Summary:Lady Sif drops by Cover Story seeking aid with a truly nefarious plot that puts the entire Golden Realm at risk! Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Sif had sent a message to Loki requesting an opportune time to stop in to have a conversation. It was, as she's been honestly trying to get used to Midgardian technology, a painstakingly worded text message. But it worked, as the agreed upon time has arrived, and Sif enters the bookstore carrying an aluminum tray with a fabric sack on top. Based on the yeasty aroma that has arrived with her, she came bearing gifts of edibles. It's … actually her default as she can't usually think of anything that would better suit a guest-gift.
Closing the door behind herself gingerly, she looks around the bookstore in mild curiosity. Most of the tomes she can see are in Midgardian scripts that are illegible to her.
The Liesmith is presently seated in the small reading area talking to a customer, and then smiles when he sees Sif enter. Rising, he shakes the young man's hand, and soon has him on his way with an early edition copy of the Hobbit, hard copy of course - though silly Midgardian scripts, Siff won't be able to read it most likely. Regardless, he inclines his head to the Lady Sif in welcome, and escorts the customer out before closing the shop early.
Moving then to the Sif, he offers one of his better smiles. "Good evening, Lady Sif, welcome to my home. If you'll follow me upstairs, I'll happily offer you refreshment and welcome at my hearth." Even though there actually isn't one. Though if one is actually needed there's always illusion!
Sif stands politely out of the doorway as Loki concludes his meeting with the young Midgardian man, then offers Loki a respectful bow. "Good evening, Prince Loki. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me, and for the welcome."
She readily follows the tall man upstairs to his and Sigyn's residence, offering the tray and sack of bread once they're there. "I thought to try something a bit different, as the name was intriguing."
Once they're upstairs, he smiles. "Lady Sif, lets try something truly Avant Midgardian—I'll call you Sif, and you'll call me Loki, this evening. After all it IS Mother's Day, a quaint tradition I rather approve of." Indeed, there's even a card on one of the bookshelves, the only card Loki's ever gotten, but that makes it extra special to the Trickster. Handwritten on single-sided embossed cardstock, the card reads:
Remembered you'd been a mother and could not resist.
Be well,
Lt. Atherton & K. Talbot
He accepts the tray, expression quizzical. "You honor me, but…what is intriguing then?"
Sif nods her acceptance of Loki's request to dispense with the formality of titles. "This is a Midgardian fish with the name steelhead trout. Sadly, they would not roast the creature for me with the head intact. And the bread is fresh from the ovens. Apparently, Midgardians perceive ovens made from mud bricks to be … a novel innovation in baking." She doesn't get that.
The mention of Mother's Day has her looking mildly confused. "I have heard mention of this many times today. While I understand it is a day to honor one's maternal parents…" Yeah, she clearly doesn't understand. But that's most likely because she's never so much as had a pet.
"Ah, thank you, Sif, most kind." Loki will set the food on the table. "Would you prefer mead, wine, or tea with your food?" He has not had this 'steelhead trout', and yes…he has had mud brick bread. "As to the oven, the modern people of Midgard have no need of clay bricked ovens, they're used to very different sorts of stoves than were in use most of their history. So for modern Midgardians it /is/ something of a novelty."
Returning with their beverages, Loki will drink whatever Sif asked for. After the question, he smiles. "That's about the sum total of it, yes. Simply a day to pay tribute to mothers, and matrons and maternal bonds."
Sif, perhaps a bit uncharacteristically, chooses tea. Once they're settled with the beverages and food — which turns out to be two domed loaves and a good five pounds of the pinkish salmon-like trout. Once they've started into the food, she broaches the actual reason for her visiting.
"I have become aware of a … less than ideal situation that could be disastrous for all of Asgard. Fenris and Astryd are working to make sure that the worst does not come to pass, but. But I want to have provisions in place in case they are not able to prevent all of the threat to Asgard."
She fidgets with her tea for a moment before adding, "I want to to develop a feasible evacuation plan for Asgard, to some place where all Aesir will be safe from harm."
Tea is fine, Loki's rather fond of tea in fact and drinks it often, to go with fish he selects a green, and sets it to steeping as they settle together and start eating.
"A threat to the Golden Realm?" Sure, Loki has some issues there, but still, Asgard is where he was raised - Asgard is -home-, a threat to it is concerning to the Lord of Lies.
"First, what is this threat, the nature of the threat will determine our response, second, evacuation to where - Midgard?"
While they eat and drink tea, Sif explains to Loki about one of Fenris' sons apparently deciding that claiming the 'core' of Asgard is a good idea regardless of how destructive that would prove to be, and how Fenris and Astryd are working to collapse a previously unknown and currently unguarded Way into Asgard to prevent said wolf from accessing the golden realm from that direction.
"…in the event that Astryd is not able to successfully collapse the Way, I want to be sure that no one of Asgard is collateral damage." Yes, those last two words were in English. Accented, but English.
"So…you need someone who is able to open a gateway, perhaps more than one, from Midgard to the Golden Realm and sustain said gateway or ways for sufficient time to stage an evacuation. Is that about the shape of things?" As to the theft of the core of a planet, how the devil would one do such a thing?
"Let me guess…the son in question was…" Loki presses the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Hathis-Ur?"
"Not necessarily between Midgard and Asgard. From Asgard to anywhere that would be safe. Vanaheim, Alfheim, anywhere. And perhaps not create and maintain the gateway so much as help arrange the logistics of an evacuation of that scale, and," she hesitates. "And convince the Allfather to let us enact this plan if it becomes necessary." That's the true challenge.
"Oh, and perhaps either retrieve Astryd's Valkyrie armor for her, or find her armor of equivalent quality." She'd have already offered her own without hesitation, but there's the whole matter of 'fitted'. She and Astryd are not exactly identical in stature, the blonde Valkyr being a very noticeable few inches taller.
When Loki asks about which son was the one they're trying to prepare against, she shakes her head no. "Gurim-Ur."
"Vanaheim would be better than Alfheim, but I see your point…definitely, not Helheim, Jotunheim, or Svartalfheim." Loki ponders a few moments. "I can definitely assist with the logistics and such." Loki smiles. "And the magic." The second request, now /that/ gets his attention. Loki looks intrigued. "Does she know where it is? If not, perhaps we could commission a new suit from the Lios Alfar or the Dwarves." A thoughtful look. "Or we might see about something more modern Midgardian, there's some very strong materials they use now, surprisingly so."
Sif takes a breath. "Her armor is in the royal vaults of Asgard. It was taken when she was removed from her position as Valkyr." Which means almost two thirds of Sif's lifetime ago.
"I do not think simple mechanical protection will be sufficient for this endeavor, otherwise the Midgardian armor would perhaps be the easiest to acquire." She could ask Captain Rogers, as she's seen him wear or more accurately carry some rather protetive items.
"Oh, well, then…that's a horse of a different color." Not that the pop-culture reference is likely to be caught. Loki smiles. "So…a retrieval, I could do a retrieval." He's done it before. Odds are, he'll do it again too. Unless Ragnarok comes, of course. Then all bets are off.
It is telling that Loki doesn't even consider the option of 'asking' for the armor. "As to convincing the All-father about the evacuation plan…that's something you'd have to ask of my beloved Sigyn, or perhaps the Thunderer."
Clearly the reference is lost on Sif, if her momentary confused expression is anything to go by. Why did he suddenly mention horses? What do they have to do with this situation? And what do their colors have to do with anything? She dismisses that thought quickly enough enough, though, when Loki suggests asking either Thor or Sigyn to help with convincing the Allfather to go along with their evacuation plan. "I will consult with Fenris and Astryd first to determine whether or not they want me to tell the Allfather about this threat to Asgard." After all, neither the Valkyr nor the Wolf are exactly amongst Odin's favorite people.
"If they approve, then I will most certainly request assistance from Thor or from Sigyn." Or more likely, both.
A nod to himself. Loki apparently won a mental bet he'd placed about the movie reference. As to popularity with the Allfather…yeah, Loki might have some inkling of what that is like. Only the last couple millennia or so though, so there's that. "In theory he should know already between his own abilities and the Norns, still, yes, ask them. Consulting with them makes good sense."
A smile then. "Let me worry about getting Astryd her armor back, I have a few ideas, perhaps we might just be able to manage something. Do we have a timetable of any sort?"
Reluctantly, Sif shakes her head no. "Not that I am aware of, but that does not mean we have limitless time. The sooner we can be prepared, the better I think. Waiting only gives Gurim-Ur more time to prepare as well."
She sits back from their meal, either done or having lost her appetite from the topic of conversation. It's not common that that happens to her, but it does happen. Enough so that it's likely something Loki has seen before.
"Well then, let me see about this retrieval mission, and see what can be done with that. As to the logistics and evacuation plans we'll need to be sure that the All-Father will even permit, so confer with my son and his Raven and let me know what they advise." A smile, clearly he's very much engaged at the idea of 'retrieving' that armor for Astryd. He hasn't done any shenanigans like that in a while!