10799/Such a Burden, Trust

Such a Burden, Trust
Date of Scene:	20 January 2020
Location:	Royal Palace, Asgard
Synopsis:	Loki and Sif commiscerate after dealing with the Avengers and allies.
Cast of Characters:	Loki, Sif
Tinyplot:	Surviving Infinity

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Loki has posed:
Loki is visible when Sif joins him on the other side of the portal. They're on the balcony outside of Sif's royal quarters, at the Asgardian palace. Loki, while visible, has his back to the portal, as if he feared no additional assault of tiny Wasp-like 'heroes' coming to be upset at him.

Loki moves indoors, headed to the small fare of food that seems to have been set out for Sif's late lunch. He picks up a group of grapes and dramatically tosses himself onto the couch nearby, as if he were QUITE put upon with the whole episode, and deserved to rest.

Sif has posed:
A last ringing sound comes from the sheathing of Brumeoalfold as its wielder steps through the aperture in reality from the cold rooftop of New York and into the far more mild late-afternoon sunshine of Asgard. Sif takes a moment to pause and look back over her shoulder with an outright venomous glare, as if the rent upon reality were to blame for all of her woes. It slips shut without further interference from anyone on the far side.

While Loki moves into the living quarters proper, the Vanir Princess lingers on the balcony. Her hands rest upon the waist-high stone-carved railing and she leans her weight forward, her head dropped briefly in a show of lost composure. One fist thumps upon the stone with a muffled 'clank' of gauntlet disturbed. Then, straightening in place and assuming a more neutral set of face, she turns and enters her own rooms.

"That went as well as to be expected, I suppose," says she with refined irritation rife in tone. A plate is set with various victuals from the late lunch and she seats herself with far more silence than to be expected for someone still in battle armor.

Loki has posed:
"No, it was much, much worse," Loki says, eating a grape, and then relaxing back, his head lolling some onto the arm at the far end of the couch. His eyes close, his expression twisted: a mix of things. He releases a breath from his nose.

"Unrelated to the midgardians being complete fools, to not realize it would be best to go along with me, that I might know better than they," Loki begins. "Unrelated to that - the mad Titan knew far too much. About the Stones. About /Asgard/. His information might be better than ours. And /that/ is what is much, much worse. Being /behind/ in information."

Sif has posed:
Sif too sighs and glances over at the reclining mage. "I might play doubt's advocate for a moment, Loki, and wonder if the Titan was attempting the same gambit you might play -- or, rather, played upon the Midgardians. A claim to know what one might not, at risk of either being revealed otherwise or gaining information from a mouth spurned loose from surprise."

Her cluster of grapes ends up a process in slow removal of fruit from stem and the recipient of a great frown. "It would take little to remove this Mikonia from their prison and less to gain any answers from her, but I would..." A small shake of her head. "I would preserve the Midgardian trust in our people unless necessity dictates we remove her."

Loki has posed:
Loki inspects the ceiling, eyes open and narrowed, then glancing to Sif. He's taking in her words, but not a lot reads on his face. He's a mask for the moment: a mask that then eats two grapes, and turns his eyes to the ceiling. "While I didn't sense a stone, that doesn't mean he doesn't have one. Or several," Loki replies. "The stone of reality should be entirely able to mask its presence." There's some interest there, an unhealthy curiosity in a stone that can /change reality/. It would appeal to an illusionist.

"Are you suggesting I gave up information, that I was tricked?" Loki asks. It isn't sharp, but it is a little chilly.

Sif has posed:
"It is claimed he is the Mad Titan. If he had several stones, why use words to try and force our hand? Why not come in and raze us to the ground as he did the entire planet beneath our feet?" Sif reasons as she looks over at the master-mage, a grape held between thumb and forefinger in paused process.

"And no, Loki, I am not insinuating that you were anything less than clever in your way," she's sure to clarify before her gaze returns to her plate, sliding away from him. More grapes join the pile growing next to the cutlets of fowl and the collection of leafy greens beside a thick slice of dark bread. Stripping the cluster has the motions of a redirected fidget. "I am merely, as I said, acting as doubt's advocate that we may plan and regain any lost ground if the Titan has indeed bypassed us in our search."

Loki has posed:
"Well," Loki answers, accepting her careful clarification, it seems, about what she was insinuating. "What I most suspect is that either he was out of range of us in some way, or is ... fine with knowing where the Mind Stone is, even if it's a long shot about getting further stones."

Loki scowls, rolls his eyes. "If it were me, I'd have allowed it. I'd know where it is - after all, who gives /up/ a stone?... so I would expect it would be in Asgard, I could get it anytime. Then... and then perhaps I would wait to see if the person went to check on the other stones, if he did know of more, after my threat." Loki flutters his fingers against the last of his grapes. "Considering that I was tempted to go collect the Mind Stone to keep it closer and safe, that may well be the angle. I /am/ tempted. After all, we could use the stones against him, obviously."

Sif has posed:
Silvery armor chimes quietly against itself as Sif turns in her chair, now looking at Loki with lips parted first silently. Her grapes seem forgotten.

"Loki, no. You said that gathering the stones together will only draw more attention -- that the stones themselves know of each other, that they have a familiarity or - or a sympathy to one another. Please: do not be tempted by this. If anything, we should hide the stone we have," she counsels, swallowing hard. "You saw what became of the world we visited."

Perhaps shockingly, a glistening fills Sif's eyes. They quickly flicker downcast and away, her mouth a thin slash. Just as soon as the fracture in her calm shows, it mends and she exhales slowly. Her murmur is for her plate: "Asgard will perservere."

It has the force of will behind it, as if it would be a known by proxy of leaving her lips.

Loki has posed:
Loki chuckles softly. "I said I was tempted. Not that I was going. I positioned the stone away from here for a /reason/," Loki says, throwing his legs off the couch. He stands with sleek agility, and saunters over towards Sif's position at the table. At first it may just appear that he wants more grapes.

Instead, though, as he crosses behind her chair, he drops one hand to her armored shoulder, touching lightly there, then extends his hand down in front of her over the shoulder, palm up, an offer of contact, or maybe even comfort to her.

"I did what I did to create a point of contact, of information. I'll go back and learn what I can, if it's necessary," Loki says, quietly, as if that information were particularly of a private nature.

Sif has posed:
Sif's fine profile can be seen to drop in a curt nod, as if to silently say 'Good' to the mage's reminder that the stone is, in fact, nowhere nearby Asgard itself. The last grape is dropped to her plate and she sets the empty skeleton of the vine aside even as he crosses behind her. Loki will feel her shoulders rise and fall by a minute amount beneath his palm.

Up comes her own hand, still gauntleted and covered by well-worth leather but for her fingers. With gentle pressure, she takes the mage's offered hand and squeezes it. Her face then turns to press cheek against his knuckles, as if they were to pillow. Her skin feels warmer as if she were fighting down a flush of emotion. Sif's eyes close and shut a touch harder than this, lines appearing at their corners.

"Would that you did not need to, Loki," Sif near-whispers heartfelt. "It is...it is all so new still. I do not want to lose it. Any of it."