[ open to all ] rest in the silhouettes our fathers and mothers laid before

[dothelokimotion]

who: Loki + You
what: Monthly Prompts + Daily Stuff
when: May
where: All around the city
warnings: N/A, will update if necessary


[ i. floating lanterns]

[ Loki remembers.

It almost feels like another lifetime ago. He had come here just after he snatched the throne (or had it been a few years? Time still slips through his fingers) along with Thor. Their conversations had been rough, abrupt. Loki had taken a lantern and hidden himself in the night, a testament to his weakness. A testament to his mother. That wound may never fully heal. But Loki has many wounds like that one and they have eventually lost their power over him. Or their power remained, but they no longer scatter his head with doubts and recriminations. So, he doesn’t hide himself this time, though he may linger at the back. One lantern for one person Loki has not taken the time to mourn. He draws a black crown of thorns with a steady hand. When it’s done, he pulls back, turning it over with his fingers before igniting it with a small globe of light which he conjures in his palm. Both of these combined, Loki lets it bob briefly before lifting it into the air with a murmur. ]

Goodbye, sister. You died a glorious death.

[ ii. sharing life ( and magic ) ]

[ In many ways, Loki was easy. He doesn’t like to admit it, but a little flattery, smiling, buttering him up can go a long way. Of course, not everyone can pull it off. There are only a scant few whose opinions truly matter to Loki and even then, he wavers. It is a dangerous thing, trying to earn a person’s regard. Loki only had to look at his own father to know that it is a treacherous path. But he has also been softened in time, the edges going a little blunt. Laura had asked for a magic show and Lucy wanted to know more stories. Both of which Loki is more than happy to combine. On the steps of his theatre, he holds a tiny street play.

With puppets. Yes, puppets.

Though he’s not moving them with his hands. There are small bursts of gold sparkles and sometimes, the puppets change size, voice and colour. The children clap in delight as Loki hangs back, letting the show play out. ]

[ iii. a boy and his lying cat ]

[ Recently, Thor had gifted him with this . . . animal which meant Loki was partly saddled with it. He says partly because for the most part, the creature itself doesn’t seem to need more attention. It mostly spends its time, slinking around Loki’s legs, yawning and —

— and mocking everything Loki says with a low drawl, constantly uttering Lying at him. What was he even lying about? And it was worse in public when he is talking to someone and almost immediately — ]

Lying.

[ Loki lets out a hiss, turning away from whoever he was speaking to, to address the cat. ]

I will strangle you.

[ The cat blinks, licking his paws, not the least bit perturbed. ]

[ closed - to alex ]

[ True to his word, Loki does make an appearance at the coffee shop. It is fascinating how many life-changing or important moments have taken place here, he muses briefly. Here, he started talking to Steve as an equal. Where he slowly forged an (uneasy) connection with Tony Stark. For this, he dressed in his black suit, waiting at a table politely, his hands folded on his lap as he watches the people pass by. For once, he doesn’t feel quite so . . . apart.

Was that wrong? These people would be gone. He could close his eyes and forget they ever existed. But Loki struggles with wrongness and his ability to tell such things apart has long eroded away. ]

[ wildcard ]

[ Loki mostly spends his time at Gramarye, working his magic or answering queries. The Odin's Odeon is also a location where Loki spends most of his time, so if anyone is interested in hosting an event/play/the arts, Loki will support it. If you have an idea, pm this account or hit me up at captainkink ]

Comments

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki tilts his head slightly, accepting that reprimand. ]

I wasn't sure. And it is customary to use titles.

[hylights]

[She settles herself in a chair opposite Loki's desk, feeling better about things now that they've begun.]

That's true enough. It was that way at home as well, at least back when those things were still in order.

[Tilting her head a little, she continues.]

You didn't mention yours to me either.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki shrugs loosely. ]

It's mostly ceremonial now. My people are displaced and we have no kingdom to speak of.

[hylights]

Oh... I am sorry to hear that.

[Zelda twines her fingers together in her lap, pensive.]

Hyrule hasn't had a ruler in a hundred years. Most alive today only know of the royal family through stories.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki blinks. ]

But you still . . . hold the title?

[hylights]

I do. But I haven't been in the world for those hundred years, not in a way that people know. I think most believe I died when the castle was destroyed.

[Along with her father, and everyone else in the royal court. Some few knew the truth; the Sheikah, the Deku Tree. For all intents and purposes though, Zelda had vanished out of life.]

[dothelokimotion]

Ah.

[ That can be both a blessing and a curse. Loki would hate to be forgotten. Removed from people's memories. But that really applies to him and no one else. Still. A hundred years . . . ]

Those years must have been long. Especially by yourself.

[hylights]

[A shadow passes over her expression, glancing away.]

It wasn't something I was always aware of. I don't like to think about it too much.

[It's a hard thing to retain in the mind, once back in the living world. Yet she had been sealed away for five times longer than she had been alive. The memory of it stretches dark and deep.]

[dothelokimotion]

That's fair.

[ After all, there's plenty that Loki avoids thinking about on a regular basis. ]

I suppose you might have some questions for me? Considering I was a precocious child.

[hylights]

[There are a few she could ask, some that immediately come to mind. The first one, however, is this:]

Did you finish your bouquet?

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki blinks before a smile unfurls. ]

I did. I had a lot of help.

[hylights]

I'm glad to hear it, though I'm sorry you weren't able to get it to your mother like you wanted.

[Unless the woman is here. Given how young Loki had become though, it seems unlikely his mother would have been absent had she been here to know about it.]

So other people you knew found you?

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki nods. ]

My brother was there, albeit closer to my age.

[hylights]

Oh, then you must have been relieved. I didn't know you had family here.

[dothelokimotion]

My brother. We arrived together at this place.

[ It still feels weird how . . . casually that comes out. It has been an uneven road but they're finally in a position of . . . trust. At least Loki believes that. He tries not to think about it too often. ]

And we were, somehow, aged down together as well.

[hylights]

Well, that's lucky... though two children could easily get into trouble, too.

[At least everyone at the festival had been in good spirits because of the flowers. Loki himself said that several people helped him, so nothing too bad must have happened. What a relief.]

It makes things a bit easier, I think. Being here with someone from home.

[dothelokimotion]

Do you not have anyone from your world here?

[ It's not unusual. Loki has too many people from his world here. He'd be happy to trade off. ]

[hylights]

I do - one. His name is Link. He's a friend of mine. [And she supposes she can continue:] He was also my appointed knight, before. So I have known him for a while.

[dothelokimotion]

Impressive. I don't think I've had one of those.

[ Loki and Thor were fairly competent after all. In a few centuries, they didn't need guards. ]

Is it strange, making friends with a knight?

[hylights]

Well, I didn't really want one either...

[She shakes her head, to stop herself muttering. She does sigh though.]

It is. I don't think either of us really knew how to relate to each other in the beginning. And I must admit I was unfair to him.

[Link had only been doing what was expected. Zelda, already humiliated by her failures, chafed at the extra layer of scrutiny and lashed out at the boy. It was a minor miracle they had managed to get past that initial resentment.]

[dothelokimotion]

That is not an easy thing to admit.

[ Loki still struggle with that sort of feeling. He'll always be envious of Thor. Proud. Certain of his brother's strength, how the world slots into place for him. ]

I never had much in the way of friends.

[hylights]

No, I suppose not. I've just had a lot of time to think about it.

[It doesn't help that she's been unfair to Link as recently as a couple of months ago. When she realised that he was from a different point in time from her, remembering even less than the Link of her own time... the disappointment was impossible for her to hide from him.

Zelda looks at her hands, pensive.]

Neither did I.

[The ones she did have were long dead, for the most part. Save for Link.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ It doesn't surprise him, but it also . . . does. Loki has always seen his pain as a solitary fragment. Not easily shared, not easily understood. And a part of him dislikes the idea that there are other people who understand and share it. As time passed in Riverview, Loki has become more accustomed to the idea . . . but it still bothers him.

He knew why, of course. If it was so simple here . . . why was it not this simple on Asgard? ]

I imagine that has changed a little here.

[hylights]

[Zelda smiles easily, nodding.]

It has. I'm grateful for that, strange though the situation may be.

[dothelokimotion]

I think you are allowed.

[ Loki hesitates to say he's grateful too. It's not in his nature. ]