3790/Farewell

Farewell
Date of Scene:	12 October 2020
Location:	Asgardian Embassy
Synopsis:	Loki departs and Thor says farewell.
Cast of Characters:	Thor, Loki

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Thor has posed:
    A line of men were prominent, strong in manner, hearty of conviction, all seeming entirely focused on the task at hand before them which apparently involved waiting in line with sword and shield in hand. It was a line that wound its way through the Embassy, down the hall. Starting from the servant's quarters where many of the guards lived, it ended in the converted dance hall that offered a place for them to train.
    It was there that the Prince of Asgard held court in his own way. Though it was anything but a formal occasion or even political. For it was the day he trained with the Einherjar.
    "Ah, Magnus, when was the last time we faced each other?"
    "Last year, Prince Thor. Before the harvest festival in Asgard."
    "Excellent. At the ready then!" The Thunderer raised the practice sword, still metal, just not as edged nor pointed. He crouched low and gestured for the guardsman to come at him...
    As he previous fourteen other soldiers had done so. Some were bruised, one was bloodied, but all had taken their task seriously and Thor himself was not unmarred either. Yet he stood. Then the sound of metal ringing upon metal was heard as the duel was engaged.

Loki has posed:
"Maybe if everyone took a number, they'd be able to /watch/, instead of being all the way down in the hallway," Loki observes, his voice pleasant, floating in to reach the ears of many of the Einherjar, as well as his brother.

"It can't be interesting for you way down in this hallway. Bored to tears, I imagine?" Loki asks, still not visible compared to the dance studio area.

"There now!" Loki's victorious voice. The Einherjar begin to come into the fighting room now, a 'proper audience' from the line in the hallway, each with a small rune tablet, to mark their turn. And after a cluster of them comes Loki, head high, in regal mix of cloth and leather finery. He draws near the current battle area, observing the fight with a lofted angle of head.

Thor has posed:
    The swords stop ringing, and Magnus steps back to the side, sword held at his waist as he adjusts the hang of his shield. It's enough to signal to Thor to hold off as he hears the words coming from Loki now standing there amidst the other Asgardians. He smirks a little and then raises his practice blade in salute then murmurs, "There now, Magnus. We shall finish another time." Then he turns to the shuffling Einherjar who some are still jostling for position as they peer and look on what transpires.
    Thor lifts his voice and calls out, "Tomorrow, brave warriors. We shall resume. For now my brother has need of me." Which is obviously why he's interrupting here. Obviously.
    Which leads to an altogether different form of shuffling as the warriors start to file out, dispersing to their duties and the needs of the day.
    Which eventually ends with Thor setting down the practice blade and shield before he approaches his brother. "Loki. What passes?"

Loki has posed:
"Do I have need of you? Hm. News to me. You could have continued," Loki says, though he waits for the warriors to leave for the most part. He doesn't 'embarrass' Thor in front of them. That speaks to Loki being in a pleasant enough mood, regardless of how his exterior demeanor reads.

Loki wanders past Thor as he approaches him, to go 'inspect' the practice equipment, in a relaxed and easygoing manner. As if this were normal. "Merely helping your management of your battle opponents. So suspicious, breaks my heart," Loki comments idly. He flicks his gaze back to Thor, though, resting a hand on the pommel of one of the weapons. It's non-aggressive, he has no intention of crossing practice swords.

"If anything, I've come to see if /you/ have need of me, before I take leave for a while."

Thor has posed:
    The gear is there upon one of the myriad of racks in the training hall. Plain and simply made, but durable considering their hearty construction and unearthly material. No Uru metal assuredly, but find smithing all the same. Yet it's while Loki inspects them that Thor turns, arms folding over his chest as he watches his brother moving about the room.
    "Where are you going, for how long, and can I help you pack?" Is the Thunderer's answer, a quickly rattled series of words that might surprise the Trickster in turn. But a slight tilt of his head is seen afterwards as instead of seeking to score points he inquires, "Where are you going?" He repeats, more serious. His voice a different tone than the one used to offer the words of before.

Loki has posed:
Loki sniffs, as if injured, flicking thumb and forefinger against one of the blades of a practice axe, making it chime loudly into the room. A hearty hit, not unalike impact of axe to sword. "Vacation. I work /too hard/ sometimes," Loki laments with a deep, heavy breath. If he's truly exhausted, it's being hidden behind pride, as he doesn't look it, but that doesn't mean it isn't so. Loki, always the elusive liar: even when showing such a thing might be of benefit!

"I'll be taking some of the servants with me. My personal masseuse. I'll be off-world; in no means do I intend to spend any trace of my vacation /here/." UGH HUMANS.

Thor has posed:
    "That does remind me, brother." Thor says, arms still folded over his chest and the practice armor he wears, the breastplate clanking slightly as he shifts his weight from one heavy boot to the other. "When you were bound and trapped here, you gave me the impression you were going to be away extensively once you were freed, you wouldn't spend much time here, such a distasteful place. Only for you to seem to do nothing but."
    He quirks a blond eyebrow thoughtfully, "Unless that had never been your intention. And perhaps you recently suffered some form of setback. Perhaps by a group of individuals seeking to confound your efforts regarding a particular ice mage or the like?"
    He holds up a hand, "Just pure supposition on my part, I assure you." He steps to the side then, "Yet you flee now. Could it be you are displeaed with your defeat or is there aught else?"

Loki has posed:
"Sounds like you have an inaccurate description of events," Loki snorts. "I had a human mage prisoner. I gave the prison /and/ the prisoner back to his own kind, these humans. They started to immediately free him, though, and I felt /obligated/ to suggest they not do that, and offer suggestions on how to continue to contain said evil. My intent was not to deal with it anymore, and yet my help is colored so unfairly."

Loki comes back towards Thor now, with a direct, challenging look. "They dealt with it, decided to execute their prisoner. What do /you/ think happened, that I'm being blamed for?" Loki asks, sharp. Perhaps he IS insulted.

Thor has posed:
    "Of course, of course. Everyone is so often mistaken about you, Loki. I spend so much time trying to correct them." The tone of his brother, the scowl at the corner of his features, it's not a pleasant thing. But then he seems to surrender it with a deep exhalation and a sigh, perhaps deciding to let the thing drop and instead embarks on another tendril of conversation.
    "In any case, where are you going? Is there something amiss?" He shifts his weight to the other boot, leather creaking as he frowns.
    "Are you in need of aid?" He asks, and for a brief moment there's a hint of true concern there. Then he shakes his head and gestures over his shoulder. "For some of the Einherjar think well enough of you, perhaps several of them can travel with."

Loki has posed:
"I'm not fleeing anything. I will stay, have you reason for me to do so," Loki retorts. He did not like the suggestion of cowardice, and it's made his 'fur' on his hackles lift, and the shift of tone.

"I can take the Einherjar, if you're saying I need to be fearful for some reason," Loki says, seeing a perhaps suggestion of threat under his brother's words. "To be /direct/, one of my contacts is building a mighty library, and I've been invited," Loki brags. "She has been developing it for decades. A perfect vacation."

Thor has posed:
    "Good," Thor says as he points at Loki, even poking him in the chest if he is well and truly there. "Go and do that." He turns and then starts walking away across the training hall, boot heels clicking as he walks and continues to speak over his shoulder in his brother's direction. "A few hundred years tending to a library will do wonders for you. I whole-heartedly endorse this course of action."
    That having been said he reaches the double door and slides one into its closed position, while keeping the other open for their departure. "Do you have need of anything for your journey?" He stands there, likely waiting for Loki to precede him.

Loki has posed:
Loki is there. The poke impacts his chest. Loki doesn't react to it, beyond to watch Thor move to the door. Loki pauses just long enough to cause his brother to perhaps question if he's holding the door for no reason, before Loki finally moves and stride across.

"Nothing," Loki responds simply. "Though I feel my information about it is unwanted. Next time, shall I just disappear?" Loki questions. "You say you prefer me to be /kinder/, yet my outreach seems to do little. Just interesting."

Thor has posed:
    "Loki," Thor turns and takes a deep breath. He looks down, settling his gaze low as his hands rest upon his hips. He looks at the toe of his boot and tries to focus, then shakes his head as he looks up and meets the other's eyes.
    "You are my brother. I will e'er love you. Yet when I see you my feelings are conflicted, and you understand why." He looks around the room, then back. "So yes, getting away. It is a good thing I feel. And I will always fear for your safety and your well-being. Yet I also do not wish to be used by you again. That is what you see. My anger with the situation. Not entirely at you."
    He frowns and shakes his head, gaze lowering once again. Then he lifts a hand to his brother's shoulder. "Go, and find some peace."

Loki has posed:
Loki watches Thor for a pause, a weird little pause, glancing at the hand on his shoulder. His eyes rake sideways from the hand to Thor's face. "There's also monsters chewing the base of the library's tower we're going to get rid of," Loki admits. "Not a real /threat/, really."

...

"Do you want to come?"

Thor has posed:
    Eyebrows lifting resignedly, an exhalation that hints at exhaustion, then it breaks into a smile as that exhalation could almost be a laugh if it gave more energy. "There was a time I would have leapt at the chance. But my obligations hold me here for now." He looks to the side, around the room, though likely not seeing just it but all of what he considers Midgard.
    "But if these monsters or the task proves difficult," Then he changes tone slightly and offers a more politick way of phrasing, "Or it would simply be easier to have my aid, then call on me. And I shall come. Long enough to smite a few creatures if needs be." His lip twists up and then with no further hesitation he leans in to embrace his brother.
    His hand claps light upon the man's back three times, then he extends back to hold him at arm's length, hands on his shoulders. "Fare well, brother."

Loki has posed:
Loki's emotions are quick and mercurial. It could go any number of ways. In this case? "Fine," Loki sniffs, feeling, perhaps, rejection's little sting. The outreach was dangerous for Loki's pride. But he adapts very quickly, and smirks after the embrace. Either he's recovered - or he's covering his little injury.

"Enjoy your obligations," Loki scoffs. "If you need them lifted, I am an expert at it." Which probably sounds like the worst idea there is, Loki helping Thor to not have obligations could just involve a lot of murder and manipulation.

And could still happen!

"Farewell."