eswareinmal | (no subject)

[ Loki's skin is pale; he, once again, looks human, his eyes green, his hair dark. His fingers are restless, tapping. ] Shall we have a tale?

Here, I believe the appropriate beginning is, let's see... Once upon a time.

Once upon a time, there was a little world. It had no boundaries, but it was small enough that it needed no boundaries. More on that later, I certainly expect. This world was made by balance between order and chaos. Order created and arranged, and chaos introduced an element of randomness. Evolution. Each required the other to innovate.

But, then, Order isn't so very good at innovation, is it? Perhaps inevitable that one day Chaos would begin to dominate. The balance reels, and the world changes -- or perhaps it's that the world changes, and the balance tips. Either way, each avatar, one of order, one of chaos, are locked in eternal battle. Thorns began to spread, and so Order had to try, again, to reach beyond itself. Literally, this time.

As we stand: order reached to heroes, but could not cope with the element of instability the heroes produced. Thus, it boxed them into confined roles, shaved off the bits of them that would not fit.

Take care, heroes, for chaos would destroy everything -- but order would destroy you from within.

This is, as it stands, all I know. Let you ignorants be satisfied with that.

[ OOC: Thread between Sif and Loki below includes NSFW content. Be thyself warned. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So they say.

[ He wears his titles in spite of them as much as he takes pride in them. He dislikes how they have named him; they dislike his gifts. It has a symmetry to it. ]

What do you call it? Your power.

I am a sorcerer, an adept of magic. Few of the Aesir know the study of it. They find it suspect.

I cannot say I am the most trustful of magic, from what I have known of it.

You do not trust what you do not understand.

I understood it plenty, ser.

Only a wielder of a sword understands the weapon. Understands the balance of it, the way the metal is tuned, how it may be used, held, carried. Do you disagree?

It was not so difficult for me to understand the way the woman wielded hers. For murder of an innocent babe.

And yet a sword may be taken up in defense of an innocent. It is an instrument of death, but death is not good or evil; it is simply universal.

Would you describe misdirected vengeance the same way? There is no law that can condone the killing of a child.

I mean to say that magic may be used the same as a blade: to draw blood, in service of good or evil, order or chaos or neither.

It was surely done as an evil then. I do not know if there is any to be trusted that has not led me into peril. Yet I do not fear it.
[ had she not walked into the house of the undying? she was a dragon, and a dragon does not fear. a queen does not fear. ]

Then you are foolish. Power should always be feared.

I am no fool, ser. Where I come from, there are things that are worse to fear.
[ like the coin of her blood being tossed, to what end it will fall. to who will trust or betray her, who to love and who to protect against. those are what she fears. ]

Worse than power?

Quite a world you must have, in which the powerless strike.

It is surely no world you have seen. Power is needed, most hunger for it all their days and many abuse it to do terrible things. I have supped enough on fears and powers have many sacrifices made with them. There are better things to want.

Is it what you hold most dear?

What I hold dear is no business of yours.

[ she raises a brow ]
As it is no business of yours to call me a fool. Very well.