tony told him about the invasion of new york last winter, had mentioned asgardians for the first time back then. the revelation that loki had been at the root of it all — and an alien, on top of that — had made jim's mental image of him feel
larger than life. menacing. not the polite man in front of him who's returned his books and is apparently gifting him with something coffee-related. it'd be so easy to like him. ]
It's okay. Come in, [ he says, opening the door wider.
there's some seating available by a dormant fireplace, a desk off to the side, a bed clearly in use and one that isn't. a lot of free surfaces are taken up by books and papers, which probably answers why he's lending out books in the first place. ]
Coffee itself, it would seem, is rather expensive here in Kirkwall. In Thedas in general? [ Loki gives a one-shouldered shrug as he enters the room, taking in the sheer number of books and papers and just... the amount of lived-in the space possesses. ] Either way, it is beyond my means at the current moment.
So I got you a mug. [ He spins in place slowly until he's facing Holden again. ] With a lid. It's well-made, at least, and should keep your coffee warm. As a thank-you. For the books.
[ he says by way of agreement. prices have jumped again recently, and he doesn't see that changing for the immediate future. luckily he's gotten into the habit of buying and holding onto more than he needs just for his personal stash, so he hasn't had to worry about his coffee addiction outstripping his means. as of yet, anyway. ]
That's nice of you, [ he says, bemused as much as sincere, as he accepts the box. the books, he indicates with a wave of his hand, can be set down on any flat surface. ] You didn't have to. I remember what arriving here was like, and I didn't have to worry about alternate versions of myself influencing people's opinions of me.
[ at least, if there is some theodosian native james holden out there, he hopes their paths never cross. ]
[ Loki frowns a little at the gesture, mostly because there's so much stuff in this room already and he feels some kind of way about contributing to its clutter. But, it's not his room so he gets over it in about a second and finds somewhere to stack them. And then straightens the stack next to it. And then stops that. ]
Well, [ is all he has to say about his alternate. ] Provost Stark's dislike of me has nothing to do with other versions, I'm sorry to say.
I'm sorry about the mess, [ he adds belatedly, watching loki's consternation over his books, and other stacks. feeling uncomfortably like one of his parents, ] I wasn't expecting visitors.
[ but loki's last admission makes him sigh, shake his head. ]
I was afraid you'd say that. He's told me a thing or two about you, and most of it before you got here.
[ loyally, lest loki think tony's been going around badmouthing him. which isn't impossible, but yk. if the man in front of him is even half as dangerous as tony's made him sound, this could be a dangerous admission; but jim's willing to take the chance. he crosses his arms, goes on, ]
But I'm hoping your world domination days really are behind you, if I'm being honest.
They are, [ Loki says easily, but there's a little petulance underneath all of that. Is it so strange that he could have changed? He knows he hasn't changed much in his many years amongst the Nine Realms and now Thedas but. Still. ]
For one thing, it wasn't truly about ruling Midgard. Not entirely. That was supposed to be a nice side effect, and possibly a way to convince the Mad Titan to ignore the planet once I got for him what he'd demanded of me. [ Loki shrugs, leaning casually against one of the tables. ] For another it wouldn't have gotten me what I actually wanted in the first place, which is neither here nor there.
also a way to convince the mad titan to ignore the planet is like. there is so much he hates about that sentence. why does this happen every time he talks to loki. ]
So, in the absence of other murder aliens, [ he concludes, bemused, and why the fuck is it always murder aliens, ] no problems here then.
[ this is approaching topics he isn't too comfortable with sharing. especially in a second conversation with someone. especially when that someone is, in fact, an alien with a history of murder. the shift in his attitude has to be palpable to loki; holden isn't much for subtlety, especially to more discerning eyes. ]
First contact came and went, [ he says, ] but that was pretty recently, all things considered. We're still finding out how big the universe is.
[ Loki picks up on Holden's discomfort with the way the conversation is going and decides not to press. He's curious, sure, but he's not going to learn any specifics this way.
He'll just have to be patient. (Great.)
So he shrugs a little. ] The universe is pretty big in any timeline, I'm certain.
[ that takes him a second to think over, eyebrows lifting slightly as he does. ]
Jesus, [ he concludes first, before going on, ] Close to a year now. Though I know rifters who've been here for plenty longer than that. I'd get comfortable, if I were you.
I'm in no particular rush to leave, [ he admits easily, but it's quite a wonder that a year has passed for Holden to the degree that he had to stop and think about it. ] How much longer is 'plenty longer', however?
Four to five years, [ he says, pausing just long enough to check his mental math. ] Five years is the longest of anyone still here, and it wasn't long before that that rifters started arriving in the first place.
But, [ he admits, ] it depends. I've seen people come and go in a matter of weeks, or months.
[ Loki makes a considering noise. That makes sense, that the beginning of the war would coincide with the first Rifters appearing in Thedas; the Fade had been whole prior to that point, he presumes. ]
Of course there's no rhyme or reason to it. [ He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. It couldn't be easy, could it? Or even predictable. ] Thank you, for the information.
[ he says, and shrugs. it'd be nice if there were some logic to rifters' coming and going. he considers petrana's theory, but that can wait for another time. ]
If you have any other questions — or books you'd want to borrow — you can always find me here or on the crystals.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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tony told him about the invasion of new york last winter, had mentioned asgardians for the first time back then. the revelation that loki had been at the root of it all — and an alien, on top of that — had made jim's mental image of him feel
larger than life. menacing. not the polite man in front of him who's returned his books and is apparently gifting him with something coffee-related. it'd be so easy to like him. ]
It's okay. Come in, [ he says, opening the door wider.
there's some seating available by a dormant fireplace, a desk off to the side, a bed clearly in use and one that isn't. a lot of free surfaces are taken up by books and papers, which probably answers why he's lending out books in the first place. ]
Now what's this about coffee?
[ he has priorities. ]
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So I got you a mug. [ He spins in place slowly until he's facing Holden again. ] With a lid. It's well-made, at least, and should keep your coffee warm. As a thank-you. For the books.
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[ he says by way of agreement. prices have jumped again recently, and he doesn't see that changing for the immediate future. luckily he's gotten into the habit of buying and holding onto more than he needs just for his personal stash, so he hasn't had to worry about his coffee addiction outstripping his means. as of yet, anyway. ]
That's nice of you, [ he says, bemused as much as sincere, as he accepts the box. the books, he indicates with a wave of his hand, can be set down on any flat surface. ] You didn't have to. I remember what arriving here was like, and I didn't have to worry about alternate versions of myself influencing people's opinions of me.
[ at least, if there is some theodosian native james holden out there, he hopes their paths never cross. ]
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[ Loki frowns a little at the gesture, mostly because there's so much stuff in this room already and he feels some kind of way about contributing to its clutter. But, it's not his room so he gets over it in about a second and finds somewhere to stack them. And then straightens the stack next to it. And then stops that. ]
Well, [ is all he has to say about his alternate. ] Provost Stark's dislike of me has nothing to do with other versions, I'm sorry to say.
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[ but loki's last admission makes him sigh, shake his head. ]
I was afraid you'd say that. He's told me a thing or two about you, and most of it before you got here.
[ loyally, lest loki think tony's been going around badmouthing him. which isn't impossible, but yk. if the man in front of him is even half as dangerous as tony's made him sound, this could be a dangerous admission; but jim's willing to take the chance. he crosses his arms, goes on, ]
But I'm hoping your world domination days really are behind you, if I'm being honest.
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For one thing, it wasn't truly about ruling Midgard. Not entirely. That was supposed to be a nice side effect, and possibly a way to convince the Mad Titan to ignore the planet once I got for him what he'd demanded of me. [ Loki shrugs, leaning casually against one of the tables. ] For another it wouldn't have gotten me what I actually wanted in the first place, which is neither here nor there.
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also a way to convince the mad titan to ignore the planet is like. there is so much he hates about that sentence. why does this happen every time he talks to loki. ]
So, in the absence of other murder aliens, [ he concludes, bemused, and why the fuck is it always murder aliens, ] no problems here then.
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[ Period, point-blank. Loki would probably have to kill the man if he did appear, just on principle.
He'd definitely have to be talked out of trying, that's for certain. ]
How many 'murder aliens' [ air quotes and all ] are you familiar with?
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he breathes out a sigh at the question, though, frowning before he's even formed an answer. ]
Personally? Only a couple. [ mostly you, actually. ] As a general thing, too damn many.
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Are there many aliens where you come from, James Holden?
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First contact came and went, [ he says, ] but that was pretty recently, all things considered. We're still finding out how big the universe is.
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He'll just have to be patient. (Great.)
So he shrugs a little. ] The universe is pretty big in any timeline, I'm certain.
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then, after a beat, ]
Well, hopefully that won't be the case here for a while. We've got our hands full as it is.
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How long have you been here in Thedas?
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Jesus, [ he concludes first, before going on, ] Close to a year now. Though I know rifters who've been here for plenty longer than that. I'd get comfortable, if I were you.
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But, [ he admits, ] it depends. I've seen people come and go in a matter of weeks, or months.
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Of course there's no rhyme or reason to it. [ He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. It couldn't be easy, could it? Or even predictable. ] Thank you, for the information.
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[ he says, and shrugs. it'd be nice if there were some logic to rifters' coming and going. he considers petrana's theory, but that can wait for another time. ]
If you have any other questions — or books you'd want to borrow — you can always find me here or on the crystals.
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[ Its not Holden's fault that this is the way things are, certainly. Now it's Loki's turn to drop his hand and shrug too. ]
Thank you. I do appreciate it.
Should I shut the door on my way out?
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nice meeting you, loki. ]