[When Loki shows up, Jason ushers him inside and closes the door, completing the time-honored spell of trying to ensure that all of their conversations were private. Ariadne had made it clear that this was a Very Necessary thing to do.]
Got a ... to do list here. [Yes, Jason actually wrote out a list.
The list is as follows:
- Avatars and gods, and how to gain power. - The Shuck's goals - The queen's mother - The Void's corporeal form - The Red Hand's goals
He actually hands this to Loki and looks at him expectantly.]
Not that I'm fond of organization, but we've got ground to cover. [And a whole two weeks of Jason's sulking to act like didn't happen.]
At the last audience, Morla proved to be in a rather tetchy mood, wouldn't you agree? Apparently, it's because Clarke approached her with a letter from her mother. Signed with a B, it spoke of a potential Godsleep that could take the gods of this world. Of course, that's if the Void doesn't come first. I thought it might ring a bell.
[No, that is certainly not all, but he wants to know what Loki makes of it. When Clarke had shared the information with him, it seemed to be rather ... useful. He also doesn't like that Morla hoped to keep it a secret.]
[ he's quiet for a moment, as if there are currents and threads connecting within the coils of his brain. he'd heard this, not so long ago, funny how it would come back now.
the expression on his face that was once a little playful fades completely. it's replaced with something else akin to exhaustion. ]
Brigid.
[ he worries his lower lip and tips his head. ]
Godsleep, hm? Sounds awfully familiar. Odin did much of the same during the draining of his own power, the Odinforce. He drifted off into an extended naptime to recharge. Not the same, I'm sure, but not unheard of. It left him susceptible. That the Void would come before the chance for such an event to take its course is ... concerning.
This sleep sounded a lot more permanent, [Jason says. It's the only thing he can say to it, but he's not positive. Loki would know more. What worries Jason is that Loki or Ariadne might be thrust into that sleep.]
[ perhaps it is, but he wasn't unfamiliar with the concept itself. it still concerns him, not for the same reason it concerns Jason, but while the Godsleep may be something more natural, it only suggests that the Void may not be. ]
I had a visit from someone who's met her. [ there's a pause, and then he adds. ] Recently. She's here, and she's inquiring of the sigils. You know, the ones that are said to be of the Mother.
No one likes when their parents come knocking after you've had a spat with your sibling. It could mark something else, or it could be that fine line between personal that coincidentally involves the state of everything.
Or it could be a very, very bad sign.
But I'd wager that option A has a bit to do with it, though I wouldn't rule all that's all it has to do with it.
I wish it could've been one of us getting that information instead of Clarke. [Not that he faults Clarke. No, that's not what he's doing. But she's a little too sympathetic, especially when he's frustrated with the situation.]
There is more, uh ... mentions of the Void, the Shuck, but they tie into other TDL things, so you pick the next angle.
[ Loki pressing a free hand to his temple, turning back to the piece of paper. there's one that still sticks out to him, and one he doesn't pick just yet. ]
The Shuck.
[ the word comes out with a light accent that's more than normal. ]
[At this, Jason moves to sit, not on his bed, but in a chair. Any time he thinks about this, there's a certain rattling of anxiety that pumps through his veins. He can't kill it, no matter how hard he tries.
His hands come to rest on his knees.]
The Shuck has abandoned our way of doing things, and has chosen a third path. He wishes to kill us all, and use our shards for a goal. Perhaps it's the same goal, but he's rather decisive, apparently. The shards collected by each court are also at risk.
Loki leans back against the wall, but he doesn't at all look surprised. he'd dealt in death before, both in rotting flesh and blood, mostly in the quest to secure more time. he had escaped it, in some ways, and been caught by it in others. but he had frequented the halls of Hel enough in his memory. ]
[His throat tightens and constricts, making it difficult for a moment for Jason to find air. He hates this. He absolutely hates this.]
Of course, [he manages, forcing the words out while he struggles to drag air into hid windpipe.]
But how can we win when Death wants us dead? I—[can't. He can't. He's died before. He's been at the mercy of death. And he's felt like he has been since he got here, like he's waiting for some opportunity for it to happen to him again.]
Death wants everyone dead. The worst part? It happens to everyone, eventually.
If that's the case, then we buy ourselves time. The Shuck, whether he likes it or not, is still bound by the rules of this world. We, most fortunately, have a little leeway. Just like every other god here, he must have an Avatar.
I don't know if it was clear before, but we're keeping as far away from the Shuck as we can. I've skipped out on the "I told you so" about not dealing with him, but here it is: I told you so. We're not touching his Avatar, and apparently, there are populations who might be after him anyway—on both sides. For instance, the vampires want the Hart dead for good.
[This information comes out in a rush, but one thing is clear from the swell of emotion in Jason's voice: he isn't dealing with the Shuck. Oh, he can't ignore him as a factor, but Loki's words come too close to what they had referenced before. He isn't touching that.]
As for the Red Hand—[his tone levels out here]—Clarke is looking into it. [He waves a hand in the air uncertainly.] They used to have a goal against the Cult that was personal, but I don't think that sticks now. Basically, we're waiting on more information, but it's obvious from the commander's recruitment statement that they want people and they want them on all sides. They think that either side winning is bad, so I take it as a ... subtle statement.
Loki kept himself at a distance for a reason. he knew death, and he knew what he had done, and he wasn't willing to risk one or the other for a bad brush with a grim-like deity. but he knew if the Shuck went, the Hart wasn't too far behind. there needed to be balance, even if it was bought with time. ]
No, the end closing in nearer is being backed with desperation. And this John Grimm fellow?
[Jason doesn't care if he's dictating their association with the Shuck. He doesn't want any of them to get killed. If it's a mandate, then it's a mandate.
(And he doesn't even know what happened to Hiro yet.)]
He's not been very forthcoming. So, he's recruiting without spilling the beans. She thinks it's because he needs shardbearers for a specific goal. Maybe to create diversions. I'll let you know as soon as she's gotten back to me.
[ Loki tips his head to the side like one would utilize a shrug. he doesn't disagree. John has been anything but forthcoming, instead starting posts with the rhetorical before diving into the shameless recruitment.
and there's a moment where he stills before saying: ]
Two things. I'll go in the order of what I like. I heard about Avatars from Harry's friend. She wanted my help with the Cult, but as you can guess, I've kept from digging into them even with what we've been doing. [The fact of the matter is that while Jason has heard rumors, he doesn't want to be on their radar. He knows better than to do that.]
But she said that all gods, even gods like yourself, will require an avatar. Older gods, from the age of Dadga, can take multiple avatars, but anyone after that cannot.
I've got Clarke looking into what that means.
When you kill the Avatar, you can either absorb the power into a god, or grant that power to the Avatar. Given the Cult's rumored ties to raising a god, I think that might give us an idea of what they're doing. Maybe.
[ "Harry's friend": Linn. she had been mentioned, as he recalls, when he gave Harry the memory of the battle before his sister was claimed. somehow, the association doesn't surprise him. ]
Dadga—the father, yes? Birthed the gods, all the things. Something of an All-Father. [ he would assume that would me those gods bore direction of him, rather than those that bore others. that's the easier to part to focus on.
the other one, not so much. Loki draws his fingers back through his hair, letting it fall in a wave to the side between anxious fingertips.
the other part is that he needs an Avatar. that part he doesn't say anything about. ] Though I wonder ... if the mother is here, can the father be far behind?
[The fact that Loki doesn't mention his need of an Avatar doesn't surprise Jason. But he does take note of it. The very necessity of Avatars frustrates him, and he hopes it doesn't come to subsume both his and Ariadne's usefulness in this world.
He doesn't dwell on the lack of mention, though.]
I'd be surprised, honestly. The letter made it sound like he was a done deal. The mother ... less so.
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Got a ... to do list here. [Yes, Jason actually wrote out a list.
The list is as follows:
- Avatars and gods, and how to gain power.
- The Shuck's goals
- The queen's mother
- The Void's corporeal form
- The Red Hand's goals
He actually hands this to Loki and looks at him expectantly.]
Not that I'm fond of organization, but we've got ground to cover. [And a whole two weeks of Jason's sulking to act like didn't happen.]
Pick one.
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Jason has a list. Loki takes it between dark nailed fingers, the expression on his face between impressed and amused as he goes over the points. ]
This isn't going to turn into a drinking game, is it? "Drink when dot dot dot."
[ he looks up at him, and he knows what he wants to ask about first, but instead he goes with the one that makes the most sense. ]
The queens' mother for five-hundred.
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[No, that is certainly not all, but he wants to know what Loki makes of it. When Clarke had shared the information with him, it seemed to be rather ... useful. He also doesn't like that Morla hoped to keep it a secret.]
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[ he's quiet for a moment, as if there are currents and threads connecting within the coils of his brain. he'd heard this, not so long ago, funny how it would come back now.
the expression on his face that was once a little playful fades completely. it's replaced with something else akin to exhaustion. ]
Brigid.
[ he worries his lower lip and tips his head. ]
Godsleep, hm? Sounds awfully familiar. Odin did much of the same during the draining of his own power, the Odinforce. He drifted off into an extended naptime to recharge. Not the same, I'm sure, but not unheard of. It left him susceptible. That the Void would come before the chance for such an event to take its course is ... concerning.
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How do you know her name?
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I had a visit from someone who's met her. [ there's a pause, and then he adds. ] Recently. She's here, and she's inquiring of the sigils. You know, the ones that are said to be of the Mother.
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[ Loki looks pointedly frustrated. then with just a hint if bitterness: ]
Something lost that must be found.
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What do you think about Morla wanting her to be a secret? To be kept from all of us?
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Or it could be a very, very bad sign.
But I'd wager that option A has a bit to do with it, though I wouldn't rule all that's all it has to do with it.
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There is more, uh ... mentions of the Void, the Shuck, but they tie into other TDL things, so you pick the next angle.
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The Shuck.
[ the word comes out with a light accent that's more than normal. ]
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His hands come to rest on his knees.]
The Shuck has abandoned our way of doing things, and has chosen a third path. He wishes to kill us all, and use our shards for a goal. Perhaps it's the same goal, but he's rather decisive, apparently. The shards collected by each court are also at risk.
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Loki leans back against the wall, but he doesn't at all look surprised. he'd dealt in death before, both in rotting flesh and blood, mostly in the quest to secure more time. he had escaped it, in some ways, and been caught by it in others. but he had frequented the halls of Hel enough in his memory. ]
It was only a matter of time, really.
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Of course, [he manages, forcing the words out while he struggles to drag air into hid windpipe.]
But how can we win when Death wants us dead? I—[can't. He can't. He's died before. He's been at the mercy of death. And he's felt like he has been since he got here, like he's waiting for some opportunity for it to happen to him again.]
What can we do?
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If that's the case, then we buy ourselves time. The Shuck, whether he likes it or not, is still bound by the rules of this world. We, most fortunately, have a little leeway. Just like every other god here, he must have an Avatar.
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Moreso, I meant that a hand could be played with the Avatar business, less that of its use to him.
[ he rubs the back of his neck, his fingers pressing against the hairs at the nape. ]
What's the rest that you have? Let's hear that. The Red Hand?
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[This information comes out in a rush, but one thing is clear from the swell of emotion in Jason's voice: he isn't dealing with the Shuck. Oh, he can't ignore him as a factor, but Loki's words come too close to what they had referenced before. He isn't touching that.]
As for the Red Hand—[his tone levels out here]—Clarke is looking into it. [He waves a hand in the air uncertainly.] They used to have a goal against the Cult that was personal, but I don't think that sticks now. Basically, we're waiting on more information, but it's obvious from the commander's recruitment statement that they want people and they want them on all sides. They think that either side winning is bad, so I take it as a ... subtle statement.
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it's easier to catch it this time.
Loki kept himself at a distance for a reason. he knew death, and he knew what he had done, and he wasn't willing to risk one or the other for a bad brush with a grim-like deity. but he knew if the Shuck went, the Hart wasn't too far behind. there needed to be balance, even if it was bought with time. ]
No, the end closing in nearer is being backed with desperation. And this John Grimm fellow?
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(And he doesn't even know what happened to Hiro yet.)]
He's not been very forthcoming. So, he's recruiting without spilling the beans. She thinks it's because he needs shardbearers for a specific goal. Maybe to create diversions. I'll let you know as soon as she's gotten back to me.
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[ Loki tips his head to the side like one would utilize a shrug. he doesn't disagree. John has been anything but forthcoming, instead starting posts with the rhetorical before diving into the shameless recruitment.
and there's a moment where he stills before saying: ]
I suppose that just leaves the last thing.
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But she said that all gods, even gods like yourself, will require an avatar. Older gods, from the age of Dadga, can take multiple avatars, but anyone after that cannot.
I've got Clarke looking into what that means.
When you kill the Avatar, you can either absorb the power into a god, or grant that power to the Avatar. Given the Cult's rumored ties to raising a god, I think that might give us an idea of what they're doing. Maybe.
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Dadga—the father, yes? Birthed the gods, all the things. Something of an All-Father. [ he would assume that would me those gods bore direction of him, rather than those that bore others. that's the easier to part to focus on.
the other one, not so much. Loki draws his fingers back through his hair, letting it fall in a wave to the side between anxious fingertips.
the other part is that he needs an Avatar. that part he doesn't say anything about. ] Though I wonder ... if the mother is here, can the father be far behind?
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He doesn't dwell on the lack of mention, though.]
I'd be surprised, honestly. The letter made it sound like he was a done deal. The mother ... less so.
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