seeingscarlet | open RP post

[ There it is, the sobering reminder that she can read minds -- or would be, if he were inebriated. Still, it puts a damper on what had been an easy-flowing conversation. Loki taps the side of the tankard with his fingertips, considering her concern.

After a brief pause, he says, ] All the more reason for you to venture beyond the palace. You'll learn very little within it.

[ He shrugs and leans back, bringing the tankard to his lips. ]

I could be your helpful guide.

[ 'I' being his current guise. ]

[Wanda's left wondering if it's worth saying it outright and then reassuring him that she hasn't touched his thoughts at all or if that would just make it worse. It's part of her in more intimate ways than the scarlet is, and yet it's the biggest secret, something only Thor and Loki know exists. She's even hidden it from her tutors.

Wanda thinks it must unsettle Loki to some degree, though she can never tell how much. But he's still offering to spend even more time with her, so for now she says nothing further.]

I'd like that.

[It brings a warm smile to her face (and perhaps a slight flush) before she takes another bite of bread and cheese. It'll certainly be the fun way to see Asgard.

The conversations go better than Wanda had initially expected - they end up giving her more than she actually needs to 'pick up a few things.' Soon she has warmer clothing, and while she's not able to find proper paprika or balsamic vinagrette, there are imports from Vanaheim that are close enough that someone not familiar with the original might not notice.

She's able to approximate the körözött. It's not perfect, but it's as good as she's going to manage here. When Loki joins her in the Asgardian equivalent of her sitting room, she's using her powers to toast the bread over a brazier.]

Edited 2017-11-23 01:17 (UTC)

[ Maybe it's brazen to enter the sitting room of one's soulmate without having mutually embraced the fact, but Loki doesn't give a fuck. He sees her first as a possible ally, the potential of which requires further nurturing, and then a possible foe as a close second. It has been decades since he squashed the hope of a soulmate, and he'd like to believe that he's still got it firmly under foot.

Tonight he comes as himself, dressed casually in his colors and the magic that obscures him from unwanted attention. There is still risk in meeting here, but the alternative of disguising himself is potentially more inconvenient should anyone decide to show interest in the scarlet witch's personal relationships in Asgard. The shroud is selectively and immediately dropped -- she'd sense him anyway.

Loki circles around the chair opposite her, fingers ghosting over the smooth wood as he says, ] Good evening, Lady Maximoff. Were you able to find more than salt and pepper?

[It's an intimate setting, but it's one of the only places Wanda has both privacy and any capacity to prepare food. It feels like the old days, when Novi Grad would lose power and you'd have to cook over a fire. And if she pretends there's little difference, maybe she can also pretend the increasingly familiar dull ache doesn't exist.

They're almost comically out of sync: it feels like she was born too late for him but she would not truly be herself if he hadn't brought the Mind Stone to Earth. It would be easier if she could just hate him and move on with her life...but his competence as a teacher aside, she just can't even wrap her mind around that possibility.

So she turns and smiles when she senses him, even managing a shallow mock curtsy in response to his 'formal' greeting.] Your highness.

[These slices have finished toasting. Wanda floats them over to the table and replaces them with the next set. She's alllllllmost done.]

I found something they said was from Vanaheim. It is not paprika, but it's closer than I thought I would find. And this sauce - I am not sure what you call it? - will taste better than what I was looking for, I think.

[ At the title, a brief smirk passes his lips, but it is not all smugness. If she were to discover his deceit as Odin, would she not find him the very evil of his reputation and alert Thor?

His gaze follows the path of the magicked bread before lifting to Wanda's face. ]

Did you enjoy it? The markets, [ he adds, content to stand for now. ]

[She grins, briefly glancing away from the bread.]

It was a fun afternoon. You were right. [She has to quickly turn her attention back to the bread before this side burns.] I did need to get out more.

[Wanda does seem happier, almost lighter, today. Being cooped up so long had been starting to weigh on her, though even at her lowest she's always been happier here than on Earth.

The slices toast quickly and Wanda directs them to join the rest of the bread she's prepared. Her little table is starting to look quite crowded between the plate of bread, the plate of goat cheese and berries, the bowl of körözött, the bottle of sauce, and the cups. It wasn't really meant for this.]

Here, everything is ready. I wasn't sure you would like the körözött so I found some other things.

[Still goat cheese based, just something she's more confident he'll enjoy. It would be rude to invite him here and not have something he can eat.]

[ He can see the good done by a day's respite from these golden halls, a sort of looseness to her motions. Perhaps she finds the palace stifling, and not simply due to the closure of its numerous arches with a golden sheen that staves off the cold and bathes the city in warm tones.

He wouldn't disagree. Often had his youthful self been struck by the itch of restlessness after squirreling himself away in tomes, which coincidentally preceded joining Thor in ("foolish") adventures where trouble was no stranger. ]

How courteous of you, but please. [ He bows just a touch, politely motioning for her to sit while keeping a safe distance away from the packed table. ] After you.

[ Truth be told, were it not for Wanda's specific desire to share something as personal as a piece of her everyday life, Loki would regard the körözött with impartiality. Indeed, he isn't so much interested in the dish itself than the fact that she made it for him. ]

Did you cook much on Earth?

[He can be quite charming when he wants to be. Wanda smiles and takes the seat Loki indicated, though she doesn't start eating yet. It would be rude. Besides, she's far too personally invested in his reaction to her cooking, no matter how much she's tried to prepare herself for him hating it.]

I did most of our cooking in Sokovia. Pietro would help, but he never had the patience for it. And now if I want food from home I have to make it myself.

[ The application of 'silvertongue' isn't limited to verbal lies, but there is no malice in his current actions. His voice grows a touch softer when he next speaks; the superficial formality drops. ]

Do you miss it? [ He is deliberately reaching for the toast as he asks, first to indulge what he surmises as her desire for him to try her 'home'-cooked dish before partaking herself, and second to give them both something less personal to fall back onto if she exhibits discomfort with the topic.

Loki is genuinely curious about the brother Wanda has mentioned several times now. His name seems less heavier on her lips tonight, but who is he to know how the matter of Pietro weighs in her heart? So he does not even reference him directly.

'It.' Home. Such a loaded word. ]

Of course.

[Her reply is softer but without hesitation. It's a duller pain now, eased enough that she can talk about Pietro or Sokovia, though no less constant. Wanda still misses him terribly.]

It was not perfect. [Far from it - otherwise Strucker would never have found so many volunteers.] But it was home. You never saw Sokovia...before, did you?

[ It's hints like these that give him just enough to know that home was lost to her, but she's never given him anything more than what was said during their first meeting. If their positions were reversed, Loki wouldn't do differently. Distrusting him might be the wisest choice anyone could make, consciously or not.

That doesn't deter him from attempting to indulge his curiosity, though. ]

I haven't, no. [ He doesn't quite lean back into his chair yet. ] What happened to it?

[It's not that she's been deliberately hiding it, it's just infinitely harder to talk about. She wants to remember (comparatively) better days, Pietro and Novi Grad as they were before everything got turned upside-down again.

No one truly won that day. If Thor hasn't been spreading the story around, she is grateful.]

Ultron wanted his cataclysm, his 'peace.'

[She practically spits out the last word, so much bitterness in her voice that it's obvious how deeply personal her hatred is. He'd lied to them, used them, killed her brother, and destroyed her city. And all of this when they'd barely escaped Strucker...is it any wonder Wanda feels like she's constantly at war with herself where Loki is concerned? How terribly ironic that the 'god of lies' would be her soulmate.]

He was going to use Novi Grad to destroy all life on Earth. The Avengers stopped him, but no one could save our city.

[And just like that, all the bitterness and hate deflates. She cannot say that this is how Pietro died, not unless Loki really pushes her for a more direct answer, but does she really need to? Her pain is too raw to be merely the loss of a place.]

[ The fleeting sensation of pins and needles pricks his fingertips. Would that he could brush it off as his imagination-- but yes. Yes.

It is nothing.

He regards her silently for a moment, digesting her bitter answer. Destruction, yet they considered him a threat for simply wishing to set them straight. It is in the innate conceit of his nature to first consider this information as it applies to himself, but there is room for something else alongside resentment -- a vague sense of sympathy that he cannot appreciate as genuine because why would he feel it for her? He is no stranger to loss, but is his not different? More?

Having lied for so long, Loki thinks nothing of reaching forward to place his hand on her own. Is it not part of his deceit?

His voice is low, somber. ]

I've had you relive something terrible. My apologies.

Edited 2017-12-07 02:42 (UTC)

[It's a simple touch, one that would have been negligible coming from anyone else. But Loki rarely touches her and only for mundane reasons. This is...different.

It's enough to draw Wanda out of her dark memories and get her to look at him for a long moment. What should she make of this? It doesn't feel like some clumsy platitude, but then again, he is not named silvertongue for nothing.

Despite her inner confusion, her thumb covers his nearest finger almost automatically in her normal casual acceptance of contact. She cannot seem to figure Loki out, but it doesn't feel bad, doesn't rouse any urge to pull away.]

You didn't know. [But now he's seen where she's most vulnerable. What Loki does with that information may reveal more about his true intentions with her than anything else he's done.

Regardless, Wanda is very glad they have the food as an out. She's lost much of her outward enthusiasm, but she still wants to see his reaction.]

Try your körözött.

[ His eyes close as the ghost of a laugh falls from his lips. ]

Actually, I could use a bit of guidance, [ he says lightly, withdrawing his hand and leaning backwards with his toast. ] Fruit, sauce, another cheese -- it's simply overwhelming.

[ An easy transition to casual conversation. What he'll do with this newfound information (vulnerability) is yet to be known to either of them. There's no need to act immediately or consider his next move; that she offered something so deeply personal is more than enough for tonight.

--but he does not wait for said guidance to conclude. Rather, he takes a shameless bite as she replies, catching the crumbs with his other palm. ]

Please tell me you didn't mix those with-- [Too late, he's already eating it. She thinks he's just messing with her, or at least she didn't see him putting any of the other ingredients on there.]

They aren't normally served with körözött. The fruit and cheese go on the bread and the sauce goes over it. It's a kind of bruschetta. Not Sokovian, but still good.

[A beat. If he didn't immediately make a face, he really was probably just messing with her.] Do you like it?

[ He looks to her with arched brows and lips around the toast, the significance of an otherwise inconsequential expression variable in that he feels relaxed enough to drop his prideful composure -- but perhaps it simply comes off as off.

In any case, he is just messing with her. Loki considers taking it farther (ever one to ruin a good thing), but has the sense to refrain. ]

Now I understand why you thought us destitute of spice, [ he says after swallowing. ] It's quite good.

[ Actually honest. A fool would lie about such a triviality to a witch who can read minds. ]

[His good behavior pays off - Wanda's positively beaming. Her cooking skill is a point of pride, but this is somehow...more. Maybe because she got Loki to admit that a normal thing from Earth is good? Surely that's all it is.]

I'm glad you like it. [And now, finally, she's free to indulge in her own toast. Of course she had a few "quality control" bites earlier - it's been far too long since she's had anything from home.]

Not all of our food is like this, but this is one of our favorite spices. If I make anything else from home, I'll save some for you.

Then I'll look forward to it.

[ That, too, is genuine.

If Loki were to be more of a willing participant in honest self-reflection, then he might be surprised to find that he prefers Wanda as she is currently -- smiling with the pride of accomplishment rather than recalling painful memories. The effect it has on him is subtle, but he is slowly relaxing in her company.

As he helps himself to another piece, he asks, ] Have your tutors given you the means to read our tomes?

[This she simply believes without further thought. It's too minor a thing to lie about, and while she may have concerns about his long-term intentions with her, Wanda has long since stopped questioning the minutiae of their casual interactions. Whatever all of this is, it's enjoyable enough.]

Don't laugh, I know it looks silly. [She's comfy where she is and doesn't feel like getting up, so she finishes off her toast and gestures to summon a pair of golden spectacles. They really do look ridiculous, and no, she is not going to put them on so he can laugh at her.] It only works if I am near my teachers. I can 'borrow' the language from them and the glasses show the words in a language I speak.

[It would work with anyone, really, but this is more invasive and whoever is helping her would be able to feel her presence. It's also tends to give her a massive headache if she doesn't take frequent breaks.]

[ His brows slowly rise. ]

Ah.

[ So they wish to control what texts she can access. He ought to have predicted pragmatism where knowledge is concerned; the sorcerers of Asgard are rare and guard their craft with greed. Loki isn't much different in that regard. ]

You've given it a go, then?

[She nods.]

It...isn't very comfortable, even for them, I think. But it was either this, they explain it all to me, or they find someone to read it to me. It was the only option they would accept.

[Her mind is too occupied to actually read their thoughts when she's borrowing their knowledge of the language, and perhaps they take some comfort in that. They've come to mostly see her as some great puzzle to take apart and poke, but there's always a faint whiff of unease. She is still a Midgardian, after all, and as far as they're concerned, her peculiarities shouldn't even be possible.

She thinks she detects some hint of jealousy too - as if she didn't pay dearly for this.]

They had me start with a text on grounding.

[Which isn't surprising. She's been getting by mostly through grounding herself in another person's presence, but here, surrounded by so many strangers, she has nothing. And until the fear of another backlash explosion isn't constantly nagging at her, Wanda will never be able to access higher levels of power. Loki isn't the only one to notice how hesitant she is to use the scarlet directly.]

Sensible.

[ He could have done the same, but had instead gone in from the angle of ascertaining what she was consciously willing to do and working from there. It gave him an idea of what sort of flame he'd chosen to play with.

He finishes his toast and reaches for the berries. ]

And what do you make of it so far?

[ He assumes that her brother or something of home had been her primary grounding source on Earth. The question is what method, without either, might work best for her. Physical objects tended to be the most common, but another person or an animal, concepts -- even emotions -- all possible. ]

It is...interesting. I have some new things to try now.

[There was a particular passage in the text that had caught her eye. It had mentioned twins and soulmates and suddenly Wanda had been extremely glad to her connection to her teachers was only one way. She wouldn't have wanted to force that brief stab of loss on them, and she simply couldn't help the way her mind turned to Loki.

Ironically he may be the best source of psychic stability she'd ever find, but Wanda doubts he'd let her that close. It's an entirely different level of trust than the calculated risk of helping her. To willingly invite her so close to his mind...]

...but I don't think trying to use anger as a focus is a good idea.

[Not when bad things happen when she loses her temper and sometimes the scarlet does more damage than she wanted it to.

Wanda notices he's going for the berries and rises to start preparing two slices of the bruschetta.]

What do you use?

[ Ah, yes. Anger. Like a certain green man. ~~scarred4lyfe~~

The berries lazily twirl on their stem between Loki's fingers as he considers how specific an answer he ought give to her. He leans back into his seat, lips parting to reply, but the word is delayed. ]

Emotion.

[ It is a simple word said simply, but how convoluted it truly is! It isn't surprising that a temperamental person would use emotion as their grounding, but it doesn't always work -- not unless there's something specific, some feeling that is constantly running in the background -- a drive Loki cannot remember living without.

Ambition.

While Thor might have flashed her that lopsided smile of his whenever he felt proud of something he'd just said, Loki instead smiles blandly at her. This isn't an attempt at wit so much as it is withholding information. To impress Frigga. To make Odin proud of him. To stand as Thor's equal.

Such childish desires.

He plucks a berry off its stem. ]

But I agree -- those of passion are rarely ideal. [ Swallowing, he adds, ] Unless you are keen on double-edged swords.

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/vaguely waves hands at Asgardian tech

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