out of continuity, by contrivance

[purposeful_glory]

Loki soon chafes at home, after three years of freedom. She does not mean to be gone long, but she does mean to be gone. Not Midgard again. Alfheim will do, a week will do, just a little break before she wedges herself back into the confines of Asgard and its Aesir.

Heimdall operates the Bifrost for her without comment. She notes her location, draws a little map, and heads east.

Comments

[headunbowed]

Grinning, she replies, "Yup! Happy to help."

She is trying to play it very cool with the idea of having a friend. While she hasn't had one in a while, she's resisting the urge to immediately hug Loki and make an adorable 'squee' sound. It does get lonely, alone in the wilderness. Just casual conversation is nice.

[purposeful_glory]

"I recently spent three years on Midgard, but while I passed some enjoyable hours with miscellaneous company there was no one in particular I was reluctant to leave. It's an odd place. They keep their souls on the outside."

[headunbowed]

"We do try to be hospitable here on Alfheim. Lots of us fail, but we try. For Midgard - what, are their souls just floating along behind them, or something? That seems like it would be uncomfortable."

[purposeful_glory]

"Walking or flying behind, more often. The souls come in the shape of animals. Children's can change whenever they like, but when they grow up they stop - on what varies, apparently with personality."

[headunbowed]

"That's very strange. Though, I suppose little children should enjoy it quite a bit - lots of animals to pet."

[purposeful_glory]

"The daemons - that's what they're called - do stay in close affectionate contact with their people, by and large. Though it didn't seem to diminish any child's interest in wild creatures and I heard several pleading for puppies. The daemons can't leave their people, or touch anyone but their people and the other daemons, without - a discomfort I didn't hear described and have certainly never experienced."

[headunbowed]

"Oh. Yeah, that's quite strange, and uncomfortable. A pet is one matter, having a creature that can never leave your side and can't be touched by other people is... Quite another. I'm not sure I'd like to visit."

[purposeful_glory]

"It's a beautiful world, if primitive and full of awfully short-lived people. Avoiding the daemons isn't hard; they do cooperate with the project. I did meet with fewer stares when I illusioned up one of my own -" She displays a blue snake, wrapped around her neck, flicking his tongue out. "Since they have no real conception of a person without one."

[headunbowed]

"Hmm. Then maybe, but I'd need an illusion of my own to not be seen as a non-person. Besides the soul-animals, is it just the scenery that's beautiful, or something else...?"

[purposeful_glory]

"They'll assume you have something tiny, hiding in your clothes, if you don't have one visible, but it's easier if they can see one. It's mostly the scenery, although they've done some inspiring things with architecture considering their limited engineering advancement. And there's art, everyone makes art."

[headunbowed]

"How gracious of them - I do like art. Architecture, not so much, but art's always lovely. Perhaps I'm rather biased."

[purposeful_glory]

"Architecture can be an art, once you progress past the stage of 'I urgently wish to not be snowed on'."

[headunbowed]

"True, but I hate being indoors. I haven't met a light elf that doesn't. Our buildings are rather sparse and far-between, and filled to the brim with plants. Though, I think there's an ongoing large-scale project to build an entire living city to fix that problem."

[purposeful_glory]

"What do you do about being snowed on, then?"

[headunbowed]

"We tell the trees to catch it, or we bundle up in fluffy clothing. To be fair, it doesn't snow much here. I think it happened once a few decades ago, but usually it's a few centuries between snows."

[purposeful_glory]

"A living city sounds amazing. I'd like to see it if it's ever grown."

[headunbowed]

"If the project's ever finished, I'll invite you to see it. They've been working on it for several centuries, since before I was even born - and they're still not done. So it might be a long wait."

[purposeful_glory]

"How old are you? I confess I haven't read many books on Alfheim or its people and cannot tell by looking."

[headunbowed]

"Around five centuries old. I don't keep a very accurate count of it, I just pay basic attention to when the centuries change."

[purposeful_glory]

"I'm coming up on eight."

[headunbowed]

"Figures the Aesir live longer, I would have pegged you at four and a half or so. But, yeah - still something of a wait."

[purposeful_glory]

"If I were only four and a half I wouldn't have made as much progress on my magic as I have. It takes a long time. Trying to write an entire library, letter by letter."

[headunbowed]

"That's got to be fun. Another reason for me to be very, very happy about having my specific type of magic. I love it so."

[purposeful_glory]

"Perhaps you will be more envious after you've had a while to enjoy being a bird."

[headunbowed]

She giggles, just a little. "I probably will! But if it meant having to give up my magic for yours - no sell. It would be like being indoors all of the time, no matter where I am."

Zeviana shudders. "No thank you. I'll like being a bird if I can mooch off of you, though."