val shoved her hands down her pockets and whistled idly.
Loki walked in silence all the way to the ice cream shop, not even caring if it was the colder months, and that Midgardians would think them odd for going for ice cream.
When they arrived, he held the door open for Sif and Valkyrie. Not out of trying to get into their good graces, but he actually did say things like 'excuse me' when passing by, so on and so forth, because Frigga actually instilled some good manners in her sons. It wasn't his fault if Thor could sometimes act like a neanderthal. Loki had manners. Up until the point where he stabbed someone, and then manners went out the window just a little bit.
He smiled at both warriors as they approached, and in no way did it seem like knives were going to come out. He needed something sweet when things were so terribly bitter, and he didn't want to ruin what might actually be a good moment between the three of them.
Sif passed through the open door with an acknowledging nod of her head as Loki had held it for them and he didn’t need to. She noticed the line and arched an eyebrow. Waiting, ugh. Sif inhaled and joined the line though the sudden appearance of the three of them did draw attention as despite their “regular” clothes they did tend to stand out.
“Do you know what flavour you will have?” Sif asked of both Valkyrie and Loki.
Val also thanked Loki for holding the door for them, and didn’t react outwardly to the line except for a shrug. When the other queuers looked back at them she gave everyone a mirthless, straight-line smile then turned back to her…”friends”. Companions might be a better word.
“Is it possible to grab one of each so I can taste them all?” She asked Sif. “If not, Strawberry and Coffee. I can’t remember the names, they have stupidly long names that don’t always reflect the flavors.”
If asked, Loki would have considered 'companions' to be a better word for it, as the none of them were put on this realm out of choice. Only necessity.
"Coffee," agreed Loki. He was looking things over from his vantage point in the insufferable line, and appeared to come to a decision when he straightened upright once more. The names were far too elaborate. Midgardians had odd naming conventions, from their popular bards to their iced creams. "Or perhaps Salted Caramel. Those seem to be the most straight forward, without having to guess at the contents."
Sif observed the different colours and flavours as she tried to make her own choice, neither the ones spoken aloud by Valkyrie and Loki. She did however like the sounds of the one called Mint Chocolate Chip though being able to taste every flavour was tempting.
The line was thankfully quite quick moving so it wasn’t long until the Asgardians were in prime location for service.
“What can I get ya?” the young man behind the counter asked.
Sif turned her attention from the ice-cream to him. “Is there a chance to try all of your flavours?”
“You can have some tasters if that’s what you mean then you can pick up to three flavours, five if you pay extra.”
"You have to pay to sample the wares before making a purchase." Loki rolled his eyes. Midgard. He huffed out an exhale that was more resigned than irritated. He raised one hand, waving it around as though waving off a notion that he found ridiculous. "Very well. I am paying. Let them have all the tasters."
“Aren’t we generous today ya Princeliness?” Valkyrie commented, giving Loki a slap in the back when he offered to pay for her and Sif to taste. She tasted five with weird names, committing them to memory: One Sweet World, which she like; Americone Dream, which she wasn’t too into; Bourbon Brown Butter, which she liked only because it had alcohol and chocolate; Chunky Monkey, which she liked - but not as much as the first one; and finally Phish Food which she thought was completely misleading but very tasty if she ever had a particularly sweet tooth.
She was about to take her pick when something caught her eye. An announcement for something called ‘The Vermonster’. Valkyrie approached the poster, reading it semi-out loud. “Twenty scoops… banana, fudge, toppings…” It didn’t take her long to nod decisively and return to the counter. She motioned for the poster, hoping either Sif, Loki or both were paying attention. “I’m getting the Vermonster. You should, too.”
Loki coughed a little upon receiving that back slap, giving Val an almost amused look. Then he quickly honed in on what she was looking at. That looked interesting. A Vermonster for the monster among them. The irony was not lost on him in the slightest.
"Oh yes, I'll be having that," he agreed, telling the person behind the counter. "One of those, with Chocolate Therapy and Cherry Garcia. Please."
After recent events, Loki looked and sounded like he meant business. He glanced over at Sif, wondering what she was going to order.
“I’ll take a scoop of Cookie Dough, Mint Chocolate Chip, Cherry Garcia, Strawberry Shortcake and…” She paused as she considered the other flavours. “Salted Caramel.”
Sif tilted her head at the choices of toppings and selected a few items from there including something that was known for being “popping candy” before she gave a definitive nod.
“That’s everything.”
“Yeah we recommend, for the Vermonster, that you stick to five flavors at most. Though you can do all twenty differently of course.” Said the man behind the counter, while another one showed up, in time to hear and then fix up Sif’s order. The one who had approached them first was busy fixing up Loki’s, but looked at Val as if ready for her to order, so she nodded.
“I’m not going to go for twenty today so let’s go with One Sweet World, Bourbon Brown Butter, Phish Food and Chunky Monkey. Both caramel and fudge, please, and rainbow sprinkles and M&M’s for toppings. Thanks.”
It took the two men a while, but not as long as it might have taken someone inexperienced. And they managed not to look as shocked as they might have. Valkyrie was already grinning like a child as the expectation built.
“Alright, uh, that’ll be $39.99...each.”
Val looked around, then her eyes landed on Loki. “I forgot, who’s paying? Did you offer, are we all paying for ours, d’you pay for all of them…?”
"I am paying," he said, taking out the appropriate amount of flimsy Midgardian money and paying the entire bill. When he was asked what toppings, he shrugged sharply. "Let chaos reign. Give me a little of everything."
It wasn't long before Loki had his literal bucket of ice cream, which was probably a ridiculously funny thing to behold, considering he was dressed rather nicely and normally seems so composed. Until he loses his temper, then composure goes right out the window with shattering glass, much in the same way he threw Tony Stark out a window. If Loki ponders that for overly long, he might grin at how satisfying it was to make the talkative Midgardian go shhhhhhhhhh.
Too late, he's pondering it with a smile on his face, while clutching his giant bucket of ice cream. He would be back to inwardly moping over Darcy soon enough, and engaging in copious amounts of ice cream therapy.
"By all means, ladies," he said, a little too cheerfully, "I leave it up to you to choose where we shall sit."
And so they buried themselves in their Vermonsters. And for a small while, there was no strife and all seemed right with the world.