deceived, by illusion

[purposeful_glory]

Sigyn goes on hanging around the Three and Thor and Loki. Fandral, charmed in spite of her vocal disgruntlement, doesn't go so far as to kick him out of bed for her embarrassment, let alone insist on kicking him out of their practices; Hogun is too quiet to bother objecting if she harbors negative opinions; Volstagg is put off but not enough to throw her weight behind her objections. Thor considers his fighting respectable enough, and Loki doesn't mind the addition at all.

Loki wants to be queen one day and has not neglected learning to talk to people, learning the names of important sorts - but she has neglected assembling close friends (why should she do such a thing when she can tell them so little about herself?), and piggybacks on Thor's. So she is invited along when Thor decides she wants to go hunting for giant aurochs and thereby enjoy the supposedly superior flavor of fresh-killed beef one has personally killed.

And when Sigyn asks if he can come, well, nobody contradicts Thor when she says "Very well," even though this follows a longish pause.

Aurochs, come out, come out, wherever you are.

Comments

[thevictorious]

Once they have reached the general area where this herd of giant aurochs may be found, they split into pairs to seek signs of the herd.

When Thor announces this plan, Volstagg moves to stand with Hogun and Fandral to stand with Thor; or to put it another way, everyone but Loki moves away from Sigyn.

Sigyn is amused.

[purposeful_glory]

Loki is amused too, and doesn't complain. "Well then. Shall we?"

[thevictorious]

"I would be pleased to accompany you," he says.

Off they go in search of giant aurochs. Giant aurochs are not exactly unobtrusive, but they range over a large territory, so it takes some hiking just to get close enough to spot one.

[purposeful_glory]

At least the weather's nice.

"It will be something of a pity if we're the ones who find them. It was Thor's expedition to begin with, I don't get much out of having personally slain my dinner."

[thevictorious]

"I've hunted before, but mostly when there was little chance of getting my dinner any other way. That, I find, does give a meal some flavour not found elsewhere."

[purposeful_glory]

"I hunted a lot when I was on Midgard. If there's a flavor to having personally done in your meat, I like it less than a pinch of rosemary and an onion."

[thevictorious]

"You were on Midgard?"

[purposeful_glory]

"There was a battle with the frost giants, there, and I lingered for a bit afterwards, exploring and meeting the Midgardians and telling them hopelessly garbled stories. If you should happen upon any mortals who've heard the stories they will probably think you have a girls' name; Allspeak failed me. I got back the same day you first visited the practice hall, in fact."

[thevictorious]

"The Allspeak failed you how? It got boys and girls the wrong way round? What a curious error."

[purposeful_glory]

"It took me a very long time to notice, because it swapped them both coming and going, after I had already told many stories. There were other garblings, but that was the most consistent."

[thevictorious]

"But then - the Midgardians also must have boys and girls the wrong way round," he muses. "Or you would have noticed right away."

[purposeful_glory]

"At first I thought they were doing everything by the genders of their little soul-animals - did you know that they keep their souls outside of themselves, in animals? It's the most curious thing; they'd always assume mine was hiding. Those are usually male animals for women, female animals for men - but sometimes it's not, and then, yes, they have their men fighting and hunting and so on and their women sewing and cooking for the most part. No magic to divide up, of course, if they've learned any I didn't see it."

[thevictorious]

"Now I want to visit Midgard."

[purposeful_glory]

"If I go again perhaps I'll see about bringing you."

[thevictorious]

Sigyn beams. "I would be delighted."

[purposeful_glory]

"You'd fit right in. Unless you like doing magic too."

[thevictorious]

"I don't know any," he says. "I tried to learn some once, and it was..." He shakes his head. "I don't quite know how to explain, but it was driving me mad and I stopped."

[purposeful_glory]

"Well and good, a sorcerer driven mad is no one's favorite neighbor."

[thevictorious]

He giggles. "Yes."

[purposeful_glory]

"But of course if anyone noticed you keep your soul inside of yourself they'd think you were awfully strange, so you'd want to keep moving around."

[thevictorious]

"Yes, that would be a problem," he acknowledges. "What do they do with their little animals in intimate moments, I wonder?"

[purposeful_glory]

"I didn't ask. Judging from the bawdy tavern songs it varies with the animal and the relationship in all sorts of ways, but who knows how accurate bawdy tavern songs are?"

[thevictorious]

"Bawdy tavern songs vary widely in accuracy, this I have learned."

[purposeful_glory]

"Indeed."

[thevictorious]

"Have you had much occasion to verify them?"