Lakes and skiffs

[cutting_edgex23]

X is outside, seated cross-legged on a rock by the lake.

She is very still, breathing in, then out, then in again, and watching everything.

It is not meditation. But it is still nice.

Comments

[cutting_edgex23]

"People experimented on them. When they were weak. And betrayed."

Beat.

"I have a healing factor. It helped. And then there was the Whirldemon King to stop. Later."

She pauses, looking for the right words.

"We are alike, but not the same. In what we want to do. And why. They call me little avatar. Or little star. And it is different for us. Than it is for the other people that become Captain Universe. For a little while."

X and the Enigma Force are not so limited by one reality, for one. One unique multiverse, yes, but not one universe entire.

[foolyoutwice]

"Hm."

Loki turns away from his inspection, and busies himself with landing the skiff, bringing it to a stop in a sheltered part of the shore. X probably wouldn't like any of the thoughts in his head just now and he wants to give himself something else to look at. "What do you consider to be your jurisdiction? What great needs call this force into service? Besides--heh--winning races with Loki of Asgard."

[cutting_edgex23]

"It is easier here. To be us. Because it is the only piece of Eternity left. Anywhere."

Beat.

"The problem with need. As a definition. Is that it is relative. And I am sentient. So are they. We choose."

[foolyoutwice]

"As it suits your mood, then?" He looks up from the controls of the skiff with a sudden white grin. They've come to a stop an easy jump down to the shore; he's just messing about to see if he can lock the controls for his private use.

[cutting_edgex23]

X shifts over toward him, pushing several buttons and then reaching for his hand.

"Here. Your palm-print is important."

And, after several moments of reflection --

"I do not have moods."

Sometimes it makes other people despair.

[foolyoutwice]

"I don't need you to show me how to--" Mmph. He places his hand.

And looks over at X sideways. "I expect I could provoke a mood in you."

[cutting_edgex23]

(You were taking too long, Loki. Speaking of patience and the targeted lack thereof . . . )

X looks back at him, straight-on.

"Moriarty cannot. You can try."

Beat.

"It will probably be very frustrating. For you."

[foolyoutwice]

"Moriarty's only human." Loki can do better than a human. (Loki can also do better than an Enigma Force--he thinks.) "And I've been frustrated before. I have practice."

bring it, x

"Well. Here we are. Do you need a hand ashore?" (He knows she doesn't.)

[cutting_edgex23]

Even Apocalypse didn't manage. But good luck, Loki!

"I do not think practice will be enough."

X reaches out to pat Loki's shoulder again, then uses that same shoulder to launch herself over the edge of the skiff and into freefall.

(It's not that long a drop.)

"Thank you."

[foolyoutwice]

He gives her a moment to step out of the way before hopping down himself. "My pleasure, Lady X. We must do this again some day."

It has indeed been a pleasure! And informative. That too.

[cutting_edgex23]

X tilts her head, watching him consideringly for a few long moments.

Then --

"Now is good. You said you wanted to see how we travel."

Her eyes flicker with stars again as she reaches out to take Loki's hand.

And then they're gone. Well, then they're tiny, and stepping through a portal to another universe that can only be found when you're the dimension of an atom.

(Or smaller.)

[foolyoutwice]

Hm. Hmm hmmm hmmmmmmmm.

Loki has a keen appreciation of the power of travel. The root (and trunk and every little branch) of Asgard's power comes from Yggdrasil: Asgard can send its king, its warriors, across the realms in the blink of an eye. Without that, what are they? And Loki can take paths no one knows and no one sees: without that, what is he?

So he's watching this very attentively.

And keeping his questions to himself, because he's probably roused X's suspicions enough already. But yes, yesss, it makes sense that at this scale you can find paths.

[cutting_edgex23]

Sometimes the best way to keep people busy, and to see who they are, is to give them something to be busy with.

X does not explain, but then maybe she can tell that Loki likes to figure some things out himself.

And then they are in the Microverse, drifting through space and landing on Homeworld, a series of planetoids orbiting twin suns.

It is the easiest place from which to access Earth. Obviously.

[foolyoutwice]

Loki has fallen very quiet. Thor would perhaps recognize his expression: the attentive look he wears when he's hanging back and watching other people make decisions. He does ask a question, though: "What is this place called?"

[cutting_edgex23]

X looks back at him, eyes glowing with lambent yellow sunfire.

"This is the Microverse. The planetoids are Homeworld."

She tugs on Loki's wrist, hauling him through space toward the largest planetoid.

A sphere of air travels with them, because that is how she has chosen to do this.

[foolyoutwice]

Microverse. Homeworld. "And this is a universe related to my own?"

(The sphere of air, while not entirely necessary, is much appreciated. He doesn't really enjoy surviving in vacuum.)

[cutting_edgex23]

"It can be. Sometimes."

They settle down near a forest, where X pauses for Loki to look around. If he likes.

And eventually --

"I do not know when it will be. For you."

Again she makes them tiny, using the resultant energy to slip through another gap between atoms here and back to Earth.

And Mt. Rainier.

[foolyoutwice]

He's more interested in space than in the forest, not that there's anything wrong with the forest. And he's even more interested in the shrinking process and the energy generated. It's not a form of energy Asgard has thought much about. Which is plainly a mistake on their part.

(When it will be; an interesting way of putting it. He'll ask later, but now they're traveling again.)

[cutting_edgex23]

There is a rock near to X's left hand, (said hand which is, for the moment, much less blue than it was when they arrived here on Midgard).

On it Loki, if he looks, might see a symbol of something very much like his horned helm melted into the stone.

[foolyoutwice]

Loki narrows his eyes. X may (or may not) be able to tell that he's made himself invisible, not to her but to any observers. "And this is the Earth of my universe."

It's not lost to him that Mt. Rainier is beautiful. More beautiful than, say, Dublin. Or that desert where he'd found Thor.

[cutting_edgex23]

X looks at him for a few moments, head tilted.

Then --

"You cannot tell?"

[foolyoutwice]

He shrugs. "Tell me how you know?"

(There's less and less use now in continuing his pretense of being dead: who knows where Heimdall's eye will fall, but you can never assume it won't fall on this rock with its very obvious new markings. Loki would try to remove it, but...eh. It is a nice mountain to make his mark on.)

[cutting_edgex23]

"I know because it does not smell right."

Beat.

"We know because they always know where they are."

[foolyoutwice]

Hm.

Loki turns away from her, taking in more of the view. This really is a grand setting. If humans didn't keep making a mess of it, Midgard could have some real beauty. "--And where can we go from here?" Go on, how about a tour of Earth.

[cutting_edgex23]

X looks at him for a long, silent moment.

"Back to Milliways."

Beat.

"Later you can visit my world. And meet my cats."