13107/Discordants: What Just Happened

Discordants: What Just Happened
Date of Scene:	18 October 2022
Location:	Palace - Asgard
Synopsis:	Immediately following the events at the Starport, Sif is summoned back to Asgard by Loki. She learns of Odin's fate. Loki learns of Thor's.
Cast of Characters:	Loki, Sif
Tinyplot:	Resonants

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Loki has posed:
Heimdall's summons of Sif was immediate and urgent -- as Sif did not yet know what had happened to Odin. She may have thought -- as would be logical -- that the pull came at Odin's requirement.

"You are needed in the throne room," is the information that Heimdall provides. It isn't more than that, as what he actually knows of Odin's condition is limited as well. To say more would be premature.

--

The palace is in a frenzy of action and mixed gossip and confusion. One of the servants is rushing out as Sif is coming in, speaking to another: "The healers have arrived, we're to stay out of the way," while the other nods, moving past...

Sif will find an odd sight in the throne room itself: a gathering of healers grouped around Odin, made as comfortable as possible on a grand magical cot. Loki is looming over the situation owlishly, though he glances up when Sif appears. There a controlled mask of very little on Loki's face, hiding how he feels from the room of healers and people.

Sif has posed:
As Sif arrives, Heimdall will see it written on her face. Something is very wrong. With his sight, he may even know already. She is still wearing that Asgardian dress which had been torn off at thigh length. Her sword was still in her right hand. Both it, and she, were covered in the remnants of a full on battle. She did have on a breastplate though it was not hers. Nor Asgardian. In fact, it was created by the Dark Elves and bore their craftmarks. No words were spoken as she merely nodded and rushed across the bridge toward the castle.

Upon reaching the palace, Sif took in the goings on with wide eyes then quickly schooled her expression to neutral though the stern lock of her jaw was obvious. She moved to Loki's side. "What happened here?"

Loki has posed:
Loki directly moves towards Sif to intercept, but she's quicker than he is in his state of mild shock. He directs her to step aside with a beckon as she reaches him; he then pulls his hands open, as if he were about to spray an onslaught of magic out from in front of him to either side. His expression doesn't match it being aggressive, though: it's more just matter-of fact. The reason for it will immediately be apparent: he made a muting silence field, so that they could speak without being overheard at all -- and not actually leaving the throne room, as Loki wants to keep an eye on this personally.

"Father collapsed, and isn't responding. I know something's happened to Thor-- what is it?" Loki asks. "Where is Thor? Did he fall in battle?" There is an agitated emotion here, but it isn't angry: it's more of someone working through shock with //purpose//. Focus on making things make sense. He hasn't had time to feel one way or another about anything, yet.

Sif has posed:
Though in other times, Sif may have been wary of Loki casting a spell, currently she is too numb to even be wary. She simply accepts what he is doing, giving another nod as she realized precisely what he had cast.

It was good they could talk without being overheard. The people around were already frightened. When they learned the rest, it could get out of hand.

The timing could not be coincidence. "We were attacked. Malekith." The word said as though she needed to spit something awful tasting out of her mouth. "During the ritual, a trap was sprung. We were removed to another place." She had no idea what it was. "There we battled his army. But he cast a spell just before the sorcerors could bring us back to Midgard." She swallowed and blinked. He might see a sheen of wetness there as she cut her gaze to the ceiling. Giving herself a moment. Then back under control, she spoke though her voice was slightly shaking.

"The spell struck Thor. Mjolnir was destroyed. And then Thor was...gone. Naught but scorched earth remained."

Loki has posed:
Loki watches Sif raptly, with a focus usually reserved for staring down a deeply hated foe. There isn't hate here, but more of a wish to get all of what Sif knows and somehow parse it into real facts efficiently.

"If there's no body, there's no death confirmed," is what Loki says, in a weird, flat way. "I want--" then a fix to that, "I need to see it. Let me look at your memory," Loki says. It's not a demand, exactly, it's still sort of a request, because he follows it with the trade: "I'll show you what I saw here." The chip offered, Loki extends a hand, expectant, starting to weave a coil of stretching and collapsing green energy in his offhand.

History with Loki will inform that he is doing something related to a mental spell - and the strongest ones are with consent, not forced. So he did ask for her to show him.

Sif has posed:
And the truth of how out of sorts Sif is becomes apparent.

There is no hesitation. No doubt. No concern. He is the Trickster. He is mercurial in the best of times. They have been friends and enemies through their lives, at various times. But given what has happened this night?

Her hand finds his and he will find her opening her mind willingly. Playing back the full events of the night. His optimism that no body doesn't mean Thor is dead is not agreed to, by her thoughts. Yet, those words did cause the tiniest hint of possibility. And one of the next steps she will be taking in her investigation.

She played everything back, from just before the spell was cast at the Starport to the moment Heimdall called her back to Asgard.

Loki has posed:
Loki concentrates on his magic, pushing the other distracting matters aside out of the way, and brings it back inward. He's not just viewing her thoughts, he's making a record. Looking back over it later when he's able to more properly sift through it is important, and Loki is very forward-thinking about certain things. He's interviewed events out of people lots of times, so this is an easy spell compared to others.

After collecting what she has to show, there's a little wait while Loki pulls mentally back from her. He's hiding how he feels from her-- he doesn't want her to pick up his turmoil. He doesn't like being seen as weak, if he's caught hurting or reacting. he isn't celebrating: there's a lot of denial present in Loki now.

He does what he said he would, though, he lets her see what happened as he was returning from the vault. It does include some grumpy self-commentary that he doesn't see how that relic will help anything, and his prodding of Odin verbally... and then the collapse. It does come with a very real, very honest shock of surprise: nobody, including Loki, saw Odin's collapse coming.

"All of my magic indicates he's going into Odinsleep. If it's connected to Mjolnir... or what he saw when it broke..." Loki trails off there, releasing Sif and crossing his arms, scowly. Green eyes move to Odin, where the healers seem to be now going to move him somewhere else.

Sif has posed:
That one strange statement from Odin stood out. Perhaps he had known he was about to fall into the Odinsleep. Known what was going to happen on that battlefield so far away. And know what was to come for Loki.

Sif reached up a hand to run back through her hair, an anxious movement. She still had that sword in her right, though it was turned so the tip rested on the floor. She closed her eyes a long moment. When she opened them again, that brightness was gone. For now.

"I know not. This is all beyond me. I cannot use magics to try to find the place where Thor was struck. Hopefully you can discern that with your magics." She frowned a little. "The ring Thor had. It had markings of Alfheim on it. And it was part of what went awry. I will be visiting Alfheim to demand what Queen Aelsa knows of this." Hopefully there was no wrong-doing. If there was, things could go poorly on that visit.

"I would confer with Zatanna Zatara. I would like to see the ring more closely and perhaps she could tell you more of what happened with the magic."

But then Sif turned to look Loki straight in the eye. "And I will support you in any way you need during this transition." Which may hint at what he is trying not to think about.

Loki has posed:
Loki doesn't flinch off of the direct eye contact, but there's a lot of denial still in his expression - which is making it a lot easier to function right now and to perform the magic necessary, that does need full concentration. But Loki's going to hit some emotional cliff soon, and woe to whoever is present when THAT mood flip happens!

He is the one to look away from Sif first, but it's to look back over at Odin. "This wasn't how this was supposed to be." There's that denial, in capital letters. Of course Sif knows Loki has done play for the throne, power -- usually elsewhere. But reality is different than a second prince having power fantasies. He doesn't explain exactly what he means, and he may not know either. It doesn't seem to imply he wanted to cause it - that's not the emotion there.

When Sif explains about Zatanna: "Will you gather everything that those that were there with you know, or bring them?" Loki says finally. "I can't leave the palace right now." The stability of Asgard can't handle that one at this time, and Loki's very aware of what palace politics are about to require.

Sif has posed:
When she thought back on this moment later, that would be something Sif would dwell on. What was going through his mind to say those words. What it must be like to have it all fall into his lap...but under the worst possible circumstances.

"I will speak to them. If they wish to speak in person, it will be arranged. If it cannot be done as a group, hopefully you will be able to see them individually?" For everyone will have their own viewpoints, have seen different things. Perhaps there will be some clues there that could help resolve this.

"We should have the Castle Guard on high alert. If Malekith planned this well, he may intend another attack on Asgard."

Loki has posed:
Loki's under a lot of stress, so perhaps the words are more related to himself, or his own reaction. What he thought being at the top would entail: not this rather confused and disjointed tension that's so thick in the palace, seeping out into Asgard's heart. Perhaps the lack of feeling in control of //anything// is what Loki's referring to.

But in fact, he did do things, he hasn't frozen. Centuries of planning what he would do in different scenarios meant he did have a good scope of it -- such as, "The guard and defenses are already rallying. I've assigned several of them, and Heimdall is networking as I have need," Loki answers. It's factual, there's no air or lie to Loki right now: he just hasn't had time to prep anything, so Sif is getting just a raw, immediate version of Loki that's ... very rare. And maybe one of his best versions of himself. He's not steeped in a pile of pre-prepared bullshit.

"They're moving father now. I'll keep Heimdall updated, if you need information or have anything new," Loki says. He looks for the first time at her torn up state, but he doesn't actually suggest anything. He's not going to insult her by suggesting she look to her own injuries - she can handle herself and Loki knows that.

"If we need to retaliate for Thor, I hope you'll lead the charge with the Valkyries," is what Loki says, before starting to follow the group taking Odin.