st_ratagem | Tension release valve

Tension release valve

The branch, oddly lumpy as a branch, with its bark stripped off and some shaping was definitely interesting. At some point in the tree’s life, honeysuckle had grown on it and choked the branches, and even though the flowers had clearly not been part of the tree for a long time, the twisting looked very much like a snake wrapped around the top.

Loki hadn’t budged from his room in days, wrapped up as he was in crafting something that wasn’t gong to be particularly useful as a walking stick or a weapon. At some point he’d propped his door open just so he didn’t have to split focus between what he wanted to do and dealing with knocking. Mostly the only people who came by were people he didn’t mind, anyway.

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As restless as she'd gotten wandering the perimeter to find nothing interesting all night, Valkyrie was almost certain she'd find something hands-on to do when she found her way to Loki's room. Then, as these things tended to work out, it'd turned into a still and meditative session of watching him work, draped across the king sized bed with a bottle in hand.

It was certainly more interesting than anything else she'd run across.

There was always pleasure in watching someone with honest skill put their mind to a task, regardless of what it was, even if there was no competition in it. That, and she felt a small claim to the finished product, even if all she did was chop and haul.

'Good with his hands.' She thought instead of speaking, filling her lips with the glass rim. No need to intrude on the atmosphere.

There were going to have to be runes somewhere, probably along the paler snakelike twine. Loki traced it and frowned. The question of how brought him out of work-trance. Burning would normally work, but not for something meant as an ice focus.

With his focus broken, he noticed the other presence in the room. Not unwelcome, just a little surprising somehow. “How long have you been there?”

"I wasn't keeping count." Valkyrie smiled from where she was positioned sideways, legs crossed at the ankles. "Long enough to walk in with a fifth and start on the fourth."

There was no telling how long that was in actual time. Valkyrie wasn’t always consistent in her drinking speed. “I’m astonished you didn’t draw on my face while I wasn’t paying attention.”.

"Is that what you think of me?" Valkyrie set her fourth glass to the side, having accrued a little colony at the side of Loki's bed. "I'd do many things to your face before I drew on it."

“The thing is, I would notice the cutting. Drawing, maybe not.” But the knife, he’d notice. It was probably a measure of how they related that Loki was being playful and didn’t doubt Valkyrie would understand.. “Perhaps I was giving you points for subtlety.”

“Is that a request?” Valkyrie drew one of her knives from her hip (where she managed to hide them with the leggings was the true mystery) and spun in between her thumb and forefinger. “I could do with some loosening up.”

Loki shrugged and exchanged the staff-in-progress with one of his own knives from over there, then stood up and stretched. “It wasn’t, but I could probably stand to move a little.”

“Indulge me.” Valkyrie smoothly slid off the bed, working her head from side to side. “I’ll make you a wager.”

“Oh will you?” Loki flashed a smile at her, not taking his eyes off her. Taking eyes off a Valkyrie with a knife seemed like a bad idea. “Do tell!”

"If you manage to pin me, I'll do you a favor. Of my own choosing." As it stood, she had a very specific one in mind, though she did enjoy building a bit of suspense.

"Not something you'd expect." She added, drawing a slow circle around Loki while she readied her blade.

“Very motivating!” It really was. Curiosity alone would ensure he went all-out, as well as trying to figure out what ‘favor’ she could mean. Not something she’d mind doing, which narrowed the field enough to make it a mystery.

And the odds of pinning her were slim, as well. Yes, she was tipsy, and yes, he had size and reach on her, but she was a Valkyrie. And he suspected that, like him, she was ambidextrous or mostly so. Weak points would be harder to find.

There was the rousing enthusiasm. For all of Thor's talk of Loki being difficult, the man was predictable in all the right ways. She passed the mirror, granting Loki a few of her back as they meters apart. He'd use trickery, no doubt. There were no stipulations saying he couldn't. The real fun was in testing how well she'd be able to spot the little tells.

No fun in hesitating. She was already restless, and grew more so every moment she wasn't in motion. Pushing off, Valkyrie made a wide and almost reckless swing with her blade aimed right for Loki's cheek that practically invited him to take advantage of the opening she'd created.

There was no way it would be that easy, but Loki made the effort anyway. He dodged the swipe and caught Valkyrie's wrist as it went by, tugging in the direction she was going already to add a little more force. At the same time, he moved in to hook one foot behind hers in an obvious trip while using a little telekinesis to... not lock her other leg in place, but trap it in what would feel like very thick liquid, render it difficult and awkward to move. If all went well, the varying forces would put her on the ground one way or another.

Loki didn't expect it to go well, but he was fascinated to see how she resolved the puzzle.

If Loki had fallen for such a broadcasted move, she wouldn't have felt at all guilty for what came next. Naturally, his retaliation was a mixture of swift reflexes and his knack for magic and trickery. Though she'd never said so aloud, there was a unique rush to going toe to toe with one who favored a hidden dagger to the screaming broadsword.

Then, she was going down. Gravity, harsh mistress as she was, was always ready to be leveraged if one's body and mind could keep up with her pull. Valkyrie's palm smacked the floor and she was twisting her body from the waist down, hooking her heavy leg around Loki's neck and bringing the other to clamp like a vice as she brought the man down with her.

When Loki's side touched down, Valkyrie tugged from her abdomen to position herself up sideways and squeezed her thighs around Loki's windpipe. What she was lacking in finesse, she could more than make up for in brute strength. "Almost, Trickster. Care to try again before you pass out?"

Loki laughed as best he could with his air supply cut off, then changed shape to a small, quick snake, emerald green with black bands. A snake could easily escape a hold that a man couldn’t hope to, and he cut off the possibility of being caught be a quick grab by turning his shapeshift into a seeming explosion of dozens of identical green-and-black snakes.

He made sure to slither off of Valkyrie and onto the ground, then played a quick snake-based version of the shell game with his duplicates to make sure his real self was lost. Once he was as sure as he could be that Valkyrie was tracking illusions, he disappeared and shifted back to himself under cover of invisibility.

From invisibility and while an opponent was distracted was the best time to strike, so he did, taking advantage of his greater natural size and weight to bear her to the ground and pin her. “You were saying...?”

One moment, Loki was vanishing in her grip. The next, it sunk in that she’d have her own serpent tale of Loki to tell—not that she would. She filed every little trick away in her mental catalogue and just for a moment, she could picture what life as a young Thor might have been like.

“Well.” She cleared her throat against the weight of his arm, nodding in a nonverbal yield, “You get your favor once you let me up.”

Loki backed off and let her up without hesitation. Not for the first time it occurred to him that sparring (or playing) with her like this was only teaching her how to fight him for real, but... odds were that his future self had already taught her that. Also, it had to be said that most of the time, if matters were down to a head-to-head fight, he’d probably already lost anyway.

Good enough. “Is the favor that I get to treasure a victory?” Because that was happening anyway.

Valkyrie cracked up in a less-than-sober chuckle, mussing Loki’s slightly-mussed hair. She hadn’t been able to stop looking at it.

“Here’s the deal.” Valkyrie rested her hands on the tight nylon covering her hips. “I need a job. Everyone’s got their little niche, and I suppose I’ve got mine but there’s not much to keep the hands busy. That’s what I need.” She pushed a finger to Loki’s forehead. “That’s where you come in. I need a test drive.”

Valkyrie’s tendency to touch was definitely proportional to her level of drunk, in general. It managed to be entertaining rather than annoying, at least most of the time, and felt enough like a challenge that Loki didn’t back away or dodge from the mussing and poking as he normally might have. “This sounds like more of a favor for you. I’m not opposed in principle, but details, please.”

“It’s a mutual favor. You’ll like it.” Valkyrie made a little twirling motion with her fingers. “Turn around.”

“That doesn’t count as details.” Loki turned around anyway. Valkyrie wasn’t him, she wasn’t going to stab him in this particular situation unless she was sure he’d enjoy it.

When she was certain he was fully compliant with his back turned, Valkyrie gently swept his hair to the side and cupped the back of his neck with her warm palms. His skin was cooler than her own—likely on account of his true heritage. But it wasn’t bitterly cold, either.

“Sit.” She murmured, leading him to the wooden chair that managed to escape the chaos and guiding him down.

That was... odd, that touch to the back of his neck. It didn’t seem to be measuring anything, it was just hands resting there. It wasn’t uncomfortable, though, so Loki let himself be guided to the chair and sat down in it.

For once, Valkyrie had a clear view well above the man. She half-smiled to herself before pushing them further over his shoulders and towards his chest, lengthening the muscle.

“How’s this?”

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