Final steps

[st_ratagem]

Loki had spent the last hour or two before sunset preparing, and the first hour afterward. He’d taken ruthless advantage of the fact that the Inn staff was desperate to give people towels and had carefully interwoven the. On the floor such that there was no chance of getting at the actual carpet below without effort. He’d selected a dagger from his collection - a very old one that he hadn’t actively used since childhood, one of a pair given to him by his mother - and sharpened it to an almost perfect edge. He’d opened up the balcony door to let the early-winter night chill in. He’d even out together a little aid kit (disinfectant, pads, bandages, needle and thread) for afterward.

In many ways, the hardest part was settling on the towels with the in-etched staff resting in front of him and forcing Odin’s enchantment away, knowing that he wouldn’t be allowing himself to go back to normal possibly for hours. And that, as soon as Thor arrived with a bowl and his hands, it would all have a witness.

Comments

[st_ratagem]

“And we’re back to nonsense.” It was probably a measure of how good Loki’s mood actually was in general that even with Thor at his most childish he wasn’t inclined to do more than roll his eyes. “If my hand’s closed up, slice it again please.”

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor looks down at Loki's bloodied hand. He's avoided looking at since this has started, not because the sight of it makes him ill, but because he isn't particularly fond of how it looks on others.

Especially people he cares about.

The blood on Loki's hand has coagulated and started to dry. As much as he loathes to do this, he doesn't hesitate when he reaches for the dagger on the towel.

"I really do want to know what you mean," he says, taking Loki's hand into his own. He straightens out Loki's fingers with his thumb in preparation, but doesn't quite make the cut yet.

[st_ratagem]

“Once out of three you’re talking to yourself but want someone around to agree with you. Second of three you’re talking to a fantasy and getting annoyed that I’m not living up to it. Third of three, you might actually be addressing me.” Loki’s tone was entirely matter-of-fact, not bitter or angry. “Cut, please, if you’re going to.”

[st_ormbreaker]

"For the record, I think most people want others to agree with them."

Thor tightens his grasp on Loki's hand, and tenses as he steadily draws the blade across it. When he is done, it takes all his self control not to reach for one of the towels and press it against his brother's palm out of sheer reflex. He sets the dagger back on top of it and lets go of his hand.

"Probably not you, but most people."

[st_ratagem]

It was a good cut. The pain wasn’t as white it was the first one since it wasn’t exactly new, but the liquid drip feel was unmistakable. Loki let his hand settle back in the bowl, then dipped his penin the fresh blood and wrote on. “Yes, I’m a freak that way. I prefer that my role in a conversations not be readily replaceable by a mirror or throw pillow with a face drawn on.”

[st_ormbreaker]

"I wasn't --" Thor starts to protest, but then he stops and just huffs instead.

[st_ratagem]

Loki glanced up and raised an eyebrow, but declined to repeat his statement about not asking questions if you didn’t want answer. “Flip the staff, please. Time to go back up.” There was a line of careful Norse runes down one edge of the serpentine design, it needed the other edge.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor wordlessly complies, flipping the staff so Loki can easily access it.

[st_ratagem]

“Thank you.” Thor was offended, clearly, but there didn’t seem to be anything to be done for it aside from an apology. Which would only be a good idea if Loki had been lying.

Ah well. Finishing the inscribing as quickly as possible so Thor could go do Thor things would have to do.

[st_ormbreaker]

"I don't want you to blindly agree with me, you know," he says. "I wouldn't have asked you to be my adviser if all I wanted was someone to nod at everything I said."

[st_ratagem]

“I know. And when I’m not window dressing for whatever’s playing out in your head, it’s even true.” Loki dipped his pen in the bowl.

[st_ormbreaker]

"Okay," Thor snaps. "You want to decide what else is apparently going through my head, then?"

[st_ratagem]

“Nothing at the moment as far as I know. I can take notes next time it happens, though.” Loki rolled his shoulders, they were a little stiff from sitting as still as he mostly had been. “I gave you a general answer, you’re the one taking it personally and specifically.”

[st_ormbreaker]

"How am I supposed to take it, then?"

[st_ratagem]

“As information? Sometimes an answer to a question is just that, brother. If you don’t like the answers, don’t ask the questions.” He glanced up, red eyes meeting mismatched. “I told you you not to worry about it, if you’ll recall.”

[st_ormbreaker]

"And sometime the answer isn't the right one," Thor insists, clearly unwilling to let this go. "I feel like you don't even try to understand me sometimes."

Not that Thor himself did a good job of understanding Loki most times. There was a lot of projecting that tended to happen there.

[st_ratagem]

“You’re not all that complicated, Thor.” No doubt the man would take that as an insult. “I don’t often need to try.”

[st_ormbreaker]

"Okay, great." Thor did indeed take it as an insult.

[st_ratagem]

“Why, do you think you are? Bear in mind that if this conversation had gone down a slightly different track you’d be huffily trying to insist I’m not that hard to understand, Loki! You’re the one making things complicated!” A sneaky advantage of shapeshifting skill: it was possible to do really good impressions without shifting at all or pausing in writing runes on a stick in your own blood.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor bristles with irritation at the impersonation. He hadn't grown any fonder of them since the days of Loki's imprisonment.

"I don't think I'm complicated, but I don't think I'm simple, either."

[st_ratagem]

“There you are then. We agree you’re not complicated.” Of course, he was still insulted, but they only had to go on a little longer without Thor deciding to take off in a huff.

[st_ormbreaker]

A sigh. He'd been hoping to forgo an argument today, but they'd really done nothing but argue since Loki started.

"Fine, you win, Loki."

[st_ratagem]

Loki hadn’t wanted to fight, either, but it made a certain amount of sense that they had. Apart from the relationship neither of them was entirely willing to break, they didn’t seem to have any pleasant ground to stand on. “I suppose it makes sense that nothing positive go into this thing at all,” he said, tapping the last rune he’d written with the one before moving on. “So thank you, I suppose.”

[st_ormbreaker]

"You're welcome," Thor says, choosing to ignore Loki's quip. "Are you going to let me bandage you up now?"

He gestures to Loki's hand.

[st_ratagem]

Loki stared at the staff instead of answering for a few more seconds. It had already been a bleak, unfriendly sort of artifact, now it was more so even if he found it oddly pretty. Fitting enough, and when everything was fully set and dried he’d have to test it.

After a longer pause then he exactly intended, he closed his hand and pulled it out of the bowl, “As if it’s such a privilege. I’ll manage. You have places you’d rather be.”