[ It is telling, how he just goes along with it. No pulling back or chastising her for the very intentional way she was treating him. It makes her relax a little more, the hold on his arm going from direct to more...comfortable. He is quite a bit like their Mobius, no matter which way she pushes him. Not the same, but still. ]
If you say so. I've not made it a habit to get very cozy with the locals.
[ Perhaps its in part her usual way of living, and in part the hesitation to believe any of this is permanent. She'll take this time with this variant to start maybe.
There's a few tucked away seats on the ferry, and Sylvie guides them to the one she's found most sheltered from the cold, wedging the two of them in hip to hip so that they can talk uninterrupted. ]
So, I take it you've had plenty of time to talk with Loki? I'm curious what you've spoken about.
Not everyone here can be bad. Statistically speaking. And with the influx of so many refugees...
[Which he is, in a way. Starkhaven still stands, last he knew, but there's no going back to it. Maybe he could have gone back to Ostwick, but--too many bad memories. Too much guilty and difficult feelings.
But the point is not other people. He thinks the point is them, or supposed to be them. Especially cozied up in the ferry as they are. So it surprises him that she changes the topic to that of Loki. He looks at her, curious, not judgemental. Considers what to say.]
I've spoken with him before. [Not incorrect. That he admitted to devastating atrocities around the fire still...echoes uncomfortably around in his soul. But they are friends.] You a buddy of his?
Something like that. [ The complicated nature is insinuated in her tone, but there's a soft smile on her face, probably not the emotion Mobius is connecting to his own associations with her variant. ] But yes, I know him well enough. He's from a place quite similar but not exactly the same as me. I knew him before I arrived here.
Oh yeah? [That seems to perk him up a little more.] Where from? You run into each other in this similar-but-not-the-same place? You both...do have some similarities in your stories.
[ There's a bit too much enthusiasm in that, and she presses her lips together a moment, eyes searching his face before she leans in conspiratorially. ]
You see, we're actually twins. Separated at birth and raised as though we were enemies across two planes. Because of a funny coincidence we met again in a massive grocery store called Roxxcart, in which I of course attempted to kill him. But one thing lead to another, and now we're incestuous lovers; looking past our horrible cards dealt by fate to really embrace the true meaning of love.
[It's either the boldness of the claim or her giddy enthusiasm or both. Can he say for certain that it's a lie? Well, no, he can't say anything for certain when it comes to Rifters; he can only rely on what he's told. And Sylvie has tended not to say much.
Still. He takes that little tale in, tilts his head, squints his eyes a bit. It's a familiar sight around her, and around anyone he's trying to see through, to parse. It's definitely the giddiness, the ready excitement. Seeing what she can get away with. Say something outrageous to get a rise out of him. (Would Loki have hinted at an insinuation? Maybe, maybe not, but it feels like something would have at least briefly come up instead of a very vague sense that they come from similar places.)]
I don't know how much of that was bullshit, but I can definitely smell it this close.
You're having fun with this. Withholding information, little lies. Never tell anyone the whole truth; it's safer that way. [With a little nod to himself. Makes sense.] You guys don't look like twins.
Perceptive. [ She wrinkles her nose at him, settling a little in their little nook a bit, the arm she still has looped around his adjusting a bit. He's warm and it's nice at least. The heat from him. ] We could be fraternal you know.
You could be. Do you want me to guess with pithy observations? Or do you want me to nod along and pretend? [They could talk about Loki, sure. Or they could talk about Sylvie!] What's more fun for you?
[ And she isn't; not really. She's still probing what parts of this Mobius is the most fun; or the most interesting. What parts of him are similar and what might be different. ]
Definitely not playing pretend. I like calling people out. Maybe not being called out, but turnabout's fair play. So I'm not gonna sit back and act like everything out of your mouth is the Maker's honest truth. You okay with that?
[ She nods ever so slightly at that, still smiling. ]
It'd be hardly any real fun if you did believe every word Mobius.
[ There's a pause, as she thinks a moment. Probably the right moment to go all out in the truth then. ]
We're variants of each other. Not twins. Two souls filling the same roles in separate universes. I don't go by that name anymore, but our temporal aura doesn't change.
[His brow furrows, a thoughtful frown on his face, trying to parse that, the meaning of it. It's tempting to brush it off with an ignorant I don't understand, but Loki has given him at least a bit of context for the very idea. So did Sylvie, even. But it's still a complicated idea, and he has to take the time to pick apart the words and the implications. He doesn't know what a temporal aura is, but the rest he can...at least start with.]
There's a Loki and his whole family here. [Start with that.] A version of him that was born and raised here as a citizen of Thedas. Still Loki, but different. A variation on a theme--a variant. [He can only presume that's where the word comes from, so odd in the context.] Wouldn't want to be at that family dinner if he ever found out where they're at.
And you are him, from another world. Another variation. [And she, did she revel in wanton destruction, invade a nation on a petty whim?] And you know me. A variation of me.
So now you're taking everything I say at face value. I thought you weren't going to believe me?
[ Her nose scrunches up a bit at the end there, tone teasing. ]
That's not quite how variant is used but yes, a variant of you, also called Mobius. He spent most my life trying to eradicate my existence, but that's behind us. Or was; I'm really not sure what he's doing now. Last time I saw him we parted ways with him going to burn the authoritarian organization he worked for to the ground as I took on the man behind the curtain.
I wouldn't have much idea what you're talking about if Loki hadn't already let me know about some of his weirdness. And with other versions of selves in the great wide world of...other worlds, is there anything that can't happen?
[He's not sure if he should take it as a warning that what she says about the him she knows, knew, is not entirely factual. Because he's not sure he likes what he hears. She says that's behind us, but that doesn't sound like something one just simply puts behind them. There's burning his authoritarian organization to the ground, and it unsettles him. The Chantry as an organization has its flaws. (Okay, that's admittedly an understatement.) But he can't imagine upending it, setting the whole institution alight and taking out the Grand Cathedral to the very foundation. It's...uncomfortable. To think about another him in another place making strange choices in stranger lands.]
For what it's worth, I don't want to eradicate your existence. I like your existence as is.
[ She is curious, because the difference in his reactions from when they first talked is palpable. It does sound like he actually believes her this time, so Loki must have left an impression. The locals seemed particularly resistant to sense. ]
That is nice of you to say, but how much of my existence do you even know to like Mobius? Besides fitting nicely on your arm, you don't actually know anything about me.
[He shakes his head.] Mostly just about the family that is his but isn't his. Other things in his life that aren't relevant to the topic here, but, the idea of there being multiple Lokis running around.
[He's...more open to a lot of things than the general locals, but he tends not to talk about those things. The kind of things that, without a little protection, might end up with him not in a great place.]
You could tell me more about you. So far, aside from being frustratingly mysterious, I've liked what I've seen. If you turn out to be a monster, well, that's on me then, huh.
I have a theory. [ She says after a breath, leaning in again. ] Maybe we all are monsters; maybe that's what brings us all here. A collection of terrible people to help defeat someone infinitely more terrible.
[ She watches his reaction a moment, before licking her lips and shrugging. ]
At least it seems that way. But what exactly do you want to know? Here I thought I was being an open book.
[His reaction is plain and simple:] Bullshit. [Nothing more to it than that.]
Seems like a cynical way to look at it. You're not monsters; we're not monsters. Occasionally do or are capable of monstrous things, but so is everyone. And you, [with a nudge, playful] are anything but open, my friend.
I think we're coming in to port. Or...whatever the phrasing is. Docking? I don't know anything about boats. But if you want to make a game of it instead of being all open and honest, you could tell me something that's true and something that's false. And I have to figure out which is which.
[ There's a crinkle to her eyes when she smiles at him that signals that she's pleased with his calling her out, and she follows it with sitting back and actually listening to his suggestion. ]
Hmm. Something true and something false. Well. I have a cult following dedicated to furthering my interests as the Goddess of Mischief, or prior to coming to meeting Loki, I've not had a conversation with a person that spanned more than a single encounter in a thousand years.
[ An easy one, she knows. More an apology for her own inability to carry a conversation than anything. ]
[Frankly, it's not as easy as she thinks. Loki is pretty well convinced he's a god, even while dipping toes into the 'what makes a god/what is the definition of a god' conversation. Why would it be any different with Sylvie, who first thing already purported to be a goddess? And being not great at conversations doesn't mean never having more than one with any given person. In a thousand years? A thousand years definitely sounds suspect. She has to be, what, in her thirties, perhaps?]
Mischief? [He still looks unconvinced about either one, actually.] That doesn't sound like something to be a god of. Maybe a god of Satinalia fools or something. Do merry pranksters really need a god of their own?
Of Mischief, tricksters, those lost people and things that are neither good nor bad, of fire and fishnets and whole lots of things. Midgardians love writing up stories about us, of Asgard, of their gods. Our brother Thor is the god of thunder, of fertility, of harvest and war.
[ There's a little beat, and she sits back a bit. ]
Merry pranksters and underdogs and those people stepped on who are just trying to claw their way up, yes they need a god of their own. I think so at least.
Guess that's a difference in our opinions then, on what mischief means to different classes of people.
But no, not much. There's some truth in some of the stories, but I'd hardly know how my universe intended to play out my personal variation since it was destroyed when I was a child.
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rosecarmine
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-21 12:59 am (UTC)If you say so. I've not made it a habit to get very cozy with the locals.
[ Perhaps its in part her usual way of living, and in part the hesitation to believe any of this is permanent. She'll take this time with this variant to start maybe.
There's a few tucked away seats on the ferry, and Sylvie guides them to the one she's found most sheltered from the cold, wedging the two of them in hip to hip so that they can talk uninterrupted. ]
So, I take it you've had plenty of time to talk with Loki? I'm curious what you've spoken about.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-21 02:23 am (UTC)[Which he is, in a way. Starkhaven still stands, last he knew, but there's no going back to it. Maybe he could have gone back to Ostwick, but--too many bad memories. Too much guilty and difficult feelings.
But the point is not other people. He thinks the point is them, or supposed to be them. Especially cozied up in the ferry as they are. So it surprises him that she changes the topic to that of Loki. He looks at her, curious, not judgemental. Considers what to say.]
I've spoken with him before. [Not incorrect. That he admitted to devastating atrocities around the fire still...echoes uncomfortably around in his soul. But they are friends.] You a buddy of his?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-25 03:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-27 01:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-28 02:12 am (UTC)[ There's a bit too much enthusiasm in that, and she presses her lips together a moment, eyes searching his face before she leans in conspiratorially. ]
You see, we're actually twins. Separated at birth and raised as though we were enemies across two planes. Because of a funny coincidence we met again in a massive grocery store called Roxxcart, in which I of course attempted to kill him. But one thing lead to another, and now we're incestuous lovers; looking past our horrible cards dealt by fate to really embrace the true meaning of love.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-28 02:32 am (UTC)Still. He takes that little tale in, tilts his head, squints his eyes a bit. It's a familiar sight around her, and around anyone he's trying to see through, to parse. It's definitely the giddiness, the ready excitement. Seeing what she can get away with. Say something outrageous to get a rise out of him. (Would Loki have hinted at an insinuation? Maybe, maybe not, but it feels like something would have at least briefly come up instead of a very vague sense that they come from similar places.)]
I don't know how much of that was bullshit, but I can definitely smell it this close.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-09 05:39 pm (UTC)Not all of it. Though I'm not about to tell you which part is and which part isn't. More fun that way.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-09 05:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-09 06:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-09 08:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-11 11:26 pm (UTC)[ And she isn't; not really. She's still probing what parts of this Mobius is the most fun; or the most interesting. What parts of him are similar and what might be different. ]
What sounds more fun to you?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-11 11:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-12 01:15 am (UTC)It'd be hardly any real fun if you did believe every word Mobius.
[ There's a pause, as she thinks a moment. Probably the right moment to go all out in the truth then. ]
We're variants of each other. Not twins. Two souls filling the same roles in separate universes. I don't go by that name anymore, but our temporal aura doesn't change.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-12 02:09 am (UTC)There's a Loki and his whole family here. [Start with that.] A version of him that was born and raised here as a citizen of Thedas. Still Loki, but different. A variation on a theme--a variant. [He can only presume that's where the word comes from, so odd in the context.] Wouldn't want to be at that family dinner if he ever found out where they're at.
And you are him, from another world. Another variation. [And she, did she revel in wanton destruction, invade a nation on a petty whim?] And you know me. A variation of me.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-13 02:19 am (UTC)[ Her nose scrunches up a bit at the end there, tone teasing. ]
That's not quite how variant is used but yes, a variant of you, also called Mobius. He spent most my life trying to eradicate my existence, but that's behind us. Or was; I'm really not sure what he's doing now. Last time I saw him we parted ways with him going to burn the authoritarian organization he worked for to the ground as I took on the man behind the curtain.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-13 08:58 am (UTC)[He's not sure if he should take it as a warning that what she says about the him she knows, knew, is not entirely factual. Because he's not sure he likes what he hears. She says that's behind us, but that doesn't sound like something one just simply puts behind them. There's burning his authoritarian organization to the ground, and it unsettles him. The Chantry as an organization has its flaws. (Okay, that's admittedly an understatement.) But he can't imagine upending it, setting the whole institution alight and taking out the Grand Cathedral to the very foundation. It's...uncomfortable. To think about another him in another place making strange choices in stranger lands.]
For what it's worth, I don't want to eradicate your existence. I like your existence as is.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-18 08:54 pm (UTC)[ She is curious, because the difference in his reactions from when they first talked is palpable. It does sound like he actually believes her this time, so Loki must have left an impression. The locals seemed particularly resistant to sense. ]
That is nice of you to say, but how much of my existence do you even know to like Mobius? Besides fitting nicely on your arm, you don't actually know anything about me.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-18 09:40 pm (UTC)[He's...more open to a lot of things than the general locals, but he tends not to talk about those things. The kind of things that, without a little protection, might end up with him not in a great place.]
You could tell me more about you. So far, aside from being frustratingly mysterious, I've liked what I've seen. If you turn out to be a monster, well, that's on me then, huh.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-19 07:03 pm (UTC)[ She watches his reaction a moment, before licking her lips and shrugging. ]
At least it seems that way. But what exactly do you want to know? Here I thought I was being an open book.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-19 07:33 pm (UTC)Seems like a cynical way to look at it. You're not monsters; we're not monsters. Occasionally do or are capable of monstrous things, but so is everyone. And you, [with a nudge, playful] are anything but open, my friend.
I think we're coming in to port. Or...whatever the phrasing is. Docking? I don't know anything about boats. But if you want to make a game of it instead of being all open and honest, you could tell me something that's true and something that's false. And I have to figure out which is which.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-21 01:38 am (UTC)Hmm. Something true and something false. Well. I have a cult following dedicated to furthering my interests as the Goddess of Mischief, or prior to coming to meeting Loki, I've not had a conversation with a person that spanned more than a single encounter in a thousand years.
[ An easy one, she knows. More an apology for her own inability to carry a conversation than anything. ]
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-21 10:25 am (UTC)Mischief? [He still looks unconvinced about either one, actually.] That doesn't sound like something to be a god of. Maybe a god of Satinalia fools or something. Do merry pranksters really need a god of their own?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-21 08:59 pm (UTC)[ There's a little beat, and she sits back a bit. ]
Merry pranksters and underdogs and those people stepped on who are just trying to claw their way up, yes they need a god of their own. I think so at least.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-21 09:22 pm (UTC)Do you really have any control over any of that? Where you're from?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-03-21 10:22 pm (UTC)But no, not much. There's some truth in some of the stories, but I'd hardly know how my universe intended to play out my personal variation since it was destroyed when I was a child.
(no subject)
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