14339/The Prince Who Didn't Want to be King

The Prince Who Didn't Want to be King
Date of Scene:	06 March 2023
Location:	Xavier's School Front Yard
Synopsis:	Loki visits Xavier's and talks with Emma about magically body switched people, and makes a gift to Roberto of a horde of vacuum cleaners which may or may not be set to American power standards.
Cast of Characters:	Emma Frost, Loki, Roberto da Costa

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Emma Frost has posed:
It's another day back to the Mansion. She's gotten her guest room back to the way she prefers it. Even for somewhere she barely spends any time, Emma Frost is a perfectionist when it comes to her own creature comforts. Another few hours on the phone with contractors that are permitted to come to the school, and everything is in order. It's sometime in the afternoon now and in a business suit, she's going along the front lawn while scrolling through things on her Starkphone.

Loki has posed:
Emma has at least one 'friend' that doesn't use things like text messages or other means of contact when he decides to show up. No doubt she handles a lot of people like this -- but this one in particular doesn't have much interest in being easy to schedule. Emma's no doubt busy -- but when it rains, it pours, doesn't it?

"Well. You appear to have kept yourself quite busy and entertained, even without my interference," observes an otherwise entirely ordinary and uninteresting squirrel sitting up on part of the fence along the driveway. There's no mask to the voice or style of tone: Loki is making it blatant who it is that is talking to Emma, here. ...Other than it's from a possibly illusory squirrel, anyway.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma hasn't been expecting to have anyone come out to meet her. So as a squirrel goes to speak to her, it takes a moment for it to register. And then the voice, once she confirms that it's real and not anything telepathic. "Yes, I have. What brings you out here to check on me, Regent Laufeyson?" She would bobble her head to him.

"And I've been keeping myself occupied. There are always things going on which keep things.. Interesting."

Loki has posed:
"The niceties of social upkeep," wryly teases the Squirrel, with a bob of tail and flex of lower back. It is sitting very properly, small paws resting near abdomen. How very proper! "Occasionally keeping contact with allies, or -- dare I venture-- friends." He's not necessarily confirming they are friends either way, there's a light undertone of playful sarcasm all over his speech here, but the message is still mostly genuine in tone.

"Interesting stories? Hm," says the squirrel-Loki, thoughtful, though he's not invested yet. "Any of those I can easily destroy for you to give you time for a spa day?" he queries. ...So Loki probably just wants a spa day.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod over at Loki, "Thank you for considering me one, Regent." Is that appropriate to call Loki? Unless he says otherwise, Emma is keeping it formal. He hasn't confirmed they are friends or that he has any specific reason to check up on her. "I do appreciate you joining me." Remembering -not- to offer him any nuts or nut based puns.

"I can easily arrange a spa day. The joys of owning my own. And if you wish I can share some.. Stories."

Loki has posed:
As if anticipating he'd better get out of the squrriel form before any nut-based puns start to surface, he moves forward... and the shapeshift is /clean/. Magic can handle things in a way that has a certain delicate showmanship to it. The shift isn't stretchy or strange -- just more of a 'fufft!' of magic while in motion forward, and Loki's form shimmers into existance there. He's dressed in a relaxed but immaculate business tailoring, all black; his hair is back halfway, the top loosely braided above the ears into a deliberately touseled half-pony. He fits in entirely into 'modern' look here, except for looking like, maybe, some kind of Hollywood producer.

And, well. That he looks like Loki. There's no mask on right now -- although students passing by in the yard wouldn't necessarily identify him at a glance without his armor or an army for context, necessarily.

"There aren't too many undue /demands/ on your time? Fortunate for you," Loki observes, hands relaxing into his pockets. He sounds a little grumpy, but it isn't to a dangerous level.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would shake her head, "No, Regent, there have been no.. Catastrohpic events as of late. Merely ongoing cruelties and chaos." She would go on, "The Realms are befalling all of thier calamities from what I've heard. I hope that you are able to deal with Malekith and his Svartelves in short enough order. She would continue on, "And I'm certain that you have the situation under control and that your agents have it well in hand."

She would move to bow to him while taking her hands together to make it formal. "And I have not had any undue demands. Merely the.. Normalcies of what life and it brings." She's as relaxed as one can be over with Loki as he transforms.

Loki has posed:
"You're not going to distract me from hearing your most interesting 'story' by bringing up Malekith," Loki comments serenely, with a small lift of chin and lofty, slender smile. Loki's not interested in the dark elves topic, is certainly the message there: or intends to keep focus more on something else - whatever he's getting at.

Loki hasn't clarified or declined any of the titles Emma is using for him-- perhaps saying 'Loki' loudly on the lawn isn't his preference at any rate. Or the titles are currently ... accurate.

"But it sounds like Normalcies aren't really interesting. Do you have better?" Loki teases her, moving along the path a small amount, with an idle brush of fingers on the rail he'd been sitting on as a squirrel, previously.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa comes down from the house headed towards the garage looking every bit as stylish as he usually does, he slows half way across driveway as Emma kneels to man in the suit, "Emma, we have a vaccuum, you can send the nice salesman away." He slips his hands into his pocket, watching.

Loki has posed:
Loki glances at Roberto, taking in the comment. He tilts his head, and there's a flux through the driveway. A flutter of potential energy, that erupts into .... approximately forty vaccuum cleaners materializing all over the place. They're in the driveway, on the lawn, two are in a tree. Loki looks innocently at Emma.

Emma Frost has posed:
And there is Emma moving to rub over at her temples, and sends a message over to Roberto <<Do be polite, Roberto. We havea .. Rather high esteemed guest dropping in. Please do be polite.>>
    then all of the vacuum cleaners do appear, and she glances over at Roberto with a fully deadpan expression. "And he does have quite a wide variety if you see something you'd like to select."
    Warning given, Loki's made his own little joke of things..
    "And I suppose I do owe you a story. I tinvolves apparently a group of shared dreams that has the Hulk punching a sorceress with.. Purple and white hair? I don't quite recall the specifics. But everyone ended up in different bodies."

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa smiles and walks over to the nearest vacuum, inspecting it, "Impressive, is this the magic that dissipates in a few hours or did you put some oomph into it?" Roberto is totally not above selling these to make a cool profit, nor is he surprised. The comment had the desired effect after all. <<You're welcome.>> is all he sends back to Emma. He listens to Emma and smiles blithely, "That would seem to be the department of another blonde mutant. Though I understand his reticence to approach her given her address." Roberto squats down and picks up the power cord, "Hunh, European, I guess that makes sense."

Loki has posed:
"You prefer American?" Loki questions, and shifts the vaccuum Roberto is inspecting. It changes to a STARK brand creatively labeled 'I REALLY suck' on it. That might not be an entirely 'official' brand.

Loki doesn't lower himself to answer about how good the vaccuums are (or aren't) or what they actually might do if plugged in or switched on. It was barely an offhanded adjustment, though: Loki's more focused on Emma.

"Purple and White? Mmm." Loki looks amused - suggestive he knows who that could be -- but he doesn't actually focus on that. The spell is more interesting. "Body swaps? Oh dear. That can be /quite/ a mess," Loki observes, without sarcasm. Just observational. "Accidental explosion of magic, do you think, or on purpose?"

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would glance over at the vacuums, "So not from ACME brand?" HOpefully there are some minimal standards over with things. "I thank you. We are somewhat here in ampreage we can get over in the states." She would glance over at Roberto <<At least he's considering this a time to amuse himself>> Rather than being annoyed over.
    She would nod over at LOki, "Yes, and more strangely the body.. Exchanges most often do not seem to have been amongst the same individuals. Most of the time psionically it's a straight exchange. Not amongst third and fourth parties." Magic is going to work quite differently than psionics after all.
    "I'm not sure. Given the recital of events I'd presume accidental, but I don't know the intent or what was going on."

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa drops the cord as it changes, shaking his hand like he got a shock. He nods slowly, "I mean, we can get converters, not that big a deal." He is considering possible avenues of re-sale, loki-stans, the troll market, was that convention this week or last? He looks up, and squints at Emma, opening his mouth, then closing it and shaking his head, <<I can give you Mrs. Strange's number.>> He watches listening, and doing some small accounting, wondering how dangerous it would be to let the students play with them.

Loki has posed:
Loki's curious but isn't intensely interested. He's inspecting part of a cuticle on his fingers, but finds them perfect and not in need of adjustment. His hand returns to rest at the pocket. "If any of the people have powers or abilities, seeing where /that/ ends up can be telling of intent... or lack of intent. For example, if you switch both a mind AND the power with it.... you won't end up with someone suddenly uncontrollably hearing all voices in the city and going nova. More novas, more ... chaos."

"Funny to have another one of these just after that Shadow King issue, though that /was/ about dragging minds out of bodies into the astral maw, less about swaps, so. ...Feels like that was yesterday, that I was /saving/ all those humans." Loki observes. Due to his view of the passage of time, it probably feels like that to the god of mischief. His reaction is mixed: sort of amused by it, a fun little situation to Loki, maybe.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod over at Loki, "It doesn't seem to be the same variety. At least from what I've seen the switches appear to have been done cleanly and without extreme trauma. Well.. Moreso beyond what is to be expected. i'm reasonably sure it's not psionic in nature and it has none of the hallmarks of the Shadow King. I've not seen reports of there being catastrophic flarings from powers in the news.."

And if whomever is in Divine's body had such a thing happen, Emma would know. "So there seems to be some level o finherent control passed along. And having a full borne new telepath erupt.." Emma's seen such things. All the thousand thousand voices yelling out and you screaming. You break down or you get them to shut -up-.

There's a reason why the frist thing any telepath will do upon realizing what their powers are is to make mental shields. It's for your own sanity.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa begins to gather the vaccuums, the old fashion way. Leaving just a few the best hidden to be found by the students or other faculty. I mean education is about discovery and Loki garden vacuums are what school adventures are made from. The rest he lines up near the garage. "Was it limited to North America? There have been a number of odd things going on outside the US. A lot of sponataneous power eruptions and human reactions with torches and pitchforks or worse."

Loki has posed:
"Hm. This feels more like either intentional... or the spell was prepared beforehand but the targets accidental," Loki chatters. He doesn't care, he isn't invested, though. He's making conversation as if they were talking about sportsball. It's just something interesting but not earth-shattering. Just some loose magic to some randos, after all....

"Any big hero or, gasp, villain names on that swap list, by the way?" Loki asks, then, serenely. "Or just nobodies?" Since there were powers that can go nova mentioned, Loki's keyed in that it's probably more heroes.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma's looking rather amused now over. "I'm glad to see that you're being hands on with a business opportunity and have plans, Roberto." She's actually impressed here. Warren would be extremely lacksadasical - by reputation. Roberto always has a great deal of initiative..

<<And thank you for the offer, I already have her on speed dial since the vampire duchy incident last year.>>

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto da Costa raises his eyebrows with a sigh as neither of them take any interest in anything outside America's borders. Roberto nods, still considering. Emma's praise bounces off him <<... and this is your play? >> Roberto continues to package the vacuums, "... Good question, who did they grab of yours Emma?"

Loki has posed:
Loki actually takes in what Roberto is doing in a more direct way. Loki mostly takes it as... Roberto is cleaning up. And that's fine, reasonable, to Loki. Loki makes messes, people clean them up. So no restriction or aid is offered either way about the vaccuums. Which are probably possessed with all sorts of nonsense to enjoy long after Loki's gone. --But nothing too dangerous. Getting the big telepath that lives in this house upset isn't something Loki needs right now.

"So, nobodies, then," Loki says, when Emma ignores his question. He yawns a little. "Well, I'll leave you to them, for now."

Loki begins to turn... transparent.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod over at Roberto, "Yes, an.. Employee of mine is one of those. I'm looking into things to try and help her as I can. I've not found luck beyond locating another pair of individuals that seem to have taken the switch as well. Have you run itno Ms. Lee and her fiance as of late?" She drops that in front of Loki just as she expects he'll be paying attention anyays and whether he cares or not it's impolite to hide things from a guest.
    "Thank you for your visit, Regent Laufeyson. I hope my story was amusing. And thank you for your.. Gift."

Loki has posed:
Loki chuckles at 'Gift'. "I'll visit again. However ... Don't call me a pony salesman next time. It won't get you a dozen ponies," Loki playfully chatters. But then he pauses. "Or /will it/?"

Maybe he'll conjure ponies. Loki enjoys the lack of knowing for sure, though -- as this, in fact, is Loki's most true form. Yes, current leader of Asgard, and a villain quite often, but at the core, he's about mischief and the lessons and challenges they create, in a way that isn't particularly lethal. Sometimes beneficial. It just varies.

At the very least, the mischief god is getting off their lawn, now. "/Do/ follow up on that Spa Day with me though, Emma, hm?" Loki queries, before he disappears in a soft churn of light green magic.