eachdraidh | ( video: open, both courts. )

[ appearances are important, he knows — everything, almost — and fairies and their ilk aren't known for any dedication to being either honest or straight forward.

so: he's been here long enough to have worked out how the locket works, and to have decided on how he wishes to appear. "as himself" — in a manner of speaking — is easy and simple enough, and this is not the place for tantrums and demands. that had all occurred earlier, when he'd realised where he wasn't and that he could not leave. that he'd lost — again, momentarily — what was, finally and rightfully his. he's not willing to commit to an assumption one way or the other as to the presence of thor or any of the so-called "avengers", so—

there's a drawn-out silence, whilst loki's gaze runs pointedly over the locket, eyes narrowing briefly; he looks very much as if he's considering something and, at length, he lets out an audible, almost defeated sigh. it's punctuated by a brief raising of his shoulders in a lazy, almost arrogant shrug of sorts. ]

The Realm Between Realms. [ the corners of his lips twitch upwards in a brief facsimile of a smile. the utterance itself is dry, but with the barest hint of mocking, although who or what that's directed at isn't made clear. ] I admit, it's not quite where I expected to find myself, but given the alternative, I can't really complain. Perhaps one small act of redemption can do much more than one imagines, although— [ a momentary pause, hesitation gracing his features before giving way to another brief twitch of a smile (faintly amused). ] —it's no Valhalla. [ deliberate caution. after all, for all that anyone knew, after all, loki had died; only odin and thor now live.

silence again, and a fleeting glance away from the locket. ] There have been a few words, but Fair Folk tend not to be known for their dedication to honesty, and one has to be careful with what they say and how and to who, do they not? So if any truth [ wry, fleeting smirk. ] can be spared: it would be appreciated.

[ impressions can and often do tell more about a place than simple facts, and above even that, they speak more of the person holding them than anything else, and it's that that has loki's interest for the moment. ]

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[ ariadne, and caer scima — so she's unseelie, like him. he's still curious, at the moment, as to how much stock he ought to place in their placement. not much would be his instinctual belief, but he imagines it's not totally without worth. ]

Unpredictable— [ the nature of this place, that is ] —and full of [ quick quirk of his lips; self-aware amusement. ] mischief?

[ And she laughs slightly. ]

On the good days, anyway.

And the bad days?

Screaming, dying, blood, torture, murder.

[ You know, war stuff. ]

Nothing too out of the ordinary, then.

What would you consider out of the ordinary?

Other than- absolutely nothing happening, I suppose.

[ a loose, half-invested shrug. ] Peace and co-operation. [ a moment, and by way of (semi) explanation: ] Given the circumstances and the nature of the involved.

[ And he gets a slight laugh in return. ] Yeah, that makes sense. Though there's usually at least some cooperation within the courts.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend? [ a suggestion, intoned as a question. ] That is the saying, I believe. Onewould be a fool not to seek out even a few allies.

Or something like that. There are people on both sides that I might be able to work with. There are also people on both sides that I'd rather not spend more time with than I absolutely have to.

[ She is careful not to say 'trust' either way. She can like someone and not trust them, but more than that... she tends to trust a bit too easily. ]

Allies are important, though. Rank. Influence. The more important you are, the more access to things you have. Prove yourself to the monarchs or the people and they can be generous. Disappoint them... well, I'm sure you can imagine.

[ he notices the lack of the word 'trust' and he's — almost — impressed: working with is a concept he can appreciate (loosely speaking), and it speaks of an awareness trust doesn't. still, he doesn't remark on it (no point in drawing attention to it, particularly when — at present — he can't speak to whether the avoidance of the word was based on a conscious decision. ]

Prove yourself. [ repeated with almost mocking care. it lasts for only a moment, when the unasked question is replaced by a slight shake of his head. ] Bought allegiance is easily lost, and monarchs can be more fickle than most. [ a twitch of his lips, and: ] An excess of pride and a more than mild acquaintance with being blindly followed.

Yes, [ she agrees, though there's more; one hand goes to her chest, where underneath her Shard lies. ] But they need us for this war. Need the Shards. So they're... maybe a little more accommodating.

[ Generous, if you please them. Terrifying if not. ]

All wars need soldiers, Ariadne, and the smaller the army the more care the general needs to take. [ a pause and he studies her for a moment. ] Is it your first?

One person with a Shard is worth more than their regular soldiers.

[ It's fairly obvious that it is, she thinks, so she doesn't hesitate to nod. ] Yes. I'm an architect -- well, technically still a student -- back home.

[ a light, half-hearted shrug. ] There are similar stories elsewhere: all are not created equal. [ beat; musingly. ] An architect. This must have come as something of a shock.

You can say that again. Within my first week we were fighting off giant, regenerating worms.

[ It was disgusting. It also made her extremely glad that she and House had had the foresight to arm themselves. ]

( video: open, both courts. )

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