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

[websnextdoor]

It's not that Peter is way too easy to impress (though he is, let's be honest) but the prospect of free food and/or drink has his mouth dropping open with very childlike wonder. There's a very quick and very grateful thanks being offered before he settles back in his seat and studies the plate of fruit carefully.

Plucks one of the cherries up between his fingers.

"They can? I've never tried." He's never had a cherry in his life that didn't come out of a can or packed in syrup for that matter. "You have to do it all in your mouth then?"

[coldsong]

Loki is nowhere near as concerned about Peter's nutritional intake as Steve is. It's just not the kind of thing he thinks about; he is not considerate. But he can be generous when he's in a good mood and feeling flashy, and a milkshake isn't much of a splurge.

There will be extra whipped cream. They have already established that you can't sit at the Loki table unless you have extra whipped cream on your shake.

"I suppose I can't criticize that. I never tried until tonight, although I'd heard of it before."

"Yes, you put the stem in your mouth and tie the knot before you take it back out." Peter, if you get it on the first try, he's going to be annoyed.

[websnextdoor]

Look at the moment people can take their morals and cares for Peter's well being and shove them. He has free food and he's going to eat it with gusto. Extra whipped cream even! Score!

"Okay, well. Here goes nothing." It's really not as easy as it sounds like it should be and having a god stare you down while you try to do it does nothing to ease his nerves. Peter's going to pull it out (untied) of his mouth after half a minute or so, looking a bit embarrassed.

"It uh...it sounded easier when you explained it."

[coldsong]

Man, Steve was really approaching this wrong by bringing fruit to the Nexus. If only Loki realized, he could tell him ice cream was the way to go.

Loki is distinctly unhelpful with Peter's case of nerves, resting his chin in his hands and watching him intently. When he pulls the stem out of his mouth again, unsuccessful, the god sighs in relief.

"At least I'm not the only one," he says, and taps the edge of his cup against Peter's. "Cheers. If you want instruction, you'll have to go to Harley or the other Loki. I don't have the knack, either."

[websnextdoor]

Oh jeez. The staring is gonna make him stutter. He knows it. He hates when he does that but he can't help it and--

"O-oh! Cheers! I think..I'll uh. I'll try it a few more times by myself and see if I can figure it out. It's an excuse to enjoy fresh cherries if nothing else. I haven't actually had them before."

And they're really good like holy cow. Why can't fresh fruit and produce be so affordable back home?

[coldsong]

Loki's stare can make a lot of people stutter. If he didn't unnerve or fluster Peter at all, he'd be worried.

"Truly, you've never had fresh cherries?" The ones here are pitted, and maybe sugared a little, but otherwise seem to be right off the tree as far as Loki can tell. He likes them very much, himself. "That seems a pity. Are they so scarce on Midgard?"

He's aware by now that Asgard was a little bit spoiled, with anything fresh that couldn't be grown there rolling in easily enough from Alfheim or other worlds they traded with. That, and as a prince he had access to all the best of everything, but even the lower social tiers were not left to suffer malnutrition, not under Odin's reign and not when Loki took over in secret.

Had he never left Asgard, he probably wouldn't know what it was like to be truly hungry.

[websnextdoor]

"Oh, uh. N...no, not exactly. But they aren't a staple food either you know? There's only so much you can put them in and well. Things are kinda tight back at
home. You know how it is."

A beat later and it occurs to Peter realizes that Loki probably does not in fact know how it is. He's a god and a prince at that. Why would he know poverty or hunger? And suddenly Peter sits up a bit straighter because he doesn't want the questions that might follow to come.

He needs to change the subject.

"A-anyway, where'd you learn to like a milkshake? Is that like, a big thing on Asgard?"

[coldsong]

Loki doesn't know how it is by experience, but he's seen a few things in his thousand-plus years of existence. He doesn't know poverty, but he knows exile. He doesn't know what it is to be hungry in one's own country, but he knows deliberate starvation and torture.

It never ceases to amaze him how poorly humans take care of their own, though. Midgard is different from Asgard in its golden days. Its population is far greater, its social problems more complicated, its people less unified and shorter-lived. That Loki had his own ideas about how all this should be handled is undeniable, and he would have put them into practice if he hadn't been defeated by the Avengers before. Whether that would have made Peter's life better or worse up until this point, who knows?

But he does understand, after a moment's reflection, what he means by 'things are kinda tight' and immediately decides pity is the wrong way to respond. He is a god and he will play that role.

"Of course," he says with a smile that exudes smugness. "They are perishable fruits, and Midgard's system for transport and preservation of such foods is underdeveloped. I suppose such things are difficult to obtain in a large city."

...because that's obviously what the kid meant. Logistics, not lack of money.

He's just as glad to leap on the segue, as well, though. He nods at his alternate. "It's his fault. I already liked ice cream when I arrived here--and believe me, Harley took advantage of that--but he's the one that talked me into trying milkshakes. We had neither on Asgard as I recall. Custards, yes, and frozen dishes more like pure ice flavored with fruits and honey, but not ice cream."

[websnextdoor]

Even mentioning Harley's name makes Peter's spider senses twinge slightly. As though she could be conjured up at a moment's notice. She's met Spider-Man but she hasn't met Peter Parker and he's pretty keen on keeping those two things separate for as long as he can. More people know already than he'd like.

He rubs at the back of his neck and follows along with Loki's story with a nod. He wasn't aware Loki knew Harley Quinn. Then again, he's not supposed to know who she is, either. It's always so complicated.

"I like a lot of fruity ones. But Aunt May's favorite is pistachio so sometimes we get that. I've kind of learned to like it."

[coldsong]

Loki has caught glimpses of Harley's dark side, but they've all been directed away from him. He has a hard time seeing her as anything other than a friend and companion at this point. He'd be surprised to find out she unnerves Peter at all, even if the reason for it isn't personal.

"Pistachio? I like the sound of that. Honey is my favorite, but coffee, peppermint, and lavender are good, as well." He makes a mental note to try pistachio next.

"I tend to be picky about fruit, I suppose. I like it, but I want it neither too sweet nor too sour."

[websnextdoor]

"I guess a God can afford to be picky in whatever he wants."

Peter gives Loki a shy smile before turning his attention back to his own strawberry milkshake with a little bit of amusement coloring his eyes and posture. Even when he teases, he does it lightly.

"Have you read anything good from the library lately? I found a book on photography that's been a real interesting read."

[coldsong]

Child, you are too endearing for your own good. Loki snorts at the tease, and then laughs quietly, gets up, and fetches another bowl of cherries. Once again, he only takes one off the top and pushes the rest toward Peter.

"My experiences with photography have been limited to SHIELD's database reference shots and watching people take selfies with Thor," he says dryly. "But I understand it is also an art form. Is it a hobby of yours?"

"I've been dividing my library time between the magic section and the quantum theory section."

Pause. "...and a few Midgardian children's books. For a break."

[websnextdoor]

Oh neat, more cherries! Oh but, that means more of this knot tying business. Okay here goes nothing! He'll have to get the hang of it eventually. It does at least mean he's quiet while Loki speaks.

No matter what odd faces he's making while he fuses with the stem in his mouth.

"Mmh. Mm-hmm." Peter nods quickly at the question of hobbies. Magic and quantum theory's a hell of a combination but if anyone can probably understand both and then some, it would be a god. It's all as much as Greek to Peter, though the quantum theory stuff he's at least hoping to start delving into soon enough on his own.

He pulls the stem out of his mouth and it looks like he might have gotten it---only the stem broke. Progress!

"Yeah? I liked Charlotte's Web, as a kid. If you haven't looked at it, I recommend it."