But he does knock on arrival, and while he's neater than he was last time they had one of these home-based rendezvous by the dual merits of having completed all personal grooming tasks and not being dressed in workout gear, he's not exactly dressed up for the occasion. When you're on an international shit list, the least you can do is dress as little like an active supervillain as it's in your power to do when crossing town to chat with somebody else in the top ten.
Plus, it's hot. So it's a tee, light trousers, and a pair of sunglasses concealing one Stephen Strange that Loki's greeted when he deigns to invite him in. ]
[ the apartment is small, but quaint. bigger than their last one, considering all the people who are currently crashing with them. it's one of those habits of Jason's that's both endearing and annoying: he'll pick up anyone that needs help, and Loki, the god of misfits, can only tangentially complain about the invasion of space. it's part of what comes with Jason.
Loki doesn't come to answer the door, but there's not many places Stephen could go in the apartment that would evade his sight. he's sitting on the couch with his socked feet up on the little table, sucking on a smoothie. ]
[ Call him out on his fashion choices all you like, Loki, but he caught a few long looks on his way over, and he's willing to bet a good number of them weren't for personal use. The fate of a lazy greaser resurgence is in the internet's hands now, and if it sticks you brought it on yourself by making a quip.
He does however take off the shades as he makes his way through. ]
How many people are sleeping here these days?
[ He's got an estimated tally, but he's fascinated to know. ]
[ how many people does Jason let in? well, eh. for a moment, Loki looks thoughtful. ]
Three, perhaps? [ there's a wave of his hand. ] If another hasn't been invited already.
[ with a socked big toe, he pushes a melty smoothie across the table to Stephen. look! he got you something! he thought of someone not himself! of course, he didn't ask the flavor or ... type, and he's touching it with his foot, but hey, small steps. ]
[ There's a long, unconvinced look at the toe-manoeuvred offering. 1. What is it, 2. Why is it, 3. Have you lost the use of your hands since returning?
But ultimately, it's a smoothie and what harm can it do? He'll pick it up. From the very top, mind, avoiding that outstretched socked foot. There's no immediate effort to sip it. ]
Cosy. [ Just a pair of ex-Cardinals in their civvies settling in for a smoothie. ] Is this the tone we're setting?
[ Is he expected to keep it bright and breezy? Because while he can, he and Loki have never quite had the same energy levels. ]
A sip puts paid to his long-suffering expression. Not bad.
He's also had enough to standing on ceremony, so if Loki's going to lounge around and shove drinks at him with his feet, he's going to take a seat too. He helps himself to wherever looks comfortable. ]
[ What do you last remember? Unfortunate question.
He focuses on the second and answers the first vaguely within that same package. There's something being angled at here, and there's no point distracting from it with the mess that was his last few hours in the Aerie or the visions that came after. ]
Not until near the end - and I didn't go inside. At the time it didn't seem worth the confrontation with Johann.
[ And there would have been a confrontation, had he seen him. ]
Not with my own eyes. But through plenty of others.
[ It's how he first learned of the betrayal and the role Grey had played, how he came to surrender his interest in defending their status quo. Past a certain point, with a certain number of people intent on interfering, and another number dead... ]
[ He levels his gaze on Loki, a little more unintended honesty than there might be in different company in the tightness around his mouth. But the tone is neutral, even light. As though they're talking about the plot of a fictional narrative and not very real lives. ]
[ none of the Cardinals had been very good people, nor had they really taken stride in what had happened in their own sphere. Loki remembered looking for a way to deconstruct the Aerie for decades before he came upon the opportunity. it had meant the overall destruction of the Aerie, but by that time, there was no saving it, anyway. ]
I tried to let the gods out.
[ if they're just dropping whatever happened and waiting for the obvious reaction then why not? he'll add his own two coins into the mix of it. while Loki had side-stepped the whole thing from the start, he may as well take control of the narrative now. ]
Then Thor killed me.
[ hence why Thor's not there—or absent in his own way. his Aerie run had certainly taken a different toll on him. ]
That really does explain a few things. It puts immediate if temporary paid to the blase expression on Stephen's face too, though he does them both the favor of trying to rein it in before surprise can look too much like concern. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ No, Stephen, and you know it. ]
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I'll be there in the hour.
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But he does knock on arrival, and while he's neater than he was last time they had one of these home-based rendezvous by the dual merits of having completed all personal grooming tasks and not being dressed in workout gear, he's not exactly dressed up for the occasion. When you're on an international shit list, the least you can do is dress as little like an active supervillain as it's in your power to do when crossing town to chat with somebody else in the top ten.
Plus, it's hot. So it's a tee, light trousers, and a pair of sunglasses concealing one Stephen Strange that Loki's greeted when he deigns to invite him in. ]
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Loki doesn't come to answer the door, but there's not many places Stephen could go in the apartment that would evade his sight. he's sitting on the couch with his socked feet up on the little table, sucking on a smoothie. ]
I like the look. Are you bringing back greaser?
[ meanwhile Loki's in sweats, looking his best. ]
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Whether I like it or not.
[ Call him out on his fashion choices all you like, Loki, but he caught a few long looks on his way over, and he's willing to bet a good number of them weren't for personal use. The fate of a lazy greaser resurgence is in the internet's hands now, and if it sticks you brought it on yourself by making a quip.
He does however take off the shades as he makes his way through. ]
How many people are sleeping here these days?
[ He's got an estimated tally, but he's fascinated to know. ]
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Three, perhaps? [ there's a wave of his hand. ] If another hasn't been invited already.
[ with a socked big toe, he pushes a melty smoothie across the table to Stephen. look! he got you something! he thought of someone not himself! of course, he didn't ask the flavor or ... type, and he's touching it with his foot, but hey, small steps. ]
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[ There's a long, unconvinced look at the toe-manoeuvred offering. 1. What is it, 2. Why is it, 3. Have you lost the use of your hands since returning?
But ultimately, it's a smoothie and what harm can it do? He'll pick it up. From the very top, mind, avoiding that outstretched socked foot. There's no immediate effort to sip it. ]
Cosy. [ Just a pair of ex-Cardinals in their civvies settling in for a smoothie. ] Is this the tone we're setting?
[ Is he expected to keep it bright and breezy? Because while he can, he and Loki have never quite had the same energy levels. ]
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Greaser with a smoothie? There's no one here to judge.
[ while not entirely light and breezy, Loki does speak some what easily. ]
But we do have a quite a bit to discuss, and I'd hope you'd indulge me.
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A sip puts paid to his long-suffering expression. Not bad.
He's also had enough to standing on ceremony, so if Loki's going to lounge around and shove drinks at him with his feet, he's going to take a seat too. He helps himself to wherever looks comfortable. ]
So. Where did you want to start the debrief?
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What do you last remember? And did you make it down to the god cages?
[ he has to ask, not just because of the gods themselves, but because, well, that's where he had his face-off with Thor.
it's a selfish reason, but he does have to know. ]
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He focuses on the second and answers the first vaguely within that same package. There's something being angled at here, and there's no point distracting from it with the mess that was his last few hours in the Aerie or the visions that came after. ]
Not until near the end - and I didn't go inside. At the time it didn't seem worth the confrontation with Johann.
[ And there would have been a confrontation, had he seen him. ]
Why?
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he stops sucking on the straw for a moment. ]
I wanted to know if you got a last look at the gods, and Johann with the seventh.
[ kinda sorta. still. ]
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[ It's how he first learned of the betrayal and the role Grey had played, how he came to surrender his interest in defending their status quo. Past a certain point, with a certain number of people intent on interfering, and another number dead... ]
I got a good enough look.
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[ he asks with some level of curiosity—on the spectrum of judgement of wicked deeds, at least Loki was pretty low on the scale. ]
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Killing people.
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That's new.
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[ Here? Home? Yeah.
But in the Aerie, over the years... it had been very easy to sweep away misdeeds. Anyway. ]
I take it you didn't make it until the end.
[ Or at least didn't hang around in the right spots long enough to catch him in the act of losing whatever dregs of humanity he'd had left. ]
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I tried to let the gods out.
[ if they're just dropping whatever happened and waiting for the obvious reaction then why not? he'll add his own two coins into the mix of it. while Loki had side-stepped the whole thing from the start, he may as well take control of the narrative now. ]
Then Thor killed me.
[ hence why Thor's not there—or absent in his own way. his Aerie run had certainly taken a different toll on him. ]
So no, I didn't.
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That really does explain a few things. It puts immediate if temporary paid to the blase expression on Stephen's face too, though he does them both the favor of trying to rein it in before surprise can look too much like concern. ]
It didn't pull any punches, did it?
[ The Aerie. Whatever it had been. ]
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It.
[ he repeats curiously. ]
Do you think that's all?