RD 8; Orb .001

[toxic_tsarina]

[She is eyeing the orb with narrowed eyes, mistrusting it and still thinking this could be a ploy of one of her fellow Avengers.]

This isn’t Tokyo.

[A beat, then:] Barton, I swear, if this is one of your games, I’ll snap every last one of your arrows.

[With something that is more akin to a huff than a sigh, Natasha spoke a string of choice words into the strange device. It was a code that only her fellow Avengers would recognize.]

Words can be like X-rays; if you use them properly, they'll go through anything.

Comments

[sorcerous]

Radiation doesn't go through everything.

[ The orb is darkened. Loki's thrown a blanket over it, because he can't stop the blue from spreading on his skin. ]

[toxic_tsarina]

[She can recognise that snake-like, silver tongue anywhere. Natasha glares into the void.]

I wouldn't expect you to understand it.

[sorcerous]

[ He understands a great deal of the principles of science and magic, but before he responds, a spark of intuition. He pauses. ]

Somewhat unlikely that your clever little code-phrase will gain any response. We are not all drawn from the same worlds, here.

[toxic_tsarina]

[Even if he hadn't covered his own orb, her facial expression still wouldn't have given a thing away.

I was quoting Huxley.

Do you think you're clever, hiding in the dark?

[sorcerous]

Not particularly. Blankets are a child's trick.

[ Strain, as he pushes and pushes for the illusion to spread. His fingertips still look ... inkstained, or burnt. Is that the best he can do? Where have his powers gone? Vanished, overnight. ]

[toxic_tsarina]

[You get an eye-roll.]

What you said earlier, about not all of us being from the same world? What did you mean by that?

[sorcerous]

Exactly what I said: vastly different realms, Yggdrasil changed at the root, not in the branches. Time and place are no barrier to the spell that brought us here. They represent nothing but more opportunity.

[ladysarmour]

No, my lady, this is Eswareinmal. Though where I am from we say words are wind.

[brosif]

I've known swords that go through anything. I have yet seen any words to match.

[toxic_tsarina]

[She's not at all happy that she has to rely on Loki for information, nor is she fully trusting his words aren't bullshit, but she'll take what she can. He's the only one to respond so far, after all.]

How long have you been here, Loki?

[sorcerous]

[ He freezes.

Literally.

Frost forms where his fingertips rest on the table, and he snatches them away. Unfortunately, they cling to the cloth, and that comes too, revealing a Loki with his hands gone blue and his eyes gone red, and the pink of his skin fading back and forth as he fights it. ]

What are you, that you know my name?

[somewhatpointy]

Trust me, this is about as far from Tokyo as you can get.

Yay, Sansa!

[toxic_tsarina]

[My lady? It would be amusing, were the situation different.]

And where would you be from?

[toxic_tsarina]

It's a quote from a book. Figured it was a great conversation starter.

[toxic_tsarina]

Yeah, slowly learning that. Did you arrive in this ridiculous get up, too?

[She shifts so that her blade dancer's outfit is visible.]

[somewhatpointy]

[He knows better than to stare.]

No, I woke up in plain leather armor. And with a horse decked out in even worse. Seems they outfit you based on what they think your role is.

[toxic_tsarina]

[Her reaction is similar, but without the theatrics. Thor mentioned nothing about this...this other Loki.

She recovers on the outside and smirks.]

I know we stole your magic stick, but isn't this immaturity a little below you?

[Inwardly, she's still wondering what the fuck is going on for him to appear so drastically different from the last time she saw him. Unless, then...he is telling the truth?]

[toxic_tsarina]

[Her head snaps up.]

You got a horse?

[Clearly, she did not. Though, honestly, she'd rather have the dirk than the horse, but a horse seems handy in this inconvenient setting.]

[somewhatpointy]

[He nods.]

It...I think it used to be my motorcycle. The armor it was wearing sort of resembled the cycle.

[thoreal]

Natasha Romanov?

But... I had the tesseract...

[toxic_tsarina]

[Oookaaay. Monsters and magic all over again. She should be used to these things by now, right?

She politely keeps her disbelief to herself and instead, nods.]

Someone mentioned earlier that people here are from other places; that true?

[toxic_tsarina]

[Relief practically floods her face.]

So, this is your doing, then? You somehow pulled me along?

[And if this is Asgard...no, you know what? It almost fits. The fairy tale spin, Loki's presence. Her costume in comparison to theirs.]

[somewhatpointy]

It would seem that way. I'm from Japan, but the Japan I know might be a bit different from yours.

[thoreal]

No... [He frowns.] I have been here for many days now. I do not know how the magics of this world work as well as some do, but I do not think it would take so much time.

And besides-- [Ah. That's probably important to get to sooner rather than later.] You... have not yet spoken with Loki, have you?

Hooray!

[ladysarmour]

The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.