(Untitled)

[talented_liar]

Although Loki does not know it, in what follows -as in so many things before- he is merely following the path of his older brother. He had let go of the shattered remains of the Bifrost only seconds before, falling quickly down, down to a destination that even he was uncertain of. Loki, rarely uncertain of anything, would have been unnerved by

Comments

[havenoplans]

Thor's search for Mjolnir is ongoing; though he'd long since moved on from scouring the area in which he arrived, he's taken to returning to it over the past few days. With the underground city of Rapture secured and seemingly left to rot, there's been little else to capture his attention save Jane since last month's end, and with no success in other parts of the island, it struck him as wise to return to the place where it all began. (What he'll do upon finding his hammer, he's not entirely sure; the question of whether or not he'll even be able to lift it has weighed heavily on his mind, though it's his understanding that all things have been stripped of their enchantments, presumably Mjolnir included.)

He's tugged off his simple cotton shirt and preparing to make a dive into the pool when he spots it, a familiar shock of black hair slicked wet to the pale skin of a lean, hungry face near the waterfall. If he's spent months searching for Mjolnir, he's spent just as long expecting to find his brother, as well, the nature of this island so similar to Loki's that Thor's surprise is born of not having found him sooner, though he's clearly just arrived. Given the circumstances of their last meeting, Thor supposes he ought to feel conflicted, seeing his brother here, but his relief after so many months alone outweighs his suspicion, at least in this moment, and the threats Loki once uttered seem so very far away.

"Brother!" Thor calls, quickly navigating his way barefoot over the slippery rocks. "Loki!"

[talented_liar]

At the sight of his brother (not really your brother a nasty little voice inside comments, never your brother) Loki tenses, gripping the rock hard. The moments before his fall are still uncomfortably close, but Thor appears to care little about it, bounding over the rocks with an enthusiasm that seems quite out of place when compared to their fight on the bridge. Loki doubts that his brother could have forgotten it entirely, no matter how mercurial his temper can be at times, which leaves his behavior uncomfortably confusing.

"Thor," he says calmly, though his voice is a bit hoarse and he has to cough to clear his throat after all of the water he swallowed earlier.

[havenoplans]

Thor drops down into a crouch once he's within only a couple of feet, keen blue eyes taking in his brother's appearance and countenance with a warrior's efficiency: wet, surely, but not injured. He's reluctant to offer his hand, remembering how well that went the last time, but seeing no real alternative, he does so, regardless. Whatever Loki's troubles may be, whatever circumstances he just left, they don't matter here, and Thor will not see his brother wander off alone, and get into Odin knows what mischief.

"I have much to tell you," he says, "but not here. Come, take my hand."

[talented_liar]

Loki hesitates, watching Thor's hand as if he half expects him to pull it away at the last moment. After what happened last time, he wouldn't blame him. But the hand and the brother stay where they are and after some deliberation Loki takes hold. It makes him feel rather childish to have to rely on Thor to help pull him up, and after the ferocity of their earlier battle it almost verges on the ridiculous.

"I did not expect to see you again so soon." Loki smiles faintly, a hint of his true nature coming to the fore.

[havenoplans]

"And yet it's been months since I saw you last," Thor replies, thinking it strange that he has knowledge his brother lacks, though he's under no delusions that that will last for long. Loki has his ways, and he'll undoubtedly be up to his old tricks soon enough; already, Thor knows he'll need to keep an eye on Jane, that threat sticking clear in his mind for all the goodwill he shows now.

Though lacking the strength of his true form, he has plenty still about him to lift Loki bodily from the water without much issue, steadying him with both hands until he's certain neither of them will fall.

"Time here plays by your rules, brother."

[talented_liar]

"And where is here?" Loki begins brushing his hair back, unhooking his cloak, focusing on his appearance in an effort to regain some bit of composure. It would do no good to let Thor see how lost he is without his magic to turn to and he wonders how long he could keep up a charade that he still possessed it. Not that long probably. Thor would ask for proof at some point and the truth would come out, uncomfortable as it is. The best thing for now is to simply keep quiet about it.

"Or should I ask when if the time is truly as fickle as you say?"

[havenoplans]

"They call it Tabula Rasa," says Thor, stepping back to give Loki some space, but not wanting to head too far before knowing for sure that his brother will follow.

"The blank slate. It belongs to no known realm, and I'm afraid it lives up to its name. You'll find yourself as mortal as I." Pausing a beat, he pointedly adds, "But I've already said too much. I live not far from here... I can tell you everything when we get there, and in turn, I should like some answers of my own."

[talented_liar]

Mortal. As soon as Thor says it Loki can feel the world giving way beneath his feet. From Asgardian to Jotun to Human in the span of a few days is more change than any person should have to bear, even one who thrives on change as much as Loki. Change was only good when he was behind it or when it served some purpose and this is neither.

But as Thor continues talking, Loki's expression hardens, not to the manic look he had worn on the bridge by any means, but still a thin echo of that Loki, a Loki who did not want his brother interfering. "Answers to what manner of questions, brother?"

[havenoplans]

"Not here," says Thor again, and his insistence for relocating is a practical one. The waterfall might mask their voices from eavesdroppers, but it also makes one another hard to hear, and besides all that, they ought to get Loki into something dry and less conspicuous than his Asgardian garb. While the mortals here seem less prone to questions than the ones of Midgard, the heat alone will make such attire uncomfortable, and they'll have privacy still in Thor's modest accommodations. Though he takes no joy in secrets, family matters deserve to be kept between the family, whether Loki believes himself a part of it or not.

"It's this way," Thor adds, taking a few steps to the right, and he watches his brother until it's no longer prudent to do so, his gaze turning instead to a path he knows well. "Follow me."

[talented_liar]

While part of Loki would very much like nothing more than the chance to get away from his brother, to go off and sulk and plot on his own, an opposing part of him wants to follow Thor and take full advantage of the second chance being offered to him. At least, for as long as he can. The latter option wins in the end, aided by the fact that his armor is becoming more uncomfortable by the moment as he stands there.

After some brief deliberation, Loki moves to follow him. He is silent, but by now Thor shouldn't need an answer to know his brother is following him once more.

[havenoplans]

With Loki at his back, Thor allows himself a brief smile, the familiarity of it all making him feel nostalgic for easier times; even so, he's not so blinded by nostalgia to not keep his brother in his sights, periodically casting glances behind, careful to make note of Loki's hands, as even without his magics, they are skilled in weaponry. (Though not, admittedly, as skilled as Thor's own.) Suffice it to say, Thor would prefer if the knife in his back remain a metaphorical one.

He walks in silence, his strides long and purposeful, and it's but a few minutes before his hut comes into view, having chosen the location specifically for its proximity to the waterfall. It's a plain affair, hardly befitting of his former status, but he's been hesitant to set down roots, not wanting to believe his exile to be permanent. Should he find Mjolnir, perhaps then he'll build something grander, but for now, the chambers suit his purposes.

"Up ahead," he says, if only to make conversation, quickening his pace.

[talented_liar]

Sullen and silent as the rest of the trip might have been, Loki can't help smiling at the sight of Thor's humble abode. The situation is just too ridiculous. Thor, the mighty god of thunder, living in a primitive little hut in the jungle. Even while exiled to Midgard he hadn't sunk so low.

"A bit of a step down from Asgard, brother," he announces, looking around at his new surroundings with a curious and mocking glance.

[havenoplans]

"Even the largest of dwellings here lack Asgard's splendour," says Thor, seemingly unfazed by his brother's commentary. He's lived with Loki long enough to tune out some of his more pithy observations, though he happens to agree with them in this instance. Tabula Rasa possesses its own kind of magic, certainly, but it pales in comparison to that which he is used to.

"You'll discover this for yourself soon enough."

[talented_liar]

"Are you going to give me the tour then?" Loki asks, managing to look as though standing dripping wet in full armor on the doorstep of his brother's tropical hut was precisely where he had meant himself to be. The lack of magic and -more importantly- the lack of understanding still gall him, but for now the trick is to not show that. Not to Thor at any rate.

[havenoplans]

"I can," says Thor, shouldering open the door, and stepping inside, trusting Loki to slink in whenever he's ready. "After you've changed, perhaps. You look half-drowned, brother."

[talented_liar]

"Most likely because I am. It's nice to know a mortal life hasn't dulled your powers of observation," Loki replies as he follows Thor. Once inside he looks around with unrestrained curiosity for a few moments before finding a convenient spot to lay down his sodden cloak. He doesn't even bother asking. Yes, he just came from the end of a large fight between the two of the, but surely Thor doesn't expect him to stay somewhere else, especially when he has only just arrived.