Message in a Bottle

[complicatedliar]

Who: Loki and... you?
What: Getting the lay of the land
When: 5-6 days after people started arriving
Where: Proximal to the fountain, areas nearby
Warnings: None at this time; will update if necessary


It's a sad commentary on Loki's life that this is not the first, second, or even hundredth time he's awoken in a place with no idea where he is or notion how he got there. Until the last few decades, such awakenings had normally involved Thor, Sif, Iofast, and a lot of mead. In more recent times, it had gotten distressingly less about being tricked into drinking too much and more about being kidnapped, or having his mind overtaken by something, or worse.

His first reaction on opening his eyes is to feel frantically at the back of his neck as he sorts things through. No port. And here is his magic, still hot in his blood. And this is most definitely no ruined Proles, despite any outward similarities; the lack of dome makes that abundantly clear even before he gets a good look at the buildings.

And then there's that glowing sphere...

He finds himself up on his feet and touching the thing before he's processed that it might be a bad idea, and that takes his estimate of the situation from one of concern to near-emergency. Even as information floods his brain, unasked for and unwelcome, he's tearing himself away from the thing.

No matter how angry he is, this at least answers a few questions. He has to admit that in the privacy of his own head, even if he hates it. Loki retreats to the top of one of the nearby ruined buildings, hiding in an illusion, in order to brood.

He isn't the only one here. He hears the voices of others, even observes a few from afar. But he has no way of knowing how friendly they might be. Are there others from home about? Others from Proles? He can hardly dare hope. But standing in the square and shouting Hello is most certainly not his style. And this place appears to lack the convenient internet of Earth or network of Proles, which had made anonymously testing the waters much safer. His bread and butter is paranoia, and nothing that's happened to him in recent years has done anything but strengthen that feeling.

So, best to leave a calling card and see who might pick it up.


He waits until the square is deserted and returns to the fountain. It seems the best source of fresh water, so it will no doubt be visited often by whomever is around. After some consideration, he's decided that the assumption that most of the people he's observed are some format of human seems fair, so that's the best language to address his message in.

Using a bit of magic, he leave the following emblazoned on one edge of the fountain:
~ LINGORMR

Then he retreats back to his observational post to see what happens, again cloaked and hidden. The magical effect of it is obvious to anyone who has the skill; it would do well for him to see what compatriots--or enemies--he might have around.


[ooc note: the equation is the time-dependent, one-dimensional version of Schrödinger's equation.]

Comments

[waterwhip]

One minute she's alone, and then the next, there's a man sitting nearby. Katara's been on the run long enough that she's not exactly easy to sneak up on, but this man seemed to come out of nowhere. He hasn't attacked her (yet), so she doesn't make any immediate move against him.

She does drop the water she's been bending back into the fountain, but with a flourish of her hands that sends it arcing back up in an impressive wave and freezing solid into a beautiful, glittering spire.

"How long have you been sitting there?" she asks, observing the man curiously.

[complicatedliar]

Well, the bit where she doesn't attack him immediately is a good sign. He tilts his head as if considering the question. "Three minutes, perhaps. I didn't wish to interrupt."

Which is actually sincere. It had been interesting to observe.

Still regarding the young woman, he rests one finger lightly against his cheek. "I've not seen magic of that sort before."

[waterwhip]

"It's called waterbending," she supplies. "No one I've met here seems to know about it, but Tommy called it 'hydrokinesis'," she adds, pronouncing that last word very carefully to make sure she says it right.

Her face is open and fresh with youth, but that doesn't mean she's entirely unguarded. She sizes Loki up, feeling fairly secure in her position with an abundance of water at her beck and call to defend herself if necessary. Everyone she's met so far has been friendly, and she hopes this is no different.

"I'm Katara. What's your name?"

[complicatedliar]

"Waterbending," he repeats. How very... literal. And hydrokinesis is even more literal. Humans. No imagination. "I'd think it a sort of elemental magic, myself. The call of water upon one's spirit."

Elemental magic has never been his thing. It's all a bit too straightforward. But light? Oh yes. Light is where things become interesting.

"Loki, son of Frigga. I'm afraid I'm rather new here."

[waterwhip]

"I think everyone is new here," Katara replies, one hand finding its way to her hip. "I only arrived a few days ago. We're all still getting our bearings, but there's water and food and shelter, so it's not too bad." She's handled worse, at least.

Loki's talk of the call of water upon the spirit has her humming contemplatively. That sounds kind of like the sort of thing Iroh might say. "It's something like that. There are benders for all the elements--water, earth, fire, and air," she explains. "It usually runs in families, but I'm the last waterbender in my tribe.

"The Avatar can bend all the elements," she adds, "but he or she is the only one who can."

[complicatedliar]

"A few hours, for myself," Loki says, raising his eyebrows in a quiet invitation to tell him all the useful bits. "It's certainly better than other places I've been. Nothing's tried to kill me as of yet." Or take over his brain. Which is definitely worse, and not something he brings up... ever.

He nods at her explanation; it's not unlike what he does know about magic. Some inclined, some not. Some able to do certain types, some not. Interesting that the entire focus is on elemental magic, but maybe no one in her world has a talent for anything else. Which is a sad thought. "And it requires that system of physical movements?"

[waterwhip]

"There's a greenhouse with food down this road, and a building with lots of rooms that most of us are living in now down this way," she says, pointing to indicate where each of those is located. "The beings that kidnapped us want us to fix their planet for them. Maybe if we do, they'll let us go home." She's clearly not sure about their chances of actually making it home, but she holds her head high anyway.

Talking about bending seems to cheer her up, at least. She nods in response to Loki's question. "There are different forms for each style of bending, and even different subsets for each element. I met some waterbenders who live in a swamp, and their style is pretty different from the Northern style that I learned."

[complicatedliar]

He makes mental note of the information, then heaves a theatrical sigh. "It would be lovely if these morons who break their own planets would fix their own bloody messes for once," he says, exasperated. "Though so far I haven't noticed any ravening hordes of flesh-eating undead or atmosphere that burns off one's skin, so it could be worse."

"Ah, so different movements to achieve similar effects... hm." There are strengths and weaknesses to such systems; easier to learn, much more difficult to deviate from even in mastery. "It does make sense. The elements are such... physical things."

[waterwhip]

Having traveled with the Avatar, Katara has seen every form of bending that exists, and many variations on the themes. Even without being able to use the motions to any effect, she can mimic Aang's twirling spins, or Toph's solid stances, or Zuko's powerful kicks. She demonstrates very briefly. "The movements and forms all reflect their elements," she explains. "Air is light and free, earth is rooted and strong, and fire is aggressive and forceful."

Talking about it makes her miss her friends terribly, but she also feels closer to them even in their absence. Then Loki takes his beleaguered tone, and Katara narrows her eyes at him.

"They aren't morons," she says, unsure why she's suddenly defending beings that unapologetically kidnapped her. "They had technology beyond anything I've ever seen. And they didn't just break their own planet. There were energy storms that caused the destruction; it's not their fault everything was damaged." At least, not that she knew. Even though the data point wasn't clear on the cause of the energy storms that had damaged the planet and driven its inhabitants to near extinction, she didn't automatically assume it was the Agrii's fault.

Even if they had, it was generations ago, wasn't it? The ones living now wouldn't have been responsible for their ancestors' misdeeds or mistakes. "None of us are happy to be here, but they need our help."

[complicatedliar]

He listens to Katara's outburst with no more than slightly raised eyebrows. "We come from very different worlds. Their technology is... not particularly impressive, from my perspective. Had they bothered to ask for aide, that would be a different matter. But I dislike being high-handedly yanked away from my family to fix problems I had no part in creating, as if that is my... job." What a distasteful word. "I already have a purpose. I am my brother the King's left hand, and considering that our homeland was just destroyed and we are in the middle of ushering her battered survivors to some sort of safety, I have little sympathy for the Agrii. I am needed elsewhere." Such a simple statement as that last sentence should not be able to be delivered with such cold venom, but he manages it. He is well and truly irritated.

[waterwhip]

"I have places I'm needed, too!" Katara retorted, flinching minutely at the acidic tone of Loki's words. "When I was brought here, I had just barely finished stabilizing my friends heart after his sister shot him with a lightning bolt! My brother and all my friends could be dead right now, trying to put an end a war that's been devastating my world for a hundred years!" She's tried not thinking about it, but it's an inescapable fact that any one of her friends could have fallen against the Fire Lord and his armies. Her face flushes, eyes and nose stinging with unshed tears.

"I--I'm sorry about your world. I really am!" she adds in a softer tone, because she is nothing if not sympathetic to the pain of others. The icy formation behind her melts with a gentle slosh as Katara folds in on herself, arms crossed over her stomach, shoulders hunched, head bowed. "I just... I have to believe that the Agrii aren't all bad, or I don't think I could stand it."

[complicatedliar]

"You needn't apologize," he says. "Each of us carries burdens of our own."

Really, what the outburst has told him is very solidly what sort of person Katara is, and also how best she might be manipulated, has he a need. She's solidly the sort of self-consciously good hero that can be useful when pointed in the right direction, but is an absolute nightmare to deal with when in charge because they have no conception of expedience or ugly necessities.

Thor, he thinks, would like her. So would Steve Rogers. He might end up liking her himself, with the same sort of exasperated fondness with which he regards the previous two. People like Katara are useful for monsters to keep around, to keep themselves securely cloaked in their people-skins.

"Sometimes it's necessary to believe all sorts of things to maintain one's sanity. We each do what we must in order to survive. But I must gently point out that it is a foolish idea to depend on the goodness of people who practice kidnapping."

[waterwhip]

She remains hunched for just a moment longer, swiping furtively at her eyes and sniffing softly as she collects herself. Once her composure is regained, she lifts her head with a shake of her hair and straightens her posture, only betrayed by a very slight redness around her nose and her eyes.

"I am sorry about what's happened on your world, though," she says gently, her brow furrowing. "I understand what it's like, watching your home be destroyed." The scent of burning fur and flesh is one that will never entirely leave her, after all. "I hope you're able to get back to them as soon as possible."

He's not wrong about needing to hold certain beliefs to survive, but Katara also doesn't want to let herself be fooled or misled. She thinks back to her experience with Jet, and how believing him had nearly resulted in an Earth Kingdom town being wiped out. It was only Sokka's quick thinking that had saved the people, even if the buildings were flooded. On the other hand, she knows it's possible to forgive and make amends with once-hated people. Zuko is proof of that.

"Maybe it is foolish," she agrees, accepting the lesson without further argument. "But even if that's true, and they are bad people, I do know that everyone I've met that they've brought here so far has been good and kind... or at least they've seemed that way. We don't have much right now, and we've got to stick together if we're going to survive. If helping the Agrii means helping ourselves, then I guess that's what we'll do."

With a sweeping gesture, she summons the water she'd deposited back in the fountain, making a streaming loop. "I was just about to go water the plants in the greenhouse," she says, nodding to a nearby building. "If you're hungry, you can come along and I'll show you some of the best fruits and vegetables to eat."

[complicatedliar]

"It is a factor not in our control." Annoyingly. "Though after my last abduction, I was returned to my home mere hours after I had been removed. So perhaps that is a thin slice of hope."

He nods his agreement to her point. It was similar in Proles. He offers with a brief, toothy grin, "Friendships have been founded on worse ground than a common enemy."

Loki rises to his feet, sweeping his coat gracefully back. "That would be lovely. I like plants."