Futurology. We could be heroes.

[selfimage]

Who: Loki & Thor
Where: —
When: —
What: A not quite reunion, but a reunion.
Warnings: —



I know you hear me now, we're a different kind. We can do anything. We could be heroes.

[ Loki had never appreciated what Odin had to teach him. Thor had taken better to it, but Thor had been a favorite; Loki, while beneath All-father's wing of guilt and obligation, could be further from the golden image of his brother. he could count the siblings that Odin took favor in more than he took favor in him, but he had realized that it didn't mean that Odin didn't love him. in those instances, Thor was like Odin more than he'd like to admit: noble, righteous, independent and fiercely mercurial, his temperament changing the storm. it was those more violent swings that Loki was able to appreciate the chaos in it. all too often were Loki and Thor thought of as two sides of a coin, their differences used in contrast when Loki was disciplined, forcing him only to see a narrow part of their unshared traits. in reality, there were parts of them that were more the same than they were different. Thor was passionate, capricious and electric. Loki was much of the same, only shrouded in his own wants and needs. he began to see it more and more in the dire times as much as the laughter.

and he was beginning to feel like he liked it.

when he arrived he came with the clothing (very, very useful clothing) on his back and his penchant for new starts. while there was a pang that echoed inside of him with the thought of Angela, Thor and their newly-found re-found father, Odin (with words of love, perhaps), he also craved what he always craved: change. that is exactly what he got.

another trait of Odin's children was that none of them took too well to authority (even when it was their own father's), Loki among them. he though it was ironic that he had "conveniently" tripped through an inter-dimensional tear and into the lap of the fates, and he thought to use it as both a means of flipping destiny the bird as well as outsourcing for new opportunities. there was something that he needed to do, and there was no other perfect situation to do it.

only instead of a perfect situation, he got dragons. a mission full of dragons. no sneakiness, no deceit, no tricks, just dragons. of course they'd find something ill-suited to him on his first mission. it would be generous to say that he makes the best of it. instead, he spends his time roaming and mingling, learning of other travelers and their own unfortunate "accidents" that have brought them here. he sees him once, and that turns a head; twice, and he begins to think that somethings off; three times is a charm, and Loki begins to follow him.

not unsurprising, really. from his perceptions he can tell a few things: this isn't the brother that he knows, this isn't the same concept of god that he's accustomed, and his brother has a far sense of youngness about him that he didn't expect. regardless, he keeps his eyes and ears open, eavesdropping on conversations and gaining all the information he can. when he finally is ready to reveal himself it's leaning up against a tree casually, ankles crossed while he fiddles with his new technologically contraption.

he just has one thing to say: ]

Hello, Thor.

Comments

[norse]

[ The leery look he lends back is narrow in its own right, a brow hiking up. ]

A Ragnarok, Loki? [ Instead of just one? And how did Loki even survive, if the old tales are to be believed? ] Now you do speak strangely. You ... made it out of many?

[selfimage]

Erm ... we-ell ... you'll have to forgive me, my memory is always a bit dicey after so many rebirths ...

[ he worries his lower lip, rolling back his shoulders and internally debating where even to begin with such a sensitive topic. after a moment he gives up, sighs, and rubs the little hairs at the back of his neck. ]

Here's the thing, Thor, I can't remember. There was more than one—several, dozens, perhaps? Hundreds? [ he shakes his head as if to clear it from a cloud of pre-Ragnarok haze that comes rushing back with the memories. ]

Our story ... it was a loop. The fates dictated that loop, and there were others that meant to take advantage of it.

[norse]

Surely Father would not allow such a massacre. He would stop it — or I would. [ The very idea of being caught in a loop of anyone's making is offensive, especially when his own autonomy has long defined his worthiness in wielding Mjolnir. Besides, ] Hundreds of deaths in our family? No. No, we lost mother once, I would not allow for her to suffer one more hour of pain, let alone an endless cataclysm. You are stronger than I by far, brother, if you have lived through so much terror.

[ Shaking his head. He spares his otherverse kin a glance, brow furrowed. ]

Who sought to take advantage of us in this way?

[selfimage]

[ did he consider himself strong after that? it's difficult to find anything good about such a situation, especially in terms of who he was. he doesn't reply to that. ]

He tried. [ Loki drawls out, as if saying the words themselves made him a cross between bitter and exhausted. ] Several times. He even tried tricking Yggdrasil, itself. Father may be father, but in all of his all-powerful-dutifulness there were things that he couldn't do, and uproot fate was one of them.

[ Odin liked the old ways, and both Freyja and Thor were aware of this. there was a span of time where Thor, even lacking as the king of Asgard, refused to receive Odin again because he represented everything long past. if Asgard was to survive a world post-Ragnarok, it would not be with him. there's a tinge that catches Loki's chest, because he remembers being forced into desperation to bring Odin back. he can't help but wonder if it's one of traps he stepped into to doom himself.

thoughts for another time. ]

In the end it was your other self. [ everyone had fallen into the Void, and at the time, no one was quite sure they wanted to come back. Thor, above all. ] The Norns had woven us into a tapestry. Ah, you could ... debate that it's the very nature of gods, I suppose ... [ another time. more anger, another time. ] Regardless of that, there was a single strand holding everything together.

Other you, ah ... hit it, as you are so prone to do. Snapped it. Insert dramatic music here, et cetera, et cetera. The gods above gods, Those Who Sit Above in Shadow, they ... fed off of what would be known as the Ragnarok Cycle.

[ he straightens his voice with an erm. ]

You can see my doubts as to our current situation.

[norse]

Midgard's tales have been far more cruel to your people than mine. [ Horrifying as those events sound, he can't help but feel confident that multiple Ragnaroks (what an idea) will never happen for one very good reason. ] I am not a god and I bow to nonesuch. I will live and I will die, perhaps during a great battle yet not for many thousands of years. Hopefully. I have used the Norns to aid me as of late and they demanded my life as fair payment for visions. [ Obviously, that short debate went in Thor's favour.

A nod agrees to the latter; yes, he can see Loki's point a little better now. ]

It's comforting to know my ... other self did something. I am sorry you have suffered.

[selfimage]

[ visions, hm?

Loki never liked anyone telling him what the future was going to be, least of all the Norns. there was a defiance that all but swept him up when anything of the sort was mentioned. he had fought so long, so hard for his future, and he had sacrificed so much. things that he'd never, ever get back. ]

You don't know that, do you? [ he looks over at him. ] No one knows that they're trapped until they see the bars.

[ his eyes narrow beneath dark lashes, bright with a sudden spark of curiosity, as if he's just now having the realization. ] Did you fall to Midgard on the old man's lesson?

[ there weren't any tales of that, at least none that he had found. ]

[norse]

I know very little, truth be told.

[ Compared to the arrogance of youth, anyway. He doesn't pick up on where Loki is going with his questions, largely because they revolve around himself. ]

I did. Good to know all of me have been that egregiously stupid at once in our life.

[selfimage]

[ Loki's look turns a little more squinty. there's a rabbit hole here, and they've both fallen into it. Thor does make a lovely Alice. ]

Ah, I have stories. Embarrassing ones, some of which are surprisingly inappropriate. [ leave it to him to tell one Thor embarrassing stories about the other Thor. ] ... When you were mortal, did you take a name? Something like—hm, let's see now—Donald Blake?

[norse]

[ Everyone here is made of squinting. ]

You are worse than an amateur fisherman when you set about angling for details from me. Yes, I did. Briefly. He was one of ... Jane's exes. [ Ew. But moving on, ] You know Jane Foster, do you not?

[selfimage]

I tend to save my award winning tosses for championships. [ as in, be glad that he's being obvious, Thor. ] But if you'd like, I can offer some subtly.

[ there's a little snort and a satisfied smirk before he moves on. ]

Oh yes, I know of her. Everyone in Asgard knows about her.

[ but they should probably keep it parked there. ]

She's not exactly part of the tales. Unless ... she's part of yours? Written in myth?

[norse]

I would rather you not.

[ He wrinkles his nose hearing everyone in Asgard, because excuse you, he's much more subtle than that. Isn't he? He is. Damn. ]

No, she wasn't. She was busy with her labours of science, last we spoke. A Nobel Prize, something of that nature. [ MOVING ON, this isn't about how Thor is the worst boyfriend ever: ] It is somewhat safe to say that, despite their differences, our homes have more in common than perhaps we know.

[selfimage]

[ not his other self, apparently. Odin launched quite a crusade to break up Thor and what his father had deemed "his mortal lover." he had even gone as far as to plot with Amora, but Odin was never really one to care about the means as long as the ends were met.

something that Loki might've inherited. ]

Oh, yes. You read my mind. Actually, if you've a Ragnarok coming, you could see this as an opportunity.

[norse]

Those old stories tell of both of us being there. I fail to see how any Ragnarok could befall Asgard as I know it without my brother.

[ In a nutshell. ]

[selfimage]

[ if Loki died, Loki wanted to die, he had to die, and it was to lead into another wicked scheme of his own vile making. how many plots of this scale as this Thor seen of his own Loki, and how much did he suspect?

for the first time, he hesitates.

should he? should he tell him? ]

As you will.

[ and that's all he says of it, like he knows something that he may not be saying. ]

How did it happen? If you'd share, of course. The fate of one Loki to another.

[norse]

He died well, that is all you need know.

[ Not a subject he wishes to linger on in detail or recount to a younger version of his brother, certainly. He keeps pace, not hurrying or dallying, simply walking as his point is made without ceremony. ]

[selfimage]

[ you died well. you lived poorly. you will be missed, but your mischief will not. I pray that this is the end of it.

at one time, the words rang clear as a bell, tucked away beneath the folds of the universe. now, he remembers them like sounds coming through a faraway tunnel. he remembers his death, or rather, that death. he remembers being the cause of it: playing Norman against Asgard, Doom against Norman, and then ripping the Cabal to pieces from the inside like tearing up an unwanted letter, the pieces fluttering the floor.

it was a dark time, and it was that Loki's last and greatest scheme. the beginning of the end of it, anyway. it ended even more poorly after that.

for Thor, the wound is still fresh, and he doubts that he would listen, even if he meant to warn him. ]

A noble end to villain is always poetic. [ but it's not said without sympathy. ] What did you do, afterward?

[norse]

Loki was was misguided and knew it. He was in pain and could not mend the wound, so like a child with a scab he worsened it until his hatred became an infection — but my brother was no mere villain. I believe he understood what he was about ere he tore through his own heart, seeking to blacken it.

[ A little heat simmers in the words born of his last true fight with Loki atop what would later become the Avengers Tower. The alarm in his brother's eyes when asked to stop and how he had balked with fear, flooding that with rage — Loki was never good at casting illusions over his heart. Everything and anyone else, never that.

A red cape lifts in a shrug as Thor drives the conversation on, unwilling to linger over old bruises. ]

He had always wanted to be a hero and so he was when I delivered news of his passing to the All-Father ... after setting right a handful of other grievous wrongs dealt out by Malekith.

[selfimage]

[ villains were never just villains. they were always something before or after that, as much as Loki occasionally reduced the role to remove himself from it. sometimes it was awkward hearing of the expectancy bred in other universes. ]

Thor ...

[ his voice is both knowing of question that wasn't answered, but still moderately concerned. it most likely wasn't deliberate, the Thor he knew was a sentimental creature, a trait that this Thor seemed to share. unlike many in Asgard, Loki didn't really care to avoid Thor's buttons. he knew were they were, simple ones to make him happy and others that would bring a storm of rage. ]

What about after that? What were you doing before you came here?

[ that would give him a good clue. ]

[norse]

[ He's glad of the prompting, taking to it like a man staring across a river suddenly granted stepping-stones, eager to cross to greener pastures (and that isn't really saying much, considering his recent history). ]

Ultron attempted to destroy Midgard and another Infinity Stone was uncovered in the doing, a pattern clarified in the very visions that drove me back to Asgard. I was homeward-bound with news of a great battle won, yet a war of unseen strings still at play. [ Blue eyes veer to Loki, taking in the sight of him. ] Father needed to know what I suspected.

[selfimage]

[ that was a lot in a few sentences. Infinity stones? (Soul gems, he'd wager.) visions. Ultron (ugh). his expression waxes and wanes as Thor continues with his explanation. ]

Visions?

[ his dark brows pinch and he worries at his lower lip needlessly. ]

What sort of visions? Not the good kind, I'm envisioning. [ and more to himself, as he fluffs up one of the furry lapels of his jacket. ] The sort that would send you tossing your hammer and sending you onward and back to dear old Dad.

[norse]

The Maximoff girl toyed with our minds, gave us insight into the past and future to weaken our ranks. I was ... mildly less susceptible to her power, being no Midgardian. I saw Hel, all of Asgard dead because of me, and something else that led me to seek clarity from the Norns. I caught a glimpse of a stone.

[ A small smile plays on his lips, glancing over at Loki slyly. ]

Are you worried my mind is addled?

[selfimage]

[ the Maximoff girl.

Wanda. Billy's mother. the Scarlet Witch. before she was an Avenger she was ... well—he shouldn't be surprised that Magneto's children are running about. his mind lingers there only briefly before thinking of Billy again, ignoring the pang of guilt that comes with the memory. he waves his hand as if he needs to physically dismiss it. ]

Your mind is always a tad addled, but you should be thankful, it's what makes you interesting.

[ sorry Thor. ]

Let's just say if there are visions, they have to come from somewhere, and usually it's none too pleasant.

[ like the future, like fate, and like all the other sort of things that he dislikes. ]

[norse]

No revels were had when discovering their meaning, believe me. The thing I feared, the Norns, they were ... [ And here he twists his hammer, downplaying the intense scrape of their hold on his soul, trying to drag it from his body. ] Scary.

[ SHRUGGING. It took a stiff drink to face those creatures. ]

[selfimage]

Scary.

[ he repeats, testing the word's weight on his tongue. there's not much that he knows to jar his brother, and while he's not familiar with this one, he can make the assumption that there's not much out there that scares him. ]

The multiverse is a wide place filled with all manner of things. [ occasionally terrifying. ] You may find more of what you seek, here, despite the will of our employers.

[norse]

I need nothing but to unravel the mystery of you, now that I've found you.

[ Frankness falls from his lips as easily as the hesitant smile that surrounds it. He can shoot Loki a narrow look, peering and sizing him up, and yet nothing screams at Thor's instincts to beware. ]

If they wished to distract me then they are doing a sublime job of it.