7

Luna: She looked up, glancing at first at the window, behind which the sun was already sinking underneath the horizon, and the room, itself, was darkening. Then, her eyes glided over to him, and she shifted her weight and changed her position so that she would face him, her legs crossing beneath her. The mention of beginning renewed the small glimmer in her eyes that managed to show through the thick veil of fatigue and of stress. "Very well," she said, internally preparing.

Loki: He shifted so that he was facing her, but at the same time, keeping his own distance so he would not have to be entirely close to her. He felt around, pulling and tugging at all that he could conjure so as to give her an example when he needed to, or simply practice for himself the act of conjuring. "First, you must recognize what it is..." he began, toying around with the energy, himself, attempting to find it. "Your kind tends to think of science as the primary entity in describing the way the universe works, but that is not entirely so. Your science describes why things happen or function as they do, giving theories and experiments, all of which amount to what you believe to be facts and figures. However, magic answers the question of how things work... It is a separate entity, an energy that has its own desires and needs and it is everywhere your 'science' tends to be..."

Luna: She leaned against the back of the couch, making herself more comfortable as she kept her eyes on his, listening intently. She nodded along to his words, showing that she was listening, very carefully so. She worried, however, that in her present state, she might not accomplish absolutely anything but listening to him, at least for tonight. A small, but very present need appeared in her – she did not want to disappoint. She had confidence in herself that she would, at one point or another, grasp that which he would ask of her, but she did not wish to make a fool of herself along the way.

Loki: He waited to see that she was paying attention to his words, and, indeed, she was. He nodded and then resumed. "Ultimately, magic needs to be sensed before it can be conjured by oneself..." he replied, letting his own source form about his hands, letting it rest there. "It shall feel like..." he paused, trying to think of it, as it seemed to always be there for him, an extension of himself and of his mind, "a separate energy, another being entirely... Perhaps a denser sort of air," he explained, placing his hands in front of him, looking at her expectantly. "Do you wish to try and see for yourself?" He inquired, not wishing for her to touch his hands, but rather the area about them.

Luna: She looked down at his hands, which seemed more as if they were cradling something than extending for her to take them. "I do, yes, thank you..." she murmured almost absentmindedly as she gazed curiously at his hands, though seeing nothing but them. She extended her own hands gingerly until they were quite close to his own, though contact lacked. With tentative motions, she hovered her fingers above the palms of his hands, as if dabbling into a small pool of water, though, to her dismay, the air felt much like it always did. Her brows lowered as she watched, unblinking.

Loki: "Concentrate, Luna," he pressed, trying all he could to strengthen the magic and not crumple under the magnitude of the pain he was experiencing. "Close your eyes, if it helps... Feel nothing but the energy that I hold in my hand," he elaborated, watching her intently as she seemed to try to access something she assumed that was going to be there from the beginning. "If you could so easily feel it, mortals would have magic already," he replied, as if it were obvious.

Luna: She nodded, heeding his instructions and closing her eyes, though the frown remained on her brow. She moved her hands in the most minuscule of motions above his, attempting time and time again to locate and feel that which he tried to grant her, building up the concentration as much as she could, given that the circumstances were far from ideal, or even satisfactory. Long minutes passed, in which he murmured almost inaudibly every so often, while she tried and tried and tried. She did not let stray thoughts wander into her head, though considering the fact that her mind was not in any fit shape momentarily, that was not an easy task to accomplish - it might have been, otherwise. At one point, a quite cold sensation passed beneath her fingertips, and she snapped her eyes open, her concentration crumbling; in her hands' journeys, she managed to brush her fingertips along the palm of his hand, unseeingly. She retracted her hands, looking at him slightly apologetically.

Loki: He tensed at her sudden touch of her fingertips, shocked at the sudden warmth, as if he was being electrocuted. He widened his eyes and looked up to her, before closing his hands and placing them at his sides. "Perhaps now is not the best time, hmm?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as she did not seem to be fully able to concentrate in such a way.

Luna: In the back of her mind, she wondered at just how cold his skin is, even to the briefest, lightest of touches. The way he flinched away from her own touch led her to apologize to him. "I did not see, I am very sorry…" she murmured. "I.. I'm so very tired, Loki," she admitted, leaning further against the couch, as if for support. "I did not sleep and I'm unsure if I'm in any shape to accomplish anything right now," she explained as she played with her fingers.

Loki: He sighed and then nodded, disregarding her apology for touching him, figuring this to be understandable enough... He only hoped that she would not continue down this weary path, so he may fulfill his side of the bargain in due time. "Very well," he replied quietly with a short sigh. "Then you shall rest..."

Luna: "Tomorrow, I will be capable of more," she nodded to emphasize her words. "But would you mind telling me more of magic?" she asked with a hopeful hue in her voice and an expectant one in her eyes. "How did you first come across it?" she asked testily, making herself more comfortable, wishing to listen.

Loki: He looked at her narrowly, deciding that she was only wishing to know more, that it would suit her well to know his history with it, lest she figure him an uncomfortable teacher. She looked as if this was only to be expected, that he grant her this small detail of his life. "Through books, naturally," he replied quietly, "I came across it in the library in my youth, and I would not put it down until I finally learned all there was to be learned from it," he explained, "I eventually received lessons from other sorcerers, but even they were not able to keep up with the pace in which I wished to learn such things... Many say I was born with the skill."

Luna: A faint smile touched her lips as she leaned her head against the back of the couch, looking at him, listening to him, grateful that he acquiesced. "Then I should really be glad I have such a skillful talent for a guide…" she said honestly. When given thought, it was easy to come to a conclusion that there could hardly be anybody more suitable to teach her that which she wished to know, because from what she gathered, there was hardly one more powerful and savvy of such matters than he.

Loki: He nodded. "That, you should," he replied proudly. If there were any matters within his life that he should be proud of, it would be magic. Many have came to fear his power in his youth, even, dreaded the fact he was quite intelligent in such matters... It scared the Asgardians that the darker prince should be more powerful than the Allfather.

Luna: She wondered whether he thought that she could come to grasp the magic at some point or not. If his loathing of her kind was to be any indicator, he most likely doubted her, and was only toying with her for the sake of his own well-being. A small doubt appeared in her mind. "Loki..." she began, "You really did extend magic towards me, right? You weren't just giving me empty air to pull my leg?" she spoke sheepishly.

Loki: He laughed at that. Of course she would come to assume that he was merely lying to her, that the possibility that mortals could come to hone magic was all a big joke he shared with himself. He laughed again and shook his head, finding it comical that she would assume such a thing. "I do swear... I was not lying to you, Luna," he replied, regaining the small bits of magic he had pulled from his surrounding area, allowing it to take a denser shape, showing the lightened bit of air about his fingertips, "It has been with me since before you came downstairs," he replied, holding his midsection.

Luna: The smallest of blushes appeared on her cheeks as he began laughing at her words, though her own smile grew slightly. "Very well," she said, attempting to chase the sheepishness out of her voice, as she did not want it there. She believed him, strangely so, and at the sight of the air about his fingertips shifting, she unthinkingly reached out and took his large hand in both of hers quite gently, her own fingertips touching the air tentatively, but with the excitement reminiscent of a child's. She was so very fascinated with each and every show of magic that he gave, and she could hardly restrain herself from attempting to get in any sort of touch with it.

Loki: He narrowed his eyes as she took his hand quite suddenly, her warm hands pressing into his much colder ones. He stiffened, noticeably so, as this was the second time she had touched his hands, his eyes widening in a sudden flush of panic, but he attempted to let it pass, as he did not wish to look like such a fool who is terrified of a mortal's touch. He shuddered and carefully moved his hands away from her grasp, without destroying her sudden bout of curiosity.

Luna: It was not until his hand froze quite rigidly that she understood her actions. Then, she slowly replaced her own hands in her lap. "I.. cannot believe I did that, I'm sorry," she said nervously. "I just… saw it and I wanted to touch it and I did not think. I apologize, truly," she said a little more confidently by the end of her sentence. As her eyes flitted from one thing to the other, they landed to his midriff, and his other arm that was wrapped around it. Her expression softened. "It hurts you whenever you wield it?" she asked quietly.

Loki: He waved her apology off briefly, not thinking too much of it, as it was but a mere fixation, rather than some sort of attempt to harm. He nodded at her last question. "That is part of the curse... I am not technically supposed to be able to wield it, but I have found my own way around such a barrier... Magic comes to those who desire it, no matter what I am placed in..."

Luna: She nodded in response. "So it takes just a tiny bit more than mere concentration, hmm?" she said musingly. She knew now that it hurt him physically to even teach her, which made her just a little more sure of the entire ordeal - certainly, he would hone the magic in any case, but one of those cases was to teach her, and that was a good fact to know. There was, however, more than just a tinge of worry within her - despite of the pain, he managed to guide himself back to magic, or guide it back to him, rather... Such a display of power was slightly unsettling in the given circumstances.

Loki: He shrugged slightly, inhaling deeply before attempting to move his arms away from his abdomen, "Resistance to pain," he replied before hastily replacing his arms about himself as the stabbing pain seemed to continue even when he slightly shifted. "A strong desire, perhaps," he added, leaning back upon the couch as he tried to take in large breaths, in order to regain any sort of composure.

Luna: She watched him for some time before it occurred to her that, perhaps, he is not fond of people watching him while he is in such a state, which she guessed was simply natural for most. She looked away, though she could not help but wonder why he responded to her touch in such a manner - there was more than the apparent disgust, she felt, that made him twitch away so, stiffen and refuse... And why was he that cold? "You are keeping to your part of the bargain, regardless of the pain. I appreciate that," she looked further away, in order to give him some freedom to recover.

Loki: He sighed heavily, trying not to let the pain influence the fluency of his speech. "I suppose we all need at least one person to trust, yes? Even if they can never seem to trust you..." he murmured, even though that was hardly the first reason why he would grant her such a thing, but it was part of it. All he needed was to earn trust in one person upon this realm, and all should be taken care of. The rest would continue to hate him as much he tended to hate himself... But that should hardly matter. He rightfully earned their hatred and distaste. Who was he to contradict such a thing?

Luna: She nodded musingly. "I did not know that you wished to trust me..." she said in a quiet voice; obviously, some of it was needed to come to an agreement to which they did, but taking into consideration the nature of the agreement and the fact that he could have simply forced her into it, in such a case, trust might not be mandatory. And momentarily, she was clearly trusting him enough to speak in such a way to him. She shifted her weight slightly uncomfortably, though her eyes wandered back over to him, wishing they would see through him, wishing she was able to discern his words for what they were.

Loki: "This would be... simpler, if I could," he replied, his voice as heavy as he seemed to look. "But of course, trust works on both ends, if I am not mistaken... So perhaps this shan't work as simply as I thought it might," his voice was weary, "But I should only be used to that... How piteous..." he added on.

Luna: "Ah, yes, it should work on both ends, but more often than not, it is not a thing of mutuality," she said, her voice taking on the fatigue that has been filling her for quite some time now. "And things seldom work simply, I'm afraid," she added after a little while. She kept silent and hidden away the fact that she would like it very much so if she could simply give in and trust him - he was right, it would make matters much simpler. But too many things were at stake for her to just place such a thing in him.

Loki: He sighed, nodding. "Indeed," he replied, his eyes low and weary over such matters. He wished that she would come to terms with the fact that he only required her to make his escape, to make his life peaceful once again, but she was so ready to doubt every word that left his lips. Rightfully so, of course, but it would not help either of them.

Luna: She began toying with her fingers again, and a thought escaped her before she could stop it. "What if I fail to grasp the magic before you are gone...?"

Loki: He looked narrowly at her. "There is more than enough time to do so," he replied assuredly, "If not... There is not much I can do about it."

Luna: Her heart began creeping down into her gut, which was twisting, itself. If she failed to grasp it, then she would have allowed him to escape for practically nothing. She began wringing her hands slightly again, as determination rose in her to comprehend and take hold of the magic as soon as she could. She did not want this to turn into a vast, vast disappointment. "I can't just… not grasp it…" she muttered more to herself than to him.

Loki: He furrowed his brow, shrugging. "It may be physically impossible for you to," he replied quietly, "But again, it may not be. It is not as if I have records to prove such a thing. We shall see, yes? As I said, you may very well be the first mortal to prove or disprove such a thing, or, simply, the first mortal to attempt to." He could care less whether she could or could not... He was curious, yes, but it did not affect him. If he tried all he could for her to grasp it, and she could not seem to be able to, he would still make his way.

Luna: She shook her head slightly; for this to be so close within reach and then to have a large possibility of it being wrenched further and further away from her... She could hardly bear the thought... With a shudder, she shifted her weight and sat on her knees, her hands nervously smoothing the creases of her pants. "Yes. We shall see..." she said quietly, then looked up at him, contemplating whether they could attempt again, and whether it would be wise or fruitful in any way. She was so very tired...

Loki: He watched her shift uncomfortably at the very thought of the possibility being lost to her... She looked so very distraught at the very thought of it, and he almost... almost felt guilty for giving her such temptation and then the possibility of it being taken away from her so easily, simply because it was unknown to him. He sighed heavily, trying to tear such a feeling away, although he knew that it was cruel to do such a thing. He shouldn't care for what she felt... He should only care for the goal he was trying to achieve and that was it. Mortals should not have such power to begin with...They abuse it.

Luna: She lessened the distance between them with the smallest of crawls on her knees across the couch. "Tell me more," she requested gently, but with determination - perhaps if she knew more about the magic, itself, the more familiarized she got with it in such theoretical terms, perhaps it would increase her chances. And right now, there was very little she would not do to increase her chances. Especially after she traded such knowledge for the freedom of a warlord, she thought to herself in scorn.

Loki: He looked over to her, scooting closer to him, and eyed her briefly. "Magic is a broad subject... Do you have any specific questions?" he pressed, glancing over her.

Luna: "You said that it is like a muscle, that it needs to be built. When one overexerts a muscle, it brings pain. Is it much the same with magic?" she asked, her words slightly blunt - the haze that enveloped her mind due to exhaustion took a toll on the way she shaped her thoughts and words.

Loki: He nodded. "Yes, one can overexert such power if they are not careful," he replied, briefly remembering when he first was learning and became too obsessed with perfecting a particular technique that he eventually landed himself in bed, unable to move for quite some time. "Which is why when you begin learning, you shall start very small and build each time, though only minimally..."

Luna: She nodded in understanding. "I see… I think I might not recognize the boundaries, at first. Not until I cross them, at least," she admitted and shook her head. Her zeal might just backfire and cause her more trouble, but in her mind, it could very well be worth it, if it brought along progress. That is, she reminded herself, if she could even learn to feel it in the first place. The thought brought a small, dejected sag to her shoulders.

Loki: He saw as how every thought seemed to bring a bit of dejection her way, the way her shoulders sagged, the way her lips had the slightest of pouts to them, the way her eyes were downcast. He frowned slightly. "I shall do my best to see that you learn," he said quietly, assuredly, "I swear it," he pressed. He had no idea why he cared so much, but he could see himself in her... He would feel just as dejected if it were he who wasn't able to learn what he wished to.

Luna: She looked up at him, her expression softening, as his words brought mild hope to her, surprisingly. A small smile curved the corners of her lips at his promise. It took her a while to find her words, touched by his strange, sudden ones... It was quite unexpected, and after several moments, she granted him a brighter smile. "Thank you..." she said, her voice streaked with profound sincerity. "And I shall do my best to learn," she said with a more than determined nod.

Loki: Those were foreign words to him... It was rare that anyone had even dared to thank him, much less assure him that they shall fulfill anything on their side of the bargain. His eyes scanned her for any trace of a lie, for any way her words would mean less than they intended, but he found nothing. He pressed his lips together and then nodded, unsure of how to respond to such a strange reaction. "Very well," he replied uncomfortably.

Luna: She watched an odd expression cross his features - he was as surprised by this exchange of theirs as she was. It felt slightly comforting, that, she thought to herself in ghosts of amusement. After his words, silence fell and it was almost becoming pressing. "I am sure that, as long as you're around, I won't overstep any boundaries when it comes to magic. I mean, you… you'll know when to stop me, no?" she said, wishing to make the silence as brief as possible for the time being. A part of her still fought to keep at bay the unwanted thoughts of him leaving before she could do anything.

Loki: He continued to stare at her oddly, unsure he had felt such random, kindly feelings for anyone else in any recent history. He actually wanted to see this through, just so that she would be able to satisfy the most obvious desire within her. "Yes, of course," he replied after a moment of his thoughts turning elsewhere other than the situation before them. "It will do you no good if you injure yourself..."

Luna: "Right you are.." she murmured, her voice almost mirroring his in that slight absentmindedness that implied other thoughts attempting to invade, to outweigh all others… What a strange situation to find oneself in, she thought as she shifted once more, now laying down upon the couch, leaning her head against the armrest, above a somewhat firm cushion. She noticed how strangely he eyed her, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she pondered the reason behind that. She seldom could understand anything based on his facial expressions, but now there was one so very obvious drawn upon his features that she could not help but wonder about the cause for it. It was yet another odd thing tonight, she thought, the fact that his otherwise blank lines now contorted in actual expressions that she could, at least to a degree, discern. She blinked slowly, and each time it took her slightly longer to will herself to open her eyes. There was a small feeling in the pit of her stomach, much like there has been ever since he came, that she still did not feel safe sleeping around him. Oh, but how very tired she was and how very comfortable the couch was... She focused her eyes on him, however. "Have you visited all the 9 realms?" she asked softly, her voice almost a whisper.

Loki: He shook his head slightly, believing quite suddenly that his expression was most obviously relaying what he was thinking. He blinked a few times. "Not Helheim," he replied quietly, "That realm is for the dead... It is rather unpleasant. I daresay I should visit there one day," he replied, knowing there was no place for him in Valhalla. She looked awfully tired, her questions coming in random now, but she looked as if she were fighting her fatigue.

Luna: She lay on her back, one of her hands reflexively raising to her hair and taking a strand, beginning to twirl it slowly around her fingers, much like she did any time that she was on the brink of falling asleep. "I'd like to travel as such..." she murmured, her words now coming relatively thoughtlessly, carelessly, as she did not choose them as gingerly as she did on other occasions while speaking with him. "What does Asgard look like?" she asked, a part of her wanting to simply drift away into slumber with the smooth sound of his voice and the images that he would create with his words.

Loki: He leaned back, seeing that she was very nearly drifting into unconsciousness. He could very well say it was painted green and filled with water, and she would be put to sleep with a fantastical image of an oceanic realm. He smirked to himself, knowing he might as well tell her the truth. "It is a flat realm, unlike your Midgard... With two moons, and a sun so large. Golden, shining and colossal, surrounded by an impeccably blue ocean..." he told, leaning his head back and looking upon the very dull ceiling. "The palace I cannot even begin to describe. Flutes of gleaming gold, taller than anything you may be able to imagine, gardens with every color and shade of it, the Asbru bridge extending for miles into the vast openness of the multi-colored sky..." he sighed, his heart feeling slightly heavy with the fact he may never see such a place again. Not that any of the other realms were not beautiful, but nothing was quite like the Realm Eternal...

Luna: She found it increasingly difficult to keep concentrated, with her eyes open. She thought to herself how she could envision it a little better once her eyes were closed, and with that thought, her eyelids dropped and did not rise again, though she still retained some very unstable bits of consciousness. A small smile appeared on her lips as she thought about it, not noticing the shade that Loki's voice took on the further into his descriptions he went; all that she felt was the comfort of the couch beneath her, the cushion beneath her head, the softness of her hair twirling about her fingers, and the quiet tone of his voice as he drew flickering images in her mind's eye. She let out a small sound to show him that she was still listening, almost as an encouragement for him to keep speaking, for she enjoyed it so; the sound bordered on simple satisfaction of the moment, where she was lulling between reality and slumber, with her focus only upon his telling and not upon any pressing issues that would indubitably return with the sun.

Loki: He continued, noticing that she was very near resting. "One can claim that we often see Valhalla, glistening through the clear rise of the morning sun, the rays bounding across each pillar within the grand throne room, the throne, itself, carved in a rich gold. The city of Asgard visible through the open corridor of the throne room, the streets whirring with vendors and markets, the people always peaceful... Until, at least, it comes to war... But even that is in their past after a time," he would not add that both he and Thor had ended such a record time of peace, sparking war with Jotunheim, and in reaction, other realms... He looked to see if she was asleep before he continued on.

Luna: His words were growing slightly more distant, she noticed, and a part of her truly wished to stay awake for long enough to listen to him as long as possible, for the words he wrought and the images he painted were something that would stay with her whether he did or didn't. That part of her struggled to stay alert, trying to focus on his speaking, and almost jerking whenever she realized that she was drifting further and further away from it all. At one point, however, the struggle ceased; her hand stopped with its motions, remaining slightly intertwined with the strands of her hair, her breathing became deeper and evened out, and her mind was lit with the rays of the sun of which he spoke, whirring alongside the vendors and golden glistening and impossible skies.

Loki: He shifted, seeing how she reached unconsciousness. She looked as though she had been attempting to fight it, but failed. He smirked slightly, seeing her at peace, stretched along the couch, her breathing even and her expression less distorted into that of worry or suspicion. It was in that moment he noticed that she was very pretty – not the conventional Asgardian beauty, as she had darker hair, and was relatively small in comparison – but for her own kind... He shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. He was not about to bed anyone, much less a mortal, what with the sudden aversion he has taken to touching any other flesh. He shuddered at the thought of having to be put through that just to have another warm woman in his bed. He leaned into his seat upon the chair, contemplating residing in his own room for the rest of the night, or continue to fetch his magic, but he ultimately resided with simply sitting there... Thinking.