CLOSED. SOMETHING'S COMING.

[selfimage]

CHARACTERS: Loki & Verity

DATE: Backdated to Dec. 10th

WARNINGS: Whiners

SUMMARY: It's about time that Loki got yelled at.

[ there wasn't of a way around this, and Loki couldn't continue to avoid it.

instead she took her time, used up her excuses, and finally made her way to Verity. tracking spells weren't difficult, and tracking Verity was a simple exercise among ones that seemed more difficult than not. honestly, time away from Michel would be good—she had left the task in a few capable hands, after all. they'd live without her. the runes were strong, and between both Ahad and Thor, they could figure out how to bludgeon Michel in the face with a hammer.

beneath her arm is a garment rolled tightly with twine. she had to tuck properly to get the half-stuffed animal not to look completely awkward. it was a token scraped together for an unintentional apology, one that she neither wanted to give nor wanted to face, but here she was. there Verity was.

her knuckles hover before she raps on the wooden door of the inn's west-side bedroom against the gnarled, shapely wood. ]

Verity?

Comments

[burdenoftruth]

[She knew Loki would be showing up at some point, and she's not terribly surprised she put it off for so long given her reaction when they talked over the network.

She might have tried to find Loki herself if she knew her way around better. But she doesn't. There is a distinct lack of google maps here and she's still figuring out where things are. The lack of sunlight doesn't really help things, either. As it stands she managed to find the trade district so she could get some sensible shoes and some extra clothes. Though she still favors the shirt and jeans she arrived in.

She answers the door in a fairly timely manner. It's not like she leaves often at this point.]

There you are. Come on in.

[She gestures Loki through the door. Her room is basic and she doesn't really feel at home there, but at least it's a place to stay.]

[selfimage]

[ Loki hesitates in the way that's difficult to call hesitation. a split second of a glance over her shoulder before she lets herself in, sweeping her jacket behind her like a ripple of a cape. it's a tad dramatic for the occasion, but somehow she makes it work. she settles, her hip leaning on the bundle at her side. ]

You know I didn't exactly expect you to show up in a place like this. It's really not your thing—you're a sore thumb.

[ truth. ]

[burdenoftruth]

[She kind of snorts at that, because let's be real, she feels pretty much the same way.]

Yeah, no kidding. I've had the same thought a lot since getting here.

[She glances at the bundle at Loki's side.]

What's that?

[selfimage]

Ah—[ Loki looks down at the bundle under her arm before shifting the make-shift package from her hip and into a casual hand-off. ]—a welcome to Chantes gift, curtesy of our lovely friends at ALASTAIR. They offered it up too readily in exchange for my services.

In the spirit of monotheism, of course.

[ this is fine. this is good. a little bit more time. a little more stalling. it's nice to see Verity's face, and even though Loki finds herself anxious, a little bit of her is sated.

even if Verity looks dubious. ]

[burdenoftruth]

[She's a little surprised, but she takes it, studying it curiously.]

It's probably too squishy to be a ticket home.

[She squeezes it as she says this. That's what they're working for ALASTAIR for, right? A way home? But that's obviously not what this is. Not that she's not curious about it. Because she is. She takes a seat to open it.]

[selfimage]

[ for Loki it's something else—but with Loki it's alway something else, anyway. setbacks like this? they're just opportunity. it's not as if she's unused to flouncing around the multiverse. (occasionally that trip to the outer edges still gives her nightmares, though she'd never speak of it.) ]

Well, I don't need to give you an extra hint.

[ she says with a casual smugness, a light tease. ]

[burdenoftruth]

Okay...

[She says slowly as she open the package and then kind takes a moment to make sense of the contents.]

Oh my god.

[This is actually hilarious, good job Loki.]

[selfimage]

[ Loki: 1, Very Important Conversations: 0

something melts out of her when Verity begins to laugh, her shoulders rolling back in brief sense of vindication. she tosses her fingers toward her, wiggling them enticingly. ]

It is the spirit of the season. There's holiday cheer to send 'round, and me with no fruit cakes. Sweaters were all I was allotted!

[burdenoftruth]

[She is suitably distracted for the moment, at least, as she looks over her new garish and bulky Christmas sweater.]

This is amazing, though.

[Verity has no problem with ugly sweaters, lets be real, and it's kind of nice to have something like she'd find at home. Even if the reindeer plush attached to it makes it incredibly bulky.

She's putting it on immediately, though it may take her a moment to work around the reindeer.]

[selfimage]

It does have its own ... [ she looks at it up and down. ] unique holiday charm. [ that seems to please her, anyway.

Loki watches as Verity struggles up against the Christmas odds to wiggle into her shirt. she lets it go on for a few moments before heading over to help her pop her head through. ]

At least I know it's appreciated.

[burdenoftruth]

[The static from the sweater does a pretty good job of messing up Verity's hair and making it stand on end, but she ignores that for the moment to study the sweater once it's on properly. It's hideous and bulky, but it is cozy, so really what more can someone ask.]

It is. Thanks, Loki.

[selfimage]

[ oh, isn't that a sight.

she steps back to admire her handiwork. there's Verity looking like a festive science project in a shapeless monstrosity of a Christmas sweater. ]

Well, you can most certainly count on me for some things. Novelty sweaters? I've certainly conquered a new horizon. I'm sure the monotheists would be pleased.

[burdenoftruth]

[She snorts as she tries to get her hair under control. It's quite possibly a losing battle.]

I don't know about that. Monotheists are really good at finding things to disapprove of.

[selfimage]

Well, they'll have to get in line if they want to find something that they want to disapprove of when it comes to me.

[ and she's stalling. she doesn't know how long she's going to have, so she'd like to cherish her last few moments of blissful ignorance. ]

[burdenoftruth]

I guess...

[She finishes patting at her hair and sighs. There are still other things she wants to address.]

What had you so upset when we talked before? You seemed really...on edge.

[selfimage]

[ ah—here it comes. Loki draws back with a soft huff, her arms hanging crossed against her stomach. the sweater was a pleasant distraction for a time, and now it was straight back into getting hit in the face from events from home. ]

It was edgy business ...

[ she starts, pauses, and then thinks better of it. ]

... You come from further down the timeline. Our timeline.

[burdenoftruth]

[She raises her eyebrows a little.]

Yeah, it seems that way. But...I don't know by how much. It doesn't seem like it would be a lot. What were you doing before you were here?

[selfimage]

[ there's a little sigh and Loki averts her eyes before looking back at Verity. friends were wonderful—they were great—but there were occasions where a coil of anxiety in her belly made her want to run off. ]

My brother and I returned after an impromptu family reunion.

[ it explains some, but not a lot: they believed Angela dead and found her, then Loki unlocked Asgard, pouring both Odin and Cul back into the Ten Realms. ]

It turned out as well as it could. [ she plays with a bit of her absently. ] And you?

[burdenoftruth]

[She still doesn't really understand what Loki is so anxious about.]

You had just left with Doctor Doom and Magneto to, uh, save the world.

[Saving the world isn't so bad, right?]

[selfimage]

[ it's hard to explain, but stuff like that is always hard to explain. ]

I—come again?

[ okay, that sounded downright weird. ]

No one was organizing Acts of Vengeance 2, were they?

[ as in: who's bright idea was this? she hopes—hopes—it wasn't hers. ]

[burdenoftruth]

I don't know. It could have been vengeance against the Red Skull, I guess.

[She shrugs a little. She supposes it's a little hard to explain if you weren't there, which apparently this Loki was not.]

Um, Red Skull was using Charles Xavier's power to create hate waves, and spread them around the world. Magneto showed up to recruit you and Doom to help stop him.

[selfimage]

[ it's either Loki's hand that meets her face or her face that meets her hand, probably somewhere in between. she caresses her dark eyebrows, massaging them in a slow circle. it's wonderful to know what you have to look forward to. ]

Red Skull was ... ugh—what a mess. Doom was involved, too?

[ her face looks three points past unamused. ]

Tell me there was no Osborn.