because Loki needs more kids (@mayberaven)

[coldsong]

Midwinter is well past; the equinox is a few weeks hence. Already, preparations for Spring are underway, with Loki and the children making a point of buying plants, planning the garden, and tending to a very pregnant reindeer in the stables. It's still chilly, though, and this morning there was a thin layer of ice over the meadow. Loki sees the children off to their various schools before venturing into the cold alone, in Jotun form, to savor the last sting of the season.

By the ocean, Naglfar is locked in ice, which will do it no harm, but Loki stands on the shore watching it. The wind whistles about the bony mast, and the ice creaks, but no gulls cry. They've gone further inland for warmth. At the moment, the beach is his alone.

Or is it?

Comments

[coldsong]

So they don't even have gas-powered stoves yet where the boy is from? But he doesn't seem skeptical of magic. That paints a picture. "Ask my oldest daughter later, she loves to explain things." Not that technology is Sigrid's primary focus, but it will give them something to chat about. "If all else fails, we can run to the library--can you read? No worries, if not. We'll figure something out."

Assuming he stays for any length of time, that is. Loki isn't going to keep him captive.

Loki sits back in his chair with the boots in his lap, soles up, almost as if he's a shoemaker working on them. There are no tools in his hands, though, and the glittery green-gold energy that curls around his fingertips is visible soon enough. "If you want to hurry back to where you came from, by the way, I'll assist, but you don't have to. More often than not, people leave here to discover little to no time has passed while they were away."

[mayberaven]

Fjord was torn- he could feel the flush darkening his cheeks at the question about reading, but was so reluctant to drop his gaze. Especially at the sight of that glittering energy sparkling into existence as Loki seemed to be getting to work. He'd just hope Loki's attention was more on his task than noticing that little detail.

"I'll ah... ask her then, that sounds like a good idea." Even if the idea of someone inviting him to interact with their children was a foreign concept, even the thought of it a bit unfamiliar.

"Time runs differently? That's..." He felt a faint curl of concern as his vague knowledge spit out memories of stories told that had his gaze dropping to the food he'd been eating, suddenly wary all over again. "Like the Feywild?"

[coldsong]

Lack of a direct response tells Loki that no, he probably can't read. He's not shocked, and chooses not to press the point for now. If the child stays long enough, that's something he can fix. "Please don't be offended or upset if she asks about your skin color. There's a story she's particularly fond of, about a sorceress with green skin. She's likely to make that connection right away; it's her favorite character."

He raises an eyebrow at the flicker of suspicion, and his lips twitch, hiding a smile. It would be so easy to tease...but he doesn't want him to panic. "Not quite so treacherous. A bite of food and a night's sleep here won't tie you to the place forever. Time runs differently, and sometimes there's a sense of dream logic that's in keeping with fae sensibilities, but no one's going to hurt or imprison you, and the people that offer you free food are, for the most part, just being generous."

[mayberaven]

Fjord can't help the incredulous look that flickers over his face. That anyone might see someone looking even remotely like him and decide that was their favorite character... he didn't think Loki was lying, but it just didn't happen. But then it was a story. Who knew why she liked that particular character? Regardless, he nodded his understanding all the same. It wouldn't be the first time someone had asked him about his appearance or commented on it. Maybe it'd be a nice change of pace for it to not be out of malice for once.

Loki's assurances that this wasn't quite like he was thinking were welcome. It didn't stop him turning his attention to the food, as if weighing if he should continue on or not, but... well if he was stuck here, he'd already started eating. Might as well enjoy the meal. "So it's like to take some getting used to then... if it's as... odd as you say, that is."

[coldsong]

"Don't look so surprised. Context makes all the difference. To someone with no prejudice against your kind, you're just a pretty botanical color. To someone with no fear of Jotnar, I'm just the color of the sky. That's what people often mean when they say if someone hates you because of your heritage it's their problem. In a way, it is--it has to do with what's in their head, not what's real. It's just that it also immediately becomes your problem when they get nasty with you."

"It definitely takes some getting used to, this place. Within the more populated areas it's physically very safe. There's a kind of magic that inhibits violence, and it's not always foolproof but it's reliable enough that most people don't even bother picking fights. Every now and again there's a crisis of some sort, but I wouldn't be raising my children here if I thought it was less safe than the world they came from."

[mayberaven]

Fjord was quiet as Loki spoke. Partly to listen to what he was saying, and partly because it was so foreign to his understanding of how things worked.

"I... can't say I've ever heard as such. That disliking my heritage is someone else's problem, I mean." He replied quietly, picking at a bite of pancake without looking up.

That the place was generally safe made sense. A god surely had his pick of places to go to raise children- assuming that was true, then the fact that Loki remained in the Nexus was a clear mark in the favor of it being at least not any more dangerous than things back home were.

[coldsong]

"You haven't?" Loki's expression softens into a blend of compassion and apology. "Well, someone should have. Other people may hate you because of their own prejudices, and that can't be easily changed, but you should never have to hate yourself."

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you wish, but if you do go back, I hope you'll remember that. I, at least, and I'll wager my children as well, are content to know you for who you are, rather than judge the what."

"And green is my favorite color, for the record." If Loki knew him better, this is the point where he'd ruffle his hair, but he knows the boy is a bit ill at ease still, so he refrains, opting instead to finish up the boots and set them beside him. "You can try those again when you've finished eating."

[mayberaven]

Fjord wasn't sure what to say. Or what to make of what Loki was saying himself. Yellow gaze skipping up towards him, protests familiar and well-worn in their shape bubbling up in his throat as he bit his tongue against spilling them. The support was unfamiliar but... it was nice all the same, and if he argued it too much, maybe he would spoil it.

Cagey as he was, he was still a child and his expressions were easy enough to read for someone like Loki. Confusion was unsurprising to be sure, if he'd never heard things like this. A bit of creeping fear underneath that the boy was likely unaware he even felt, that drove some of his insistence in picking out flaws and failings in himself to excuse the way others saw and treated him. Because it must be his fault. If not... then that meant that the world could be so very unfair and cruel, and that was simply too terrible for him to consider.

The comment about Loki's favorite color had Fjord's face flushing a bit darker as his eyes went back to his plate again, a mute nod offered at the instruction. "Thank you, sir."