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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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?”

Loki considered as her hands pushed. Obviously she was considering massage as her vocation, and given how touch-y Valkyrie was it wasn’t a bad plan. But one would think a test massage would be better delivered to someone who was generally more comfortable with being touched.

She was probably skilled enough, but... “I believe I’ll go with ‘weird’.”

“Coming from me or in general?” Valkyrie dialed back the force being used. She was perfectly aware of her strength, though for many years she’d used it indiscriminately.

“In general.” It wasn’t like it was really a secret or mystery. “The only reason for hands on me, generally, is sex or violence. Mostly violence.” Valkyrie of all people knew by now that the bleed between those two was far from zero. “You could have picked a better test subject.”

Her hands were... pleasant, though. Still weird, but on the whole he was tensing less than the massage was relaxing, a net gain for Valkyrie.

“Perhaps.” That drew another little smile, indulging him with a controlled chop to his shoulder aimed right at a ball of tension she’d found. “But I chose you.”

The sharp blow helped, both on the ball of tension and Loki’s overall relaxation level; he kept his reaction almost subtle, closed eyes and a little exhale, not that Valkyrie would miss it. She knew his reactions and her hands meant she’d be able to feel it anyway. “You like starting with the tough crowds, then.”

“Nowhere to go but up.” Valkyrie leaned Loki forward, giving the rest of his upper back the same treatment, and none too shyly. The harsher touches often felt the best. “If you fancy me sticking you that much, I could move onto needles. I hear it works wonders.”

“Piercing isn’t as good as slicing.” And it almost certainly wouldn’t be as good as what Valkyrie was currently doing to his back. Whether that same series of sharp blows would work for anyone else, who knew? “But do what you want. I imagine I’d fight back at some point.”

Valkyrie planted her palms against his back, leaning in ever so slowly. “A blade drawn along your skin.” She squeezed. It was a little too firm, drawing his muscle away from his spine. “Would that truly be relaxing...?”

“Yes.” Loki wasn’t entirely sure whether that was intended to the pull on his back muscle or as an answer to the question, and didn’t examine it too closely even if he rallied a little bit to hold up his end of the conversation. “Under certain circumstances, anyway. It’s more on the surface than a puncture, you feel it more.” Which was the method of her needle therapy, probably: stab them deeper than nerves.

That little affirmation—it was intriguing. There were many ways she’d found to make the prince submit, and all of them thus far involved violence. Apparently rubbing the right way did the trick...she’d heard he was a cat at some point, after all.

“Who am I to disappoint?” She murmured, one hand trailing back around to his neck and holding a blade against his Adam’s Apple. Her other hand kept up its rough ministrations.

Loki tilted his head back slightly, a little uncomfortable since she still had him leaned forward, but worth it to appreciate the blade. It was just there, not cutting - yet - but it did indeed seem to be relaxing. “I wouldn’t recommend trying the blade on anyone else, but I’m no longer inclined to use the word weird.”

“You’re a special one.” With a bit of pressure from the metal on skin, she brought Loki back into a proper and upright sit.

The parts of her that took her burgeoning craft seriously, the part of her that enjoyed her rapport with the trickster, and the part of her that delighted in doling out some punishment were all being satisfied at once.

A squeeze here, a thin slice there, and he reacted so very appreciatively.

"So I've been told." It wasn't generally complimentary and might not have been here, but Loki couldn't make himself care one way or another. There was a decided limit to how insulting anyone could be when they so clearly knew what they were doing. Her hand pushing and squeezing was good, but he felt they'd established that he was not the best baseline for judging general massage skill. The thin slices of knife were more impressive - enough for hot lines of pain, even a few drops of blood, but no real damage. Nothing that he wouldn't heal in minutes or less, but carefully judged to ensure that he wasn't stringing thoughts together without serious effort.

"I've done stranger things." Valkyrie assured, drawing the blade up to his ear. Being caught in a position like this wasn't the norm for any Valkyrie, though you simply didn't forget a few lifetimes of scrapper work. She was never one to participate in the Grandmaster's parties so much as entertain on her own. Much like she was doing now.

"How is it...?"

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