seeingscarlet | open RP post

[ If a Midgardian trusts its location and bearer, then it must still remain in their own realm. He finds it laughable that one of her own would be qualified to guard the stone, but as she doesn't seem of the blindly optimistic ilk, 'the one who has it' is likely of 'Avengers' caliber.

Which is still piss poor, he thinks (naturally), but the humans couldn't afford to be picky. It is a deduction he may follow up on later, perhaps -- or perhaps not. Loki fears the shadow Thanos may still cast from the stone. He has something good right now: the throne, Asgard's peace, albeit under the guise of another...

...and this. Whatever 'this' is -- it has not turned sour.

Yet.

He turns to face her, hands lifting in a shrug. There's a casual bite in his tone as he says, ] There it is: the unsurprising ignorance of your race. I suppose it can't be helped. You've only just accepted the existence of other realms.

[ Noticing the way she's holding herself, he squints up at the sky again. ]

Shall we call it quits?

[Wanda gives him a flat, unimpressed look, as if to ask, "are you done?" The Asgardians can go on and on about their supposed 'superiority' but she knows better. They may have more experience, but she can still overpower them. Even Thor hadn't been able to shake her off.

They may call it 'cheating,' but she still won and easily at that. And Loki remains the only person who has any sort of actual plan to help her.

It's frustrating at best and infuriating at worst. Still, Wanda won't let Loki goad her into giving up any further information about Vision or the Mind Stone. She's not so easy to manipulate.

...mostly.]

Are we done for today?

[She's too stubborn to admit that she's cold and give him an actual reason to insult her...and definitely too stubborn to admit that aside from the last comment, she's not quite ready to part ways and return to the palace.]

[ The question is if she is done. Loki can't imagine the alternative -- pissing away the time in the palace by herself -- to be terribly enticing, but he has a way of lowering the daily dose people are willing to take of him.

So he quirks his brow and casually says, ] Well, that depends on you.

[ He hasn't actually got a plan here (shockingly); the weather turned for the worse sooner than he'd anticipated. Perhaps let her loose into the city? But what if. ]

I'm not tired. Not from that.

[That's not how her powers work, and nothing they've done today has strained her physically or psychically. She really doesn't relish the thought of holing up in her room by herself (as far away from the balcony as possible) for hours.

Given the choice, she'd rather just suck it up and stay out a little longer, wherever that takes them.]

[ But you are cold, he thinks, while he is, as usual, not. His gaze floats back to the rock, arms crossing over his chest. ]

We ought to see what will tire you. Always smart to know one's limits.

[ Rich, coming from him.

Loki considers her for a moment. ]

You haven't ventured beyond the palace, have you?

Some things I can do are more draining than others, but this - [She gestures, twining a small wisp of scarlet around her fingers.] - no. Not even after a mission.

[There's a definite bitter edge to her smile because oh, Strucker tried, and he was never gentle about it. But Wanda seems to have been either blessed or cursed with stubborn perseverance and her body will give out long before the scarlet will.

This isn't to say that the scarlet itself doesn't have limits, but Wanda's ability to generate it is no different before a battle than after it. It might hurt if she is already suffering psychic backlash, but she can.

She shakes her head in response to his question.]

This is the first time I've left since I came here.

[ So there is more to it than raw power. Given its source, Loki has a hunch to what that might be; it is not reassuring. The fingers concealed beneath his arm clench at his cloak in agitation.

Would he know if she tried? The stone itself had been as slick as its energy. The red is raw, untamed. He cannot ask without exposing weakness and she is already a breathing liability.

No. She may have the capability, but not the character -- not unless she's been playing him this whole time, and he is doubtful. No, this is not when he abandons ship. There is still potential.

He inhales deeply; the breath released dissipates in a thin cloud of steam. His fingers relax. ]

What a poor host my brother has been. I can't say that I'm terribly fond of the taverns, but they are an excellent place to stave off the cold and watch people make fools of themselves while doing so.

Care to give it a try?

[There are reasons Wanda hasn't directly mentioned that aspect of her powers yet. Of course it would make Loki extremely nervous, and while there are a thousand reasons either of them could logically reject the bond, that one would hurt the most.

But what he doesn't know won't hurt him if Wanda doesn't intend to rifle through his thoughts anyway.]

Something warm would be nice. [That even coaxes a smile out of her, though it fades quickly as she glances back at the rock. Given more time, she could smooth over it and cut away the more birdlike features until it looked less unnatural, but if he's offering her a break from the cold, she'd really like to take it now.] Is it all right to leave the rock like this?

[ He shrugs, dismissive. ] Very few bother with this place.

[ Which is why he chose it, and also why he doesn't conceal it when they leave for the city. He drops the veil completely from Wanda as they enter the streets, but as for himself -- well.

It's under the guise of an Asgardian citizen that Loki walks alongside her, short-haired and brunette with a plain face to match his attire. Even his voice is of another, lighter as he holds back the drapes of one of many entrances into the closest tavern and says, ] After you, lady.

[ The golden hues of the establishment's interior are probably a welcome contrast to the grey bitterness outside. Braziers line the walls, casting warmth and dancing shadows among the many patrons seeking respite from the cold. These taverns are not like those of Midgard where small tables fill the spaces for small groups. Asgardians drink and tell stories as a whole, suffocating the room with a boisterous merriment heard before seen.

It makes Loki grimace. ]

[Well, if he's sure, Wanda's too cold to argue further. She manages a gracious 'thank you' when Loki pulls the tavern's entry drapes for her and it takes all of her willpower not to make a beeline for the nearest source of warmth. But ditching Loki like that would be rude and she doesn't want to lose him in a place like this.

It's loud on several levels, though not necessarily in a bad way. Exuberant happiness is a refreshing change. Loki, however, doesn't seem to share in that opinion and Wanda nudges him gently.

It's such a casual touch, but it's the first time she's touched him at all.]

Are you all right?

[It was his idea, but surely they can find somewhere else to go if he's having second thoughts. It's not like she has anything that passes for money here anyway.]

[ It's such a casual touch that Loki initially thinks nothing of it, instead scanning the place for any seating that isn't squished between bodies -- slim pickings. ]

Oh, certainly. I'm right at home.

[ Light as it may be, there's no attempt to hide the sarcasm.

Another party enter behind them; Loki grabs Wanda's arm, not unkindly, to usher her aside and let them pass with minimal jostling. They smell of sweat and burnt coals -- blacksmiths from the look of them, men and women alike -- and call for mead as they somehow make themselves right at home on a table that's already bursting with other patrons.

He glances down at Wanda. ]

You'd better pick a seat before they're all taken.

[It's pure instinct for her to grab lightly at his arm as he guides her out of the entryway. She's standing very close to him now out of necessity - clearly if one has issues with personal space this is not the place to be.

Wanda's not really sure why he brought her here when he can't hide his disdain for the crowd. Was it so obvious that she was uncomfortable that this was preferable?]

Come on, I think I see room over there.

['Over there' is the end of one of the farther tables, and it might be generous to say there's room for both of them. Wanda gives his arm a gentle tug but still doesn't let go. They have to walk through the crowd to get there and although she knows she can't lose him in a confined space it just feels like the thing to do.

Wanda knows she looks like an outsider - she does not wear her hair or do her makeup in the Asgardian style, nor is she wearing clothing that would excuse her lack of elaborate braids. Still, few people seem to pay them any serious mind, too engrossed in their mead or their companions or their lover on their lap. One man gives her the kind of once-over that makes her skin crawl, but she glares at him and keeps moving towards the empty space.

It's only once they reach it that she lets go of Loki. He can take the end of the bench. She has the impression that if he's already grimacing at the sound that he'd hate being wedged between her and a stranger far more than she would.

She offers an apologetic smile and a shrug.]

It could be worse? [It's definitely not getting better than this, that's for sure.]

[ Only now as she leads him to their seats does Loki raise a brow at her contact. He is not starved for affection -- is not one to freely invade physical personal spaces as Thor -- but it is, or was, few from which he accepted casual touch without batting an eye. One of them is dead; another thinks him so.

Likewise, there are but a handful of those who would thoughtlessly place their hands on him so casually. He is the trickster, repulsive and not to be trusted -- yet this Midgardian girl guides him through foreigners without an apparent second thought and even has the guts to match a leer with a glare. At that, Loki finds his surprise to be mild. She is tolerating him, after all, and that requires moxie.

Perhaps the comfort comes from replacing his face with another. ]

You have no idea, [ he says as he slides onto the edge of the bench. Despite his obvious distaste for the tavern, he seems to meld right in, one knee jutted out as he waves barmaid over. ] The people would be ten times worse if my brother and his cohorts were here.

[ Two tankards of mead and a wooden platter with bread, cured meat, a hunk of cheese, and a knife are set down before them. The contents rattle and slosh as someone slams their fist onto the table with a cheer. Loki waits for the potential encore before reaching for his drink. ]

[Although Wanda may have been overly cautious with her powers earlier, she isn't a timid person. No one in this tavern frightens her, and whatever complicated mess of emotions she feels about Loki, fear or revulsion aren't among them. Otherwise she would very much mind being pressed this close to him by necessity.

Instead, she's finding she misses his true face and voice.]

He has...a way with people. [Parties on Earth seem to get rowdier when he's around, probably thanks in no small part to the poor brave idiots who think they can keep up with his drinking.

So of course Wanda doesn't reach for the mead - she'll barely touch alcohol on Earth, and this stuff must be much stronger. It might be fine, or at least she thinks the scarlet wouldn't react...but who's to say she'd be able to maintain any sort of barrier between her mind and everyone else's?

But the food is fine and she's grateful for a snack. Wanda cuts a slice of bread and cheese before indicating the meat with the knife.]

Do I want to know what that was?

[Look, she's been served some weird stuff in her time here, complete with bizarre hunting stories that weren't half as entertaining as they were probably meant to be.]

[ Of course Thor 'has a way with people.' He is Asgardian's golden boy, and it is an old slight.

Lips on the tankard, Loki arches a brow at her question. ]

I suppose that depends on the level of detail you'd like to know. [ He makes a show of rolling his eyes up to the ceiling in consideration. ] It was probably a cloven-hoofed animal.

[ He drinks primly by Asgardian standards, but still manages to knock out a considerable amount in one swig. (May as well given the setting.) As he lowers his tankard, Loki nods toward the untouched second in silent inquisition. If it's warming up that she wants, the mead is sure to help with that -- too well, and perhaps she knows it. ]

I just wanted to know if I've had it before.

[Asgardian fare isn't as spicy as Sokovian food, but she actually likes most of what she's had here. If she likes this too, she wants to be able to ask for it again.

Wanda follows his gaze to the untouched tankard and has the decency to look a little sheepish. She doesn't mean to be picky and she knows very well Loki's thoughts on the fragility of Midgardians, but...]

Are you sure that's a good idea?

[ Loki can't help the crooked grin that blooms from her statement. ]

I'd argue that most of my ideas are good. Others might differ.

[ Essentially a non-answer.

He sets his drink down and gestures for her to hand him the knife, then shaves off a slice of the meat for himself. ]

Ah, [ he says, and swallows. ] Goat.

[That grin is unmistakably Loki despite his altered appearance. It's far too akin to how Pietro would smile before getting into trouble. She laughs/]

I think I like my head not feeling like it will explode.

[A good idea for him isn't necessarily a good idea for her, but this doesn't feel malicious. She'd rather him joke about it and let her make her own choice than outright tell her what to do or pressure her into it.]

I've never had goat before... [But she's perfectly willing to give it a try. She cuts a small piece for herself and takes an experimental bite.] It's good.

[ He leans against his arm on the table, nursing his drink. Such a cautious individual she is -- in spite or because of the Mind Stone? Perhaps the two are completely unrelated. Whatever life she had prior to the stone's effect on her is long gone, not unlike the impact done on his own upon learning of his true bloodline. They cannot go back.

He tells himself it's for the best.

Tells himself he doesn't miss it. ]

Is it not a beast of milk and meat on Earth?

[Some of her caution is innate - Pietro was always reckless and it was her job to be the voice of reason. So now, when Wanda feels like she must be even more careful, it doesn't feel like the cage it sometimes creates.

Besides, she is here against all reason, isn't she? How overcautious can she really be?]

Mostly we use goats for cheese now. [Sure, some people still eat goat, but the average Sokovian could never afford it.] You've never had körözött, have you? Maybe I should make it for you someday.

[ Though his expression doesn't change, Loki is temporarily taken aback by the offer. It's a generosity not afforded to him now days, the fault of which lies nearly entirely with himself -- though he's not yet mature or self-aware enough to accept as much. She must have made it out of a misguided sense of... something related to the asininity of their soul match. Why else?

His fingertips languidly rap against the tankard. At length, he says, ] Obtaining the necessary supplies ought to be simple enough. Perhaps you'd enjoy the market.

[He's right - Körözött isn't one of her absolute favorite foods from home, but it's still personal enough she wouldn't offer to make it for just anyone. But for now she can at least tell herself it's nothing more than a display of gratitude for what he's doing for her.]

So you actually have spices here? Not just salt?

[She laughs, clearly teasing, but if they actually have paprika here she'll be surprised. It doesn't seem like it would mesh well with the overall Asgardian flavor palette, and quite honestly she has no idea if körözött will even taste 'right' to Loki.

...she should probably make something else just in case. If they're playing around with goat cheese, maybe she can find something to approximate that strawberry bruschetta she'd made for the Avengers a few months ago? It would be rude to only serve him something she's not sure he'd like.

It has nothing to do with any personal desire to please him. Nothing at all.]

[ Sassy.

An involuntary smile tugs at the corners of his lips. Lifting his tankard, he points to her and says, ] You clearly need to get out more.

[ He knocks back the remaining mead like a true Asgardian -- mostly because he's taking too long with the one and doesn't want to catch anyone's attention. Unlikely, given their absorption in the other, louder conversations, but he hasn't gotten this far without a healthy respect for covering one's ass. Setting it down, he wipes the mead off the corner of mouth with his thumb before reaching for the other. ]

Why not ask your tutors for an allowance? [ It's an innocent enough request. ]

Yes, you have pepper too. How could I forget?

[She ducks her head and laughs. There's no artifice, no forced reaction for his benefit. Just genuine lighthearted banter.

Her smile fades when he mentions money, though. Is it really innocent enough? Or would it seem like she's trying to take advantage of Thor's generosity?

There's also her own stubborn pride to consider.

She doesn't hide the tonal shift well enough to fool anyone but Vision, especially not Loki, but there was an attempt.]

If I tell them I want to cook for myself a little they might faint.

[ There is almost an eye roll. Apparently, the Midgardian has an issue with hospitality. The modesty might be admirable if it weren't for the fact that she is his brother's guest. Thor wouldn't bat an eye to his otherworldly friends wishing to experience Asgard in its entirety. On the contrary, he'd be all for it. ]

If they do, then it's only because you've thus far presented them with meekness. Defy the role of the hapless Midgardian.

[ Why is he even encouraging this? ]

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