jewelsofasgard | Welcome to Asgard

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Welcome to Asgard

Who: Loki and anyone who is around (feel free to mingle)
Where: Asgard's Keep and surrounding lands
When: Say about a week's worth of time, July 19-26, pick a day
What: New people are beginning to arrive in Asgard in the wake of Loki's decision to ask Ebon Askavi. He's still not sure how he feels about this.
Warnings: Violence potential, please use trigger warnings and tag porn as applicable

Loki has only been back in Asgard for a few days, but he still can't shake the restlessness of having been gone. The keep doesn't feel safe to him, of course--it probably never will again--but Ebon Askavi had been frightening in its own right. The stress of the trip, of keeping himself in order and calm, has begun to take its toll.

And if he's done his job, new people will be arriving. He's anticipating that with a special sort of hope and horror mixed. The land must be healed. And he'll do whatever it takes to see that happen, even if it means kneeling to a Queen again. If he's lucky, maybe he won't survive the experience this time... so long as Asgard does. He'd knelt before the Lady of Ebon Askavi and... but it won't be her that's coming. If it was her, he'd almost be able to believe things would be all right.

But he'll just have to trust.

The keep is made as ready as it can be for visitors, cleaned and ready to be welcoming--as welcoming as anywhere can be in these troubled, untrusting times. Loki occupies himself in the gardens, though he studiously avoids the northern garden, and may disappear for some time in the western one. He also goes for long rides, watching for incursions from other territories, and waiting. Someone is just as likely to meet him on the road as they are in the keep.

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But there's so much potential here--yes, even just in these few moments he has seen an idea of how much effort it will take to restore it, even improve it compared to what it was originally, but this is no sad, tiny room such as he'd seen in some other manors. Like the land itself, the library has been hurting for lack of care. Like the land, its flesh had been hurt but its bones were strong and unbroken.

Delta lets a smile slip onto his face. "I shall have my work cut out for me, I think. Is there a catalogue of contents or would it be best to start from scratch?"

It's the smile, of all things, that makes him hope. Not the sort of smile he'd expect from someone out to slyly play the game, if nothing else. Perhaps this Delta Moran is an exquisite liar, but as liars go, Loki is the best and difficult to fool. So that smile in all its honesty speaks volumes, of what this man might see beyond the immediate mess.

He does need men of vision around. Cautiously, he allows himself a tiny drop of hope. More than that might be poisonous. "I think it best that you start from scratch. Things have become exceptionally disordered from when last we had a librarian. You might well drive yourself mad with the vision of the past."

Oh, Delta has his secrets. Who doesn't? But the truth is that this kind of work is something he's immediately comfortable with, and helping to fix even one tear in the fabric of the land is something that appeals to him greatly. No matter that this isn't his home country - all of Terreille is the same realm. No work done here is in vain.

He nods, already seeing plans forming in his mind. "It will take some time. I think it would be best to give the shelves a thorough cleaning first, and then the books can be placed individually after they're entered into a catalogue. That will also give me opportunity to assess the condition of each and make a priority list for which are most in need of attention and which can wait. Would that be an acceptable plan?"

That is even better to hear--a solid plan, and from someone who sounds like he actually might know what he's doing. "That will do nicely," he says, allowing a note of his pleased surprise to creep into his voice. "Should you need materials purchased, you can come to me for money. There isn't much to spare right now, but the restoration of the library is quite important."

He notes the tone and smiles a bit more in return - it's a very good sign that he'll be welcome here, if he can deliver on his intentions. "To begin with, cleaning rags and a few buckets of soap and water. I will also require pens, ink, and paper to begin with catalogue work. No doubt glue for binding and leather and cloth for repairs will be necessary, but there will be no rush on that until the initial cleaning is complete."

Yes, he has his work cut out for him, and even having a basic plan in place has him thinking of how to proceed. Perhaps this is a place he can settle in to.

Loki makes mental note of these requirements. "One of the servants will provide you with cleaning supplies. I shall see to the rest."

Definitely hopefully now, he says, "I've a few more caches of books yet to recover, so you picky to be kept busy for some time."

Even more books? "Excellent. And are there any in here currently that you would like to set aside for immediate use, either yours or others? If so, I will make note of the number and catalogue them when they are returned." That way he'll be sure not to miss any.

Are there mostly novels? Histories? Books of Craft lore? Recipes? He's curious what kind of people live here, or have lived here. What kind of books are in the caches? And once there's an accurate list of what they do and do not have, what sorts of books will he be looking to acquire? These are all questions for later, but ones his curiosity brings up nonetheless.

"The ones I use most often... ah. I admit, I have sequestered them in my office. So you ought to stop by once you have organized your catalog so you might look at those." Because he's not letting those really precious ones out of his sight.

Well, and the even rarer tomes, he will wait until he sees if his hope is proven or not. "Take a look around, if you like, before I retreat to my own duties. See if anything else strikes you as an immediate need."

The books present in the library are a fair mix, with many novels and books of poetry. There are a few shelves of craft lore and more archaic books of knowledge, and those are also the most damaged, as if they've been stored away in a less than perfect place for a long time. (Loki hid them, for centuries.)

That will do nicely, and he nods at the suggestion. "If you plan to keep them in your office, they properly belong there rather than here," he points out. "But for reference it will be good to list them, in case someone is in need of their knowledge. In that case they must ask you rather than me."

As for other needs, he'll be sure to note them as soon as they occur to him, and he's already half distracted by the itch to look around, to start getting a true feel for the place. And, well, frankly that Prince Loki seems to be catching his excitement rather than dismissing it is a huge bonus. The feeling he has of being in the right place is growing stronger.

"I will. Thank you."

"I would prefer that, yes." Some, he refers to often. Some are just that important to him. He has no desire to make a distinction between the two at this time. His office is the only space he feels he can trust his control over. "But it is logical enough to note that they exist for the purposes of reference. If the need is great enough, I am certain some budding scholar will beard the dragon's den."

He's kind of joking. Kind of.

"Please, go have a look around. I shall wait."

Delta finds himself grinning a little at the thought. Dragons may or may not be real - reports from Kaeleer tended to be mixed - but being possessive over books is something he can relate to entirely. Training as a librarian is only one facet of his appreciation for the written word, after all.

"Thank you." And he does, continuing to inspect the library in full, occasionally taking notes down in a small journal. He'll have to get one dedicated exclusively to work at some point, but for now he finds it helpful to jot down some ideas and plans. Given some help in cleaning the place up, he should be able to start cataloging and restoring within the week.

Loki sits down on a scratched and dented desk, watching Delta at first as he moved among the books. Eventually, he has his attention taken up by a book of his own, and he soon curled up against one of the shelves, reading intently. In that moment, his guard drops noticeably, his interest avid and all cool distance gone.

Delta's quite surprised when he notices Loki like that, though he recovers quickly enough that if he is indeed wrapped up in the book Loki probably won't notice. He seems much more...approachable this way, so Delta makes his way over quietly and tries to discern the title of the book without disturbing Loki.

He also makes a note to himself that refurbishing the furniture in here would be a good idea to keep readers comfortable.

It actually sends a stab of fear through him, to realize he's being so observed--and that he let his guard down so much. Loki tenses, then realizes what Delta's looking at. He tilts the spine of the book up to a better angle for Delta to see.

Can this be all right? What could hurt to share something so simple as a book? But distrust of other males is a habit that's very hard to break. He'll need to find some sort of handle on this Delta, so that he no longer feels at a disadvantage. Being able to simply overpower him isn't enough; Loki's never been one for simple brute force.

The book is a tome of craft lore, one of Frigga's that he hid away. It's a rather arcane thing, but he finds it fascinating.

Curiosity satisfied, Delta nods in appreciation - and makes no remark on the sudden change in demeanor as soon as Loki realizes he's been observed. He'll definitely have to check out that particular book later, but for now the curiosity is purely academnic.

"Is it in reasonably good condition? There have been several loose pages here and there on the shelves, and while complete restoration of every book may be impossible I would like to reunite them with their original bindings whenever possible."

"Ah yes... this one is whole." He closes the book and looks at it. "Though it will likely have to be rebound at some point in the near future." The cover's seen better days; he'd needed to hide it in a rather dank place. There'd been too many books for him to carry with him safely.

"I wasn't aware any of the books were missing pages, though," he says, frowning. He hasn't had a chance to pay the attention to the library that it needed; there's been too much happening, all the time. "That's... alarming."

Rebinding shouldn't be a problem once there are materials at hand. It's one reason Delta's actually glad Summer-sky is his Birthright: working at a small scale with books requires a fine touch that the darker Jewels have difficulty emulating.

He nods and gestures over to a short pile he's begun on one of the tables. "So far the ones I have found seem to be pages that have come loose from neglect, rather than anything torn out deliberately."

Loki would almost be jealous of that delicacy of touch if he hadn't been called on so often to utilize his craft on a larger and bloodier scale.

"Yes, I imagine the bitches would simply have burned anything they found offensive," he drawls. "Neglect is precisely the problem, considering the circumstances of hiding these books." Still, he regrets ever tear as an injury against the books his mother loved so well. He has little enough left of her now.

Delta can only be grateful he wasn't instrumental in anything large and bloody, at least not directly. Indirectly, well, that's another matter entirely.

He manages not to scowl at the very idea of burning books, though his eyelid does twitch with the repressed anger it engenders. "If that is the case, I cannot be surprised they are no longer in residence. The symptoms of neglect, at least, are easier to work with." Yes, and after that's all done, will he have made a place for himself here regardless? Maybe. But it's still too early to tell. For now, he'll take what is before him and do his best.

Loki smiles wolfishly. "We disposed of them rather neatly," he says, voice almost a sing-song. Well, let this male know he's thrown in his lot with a Queen killer now. Better to hear it from Loki than the rumor mill.

Delta raises his eyebrows but doesn't recoil. As much as the instincts are still there, so is the hard-earned knowledge that things are rarely the way they should be - especially when it comes to Queens. Had his actions been wrong, well, wouldn't Prince Loki have been affected by the Purge?

That's not to say everyone left is pure of heart, not by a long shot, but it's something to think about.

"If they treated the rest of the Territory as they would the library, I can only imagine it was good riddance."

He laughs softly, a sound without humor. "The library, they found mostly boring with ask the good books already hidden away. It suffered the least of all, perhaps."

But this isn't about displaying scars; pain isn't a contest anyone can win, and he does not wish to think of his own part in it, either. He digs his right thumb into the palm of his left hand for a moment, the movement almost casual.

"Pick out a room you like in the east wrong," he says, an abrupt change of subject as he mentally pulls himself back on track. "You won't like the west wing. I'm having it shut off."

If this room suffered least, well. Delta had walked through some of the country himself, and can't find it in himself to disagree; still, that there is at least one Prince willing to set the country to rights is reason for hope. There's to be hard work ahead of him - but meaningful work, even if he does spend much of his time here with the books. There are times when the trappings of civilization are all the more important when everything else is on the brink of disaster.

"I will." He doesn't need anything big, just a place to sleep and store his own possessions, few enough as they are. "And will I be seeing you at meals, or do you dine alone?"

That's something that never even occurred to him that someone would ask. Why would Delta want to take meals with him? Has it been so long that life has had some semblance of normalcy that the idea of not eating alone in his office seems strange?

Well, yes.

A hint of that uncertainty and near shock shows on his face. "I tend to simply eat in my office whilst working," he says. When he bothers to eat at all. He often doesn't feel like it, either, too sick with worry and stress. "I believe the household does tend to eat together for breakfast, however. You ought to meet Max, I think. He tends to oversee the meals."

Darkness, he hadn't expected that kind of reaction! Though he's familiar enough with being immersed in work to the point where he forgets to eat, as it happens. He makes a mental note to meet this Max and remind him to send dinners up regularly. It's not Delta's responsibility, no, but there is a reason he'd been singled out early on for a Steward's job.

"Breakfast, then. And would you prefer written or verbal reports on my progress?"

Welcome to Asgard

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