video; @fromTV (with bonus Loki)

[spellslots]

[The scene: the central room of the ice maze, cleared of gifts and drinks, replaced by an oversized throne that looks as though it belongs in some nightmare castle. On the throne sits Loki, in full Asgardian regalia, while Taako has managed to find a perch on the side of the throne, legs dangling off the side lazily, with an arm draped around Loki’s shoulders. He has no regalia to fall back on, so he’s gone for something black and striking, to match the theme of this little spectacle and to not clash horribly with Loki; his hair is braided tightly and his long nails are tipped with silver jewellery that he likely stole from Rin. In the background, there are faint sounds of panic; no screams yet, but questioning, worried voices, the sounds of people who are just starting to realize they should be afraid.]

Citizens of Riverview, [ Loki speaks in a low, lazy drawl that does nothing to hide the menace and power in his voice. ] We have lost our patience with you. So we will be taking over your charming little city. Freedom, after all, is life’s great lie. We will bring order to your messy lives.

[In contrast to Loki’s almost lazy indifference, Taako’s grin is sharp, a slight manic edge to his tone.]

Let’s not be too generous, calling it charming is a stretch and we could do so much better for ourselves, like say, the Capital World. We’re fucking sick and tired of playing nice with a bunch of idiots who wouldn’t know magical power if it bit them in the ass, but maybe the rest of this universe will have some more sense. Which is where-- [In the background, someone screams something about being let out, and Taako sighs deeply.] I wasn’t fucking finished.

[He raises a hand and what looks like black lightning seems to crackle over his fingers, spreading out across the ice and off screen as the background sounds fall deathly silent.]

I know they say to never work with children or animals, but honestly, it’s people that really get to you. [He pauses, lifts a shoulder in a lazy what can you do? sort of shrug] As I was saying, what we need from you is a shuttle to get off this shithole once we're done here.

Comply with our demands . . . or else the rest of you will suffer the same fate that befall those who rebel against us. Succumb to your natural state, your desire for subjugation.

[ As if on cue, a few sparrows fly past them, frost already spreading on their wings. ]

Comments

[fiercestwarrior]

[ More or less. Don't tell Loki she still cares tho. ]

I actually don't get cold very easily.

[spellslots]

Was that a joke or a slang thing?

[fiercestwarrior]

Not a joke. The other thing.

[spellslots]

Oh, it means like, great? Awesome?
Those kinda things

[fiercestwarrior]

In that case I am pretty cool yes.

As are you, when you are not making light of your friend's past as a vicious conqueror.

[spellslots]

In my defense, we don't really talk about any conquering Loki may or may not have done

[fiercestwarrior]

I do not know much, the Bifrost was inopperable at the time because of Loki's previous scheme.

That one involved destroying a realm rather than conquering it.

[spellslots]

He tried to destroy a realm?

[fiercestwarrior]

Jotunheim, the realm of frost giants. We had been at war with them in the past, and the peace was always an uneasy one.

Loki tried to use the bifrost, our bridge between worlds, to wipe the world out. Thor had to destroy the bridge in order to stop him.

[spellslots]

[Well..... it's not like he hasn't nearly committed genocide, but the circumstances are probably different.]

Aren't frost giants monsters to Asgardians? Kinda thought you'd be happy to see them gone.

[fiercestwarrior]

Frost giants are our enemies, yes, but we made peace. Odin took their source of power and they were confined to their own realm.

I may revel in the glory of battle, but there is no honor in slaying those who cannot defend themselves.

[spellslots]

[He's curious if Sif knows, what Loki is, but he's certainly not going to ask.]

Yeah, that's kind of a dick move

[fiercestwarrior]

[ At this point, it wouldn't change much in all honesty. ]

Most of his moves are.

[spellslots]

He's always been nice to me

[Look.

Taako's never pretended to care about things beyond how they effect him.]

[fiercestwarrior]

He can be, when it suits him.

[spellslots]

You make that sound like he's after something

[fiercestwarrior]

In recent times, that has been my experience.

[spellslots]

I can get why you'd probably be suspicious, but I'm pretty sure he's just nice to me cause we're friends

[fiercestwarrior]

I thought he was mine too, once.

But you are a grown man, and I am not your mother. You can make your own judgments.

[spellslots]

Grown elf

[Not to get all Ferengi, but.]

And I think you were Thor's friend

[fiercestwarrior]

Apologies, grown elf.

I was closer with Thor, yes. Loki and I tended to get under each other's skin. That does not mean I did not care for him.

But I suppose in the end he saw it as you do. Perhaps he was right.

[spellslots]

[Taako weighs up his response carefully, because on one hand, he thinks this may be important but also he doesn't know how much Loki wants him saying.

At the end of the day, it's not like he's giving away secrets, this is just his own interpretation.]

Yeah, like, I'm not saying you didn't care or anything but I dunno if he ever knew that. And it doesn't excuse the shit he did but
I trust him
Maybe that's a mistake, but the worst thing that could happen to me has already happened, so if he fucks me over I'll just deal with it

[fiercestwarrior]

[ She spends a while thinking on what Taako wrote, and one thing she tends to be good at is recognising truth when she sees it.

She won't forgive Loki, he has given her no reason to, but she can still acknowledge that he may not have known that she was fond of him, in her own way. ]

I never knew he particularly wanted my affection, in truth.

But you are right, there is not much he could do to you here. And if you two keep each other busy perhaps you will get into more benign kinds of trouble.

[spellslots]

[He thinks that it's likely that Loki wants everyone's affection, because this is something they have in common, that desperate need to fill a hollow part of themselves with attention and affection from everyone around them. Or at least - something they had in common before Taako remembered that it was Lup who was meant to fill that emptiness.]

I'm not the world's best influence, but I can keep him outta real trouble

[In all honesty, Taako's probably had more of a positive effect on Loki than he quite realizes.]

[fiercestwarrior]

Good enough for me.

[ Sif has, after all, gotten into a lot more trouble in the past than one might think. ]