cutting_edgex23 | Lakes and skiffs

"The bus I saw was disgusting." He's not denying the usefulness, but ew. "And the private vehicles not much better. --But yes, I saw some more appealing things in the garage. Much more appealing." He'll check them out, thanks for the tip. "Have they given up on horses entirely on Earth?"

"They are expensive. To keep. I have only ridden them in Milliways. Or with Amy."

A pause.

"We should race. Sometime. Not with horses."

"I accept the challenge!"

They're up high now, enough to glide safely over the treetops as they leave the lake for the forest and approach the mountain. "But you know, having challenged me, you ought to allow me the choice of weapons. Well--steeds, in this case."

"We can spar, too. If you want. I am not good at magic."

You know, in case that is relevant.

X takes a moment to look down over the treetops, because she doesn't often have the opportunity for this vantage. Combat is different, and so is being carried by Warren.

(A lot different. This is better.)

"You will give me time to learn how to ride? What you choose. For steeds."

Loki makes a face at her. "What's the point of me choosing, if I have to give you time to learn? --Do they have goat chariots here? Or it could be a different sort of race altogether. A race to Jim Moriarty's world. The adult Jim, I mean." He's pretty sure Jim isn't going to let anyone in there. "A race to the Earth of my universe. A race to Asgard." Does Thor take friends there?

"It will be boring if you win by default."

X could always try asking Jim. If it was to get one over on Loki, maybe he would be game!

"Boring for you, maybe. I like winning."

He's been taking a lazy approach to the mountain, circling it in a slow steady rise; now he takes them in close to a cliff face, curious about what looks like a cave. "So which is it? Goat chariots, or a race to one of those worlds? I'll let you choose after all."

"We will start now? If it is to a world."

She's just getting the parameters laid out, all right?

"Very well, now. But do name the world before you take off."

Loki likes winning. He'd like even more to know some of the tricks X has up her sleeve.

X considers this for a moment, reaching out to check with a certain Force that this is okay. Given that it is Loki, and occasionally the multiverse's existence trembles at his actions --

The warmth in the scar on her palm is as good an answer as any.

"Your universe's Earth. It is our multiverse, too."

There are stars in her eyes, though she is not smiling.

"We will see you on Mt. Rainier. The top."

For a brief moment X is blue as flame, blue as the heart of a burning sun, and then she's faded to a pinprick and is gone.

Tag, you're it, Loki!

(Ain't the Microverse wonderful?)

Edited 2017-06-12 13:07 (UTC)

...Well, then.

When she's gone, he reaches out for a moment, silent, testing with his fingertips the spot where X had faded out. It feels like...no, he's not sure.

Loki drops his hand, and then drops himself back against the tiller, laughing aloud. "Nicely done, Lady X," he says to the air. "Nicely done." Now then. He has no idea where Mt. Rainier is, and no immediate way to reach the Earth of his universe. But he's all right with losing--this time.

It'll be hilarious, though, if X comes back to this exact spot in the air and plummets down to the rocks and trees with no skiff beneath her feet, so while he has his laugh he nudges the skiff along its course.

(Damn right the multiverse's existence trembles at his actions. Maybe this particular Loki hasn't succeeded yet in anything to really make galaxies shake, but he'll be disappointed with himself if he never does.)

Time passes.

X eventually reappears in the spot she left, hovering and still blue.

She does not roll her eyes, just flies in the direction Loki went -- at a rapid pace -- and settles back onto the skiff gently, without even making the boat rock.

The blue fades, and she is (mostly) alone again.

"We waited. You were very slow."

"Show-off."

He's lounging comfortably in the back of the skiff, and doesn't make it harder for her to catch up. (Them?) "So how do I know you were in my universe? On--what was it? Mount Rainier?"

X shrugs, one-shouldered and quick.

"When you get there, you will know. If you do not, it was never a race. So it is not relevant."

Whatevs, Loki.

"You could take me there and show me." Loki grins. "It seems only fair."

They're just floating comfortably level with one section of the mountaintop. If Loki's right, it's where he and Thor had their latest Little Family Talk. Lovely place for chatting.

X studies him, head tilting very slightly.

"Later."

Beat.

"You can just ask to see how we travel. Too."

"I'd like to see how you travel," he answers promptly. "And to know who we is. And to see Mount Rainier. Why does it have to be later? Now is good."

He's still in a lazy sprawl, just giving the tiller a little correction now and then.

"Because we are touring the mountains. Now."

A pause as X looks around, viewing the scenery and perhaps seeing evidence of a certain Family Discussion, even if she does not know what actually happened or who was involved.

"And patience is a useful skill."

Even the narrative voice doesn't know how much evidence there is, because the Family Discussion thread is temporarily on pause, but...yeah, it's a safe bet that there's something. Loki smiles a private smile at the spot and steers on.

"Of course it is. Knowing when you do and don't have to be patient is an even more useful skill. But, as I said--your wish is my command, Lady X."

It's a very scenic bit of mountaintop.

"Sometimes it is useful even when you do not have to be."

She is just saying.

So scenic. Very wow.

"We can go from the garage. When we get back."

"...I have heard about the virtues of patience before, you know. More than once. But do go on, lecture me."

There's not much venom in it, though. He swings them in a little closer to look at another possible cave opening, and then begins a descent. "--Is there anywhere else I can keep this?"

He doesn't want to give it back.

X just looks at him.

"You are not very good at recognizing teasing."

She reaches over to pat his shoulder once. Carefully.

"That is okay."

Beat.

"You can keep it on the lake. I will ask the squid not to bother it."

Loki looks down at her hand a little blankly, as if he's not sure what to do with it, but he doesn't pull away. "--You tease a bit differently from other people," he says after a pause.

He should probably say something prickly and unkind now, to shake off the unfamiliar feeling of something like offered friendship, but he just turns his attention back to his flight. "The squid," he asks after another pause.

"I do a lot of things differently," X offers, matter-of-fact as ever. "I do not mind. Now."

She shifts her own attention to the stones and crags ahead of them, maybe looking to see if Nepeta is around, or other Milliways' patrons. Or maybe some mythic monsters. It takes all kinds!

A few seconds later she looks back to Loki again, as if realizing he was sort of asking a question. Ish.

"The giant squid. Yes. Sunshine Dust and Mr. Julia Fruitnugget. They like to investigate things. It is better to ask them to leave things alone in advance. People are okay."

There's a large wolf on one of the crags, staring at them unimpressed. (Gredya does not approve of hovercraft.) Loki stares back, also unimpressed.

"--How giant is giant?" He's seen some very large water creatures in his time. Definitely things that could swallow down a skiff in one gulp.

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