"Why are you telling me?"

"... Sorry. I would be telling her, but she's not present. This is something of a sore subject for me."

"At any rate, her distaste for me has its limits. I haven't been formally written out of the succession, although Thor would probably have to die or do something ludicrously stupid or both for me to wind up ascending to the throne."

"I do not recommend doing this with Odin."

"I've been known to do impulsive, stupid things on occasion."

"And this habit has not been much trained away, then?"

"Not in the slightest."

"You have been lucky with consequences, or you're just incorrigible?"

"Guess," challenges Zeviana.

"I'm going to guess it's the second thing, although since you appear to be alive, there must be a sprinkling of the first."

She grins. "Got it in one. I've had some lucky moments, some not so much, but I made it through," she shrugs.

"I'm the more cautious type, although not so much so that I declined the practice of spellcraft - or even stopped once I'd managed my grace."

"I get that, and I'm going to try to not screw up your cautious thing. But I find sometimes - the subtle, patient touch gets you nothing. Sometimes you just have to say 'Fuck it' and just stand your ground."

"I will certainly do that upon finding that my ground is the throne of Asgard - but possibly no sooner."

"Fair enough. Seriously, good luck to you. If it falls through though - you're welcome to stay here. It's been a while since I've had a non-oaf to talk to."

"If I find myself having to summarily flee Asgard it's even odds if I'll get a choice of where to be exiled to, but it is nice to know that I will have a friend on Alfheim if I wind up here."

"I recently spent three years on Midgard, but while I passed some enjoyable hours with miscellaneous company there was no one in particular I was reluctant to leave. It's an odd place. They keep their souls on the outside."

"We do try to be hospitable here on Alfheim. Lots of us fail, but we try. For Midgard - what, are their souls just floating along behind them, or something? That seems like it would be uncomfortable."

"Walking or flying behind, more often. The souls come in the shape of animals. Children's can change whenever they like, but when they grow up they stop - on what varies, apparently with personality."

"That's very strange. Though, I suppose little children should enjoy it quite a bit - lots of animals to pet."

"The daemons - that's what they're called - do stay in close affectionate contact with their people, by and large. Though it didn't seem to diminish any child's interest in wild creatures and I heard several pleading for puppies. The daemons can't leave their people, or touch anyone but their people and the other daemons, without - a discomfort I didn't hear described and have certainly never experienced."

"Oh. Yeah, that's quite strange, and uncomfortable. A pet is one matter, having a creature that can never leave your side and can't be touched by other people is... Quite another. I'm not sure I'd like to visit."

"It's a beautiful world, if primitive and full of awfully short-lived people. Avoiding the daemons isn't hard; they do cooperate with the project. I did meet with fewer stares when I illusioned up one of my own -" She displays a blue snake, wrapped around her neck, flicking his tongue out. "Since they have no real conception of a person without one."