((I apologize again for the lack of update to the actual story, seeing as I can't think of what should happen in chapter 19. I really hope this'll suffice!
I came up with this when I realized two things. First, I realized that Kori appeared quite literally in every chapter up to Chapter Ten: Loki's Fear, and since then has appeared only once more (in Chapter Thirteen: An Unfortunate Triumph). So, I wanted to put her in again.
Ah, but there are characters who have appeared even more rarely. In fact, a certain group of three hasn't appeared once. Yup, I realized that the Norns have apparently dropped off the face of the Earth. However, I don't want to just leave it at that. So…they show up here!
Be forewarned, this whole shmeal is entirely pointless, the most you might get out of it is some mild foreshadowing. I hope you like.
Oh, and yes I'm doing review shout-outs for this too.
Seven Midnights: Hee, I'm glad you like the Vali-ness so much. I like him too, even if he is a total jerk. I hope you enjoy this chapter of the Lives of the Gods, too.
Alright, to the pointless blurb I'm going to spew onto the interwebs.))
Life on Midgard was actually a bit more boring than Skuld had expected, she had to admit it. Today was her day to run the tent, telling fortunes with her powers. Urd and Verdandi were out doing their own things, leaving her to man the fort. And it was very…very…very boring.
The Norns had, as it was, lost a good deal of their power when Loki had denied the chance to go back to Asgard. Verdandi's theory was that if he had, Ragnarok would have occurred then and there, but since he didn't, it didn't. Loki had denied his fate, and as such, "fate" itself was changing. The Norns had lost all control.
At the very least, they could still see into the near future, anyway. This was how the three were making money. It was amazing how happy mortals were to hear vague tidbits of advice and snippets of their future. Or maybe, Skuld thought to herself as she waited for her next customer, she just thought it was amazing since she was used to seeing those bits of destiny all the time.
Skuld had been leaning on the table, her head propped up on her hand. She heard the shuffling of the curtain and quickly sat up straight, trying to look professional. A young woman entered (women were, for whatever reason, more prone to seek mystical advice than men), glancing around curiously before fully coming into the room.
Sometimes you could tell things about a person just by looking at them, and when you could say something about a person that they didn't tell you, it tended to impress them. This girl, Skuld noted, was in her early twenties, her hair in a messy bun that implied she'd been too rushed that morning to style it properly. That was also implied by the slightly sloppy stated of her clothes; her jeans and sneakers were old, and her t-shirt was too big and had the faded marks of some old stains. Still, her face was energetic and her smile was bright, so she probably lived a happy enough life. And she carried a rather large purse, meaning she liked to be prepared.
Skuld took this all in as she motioned for the girl to sit in a chair across from her seat at the round table with the crystal ball at the center. The customer obliged, then gave her name without having to be asked. "Hello, I'm Megumi Hanabusa. I've heard that you guys at Midnight Sun Fortunetelling were very good?"
"Better than 'good,' I think," Skuld replied, smiling.
Megumi shrugged. "I don't usually do this stuff. I was just passing by with my sisters and thought this might be fun. The two of them will be in here after me."
"Alright, but let's just focus on you right now," Skuld suggested, raising her hands above the crystal ball. Not only did this look a little cooler, but it also helped her focus her remaining powers into the glass to view it there. She didn't have to use glass to see the future, of course, but hey, what better way was there to appear to be "gazing into the crystal ball" other than actually doing so? And it looked pretty neat too, seeing things dancing on the glass…
"Those two aren't your only siblings, are they?" Skuld inquired as things came clearer. "There's more. And they drive you crazy, but you love them anyway…in fact, you take care of them. You're parents are…"
Megumi blinked. "Oh, you're right, there's another sister and two brothers, and I take care of them all. And yes, my mother and father are out of the picture." Megumi got a rather quirky smile on her face as she commented "You know the present, at least. But you might be able to tell some of that just by looking at me."
Oh-ho, she's a real non-believer, isn't she? Skuld thought. Let's see if there's something in here that can change her tune…aha! "You had a strange encounter not too long ago," commented the Norn. "Or rather, some of your siblings had a strange encounter. No one was hurt, but it scared you very badly, didn't it?"
Now Megumi looked a little more impressed, but she wasn't quite buying it yet. "Those are some kinda vague terms…"
"This incident prompted you to get outside help," Skuld continued. "The source was a good one, although some would disagree. Still, he settled everything down very nicely. He was…a little detective."
That got more of the reaction Skuld wanted: Megumi's eyes widened a bit and her mouth dropped open momentarily. Still, she regained composure quickly. "Er, yes…"
Skuld grinned a little as the crystal ball revealed a bit more of this particular subject, just enough for her to be able to tell exactly who this detective was…and most anything relating to Loki made Skuld's day that much better! But she had a customer to deal with. "You don't think you repaid him well enough, but he's perfectly content, so you can be at ease. He doesn't feel he had to do all that much, anyway."
"Oh." Megumi frowned a bit and looked at her lap. She had expected something less…real than what she was receiving.
"Now to get into the future…" Skuld said, looking further into the vision. The first thing she saw was…chaos. Oh, dear, it looked like this girl, and most likely her family, was getting roped into the mayhem caused by the gods' presence on Earth.
"Odd things are going to start happening, or at least things odder than you're used to," Skuld told her, knowing better than to be more specific with her warning. "I suggest staying in contact with that detective. Oh? What's this…?" Skuld raised an eyebrow, than smirked a little. "I see that you have a favorable encounter in your future. The result of this will be that you not only make a very close friend, but you'll finally get past one of your more embarrassing faults."
Megumi cocked her head as she considered this. "I don't suppose you could be more specific?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant but obviously very intrigued.
"You've already met this person. He's made a good impression and you like him well enough, but he's made a much…stronger impression on someone else you're close to…I see the color…green."
Megumi's eyes filled with insight. "Oh, it must be Yamino. I'll remember that…anything else?"
Skuld looked into the glace a moment longer before offering a parting tidbit of advice: "Don't be too quick to dismiss things that seem impossible."
Megumi nodded and stood. "I'm done now; I suppose…I'll send in Midori now. Oh, and just to warn you, she's rather…well, insane."
"I can handle it," Skuld assured her, waving her out. Megumi bowed a little at the waist before exiting. Skuld felt pleased with herself, having managed to get at someone who seemed to have felt when she came in that this wasn't the real deal.
Then a little green girl of about fifteen years came bouncing in, as bouncy as a superball, and Skuld went from content to frazzled quite quickly. "Ooo, lookit this place, it's so cool! It's kinda creepy, but it's good creepy, and a fortuneteller's place should be creepy, right? Right! I like it! Oh, that crystal ball is so shiny, I wanna touch it! But I probably shouldn't, so I won't! Midori is a good girl, yes she is! Oh, hello! Are you the fortuneteller?" All of this the girl said in one continuous barrage while rushing around the space inside the tent, and when she was done she collapsed in the chair and took a deep breath, because she'd been speaking to fast to remember to breathe, apparently.
"Um, yes I am," Skuld answered the last question. "It's nice to meet you…so! Onto the fortunetelling, then?"
Midori sat up straight, grinning. She nodded vigorously, sending her amazingly dyed curls bouncing everywhere. "Yeahyeahyeahyeah! I want to know my future! There's one thing I really wanna know! I bet you can tell what it is, though right!?"
"Give me a second," Skuld instructed, again raising her hands above the glass orb. She instantly saw what Midori wanted.
"There's someone you really like. You want to know what he feels for you?" Midori didn't have to respond aloud, her leaning out practically onto the table was a huge sign that Skuld had hit the nail on the head. She looked into the future a bit…
"Well, he doesn't know you very well, you know," Skuld informed Midori. "And you act so hyper and passionate around him that he feels rather…confused about you. If you want him to return your feelings, you're going to have to be calmer around him, and get to know him better. You also have to sort out your feelings for him."
Midori cocked her head one way, and then the other, thinking about this. Then she shrugged. "Can you see anything else, huh, can ya? Can ya? Can ya!?"
"Of course I can, calm down!" Skuld scolded, and Midori promptly shut up, although she was obviously eager to hear more. The goddess rolled her eyes before looking at the clear globe again to see some more. "I see that your life's going to have some dramatic changes before too long, so be prepared. Also…" Skuld blinked. "Avoid flying pigs…?"
"Oh! That's Phantom Thief Frey and his flying pig! I've seen it, but no one believes me. Oh well!" Midori smiled happily. Skuld, meanwhile, was mentally chastising herself for not remembering that Frey and Gullinbursti were around.
"Um, I'm afraid your future is proving rather hard o predict," Skuld admitted. This girl was certainly an oddity: it took quite a lot to mess with a goddess of fate's ability to tell the future!
Midori, however, wasn't even paying attention. She was…hugging an orca plushie? Where did that come from…? When she saw Skuld staring, Midori proudly held forth her toy and announced "It ish mah Goth Whale!" And then she cuddled it a bit, apparently content.
"Um, that's very nice…" Skuld said, feeling rather awkward. "Er, you can send in your last sister, now."
"Okiees!" Midori said happily, getting up and walking out, still holding her whale close to her. Skuld stared after her. What a freak… "I hope the last one is sane, at least…" she mumbled.
The second she whispered that, she got a premonition that something she wouldn't like was about to happened. The girl who was about to enter was not, she was suddenly sure, was not crazy like Midori…but Skuld would not like her…or didn't like her…what?
Then the girl came in. Despite her small height, youthful face, and generally much littler form, Skuld recognized her instantly. She tensed up as the child, not really noticing Skuld yet, wandered n and sat on the chair. "Hello, my name is Kori and I…I…" Now she noticed, and she stared at the Norn for a good minute or so before finishing her statement "I cannot believe this!"
"Siguna," Skuld said weakly, meeting the goddess of loyalty's glare with her own stunned gaze. "This can't be happening…why didn't I see you get here?"
"Because I came here before you did?" Kori-Siguna suggested. "Because you don't pay attention? Because you didn't want to think about me? Because you high-and-mighty Norns aren't nearly as powerful as you think?"
"You be quiet!" Skuld shouted. Of all the people to possibly come to this tent, it had to be Loki's wife! "How long have you been here!?"
"Almost as long as Loki. I sent myself here so I couldn't be used against him by Odin," Kori-Siguna explained, scowling. Back when Loki first became Odin's blood brother in ages past, when Loki had still been choosing a bride (for he wouldn't officially be a god until he married one of their own), there had been a point where Loki had seemed to seriously be considering none other than the youngest Norn. In the end, of course, he had selected Siguna, but that didn't stop her from being particularly wary of this girl, more so than other women who liked Loki.
Skuld shook her head. "Wonderful…" she mumbled. "Absolutely wonderful." She threw up her hands in defeat. "Whatever. As long as you're here, want me to give you a little fortunetelling?"
Kori-Siguna thought for a second. "Well, I suppose since your stuffs infallible anyway…I might as well." Kori grinned rather maliciously. "You can see the present, too. Tell me, who does Loki like more, you or me?"
"You stop that!" Skuld snarled, which only seemed to make Kori's smirk more mischievous and self-assured. Skuld rolled her eyes. "Jeez…alright, hold on a sec, it's been taking a bit longer to do since Loki messed with fate, not coming to the world of the gods again, whatever his reason…"
Not noticing Kori's slightly pained look at the thought that Loki's loyalty to Mayura might have been strong enough to defy destiny, Skuld looked into the crystal ball again. The first thing that came up was a swift warning. "Apparently there're some new arrivals in Loki's life, one who's already here and a couple who are on the way. I see some enmity towards you is on the way as well, and not just from me, so you'd better be on your guard."
"Well, isn't that just peachy?" Kori-Siguna moaned miserably. "I don't suppose there's anything good in that dumb glass ball you've taken to using?"
Skuld, despite herself, felt a little sympathetic for Kori-Siguna. After all, she had endured so much for Loki, only to lose him to banishment, and upon finding him again she had also obviously discovered some new obstacles as well. So Skuld genuinely looked for something fortunate to relay to her customer.
She eventually found one. "This thing I see is too distant to clearly tell what it is…but whatever it is, it's a very good thing coming. It won't be for a while mind you…but it looks like it'll make up for a lot of the bad things to come. I can only make out one detail…I see that it will make Loki very happy as well. It's something that connects you…" Skuld rolled her eyes. "Which is just wonderful for me."
"Thank you," Kori said quietly. She was furiously trying to figure out what this source of immense joy that would eventually come to her and Loki could possibly be, but nothing came to mind.
"Well, ask and you shall receive," Skuld said with a shrug. "I hoped for an end to my boredom, and it looks like I got it…And knowing something good's on the way will be bugging you for quite a while."
Kori gave her own shrug in response. "Whatever. Anything else I should know before I head out?"
"I saw lots of chaos in the futures of all of you…it looks like the situation going on here with all of us is continuing to spiral out of control, and you are all involved in it now. Watch out for them. There's something really odd going to happen to the green kid, Midori, but that's even farther ahead than what's going to happen to make you happy, and I can't see that anymore, so…"
"I'll take care of them, just like they've been taking care of me since I came here. Thank you." And with that, Kori gave Skuld her payment for the fortunes, and left the tent. Skuld certainly wasn't going to be bored for a while, not with all these new things to think about…
((…This chapter sucks SO much ass. Damn you, writer's block! DAMN YOU! You're more annoying than yaoi!
Anyway, as you can see, all you get out of this is some random foreshadowing and a little facetime for some characters who haven't shown for a while. Oh, and Midori's goth whale. That was totally stolen from a series of comics I found on DeviantArt called "Maria McMorbid" by Rimfrost. Search it: it's funny!
Anyway, review this piece of garbage, and please, please give me suggestions! One reviewer suggested bringing in Hel somehow, but I'm afraid that won't work with the way my story's going to go. If I don't think of anything by next Sunday, I'll post another chapter here, one concerning Nariko back when she was Thrud.
If I still can't get into the groove of things by the Sunday after that, there'll be another chapter here, and I'll write a chapter with another new character for the main story. I'll do that if I have to, but with the recent influx of new characters I had I wanna tone that down a bit, so...yeah.
Sorry about letting writer's block eat me, I'll try to do better, and keep reading!))