If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks...

[coldsong]

It's customary to have a Wake after the subject thereof dies. Even Loki knows that. But this is a special occasion. Ego-death is coming to his alternate, and the idea of letting him go off to perish alone, uncertain he will even be mourned, is too dark a proposition even for a flawed and callous person to contemplate.

That, and this Loki has been in a melancholy mood since speaking to the spirit of Frigga. He anticipates a dark choice of his own, sooner or later, and where the fates will send him after that, he can't know. Maybe oblivion, although even at that rate there may be worse places.

What's important right now is that no one dies unremembered. And honestly, any excuse for mischief a party. The first text rolls out to Harley, an innocent enough invitation to join them for milkshakes. Cricket is next, because it occurs to him that Cricket has plenty of liquor, which is good for a reckless celebration.

Things snowball from there.

As long as they don't destroy too much property, they'll call the night a success.

Comments

[alittlehinky]

Cricket doesn't want to invade Kinner's personal space, knowing what he knows about what he's been through, so he's not going to just come over and fall into his lap or anything. But he does stagger to his own room, collecting the two pillows off his bed, and tucks one behind Kinner's back unsteadily, possibly waking him in the process.

"Gonna wake up with a crick in th' neck like that," he mumbles with a drowsy smirk.

[outpostcook]

One of Kinner's eyes flickers open as he registers Cricket in front of him. The cook manages a weak smile as he shuffles into a more comfortable position. Cricket looks pretty tired, too. "Thanks, Cricket. That was an exciting party, wasn't it?" He'd enjoyed himself, for the most part, though maybe he shouldn't have drunk so much moonshine. "Folks liked my popcorn shrimp - I 'pprove of that. Put a lot of - hic - hard work into 'em."

Kinner's pretty tired, but he's glad to see Cricket with him.

[alittlehinky]

Cricket flops onto the floor beside him, his own pillow in front of him so he can lie with his chest and chin on it. He's taken off his leg braces just in case someone in the pile kicks out. Better not to let anyone get hurt on the metal.

"Ain't had nothin' you made yet that wasn't worth eating, Kinner," he says, and yawns. "You're good at what you do. Hope y'r proud of that."

[outpostcook]

"Well," Kinner says, "I put my all into it. I've learned a lotta things I wouldn't have learned about without comin' to the Nexus. Like how to make tater tots." He's going to have to tell Venom about that sometime, but the alien blob would never leave him alone.

He yawns, too, making sure there's space for Cricket. "That there was some good eats. Good drinkin', too." He pats his stomach. "Gotta say, those burgers were somethin'." Alastor may make fun of him, but he considers it a small bit of indirect revenge.

[alittlehinky]

"Tater tots?" He repeats and gives a tipsy little giggle. "The hell are tater tots?"

Hey, if they were new in 1938, Cricket can't possibly have heard of them. He died seven years before that. "Tell you somethin' though, Kinner. Us dead folks oughtta stick together."

[outpostcook]

"They're made of potatoes. There's someone here who really likes them, and I want to keep him happy." Kinner wonders if Cricket's met Venom. The toothy slime ball seems to have gotten around.

Sticking together sounds like a good idea. Kinner thinks, then nods.

"Yeah. You're right. Dead guys like us oughta stick together."

[alittlehinky]

"Ohhh. Almost anything with fried potatoes," he says sagely. "They're fried, right?"

No one's told him about cholesterol, and he's nineteen anyway.

He hasn't met Venom yet, actually! It might be best that he doesn't for a bit, because he'll be simultaneously unsettled by him and feel like he has to tell him off for picking on Kinner. That ought to be interesting.

"Dead man's club," he murmurs with a snort. "Palmer ain't dead, but he can be honorary, right?"

[outpostcook]

"Deep-fried and grated. If I wasn't dead, I'd have to surprise my old campmates with some of these."

Kinner's still uneasy about Venom, but he's pretty sure the symbiote won't eat him. Still, he doesn't especially like the teasing. Still, Venom at least likes his fish and oysters, and has learned to pay for them.

Anyway, Kinner made a nice rabbit stew out of the half-a-rabbit Venom gave him. As long as he didn't think about where it came from.

"Hope Pamer's crew turn out all right. It's weird how some of 'em have the same names as my team, or close. Norris. Blair. Doc Copper."

[alittlehinky]

"Next time you make 'em, show me how? Bet Harley would eat those." He's always on the lookout for vegetarian things he can make that both he and Harley will enjoy. Bonus if Loki will eat them, too, although Cricket tends to feel like a god can handle getting his own dinner.

"I hope so too. Wish I could help more. Crazy monsters...I ain't much good in a fight, even with just humans."

[outpostcook]

"Don't mind if I do."

Kinner can't help but enjoy showing off the new recipes he learned in the Grand Library. He isn't much of a reader under usual circumstances, but cookbooks are an exception for him. Learning new recipes was a neccessary skill. If he's dead, he may as well become a better cook.

"I'm actually a decent fighter, and threw a few punches in my day. It's just that ain't any good with monsters from outer space. But if Palmer decides to go ahead with his plan to fight back, I'm gonna help him."

[alittlehinky]

"I'm comin', too, then." Not an ounce of hesitation in this kid. "Only we best have a real good plan, 'cause I reckon no one wants us to bring it back to the Nexus on accident."

He gives him a reassuring grin, then, bumping shoulders. "I'll take your word for it and not go in trying to punch anything."

[outpostcook]

"You're brave." Kinner nods, flashing Cricket a grin back. "That flamethrower of yours sounded like a good idea. You wanna avoid touching the Thing if you can help it, 'cause that's when it can choose to infect you."

He shrugs as best he can hunched against the wall. "I just got a personal score to settle with that monster."

[alittlehinky]

He is braver when he's drunk, in all fairness, but Cricket seems to be more than a little delighted by the praise. "You two are some of my best friends, is all. Wanna make sure you come back okay."

"Maybe some kinda armor would help. Something it can't get through easily." They can talk it over when they're sober again.

"But we don't have to be in no big hurry. Time moves different in the Nexus. We can plan and research."

[outpostcook]

"Planning's a good idea. Maybe Palmer's critter is like mine but not quite the same - my creature's blue, for example, while his is...I dunno how to put it, if anything it sounded even more disgusting."

Kinner's Thing having a true form made it feel more like a living creature, if a horrible one, while the Thing in the Outpost 31 timeline seemed almost more like a disease than anything else.

"Fire kills it. We know that much." Kinner hiccups, too tipsy to draw battle plans. "But you're right, we should talk about this later, when our - hic - heads are clear."