Nora Valkyrie (queenofcastle) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2021-10-27 20:09:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !complete, !completed gdoc, !log, ~2021 october, ~~loki laufeyson (punygod), ~~nora valkyrie (queenofcastle) |
Who: Nora Valkyrie and Loki Laufeyson
What: Nora brings Loki food and booze.
When: Wednesday, October 27.
Where: Loki’s apartment.
Warning: TBD
Status: Completed via Gdoc
Nora wasn’t exactly sure what was drawing her to Loki Laufeyson of Asgard. All she knew was that she was intrigued by him, and by the fact that some people didn’t particularly care for him. She wasn’t one to allow others’ opinions color her opinion of someone, though.
She had gotten off work early that evening, it had been rather slow at the Den. So she had decided to pick up some Chinese take out and visit the Trickster God. She sent him a text informing him of her intentions, and then promptly ignored his resistance to the idea. Of course he was going to resist. She had learned that already.
She had also procured a bottle of tequila, as a peace offering. She knocked lightly on his door, and waited patiently for him to answer.
Seeing as she had just gotten off work, she was currently covered in glitter, but she didn’t care. ...Loki might, she realized too late, but oh well.
---
Loki didn’t have anything against the young woman who seemed to be so desperate to attach herself to him. He was simply desperate himself, and didn’t have time to build new relationships in this world. If he was going to get back to Sylvie and He Who Remains, he didn’t have time to go galavanting around with all of the other Midgardians in this part of the world.
So many people had been arriving here from so many different timelines. Loki couldn’t help but think… understand… know… that this was his fault. After she kicked him through the Timedoor, Sylvie must have killed He Who Remains, and that broke the Sacred Timeline. Now Loki had to figure out how to fix it.
When the knock came at the door, Loki was in the living room in the apartment that he’d been assigned, lounging on the sofa and flipping through a text he’d picked up. He climbed up, set the book aside, and moved through the small flat to the door. The room apartment had been glamoured so that it looked like the Asgardian palace of his youth. (It made him feel a little less homesick)
He pulled open the door. “Hello, Nora. Do come in.”
--
“Hello, Loki,” she said, with a small smile. She stepped inside once the man invited her in, and glanced around for a moment. It was different than the apartment she had been given, it was decorated far nicer. “This is amazing,” she said, softly. She was being truthful with her words as well. She had (obviously) never been to Asgard, but if it looked like this? She felt she was missing out.
“I come bearing gifts,” she said, holding up both the tequila and the Chinese takeout. “I feel you should be impressed more by the tequila as it isn’t exactly easy to come by if you’re under 21,” she said.
Though she did work at an establishment with a full service bar. She was also friends with Vex the bartender, and Kenny the owner. It really hadn’t been too terribly difficult.
---
"Do you like it? It is based on the Asgardian palace where I grew up." Well, Loki certainly liked that she was impressed by his magic. But why wouldn't she be? It was impressive, even by Asgardian standards. There were limitations to what he could do--the walls, for example, were in the same place as they had been before the glamour--but there was also a lot one could do simply by changing the appearance of a thing.
Case in point: turning a silly, Midgardian apartment into an Asgardian palace.
"I see." Loki reached forward for the bottle, and then inspected the label. Midgardian alcohol. "Why does your age make a difference?" He asked, genuinely curious. They had different rules and restrictions on Asgard regarding alcohol.
He turned to move into the kitchen area, and dissolved part of the glamour so they could retrieve cups, plates, and cutlery.
---
“I love it, Loki,” she said, turning to him with a bright smile. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.” It made her apartment look horribly drab in comparison. Which, if she were being honest, her apartment was horribly drab. She hadn’t done much with it since her arrival. She’d been too busy finding employment.
“Something silly called a legal drinking age,” she explained. “You have to be 21 or older to purchase alcohol in Madison Valley. ….and to drink it, in public at least.” She shrugged slightly at this. “I’m only 19.”
Saying this made her feel ridiculously young. Especially compared to Loki.
Nora followed the Asgardian into the kitchen, placing the take-out on the table there. “I wasn’t sure what kind of food you liked,” she said. “So I may have ended up getting more than we need.”
---
"You are welcome to take a look around," Loki said with an absent-minded wave of his hand. There wasn't anything in this apartment that he wouldn't want her to see. It was all covered by glamours, anyway. And everyone should get to experience the glory that was Asgard at its finest.
At that, Loki paused, hands still on the glasses he had pulled out of the cupboard. This young woman was nineteen years old. He was a thousand years older than she was. Loki wasn't old by Asgardian standards, not in the slightest. But the difference between his age and hers was staggering.
"I see." he turned around to bring the items to the banquet table--the kitchen table transformed by his magic. "I think you'll find that I'm not picky when it comes to--" He paused, finally getting a good look at her.
"Why are you shimmering?"
---
“I won’t ruin anything, will I?” she asked, as she glanced around on the way to the kitchen. If anyone could mess up an Asgardian’s glamour, it would be Nora Valkyrie. She was sure of it. She was content with following Loki into the kitchen for the moment, though. She was hungry, and she wanted some of the tequila. It seemed that food and tequila were to be had in the kitchen.
Nora noticed Loki’s reaction when she told him her age, and her head tilted slightly. “Does it bother you that i am 19?” she asked. “I mean, I know you’re old…” She paused for a moment, considering. “Older than I am,” she corrected.
She looked down at herself, as if noticing the glitter for the first time.
“I told you I work at the Den of Dionysus,” she said, in explanation. As though that explained everything. “Glitter gets everywhere at the Den of Dionysus.”
---
Loki shook his head. "The illusion is strong. You shouldn't have any effect on it." He set the plates and cutlery on the table, then set about opening the bottle. He sniffed from it, winced slightly, and poured them each a small amount into the clear glasses.
"I often forget how young Midgardians are. I know--" he added quickly, before she could protest, "that you are not of Midgard. But it is the best point of comparison that I have."
He offered her the glass with the smaller amount of the liquid in it, then sipped from his own. It tasted like Volstagg's bath water, and burned his throat. It probably wouldn't be worth drinking too much of it. But he would give it a try for Nora's sake.
"What is the Den of Dionysus?" Loki hadn't really cared before. Now he was curious. "Glitter... that is the shimmer on your skin?"
---
Nora noticed she had received less tequila that Loki, and she arched an eyebrow at him before taking a sip from her glass. “Are you implying I cannot hold my alcohol?” she asked, smirking slightly. “...probably a good decision.” Yes, the alcohol burned as it went down, but she found she liked it.
“The Den of Dionysus is a club,” she explained. “I’m a dancer there. ...usually wearing less than I am now.” She found herself blushing slightly as she explained what her job actually was. Why, she couldn’t say. She had no problems telling anyone else.
She was currently wearing a tank top and blue jeans, and every inch of visible skin was covered in glitter. Including some in her hair. “Yes, the shimmer is glitter. ...you seriously just noticed it?”
---
He wasn't necessarily saying that she couldn't hold hers, it was just that Loki could absolutely hold his. This wouldn't even make his face flush. He wouldn't feel a thing. He could probably drink the entire bottle and he might feel slightly intoxicated afterward. But he didn't want to insult her. "Well, you are underage," he offered by way of explanation. Teasing. Mostly.
"I see. You dance wearing sparkles." He had heard of such clubs, and frowned just a little at her working there. He wondered for a moment if she was safe in her profession. Suddenly feeling a bit protective. Almost as if she was a younger sibling he would want to take care of.
Loki gave a small, frustrated sigh, angry with himself for not being as observant as he might otherwise. Maybe this place was getting to him. "I was distracted preparing the food," he snapped, though it was mostly good-natured. "Are you interested in sharing a meal or not?"
---
Nora wasn’t offended in the slightest that Loki had given her less tequila in her glass. She wasn’t completely sure how she could handle her alcohol, so it was probably for the best that she started off with less than Loki. He was old, after all. He probably could handle his alcohol far better than she could. At Loki’s words, she grinned a bit. “Yet you still gave me some.” That was a bonus for Loki.
She arched an eyebrow at the frown that appeared on his face. “It’s a job, Loki. Not everyone is like you, where I can just… glamour myself some money or whatever.” She shrugged slightly at this. “Besides, it’s not so bad. Kenny, the owner, is nice.”
There was a soft laugh from the redhead. “Yes, of course,” she said. “I know the glitter isn’t always completely noticeable.”
---
“Well, all young people need to learn to hold their liquor.” Loki suggested, before tipping back the glass and draining it in one large gulp. He set the glass down again, frowning just a little at the slight burn in the back of his throat as he gulped down the tequila. It was going to take a lot of this stuff to make him feel anything.
Maybe he’d give it a shot.
“I can make money for you.” He offered. “You don’t need to cover yourself in that sparkling stuff and dance for people who do not appreciate you.”
Then he started to serve up the food, dishing the Chinese from the containers onto plates on the table.
---
“Are you saying you appreciate me, Loki?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. She took another drink from her glass, as Loki started to serve up the take-out she’d brought. “It would be nice, not to have to work…” she said, idly.
Then, without really thinking about what she was doing, or the consequences of her actions, she gave Loki a quick hug. “Thank you, Loki.” She wrinkled her nose slightly as she realized she’d gotten glitter on the man, and she tried to wipe off a spot. Only managing to spread it around even more. “Sorry,” she said, a bit sheepishly.
“The Den isn’t a bad place to work. When the people don’t try getting drunkenly handsy.” Which didn’t happen too terribly often. The security at the Den was top-notch.
---
“You brought food and alcohol to my home and aren’t expecting anything in return,” Loki responded. “I appreciate that.”
Well, the hug had been incredibly unexpected. Loki turned to look at the girl as she hugged him, surprised by the sudden show of affection. She did get those sparkles all over his clothes, but that didn’t really bother him. They would wash.
“It’s fine,” he responded, frowning just a little at the sparkles. “...I think they look better on you than on me, though.” And then he slid a plate over toward her, along the table.
“...are you sure you are safe there? I can remove their hands.”
---
“Of course I don’t expect anything in return,” she said. “It’s what friends do.” Yes, she considered Loki to be a friend. Not an incredibly good friend, not yet. They had just recently met, after all. She could see him becoming a good friend, though, as time went on.
Especially since he offered to glamour her some money so she wouldn’t have to work at the Den anymore. Not that she minded working at the Den, but honestly? She would prefer to not have to work.
“You think I look good in glitter,” she said, with a teasing grin. She reached for her plate of food, and snatched an egg roll off the plate. “No, you don’t need to remove their hands, Loki. ...though you could glamour me money if you wished.”
---
Friends. Loki didn’t have many of those. Up until and including now, he could count the number of friends he had on one hand. Less than one hand, really. It was nice to have Nora as a friend. If Loki had thought about having a younger sister, Nora was very much what he would have imagined: a Thor Variant.
“I didn’t say that,” Loki responded with a smirk. He reached for the bottle of tequila to pour himself a generous helping. “I said it looked better on you than me.” He set the bottle down and lifted the glass to gulp from it, then set it down, too.
“I will make you Midgardian currency. You can decide when and how you wish to work.”
---
“Oh, I think you said that, Loki,” she said, grinning at him. “I think you like the glitter. You think it brings out my eyes, or something.” She snickered softly at this, and downed the rest of her glass of tequila. She decided she needed more tequila, and poured herself another glass. She wasn’t one who could handle her alcohol very well, but she felt confident she would be okay if she got a little tipsy at Loki’s.
“I can work for you,” she suggested. “In exchange for the Midgardian currency you make me.” She nodded at this. “Working for Loki might look good on a resume.”
She grinned at Loki, she rather liked the idea. “I can bring you food often, as a start. How’s that sound, boss?”
---
Loki gave a gentle roll of his eyes and a sigh at her insisting that he liked the glitter. “If you wish to continue to be delusional, that is your decision,” he responded, though he was smirking softly. If he was completely honest with himself--which he rarely was--he would have understood that he actually liked having her around. She was young, sure, but she was friendly. Funny, even. It was nice to have a friend. It made him miss Mobius terribly.
“Yes. You can put that on a resume. Loki’s personal assistant.” He nodded. It would be nice to have someone to run errands for him. “That sounds fine.”
Then he settled down into his seat and lifted his chopsticks.
--
Yes, Nora may be young, especially compared to Loki. But she didn’t think that should matter too terribly. She could still be a good friend to Loki, if he allowed it. She understood that it might take him some time to adjust to the idea, but she had nothing but time.
She offered him a small smile, “I’ll be the best assistant you could ask for.” She would try, at least.
Nora grabbed her chopsticks as she set down at the table, discovering she was hungrier than she thought. She also reached for the bottle of tequila, refilling her glass before starting to eat.
---
“I am sure you will.” Loki reached over and took hold of the bottle before she could pour too much into her glass, and set it aside. “You will not be of any use to me as my assistant if you die of alcohol poisoning,” he added, raising one eyebrow.
Of course, she was not Midgardian, and perhaps her physiology was different. Still, he didn’t want her to get sloppy, or sick, or Nords-forbid hurt herself in some way. They could have a pleasant meal without having to get trashed on Midgardian booze.
“You can start tomorrow. I will have a list of tasks for you.”
---
Nora arched an eyebrow as Loki took the bottle of tequila from her. “I am not going to die from alcohol poisoning after three drinks, Loki. I’ll have you know I am completely sober thank you very much.” Though she was feeling warm and tingly and her face was a little flushed. So perhaps she wasn’t completely sober. “But fine. I don’t need more anyway.”
She took a bite of her Chinese food, pleased to see she could still master chopsticks, even with having little practice using them recently.
“This is good,” she decided. “I’m glad you talked me into bringing food over.” She then nodded, “Yes, good. Tomorrow I’ll start. ...what sort of tasks are we talking about?” she asked, curious.
---
Loki had no idea about Midgardian alcohol tolerance. And she wasn’t Midgardian, either. Though, she wasn’t Asgardian, unless she really was a Thor Variant. And if she was a Thor Variant, she could have as much alcohol as she wanted. Now Loki was second-guessing himself, and that made him cranky. He poured more of the horrible liquid into his glass, and then gulped it down.
“There is water in the kitchen,” he offered. She could have water. He could, too, after her finished the bottle. It might make him feel tipsy if he drank it all… and that was preferable to feeling sober in this horrible place.
“I am, too,” he answered honestly. “It will be good to have an assistant to help with the tasks I have to do. Things like making purchases, running errands, delivering messages. I will have many of these things for you to do.”
---
Nora considered Loki’s offer, then nodded slightly. Water was probably a good idea. She didn’t want to end up sloppily drunk or anything. Not tonight, at least. Though something told her she could trust Loki to behave himself if she did end up sloppily drunk in his presence.
She rose from the table, and helped herself to a glass of water before heading back to the table to focus on eating once more.
“I suppose I’ll have to let Kenny know I’ll be working for you now,” she said, mainly to herself. “It’ll be nice to have a boss I’m not having inappropriate relations with.” She blushed slightly as she realized she’d said the last part out loud. “Forget I said that,” she murmured, taking a bite of her food.
---
Well, that was smart of Nora. Loki was a gentleman. (Contradiction in terms? Not entirely...) He would never take advantage of a person while they were intoxicated. It was so much more fun when a person had their wits about them. Consent was sexy. Anything aside from consent was unthinkable.
His eyes trailed after her as she went to get a glass of water, then he smirked as she came back to the table. His chopsticks never faltered.
At her admission, Loki's eyebrow rose. That definitely wouldn't be a problem here. He was fond of Nora, but she was a child. He didn't think of her that way. Though, a part of him wanted to check in with this Kenny person, just to make sure he wasn't the one taking advantage.
"Is that so?" He asked, leaning back a little in his chair. He hadn't been convinced that this Den was a good place for her before, and he was less convinced now.
---
Nora sighed softly, putting her chopsticks down. She reached for Loki, resting a hand on his. “It’s fine, Loki,” she said, trying to reassure him. She had never been particularly good at reassurance, though. With the exception of a few people, that is. “Kenny hasn’t asked me to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with. And he wouldn’t have done anything, had I told him no.” She was positive about that. Kenny was a lot of things, but he respected a person when they told him no.
She liked the idea of having Loki as a boss, though. She liked him, yes, but it was a different sort of feeling as her feelings toward Kenny. It would be nice to have him as a boss. It was a little awkward having a boss she’d been with, sexually.
“I was just saying it will be nice to have a job where I can keep my clothes on,” she explained. “And if, for some reason, my clothes aren’t on, I know the men around won’t be handsy.” She nodded at this, as though it made all the sense in the world. Because it did, to her.
---
Loki nodded. He was glad that she would be in a job where she could keep her clothes on, too. And if, for some reason, her clothes weren’t on, he would make sure that she was protected. No man, no person, would put their hands on her unless she consented to it.
“You have nothing to fear while you are in my employ,” Loki added, agreeing. He took a rather large sip from the nasty Tequila drink, then set the glass back down again on the table. “I will make sure that you are protected.”
---
She offered Loki a small smile, squeezing his hand lightly. Nora knew she could trust Loki, that no harm would come to her from him. She leaned in and kissed his cheek quickly. “Thank you, Loki.”
Her head tilted slightly, “I can take care of myself, though. Especially when I have Magnhild.” She was able to use her Semblance even without her weapon, but she was stronger with it. “It serves as almost a lightning rod,” she explained. “It’s not just a hammer.”
She finished off her food, and rose from the table. She took her plate, and motioned toward Loki’s. “Are you done?” she asked.
----
All of this hand squeezing and kisses to his cheek were really strange for Loki. He would never have expected that sort of familiarity from her, especially not so soon after they met and started up a friendship. (Then again, he really only had had two friends in his long life, so he wasn’t entirely sure how it all worked.)
“Sounds like Thor,” he responded with a gentle shrug of his shoulders. He chose not to comment on the hand squeeze or the kiss to his cheek. “Somehow it doesn’t surprise me that there’s more than meets the eye to your hammer.”
He nodded, sliding his plate over to her, along with the disposable chopsticks. He could take care of the dishes later, or leave her to her devices in his kitchen.
---
Nora wasn’t exactly planning on the outward show of affection toward Loki, not so soon after their friendship began. Something told her, though, that it was the thing to do. So she had done it. He hadn’t said anything about it, though, so she assumed he hadn’t mind too terribly much.
“I’m not Thor, though, remember that,” she told him. “And my hammer -- it helps with my Semblance. I can do it on my own, but it’s easier with Magnhild.” Which, she supposed, was similar to Thor.
She picked up Loki’s plate as well, and carried it to the sink, along with her own. She’d wash the dishes, she didn’t mind doing that. It was, after all, only a few glasses and a few plates.
---
Loki stood from the table and pushed in both of their chairs. He collected up the leftover food and moved it quickly into the kitchen and set the items in the fridge. It disrupted the illusion of Asgard when he opened the device’s door, but that was quickly settled back in place once he’d finished. Then he turned around and leaned back against it.
“I can finish that later,” he offered. “I’m sure you have other places to be.”
---
“Are you trying to get rid of me, Loki?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at the man. She then offered him a small smile, and placed the plate she had been washing back into the sink. She had no issues with allowing Loki to finish cleaning up after dinner. He probably had his own ways of cleaning up anyway.
“I have nowhere to be, honestly, but I should probably get out of your hair. Seeing as you’ll probably grow tired of me eventually, as I’m now working for you.”
She didn’t really think he’d tire of her, but she knew they’d likely be seeing a lot of each other from now on.
---
“Not at all,” Loki said, a little surprised at the truth behind that statement. He shook his head a little, gently. “I only mean to say that you are not required to remain here. I appreciate your kindness, but I can get on by myself.” Ever since they’d met, Nora had been quite forward with her affections. He thought it was… perhaps a little misguided on her part… but he liked it. Maybe secretly liked it. He didn’t want her to feel some kind of obligation to him, however.
“And I will see you tomorrow for your first day on the job, won’t I?”
---
Nora smiled slightly at Loki’s words, pleased to see there was a bit of truth behind the statement. She could tell he wasn’t just trying to be polite, that he really wouldn’t have minded if she had stayed longer. “Loki, if there’s one thing you should know about me, is that I do not feel obligated to be around you,” She was being honest with the Trickster God as well. “I wouldn’t have stayed here so long had I not enjoyed your company.”
“Yes, you definitely will,” she said with a slight smile. “You will not regret taking me on.” She reached toward him, patting his shoulder briefly, almost a bit awkwardly. She wasn’t completely sure how much affection he was willing to accept from her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
----