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Loki soon chafes at home, after three years of freedom. She does not mean to be gone long, but she does mean to be gone. Not Midgard again. Alfheim will do, a week will do, just a little break before she wedges herself back into the confines of Asgard and its Aesir.
Heimdall operates the Bifrost for her without comment. She notes her location, draws a little map, and heads east.
purposeful_glory
headunbowed
Up ahead, there's a delicate working of flowered vines, all in lovely shades of orange and yellow. They're woven together into a complicated and patterned archway between two trees, like some kind of lattice. It might stand to reason that someone lives here - this is obviously the work of one of the light elves.
If she's not welcome past it, the vines certainly don't communicate it very well.
If she's not welcome past it, the vines certainly don't communicate it very well.
purposeful_glory
Loki continues forward, curious, exploring, Lævateinn condensed into a short bladeless stick clipped to her belt for purposes of looking nonthreatening and innocuously-intentioned.
"Hello?"
"Hello?"
headunbowed
There's a short silence, and then a woman's voice replies, "Hello."
The owner of the voice makes no effort to show herself. Instead, she speaks in a wary tone, "What brings you here, stranger?"
The owner of the voice makes no effort to show herself. Instead, she speaks in a wary tone, "What brings you here, stranger?"
purposeful_glory
"Wandering, exploring. I can do that elsewhere if you'd rather, I have no wish to intrude."
headunbowed
"Well, you're far more polite than the usual oafs that wander through here."
The speaker lands from the branches of a particularly leafy tree, a few feet in front of Loki. She's a brunette wearing practical clothing that does nothing to accentuate any of her features - a far cry from the usual light elves. "Why do you wander, then?"
The speaker lands from the branches of a particularly leafy tree, a few feet in front of Loki. She's a brunette wearing practical clothing that does nothing to accentuate any of her features - a far cry from the usual light elves. "Why do you wander, then?"
purposeful_glory
"Home became wearying. I had been on Midgard, and thought I was ready to be back with my family again, but," she shrugs, "it would seem another week or so of being elsewhere is called for."
headunbowed
"Is that so? Well. Here is elsewhere," she says, with a wave of her hand. "If you continue to be polite, I don't care if you stay."
Helpfully, she doesn't say what would happen if Loki stopped being polite.
Helpfully, she doesn't say what would happen if Loki stopped being polite.
headunbowed
"Zeviana, pleasure to make your acquaintance. Just because it's not caused doesn't mean it doesn't happen. So many think that this place belongs to them just because they've planted their feet on the ground."
purposeful_glory
"I am well aware that this is not how things work. And congratulate you on having fended off those less aware with such apparent success."
headunbowed
She laughs, then replies, "Thank you. It does brighten up a boring day to send off a fool."
Amused, she considers Loki. "I think I like you. You may stay without worry, if you keep this up."
Amused, she considers Loki. "I think I like you. You may stay without worry, if you keep this up."
purposeful_glory
"Your hospitality is welcome. What pursuits do you have that leave your days so boring that you must enliven them in that way?" asks Loki.
headunbowed
Zeviana motions around them, to the trees and back towards the vine-archway. There are other scattered living creations around, but none of them quite as obvious as the archway. "It's hardly boring, but - doing this. Trees and plants only seem dull when you haven't lived through them, and breathed through their leaves."
purposeful_glory
"That is admittedly not something I've tried. I have seen art done over centuries with live plants, but it sounds as though you are doing something else?"
headunbowed
"It's light elven magic. All of us have it," she explains. "We do different things with it. I do this."
purposeful_glory
"I practice a little myself - though I'd prefer if you didn't inform my mother - but I haven't tried to concoct any spells that touch plants like this."
headunbowed
"I've never met your mother, and I don't plan to tell her. Concoct spells? This is - not spellcraft, it's... I'm not sure how to explain it, I've never had to before. It's like opening my eyes and moving my fingers, all through the trees around me. Is that what your magic's like?"
purposeful_glory
"Nnnno. Not so intuitive. It's easy to use a spell once I have one, but I have to build it first, piece by piece."
purposeful_glory
"I've never had the chance to become so accustomed, so I don't find it terrible, but your magic does sound interesting. Can it do much besides plants?"
headunbowed
"Not particularly. We have some influence over small and simple animals, but nothing big. I couldn't call any to die for me, but I can entice them somewhere they'd go on their own."
purposeful_glory
"How much of this," Loki gestures at the plants, "is a particular technical skill with the magic, and how much is sheer art?"
headunbowed
Taking a minute to think, Zeviana replies, "I couldn't tell you where one stopped and the other began. How do you ask, say, a dancer where skill stopped and art began? It's both."
purposeful_glory
"Well, what I mean is - is it actually harder for you to make plants do this than it would be to make wire do the same thing by hand, or is the work in the design and in the time investment?"
headunbowed
"It's easier to do this than with wire, though that might be because I've had so much practice with one and none with the other. The work is in the design and time investment, but there's finesse to it, as well. When I was little I couldn't have done this," she explains, grinning a little. "And now I can."