(closed) open the door that's shut;

[wiccant]

who: Billy Kaplan, Chase Collins, Caleb Danvers, Sarah Wenham, and Loki. the disaster squad.
what: three witches, a god, and a girl who deserves way better than this bullshit walk into a bar.
when: November 16th
where: Floor 2 of communal housing.
warnings: none yet!! a bunch of magically inclined teenagers and loki though, so.

( because why not get a fairly large gathering of overpowered late teens, early twenties (appearing) people all gathered into one room? that seems like an excellent idea.

billy calls loki into the dining room; chase, caleb, and sarah's beds are all in the room across the hall from him, but they're close enough, and billy had given caleb a bit of forewarning about loki. shifty gods. loki teleports his way in like the cheater god he is, and billy pulls him out of the corner he lands in with a hand to his shoulder, gestures to him with his free hand. )

So uh--this is Loki, Norse god of Mischief. I'm sure you've heard of him, right? He's pretty well-known.

Comments

[ikols]

[ Caleb is sweet, protocols and manners in a way that flatters, which is why he becomes the next target of teasing. ]

So stiff, Master Caleb! Just Loki will do.

[ His smirk turns into a gentler smile when it turns on Sarah and he curtseys before her, the same way he did for the new Thor. ]

Hello, Sarah! Nice to meet you. If you're feeling out-numbered by all these gross boys I'd be happy to even out the ratio.

[ A blur shifts over the godling like heat in the Sahara and instead of a young man, a young lady rises from the curtsey; long hair and womanly-shaped in previously slim clothes, but with the same twinkling green eyes. ]

[bechdelpls]

[ WOW OKAY THAT'S... WEIRD AND KIND OF COOL? Mostly weird. But hey, that's life any more, isn't it. Mostly weird with a side of what the hell am I supposed to do about this.

She offers Loki her hand with a tentative smile. ] He's really not Master Caleb.

[ Is she still a little mad at Caleb? She might be a little mad at Caleb still. ] It's nice to meet you, too. Are you like. Usually a guy? Because I'm fine with whatever you want to be.

[wiccecraft]

[ WEIRD AND KIND OF COOL is exactly what that is. Loki is pretty attractive in either gender, and Caleb files that away as something he will never mention, thank you very much. He has officially put Sarh through enough. ]

OK. Just Loki it is.

[ikols]

Skewered more male at the moment, but it isn't a great bother either way.

[ She shapeshifts back into her other gender, his smile the same as he looks between the pair of them. ]

Are you two dating, then?

[bechdelpls]

For about a week before Chase tried to kill us. That was a weird bonding experience.

[ She says it the same way someone might say 'don't forget to pick up the laundry', as though this kind of thing happens every day.

Tho for Loki who knows it probably does. ]

[wiccecraft]

[ Caleb really hopes his face isn't doing something incredibly obvious. And yet, this is the first real public mention of things changing between him and Sarah and he knows that it's his fault, not to mention. A week? A week and he told her everything, put her in danger. In a week she almost died just because Chase decided it'd be easier than going after any of them directly.

If he'd just kept his mouth shut, on any number of levels.

If he'd just gotten here alone, maybe.

Immediately he regrets that thought, expression cycling between hurt and accepting and carefully blank. ]

We should...probably move towards food, yeah? [ He puts his hands in his pockets and looks towards Billy. ] Did we even decide on what we're eating?

[ikols]

[ Glancing from Sarah's blithe reply to Caleb's momentary tell and blatant subject change, he hums agreeably and lets the topic slide. Maybe Chase will get chatty if he enjoys being flattered later. ]

You didn't bring me here just to cook, did you?

[ Billy Kaplan, how dare you!! ]

[bechdelpls]

[ Sarah can't help feeling guilty when she sees the look on Caleb's face. The guilt is immediately chased into a corner by anger at feeling guilty for telling the truth. She really hates this whole feelings merry-go-round.

It is a safer topic, though, so she manages to smile at Loki when she asks ]

You cook? No offense, but it doesn't seem like something a god would be interested in, I guess.

[wiccecraft]

[ Caleb is suddenly hit with the idea that he's a bit extraneous in this conversation; he doesn't know what a god would be interested in, honestly, and also?

He really wants to disappear.

So while he's curious to hear what Loki's response would be, he ducks his head and murmurs ] Excuse me, [ before slipping past Loki and out of the room, into the hallway.

It feels like a coward's way out, and not at all finessed, but at least he doesn't teleport out of the room.

Doesn't mean he doesn't think about it. ]

[wiccant]

( it's. not until caleb runs for the door that billy bothers speaking up again; he's familiar with both sides of the party, there's really no need for him to. his head turns to follow caleb out the door, lips pursing before he's moving to head after him. )

He eats potato chips off the floor. ( makes good milkshakes though. ) Hold on a sec.

( it's two steps out of the door that he catches up with caleb, extends a hand out towards him and places it against his shoulder, gently. )

Hey, are you okay?

[wiccecraft]

[ Caleb tenses, only slightly, before he releases that tension with a sigh and glances at Billy over his shoulder, shaking his head. ] Mhm. [ As far as non-commital noises go, it's not a very loud one, but Caleb needs a moment to kind of gather himself up before he can decide what to say. ] I'm probably not great...company, right now? Ugh, I'm sorry. It's been a shitty month.

Sometimes, I just...I can see why my mother liked to drink so much. [ Or why Chase likes the feeling magic gives him. He can see why, but he's determined not to follow that path, no matter how horrible he feels. ]

[wiccant]

( shitty months, he gets. shitty days, billy understands. not being good company? also completely understood. billy did spend several months doing nothing but stare outside of a window and tune everything out. he also doesn’t know caleb near enough to be any decent kind of comfort, but. )

I know of a decent nightclub, if you need a day out. ( the hand on caleb’s shoulder drops unceremoniously, moves back to billy’s side. ) Or if you just need someone to talk to who isn’t involved in the shitty month you’ve had, I’m here.

[wiccecraft]

I'll probably take you up on that.

[ The nightclub? That'd be a new experience, and he wouldn't mind someone to talk to either. Sarah should have the same, he thinks, and glances over in her direction but doesn't manage eye contact. ]

It's a dumb thing to have gotten twisted up about anyway. [ Since it was a. honest and b. really his fault, anyway. ] It's not like she's wrong.

[wiccant]

( when having a shit time, the best way to fix it is obviously by having a party, right? billy doesn't know enough people to pull together one here, but he can invade loki's club, have a nice night.

the friends who have tried to kill you thing is. well. yeah, a thing. billy wouldn't know how to approach that without knowing the story behind it; chase seemed plastic when he first met him, for the first few minutes. he opened up after the power display started, started looking a lot less fake and a lot more excited, like he does facing loki.

which brings the question of what's going on in chase's mind--especially considering he's a power addict. there are a lot of questions he could ask, but may bring answers billy isn't sure he wants to deal with right now. )

Then why are you getting twisted up over it?

[wiccecraft]

Because I'm an idiot, [ Caleb says easily, rolling his eyes just a little at himself. It's great, he thinks, that Chase found someone to get along with; it's fine that Sarah hates everything about Chase and there's nothing weird about being the middle ground, there, with both of them angry at him because he dared to have feelings and even further dared to voice them. ]

I mean. She's right, it was only a week before everything went to shit.

[wiccant]

So you ran away. ( yeah, definitely sounds idiotic. though he's really not sure what, exactly, went on--billy isn't sure if it's quite his business though. )

I don't think running out of the room's going to help any? I mean. . I don't know what's going on between you, but maybe you should try talking it out?

[wiccecraft]

Yeah? Yeah. Ugh, fuck. [ A frown, and he glances back in the room just to see Chase talking to Loki about...hair? No, he is gonna focus on something else right now. ]

We've tried, kind of, this is squarely on me.

[ Still, Caleb groans and rubs his face. Wonder how much of an idiot I'd look like going back in there. ]

Guess it's time to find out, because that's what he's doing.

[wiccant]

You'll be fine.

( it's easy to encourage someone else into responsible habits, even when you're not one to practice them yourself. he moves an arm out to gesture caleb back into into the room, helpfully. )

And if it gets messy, I'll teleport whoever's being the loudest all the way to one of the cafes downtown.

[wiccecraft]

[ Caleb makes a noise between a laugh and a snort; somehow it manages not to sound like an excited piglet or impatient golden retriever. ]

You're a good friend. [ He glances in Sarah's direction and, if he can catch her eye, gives a little smile. ]

[ikols]

I do, it's something I learned on Midgard when I got an apartment in ... Manhattan. [ As Caleb makes a sharp exit, Loki watches him go and turns back to Sarah. ] Did I say something out of turn?

[bechdelpls]

[ Sarah watches Caleb go, guilt and fury doing a lively tango in her heart. If she was a better person, she would go after him. If she was a better girlfriend. ]

No. [ She forces herself to look away from where Caleb disappeared. ] I did.

[ikols]

Should I ask or provide a lively distraction?

[ Awkward as he feels, though it isn't his fault, he would like to ensure nothing in his purview with these people upsets Billy. ]

[bechdelpls]

[ Sarah manages a smile, because Loki, weirdly, is nice. Nice is not something she would associate with a Norse god, particularly not a Norse god of mischief, but seriously, what does she know? ]

Honestly. [ A laugh that's half laugh and half a vocalized question mark. ] I have no idea. But I don't want to be like... that girlfriend, so let's go with distraction. Midgard, that's earth, right?

[ikols]

It is. If you want to bone up on the Norse stuff, Billy's your man. He fanboys my brother Thor.

[ Who doesn't, though. Even Loki has Thor posters in his Manhattan apartment. ]

Is there anything you want to know fresh from the source?

[bechdelpls]

Your brother Thor. [ She laughs, and it's actually a real laugh!! ] Sorry, that's super weird. I mean, not weird for you, but. I didn't even know magic existed until last week.

[ And now she is on a weird moon talking to Loki. She considers his question. Honestly, she doesn't know all that much about Norse mythology, which seems oddly rude now. ]

Did you know you were a god? Like when you were little?