[ open ] you are boundless in beauty, with fright in your face

[dothelokimotion]

who: Loki + You
what: TDM + Monthly Prompts
when: The month of February
where: All over Riverview
warnings: Will add if ratings change


[ i. Crystal caves ]

[ Of course, the minute Loki heard about the crystal caves, he was there. But he picked a time late at night when visitors had trickled down to nothing and he couldn’t be interrupted. With a small knapsack, Loki collects a few shards and geodes of crystals, turning them over in his hands with a secret grin. He holds one or two up, reaching out with his magic and watching them glow with the faintest traces of glee. After a while, he tidies them up and rests his back against a large oddly cut prism as he watches the lights cast threads of colour over the ceiling.

Loki would have go home eventually. Back to his empty apartment. Every time he thought about it, he hated it more and more. When did being alone become so hard? His eyes droop slightly, letting the strange light-magic of the caves wash over him. ]

[ ii. Dream-sharing ]

[ Loki’s dreams are chaotic things by nature. To reflect his own, obviously. He’s had happy, vainful dreams. Draped in royal colours, amidst the crowds calling his name. Bowing, reveling in his presence. The king. Other times, the dreams are dark and cold, covered in the dust of hollow moons and the strangeness of monsters, alien fingers brushing against his temple. Cold, always cold. Loki manufactures the sensation for his dreams. This time, the dream is simple. Straightforward. There is a crater on the ground and in the center, stands Mjolnir. Loki merely stands beside it, his hands clenched at his sides.

He does not reach for it. ]

[ iii. Clearing the Air ]

[ Once the mist made contact, Loki fled. He has always been a mass of seething resentments and bottled up anger issues and the mist had conflated them in his mind, making him see red everywhere. And Loki, who has quite the temper already could also foresee the danger of being in a city full of people when all he wanted to do was lash out at everyone closest to him. Minor infractions felt like grievous wounds and well . . . Loki generally treated those with a reverence that was probably bad for his mental health to begin with.

( they’re not all imagined slights, they’re not, they’re not, they’re not )

So he finds himself a fair distance away from Riverview, closer to the Abandoned City. Empty. Alone. And he sends out a jet of magic towards the trees, watching them crunch and collapse, splinters flying everywhere. This would be easier, better with someone to fight against, to expend that kind of energy, but the danger of losing control was too great. Pursing his lips, he sends another wave, watching it rip apart more of the forest when he hears approaching footsteps. The red haze fills his gaze. ]

You had best leave. Promptly.

[ v. Wildcard ]

[ Loki can be found at Gramarye, checking out the various stalls for the festival and even sitting down besides a bonfire, deep in thought. If you have a scenario in mind, you’re welcome to PM me or ping me at captainkink ]

Comments

[scholiast]

You have Thor, (she says automatically, then wonders if that is any kind of comfort to him. They seem to have a complicated relationship.)

[dothelokimotion]

[ The corner of his eyes crinkle. ]

Yes. Though that's still a work in progress.

[scholiast]

I can only imagine.

(Sometimes Lucretia's glad to be an only child.)

I didn't meet your sister. What's she like?

[dothelokimotion]

Her name was Angela. She was blunt and had a unique way of dealing with the world. She had a strict policy of checks and balances.

[ Except with Loki. He never knew what to make of that, but he adored her. He felt safe around her, which is not a feeling Loki is accustomed to. Especially with other Asgardians, though she didn't quite count. Two of them, taken from their homes, raised as something else. It was a kinship they never put into words. ]

[scholiast]

Angela...

(wait a second) Very tall, orange hair Angela?

(It sure sounds like her. Loki had said blunt.) I have met her before! I had no idea you were related. I'm sorry to hear she's gone, Loki.

[dothelokimotion]

[ He huffs. ]

That is often the case. We're not "related" anyway. She hails from another Asgard, on another world. But those semantics mean little to me these days.

[scholiast]

(what does putting related in air quotes even mean)

Sure.

(Another Asgard. Like alternate realities? Lucretia frowns.) Do you have many siblings in that case, Loki?

[dothelokimotion]

[ His lips curve. ]

In my reality? Two that I know of. One is deceased. In others? Apparently, quite a few.

[scholiast]

Well well well.

(This is all very... weird, to be honest. Lucretia isn't really sure of what to say in response.)

I'm an only child.

[dothelokimotion]

Congratulations.

[ He nods sagely. ]

It is always a pleasant surprise to know there are no secret siblings running around.

[scholiast]

Thank... you. (Lucretia supposes it deserves congratulating, considering her entire home planet was destroyed shortly after she left it.)

Ah, but you wouldn't know if they were if they truly are secret. Perhaps you have a few yet to be discovered.

[dothelokimotion]

[ His expressions twists. ]

A terrifying thought, if I have ever heard one.

[scholiast]

I'll keep my ear to the ground, see if I can't rat out a few for you.

[dothelokimotion]

[ He shudders. ]

I'm not sure if one should wish good luck on such an endeavor.

[scholiast]

I think that you should; I'm gonna need it.

(shes joking, surely)

[dothelokimotion]

Then I shall do my best to spare some.

[scholiast]

You're too kind, as always.

Shall I leave you to your crystal conversations?

[dothelokimotion]

If you want. I have nothing against company. I'm simply not keen on going back . . . to my apartment.

[ Home, but home sounds odd on his tongue. He doesn't have a home anymore. Anywhere. ]

[scholiast]

How come?

(She stops, lingers for a moment, then comes to sit nearby. There's a large chunk of crystal sticking out of the ground, unrefined, imperfect. Lucretia runs her fingers across it idly.)

Do you want to talk about it?

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki pauses because talking about it is something he's always at odds at. Sharing is dangerous. He's learned that. But Loki is a social character. He likes attention. ]

There isn't much to say. I've been here for some time now and it is . . . strange to watch people come and go.

[scholiast]

I agree.

(Her next question is perhaps blatant in its angling for validation; Lucretia doesn't look up from her raw crystal as she asks it.)

Does it worry you, that you've been here for quite a while? Or are you okay with it?

[dothelokimotion]

It is, as they say, mixed.

[ Loki won't argue that he's benefited from Riverview. From being away from the monotony of Asgard and all the weight that used to be on his shoulders. At the same time, he has to grapple with a new sense of loss and he's never been good at that. ]

I imagine it is similar for you.

[scholiast]

Yes.

(She's actually quite relieved that he has mixed feelings about it. It's a complicated subject that she's been thinking about a lot lately.)

I want to go, and I don't. It doesn't make a lot of sense.

[dothelokimotion]

It is the paradox all creatures like ourselves face when we linger. This cannot be home, but it feels close enough that we can't dismiss it entirely. A place that allows freedom but has a sense of otherness to it.

[scholiast]

Exactly.

(She rolls her eyes, and looks up at him.) It's very dramatic, and sad; I haven't been keeping myself busy enough.