InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Leather walls breathing"

fulltiltdiva (fulltiltdiva) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2012-06-28 16:01:00

Entry tags:

loki laufeyson, tara maclay, willow rosenberg

WHO: Loki Laufeyson & Willow Rosenberg
WHAT: Mutual appreciation and magical geekery.
WHEN: June 28th; Afternoon
WHERE: Something Wicca This Way Comes
RATING: PG
STATUS: In Progress

Truth be told, Loki had been thinking about the magical construction of the protections on the magic shop since he'd left it that afternoon weeks ago. The strands had been unfamiliar, woven in a pattern that he didn't recognize, constructed in a manner that was completely foreign to him. So it had stuck in his mind, firmed itself in his consciousness until his powers had demanded that he try and replicate the formula. It had been difficult, practically impossible, weaving spells in a manner that he wasn't used to, drawing upon the energies in patterns contradictory to the ones that he was familiar just to try and duplicate the feel of what he had encountered. He had made headway, minor headway, but it was a draining, headpounding process, and even attempting such things left him feeling as though he had battled an entire family of Trolls single-handed.

But now, he didn't have to struggle. He had been hoping for the arrival of the original spellweaver if only out of an eagerness to share knowledge, and when she had shown up and not only recognized him but expressed a fondness -- nobody ever expressed a fondness -- for him, he was more than enamoured. Professionally so. Beyond the few other spellcasters in Asgard, as they were numbered and more often than not females with no desire to interact with him, it was rare that he had the opportunity to speak to someone who could not only understand the knowledge that he had to offer but had an equal amount to share in return. To say that Loki was excited upon his return to the shop would have been an understatement, and as he lingered in front of the door again, taking the time once more to admire the spellwork and quietly refresh himself with the intricate pattern, Loki pressed open the door and slowly looked around the entrance of the shop.

"Hello?" Not much had changed since he'd been here last, but he still felt the need to announce his presence, as though it were better to be accompanied amongst the items stored here.

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thecallofmagic
2012-06-28 08:28 pm UTC (link)

Although Willow was still feeling a little out of sorts - as she typically did for a week or two following her return to Colligo - she was definitely glad to be back. Yes, the place could be a little much at times and it definitely made Sunnydale seem like Boringville more often than not, but this was the one place where she could be with Tara again. That, alone, was enough for her. And when that fact was coupled with her getting to meet people she never would have met otherwise, not to mention expand her working knowledge and understanding of magic in various forms, well, suffice to say that Willow was one happy gal being right where she was.

Especially when she was in the magic shop. Having been one of the ones to essentially build the store from the ground up, she had poured a lot of herself into it. Her magic coursed through the place, protecting those inside and keeping the artifacts safe, which gave her a sense of belonging whenever she was there. Simply being inside the shop brought a smile to her face and a bounce in her step.

Except for now. Currently, she wasn't bouncing about, or smiling in contentment. She wasn't even seated at the table near the cash register, going over the various books that had arrived since the last time she was in the city. No, when the unknown voice called out a simple 'hello' into the store, Willow was on her hands and knees, halfway under a display cabinet, trying in vain to catch one of her familiars.

Hearing the hello caused her to jump slightly, which made her bang her head on the display cabinet and yelp slightly in pain. "Ouch!" she exclaimed as she quickly backed out of the crawl space she'd been in, rubbing at the back of her head while climbing to her feet. "Sorry about that," she said as she turned to set her flashlight down on the table alongside the piles of various books. "I was trying to get my cat. She decided to snatch up a couple of newt eyes and ran off for an afternoon snack. Considering how long the shipment takes to get in, I'm not such a fan of her eating my inventory so I-"

Having turned back toward the new arrival toward the end of her explanation, Willow suddenly stopped speaking and froze, eyes growing wide as she stared at the person standing there. "... oh my goddess, you're... well, I mean, obviously you know who you are but I didn't think you'd come here and now I'm talking about my cat and newt eyes and hitting my head and now I'm babbling and someone please stop me." Pausing to draw in a deep breath, she exhaled slowly and finally managed a smile and a slightly awkward wave.

"Sorry. Babbling is this whole thing which I sometimes do when I'm nervous or excited or-" With a muffled groan, she tried again. "Hi. Welcome to the shop. Something I can help you with?"

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fulltiltdiva
2012-06-28 08:58 pm UTC (link)

This was definitely going to take some getting used to, but all the same, it was a situation that he was more than willing to take the time with. Loki had already settled upon the fact that he liked her better than most of the sorceresses that he knew. They were often vicious or petty, using their powers to demand control or respect...much in the way that he had ultimately ended up using his. But there was little that Loki could see that would give him the impression that this woman in front of him would ever allow herself to succumb to such twisted motivations. Even if there was no doubt, of course, that if she did, they would all be in sorry shape. It had been obvious from the shape of her spells how much power she had within her, but standing here, in front of her, it was impossible for him not to notice the power radiating off of her body. It was rare for mortals to possess such skills. Extremely rare. But if anything, that made it even more fascinating.

"To be truthful, it is rather endearing," Loki said, internally wincing a moment later. It wasn't as though such a statement would reveal his weaknesses as some things he might have said, especially when his admiration for her handiwork had already been stated so clearly, but he did not appreciate being so loose with his words. "Far preferable to the sort of talk I am used to from my compatriots," He said with a half grin before inclining his head towards her at her question.

"I came to speak with you, actually," Loki said. "I was hoping you might be willing to exchange some knowledge. I have been attempting to reconstruct the sort of spells laid within this foundation, but I have found it slow going and incredibly taxing from trial and error. I had hoped you might have some advice. And I will be willing to answer any questions you have in return."

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thecallofmagic
2012-06-28 10:12 pm UTC (link)

At his assurance that her babbling was endearing, Willow relaxed slightly. It was always a terrible conundrum she found herself in, whenever her babbles really got going. When people were annoyed by them, she got more nervous. The more nervous she got, the more she babbled. So to have someone be fine with it, in actuality, helped ease the tension and therefore stay her tongue. At least a bit.

"Oh," she replied, a bit stunned when he said he came to speak with her. Eyes still wide, she blinked a few times in shock as he elaborated. "You want advice? From me? But..." Internally, she began flailing again. "I'm just... me. I'm not anyone special." Pausing, realizing that her own self doubt was kind of making her sound like she wasn't willing to do what he asked, she quickly tacked on, "I'll do it, though. If you really want. I can't promise it'll be easy because our magic is probably pretty different but sure. I'm all for the exchange of knowledge."

She might have said more, probably would have in fact, if a loud meow, followed by a dash of white and dark fur surging out from beneath the display cabinet and toward her, hadn't caught her attention. Without thinking, she opened her arms as one of her familiars leapt into them, absently rubbing the feline behind the ears as she gazed overtop of the now purring animal at Loki with a slightly sheepish grin.

"Sorry. Miss Kitty Fantastico gets a little jealous sometimes. Let me just put her in the back room." Turning to do just that, she returned a few seconds later, now cat-free, and still smiling in a somewhat nervous manner. "So. Um. Do you want to start now? Or...?"

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fulltiltdiva
2012-06-28 10:32 pm UTC (link)

There was something Loki had always admired in felines, a trait shared among all types within the family of animals. They were utterly unwilling to take grief from anyone. If they decided they wanted attention, they demanded it. If they decided they wanted someone gone, they would do whatever was in their power to make it happen. Perhaps not the most admirable of traits in the animal kingdom, but it was a confidence and determination that Loki had always significantly lacked in himself and had been trying his best to change as of late. Perhaps there was a certain pride, a certain arrogance that came along with think in such a straight forward manner, but nothing too crippling as far as Loki could tell.

"Whenever is most convenient for you," Loki said with a bit of a smile. "You did look a bit occupied when I came in. I would hate to take you away from anything," He said before chuckling quietly. "And our magic is very different. I might not be able to pinpoint how, but I can feel it. The flow is entirely contrary to what I was used to. Not bad, though, Most would assume when I say contrary I would mean... But, no, it's...just different."

Stepping forward, Loki offered her a hand before saying simply, "And you may be just you, but it was rare that I get to exchange words with someone on my level talent wise that are not threats, manipulations, or accusations. It will be a welcome change."

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thecallofmagic
2012-06-28 10:53 pm UTC (link)

Shaking his hand without any reservation - almost eagerly, in fact - Willow's grin turned a bit self deprecating. As did her tone when she replied, "Yeah, well, when you go all scary, veiny, and murderous, you learn pretty quick that you don't get to judge other people. So this is me, definitely not judging."

It was a flippant comment, one she was used to making around her friends without really thinking about it. In fact, she didn't even consider who she had just said such a thing to, or that he wouldn't know the story behind it as others in the city might. She simply waved a hand absently at the front door, causing the lock to slip into place and the open sign to swing over to closed, before turning away from Loki and toward the table where all the books were stacked.

"And now is good," she said as she glanced over her shoulder at him with a smile. "Just let me put some of these away first. I, uh, don't really like working too much mojo with some of the books around. They tend to get a little antsy." Okay, probably a weird thing to say, considering they were mostly inanimate objects, but it was still true nonetheless. Absently beginning to grab up various tomes and carrying them to the display case where she normally kept them, she continued her slight babble. "I mean, sure, most of them are harmless but there are a couple of these guys that really can pack a whallop. I probably shouldn't have them out here where anybody can see them but, well, not to toot my own horn too much but if someone can get past the spells I put up, they probably deserve the books more than I do."

Finally finished, she brushed her hands together to get rid of the light bit of dust from some of the tomes then turned back to Loki with another smile. "Okay!" she announced brightly. "So. Um. I guess first off, I should probably ask where you draw your magic from. I mean, some people tend to prefer solely internal power and others draw from things around them. Any sharing of info that'll be at all useful on my end is kinda tied into how you do it."

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fulltiltdiva
2012-06-28 11:24 pm UTC (link)

"I have more inborn ability than most Asgardian," Loki said, hesitating only momentarily on the phrasing as it was technically true. He might not have been an Asgardian, but he had much more magic than any of them, other than the Allfather, could even boast. "It allows me to control my psionics and shapeshifting without drawing upon any other outside influences, but if I wish to affect anything outside of myself such as the environment or others, I draw upon the natural magical energies of a place. It is...easier for me to draw on Asgard," He said with a bit of a hesitation. "There are more inherent magical forces upon my home realm. Here, in more mundane spaces, I must pull upon the elements, the strength of nature, and the influences of the heavens. It is far more draining because of my own inability to channel is all proper," He said with a bit of a nervous laugh. That was...far more honest about his powers than he had really intended to be. Admitting weakness even in the face of an ally could be grounds for a confrontation if one was not careful. "Luckily, the power in my runes does not suffer the same ill effects, should I find myself needing to use them."

He cleared his throat a bit before nodded back to where she had placed the spellbooks, "And it is definitely best. I accidentally set off an impact rune in one of my tomes while studying as a yearling and had to stay in the healing chamber for a week until my ribs had mended. Didn't live down the sparring with myself jabs for a year, at least," He said, raising hand to run through his hair, looking a little sheepish. Definitely more honest than he was intending on being.

"And yourself?" Loki asked. He could only imagine having just the elements to draw upon would make her far, far more proficient at channeling them. If that truly was what she was working from. It was always harder to tell with those Midgardians gifted with the power exactly what forces were assisting them.

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thecallofmagic
2012-06-29 04:54 pm UTC (link)

Willow listened attentively as he spoke, although she also stayed relatively busy with putting away the few other magical items that were out of their cases and, finally, pulling large, plush cushions out from behind the counter and placing them on the floor across from one another. By the time she'd put them down, Loki was asking about her own way of accessing magic and Willow, who normally would have hesitated at trying to explain it without sounding as though she was proclaiming herself as one of the most powerful witches in her entire reality, simply blurted out her answer without pause.

"It's a little of both, for me," she began, sitting down on one cushion and motioning for him to use the other. "I didn't even try magic until I was in high school, and my first spell was a gypsy curse to give a vampire back his soul." Her own expression turned a touch sheepish at that particular admission, knowing full well that part of the reason her magic had come on so strongly was because of its roots in such a powerful beginning. Absently tucking her hair behind her ears, she folded her legs up so she was sitting cross-legged and her sheepish look turned into that same light smile as before.

"After that, I always relied on my own ability, which made my magic pretty hit or miss. Either it was super, duper strong or it fell flatter than a pancake. And then I met Tara, and discovered I could draw on the magic of other people and, well, that's when things started getting out of hand. A bunch of really bad decisions, a trip to the dark side where I tried to end the world, and finally I wound up at this coven that taught me how to center myself and draw on the elements around me." She paused to draw a breath before admitting, "That's why Colligo always knocks me for such a loop when I first show up here. I know Earth. I'm in tune with Earth. Colligo... not so much, at least at first."

With a slight shrug, because it really wasn't an issue as she always managed to center herself again, she tacked on, "But when it comes to spells like what I have around the shop, you kinda have to be at one with where you are to make them stick. It's not just about the nature side of it, but the energy that makes up everything. The building, the ground, the air, even the people who come and go on a regular basis. If you don't tie the spells into all of that, all you're going to do is wipe yourself out and end up with one whopper of a headache."

Pausing yet again, she placed her hands, palms facing upward, on her knees and gave Loki a serene smile. "So I guess the first thing you need to do is stop trying so hard and just... feel the energy around you. Don't reach for it, let it come to you."

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fulltiltdiva
2012-07-01 03:54 am UTC (link)

This was an odd feeling. Loki couldn't help the stray thought that crossed his mind as he settled down, cross legged, on the pillow that she'd brought over. It had been a rare thing when he was younger that he'd actually had someone to speak to on the same level as himself. Sure, there had been Thor and Sif, but their interests had always gravitated towards battle techniques and weaponry, things of which Loki had had a working knowledge but no real interest in studying the nuances involved. Amora had been one of his few options in discussing the subtleties of magic, but she had always had her own concerns, concerns that conflicted with his and put them opposite sides just as often as they found themselves on the same one. There was always an undercurrent of suspicion in their interactions that just wasn't present in this.

"Channeling others is always dangerous territory to wander into," Loki said with a bit of a smile. He'd leeched power before. It was an intoxicating feeling, dangerous and potentially addictive, and it was something that he had decided at a very young age was only to be done in situations that demanded it, when his back was up against the wall. It also probably helped that in order to drain power, he needed to have physical contact with the other individual. It seemed the woman in front of him wasn't limited by such things.

In tune with everything involved. That made sense. It also explained why he was having such an issue duplicating the feel of the spells laid into the building. There were so many variables that he hadn't considered, so many things that he needed to factor in to even get close, and the alternative locations that he had been trying to practice in had only complicated things. There was a bit of a smile on his features as he moved, mimicking her position as he slowly cupped his palms and extended his fingers upwards. He was so used to reaching from strings, pulling and manipulating them, that allowing them to flow to him was going to take some concentration. But, as always, he was more than willing to learn.

Bright colors flashed on the tips of his fingers, a kaleidoscope of magical energy radiating from him as he raised his gaze to the air, the swirl of natural energy in the shop surrounding the both of them bursting in his vision as he slowly moved to attune his mind to the atmosphere. "Stop trying so hard," Loki repeated after a moment, a bit of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Probably advice I could have used eons ago."

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isaidquirky
2012-07-03 02:15 am UTC (link)

"We manage it well enough."

The voice came from the door of the shop, soft, gentle and fondly amused. Tara walked into the room, a kitten batting at her hair from it's place in her arms. She gave the pair a small smile as she made her way toward the back of the shop. "Puss was getting lonely," she told Willow, "so I thought he might like a visit with Miss Kitty." She deposited the cat in the back room with his companion and returned to her girlfriend and the Norse god. She was a little leery of Loki, since she knew he could potentially be a negative influence on Willow, but she also trusted the other woman to make the right choices magically. After everything Willow had gone through, Tara knew she wouldn't make the same mistakes she had when she was younger. Besides, she could probably be a good influence on Loki.

"Willow and I are very in tune with one another," she told him, walking over to Willow and kissing her on the cheek. That was one thing she loved about Colligo, never having to be away from Willow. It was always both of them so far. Settling down off to the side, she looked between the two of them. "I hope you don't mind if I watch," she said. "I love watching Willow work. And participating, obviously, but the watching is nice too." Her smile made it clear that she would have enjoyed watching Willow do pretty much anything, but that was neither here nor there. She loved her girlfriend, but this was something different.

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