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

[pirateangelbaby]

"I don't recognize that vintage."

For such a big guy, when Thor sneaks up on somebody, it tends to be entirely accidental. He's wearing casual clothes that could almost pass for Earth fashion, rather than the armor, so that probably helps him blend in a little at first glance. He already has a drink in hand, which is mostly empty already, yet this doesn't stop him from peering at the labels of the bottles in the captain's hands.

[smartass_captain]

The casual clothes just make it worse in some ways, but Jim manages to keep his face arranged in a perfectly polite smile when he startles and turns around no matter how much he dreads seeing the god wearing George Kirk's face in person again. Unless it's Loki trying to fuck with him again. Which it might be?

You never can tell with gods.

"I frequent a different corner of the galaxy and a different universe altogether than you, that's hardly surprising." He talks so differently though. That helps. That and the eyepatch. Just focus on those things, Jim. His smile relaxes a little bit before he nods to both bottles of bright blue liquid sitting on the table.

"Andorian ale. Always impresses at a party. I think folks like the color as much as they do the taste of it."

[pirateangelbaby]

If any of Kirk's suspicion or discomfort shows on his face, Thor doesn't seem to notice, picking up one of the bottles to admire the jewel-like blue sheen to it. "I can see why. I love a good ale, but brown beers can be found in any corner of the galaxy. It's good to branch out a little, once in a while."

To that end, he's going to pour himself a sample. Just a little; he'd hate to drink it all himself before anyone else can take a crack at it. This is a party, after all.

[smartass_captain]

"Stronger than most beers. It's served in shot glasses where I'm from."

Still, Jim doubts that will mean much to a god. He gestures at Thor to help himself and moves to find himself a clean glass to get a bit for himself too. When in doubt of whether one can or can't have something, it's best to always bring your own. Might be the other reason Jim's brought plenty of booze to add to the stores.

"I won't be able to get such a variety as easily soon, so might as well have the excuse to do it now."

[pirateangelbaby]

Shot glasses? Right, those incredibly tiny thimbles that Midgardians seem to enjoy using for concentrated liquors. Well, he'll just have to test the strength of this particular brew, then, and he passes the bottle to Kirk once his shot is poured.

"Always wise to seize the opportunity to make merry," Thor agrees, and sniffs at the blue ale. It has a pungent scent, tantalizing and fruity, very unlike the meads and ales he's used to. He doesn't quite throw the shot back either, unwilling to skip the actual tasting part. "I see why this is a popular choice," he says with a broad smile, and it's too bad that breaking glasses is inappropriate behavior for Earth because this drink deserves it. Well, if he can't honor it by that particular custom, he'll certainly pour a second one. Just to be certain.

[smartass_captain]

"I mean, it probably won't do anything for a God's constitution, but it's stronger than the ales most humans drink, at any rate." Jim knows all about the tolerance levels that can exist out there, his doppelganger being among those who no longer gets any buzz from the good ol' booze.

"Right? A break away from the ordinary and mundane, though I'm sure that's my species talking." His comms officer always thinks its strange for people to make a big deal out of it but then again, he is Andorian.

"Do you dabble much in human alcohol even if it doesn't do anything for you?"

[pirateangelbaby]

In Thor's experience, humans tend to come in two flavors: those that wish to live comfortable, uncomplicated, familiar lives, and those who would rather experience every wonder the universe has to offer. It's not hard to tell which category Jim Kirk belongs to. "If enjoying a party is a character flaw, then, it's one we share."

He still can't wink. Dammit.

The question makes him chuckle. "Of course. I'm always up for trying new things, and Earth's had centuries to invent new and exciting brews. Food, too. No one did feasts quite so massive as Asgard did," he says, and there's a touch of nostalgic regret in his voice for a moment, "but after a thousand years of the same ingredients, over and over, it's nice to branch out a bit."

[smartass_captain]

One they share, huh. And the smile. Jim swallows a bit roughly and nods but doesn't say anything yet. Guess Loki really didn't tell Thor about their little chat together at the cafe recently. Jim looks around for a glass and pours himself a full one of the ale before he starts to sip at it.

Might as well get this over with.

"I have to...apologize. For some of my demeanor since we've met."

[pirateangelbaby]

"Apologize?"

What is with the humans here that feel the need to make amends for slights he hasn't even noticed? Blushing, stammering incoherence from his fans is expected, as is the casual irreverence he gets from his brothers and sisters in arms, some of whom treated him as such from day one. But some seem to think he's going to smite them at the smallest insult, and... okay, in his younger and stupider days he would have postured and blustered to soothe his wounded pride, but Thor likes to think he's made progress on that front. So much so that he's not entirely sure what Kirk thinks he's done.

Well, from his previous experience with Adia's completely unneeded apology, he thinks he has a decent stab at guessing the problem. (He's wrong, but still.) "It's all right, I'm sure you don't run into gods every day."

[smartass_captain]

"Yeah I--"

Jim trails off when Thor tries to brush it off tactfully and raises an eyebrow. Is that something he gets a lot of? Granted, there haven't been that many gods running around the Nexus but still.

"Wh--no. I don't care about that. So much. It's you specifically that's the...well. You've heard how strange things happen in the Nexus, right? The reason I was so skittish when we met is because." Courage, Jim. It's not the same. "Because you're a buffed up copy of someone important from my world. Looks wise, anyway."

[pirateangelbaby]

What? It's not the god thing? Thor had been so certain that was the problem that he's actually surprised to learn it's not.

Alternates are one thing; Thor already has plenty of personal experience on that front, with two Lokis around, and two Steve Rogerses. But a Thor who isn't Thor? One who sounds like a scrawny stick of a man, even. The theory may be sound, but that doesn't make it any less strange to hear.

"Someone important? Some kind of figure of authority?" Whether it's another Thor or not, he's not sure how he'd handle finding out this apparent doppelganger of his isn't in charge of something.

[smartass_captain]

"...A hero to the Federation." Why does it feel so much like he's trying to explain this to his old man? It's too late to back out now, even if Jim is fighting with everything he has to keep emotion out of his voice and only mostly succeeding. He tries ot recite it like it's a textbook lesson.

It's not as though George Kirk isn't also in those.

"Saved the lives of hundreds of people for the scant minutes he was in charge of anything. Made sure there'd be survivors to warn about the threat they found." He's staring holes into Thor's eyepatch now, the only safe place to look at him.

"....So yeah. Someone important."

[pirateangelbaby]

A frown furrows Thor's brow as he listens, his one-eyed gaze fixed on Kirk, watching the way the human clenches his jaw like he's bracing himself against an onslaught. He's familiar enough with war to read between the lines, to understand what it means for a man to be declared a hero after buying time for others to escape. Heroes like that generally don't get to see the feast thrown in their honor, after, not outside the halls of Valhalla itself.

But that look on Kirk's face. Either this man was a close friend, one whose memory is so cherished that seeing his visage on another man is a spear to the heart, or he was someone the captain dislikes so strongly that he can't stand the sight of Thor's face. Either way... awkward.

"Ah," he says, feeling somewhat as if he's standing in a minefield, uncertain just where to place his next step. If he guesses wrong, it'll be an insult either way, and especially after what happened at the equinox, he's a little more wary of causing offense. Best to take a middle ground, if there is one. "And because he shared my face, I remind you of him."

[smartass_captain]

A thought crosses Jim's mind and he has to suck in a breath lest he swear at himself. Loki knows the truth and Loki is Thor's brother. There is no real reason aside from Jim's own discomfort at mentioning it that should stop him form being entirely honest with Thor. The longer he drags this out the more they will have to tiptoe around each other and if there's one thing that grates on Jim's every last nerve it's to have someone walk on eggshells around him.

(Even if the reason they're doing it is his fault.)

"My father. You do. Thankfully, you don't talk like him. I think I'd have gone crazy already if you did. Unless they drastically edited the holos available of him, but that would be one hell of a conspiracy." Because again, Jim never got to meet him. He doesn't know what his father sounds like save for those recordings.

[pirateangelbaby]

The admission is so quick, there's a beat before it even sinks in, and Thor blinks in surprise. "Your fa-" His expression takes on a vaguely panicked air as he quickly runs through his memories in search of anything that might've resulted in a child with a human. You know. Just in case. Nothing in the necessary timeframe, thank all the fates, and he can't catch so much as a wisp of seidr from the captain.

Not that he'd thought there would be, but in this place, it pays to double-check. For all he knows, it could have been a case of a son he simply hadn't had yet.

Whoever Kirk's father was, though, he clearly wasn't a son of Odin. That's... mostly reassuring. For multiple reasons, a possible impending heroic death sitting right at the top of the list. "That's a hell of a coincidence," he says, once he's had a moment or two to work through his own thoughts. "You have my sympathies," he adds, and means it. He knows all too recently how it feels to lose a father, if not quite under the same circumstances.

[smartass_captain]

It's a legitimate concern in a place like this and wouldn't even be the weirdest coincidence Jim's come across in his time here. Thankfully a worry Jim does not have to share. It wasn't on his mind but it would be and it would never leave. He's got enough baggage about who and what he is.

"George Kirk was my father. Your brother's seen a photo of him, but trust me. It's uncanny." Jim shrugs again and this time when he sucks in a breath it comes a little bit easier. Minutely, but he'll take what he can get. "I'm trying to get over it. Seems pretty shit for me to hold opinions over you based on something that's not your fault."

[pirateangelbaby]

For a man who's having to apparently deal with a god wearing his dead father's face, Kirk has a remarkably level head about all this. Thor's impressed despite himself. He's not sure he'd be handling it half as well if he came across an Odin who was not Odin, himself. "Well," he says after a moment, "of all the people who've ever complained about my face, yours is the most legitimate grievance I've ever heard."

Not that it's a long list, mind you. But it seems a tiny morsel of levity would not go amiss to ease away the awkwardness. Now that he's looking for it, he can almost see a whisper of family resemblance in the human's face, enough that it's not at all hard to believe he's telling the truth.

[smartass_captain]

He didn't handle it very well at first, and there was a very long few nights spent in the privacy of his own home coping with it until he figured out whether or not he could deal. And then Felix had to go and make friends with Loki which so far as Jim is concerned mandated that he get along at least decently with Loki's brother. So, here they are.

"I just figured you should know it's not personal if I'm occasionally making an odd face at you, especially when you first show up anywhere." He rubs at the back of his neck with a slow shrug. He's making an effort here, and Thor does seem rather personable aside from all the weirdness.

"I suspect we'll be seeing each other at least fairly often, considering how close Loki is becoming with my fiance and some of my friends."

[pirateangelbaby]

"Fair enough." The mind and heart don't always agree, and Kirk can no more ignore the resemblance than Thor can change his face. It might be awkward, but better that than trying to avoid each other completely. No doubt the captain will get used to it, with enough exposure.

When he hears about why, however, Thor is torn between a measure of sympathy for those he's befriending, yet something resembling pride that Loki's making new friends at all. "Yes, he has a talent for that sort of thing."

Though it occurs to him that as long as they're getting things out in the open, there's something he should mention too. Just a small detail, but an important one. "You should probably also know that the Loki you've met is not from the same universe I call home. Either of him," he adds, because there are at least two, at this very party even. "Very similar, though. Almost identical. If not for his experiences here, which my Loki doesn't share, I might not've known."

[smartass_captain]

"He's not?"

Well that's not exactly impossible given the Nex-wait, neither of them are? So then there's probably a third Loki running around somewhere and--oh boy, smoke is starting to pour out of Jim's ears while he tries to keep up with this exceptionally odd family being explained to him right now.

"That's got to be a hell of a thing. Have you told yours about...all of this?"

[pirateangelbaby]

Once, Thor probably would have been distressed about having to keep track of multiple Lokis, paranoid of way too many knives and way too many grudges that might end up biting him in the back at any given moment. Whether they've all grown past that point or maybe Thor's just given himself over to the weirdness that is his life, is anyone's guess. Either way, the end result is the same, in that he's probably not nearly as worried about this as he should be.

"Of course I have." He tries not to make it sound too much like he thinks that's a silly question. "Without access to the Bifrost, it'd be hard to explain my absence from the ship otherwise. He laughed heartily when I told him I'd met two more of him." Norns forbid all three of them ever join forces together. One trickster alone is plenty, and when all three are Loki, well, Thor pities whatever target they choose to harass.

[smartass_captain]

"How can you keep track of all of that? I've only met the one so far and he's made me look like an idiot pretty easily every time we've spoken."

Not in like a bad way or anything. Jim rather likes Loki based solely on their brief interactions. He's a consummate little brother in everything he does. Jim honestly can't help but to find that pretty endearing considering who he's chosen to keep company with over the last few years.

"My counterpart had to grow a beard just to get people to stop mistaking him for me. The Nexus makes things complicated in ways I never thought I'd have to deal with."

[pirateangelbaby]

The thought of Loki with a beard is startling enough to draw a short laugh out of Thor. Honestly, he might be able to pull it off, but the trickster has always favored a clean, youthful face. Perhaps it's easier to misdirect strangers when he looks younger, more innocent. Or maybe he simply doesn't like it, but Loki has almost always had deeper reasons for what he does, Thor knows that now. "Your twin isn't the only one. A friend of mine, Steven Rogers, I've met two of him and can tell them apart the same way."

Honestly, it's a good look for him. Thor can appreciate a good manly beard.

Thoughts of how to tell the more identical Lokis apart, however... Thor's smile dims a little. "There's something about him," he says at last. "Not physical, not obvious. Something in the way he looks at me, sometimes, like he knows something my Loki doesn't." And after the small scraps of intel the trickster saw fit to pass along, just hints of a deeper knowledge, Thor has a pretty good guess what is on his brother's alternate's mind.

But that's something he shouldn't trouble the captain with, he thinks, so he shrugs and adds, "And my Loki hasn't made a habit of visiting here, not yet. Norns forbid if he takes it up, I might never know which Loki I'm speaking to."