Tea with a Trickster ((for Thor))

[coldsong]

The first message that arrives to Thor via PINpoint is a snapshot of what is clearly a picture drawn by one or more of the children. Loki may have helped with the lettering. You are cordially invited, it reads, to a Frost Giant Tea Party, hosted by Sigrid Lokidottir, this afternoon at the Big Hall. There are coordinates written on the bottom, and there are a lot of blue heart stickers all over the page.

A moment later, some texts follow:

Sigrid has had a difficult week. She's begun learning magic, and attempted to shapeshift on her own. And she's a bit stuck just now. I'm working on untangling it, but in the meantime she's impressively large and quite blue.

I'm sure you're busy but it would make them all very happy to see you.

And I have apple cider as well, since I know how you feel about tea.

There are any number of people who would be thrilled to have a tea party with the children, he knows, and none that would make Sigrid feel awkward about the magical misstep, but sometimes it's best to just appreciate family bonds.

Besides, he's spending the day in Jotun form too, and it'll be fun to be taller than Thor for a while.

(And maybe the reassurance of seeing Thor basically comfortable around his hulking blue form is something he needs from time to time as well.)

Comments

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor's eyebrows climb ever higher as he reads the message, intrigued (if slightly alarmed) at Sigrid's mishap. But it sounds as though she's in good spirits - or will be, if he shows up - so he sends back a message in return.

Of course. I will be there shortly.

It seems only polite to bring something along, of course. With the harvest underway, there is no shortage of options, but in the end the choice is rather straightforward. The jar of honey he chooses is small and unlabeled, suitably sized for a gift to family.

Well. Family when they're the usual size, anyway. No telling right now, is there?

The light of the Bifrost illuminates Loki's garden, setting down precisely on the same runes it had inscribed before.

[coldsong]

Loki meets him in the garden, Jotun-blue and nine feet tall, but dressed in a manner more in keeping with his usual clothing than with a Frost Giant's icy wardrobe. He comes over, hands in pockets, and bends down with a little grin to greet his brother--but notably, he keeps back far enough not to loom, trying to be sensitive of Thor's past traumas.

"The rightful king of Jotunheim extends his greetings to the All-Father, on his own behalf and on behalf of the lady host of today's fête" This is clearly tongue in cheek, but the warmth in his voice is sincere.

"I have an appropriately-sized Hall I've kept for a couple years," he adds. "That's where the children are right now. But if you'd like, you can visit the pony and the reindeer before we go. You haven't seen them yet."

[pirateangelbaby]

It's not the first time that Thor has seen his brother's true face. But it has been a while. He starts slightly, more from the surprise of just how tall Loki is this time, but no frost giant he saw on Jotunheim dressed like this.

Recovering his composure quickly though, he plants Stormbreaker's head onto the ground, letting the axe stand freely in the middle of the Bifrost runes. No need for it past this point, after all. "I accept those greetings and give you my own. Along with this," he adds, holding up the jar of honey. It looks absurdly tiny in proportion with Loki, but a gift is a gift, right? "The bees in my greenhouse have made rather a lot of it this year."

And it's not like he can turn it into mead, a fact that he constantly regrets.

"You have a reindeer now?" Color him surprised, but not terribly so.

[coldsong]

Loki's smile slips for just a second, but as Thor recovers, so does he. "Sigrid is stuck in a Jotun-like form," he explains, "and I didn't want her to be alone in it. Particularly since I think her reasoning for trying to take that particular shape has quite a bit to do with me."

He accepts the honey jar and smiles, turning it in his fingers delicately. "You keep bees now, like Mother used to. This is a treasure, Thor."

He tucks it in a pocket in his shirt carefully.

There's a laugh, then. "I have two. They were a very kind and rather shockingly extravagant gift from a friend. I don't know if you're aware of all the various bands in the Nexus; it seems a lot of musicians from the same world and time period have begun gravitating here. It began with that Ziggy Stardust, I think. In any case, there are quite a few Scandinavians among them. One of them is from the Saami people, and genderqueer, and when I met him at Beltane we got along like a house on fire."

"He brought me the reindeer. A male and a female." It's clear from the look on Loki's face that he's extremely touched by this gift. It's quite a generous one, from a people whose traditional way of life revolves around these animals. "Not sure if he meant for me to start my own herd or not, but that seems likely at this point. The children adore them. We named them Ask and Embla. The pony's name is Fulla."

He moves a few steps away, toward the small stable and yard that's been built in the meadow nearby. Both reindeer and the pony are out in the yard grazing. The pony is clearly from Vanaheim stock--would have to be, to carry the children--and is a lovely white-gold color, with mane darkening toward auburn at the ends.

"People can be extraordinarily kind, when you give them the chance to be, can't they?" he muses aloud, watching as the stag lifts its head to look over at them.

[pirateangelbaby]

"Ah," Thor says, playing off his moment of surprise as easily as Loki is, a light teasing smile on his lips. "And here I thought you were getting back at me for calling you short last time."

Well, this is going to be interesting.

Modesty is something that hasn't suited Thor well in the past, but he's becoming used to it these days. "The bees keep themselves, for the most part. But I did have to learn how to harvest the comb; it's not as easy as Mother made it look." Still, he looks pleased that his gift has been well accepted. Hard to go wrong with sweets, honey especially.

News of the bands hasn't entirely reached Thor, but mention of the Saami sparks recognition in his eye. "That's quite a gift." He follows Loki, casting his gaze ahead to the yard where the livestock are pastured. Healthy animals indeed, and Thor admires them, looking them over. "If you're not careful, you're going to have an entire menagerie by the end of the decade."

[coldsong]

"No, but now that you've reminded me of that, I'll make a point of setting you on a high shelf later."

He smiles, listening to Thor talking of beekeeping. It's delightfully domestic, not to mention nostalgic. "I remember her showing me queen cells one autumn right before one of her hives swarmed. There were so many. She said it was because it was late in the year and they couldn't overwinter without a healthy queen."

Loki starts to lean on the fence, realizes that's not going to work at the height he's at, and shoves his hands in his pockets instead. "I honestly didn't know what to say. It's a little overwhelming. I'll make sure to take the best care of them. But if they do end up having babies, I may end up sending a little herd to Asvera rather than keeping them all here. Just so you're forewarned."

[pirateangelbaby]

"Don't you dare." There's no heat in Thor's voice though, a lighthearted response to the brotherly jab accompanied by a small smile that sits easily on his lips.

Memories of Frigga are delicate ground with them both, but this is one wound whose tenderness is no longer quite so fresh, its sting eased by the years since. There's a sadness to that smile, but in a distant way, one soothed and bolstered by the better memories he's held onto, and holds dear to his heart. "They're smart little creatures to know they need that kind of support. But then, they need their queen as much as she needs them, don't they?" He turns his head a little to look up at Loki, wistful nostalgia in his eye, too. "Her bees made the best honey in all the Realms."

Loki's little slipup has Thor hiding his smile behind his hand - somewhat poorly, pretending to stroke at his beard instead. The amusement at his brother's misjudgment doesn't last long, though, flattered and affectionate. "I imagine they might be more pleasant to herd than our goats," he says with a surprised, but delighted chuckle. "We might need more land for grazing, though there's already talks of terraforming another island or two."

[coldsong]

"They do." Loki's smile is sad, too. "A hive is almost a single organism, rather than a conglomeration of separate creatures. They need one another."

...Actually, bees can be pretty mercenary, and can kill off a queen that doesn't suit them, and they're both certainly aware of that, but the topic of conversation is half metaphorical now, and bringing that up aloud would be jarring. Loki reaches over and rubs Thor's shoulder lightly with his fingertips, watching his expression to make sure he's not chilled by the touch.

"And you're right, they absolutely did."

He'll just let that look of amusement pass for now.

"I don't think they birth more than one or two fawns a season," Loki tells him. "You have plenty of time. I'm not sure how long they take to grow to adulthood, now that I think of it. I'd better do some research, or maybe have Aarne over for lessons."

"But we'd better head for the tea party now, or Sigrid will start texting me asking what's taking us so long." He nods toward a narrow, packed-earth path that leads into a more wooded area. Once they round the bend, there's a dell and a hidden doorway that leads to the Hall.

[pirateangelbaby]

Loki's touch is welcome, whether he is blue or not. Thor does not flinch away before or after, the fond look in his eye unfaltering as he reaches up to pat Loki's hand - well, a finger or two - in response.

"Ah, yes, I suppose we shouldn't keep her waiting." This time, as they travel down the path, Thor takes a moment to ready himself to see Sigrid without showing surprise, as he had with Loki. Despite the circumstances, he is still eager to see his nieces and nephews, easily keeping up with his brother's longer stride. "How large is your property now, anyway?" he asks, peering ahead.

[coldsong]

"It's only really my property as long as the Nexus permits it to be," Loki tells him ruefully. "I bought the lot that the cottage is on and quite a few surrounding acres, but the size fluctuates no matter how I ward things. At least the buildings and structures remain unaffected. It's just they're sometimes closer together than others."

"But I have the cottage, the stable and garden, and I built a place for Harley on the other side of the meadow. She wanted zip lines connecting my place and hers, so those are in place, as well."

He steps down into the dell and taps one of the rocks. The doorway swims into view with a shimmer of seidr; its set into the hillside, and easily big enough for two Jotnarr to enter walking abreast.

"This isn't purchased, though. It's an unauthorized hiding-place," he grins, because of course the slightly illicit nature of it pleases him.

He pushes the door open and holds it for Thor. Right away, he can probably hear the children's voices: "No, you can't eat the cookies yet, they're for the party!"

The interior of the Hall is simple, almost austere: the walls and floor are polished granite; there's a black velvety rug that runs the length of it, and lamps along the wall for lighting. The only other wall decor is a series of pictures clearly drawn and hung up by the children.

There is a long dining table or conference table, Jotun-sized, and a fireplace down at the far end of the room which is big enough to roast a bull whole and then some. Aside from the heavy chairs at the dining table, most of the seating appears to be floor cushions piled with furs. There are passages to side rooms, but it seems like the bulk of this place is the massive Hall itself.

Three out of four children are actually on the table. Agnarr attempting to divert Una with a card game, while Eindrid is creeping toward the tea and snacks set out nearby. Sigrid is kneeling on a Jotun-sized chair. It's easy to see what's happened to her; she is at the moment slightly taller and overall bigger than an adult Asgardian woman should be, but with child proportions. Her skin tone is almost identical to Loki's. Her eyes and hair are the same shade as ever, though, and the ridges that mark his skin are absent in her. She's trying to block Eindrid from reaching for the cookie plate, but seems reluctant to actually touch him, lest she hurt him by accident.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor frowns a little, nodding along, and not regretting for one moment that he chose not to settle Asgard here. If even a small homestead like this might one day find their borders have changed, what's to say what would have become of a nation?

But there's little time for such thoughts, as his attention is drawn to the secret entrance, revealed at Loki's hand. A glint of amusement in his eye, he steps through, the doorway arching high over his head as the palace of their childhood had. But where the palace had been cream and gold, the colors here are muted, closer, cozier than he was expecting. It feels less a hall built for a king's audience and more like a meadhall, where brothers might sit shoulder to shoulder and share roast meat and stories, whiling away the long winter with song and company.

Thor's gaze sweeps over the children, his eye drawn to Sigrid first. It's somehow more and less jarring to see her thus - not quite Jotun, but still so very different, yet still unmistakably a child. His gait pauses only a moment as he takes it in, then he continues to stride forward, heading toward the table. "Well, it's a good thing that I'm here," he calls up to them, a smile on his lips.

[coldsong]

True. And it makes sense to have the Aesir settle close to the humans whose stories have become so entwined with their own. Time will tell whether that alliance holds, whether gods and mortals intermingle and grow together or remain cautiously isolated, but it's unquestionably the right place to start.

But the Nexus seems to have been the right place for Loki to start, or re-start. It's a home for outliers and outlaws, and the chaotic nature of it suits him.

Loki lets Thor go on ahead of him into the hall, and maybe something about his brother's demeanor tells him he approves of the place, because even without Thor saying a word, he starts to look a little more pleased with himself. Whether the decor has anything in common with Jotun architecture, Loki rather doubts, but it's a comforting hybrid of space and simplicity. A refuge designed for the very large, or for large groups needing sanctuary.

Sigrid looks up when Thor speaks, eyes wide and excited. She beams at once, then looks a little shy, aware of how different her appearance is. Seeing Loki nearby, tall and blue, does seem to reassure her though. Meanwhile, Eindrid is handily diverted from his snack-stealing task, looking over at Thor and waving enthusiastically. Una tumbles off the table and comes running over to hug his leg, while Agnarr, like his brother, waves hello.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor waves hello to Eindrid and Agnarr, though that does not last long as Una comes barreling for his legs. He laughs a little, reaching down to scoop her up for a proper hug - and so he can continue towards the table, giving Sigrid a smile.

"Well hello there," he says to Una in his arms, and casts his gaze around to the other three children. "This is quite the table you've set. Did you all help?"

Best not to mention Sigrid's mishap, he decides. The girl looks uncertain of herself enough without him calling attention to it, no matter if she's not the only one in the room who is big and blue at the moment.

[coldsong]

Loki follows, and pats Sigrid's shoulder gently, then straightens the bow in her hair. "It was Sigrid's idea, but I think everyone contributed. Ein suggested the cookies. With no ulterior motives whatsoever, I'm sure."

Thor is going to be beset with hugs at this rate. Eindrid scrambles across the table toward him with a soft but distinct, "Hiiiiiii Uncle Thor!" His speech is still delayed, but he's improving by leaps and bounds.

"Umm, would you like to sit and have tea--or juice?" Sigrid invites, with a half curtsey from her chair because she's trying to be a proper lady. "You can sit on the table if it's easier. The chairs are kind of huge."

[pirateangelbaby]

A deluge of hugs would be, by far, the best way to go as far as Thor is concerned. He pauses only a brief moment to assess - Sigrid's idea is a good one, and there's only a small hitch in his step before he's hopping up onto the table too, Una still held securely in one arm. She giggles, and he briefly kisses her forehead before setting her down and kneeling to pick up Endrid, giving the little boy the same courtesy. "Hello to you too, Ein. I hope you've left some cookies for me," he teases gently, lightly tweaking the end of the boy's nose.

Still holding Eindrid in the crook of his arm, he turns to face Sigrid and bows slightly. "I'd be honored to accept a juice," he tells her, matching her attempt at manners. She is hosting a king, after all, even if he is her uncle. "Whatever you have will suit."