[closed]

[krasnaya_vdova]

who: Ava & Loki
what: Ava needs help. Badly enough to go looking.
when: Post-fire
where: Gramarye Magic Research
warnings: None? I'll add if needed.

[It's a few days after the fire before she starts looking for answers to the problem of how to make sure she doesn't do this again. Initially, she just throws herself into the repair efforts. She's the first to show up and the last to leave, hauling debris and collecting buried personal items for others to distribute or repair. Anything she can. Part of it is guilt, and the other part is that it's something she can do, something to focus on, something to escape from the thoughts she doesn't want to face.

But when that's gone? There's nothing for it except to try and find solutions. Gramarye seems the best place to start. She's not sure if what she does counts as magic or not, but there's not exactly a place advertising help for people with powers liable to hurt people. It's somewhere to start, at least. She settles for looking for someone to talk to, that looks like they work here. It's probably a dumb idea, but it's at least better than asking on the network-- even if she posted it anonymously, there are a few too many people sharp enough to probably make the connections.

But the person she finds is not exactly who she was looking for. There's a brief moment where she almost considers turning around, but she's never been good at giving up. Instead she nods at him in some kind of acknowledgement.]

I didn't know you worked here.

Comments

[dothelokimotion]

It is an improvement.

[ Loki doesn't give compliments. At least not easily. His tongue is not the easiest to trust when it comes to honeyed words, so he's careful with them. Rarely does he squander their use unless he's sure it'll meet their mark. ]

We shall leave it there for now.

[krasnaya_vdova]

[Faint praise is still praise, and she soaks it up greedily. He's probably right, in that it's easier to trust precisely because they're not glowing. But she nods in agreement.]

Alright. [She takes a breath, refocusing herself, drawing the power back until the glow recedes from her skin, until the beat of her heart isn't a visible, shining thing. Her eyes still glimmer, but you can see her pupils. She struggles with it, but she manages it, her breath normalizing again, though the tension is obvious in how she holds herself once you've seen her without it.]

I think it helps.

[The direction, if nothing else. Something other than putting her power in guns and swords, the only way they seemed to think she was safe.]

[dothelokimotion]

It would. Thor would work in the same manner.

[ Powers like Thor's or hers require direction. Loki has that in spades. His ability to throw knives, calculated and deadly means he rarely misses and does not suffer a lack of control. An abundance of power can overwhelm you and Loki never had abundance in anything. Whatever he has learned, he has scraped by. ]

Once you have mastered the ability to direct, the rest will fall into place.

[krasnaya_vdova]

[She's not sure whether a comparison to Thor is a good thing or not, but she nods. She can understand the idea, at least. She'd never quite understood her powers well, but working with Loki seem to help. Direction matters, and control is certainly not her strong point, even if she's working on it.]

Well, I'll work on it. Can we do this again?

[It feels easier here. Someone to help her figure it out, makes it seem like it comes easier. That maybe she can at least learn control so power doesn't bleed from her with the slightest provocation.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ He blinks, a little surprised. It is not exactly a traditional request. Finally, after a long tense silence, Loki nods. ]

Very well.

[krasnaya_vdova]

[She waits, and at the answer there's a flicker of a smile.]

I guess I'll see you later, then.

[She doesn't say thanks, since he doesn't seen to take it well, at least not yet, but she is grateful, and there's a look in her eyes as she nods to him in quiet appreciation before turning to leave.]