9603/Everything's fine

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Everything's fine
Date of Scene: 15 October 2019
Location: Palace, Asgard
Synopsis: Thor speaks to Loki about how everyone is so displeased with him.
Cast of Characters: Loki, Thor




Loki has posed:
The Celebratory feast, while delayed twice, is finally happening. The decor is extravagant, the guest list mighty, and the food and preparations looked after with a very demanding and particular eye: Loki's.

The feast hall and gardens have been addressed first, in vibrant displays in theme with a rising phoenix: Such is the return of Asgard, after all. The palace rooms are alive with those who are preparing, and their laughs and relaxed voices. It is a time to celebrate, most certainly. Loki has been difficult to catch, as he has been here and there, in small doses.

This afternoon, Loki is looking over the garden with a critical eye, directing where more benches should be placed, and where the musicians will be situated. He's dressed comfortably in what he often wears around the palace: a mix of leathers and embroidered finery, no helmet or armor for now: this is courtly wear appropriate for the prince's status.

Thor has posed:
Thor, on the other hand...well, both he, and his father before him, tended to wear kingly raiment that definitely had an 'armor' sort of look to it, and in fact it was. As befits the fact Thor has been bouncing back and forth to Midgard, well, a lot of the time, he could basically be called in to fight by the Avengers at virtually any time, and that's not counting the funeral of Superman he went to just yesterday. Quite a few things happening on the other realm down there.

But now that Thor's back on Asgard...well, there's a lingering matter virtually everyone on Midgard has been asking him about. A matter that's right now doing...an amazing amount of work rebuilding Asgard, actually. But still, a matter of concern for almost all of his friends on the other side. Still, Sif has given him a vote of confidence, so there's that. "Brother..." Thor's been pondering how to approach this over a week...

Loki has posed:
"Thor! Welcome home," Loki says, tone bright and smooth, though he doesn't turn at first from what he was inspecting. A flick of fingers adds ribbons of illusionary delight to the zones over the tables, a sprinkling of fiery magic. That done, Loki turns some, angling his head towards Thor. He moves along some of the railing overlooking the gardens, leaning his hip on it, one hand draped against the decorated rail.

"Feast preparations are, obviously, nearly complete," Loki says, with a self-satisfied smile and gesture of two fingers to indicate all around them.

Thor has posed:
Thor has some ideas on people to invite to the feasts once they're ready...but more on that later. "You've done well...everything looks almost like it once did." Maybe he shouldn't bring up the negative right away...there's a lot of positive to take in here, and he should spend some time on that.

He pauses, and adds, "You've set up Idunn's gardens too, of course." Because, those Golden Apples are more than a little critical, being as they're what keeps the Asgardians race hale and hearty.

Loki has posed:
"Of course," Loki answers, with a grand gesture to the gardens near them, a clear showmanship to the motion. His expression is sleek, pleased, and mildly amused. "Priorities, of course. You'll be /heartened/ to know that all of the city dwellings are also fully restored. My /personal/ castle still remains to be done," Loki continues. "I am staying here currently." Loki rolls a shoulder in a smooth relaxed motion, settling his hands against the rail adjacent to his body on either side.

"Something missing you feel should be restored sooner rather than later?" Loki asks.

Thor has posed:
"Yes...but it's not a thing. I've been considering the wisdom of restoring Father. We'll have to talk to Hela about that...but Heimdall's seen things in the far distance...an armada of ships, led by someone purple. He doesn't know the name, but he suspects it to be some sort of deviant Celestial. While it's quite a ways off...it is heading this way, and I'd rather it did not."

Thor is a mighty warrior, but he is not the All Father, and if there is a way to claim the Odinforce as his own, he has not discovered it.

Loki has posed:
Loki raises an eyebrow, but moves a little, folding his arms over his chest. "There are ways to restore father, yes," Loki says, watchfully, of Thor. But the watchful quality passes, and he raises both shoulders, as if indifferent. "I can assist there, but most of it would have to be done by you. If you're prepared for that."

Loki's eyes move to the pleasant garden, sideways, perhaps looking elsewhere or past it. "The crown sits heavy on your head, does it, brother?" Loki asks perceptively, and a bit gently. "I hope you will continue to rely on me as you have before I restored our home, as in New Asgard. I want what's best for our people."

Thor has posed:
"Yes, it does. We can both expect to live for several thousand years, as Odin did before us. The same cannot be said for my friends on Midgard. The crown is a thing I would give back, at least during this time..." He then thinks, and adds, "...I do know, that when the time for me to permanently step up comes, I will be a better king for having known all of those noble souls down there. Nonetheless, that time is not now. Or at least, it should not have been now."

As for the heavy lifting, "Whatever must be done, I will see to it gets done." Whatever that happens to be...the cost is worth the benefit. Particularly if that army arrives. There's even a chance it may be a deterrent to the oncoming force if it becomes known Odin lives once more.

Loki has posed:
Loki listens to Thor's thoughts about the Midgardians, but doesn't scoff about it. He also doesn't discourage or encourage either. If he rolled his eyes, he masks it from Thor, remaining pleasant and diplomatic.

"Good. /All/ of our experiences do teach us, mold us to be better, to learn," agrees Loki sleekly. Of course the god of mischief, who believes his pranks are teaching tools, would be happy to go along with that line of logic. "How much time do you think we have, before we're beset by purple aliens?"

Thor has posed:
Thor considers, "Difficult to determine. He's not exactly coming in a straight line. It could be as little as weeks, it could be as long as a couple years. Still...best to be prepared. We have not lasted this long by taking potential foes lightly."

Speaking of Midgard, though..."Speaking of the restoration...you were a little rough with the people of Midgard during the process, or so they tell me." He's understating it a LOT, but he wants to hear the other side now.

Loki has posed:
"What makes you think he's on his way here? Rumors that he hates earth?" Loki asks, curiously, letting go of the rail: in order to move to hop up onto it, seat himself, relaxed.

The shift in conversation doesn't make Loki react at all, he's still just smiling, calm. "What, their ley lines? The ones I offered to repair when they got a little strained, but they told me not to? Well." Loki snorts and shrugs, "I can only do so much, really. Did Doctor Strange /mention/ that I gave him his //five// relics back? And that he restored access to me to the sanctum, able to continue to aid Midgard? Hm." Loki rolls his eyes. "Love being the bad guy, to suit their agendas. Really."

Thor has posed:
Thor points out, "The X-men were complaining about the healer girl too...particularly since there was residue from the Tesseract. That would've killed her, if she'd absorbed it. Most people can't touch such things bare handed...even you got injured by doing so." Of course, he knows her name is Shannon, but he won't say the name unless Loki does first. There's also the matter of Bucky Barnes to consider...but he doesn't know if Steve finished with Dr. Strange.

"Speaking of which, where IS the tesseract? I do have to keep track of that thing." For very obvious reasons.

Loki has posed:
"That isn't what injured me, brother," Loki says, his tone suddenly firm, chilly. "Though I like that you've neglected not only to ask me about it, but if I'm still injured." Loki stares at Thor for a long, direct look. He flicks invisible dust off his pants, and settles slightly on his 'seat'.

"Are you asking for the story of what happened at the mansion?" Loki asks, in an overly patient, but still mildly annoyed way. He doesn't like Thor automatically being not on his side, without giving him a chance.

"The tesseract is in the vault. Go look at it if you want. Do you think I'd carry it around?" Loki scoffs.

Thor has posed:
He's been listening to the other side of the story for far too long. "...Sorry, I haven't given you the chance to properly explain. And I figured you weren't still injured because I trusted in her healing talents. Did she not complete the healing?" Which would surprise him, really. "She's such a self sacrificing girl, it never occurred to me she might not have finished." Pause, "So ARE you alright?"

"But yes, I would like the story. I've only heard their end..." and it's rather obvious they were displeased with it all.

Loki has posed:
"Fine," Loki says, though his mood has clearly soured, he's being relatively tolerant. His eyes are partially lidded, irritation showing through the mask he's wearing of indifference. "I am now, yes," Loki begins, then clears his throat.

"First, you need to be /aware/ that I made a deal with their headmistress. I helped them earlier this year, you see. I was invited to be there. In any case, I did decide to call in that favor, and request healing. I arrived - in the appearance they knew me as - and requested assistance. I didn't know they handed me underaged children to help me; I was injured, as I mentioned. I allowed her to do /some/ of it, and I left. I suppose they also failed to tell you that I made sure she wasn't dying? No?" Loki snorts. "Nobody was forced. I asked for it, they gave it, I left."

Thor has posed:
"They did mention you were under illusion when you contacted them. I think they might've liked it better if you were not. At any rate...regardless of what I think happened, they are still very displeased with you." Hmmm. "Dr. Strange, too, said you took, instead of asking for his aid, and he is likewise displeased." Thor sighs, then. "Are there any other deals you made that people might be displeased about?"

Thor thinks for a while, and adds, "Even if you convince me you did the right thing, that will not make those on Midgard feel any better. At the very least, they are suffering from hurt feelings and miscommunication."

Loki has posed:
Loki laughs softly, "Well, I've already made amends with Dr. Strange," Loki clarifies, lifting one finger. "I very kindly restored his relics, as I said. And he can be displeased: that's fine. I needed the sanctum to restore Asgard. He'll get over it."

Loki then shrugs some about the mansion. "Yes, miffed about illusions, boo hoo," Loki lifts both hands in a 'what can you do' expression. "I even offered the girl a nice present. I believe she broke it. What exactly would you /suggest/?"

Thor has posed:
"You can do more than you think, brother. I have not mentioned the report I got from Sif. The people of Asgard trust you more than they once did. They do not shy away from you like they once did. More than that, you're gaining their respect. Yes, much of that is for restoring Asgard. But there's another part of it that came from being responsible, from taking responsibility for all you have done." Of all the people that spoke ill of Loki, it is Sif that spoke well of him...and he cannot forget that.

"...What do I suggest doing? Treat those of Midgard as if they were Asgardian. You will gain their trust, and their respect, when you earn it. The trickster is your role. But as you've observed recently up here, it can be a welcomed role. It's all in how you use it." After all, Thor controls exactly no opinions but his own.

Loki has posed:
"Good. I'll do all of that, then," Loki says serenely, and then tilts his head at Thor. "Though primarily, I intend to stay here. I didn't restore our home just to go back to Midgard," Loki says with a snorted breath, looking around. "Look around us," Loki says, tone turning pleasant, smile returning. "Everything we lost." He smiles briefly. "Yes, I /can/ do more than I think. And I did it, here. Midgard is fine: who sticks up for Asgard? Us."

Thor has posed:
Thor has clearly fallen back into his 'Loki can totally be better and make people happy with him' line of thought again. After all, he did up here! "...you're quite right. While I am King, my primary responsibility is to Asgard. It is what a king must be." That said, he's the guy that proposed reviving Odin when this conversation started.

Hmmm. "Well...speaking of which, is there anything I must oversee or make a decision on while I'm up here?" Sif will have a list of things, Loki usually has a list of different things.

Loki has posed:
"Yes, there's a feast," Loki says, a sudden amusement coming into his tone. "Rally your people. I can't do it /all/ for you," Loki says, moving his fingers some against the railing, a sly expression evident. "Though if you'd prefer to go back to Midgard, I will do so in your absence."

Thor has posed:
"The funeral has passed, and so have the Sentinels. I will oversee the feast. When do we mean to have it?" Because there's quite a few people who must be ready for it. The people of Asgard. Sif. ...Even Hela. She might not come, but by Odin's beard she'd damn well better have an engraved invitation. "I take it you've invited our sister already?"

"...What do you have going for the menu?"

Loki has posed:
"Of course I have; she's been around here, helping with restoration," Loki answers coolly. "I didn't leave her out of it, though she's not as drained as I was, I'd suspect," he smirks. "I delegated the menu. If you want something specific, talk to the palace chefs. Who are VERY excited to be back here, by the way," Loki grins.

"Ask for anything even in the middle of the night, and it's instant. It's nice to be appreciated," Loki says, basking.

Thor has posed:
Thor nods...and then gets around to making an executive decision. "Very well. We shall have it Thursday. This feast will be for Asgard alone, as we've much to celebrate." That does imply he just might invite some of his other friends up for other feasts...but for this one, he wants it to be purely his people. "I have noticed. Most were feeling down, even in New Asgard. But with the resurrection of the real thing...the lights came back on in many pairs of eyes. Some who were drinking excessively stopped, the need for doing so replaced with hope in the future. Our warriors train just that little bit harder, back up here."

"...that is, I think, to be the theme of this feast. Hope. For it has been restored to us all. And you, brother, have had a massive part in making that true. It will not be forgotten." Thor may even have to think up a speech to honor Loki for this one.

Loki has posed:
"If you are looking for the theme that matches what restored this place, it would be 'Loki'," Loki says obnoxiously, but his grin is proud, pleased. "But Hope could be fine, I suppose," he smirks. He moves away from the railing.

"Hope it is."

With that, Loki fades away. Was he illusion? Does it matter?