realistics | ( eudio ) ♦ ic inbox

Tommy's gone, supposedly back home.

Oh, good, your phone's still working. I thought —

I don't know what to do with all these Young Avengers popping up and disappearing, it's been too long since last we spent any time together back home.

I feel like I might do something very unnecessary soon.

Or I might just vomit.

I think I want to speak with my father.

Anyway, bye.

[Tommy's gone, it takes a minute or two for that to really register. She hadn't spoken to Tommy too much, just a conversation here and there, but she's heard there's been a few disappearances, this being the first of someone she actually recognizes. Did he go home? Did he get his wish granted?

But immediate concern for the moment goes towards her best friend. I feel like I might do something very unnecessary soon. While that could really account for most of his natural behavior, she isn't taking chances.

She calls back as soon as she catches the message.] Where are you?

[ He answers mid-bite, the sound of traffic all around as he continues to stall himself with distractions. ]

Hello, Verity. Eating a taco on the street. Did you know they put mayonnaise in these things over here? Maybe I'm just not taco-savvy but that seems ill-conceived.

You put mayo on mashed potatoes. Aren't you the craftsman of bizarre food choices?

[Granted, his experimentations taste good, but that was besides the point. She sighs, knowing he's steering himself on a distraction. But she hasn't forgotten the messages he's left.

Gathering up her things from the back room of the store, she holds the phone on her shoulder with an ear as she puts a jacket on.] Which street?

But it's a taco.

[ Able to corner demons and make hedgeway with angels, the master manipulator sounds entirely mystified by his lunch. He snaps a picture of the street sign and sends it over.

He knows she'll come to him, so he should make his excuses and head her off. It would be easy to downplay his own emotions when he does it all the time and genuinely believes there are bigger problems they should be dealing with ... but he's selfish. And his taco is not the best company. ]

I was going to sit on a cloud, but I'll wait if you want to come too.

[Taking a look at the photo, she's done enough wandering of the city by now to have a better idea of directions. Seeing the familiar name, she makes her way fast in that direction, heels stepping over sidewalks.]

We talking literal clouds here? [They've done literal rainbows, so she imagines this isn't much different.

Towering above six feet, he isn't hard to spot by the time she gets there. Keeping the phone on her ear, she gives a snort.] Look at that. I spot a cute little god with a taco in my path.

Very literal! [ He smiles when he hears her, turning around to pick out her pink hair. ] Hmm, who could he be? Whooo could he be-eee, I wonder.

[ He slips his phone away and offers her the sad remains of his paper-wrapped lunch. He might have attempted to squirt ketchup in there at one point. ]

I've had my mouth all over it. Want some?

[ Hey honesty +1. ]

[It's relieving to see a smile, a contrast to the upset undertones of his previous messages, though Loki certainly had a way with bouncing moods. But most of the relief is the comfort that it brings her, selfishly glad to see he's still here. It's unfortunate to hear that Tommy's gone, and it must be rough for anyone else to see their friends disappear, but hers is right there, solid before here, offering her his leftovers. She could almost hug him.]

Ew, cooties.

[Instead, she simply grins, shooting that pleased expression up towards him as she dips down, widening her mouth to take a bite of the food still in his hands. Pausing as she takes in the taste, soon enough, she's squinting with her nose shriveling up.] Okay, definitely disqualifying mayo in Mexican food from here on out. Along with ... whatever disasters were thrown in there.

It's pretty disgusting, yeah. I told them to put a bit of everything in it. If something doesn't taste great with all of it in one bite, then it'll taste terrible in pieces. Loki Logic, I think I'll patent that bit of wisdom.

[ He slides an arm around her waist, steering them down the road as they share the awful taco. His gaze remains low, even if he retains a small, mild smile. Verity's company is refreshing, as ever, offering clarity without distraction. ]

[Brow raised at his comment as she purses her lips, she laughs.]

Yeah, hence there's a reason why you're my friend and not my god. As a friend, I can proudly judge you for your awful choices in everyday decision making. I feel bad for the saps that go along with the worshiping ordeal.

[~~HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU, HIC.~~

She allows him to guide her along, using the slip of an arm as an entryway to edge close while her attention draws on the meal, pulling it apart with her fingers to try to at least eat the thing in doses.] So what's our transport style today?

Anyone who worships me is really getting a raw deal.

[ Poor Hiccup, really.

He shrugs, eyes ahead and seeing nothing in the middle-distance. It's so weird to miss Tommy, they weren't close but between them was fostered a kind of understanding, a brief companionship, and Loki ... he liked him. ]

Walking. I want to walk and think. Something is vexing me and I think I've been lied to, but perhaps they didn't even know it. [ He tilts his chin in a huff. ] The representative Samantha said that Tommy didn't tell her why he left, he just did, only Tommy would never have walked out on Billy like that. Not ever. That's like saying I'd merrily wander out of this dimension without you.

I like it not at all.

[Verity looks to him as he speaks, paying closer attention when he mentions being lied to. She hasn't spoken to their representative just yet; actually, she hadn't spoken to any officials of Eudio since she'd arrive. They had spoken the honest truth to her during the interview concerning the making of the deal, but beyond that, there were plenty of mysteries that needed uncovering still.

I thought it would have had to do with completing his deal. I didn't realize he ... just chose to leave.

[Concern is lit with her furrowed brow and she wipes her fingers on the napkin wrapping the taco before they slip down to hold his wrist gently.] You think they're just taking them?

She said he didn't give her a reason, not to her at any rate. He obviously had a choice about something, it doesn't make any sense. Even if he had fulfilled his quota and got his wish, altered his own reality back home, Tommy would have told Billy where he was going. He punched me in the face and threatened me on his behalf when we first met, there's no way that man would have strolled off and left his twin behind.

[ The taco is fiddled with, tossed with accuracy into a passing bin. With an arm around Verity, his free hand seeks out hers to hold as they walk, tracing inconstant designs in endless swirls, a mirror to his thoughts. ]

I think I've been saying from day one that anyone who promises you the world wants a piece of it for themselves, and I still believe that. [ A frustrated noise banks in his throat. ] I need to find a reality warper who isn't Billy, or a transdimensional traveller to discuss the possibilities with.

Sorry that I'm not either of those things.

[She gives his fingers a squeeze. While she may not thrive in terms of magic or deity status, if there's one thing that exceeds that of practically anybody else, it's the depth of care she has for Loki. She can't grant him answers, but she'd tried to ease his mind if she could.

Then again.] I could talk to her. I might not get anything out of it, but I could at least find out if she's telling the truth. Might at least show whether or not she's involved and that's always a start.

[She normally refrains from using her ability in a sneaky spy sort of manner. But the situation calls for it.]

[ It certainly does, although, ] I'd rather you weren't in the line of fire.

[ More than figuring things out, he wants her safe, or as good as. The trouble is, what if none of them are? ]

But it's okay for you to play Inspector God, right?

[It's then that she steps forward fast in front of him, standing still to keep him from walking further. Speaking fast and urgently, she doesn't mean to squeeze his hand tighter, but she won't apologize for it.]

No matter what I do, you're gonna keep snooping around. You're gonna find some voodoo spellcaster to help you play detective, and you're gonna throw yourself into something insane that's probably much bigger than you are. I know you. But you think that just because you're a god that you can do whatever. Just because you have some kind of insurance, it doesn't mean you should just keep throwing yourself in front of cars.

[She takes a breath, eyes rolling as she shakes her head, knowing most words are futile.] Look, I know this is bothering you; it bothers me too. And I know that no matter what I say, you aren't gonna hold back from doing whatever you can, and I get that. But you're also not gonna do this to me again where you make me sit on the sidelines while you run off to play hero, leaving me to drive myself wild with this stupid worry over whether or not I'm gonna see you again.

[Letting him go mainly to rub the side of her head, she drops her arms at her side and looks away momentarily before staring back at him sternly.]

I'm not Billy. I'm not some amazing spell caster who can light up the world and make miracles happen. I'm not Teddy, playing ultra defense with the big muscles. Definitely not Tommy, though I can run well in heels. [Just saying. It's a talent.] I'm just Verity. Regular human being who just happens to catch lies. But Plain Jane or not, I'm not gonna abandon you so just ... don't keep brushing me away.

[Please.]

[ Wh—oooooaaaaa ... ]

[ Instead of brushing her away, his hands slide up to cup her face and he closes the distance to press a firm, quieting kiss over her frantic lips, thumbs curving around her temples and black-nailed fingers sifting into pink hair. Loki huffs an understated laugh, green eyes bright and fond as he ignores the passers-by tutting at the two of them in the middle of the street.

In a low voice intended to be as steady and reliable as a mountain, he barely moves his lips away from hers. ]

The only reason I want you to stay out of harm's way is that I am not that resilient. If anything happened to you I would raze this city to the ground to discover the truth. [ Realtalk is happening. ] I am not a hero, my dearest friend, and if you believe I am strong enough to brush you away then you underestimate how lost I would be without Verity Willis in all her fleet, high-heeled glory.

[When her hands slip up to his, she's flared up enough in her rant that she almost moves away herself despite her own plea. But he's soft and honest, the very thing that Verity Willis needs, so her fingers curve over his wrists keeping him there as noses brush, nudging at his with her own.]

I can't do any real razing, but you underestimate the amount of fierce rioting and ass kicking I can do if I get pissed off. [Which she can most certainly do if a certain god were to disappear. She has a faint laugh of her own before sighing against his mouth, shoulders dropping.] We're in this together, Loki. I don't need to gain control over my ability if it were to mean losing you along the way somehow.

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