riverview | [ text | un: trickster ]

Right! [Hiccup goes to dig in a leather bag for a worn, old-looking book. It's hand-bound in leather and the pages are made of thick yellowish paper, definitely materials from long before modern paper refinement and machine binding.] It's not all my notes, my friend back on Berk has a lot of our research too, but it still might be interesting. [He removes the folded, pasted-together mess of his archipelago map and lays that on the table for safekeeping before he hands over the journal.

The pages are filled with charcoal sketches of different species of dragons, labeled diagrams, quick facts in Norse runes. The first pages are all about Toothless.] You don't have dragons in Asgard?

No. Most of the fantastical beasts are relegated to other realms along Yggdrasil's roots. And Asgard has hunted down many of them.

[ He glances at the notebook, his eyes trailing over deep black lines. ]

The sizes are strange. The wingspans do not match creatures that seem so dense. Are their bones hollow like a bird's?

Oh. [He seems a little sobered at that. He knows, intellectually, that worlds are different, and Asgard is probably very different, and who knows what creatures lurk in the other realms, but the thought of hunting anything down puts a slight furrow in his brow. It wasn't all that long ago that vikings hunted dragons, made trophies out of their heads and bones and skins. Talking about dragon biology, that's much easier.]

No, not usually. Maybe some species... We have tried to puzzle out how a Gronckle is able to fly, they're really heavy. Night Furies probably have the biggest wingspans, though I think Timberjacks come close, proportionally speaking of course.

[ Loki peers closely at the drawings. ]

So perhaps it is the wing structure that matters rather than the overall density. I assume the tail is necessary to maintain balance and to cut through the air pressure. Perhaps the ridges at the top would do the same.

I know with Night Furies, the fins are important for flight. [He points to one of his early sketches of Toothless from above, the smudged out left tail-fin.] Toothless was injured here. He couldn't get any altitude or steer himself until I built him a new one. It's different for every species, though, since they don't all have the same physical structure.

You built it? Impressive. How well does it operate and work in the air?

[ He doubts Berk has many technological advancements. ]

I was apprenticed in the forge when I was young. There wasn't much else I could do. [He rubs the back of his neck idly, a little embarrassed.] It's not that impressive, there's a cord that runs along his tail and body and connects to a pedal on the saddle that opens, closes, and shifts its position. It was a lot of trial and error, but works pretty well. One of my diagrams for the saddle and tail rig is in the note book somewhere.

Ah.

[ There's a knowing tone in his voice. ]

There is no merit to a person who is not a warrior. According to most.

[ He moves on immediately, gesturing to the fin. ]

There are lighter metals here that you can use. More durable as well.

Something like that. [Loki seems to get it, so Hiccup is glad he doesn't have to elaborate. It's easy to shift the subject, because he lights up with a craftsman's curiosity when Loki mentions lighter metals.]

Lighter? Like what? That would open up a lot more possibilities, for the tail-fin and for my flight suit... [It's hard to tell if he's talking to himself or his conversation partner at times.] Oh. But I haven't seen a forge here.

We've moved past the days of iron forges and heated fires. Which metals are you familiar with?

[ Loki might have an idea, but this is a world with dragons. He cannot take his assumptions for granted. ]

Really? Then how do they make things out of metal? There's a ton of it in the construction around here. [He's slowly catching up to Riverview's technology but. This just hasn't come up yet.] Iron, mostly, and Gronckle iron if we need something really strong. It's a kind of iron Gronckle dragons can spit up after eating the right proportion of raw materials.

Edited 2017-10-02 11:48 (UTC)

[ Loki frowns faintly because he was not entirely familiar with the methods they use in the current age. ]

Then we shall see about finding titanium. And perhaps speak to someone more knowledgeable with metalwork. It has been a few centuries for me and I do not recall how mortals do it.

['We' shall see sounds like Loki plans to help him on that little quest, and Hiccup brightens a little.] That would be great. I might try the library too, they probably have books about it, right? [Honestly the process of learning something new and doing the research is exciting for Hiccup.

Toothless, meanwhile, is rolling his eyes and huffing out a little roar at him, because once Hiccup gets started on something, he's on it for days.]

C'mon, bud, we need to rebuild your spare tail-fins here anyway. What if that one gets broken?

[ Loki hasn't noticed. He gets caught up in the details and often lets certain truths slip by. He glances at Toothless briefly with a click of his tongue before turning to Hiccup's desk. With a flick of his fingers, he creates a few rods of platinum, titanium and inconel. ]

Try those. Let me know what you think and we will proceed from there.

[He looks over the rods of different metals, picking one up to test the weight and feel of it, critical and discerning. Having a project is nice.] We'll have to test out the heat resistance, see if any of these can hold up to dragon-fire, and it's too bad I don't have any changewing acid with me...

[He looks up at Loki then, setting down the metal sample, and his smile is genuine, heartfelt. Honest.] Thank you. For the insight. This is really helpful.

[ Loki blinks, quizzical. He barely did anything beyond step beyond personal boundaries to indulge his curiosity. ]

It is helpful if my ideas have been proven to hold merit, not before.

[Hiccup is grateful anyway.] It gives me some new ideas to go on. Things to look into more. Perspective is important, and I'm having to adjust mine since everything is so new here.

[ Hm. Loki tilts his head in acknowledgement. ]

No doubt it'll be a sharp adjustment. But the people here are always . . . accommodating.

They've all been really nice so far, yeah. It's made things easier, I guess, though it's still a big adjustment.

[ Loki nods. This kind of conversation doesn't suit him. He doesn't know how to make small talk and it sets him on edge. ]

You will manage.

[ Hiccup is . . . pleasant. Riverview has room for pleasant people. ]

Yeah, I'll be alright. I've got him. [He glances back over at Toothless again, immeasurably fond of the scaly creature.] Anyway, if you wanted, I could make you a copy of my dragon research. So you could read it, you know, at your leisure.

[ Loki eyes him, trying to gauge how genuine that offer is before nodding. ]

If it is not too much trouble.

Not at all! Just give me some time to get the copies made and I'll let you know when they're ready.

[ Loki inclines his head in acknowledgement as he leaves, magic shimmering in his wake. ]

[ text | un: trickster ]

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