5163/Wayward

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Wayward
Date of Scene: 13 August 2018
Location: New Asgard
Synopsis: Thor catches up with Loki and brings up the idea of a new project.
Cast of Characters: Thor, Loki




Thor has posed:
    With the sun setting on Kvalvika, the long shadows of the sunset have faded only to be replaced with the dark of night held at bay by just a sliver of orange upon the horizon. Far to the east the stars already climb out to shine and floating above low-hanging clouds the moon at least gives some light for travelers to see by.
    Within the Asgardian settlement, however, a myriad of light sources shine to bring light to the gathering. Another busy day, filled with the effort of reconstruction and recovery. Today the quarry was finished and even now homesteaders are carrying enough materials to help in transitioning their homes from the temporary emergency shelters, tents, and shipping containers to something with more permanence... and something more to remind them of home.
    "On the morrow we lay the rest of the foundation, my lord. We may have need of you." Bjarke, the old captain of Frigga's Mercy turned foreman gives a nod to the Odinson as he passes by the basin that rests on the edge of the work site.
    "Then I shall be there, so long as the task requires naught more of me than carrying something heavy or breaking it." He gives a slight smile as he splashes water on his face and then reaches for the shared wash cloth nearby.
    At first, Bjarke might seem about to protest but he has had to deal with the Asgardian monarch attempting to 'help' as best he can. So he says simply, "As you say, my lord."

Loki has posed:
Loki approaches as the evening shadows grow longer. He wears a long cloak wrapped around a body sheathed in green and leather. His black hair spills down to his shoulders, tucked behind his ears and only highlighting the stark pale of his face.

"Yes, as you say, my lord," he agrees. "Methinks you're getting used to being in charge, brother. I suppose father's blood runs strong in your veins," he says.

He puts an arm around the Captain, a smile creasing his vulpine features. "What the Captain, I believe, is trying to say, but cannot due to both a remarkable sense of propriety and his own gentle nature, is that you should, perhaps, leave the construction to actual professionals and restrict your supervision to a safe distance that won't drop anything heavy on the heads of those more vulnerable than your massive blonde noggin, good brother. Does that sound about right, Captain?" he says, clapping the man on the back.

Bjorke looks a bit abashed, "I wouldn't put it that way, my lord..."

"No, of course you wouldn't. That's what I'm here for," Loki says with a wry smile. "All good kings need someone willing to speak the truth. Who better than me?"

Thor has posed:
    At Loki's arrival, Bjarke lights up partially at some small sense of perhaps an outlet from a dangerously improper situation, but then his eyes shadow a touch at the inference. But he gives a nod and bows once he shoots a glance towards Thor, as if seeking some measure of reassurance that the tall blonde man understands the situation.
    Thor, on the other hand, hides a laugh and shakes his head as he straightens and turns to face his brother. He still holds the washcloth in his hands, drying them as he speaks. It's clear, however, that the man could use a good amount more bathing considering the grime and grit of the day still clings to him and mars his features with a streak of dirt. Not to mention he smells as if he'd been exerting himself all day. Which he has.
    "Loki!" His voice is that deep timbre rich with life, "Where have you been keeping yourself?" He tosses the wet wash towel towards the tall man in green. "I would have sought your counsel but I found you scarce."
    For his part, Bjarke gives a quick bow and uses that time to get away, heading towards the gathering of Asgardians who have come together for the evening meal. Glowing spheres and torches illuminate the large clear and open area with its long bench tables, and already there is drinking to be had if anything can be told by the raised voices of the other Asgardians.

Loki has posed:
Loki clasps his hands at the small of his back, "Well, since you've taken all the crushing burden of leadership onto your broad and beefy shoulders, I have found myself with a bit of free time. The mortals have a saying about idle hands and the devil, but I can't quite remember how it goes. I like busy fingers myself. I am stirring many pots and warming several pans, but nothing is quite ready for the tasting yet. In due time, of course," he says.

He's already nearly forgotten Bjarke as he faces his brother more directly. "On what matter do you think you need my counsel? Surely not matters of construction and civic engineering. If you need someone to discuss those with, I'm sure I could throw an apple into the air and the gravity surrounding Volstagg would draw it to him so that we might know his whereabouts. I'm sure he would be happy to expound endlessly on such practical matters, so long as you brought him a sufficient leg of lamb. My own areas of expertise tend to be of a more abstract nature."

Thor has posed:
    At that, for some reason, Thor's good eye hazes a touch as a mild pained look reaches his features. He says naught of Volstagg for now and instead steps forwards and rests a hand on his brother's shoulder should he allow him. "It is good to see you, brother." A small squeeze if feasible, and then he steps to the side and asks. "Will you walk with me?"
    Though Thor starts to move to the side and curiously his steps do not carry him towards the gathering of the other Asgardians, but instead down the curved gravel path that leads around the settlement and more towards the beach. He'll pause a few steps away and look back, "There are matters that have preyed upon my thoughts and you have e'er been the better at navigating some battlefields than I."

Loki has posed:
Loki raises an eyebrow and barely resists a dig, as he imagines a predator feeding on Thor's thoughts might be impoverished indeed. But he does not say that. They are, after all, trying to get along. Mostly. For now.

"Perhaps part of the problem is seeing everything as a battlefield, you realize," he says. He falls into easy stride alongside Thor, keeping his hands clasped as he looks around the scenery. Strange, so like home and yet so different.

"My expertise is, of course, but yours to ask."

Thor has posed:
    "You could be right," Thor offers in response to the idea of how he looks at the world. Distantly the smell of the roasted venison is carried on the wind, along with the sharpness of biscuits. The faint rumble and chatter of the Asgardians beginning their meal can be heard as well, though muffled as they start down that path. Thor's boots crunch the gravel under foot as he walks and his hands slide into the pockets of his breeks.
    "Norway has gifted us this land, but now they are ostracized by the other governments of this world. I would find a way we can make matters easier for them. They deserve no ill will for extending of themselves to us." He tilts his head sidelong towards Loki, single blue eye meeting the green of his brother's gaze. "Though I know diplomacy is not something the mortals would embrace of you considering what passed in New York. You are ever subtle and I have no doubt you could at the least find a way that matters could be made more amenable."
    Once they reach the first steps of sand beneath their feet near the beach, however, his footsteps falter. Turning to face Loki, Thor says, "But that was only one of the matters I would speak to you about."

Loki has posed:
Loki considers, "The minds of men are fickle as a candleflame in a drafty house, Thor. Whatever animosity might be directed towards me could be dissolve quickly enough with a minimum of effort. If anything, I haven't corrected my reputation out of a certain sense of...obligation. Even I might need to atone a little bit now and then," he says.

"I can put my thoughts to the task, as you say, and find mortals willing to hear what we have to say. We may be alien, but we are also powerful and power always attracts."

As they pause and Thor turns to face him more directly, Loki's arms cross over his chest, "This sounds serious indeed. Well, then, please, enlighten me."

Thor has posed:
    The Thunderer's brow beetles as he turns his gaze aside and then he gestures with a nod towards the ocean before them. That makeshift dock for now dominates the landscape, what with its hodgepodge of temporary harbor pre-fabricated supports and its cement pylons. It definitely seems a thing of chaos to a degree, but it seems strong enough to endure for the ships that have made call to the Asgardian settlement.
    Lifting an arm he gestures outwards, "Niclas, acting head of the runecasters guild." Thor looks back, "He has spoken to me of the idea of using our burgeoning connection to this land and plying their magic and the magic of those of us that remain into aiding the return of the Bifrost." He pauses there, giving the import of such words the time they need.
    A space of several heartbeats later he steps forwards and further onto the beach, reaching down to pick up a trio of stones and lightly toss them in his hand. "Your magic is the strongest of us, of those of us that made it through Ragnarok." He looks back and shifts his weight to the other foot, looking askance at Loki. "Would you be willing to lead in such an effort?"

Loki has posed:
Loki follows where his brother gestures, eyes clear as he takes in the horizon. He's pleased, in truth, to hear his expertise acknowledged, even in this small way. But he's also wary of leaping headfirst into the warm waters of praise.

"Bifrost is more than magic. It is...primal. Dimensional spells are difficult in and of themselves, much less something so universal. But I wouldn't mind applying myself. Leadership...well, I'm always a leader, I suppose, there's no getting around that," he smiles. "Provided they know how to do what they're told. No ego like a sorceror's ego."

Thor has posed:
    Nodding as Loki speaks, it's clear that Thor accepts the words granted him by his brother. He tosses one of the stones into the air, catches it, and then sends it hurtling across the low surf, causing it to skip a handful of times before it disappears under the water with a distant 'ploompf'. He keeps his gaze distant as he murmurs partially over his shoulder, "I know in the times when I have been present with Heimdall conjuring something... difficult, some great task he would ask or test of the Bifrost it in some ways would seem almost alive..."
    Then he seems to shake his head and turns back to face the Asgardian in green. "But perhaps that will make things easier in a way, if it is a true eternal power." But then his features break a touch as his smile shifts a little wry, as if a thought occurred to him that amused him.
    "However, I should warn you." This warnng seems to bring forth that small light of mirth in his remaining eye. "If we are to undertake this it would mean you would need to work closely with the sorcerer supreme of this realm." The good Doctor Strange, who was not exactly... polite with Loki during their last meeting.

Loki has posed:
Loki raises an eyebrow, "Sorceror 'Supreme'. My goodness. And people talk about my ego," he says.

"I will, of course, do whatever is necessary to provide our people with what they need in this time of sorrow. If Strange feels the need to assert his supremacy, I can, of course, allow him the leeway to indulge himself, so long as it does not imperil the project itself."

"But yes, there is something to the idea of Bifrost possessing a sentience, I think. Dormant perhaps or perhaps simply inscrutable to the ordinary mind. Lucky for us, my mind is not so ordinary."

Thor has posed:
    Another rock is sent on its journey and ploompfs off into the distance. Thor gives a single sharp nod and says, "I'll speak with him and perhaps arrange for us to share words together some time soon." He cants his head to the side as something seems to cause him a brief moment of reflection. But then he throws that third stone on its way, skipping across the waves and then beneath them.
    After a few more moments pass in silence he looks to Loki and says, "In some ways it does feel like home, does it not?" He turns back to the horizon and crinkles his nose before he rounds back. "Come," He starts back the way they came, thumping Loki lightly on the back as he passes. "We should get back before they eat everything and leave us with naught." His lips part and he adds, "Ah! Frollo's first batch was completed, so we have mead. Will you drink with me tonight, brother?"

Loki has posed:
Loki smiles, "I suspect they'll set aside a portion for you. Without something worthwhile to feed you, you might begin grazing on the livestock," he teases.

He strides along with his brother, "I still prefer wine, but a mead might not hurt. Too much," he says.