Summary:Betty visits Loki regarding the progress of magic. Log Info:Storyteller: {$storyteller} |
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With Hank's help, and that of a few friends of his, that ancient scroll Loki penned for Betty got translated. However, this spell might well be one of those that he mentioned as having parts missing, or just wrong. Of course the Norse Trickster gave her a spell that is pivotal to her studies that was messed with, because - Loki.
He really is kind of a shite sometimes.
Still, he's also a VERY skilled weaver of magics and one of the more powerful beings on the planet on the whole, so there's that. Regardless, when Betty arrives at Cover Story she'd enter and the moment the door closes so does the shop, the closed sign flips all on its own, the lights dim, and the blinds all get pulled. A voice from the air. "Do come upstairs, Betty Brant." Loki's voice of course.
The door opens just before she gets to it, and there's Loki, seated at the table. The Liesmith is dressed in a thigh length green tunic with gold trim, and darker green slacks. He looks…comfy.
A smile. "Hello Betty Brant, welcome to my home."
Betty can't help but give pause at the invitation. Still, she did come this way for a reason and takes it all in stride. Smiling to herself, she climbs the stairs toward the home of Gods and slips in through the front door. Her own attire was fitting to the chill outside and there's even a light dusting of snow flakes atop her shoulders and golden-bronze hair. "Hello, your highness. Thank you for your hospitality."
Moving to stand by the table instead of claiming a seat, she digs into her messenger bag and then sets out the scrolls he gave her prior. "I've been studying, thankfully with the aid of someone far more brilliant than I am. I…" chuckling, she smirks, the expression presses a dimple into her cheek. "You're fucking with me, aren't you?"
"Oh, is fucking on the table?" Loki asks with quirked brows and mirthful emerald eyes. He grins that she seems to be taking it all in good stride, and nods then, expression a hint more serious. "In a sense, yes, but only in a sense, Betty Brant." He answers the question. "It is mostly a lesson, though in part it is me being true to my nature—we gods are curious beings, you see, we're rather bound to be what we are. Granted, as a Trickster my nature is far more malleable than most, even so, I -am- a trickster, which means I fuck with people all the time. It is my nature."
A moment to gather his thoughts, and then he smiles. "Would you care for some refreshment? I have some tea steeping, or we could get you something more robust if you'd rather." A nod. "So…the lesson…the fact is that magi as a whole are a paranoid lot. It is /very/ common for them to trap and bugger up their spell books, but very very few can do so without using some pattern, and once learned it will make the rest of the process that much easier, the so-called 'cipher key', mm?"
He smiles. "You found the various errors did you?"
Rolling her eyes, she glances at the chair and moves to sit. "Yes, thank you. Tea sounds wonderful." She doesn't question his nature, but there's part of her watching over the man in green and gold carefully. "I know, and Fenris is suppose to swallow the sun and destroy…everything. I guess there's no helping what you were, but there is helping what you can become?"
Shrugging, still in her jacket, she rests back within it and swallows up its warmth. "I did. It was interesting and then…cut off in an odd manner. When I was going over it with my mentor, we found ourselves laughing about being stuck in some recipe for bread. Then how to make wheat grow when attacked by a specific fungus round in a certain village to the west."
The Trickster god actually chuckles at her eye rubbing, and rises to fetch a tea service that probably is worth more than most people's car. He pours for his guest first, then himself. "How do you like it, Betty Brant?" Oh, what a loaded question! Intentional? Probably, but…he's almost impossible to read.
"I have been trying to do things a bit less antagonistically, yes. I try, but habit and nature are powerful stumbling blocks to overcome." A shrug. "I have been trying."
A grin. "In fact I /know/ I try Faithful Sigyn's patience from time to time."
Rerturning to the subject at hand, he nods. "It is a very good spell, honestly. And as it happens we can derive the author's key from it in the key's entirety from this single spell." Convenient that!
"Sometimes sweet. Sometimes dark. Depends on my mood." She explains in turn, keeping up with the God, at least for the time being. She even offers him a wink before giving thanks and dressing up her tea herself.
"I have an issue with it only on the surface of things. Were you not, well, who you are, I would have punched you in the fact by now. I hate people telling me what I can or cannot do, or belittling my ability." Regardless of the day and age it still happens.
With a soft blow across her drink, she sips it cautiously and sighs contently. "We were figuring that out as well. I like patterns and riddles, puzzles, y'know? This was…odd at first, until we took another look at it without looking at it."
Noting that his guest seems a bit chilled, Loki turns up the heat - he is also a god of fire after all.
He laughs warmly at the rejoinder and the wink. "Well, I can certainly accommodate." And yes, layers on layers. Innuendo: Fourth best thing Loki does. And then he smriks. "Go ahead and punch me if you'd like, I am quite resilient. Once you get that out of your system we'll get to work, Betty Brant. The simple fact is that you're a novice, and a supplicant for my aid. I have never taught a mortal as I am doing here, and I have my methods." He looks her in the eyes, holding her gaze and letting her /see/ a hint of his power. "That I am teaching you is an honor, girl. If you feel I have mocked or belittled you, that's on you. I had no such intent, and fortunately magic is dangerous, if you'd rather I didn't tell you what to do, that's fine, but you might well regret the lack."
He resumes his normal appearance then, and shrugs. "I will try to be less 'belittling', Betty Brant. Though how I might have been so I am unsure of."
"I said if…I'm not going to punch you, Prince." Then she sees him, sees /him/, her eyes set and not moving away. She doesn't seem like she honestly can look at anything else but that swirling maelstrom of power. When it brakes, her eyes flutter and finally look away. Another blow, another sip, she swallows and nods. "I know that. I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful or anything. Just…I don't know. I don't know if I should tell you what I think or cow down or…" Thinning her lips, she continues to consider her words.
"I don't want to pretend like I'm afraid. I am, a bit, but not enough to back down." A pause, she smiles. "Please, call me Betty."
"Well, that's good, I'm not terribly fond of being punched, truth be told." Not that Betty has the physical strength to do him any real harm, of course. Even for Asgardian's the Liesmith is fairly durable and quite strong. He snorts. "I don't want you cowed, Betty…if you /really/ want my help you'll show a bit of spirit. I don't need an apprentice who's a mat others can walk over. Stand up for yourself, face your fear, master it. THAT is how you best get what you want, that is how best you KEEP my interest as a teacher. I have no use for the passive or the weak.
He nods approvingly when she says she won't back down. "THAT'S the spirit! This may indeed work out, Betty."
See? He even called her Betty — twice!
Betty smiles and continues nursing from her cup. "Good. I'm glad then." A glance to the scrolls, she returns her attention to Loki directly. "I should ask what's next for me with you and Lady Sigyn as teachers? I'm going to be learning from Lady Sif how to fight better, and I've been asking to complete a task for Fenris and Astryd. Have you spoken with you about this?"
"Well, first you and I will work on this cipher, then you'll want to master the spell…once you have the translation spell down, we'll work on the other spells in that tome. Some of which are very dark indeed, but most of which are good 'utility' spells, mm? Things you'll find useful in day to day. After that, we'll see what your gifts are best suited to and develop them." Loki smiles then. "You realize of course that this will take a long time by human standards, it is possible your entire life will be spent learning magic, assuming of course we don't research something to extend your life of course."
Which is a thing.
"They have indeed spoken to me about it, and I offered my assistance, assuming you wish it of course."
"I understand. I'm ready to keep learning. I…" Shaking her head, she keeps her silence for now. Nodding along, she drinks once more. "That's fine and I'm looking forward to it." Then a pause. "Of course I want your help with this. I promised to help them, all of you, and I will again." Finishing off her cup, she sets it down on its saucer and straightens in her chair.
"Where do we begin?"