selfhelp | [Voice/Action]

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[Today is a good day for serious business, apparently. There's a certain something he's been putting off for a while, and after one-too-many dreams interrupting his sleep, he's had enough: this morning when Billy wakes up, the first thing he does is jot out a note in the journal-]

[Private to Ben Grimm]

Hey, would it be okay if I swung by to ask you a few things?

[He'll work through his morning routine until he gets a response, after which he'll go for a visit and get a hell of a lot more than he bargained for.

After that, his mood for the day is drastically altered; he'll skip out on school, trying to sort out his feelings on the matter. Tommy's still AWOL, and he's trying not to worry Teddy, but what he's just been told has really got him thinking- about people, and heroes, and the unfairness of mankind in general. And eventually he'll just go ahead and return to his journal for it. He's kind of in over his head here.]

[Open to All]

I know Luceti's full of heroes- seems kind of a standard trait for most of us, for whatever reason. Back on my world, super-humans aren't that uncommon, and in general they're revered for everything they do for the world. Some of them were born that way, and some of them are from other planets, and some were altered to get their powers, and some have a lot of talent or skill instead of powers. But they're all considered to be super heroes. There's bad guys, too- just as diverse and unique as the heroes they fight. People fear them and celebrate their defeat.

There's another group, though... humans who got their powers because of evolution. It's much more natural, in a lot of ways. Some are heroes, some are villains. Some are just trying to get by without becoming one or the other. But regular humans fear them, and hate them for it, even if they save the world just as much as the heroes they love. They're called criminals or monsters, no matter how innocent they might be.

[He hesitates- it's probably obvious to some, what he's talking about, and he's not sure if he should lock it from the mutant population, or apologize, or something, but it relates to them even if it's not by name. Hiding it wouldn't be right.

In the end he just leaves it be.]

...Sorry for the ramble. But it's not fair, and... I just can't understand why. Why hate one and love the other, when they're basically the same?

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[Something about Billy's tone, and his words, really worries Loki. And he's not certain how he feels about being worried for someone. It's the same issue as on the draft, though in a much less immediate sense.

He's not used to worrying about someone. He isn't certain he likes it. But it also just won't go away. Billy is important to him in his own way, and he can't quite ignore this.

And really, he'd also like to just know what happened.

He uses a mirror to locate Billy, since he doesn't want to just show up when others were around. He also picks up two coffees, since that feels like a nice thing to do. With one final check at the mirror, he uses a doorway to simply step across space and into the kitchen where Billy stands. He doesn't make any effort to hide the use of magic, since that ought to make his appearance a bit less abrupt.]

[Billy's sitting at the table - more like flopping over it, one arm stretched out and drumming fingers against the surface, the other pillowed beneath his head, and he looks pretty deep in thought, staring off at nothing. He's actually waiting for the kettle to boil so he can make coffee, so when Loki's magic draws him out of his brooding, he sits up, attempting a smile. He's not sure how successful that smile is, but he can't bring himself to care much, either. Today's been too stressful to fake pleasantries.]

Morning. What're you doing here?

[This is Avenger territory, bro, isn't it kind of dangerous?]

[Loki sets one of the coffees next to Billy's hand.]

Oh, nothing in particular. Thought I'd stop by for a chat, since I was just wandering about.

[He'd buy that, but there's no money to be found here. He does accept the coffee, though, mumbling his thanks as he sips cautiously and lifts a hand, magic flaring around his fingers to shut off the kettle. He could get up to do it, but he's already decided that today is a good day to be lazy and miserable.]

Well... feel free to sit and stay a while, but I can't promise I'll be very good company today.

I know.

[Loki sits down and then sips his own coffee.]

You sounded upset.

Was it that obvious?

[His tone is sitting somewhere between sarcastic and resigned, like he can't decide how he's feeling right now. Which is pretty much accurate. After a moment, though, he sighs, leaning back in his seat and sliding more to the resigned side of the emotional spectrum.]

...Let me ask you something. Did you ever feel like... you didn't have a choice, with what you did back on Asgard and Earth? Like maybe you could have been a hero if things were different, but the situation was out of your control?

[Not even an easy question for warm up. Loki stares at the table for a long, long time. Though part of the problem is that he doesn't believe in heroes and villains, not like that. He knows why he is doing what he's doing and he knows it to be right. At least for the course he's been on since leaving Asgard. But before... ] In Asgard? Yes.

But not Earth.

[If that's the case, he can't say he's surprised, even if it does make him a little uncomfortable. It's hard to think of Loki as a nice guy when he insists on playing up the villainy.]

[He is silent for another long moment.] I did not feel that I had a choice, on Midgard. There is no turning back.

But I do not believe in heroes and villains the way that you do.

...Yeah, I know.

[And it still bothers him-the idea that there's no turning back, no way to redeem oneself after doing something terrible. But he's not sure how one convinces someone like Loki of it. He just seems so resigned.

He just hates the idea of giving up. Especially in light of what he's just learned.]

People who feel forced into doing something bad, though... they're not automatically villains. I always kind of knew it, but... I think I understand that better now.

[Loki considers pointing out to Billy that he also does not believe in good and bad the way Billy does. That he considers economies of scale. That he thinks it's quite pathetic that the humans obsess about an invasion from outside that killed relatively few of their number when every day they are murdering each other in far greater numbers through a combination of ignorance, hatred, and uncaring neglect.

No, this is not the time for such discussions. Billy is simply trying to frame this conversation in a way he thinks will include Loki, he surmises. He will let it go for now.]

Oh?

[Billy's quiet for a moment at that, debating how to respond. He knows it would be wrong to explain what he's now aware of to someone completely unrelated when even the other mutants of the world don't know, so he's really not sure how to proceed.

Maybe it's best to just ask the biggest question of all first.]

...What do you know about mutants?

I know there's a great deal of conflict between mutants and the larger part of humans, who follow the age-old pattern of hating and abusing that which they do not understand.

Edited 2012-12-14 05:34 (UTC)

Rogue told you about it? [It's only half a question; he can't imagine anyone else explaining such things, especially since they're apparently so chummy.] ...Well, I'm-

[And then he stops, clamping his mouth shut and setting his jaw, grabbing his coffee cup and abruptly standing up.]

...Come on, let's talk in my apartment.

She may have had cause to mention such things. [He is really getting uncomfortable with admitting even this much to Billy. Probably it would have been better to just pretend ignorance and let Billy tell him all over again.]

All right.

[He rises to his feet, taking up his coffee cup.

That Billy seems to feel there's insufficient privacy in this area leaves him feeling rather nervous as well.]

[Billy doesn't speak until they're well into the apartment, leading the way through the kitchen door he'd set up in the far wall to avoid having to go all the way around the hall, then into the living room, where he slumps onto the couch in front of the fireplace, gesturing vaguely for Loki to help himself to whatever unoccupied seat he wants. Only then does he explain the sudden relocation.]

Sorry about that. We've got a neighbour that likes to spy on conversations. The kitchens in this building are never private.

[Loki finds a chair to lounge in, coffee cup balanced on one knee.]

Ah, I see.

[He frowns slightly.]

Perhaps we ought to have moved into here sooner.

I forgot about it, or I would've suggested that. [He pauses, then adds with the slightest quirk of a smile,] Teddy and I like to play a game of finding where he hides his tech and making a lot of noise right in front of it. Our little way of getting him back for spying on us.

Ah. Well. I hope my presence won't cause you trouble.

The only trouble he can really cause with us is a little aggravation, so don't worry about it.

[He shrugs; he doesn't want to make a big deal about it, even if there's still a bit of underlying irritation; he hasn't forgiven Robin for trying to interrogate Teddy, and he knows that he's apparently not trusted for his magic - and for his association with Loki. At this point he doesn't really give a damn what Robin thinks about Loki coming over like this.

Back to what he was saying, though...]

...I'm one of them- a mutant. That's why I've got powers. But I'm also related to two of the most dangerous and hated mutants in the world.

[See why he didn't want to be overheard?]

Hm. Interesting. [He hadn't thought that a mutation would allow Billy to do what he does, but then again it's not something normal humans can manage. So it may follow. And he's also forced suddenly to wonder about himself, since the Jotun are not known for their magicians by any stretch of the imagination. He is a bit of an aberration no matter what way one slices it.

He nods, mouth curving in a bitter smile.]

Being different or having bad taste in parentage is normally enough invitation for abuse. Having both factors is quite terrible.

[He has reason to know this.]

It's funny... when I first found out about it, I was excited. I used to think I was just some random kid who got powers, but then I found out my mom - my real mom, I guess you could say - was an Avenger. My favourite.

[Sometimes being adopted is cool, bro. Isn't that a delightful knife twist?]

Something happened, though... something bad. And I'm pretty sure it was because she lost us. Now I don't know what to think...

[It's still exciting, yes, but there's a level of worry and uncertainty he hadn't felt before. What caused it to happen? Could it happen again? Could it happen to him?

Is this why Tommy seemed so unsure of him when he'd first arrived, despite the fact that they'd found her? So many questions, and now Tommy isn't around to ask.]

[Loki nods slowly.

Some of that, he can identify with, like the truth making certain things become clear. But it was never a source of delight for him.]

What happened, exactly?

[Billy hesitates at that, fingers twisting awkwardly together as he mulls over how to respond. He's still not sure whether he should explain the story. It's a powerful one- and while it's true that it has nothing to do with their universe, it still could have a significant effect on the mutants living right here and now, in Luceti, most of whom aren't aware of what he's talking about at all. And if Wanda were ever to appear in Luceti, if she had no memory of it- if his family or other friends showed up, or anyone who wasn't aware of what had happened, and he ever got on Loki's bad side somehow...

That's a lot of power to place in the hands of someone he's grown up viewing as a super villain.]

...If... if I tell you this... it means I'd be trusting you not to tell anyone else about it. No one. Not ever.

[His lifts his head then, focusing on Loki, his expression uncertain and faintly pleading.

Can I trust you?

It's a bit scary, actually- that it's even a question. That the answer isn't automatically "no".]

[Loki smiles slightly.]

Above all things, I love secrets.

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