Hand Turkeys and Black Friday

[coldsong]

The Nexus is peaceful today. Autumn has been busy, her handwork on display on the trees everywhere, foliage in vibrant, fiery colors, and tumbling down here and there in graceful miniature ballets. There is a cool breeze, gentle but with a nip that warns of icy weather to come, and as it circles around the Nexus it scoops up the leaves in whirls and eddies, sending them skittering in twos and fours and half-dozens to collect at visitors' feet.

In a few corners where small piles have collected, something beneath the dry leaves rustles. Even when the wind is still, the gentle shuffling continues. Is that an animal, or...?

Wait. No, if the casual wanderer looks more closely, it appears to be small papers, each shaped like the handprint of a child, decorated with wide-spaced eyes, wings scrawled with marker, stickers decorating each finger to look like a tail, and yellow triangles stuck on the 'thumb' to make a beak.

Yes. They're hand turkeys. Flat, confused, tiny hand turkeys being blown amongst the leaves. Their wings are mere lines, their legs are pipe cleaners, and they are utterly unable to do more than flop about under their own power, but every now and again one protests in a quiet but distinct OBBLEobbleobbleobble!

----

Given that not all Nexus residents are even human, let alone American, it's never a given Thanksgiving should be celebrated on a particular Thursday in November there. Nor is it a given that the day after should be a day of wild commerce and potential brawls over bargains. Still, there are enough humans from enough worlds that celebrate these weird annual rituals that some of the stores are prepared to accommodate them.

Fortunately for all concerned, the anti-violence field prevents anyone from getting hurt in the name of Doorbuster deals.

Loki is not all that interested in sales for sales' sake, but the children need clothes for Yule, and there are a few gifts he may as well buy, and so he finds himself out in the mid-morning, after the worst traffic has calmed. Dressed in a black peacoat and a long green-and-gold scarf, he peers in windows on either side of the plaza as he meanders with a cup of coffee in his gloved hands. He'll be looking for shops with fewer patrons for browsing, but ultimately he's planning to end up at a certain tailor's establishment.


((Semi-open Nexus post! Anyone is welcome to stumble across a hand turkey for the lolz. Loki will be trying to collect them, but not all that hard. Hand turkeys will be unable to do any harm to anyone beyond a minor papercut, and they cannot walk, although they may be able to hitch and drag themselves a little bit on pipecleaner legs.

The very lucky may also find a snake or two made of dry pasta strung on yarn and decorated with markers and glitter. The kids have been busy.

Tags will be slow. Please only tag in with one character unless we've talked something over where plots are concerned, so I don't get too far behind.))

Comments

[pirateangelbaby]

Loki is not the only one out and about in search of Yule gifts. While aware that he has an entire month before the winter holiday begins, Thor knows well enough now not to trust that he'll be up for an extended outing later. Today is a good day, though, and he does not intend to waste it.

It also helps that he has fewer people to purchase gifts for this year. Norns know he's not in any shape to go all out this year, like he did the year before. There'll probably still be a feast in the village, and a bonfire, and he'll probably still be expected to say a few words as Yulefather, but on a much smaller scale than before. If he gets anyone anything, it'll be because he cares about them personally.

It's a bit colder in Norway than it is here just yet, but Thor is still dressed warmly against the chill, a dark red overcoat layered over a soft wool sweater in the traditional Norwegian style. No gloves, no scarf, but he does have a gray beanie pulled down over his ears and his beard is loosely braided, though that's less to keep his face warm and more because he was lazy this morning.

He's wandered by a few stores already, not really sure what he's looking for just yet, and his eye passes over Loki entirely at first before he recognizes who he's looking at. One of the few who's getting one of the aforementioned gifts, and while tradition says he should probably avoid him for fear of spoiling the surprise, Thor couldn't care less what tradition says about it. "I see we had the same idea," he calls out, sticking his real hand in his pocket, and giving a little wave with the other as he approaches.

[coldsong]

Loki is quicker to recognize Thor than vice versa, but rather than hail him or chase him down, he stands where he is and sips his drink, watching with nonchalant body language and smiling eyes as his brother does a mild double take and then waves to him. He waits patiently as Thor comes over to him, but if there's any doubt he's pleased to see him, it'll be eliminated by the way he immediately reaches up and steals his hat.

"Good morning, Brother," he says, and sets the beanie on his own head. "You should be worried if you're having the same ideas as me. Who are you shopping for?"

[pirateangelbaby]

"Hey," Thor protests, though it's more out of habit than any real offense, making a show of smoothing down his hair. It's a lot easier for it to fall into disarray when it's long, and there are times that he misses the simplicity that had come with it being cropped, but if he has his way no one will get near him with shears again anytime soon.

He doesn't attempt to get his hat back, either, just eyeing its placement on Loki's head. "You and the children, among others. Harley, Prometheus... I've got a list."

Don't you ask him if he's checked it twice, Loki.

"Mostly window shopping just yet," he admits, which is the closest he'll come to admitting he doesn't have any real idea where to start. Some will be easier than others, once he gets down to it. Furiosa would be happy with new varieties of seed, or tools that would be of use in their gardens, for instance. But Loki has always been one to give him trouble. There are only so many knives you can get for a man without him suspecting you're being a bit lazy about it. And what are children into these days, anyway? "I don't know what to get Harley, but I feel I'll know it when I see it."

[hahaha_fool]

The Nexus is a rather confusing yet interesting place for an 8 foot tall shadowy spirit, who sticks out like a sore thumb. It's no surprise that even with an anti-violence field, people are hesitant to be close to Snatcher. As a shape-shifter, he could take a better form, but being free and allowed to roam around looking like a giant purple and black snake is fine by him.

The piles of leaves scattered around the Nexus are an oddly welcome sight, having come from a forest where night reigns eternal, he's reminded of reassuring bonfires and Halloween. It's only when one of the sentient turkey puppets emerges that the Snatcher gets a confused expression on his face. Leaning down with his long shadowy hands, it's rather easy to pick up one of the moving turkeys, which gobbles wildly at being kidnapped.

"Huh. What kind of magic has brought you to life?" He has no intent to harm the paper creature, merely turning his claws carefully in order to examine the turkey's details. "Paper turkeys could be useful for something, maybe you could be my alarm clock or something like that..."

[coldsong]

Please. Loki does better jokes than that. "Does it matter who's naughty or nice?" He grins. Evidently he's in a good mood today. "I'm sure I'm permanently on the naughty list."

Prometheus would be on the nice list. Harley could go either way.

Loki adjusts the hat on his head and smooths down his own sleek dark hair, but fails to keep it from curling at the ends. "I was just going to window-shop until my coffee's gone," he says, "but ultimately I'm headed for the tailor's shop. The children need some nice things for Yule, even if we don't end up doing anything terribly formal. We may as well go together. I haven't picked anything for Harley yet, either."

Partly that's because he'd like to give her the Joker's head on a platter, metaphorically speaking, but it's better not to let violent thoughts distract him on a nice morning. "And you probably ought to have something new to wear for the holiday, as well, actually."

[ofcosmicrays]

Unlike most of his team, Connant has not been accustomed to the more bizarre parts of the Nexus. So he's watching the hand turkeys with some confusion, wondering if they're constructs or living creatures. He isn't sure if they're alive or not, honestly, and he's not getting close enough to check. They look harmless enough, but you never know.

There's magic in the Nexus, he knows that much, and he's instinctively wary about it. He's a man of science. Magic isn't his area of expertise. For a moment, he wonders what Blair would make of this. They're making the right noises turkeys make and making weak attempts to fly, but they're built like a child's arts and crafts project, with no bones or muscle structure underneath. Connant knows enough about birds to know that one made of paper and pipe cleaners couldn't support its own body weight, let alone fly.

"Wouldn't make a bad pet," he says as he lightly catches one of the turkeys, careful not to damage it. Alive or not, he can't help but like the delicate creatures on a closer look. "Doesn't need feeding, might not even die, assuming it's even alive...where'd you come from, anyway?"

[pirateangelbaby]

Loki, please, Thor only has the one eye to roll these days. "It might," he jabs back, though there's a smile teasing at the corner of his lips. "The Midgardian tradition is coal, but I'm sure you'd find a use for it anyway."

Clothes for the children makes sense, and he makes a thoughtful sort of noise, wondering if that might not be a terrible thing to gift either. Surely clothing wouldn't be that exciting to a child, but it'd be immediately useful, and warm besides. But then he'd have to get their measurements, or at least find something with a more universal fit...

He blinks and comes back to himself at the realization that Loki has suggested likewise about his own clothes, and he glances down at himself self-consciously. "What's wrong with these?" They're warm and clean, and they don't mismatch too terribly, do they?

[sohoangel]

Aziraphale is also shopping, not so much for Christmas as the more immediate necessity of having a flat that needs furnishing. Now that Crowley has moved in with him, he finds that he needs a lot more material items to make their shared domicile a true home: more linens, kitchen utensils, plushy bath towels -- the list goes on and on. But he also has an eye out for anything shiny and unique that might make the perfect present under the tree for his beloved demon.

He's dressed as usual with the addition of a tartan scarf and fawn leather gloves, a large canvas bag over his shoulder holding what he's already purchased. He meanders pasts storefronts, looking at their displays, but what stops him short isn't something in a store at all, but something long and segmented sparkling on the ground, nestled atop a pile of leaves.

Hmm? He bends down to take a closer look and discovers that it's a pasta necklace. No, wait, not a necklace. A snake! The little googly eyes and painted forked tongue at one end give it away.

"Goodness, aren't you sweet," he says with a smile. He picks it up carefully. "Someone worked very hard on you, didn't they? Let's try to see if we can find your rightful owner, they must be missing you terribly."

And then he'll do just that, scanning the avenue for a sad child who is missing their little masterpiece.

[coldsong]

Spooky is as spooky does, in Loki's opinion. At this point in his life he's been exposed to enough spirits and aliens and gods and demons, very little surprises him. He might be mildly ruffled to see a looming figure that much taller than himself, but shapeshifting is always a possibility if he starts feeling too small, and thus as soon as he sees the dark being with a paper turkey in hand, he makes a small sound in the back of his throat and approaches.

"Ah! My apologies; one of my children left the door open and a bunch of them escaped." He gestures at the turkey. "I've been attempting to round them up."

That's only half true. Maybe a quarter true. He's not the one that let the magical toys leave his home, but he's more been watching the results than actively trying to collect them. Honestly, the reactions he's seeing have been pretty funny. One of the things managed to hook a pipecleaner toe into some lady's silk stockings not long ago and she shrieked and ran down the street with it still attached.

[coldsong]

They're...differently alive. Loki doesn't have the ability to create sentient life--at least as far as he's aware--in any way other than standard-issue sexual reproduction, but semi-aware constructs that act like living beings aren't difficult to bring about. Effectively, the turkeys are little paper golems.

(At least, that's the case unless the ambient forces in the Nexus choose to interfere).

He just animated the little things to amuse his foster children, which worked, but then Una left the door open and now they're everywhere. He should probably gather them lest they cause trouble. He's only making a halfhearted attempt. This is actually pretty funny.

"My kids made them," he tells Connant from a doorway, a smirk on his face as he watches him pick up the toy. "That looks like one of the ones the youngest girl decorated. Purple is her favorite color."

The legs of the one Connant is holding are made from purple pipe cleaners, and there are some pink hearts on the tail feathers.

"I'm not sure how long the paper itself will hold up, honestly, but no, it won't need to be fed, and they're pretty harmless. I don't think there's any harm in you keeping it, if you like it."

[coldsong]

The pasta snake is striped in green and gold, and the googly eyes have lavish eyelashes drawn beside them. The little handcrafted beast doesn't move or look like anything but pasta when he picks it up, feeling light but possibly sturdier than your usual pasta creation. Once he's got it in his gloved hands, though, it moves a bit, on its own power, evidently attempting to creep into his sleeve where it's warmer. Maybe even pasta serpents dislike the cold, poor thing!

Loki is a few doors down, and he's managed to locate a couple of the turkeys. They're tucked in one gloved hand, little legs flailing, when he notices Aziraphale with the snake. "So that's where he got to!"

He's genuinely surprised. The turkeys have gotten a long way around the Nexus thanks to the wind, but he didn't think the pasta snakes could move so far so fast. He approaches Aziraphale at a casual pace, visibly amused. He recognizes the angel, though, and remembers him as unexpectedly friendly in their last conversation. "Sigrid made that one. His name is William Snakespeare."

[coldsong]

"So I heard," Loki says with a mock-thoughtful frown. "It seems like a terrible idea to give flammable materials to the naughty children, though, doesn't it? Who came up with that one?"

He can't help but smirk a little at Thor's uncertainty, but he has mercy, shaking his head. "Nothing's wrong with them."

He takes a critical second glance to make sure he agrees with what he's saying, then gives a neutral shrug. They're perfectly good clothes for wandering about on a chilly autumn day, he supposes. "The sweater looks rather cozy, actually. I think I like it. But! I'm willing to bet you've got nothing in the way of dressy clothing that's not armor, and that won't do for a number of reasons."

Midgardians no longer wear armor for formal occasions, and anyway--Thor ought to step away from it for a little while, as much as he can.

[sohoangel]

The wiggling motion of the pasta snake draws his attention down to his cupped hands. "My, aren't you full of surprises!"

Looking up again, he catches sight of Loki approaching. Though the deity is smaller and significantly less blue than the last time they spoke, he recognizes him well enough. "Hello, Loki," he says, cheerfully polite, then chuckles at the name. "Oh, Will would have liked that. He could never resist a good pun. I was just looking for this little fellow's owner."

He holds out his hand to pass over the snake, only to find that it has crawled up the sleeve of his jacket, its head poking out below the cuff. "Oh, dear. Loki is here, Will, it's time to go." He smiles at Loki apologetically. "So sorry. It really is quite darling, did Sigrid make those turkeys you are holding, also?"

[pirateangelbaby]

He certainly has a point, and it gets a chuckle of out Thor. "It certainly wasn't my idea." Especially if this tradition had its origins back when coal was useful for heating one's home, he can't imagine why it would've been seen as a punishment.

Frowning a little, Thor tries to recall what he even has in his wardrobe anymore. Aside from the armor, most of his collection has his comfort in mind and little else, and other than that... no, there isn't really anything he'd consider formal. Not that he'd ever really had a good grasp on modern Earth fashion anyway. Stark had been his best guide there, yet the man had swapped between suits and ties to grungy band T-shirts on a whim, so perhaps he wasn't the best role model for such things. "I suppose," he allows, his tone thoughtful. "And I'll need to deal with the government again eventually. Better to look the part."

Odin would have worn his armor regardless, Thor knows. But as Loki has vehemently asserted, Thor is not his father, and should not try to be. He still struggles with that sometimes, trying to separate what he wants from what Odin had wanted, and with assuring himself that it is all right to find his own path to walk instead of perpetuating the same legacy unquestioningly. But he's still making an effort to try, and that's more than he would have done a mere decade ago.

[coldsong]

Hopefully Aziraphale doesn't mind having a little glitter dusting his sleeve. Sturdy as it is, the snake will probably shed sparkles everywhere it goes.

Loki is in the mood to be friendly when greeted in kind, so his smile warms as he nods a hello. "Alas, I never met the gentleman, but I think I might have liked him." His favorite of Shakespeare's plays is, naturally, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

"Oh dear, he likes you," he laughs and tilts his head to peer into the face of the snake peeping out. "Possibly something to do with your angelic energy? I didn't intend for them to develop any kind of self-awareness, but I suppose anything's possible in the Nexus. They're meant to just be little pasta golems that run about and amuse the children."

He holds up the turkeys to give the angel a better look. "All four of them worked on them. This one with the diamond patterns was Agnarr, and the one with the red eyes was Sigrid's."

[hahaha_fool]

Snatcher isn't too good a reading the magical properties of other beings, given he's never had to in his spirit life, but there's something off about Loki. For starters, any human who can approach him without being afraid is simply worth looking into more, especially given the Snatcher knows how intimidating he can be.

It's tempting to keep the paper turkey, partially for his own amusement and being a nuisance to someone else. But there's a part of Snatcher's cold soul that's reminded up a 'friend' when looking at the turkey. Frowning, he offers the art back to Loki carefully, so to not damage the turkey in transit. "Well, consider this one a freebie. I don't normally help other people, but it's probably best this goes back to your kiddos."

What an odd spirit, showing just a few kind emotions despite his scary presence. "Gotta say, it's going to be a tough task if those turkeys can actually move quickly."

[coldsong]

"If I can assist you from a distance," Loki says, "I will. I'm not sure...I think I would be more of a liability than an asset if I attempted to settle in Asvera full-time. And even were I native to your universe, the alien who destroyed Manhattan would not be the ideal figure to have at your side when you speak to human governments. But I am only a call away, should you need me."

Pause. "And I can always shapeshift as needed."

Yeah, that might cause more trouble than it averts, honestly.

"In the meantime, yes. Let's get you something nice for Yule. Perhaps you ought to wear green this year. You've been doing so much gardening, it seems fitting." There's a note of pride in his voice, there.

[coldsong]

Loki isn't completely cavalier in the face of creeping shadow spirits, but the worst things he's faced in his life have been very, very physical and concrete. That said, he's not entirely expecting a polite response, let alone a response with any sympathy attached, and so his eyebrows go up briefly when the turkey is offered over so gently.

"I'm honored," he says with a little smile. No, really, he gets it. There's a fine line between being socially accessible and becoming the magical friend people will turn to to help move their furniture. "And thank you."

"They don't move well under their own power," he says, holding it up so the spirit can watch the little pipecleaner legs kick briefly. "The wind picked them up and scattered them all around the Plaza from our yard. People's reactions to them have been...amusing to watch."

[sohoangel]

The glitter is a small price to pay for such an endearing work of art. (Even if glitter is one of the most stubborn things to remove, via miracle or otherwise.)

"No? More's the pity. I think he would have liked you, too." He holds up his arm to takes a closer look at the pasta snake. It peeks up at the angel before wiggling a little in place, not inclined to slither out of his sleeve. "Oh, my. Do you think so? I can cast miracles, but I've never had this sort of effect on inanimate objects before."

Perhaps it is his angelic energy. Or, more precisely, his aura of love. He always has one for the world around him in general, but it's far brighter now than ever before. Something very good must have happened to him since the last time he and Loki spoke.

"I am very fond of snakes," he says with an amused twist of his lips. He looks over the turkeys and nods. "Ah, I see. Well, they're all lovely, and they have certainly brightened my day. Would you like some assistance gathering the rest?"

[pirateangelbaby]

As much as Thor wishes it were otherwise, Loki has very valid concerns about moving to Asvera, and he cannot refute any of it. Particularly in the wake of the chaos directly caused by the now-defunct Sokovia Accords, Thor cannot imagine the United Nations would look charitably upon their sheltered refugees suddenly harboring a man they view as a conquering invader, no matter his current behavior. Loki was modern Midgard's first very public example of the kinds of power that lay beyond their borders, and though humans have short memories, it hasn't been nearly long enough for them to forget it.

It's depressing, yet just knowing that Loki is still around is a big help to Thor's self-esteem. His brother is a free spirit, not a tamed pet to be kept at the side of the throne, and he can come and go as he pleases. That is home enough for Thor, and he smiles a little at Loki, clapping his real hand to his brother's shoulder. "I'm sure it'll be fine," he says, trying just for a moment to be a little more like his old self. "But any time you want to come along is fine with me."

So what if it's against the normal rules of decorum to visit a governing body with a snake around one's neck, or something of that nature? What the humans don't know about Asgardian customs just makes it easier to bluff, probably. He hasn't used that excuse at all just yet, which makes it all the less likely they'd call him out on it.

Loki's suggestion brings a faint blush to Thor's cheeks, and that brotherly hand on his shoulder becomes an affectionate nudge with his knuckles instead. "And the fact that green is one of your colors is just a coincidence, I imagine?" He's not objecting, though, not for a moment. Even if it's often hidden beneath his clothing, there is a certain fulgurite pendant that he wears often. Thor turns a little, ready to fall into step with his brother to head toward the tailor's, wherever it may be today.

[hahaha_fool]

"...Sure thing." Begrudgingly spoken, of course. The Snatcher can't help but keep his bright gaze on Loki, no longer interested in the paper turkey. "So you got sent to collect them, huh? Seems like you might need a hand with that. I could work out a deal and give you a hand...?"

Normally he'd be more forceful and persuasive, but after realizing soul-binding contracts don't work in the Nexus, Snatcher is just looking to build contacts of value. He's got a good feeling about Loki and his magical turkeys. "If anything, it gives you more time to observe the humans!"