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Who: Loki
Broadcast: Everyone
Action: Paisley
When: Right now!

[Action]

[Guess who just shows up to breakfast one... afternoon? Loki emerges from his office, looking for all the world like a man who has just woken up from an extended nap, barely open eyes, trying to stretch his back and shoulders, the whole nine. He wanders into the kitchen, fumbles around until he makes himself something hot and dark enough that he can pretend it's coffee, and stares suspiciously into the cup before drinking.

Ugh, his mouth tastes like someone glued one of Thor's feet to it. Ugh. What possessed him to sleep like this...

(Guess who has no idea he's been missing for weeks~)]

[A bit later: Broadcast]

[Awake now, and... well, he looks amused. Which is to say as if he's planning on flaying someone alive.]

Why yes, I have returned. Hide all of the party favors, lock up your sons and daughters, cancel the pedestrian fireworks displays.

A funny thing, missing time. You'd never know it was gone until someone tells you. Has anyone else fallen victim to such thievery?

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Of course not. [Grin. Well, actually yes. Mostly. But now that he's gotten over his habitual clench at someone knowing more than he likes, he's enjoying this conversation. He so rarely gets to talk with people who are on a similar level to him and want to play. He definitely hasn't had anyone like that in the fleet thus far, so this is refreshing indeed.]

And my view on stars likely more knowledgable than my opinions on sand. [Though more accurately, he's a creature of ice, but he hates that part of himself still. He's just better at disguising it these days.] And yet it's all made of the same fundamental particles and energies, just begging to be twisted about.

Perhaps you know a bit too much about sand.

I am a desert creature. And where I am from, sand is simply sand.

[ It would sound derogatory or self-demeaning if it was said by anyone else, but Leto speaks like they are facts, carved into immortal stone. If Loki looked closely, he would see the strange brown skin layered onto Leto's own skin breathe and hiss. The Worm doesn't like Leto's statement on sand very much. ]

How do you twist a star? Or do you twist yourself to prove a star's mettle?

Mmm. Definitely know too much. [Yes, he might be teasing.

And that is interesting. Another mental note filed away.]

A star is but radiation and gravity. There are fascinating things to be done with radiation. Or put lead in its heart and it dies by inches. Though it is a large piece of reality to turn about, yes?

The question is always whose will gives way first, yours, or the universe.

[ He shrugs. All his movements seem to be filtered through a lens, like he's put on a skin of someone younger than him, or someone he's imitating. Not quite right, something quite off.

That line softens his demeanor, unintentional. Loki, the littlest one, always tried to push the boundaries, tried to teach them to break the rules.

Lie a little, he had told Dune, when you need it. ]

As long as you don't get carried away.

[There's a definite tilt to Loki's head as he observes this, notes it.] You mostly do a good job of appearing human. [Offered as a casual observation. It's not something that requires that much effort. Humans like believing everyone else is human.]

What's the point if you can't be carried away? [After living in the extremes, everything else seems painfully dull.]

I am the most human. The culmination of every human experience that ever existed. As such, my humanity is subject.

[ Leto is human, but isn't. Is a god, but isn't. He fills the spaces between, to occupy all areas. ]

It leaves room for regret. Our hearts are only so small.

Skin deep, or skin shallow? [Well, he can buy that humans can evolve a lot into something more interesting. They're practically bacteria, right now. There's nowhere for them to go but up the evolutionary ladder. Not that he has any confidence they'll be able to do so.]

Ah, that is the mistake. I cut my heart out and buried it in a lock box on that beach. It works much better that way. [The number of lies he's packed into two sentences is rather astounding, really. But he's more curious what the answer to that will be.]

[ To that, he parries lightly. ]

I have two skins. Which one is shallow and which one is deep?

I'm sure you tried, Loki. And tried very hard.

[ But the success of such a thing has yet to be determined. Many have claimed to do such things with their hearts, forgetting that their feelings are still circulating, a hellish cycle. ]

I'd have to know more of the quality of the leather before I could guess. [Oh, this is fun.] Beast or man?

Don't be ridiculous, Leto, I haven't known a moment of hard work in my life. [He tried so bloody hard when he was a child that he cracked whatever heart he had to pieces. Trying produces nothing but salt and ashes. He's just learned to like eating bitter things.] Half-hearted digging with a dull spade, surely.

It walks with no legs and it burrows deep.

[ Riddles for the trickster. It'll keep Loki entertained. Though Leto wonders if he'll be able to guess. The Arrakis sandworm aren't exactly prominent in other parts of the universe. For obvious reasons.

He shakes his head. Pity and sadness would serve no purpose. And only Loki can save himself. ]

Perhaps. I've only walked in the heart of one Loki and he triumphed. And such knowledge was bittersweet.

[He considers this for a moment, eyes narrowing to slits.] Worm or wyrm?

[He is very entertained. And for that, he would be grateful if he knew how, any more.

But this is even more interesting. He's not the same Loki he was in Asgard, that's to be certain, when he and his younger self loathed each other utterly.]

The one I knew had a goal I found most interesting. To have succeeded, I find even more interesting.

[ It takes him a few minutes, stepping off to consult his memories of worm and wyrm, phonetics, dialects, syntax, the old Romans, the English ways . . . ]

Worm. Though similar to the wyrm in feeling, I would say. The Arrakis sandworm dominates the desert. Its gaping maw swallows ships whole and to escape, you must walk without rhythm.

[ And even then, the chances of survival are abysmal. Only the Fremen could make crossings in the desert. ]

[ Softly. ] He won. A comedy in thirty parts, a tragedy in thirty-one. But he found the truth of Loki. And thus, could defeat Loki while being robbed.

A species I've not yet met. But yes... more wyrm than worm. It sounds... glorious. [He's always had his affinity with wyrms.]

[It's Loki's turn to fall silent then, the seconds ticking away as he rolls this through his mind, recalls the conversations with his infuriating younger self, the goals, their stupid arguments, their moments of mercy toward each other. Death is such waste, but death can be victory, he's aware of that.]

And do you know what this truth is?

[ Leto pauses, touched by that sentiment. While his feelings on the Worm are more mixed of late, due to their symbiotic relationship, he has always loved them, these giant gods of the desert. ]

It is beautiful. The simplest beauty.

[ He watches Loki carefully. ]

I do. But it is not my place to say.

[ If Leto doled out all that he knew, all that he could see, he would cheapen those around him. ]

[He appreciates that sentiment for a moment.] Can you show me? [Of course, a separate question from will you show me.]

But it is my truth to know. I am not the same Loki as him, but we are all caught in the same web. [A realization he has come to because of his interactions with his younger self.]

Even so, I . . . am not sure you would understand it. Will the truth serve or serve the hurt you have nursed so long? It is a trap by nature.

[ A trap very few have escaped. A trap none of Leto's family survived from. ]

Would you like me to come visit or strip for the camera?

Is it truly concern of yours, if I understand or do not, if I am hurt or not? 'tis my life after life, Leto. Not yours.

[Life itself is a trap no one ever survives.]

Your pick of how wide an audience you desire, really. There is nowhere in this place that privacy is served, if that be your concern. Though I flatter myself thinking a might escape now and then by means of illusions.

[Oh Mr. Leto, oh.]

Edited 2016-03-04 06:49 (UTC)

It is. However, my concern is not so easily distanced from you. You are Loki. My loyalty lies in your wellbeing. I cannot save you. But I cannot destroy you either.

[ It was that simple. Clear cut emotionality, bound by his self-made constraints. For he must have them, must be chained to his own master law. ]

My audience must be wide indeed to merit the gaze of a God.

One might argue that monsters aren't meant to be saved, yes? I was born already cracked, and it's been borrowed time since. If I'm to be destroyed, it won't be by you.

[This is growing almost disconcerting. But he has a difficult time believing a truth exists that can destroy him more thoroughly than learning he was an illusion made out of Odin's lies and not a person at all.]

If you flirt with me more, I might have cause to blush. [Teasing.] The decision is yours entirely.

Nevertheless, I will not encourage the process. I do not think you are a monster, though I am sure you have undertake monstrous actions once. I am only here for you. I cannot act contrary for that.

[ He cannot and will not absolve Loki. He is only here to be, not to act. That being said, Leto wonders if Loki will understand this kind of commitment. They do not have any ties, save the ones made in another world. Words are worth less without some titular proof and Leto has none. And what he does have, he will not give.

He will not mastermind Loki's destruction, no matter how badly it is wanted.

While he lets Loki stew on that, Leto considers his next action and strips. Personal nudity (or nudity of any kind, really) holds little meaning to him. He has no shame, no social constructs.

And he enjoys "messing" with people, as they say. The jacket and shirt falls to reveal smooth, golden skin. But also, veins and the scattering of brown . . . leeches or worms, heavily fragmented and overlaid on top of each other, like armor. The skin breathes and sighs, a living thing molded into one terrifying rash that seeks dominion over its owner. ]

["I am only here for you." It feels like a slap on the face, and he draws back, like a cat that's been tapped on the nose. But that sentiment is far too reminiscent of other recent times, emotional wounds that are well nursed so they will never heal. His expression shutters, going from that relaxed engagement he'd begun to settle in to, the genuine hint of emotion, to that cold faintly amused smile that he wears when hurt and angry because he has been hurt.

And he laughs, because that's what he does when he's hurt or angry or confused. The world is a ridiculous place. He'd almost started liking this person, which is a thing he ought to know better than to do, really. Fool.]

You and Odin would get on so well. [An outwardly mild statement, as if just a point of conversation. It's one of the most dire insults he ever speaks and a shorthand for, you have hurt me more than I will ever admit.]

[He still watches for the answer to his much more minor question, because curiosity will be satisfied. But it's a more clinical sort of examination; he's doing his best to set feelings entirely aside, regarding this as information that might be useful some day.]

Interesting. The human runs deeper, then.

Edited 2016-03-04 14:03 (UTC)

[ Leto cocks his head again. Another misunderstanding. He sighs. Why was it so difficult to talk to Loki. ]

Not here in the deliberation of being here for you, or dictating your actions. I am simply here. Not to jail or blame. I do not see how Odin and I are alike in that. I am here, he is not. You both let go. I have not.

[ Was it really unclear? Or was it just like Loki to take an innocuous statement and see the worst in it?

Finally he retrieves his clothes. The ships were cold and they made him irritable. ]

To some degree. Not for much longer.

Edited 2016-03-05 00:12 (UTC)

[It's difficult to talk to Loki because he assumes everyone has perfect knowledge and is keeping up with his unspoken thought processes, really. And because he hates to explain himself.]

[Quietly:] Oh, that isn't it at all. Odin withheld a horrible truth from me for a thousand years, and congratulated himself for being so kind, so benevolent. And in so doing, he murdered his son.

[He has no stomach for such benevolence. And he wishes he could disagree with the statement that he let go, but he already had to confront that with his brother, and it's a lie he can no longer tell himself.]

Will you miss it?

[ Ah. That would explain it. Leto purses his lips. Loki did have a point, but so did Leto. Seeing all of time meant that he could not flagrantly interfere with other people's timelines. It closed off their other possibilities, limiting them to one path and one path only. ]

It is not a matter of benevolence. If I simply delivered the truths, I would cut you off from other possible futures. And even if I did, it is a truth only Loki can learn from Loki. You might already know it, but I cannot simply hand it to you.

[ Which leaves open the possibility of Loki dismissing him. Leto didn't like the thought, but rather to be hated and disliked than lead someone to their destruction. And he's no stranger to being reviled. ]

Hate me, if you must. Compare me to Odin, if you need to. I will not limit your future.

[ There. Now it's Loki's decision. Leto is starting to feel heartsore of it. Perhaps Loki will understand the magnitude of seeing all futures.

But then, perhaps not. ]

Yes. I will miss . . . being myself.

[Dryly:] Please, feel free to limit my future away from being horribly mangled again. I can stand to miss out on that. [Utter twaddle. Loki is the exception to all rules. That's the point of being Loki.] You are here. My younger self is not. Nor should I like to calculate the attendant odds that he will appear.

And yet you still might be less annoying than him, for all you have chosen to curse me with an itch I cannot scratch. [He's frustrated. He also knows that losing his temper will buy him absolutely nothing, so he will brood on it for later until he finds a solution.]

[A slight, curious twitch of the brows.] And who else would you be?

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