He kept his hands tucked in the cape and watched. The lemon balm smelled nice. It was from some ancient plant in the garden. He thinks the way Loki speaks of his mother that he probably liked her.
"I told you, I was in a fight and it ... took a lot out of me. I can't just use magic without recourse, and it has to build back up before I - go do it again. I also wouldn't count ... what I did as 'winning'. If I did it's not - the sort of winning I like."
Stephen would rather not talk about it, it was better to think about the tea and the cardamom buns. "How else did your mother foster your magical skill?" Changing the subject. Not - did she teach you magic, it's the assumption Loki being what he was - he already would have had ability, but it would have needed encouragement.
Strange's answer actually makes Loki more concerned, but it's as good as a statement that he doesn't want to go into it right now. The godling gives him a sharp glance and a raised eyebrow, but only says mildly, "As long as it's not about to come back around on you while I'm visiting, I suppose. Do try not to die while I'm starting to think I might like you a bit."
Or at least try not to die permanently, is what he almost says, but opts not to. Neither of them has a good track record there, but Strange has been through it more times than Loki.
He puts the kettle away, fetches a couple small plates from the cabinet, and places a cardamom bun out for each of them. "She was a völva, raised by witches. She taught me most of what I know, everything that's not raw instinct. Up until I left Asgard, at least. I picked up a few things here and there, after that."
Mostly from Ebony Maw, and he didn't enjoy the experience, but he would so much rather talk about Frigga.
"Thor and I always had private tutors, growing up, but I got more study time with Frigga while I was learning magic. Even if I hadn't been any good at it, it would have been worth it for that."
"She made you feel like you were more welcome in the house you were raised." Strange untucked his hands from the Cloak and made a shaking motion to move the plate and cup closer to him.
His hands looked how they felt, like they'd had seven surgical procedures and functioning even with magic hurt, especially on this occasion. Looked like he might have taken a beating but he wasn't going to discuss it. He's not going to say that it hurt to carry his plate and cup like that, but it's not like he could physically hold it at this point. The Cloak fetched a chair for him to sit, which he did so he could sit his plate in his lap and only worry about his cup of tea. "Don't worry, unless they can magic themselves out of the Darkhold we aren't facing that anytime soon." He meant to make light of it, but it was clearly painful. He didn't like doing it and had hesitated. "I'll be fine in a day or so."
"That's...a fair way of putting it, yes," he says quietly. "I think after we lose someone they look even more saintly in retrospect, but she always did her best by me, and I'm sure it wasn't easy to balance the duties of Queenship with the duties of motherhood."
When Strange withdraws his hands, Loki gives them a cursory glance and winces inwardly. If magic overuse has caused even part of the pain, magic won't help ease it, more's the pity. Maybe a complete nerve block, but then his hands would be numb and completely useless, so he won't waste his time suggesting it.
"Well, I trust your judgment on that much. Shame I can't offer anything more than herbal tea and sympathy." Loki opts to hop up onto the counter and sit there, facing the doctor, crossing his legs at the ankle. "But I can provide endless Swedish baked goods. The proprietor of a shop I've found actually worships the Norse pantheon and quite likes me."
"Herbal tea and some company will be fine." Strange levitated the cup and sipped the tea again. He felt a little better. It smelled nice and warmed him where he'd felt very cold. "As long as you aren't offended if I retire to bed afterward similar to an invalid. Can stay if you want, though - I won't disdain the company." He might need actual physical help getting up if he laid down. It was annoying, and he hated it. Mostly he hated the fact that even though he hadn't been destroyed - a true risk this time - he still didn't like the cost of winning. He saw Loki wince, at his hands' appearance, but decided not to comment on it. He took a bite of the cardamom bun. "Might want to put one or two aside for Wong, he's always hungry." He continued sipping the tea and taking small bites. He felt a little better, but he would still definitely need some rest before the magic replenished itself.
"Rest is the best thing for you. My mother used to grow some herbs that might have more of an impact than these, but they went extinct, so far as I know, when Asgard was destroyed. That's the problem with the end of a world. It's not just civilization being crushed; that wouldn't be so much of a loss, but the animals and plants don't deserve it."
That's only partly tongue in cheek. No surprise that Loki thinks more kindly of animals than he does of most people. And yet, here he is.
He smiles a little, not mocking, but mild and friendly. "I've nothing more pressing to attend to. As long as Thor knows I've not vanished into the multiverse, I can stay a while. Wong isn't going to punch me if he comes home and finds me here, I hope?"
"I can't promise that one, Wong might be more amendable if you offer him a bun or have the Cloak guard the door." He took another sip of the tea, watching Loki a bit, not sure if he wants to talk about the extinction of worlds or not. If Loki did that was alright, but Strange wasn't going to contribute to that discussion.
It had been an odd enough day, and he felt very tired. At least the current threat was - no longer a threat.
"He can be bribed with snacks?" Loki grins, knowing that's not remotely what Strange meant. "Good to know. But yes, of course he can have cardamom buns. Now that I know there are fans here I might bring them around more often."
"Just don't expect me to make any. I can cook a fish over an open fire but baking is far out of my league."
He might be able to make things out of boxes, but if he tried to make something from scratch, everyone would be sorry.
"Also, you'll have to have the Cloak do the guarding if you want it to. I don't tell sentient objects what to do. Learned that lesson the hard way with Mjolnir. Unless they like me specifically, it's hands-off." He...he halfway seems to be addressing that comment to the Cloak, just to make sure it knows he's not going to invade its personal space.
"Tuna melts and liquor are his favorites, but I'm sure he won't mind cardamom. For his part, Wong can make even extra-dimensional food taste decent, though he's usually too busy with his actual duties to cook." He wasn't going to finish the bun even though it smelled good and tasted good, he couldn't actually eat it at present. Maybe if he slept and let his magic replenish he might be able to.
Strange sipped the last of his tea and slowly stood up. "I'm going to retire to bed for now, just - try not to make any messes that I'll have to clean up later, or interfere in the library. You could unleash a multiverse-level destruction that not even you can survive, and I can't currently prevent it, so you would have to deal with Wong and the other sorcerers. I would rather have your company and if you would like to brew more tea, that should be acceptable." He got up slowly and the Cloak moved the chair back to it's place before moving back to Strange's side. There was a small alcove off to the side that led to a wider bedroom. Strange wasn't going to bother with undressing and just climbed into his bed. The Cloak positioned itself near the foot of the bed, standing watch.
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Re: for mysticaldoctor
"I told you, I was in a fight and it ... took a lot out of me. I can't just use magic without recourse, and it has to build back up before I - go do it again. I also wouldn't count ... what I did as 'winning'. If I did it's not - the sort of winning I like."
Stephen would rather not talk about it, it was better to think about the tea and the cardamom buns. "How else did your mother foster your magical skill?" Changing the subject. Not - did she teach you magic, it's the assumption Loki being what he was - he already would have had ability, but it would have needed encouragement.
Re: for mysticaldoctor
Or at least try not to die permanently, is what he almost says, but opts not to. Neither of them has a good track record there, but Strange has been through it more times than Loki.
He puts the kettle away, fetches a couple small plates from the cabinet, and places a cardamom bun out for each of them. "She was a völva, raised by witches. She taught me most of what I know, everything that's not raw instinct. Up until I left Asgard, at least. I picked up a few things here and there, after that."
Mostly from Ebony Maw, and he didn't enjoy the experience, but he would so much rather talk about Frigga.
"Thor and I always had private tutors, growing up, but I got more study time with Frigga while I was learning magic. Even if I hadn't been any good at it, it would have been worth it for that."
Re: for mysticaldoctor
His hands looked how they felt, like they'd had seven surgical procedures and functioning even with magic hurt, especially on this occasion. Looked like he might have taken a beating but he wasn't going to discuss it. He's not going to say that it hurt to carry his plate and cup like that, but it's not like he could physically hold it at this point. The Cloak fetched a chair for him to sit, which he did so he could sit his plate in his lap and only worry about his cup of tea. "Don't worry, unless they can magic themselves out of the Darkhold we aren't facing that anytime soon." He meant to make light of it, but it was clearly painful. He didn't like doing it and had hesitated. "I'll be fine in a day or so."
no subject
When Strange withdraws his hands, Loki gives them a cursory glance and winces inwardly. If magic overuse has caused even part of the pain, magic won't help ease it, more's the pity. Maybe a complete nerve block, but then his hands would be numb and completely useless, so he won't waste his time suggesting it.
"Well, I trust your judgment on that much. Shame I can't offer anything more than herbal tea and sympathy." Loki opts to hop up onto the counter and sit there, facing the doctor, crossing his legs at the ankle. "But I can provide endless Swedish baked goods. The proprietor of a shop I've found actually worships the Norse pantheon and quite likes me."
sorry for the delay
np!
That's only partly tongue in cheek. No surprise that Loki thinks more kindly of animals than he does of most people. And yet, here he is.
He smiles a little, not mocking, but mild and friendly. "I've nothing more pressing to attend to. As long as Thor knows I've not vanished into the multiverse, I can stay a while. Wong isn't going to punch me if he comes home and finds me here, I hope?"
no subject
It had been an odd enough day, and he felt very tired. At least the current threat was - no longer a threat.
no subject
"Just don't expect me to make any. I can cook a fish over an open fire but baking is far out of my league."
He might be able to make things out of boxes, but if he tried to make something from scratch, everyone would be sorry.
"Also, you'll have to have the Cloak do the guarding if you want it to. I don't tell sentient objects what to do. Learned that lesson the hard way with Mjolnir. Unless they like me specifically, it's hands-off." He...he halfway seems to be addressing that comment to the Cloak, just to make sure it knows he's not going to invade its personal space.
no subject
Strange sipped the last of his tea and slowly stood up. "I'm going to retire to bed for now, just - try not to make any messes that I'll have to clean up later, or interfere in the library. You could unleash a multiverse-level destruction that not even you can survive, and I can't currently prevent it, so you would have to deal with Wong and the other sorcerers. I would rather have your company and if you would like to brew more tea, that should be acceptable." He got up slowly and the Cloak moved the chair back to it's place before moving back to Strange's side. There was a small alcove off to the side that led to a wider bedroom. Strange wasn't going to bother with undressing and just climbed into his bed. The Cloak positioned itself near the foot of the bed, standing watch.