testing phase

[st_ratagem]

It had been no surprise that Valkyrie was eager to try the first attempt at Asgardian liquor. There wasn't a huge amount - four reused whiskey bottles, two of which had already gone to Thor - but if he'd done it right, two would be more than enough for the moment. Even if it wasn't, it was still likely to score solid points.

The door was unlocked as he'd said, and he'd hauled the little patio table into the room and set both bottles along with a few shot glasses on it.

Then, to amuse himself, he started counting down from twenty.

Comments

[st_ratagem]

“Not much for planning ahead, I see.” The leg up and over into a straddle was a strong move, definitely. Loki let the blue go and used the fact that she’d thrown her weight back into his hand to haul her closer, as if overcorrecting to prevent her from falling.

[st_allionofdoom]

As she was pulled in, Valkyrie swiped the bottle and took it with her, crossing her arms around Loki's shoulders. Why not indulge in a few vices at once?

"Promise me you'll keep this project going." She tightened her thighs around his, and none too gently.

[st_ratagem]

Loki suppressed a little groan at the rough squeeze and couldn't resist leaning in enough that his mouth brushed her pulse point when he replied. "Easy enough. I always intended it to be ongoing. It seemed a thing both you and my brother would appreciate." He briefly tightened his grip on her hips, then admitted, "Mostly you." Sad though it might have made Thor to hear, he was a secondary consideration in this.

[st_allionofdoom]

Satisfied with his response, Valkyrie relented and loosened her grip--perhaps it was the effects of the potent liquor, but she felt oddly content with the little give-and-take, simply indulging in the feel of his lips on her throat. She hummed, taking a sip over his shoulder. "Well. Then." She gave an almost-sheepish smirk where he couldn't see--she hadn't fully expected that admission.

[st_ratagem]

"Sucking up is an effective tactic," he all but purred. That wasn't the entirety of the reason, of course - he had been and still was more driven by fondness and affection, a desire to please that had very little to do with colder tactical reasoning, but admitting that out loud any more explicitly seemed... dangerous, somehow.

[st_allionofdoom]

"With the right tools." Valkyrie added, knocking the damp mouth of the bottle back against Loki's head lightly, giving his head a little squeeze between her cheek and her shoulder.

[st_ratagem]

"I manage when I want to." Tools or no, though leverage did make everything easier. Nevertheless, Valkyrie felt... oddly easy, never as fraught or potentially dangerous as most people even though in absolute terms she was probably one of the most potentially dangerous. Somehow, he just... trusted her, and he didn't even trust Thor, not really. It was probably going to bite him eventually. "I'm glad you approve of these particular tools."

[st_allionofdoom]

"I'll return the favor when I'm sober." In the way she took another swig off the bottle, that likely wouldn't be for some time. "...You want any more of this?" She leaned back, waggling it in offering, somehow remembering her manners.

[st_ratagem]

"No." He reached up to stroke her cheek with a thumb. She was more touchy-feely than usual when drunk, it did run to affection and almost clumsy little violences. For anything on the sharper or more intense side, comparative sobriety was required. Fortunately, Loki was more than willing to just enjoy the affection. It hadn't stopped feeling like a rare indulgence yet. "You go ahead."

[st_allionofdoom]

A grin spread across her face, indulging in one final sip before setting the bottle back behind her. Even at the tipsiest she'd been in a good long while, she had enough control to save some for later. "Never thought I'd taste anything like this again. It does bring back memories." She bucked, rocking the pair of them where they sat in another physical show of gratitude.

"The good kind." She added, giving Loki a meaningful look, even if she was giving that dirty fighting tactic of his a pass.

[st_ratagem]

"You may be referring to context I don't have yet." He didn't need it filled in, much. She was a Valkyrie, the only one alive. To bring back bad memories in her wouldn't require any particular skill, just some knowledge of history and an understanding of what her sisters had meant to her.

Still, she didn't appear to be holding a grudge for his future action. Loki slid a hand around the back of her neck to pull her close enough for a quick kiss.

[st_allionofdoom]

'I would say it's in the past, but...' The thought wasn't even worth continuing. The flare of exasperation with the twisted laws of reality was settled with the brief contact, and she sunk down to rest her chin on his shoulder. "Unbelievable."

[st_ratagem]

He stroked her back, not-entirely-mock comforting. “I’d catch up if I could.”

[st_allionofdoom]

"In this case, don't worry about it." She returned the gesture, stroking the crown of his head in a not-entirely-mock-comforting gesture. "You'll have your hands full with the Valkyrie you're due to crash into." 'And her, likewise.'

[st_ratagem]

“Do I not have my hands full with this one?” In the literal sense, if no other, which he demonstrated with a quick pinch just below her ribcage.

[st_allionofdoom]

Valkyrie's leg jerked forward in a kick, taking one leg of the chair clean out, sending them tipping over. She landed on top of Loki unceremoniously, but shrugged as if she hadn't felt a thing (and very likely hadn't.) "You have no idea."

[st_ratagem]

Loki, of course, took the brunt of the fall by landing and providing some cushion for Valkyrie. His only reaction, though, was a half-laughed, “Ow.” No real injury, startlement rather than pain, ending in a position he was rather familiar with. “At this point I think I have some idea.”

[st_allionofdoom]

"You really don't." She insisted lazily, knocking foreheads with him with a breathy laugh of her own. "Start steeling yourself now."

[st_ratagem]

"Delightful. I'll do that." He stole another kiss, slow and lazy. Why not? Her mouth was right there! And whether or not she was entirely serious about having not yet begun to be a handful, fighting with her in any way never got boring.

[st_allionofdoom]

Curling her legs over, the much smaller form of Valkyrie was now nested atop Loki on the ruins of the once-nice piece of furniture, finishing the kiss off with a nibble and a yawn. "Shall I give you a taste of what's to come?"

[st_ratagem]

"Do. It may be only fair to warn me." Not that he didn't ignore warnings, perhaps especially when they were delivered by beautiful women currently using him as a mattress.

[st_allionofdoom]

"Remind me." Valkyrie was murmuring by this point, her muscles relaxed to the point it was clear she had no intention of exercising them in her state.

[st_ratagem]

"We'll see." Valkyrie was well on her way to unconsciousness, it seemed. Well, that was fine, or would be with a few slight alterations in circumstance.

Primarily, the floor wasn't especially comfortable, which was easily fixed. Valkyrie, despite being heavier than she looked due to muscle mass, wasn't any heavier than a solid human, which meant that lifting her was no trouble. Shifting and twisting to put himself upright with her gathered close was more difficult, but it was effort Loki was pleased to make since it took only a few steps to deposit them both in the large bed on the lower level. Much more comfortable than a furniture-shard strewn floor.

[st_allionofdoom]

By the time her body hit the bed, Valkyrie was out. She wasn’t usually lacking for energy, but the drink mixed with the memories of the past and thoughts of the future combined into a cocktail of exhaustion.

Also, there was a soothing, lilting quality to Loki’s voice, though she’d never admit that.

[st_ratagem]

Under some circumstances, Loki might have simply ensured she was comfortable and gone about his business. However, nightmares still ensured that he didn't sleep well in general, and since Frigga's visit one exception had been constant: if Valkyrie was there, his sleep was dreamless. That meant that under this circumstance, he settled into bed alongside her, pulled her close, and drifted off as well.