eachdraidh | ( video: open, both courts. )

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( 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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It seems to me that the most of men ration their truth-telling the same way. [Honesty can get you killed, just ask Jon's dad. But hey, since he was new once too:] But if you've some questions, ask them.

Loki!

[ While he's likely used to hearing his name cried, this one is definitely one of pleased surprise, followed up by Ariadne wincing. She hadn't quite been able to stop herself from saying it, even if it's fairly obvious that Loki doesn't remember being here before. ]

Um- [ and now she's flustered, wringing her hands once before shaking her head. ] You were here before, though it sounds like you don't remember.

[ Not one other person here has spoken a word like that, so Hiccup's interest is immediately piqued when he browses the fairy network. His gaze rakes the dark-haired figure, flicking to any armour and trying to discern any patterns on it, because above all Hiccup has to adhere to fact in this realm; but the video is too brief, and all he can conclude is this is probably someone from his world, or like to it. ]

I can help you, or try to, but first ... I'm sorry to ask this, but did you fall in battle before you got here? You mentioned — [ here, he forces his own language to eclipse that of the Drabwurld's, ] — Valhöll. 'Valhalla'?

[ An older word is what he offers, but the coincidence of language parodying itself and the tone in which it was used seems too great to ignore. ]

[The Pearl made it back to Caer Scima in time for the feast where a lot of new people appeared. Chloe assumed she'd hear a lot of these confused network relays over the next few days. She did the same when she arrived not so long ago.]

Crazy as it sounds, this place is pretty much as it seems a lot of the time. You just sort of roll with it, handsome.

Do they? [ uttered simply, with the mildest, blandest of interest. ] I'm yet to meet a man quite so capable of deliberate trickery. [ beat. ] It requires a cunning they so often lack.

[ there's a moment, brief though it is, where his expression freezes , eyebrows knit slightly together. it's less the being known — there would be countless humans, after all, who'd know who he was if not by name but by image from New York, but it's pleasure. he can't place her — not a surprise, given what she says next — but instead of speaking immediately), he lifts his chin a touch to look down at her, carefully and cautiously, though his expression reflects more entertained curiosity than it does anything else. ]

Appearances are easy to fake. [ pointed, level, probing. ]

I doubt anything done here will be counted as redemption.

[ A shrug, then. Erik himself is looking rather fine, considering his helmet looks ridiculous ninety percent of the time. Oh well. ]

I'd like to think of myself as honest. Ask your questions.

[ not asgardian, loki's certain — he'd have been recognised if the boy were, and he'd not have stumbled over the word. of the nine realms, then, and whilst asgard had done well to influence much of the realms at large, there were limited few that had adopted the language and the terms and changed them to suit their own. mortal, clearly, but his term is outdated compared to loki's own, but—

a flicker of a smile and a raise of his head (a nod for all intents and purposes) and then: ]

I'd been expecting Hel. [ uttered lightly. ]

[ Oh, shit. Definitely not a fan of the way that's mentioned so casually, Hiccup hesitates before continuing, purely for he sake of unearthing more information. ]

It's sort of like the Dökkálfar and Ljósálfar fused their realms together here, they're at war.

[ Mentally making a note to avoid anyone, Viking or not, who isn't bothered about belonging in Hel. Because bro. ]

[ but hiccup. hela's family.......

nevertheless, there's an involuntary flicker to his expression when hiccup mentions the dark elves — its a mixture of contempt and disgust — and followed almost immediately by a light, dismissive shrug. ]

War isn't unfamiliar to any in the Nine Realms. [ beat, and then— ] Cute comparison.

[ His locket is quickly, hastily switched on to the video function. He is torn between disbelief and something closer to joy, despite himself and all they have been through, with no room left for the caution he would usually and rightfully employ in all matters concerning Loki. He doesn't even remark on the irony of a plea for truth coming from such a master of lies.

He is all but speechless, in the end only able to manage a single word: ]

Brother.

[ a dismissive, disinterested wave. ] Before here.

[ the helmet needs horns. then it'd be a fine helmet to go with a fine man. let loki show you the way, erik. even thor's helmet has wings.......

there are numerous questions loki would like the answer to, but few he's interested in outwardly asking: there are better ways to get the answers one wants; a little care in the way one speaks (or doesn't, as the case may be) tends to ensure a little less care on the part of the answerer — mostly. nevertheless: ]

I'm curious [ a pause, deliberate and thoughtful and considering in appearance. ] as to whether it's known what hold the courts truly have over life and death. [ a flicker of a smile, a bit too sharp to be entirely disingenuous. ] A personal interest, as you can see. One's a little wary of any with that power.

[ evidently, it's not true in his case, but the answer will lend him more of an idea as to the exact nature of the courts. ]

Is it? [ uttered mildly, almost uninterestedly. nothing is ever as it seems, and that she states it is marks her as someone of little interest but, equally, of potential use.

a breath and a smile. ("handsome.") ] That certainly makes things simpler, does it not?

[ She's not Thor, she's not Cool. ]

I don't think this is any of the Nine Realms. It's like we all fell into the land of goblins and trolls, and our home is out of reach around the corner. [ Shrugging. ] That's how it feels to me, anyway.

In a way. What it seems is that this place is entirely unexpected, so that's what you should anticipate. Don't try to make any sense of something completely bonkers.

You can fret about it or just understand that sometimes little shadowy critters want to nibble your boots. I recommend not letting them, in case you needed to know.

[She's serious about the shadow critters, even if she does make light of it.]

[ there's surprise — part of it is genuine, part of it is feigned. he hadn't known thor was here, had heard no word, seen no sign, and though he ought to have expected it (given everything, given the way he'd left asgard—), he'd not imagined this — the locket — would be their first encounter. ]

Thor. [ he sounds more level, less full of disbelief and joy than thor, naturally, although there's a degree of earnestness to the utterance. he exhales once, audibly (a moment to think). ] What of Asgard? The— [ a minute quirk of his lips. ] Æther? I trust wrongs were made right.

[ thor isn't that cool!!! who needs mjölnir when you've stolen gungnir.....

the sentiment of [our] home being out of reach strikes a chord and makes him think, for a moment, of being pushed (falling) from the bifröst, of thanos and the chitauri and poor deals struck, and so he smiles. it's a thin sliver speaking more of private amusement than humour per se, and he hums in acknowledgement. ] The worlds outside the Nine Realms tend to be home to creatures far less hospitable than those within. [ agreement, in essence. ] Midgard, no? Your [ pointed. ] home.

Yes. [ Definitely, one-hundred percent not loving the look of this guy or his private in-joke of a smile. A horrible sense of foreboding waits in the eaves and he almost doesn't want to ask — ] Where are you from?

Asgard. [ pointedly, he leaves it just at that, his expression as equally deliberately neutral, and his tone level and lacking in any overt emotion. he's curious, then, as to what hiccup's first, instinctual response to mention of the realm is, rather than to loki's mannerisms. ]

That would depend on what one's used to, do you not think? On what one expects of the realms and the universe. [ nevertheless, a beat and a quirk of his eyebrows. ] It simply sounds to me as if this realm is simply fond of creating a little fun.

[ Narrowing his eyes, he purses his lips and gives a slight shake of his head. ]

The gods wouldn't get trapped like everybody else.

[ Right? That's what Stoick has always impressed upon him, that Thor is Mighty. Asgard is glorious. Was Hiccup's dad wrong? That can't be.

This one isn't Thor though, that much is obvious if he really is from where he says.

On the other hand, Hiccup really just doesn't want to be trapped in one of those twisted sagas the gods are rife in. ]

I get the feeling we're not from the same place, but that's alright. Most people I meet here aren't.

Imps and fairies are your idea of fun?

[ omg fuck you hiccup.

a cant of his head and a setting of his jaw. it's a sore point, the fact that he's here and he can't leave when he ought to be able to. thanos, the other, even earth ought to have humbled him, but it's evident — in this brief moment — that none of it has. he'd made a point, once, of mocking the fact that they — asgardians — weren't immortal in the truest sense of the word; that they could and would and did die the same as humans. that they were subject to folly and mistakes. and yet loki had always — continued to — imagine himself as above it all, as a god in a somewhat different sense (he embraced it, where thor didn't, where odin hadn't until frigga had been killed and he'd sought vengeance on malekith.) and so the doubt, the quick and easy pointing out of what shouldn't be is quick to infuriate loki and it shows for a moment. ]

Even the power and reach of Asgard has its limits. [ a breath. ] But not indefinitely.

More the unpredictability they engender.

Well now, aren't you the adventurous type.

What's your name, love?

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( video: open, both courts. )

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