"I'm a Trickster and a mage," he shrugs and gives a smile that's blended slyness and softness. "There are many things I can do that I rarely have cause to try, and it's wise for people to be cautious of me. But I'm always pleased to receive the benefit of the doubt."
Especially when he's offered kindness. To have it returned is reassuring.
"Some of the magic in my universe operates on the principle of as above; so below. In that vein, what happens to one small part of the world affects what happens to the cosmos. More to the salient point, what happens to one part of an individual--tears, clippings of hair, sometimes even their shadow--may affect the rest of them. Theoretically, I might be able to track your movements, or see what you see through your eyes, for a short while. But it might work very differently for you, since you're a species I haven't attempted magic on before."
Also, given Megatron's ability to sense energy, it might be super-obvious. But Loki isn't fully aware of that yet.
"I can imagine Ravage's reaction, now that you say that." Loki grins. He barely knows him yet, but he has enough of an impression to hazard a guess.
For a moment, Loki looks a little awkward, almost shy, but it passes quickly into a warm glance. "Thank you. I won't forget that offer. I have my brother, lovers and friends around me now, though few of them can relate to my experiences on quite this level. But the fewer excuses I have to feel isolated and misunderstood, the better for everyone, most especially myself."
"I think that's probably true for both of us. And also that I isolate myself too much, because I am afraid of what I'll do to people if I don't." Megatron glances down, thinking of all the times he's said exactly the wrong thing to Minimus. And he's absolutely sure that Glenn is the wrong person for him--too vulnerable, too young--but he's also suddenly crystal clear on why he's sought out people like Remilia, who basically embodies almost everything that he's against.
There's also a glimmer of hope there, too. Ravage has told him far too often that his tendency to have a group of lovers, rather than one, and to enjoy the company of those who are bonded primarily to other people, is his way of avoiding real intimacy. The second part of that might be true, but if Loki has more than one partner, perhaps he doesn't have to give that up to really get close to people. When he and Orion were spark-bound (even though they never admitted it), Orion still had Ariel and Dion, and he still had Soundwave and Ravage. And there was a time when he hadn't yet tried to cull Starscream out of the trine, when that was all right as well.
"So. Yes. You need never be alone if I can help. And thank you for explaining the magic. I need to know what to be careful of in this world. The rules here are different. I should imagine the energon from my circulatory system, or the internal lubricants for any number of my components, could also be used against me."
(This is a little concerning. Latex and similar materials contain absolutely nothing when wrapped around durasteel and titanium.)
Then he allows himself a similarly warm smile. "It was," he says, "hilarious. Do you know the game of poetry rounds? It was a rich mech's game when we were all young, but I taught it to all my Decepticon friends after Orion and Ravage taught it to me. The game itself is simple. You either quote from a poem everyone knows--Decepticons have been known to use popular song lyrics--or you make up your own on the spot. Both are allowed unless only poets are playing. Ravage and I play by ourselves using only our own words, but we wouldn't expect that of others. Anyhow, I gave a poetry reading one night on the Lost Light which was badly attended, because we had all just been through a literal battle through time, and most of the crew preferred to attend the loud, noisy dance party afterward. So one of the players decided to use that particular poem, with the wrong implication, and Ravage had the following turn."
Megatron chuckled. "And he won, because everyone other than me was dumbstruck when he provided the context for the poem very neatly in one couplet: 'The little one who purred in his arms was two million years old / And had opened the lost city’s gates from inside.'"
Those words make Loki think of the breakdown he had months ago, in the waning winter. The vision of himself he saw in the mirror; pitiless, unfeeling, psychotic. Dangerous even to his own children. His expression is very serious, but he nods his understanding. "I keep my demons close to my heart, lest they escape my control entirely."
Loki is a mercurial being; it's part of the essence that makes him what he is. Sometimes he's a shaman, a dangerous godling that rides with the dead. Sometimes he's a trickster that stumbles clumsily into traps of his own making. Sometimes he's a tender mother, or a playful lover, or a protector. He relates to Harley and to Ian very intimately indeed, loving each beyond his ability to express, but in very different ways. Should he ever take another into his heart, that love would take a different form, as well.
Of course, while they're dependent on him, the children will always come first, before romance, before Loki's need to fully express his own wildness. But he understands one thing about himself now, which he did not until very recently: that is that to deny any part of his identity to himself is death.
"Oh, definitely," he says to the comment about magic. "Although because you are not an organic being, the rules may apply very differently to you. And there are other methods of magic-working, as well. A comprehensive discussion would take days, but we can make time for that some day, if you like."
Listen, even if he hadn't already decided he likes Megatron, Loki enjoys hearing himself talk. He's okay with giving lengthy explanations to an audience of one.
"I've never heard of poetry rounds, but I've played similar games with music, both with and without lyrics. My eldest daughter would be fascinated." His smile widens at the conclusion of the story, and he gives an appreciative laugh. "There's little more rewarding than winning a verbal sparring match with a few simple words. Well done, to him."
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no subject
Especially when he's offered kindness. To have it returned is reassuring.
"Some of the magic in my universe operates on the principle of as above; so below. In that vein, what happens to one small part of the world affects what happens to the cosmos. More to the salient point, what happens to one part of an individual--tears, clippings of hair, sometimes even their shadow--may affect the rest of them. Theoretically, I might be able to track your movements, or see what you see through your eyes, for a short while. But it might work very differently for you, since you're a species I haven't attempted magic on before."
Also, given Megatron's ability to sense energy, it might be super-obvious. But Loki isn't fully aware of that yet.
"I can imagine Ravage's reaction, now that you say that." Loki grins. He barely knows him yet, but he has enough of an impression to hazard a guess.
For a moment, Loki looks a little awkward, almost shy, but it passes quickly into a warm glance. "Thank you. I won't forget that offer. I have my brother, lovers and friends around me now, though few of them can relate to my experiences on quite this level. But the fewer excuses I have to feel isolated and misunderstood, the better for everyone, most especially myself."
no subject
There's also a glimmer of hope there, too. Ravage has told him far too often that his tendency to have a group of lovers, rather than one, and to enjoy the company of those who are bonded primarily to other people, is his way of avoiding real intimacy. The second part of that might be true, but if Loki has more than one partner, perhaps he doesn't have to give that up to really get close to people. When he and Orion were spark-bound (even though they never admitted it), Orion still had Ariel and Dion, and he still had Soundwave and Ravage. And there was a time when he hadn't yet tried to cull Starscream out of the trine, when that was all right as well.
"So. Yes. You need never be alone if I can help. And thank you for explaining the magic. I need to know what to be careful of in this world. The rules here are different. I should imagine the energon from my circulatory system, or the internal lubricants for any number of my components, could also be used against me."
(This is a little concerning. Latex and similar materials contain absolutely nothing when wrapped around durasteel and titanium.)
Then he allows himself a similarly warm smile. "It was," he says, "hilarious. Do you know the game of poetry rounds? It was a rich mech's game when we were all young, but I taught it to all my Decepticon friends after Orion and Ravage taught it to me. The game itself is simple. You either quote from a poem everyone knows--Decepticons have been known to use popular song lyrics--or you make up your own on the spot. Both are allowed unless only poets are playing. Ravage and I play by ourselves using only our own words, but we wouldn't expect that of others. Anyhow, I gave a poetry reading one night on the Lost Light which was badly attended, because we had all just been through a literal battle through time, and most of the crew preferred to attend the loud, noisy dance party afterward. So one of the players decided to use that particular poem, with the wrong implication, and Ravage had the following turn."
Megatron chuckled. "And he won, because everyone other than me was dumbstruck when he provided the context for the poem very neatly in one couplet: 'The little one who purred in his arms was two million years old / And had opened the lost city’s gates from inside.'"
no subject
Loki is a mercurial being; it's part of the essence that makes him what he is. Sometimes he's a shaman, a dangerous godling that rides with the dead. Sometimes he's a trickster that stumbles clumsily into traps of his own making. Sometimes he's a tender mother, or a playful lover, or a protector. He relates to Harley and to Ian very intimately indeed, loving each beyond his ability to express, but in very different ways. Should he ever take another into his heart, that love would take a different form, as well.
Of course, while they're dependent on him, the children will always come first, before romance, before Loki's need to fully express his own wildness. But he understands one thing about himself now, which he did not until very recently: that is that to deny any part of his identity to himself is death.
"Oh, definitely," he says to the comment about magic. "Although because you are not an organic being, the rules may apply very differently to you. And there are other methods of magic-working, as well. A comprehensive discussion would take days, but we can make time for that some day, if you like."
Listen, even if he hadn't already decided he likes Megatron, Loki enjoys hearing himself talk. He's okay with giving lengthy explanations to an audience of one.
"I've never heard of poetry rounds, but I've played similar games with music, both with and without lyrics. My eldest daughter would be fascinated." His smile widens at the conclusion of the story, and he gives an appreciative laugh. "There's little more rewarding than winning a verbal sparring match with a few simple words. Well done, to him."