Chapter X
Loki could see Sigyn's hand move and take his own, but he could hardly feel it. He felt paralysed – not frozen in place, but as though his body was too heavy for him to move.
It had happened before, each time he found himself remembering the fall. Even there, in a little apartment on Midgard, Loki could feel the cold of the void, tendrils of its darkness twisting and coiling their way through his head. As though it had woven a part of itself into his mind over the course of the hours, the days he had spent falling further and further away from Asgard. The Other's voice had sounded like a mountain cleaving in two when it first broke through the awful, hollow silence of the space between the Realms.
A warm sensation starting in his fingers broke through the cold of his memories, and Loki refocused on the living room. In a matter of seconds he began to feel calmer, as the same warmth inched its way through his whole body. He knew the trick – Frigga taught it to him when he was younger, and he had passed it on to Sigyn. It was only a short-term solution, but Loki was grateful for any opportunity to shake off what was haunting him.
"You wandered off for a moment there," Sigyn commented. "What were you seeing?"
"The place between the Realms," Loki replied simply, and watched as Sigyn's concern turned to sympathy.
"I'm sorry for pushing you, I only-"
"You had every right to demand answers."
"Well I think I can wait before I get anymore – I realise that this isn't easy for you. And I'm sorry for what I said before," Sigyn added sheepishly.
"It's alright, I understand. I know there's a lot I need to explain to you."
"But that can wait for now," Sigyn smiled. "You need to rest, to try and take your mind off it for a little while. Don't think you're off the hook, though," she continued, giving Loki a playful nudge. "I'm probably going to ask more questions tomorrow."
"Of course, I promise I won't avoid them this time," Loki said sincerely. Hard as it was, if he had to tell someone, he was glad it was Sigyn. Besides Frigga, she was the person Loki had trusted most back on Asgard. "I don't know how you intend to 'take my mind off it', though. It's a rather hard thing to forget."
Sigyn's face broke into a hesitant grin.
"I have an idea that might work – it's a Midgardian trick I learned when I first got here," she explained, getting up from the sofa and making a beeline for one of the tall, dark cabinets.
Loki raised a sceptical eyebrow; he was doubtful of the capabilities of Midgardians. But Sigyn seemed fairly confident, based on her smile, so he decided to give it a chance. She returned to the sofa, and with a clatter, deposited an armful of small, rectangular objects on the coffee table. Loki regarded them with a mixture of caution and curiosity. Each had a different image printed on it, usually containing one or more faces, and a word or phrase written in strange letters. Picking one up for closer inspection, he discovered that they were, in fact, small boxes, containing a single disk.
"What is the purpose of these?" he eventually asked, having been unable to discern anything from examining the strange objects. He couldn't work out what they were; never mind how they were supposed to help distract him.
"The Midgardians call them 'movies'," Sigyn explained. "There are millions and millions of them, I only have a few."
"But what are they? I assume the important part is the disk-thing?"
Sigyn stifled a laugh, suddenly realising how ridiculous she must have looked to Agent Carrigan when he first handed her a copy of Lord of the Rings. She remembered how odd the concept had seemed to her at first, but she had quickly learned to appreciate Midgardian entertainment. The idea of being able to introduce it to someone else was exciting, and watching Loki peer suspiciously at the DVD case in his hands was rather amusing.
"Yes, the disk is the important part. You put it in the television, and then you watch the movie. It's a form of entertainment."
"So there are images within the disk?" Loki guessed.
"Yes, it's a little like – I'm trying to remember how they explained it to me – they have people who act out stories, and they can record the images of it and put it on disks. The people who make the movies, make millions of copies of each story, so Midgardians can buy one and watch it in their homes. There are also these special buildings where they go to see them, but I'll explain those later."
"I think I understand, a little… And Midgardians do this for distraction?"
"Yes, and for general amusement. Do you want to pick one to watch?"
Loki scanned the selection of Sigyn's 'movies', examining the images on the boxes, and what he assumed were the names of each one. One had a quite complex cover, made up of various images; the faces of four Midgardians, a small green creature, several metal constructions with long spindly legs, and what Loki assumed to be a fifth Midgardian dressed in a strange black mask.
"What is this one?" he asked, holding it up for Sigyn to see.
"Oh, that's Star Wars, it's set in a different galaxy, there's a rebellion and a lot of space travel… That's actually the second in a trilogy; I don't have the first, so maybe not the best choice," Sigyn explained hurriedly. She was going to have to chase Carrigan down about Episode IV – he'd borrowed it over a month ago.
"This?" Loki tried, holding up a mostly black box plastered with a red, white and yellow emblem, depicting a strange beast with lots of razor-sharp teeth. "Jurassic Park?"
"Ah, dinosaurs… that's going to require a whole separate explanation, perhaps another time. It took me a long while to get my head wrapped around the idea."
Loki turned back to the assortment of movies, lips pursed.
"Why does the girl on this one appear to be on fire? And wielding a bow?"
"Ooh, The Hunger Games, I'm quite fond of that one!" Sigyn replied enthusiastically.
"And what is the subject?"
"Well… The 'Hunger Games' is a kind of tournament, the last-person-standing kind," Sigyn explained, and Loki passed her the box.
"I think this one will do," he told her. "I think it could be interesting to see a Midgardian tournament."
"Well, it's not quite- Actually, I'll let you watch it and find out," Sigyn smiled, and set about getting the movie ready.
Both Asgardians were sat on the couch, the movie just beginning, when Sigyn suddenly jumped up from her seat, freezing the image on the screen.
"I almost forgot – movie snacks!" she laughed, and ran over to the kitchen. "I won't be a moment, Loki," she called back over her shoulder.
Within a minute or two, she had returned laden down with what Loki assumed was Midgardian food. There was a bowl containing thin, yellowish circles, another containing pale golden cloud-like shapes, and a box of small, decorative shapes in shades of white and brown.
With Sigyn settled back into her seat, the movie was allowed to begin.
"Is this… a real place on Midgard?" Loki asked, no more than a few minutes in.
"No, it's fictional – an imaginary dystopian future of America. But parts of it were acted in actual locations around Midgard, the rest is usually done in purpose-built artificial landscapes and buildings," Sigyn clarified as best she could.
"I see," Loki replied. "And I hope the Games themselves do not exist in reality? When you mentioned a tournament I wasn't expecting such a barbaric ritual – forcing mere children to fight each other to the death!" he exclaimed, and Sigyn smiled; her plan seemed to be working.
"No, the Games aren't real."
"I'm glad of it," Loki declared, before returning his full attention back to the movie. He would be reluctant to admit it to any mortal, but he was already finding their entertainment fascinating. It bore a little resemblance to the Asgardians who would perform at festivals and celebrations, re-enacting great stories and legends from the past. But in the Midgardian movie, the view moved about – closing in on the faces of those speaking and reacting, showing all the aspects of the surroundings – and something about it seemed so much more immersive than the performances he had watched back on Asgard. He soon found he was eager to find out what would happen, and was full of questions for his friend.
"Sigyn, why do the people of the 'Capitol' choose such unusual clothes and hair? And colour their faces the way they do?"
"Because they have such easy lives, I think all their focus goes onto things like their appearance. Also, I think the original idea behind it is to create such a large contrast between the Capitol and the other districts."
"Why must the tributes be dressed up in such elaborate costumes and paraded around? Why does it matter what they wear when they're being made to fight to the death?"
"For the Capitol, the Games are simply entertainment. A spectacle. Now shh, and actually watch it – I can answer questions later!" Sigyn grinned. She was amused with how much Loki seemed to be engrossed in the movie. From what she understood, it had been far too long since he had been able to forget everything going on around him and just enjoy himself. She laughed to herself when she caught the occasional piece of whispered commentary from Loki.
"Her skill with a bow is actually quite impressive."
"Well that's a little of an overreaction."
"That Midgardian woman's hair is annoying me."
"Sigyn, wait! Are those performers dead?" Loki cried suddenly as the bloodbath at the Cornucopia occurred onscreen. "Do they kill people to make these movies?"
"What? No!"
"But the wound – how could they survive that?"
"It's fake, Loki, it's all done with special tricks to look as realistic as possible."
"Oh, I see. Well I must admit it's quite convincing." Loki mumbled, more than a little embarrassed over his outburst.
"Don't worry, I panicked the first time I saw something like that too," Sigyn reassured him as he settled back into watching.
It wasn't until halfway through the film that Loki decided, tentatively, to try some of the Midgardian food Sigyn had brought out. After all, she had been picking at it quite contentedly, so it couldn't be that bad, surely. He reached for one of the small, cloud-shaped things first, examining it carefully before popping it into his mouth. The texture was unusual, and the taste was at a strange point between savoury and sweet. Loki frowned, deciding he would perhaps leave them to Sigyn. He reached for one of the thin yellow circles and bit off a small piece.
"Ah!" he spluttered as a sharp, acidic tang hit his tongue, dropping the rest of the circle onto his lap.
"Loki?" Sigyn asked with concern, quickly freezing the movie in place. "What is it?"
"Those circular things," Loki began, still wincing from the taste. "What are they? Why do they sting?"
Sigyn couldn't help but snicker.
"They're called potato chips," she told him, laughing at his scrunched up expression. "These ones are flavoured with salt and vinegar – they can be quite tangy, especially if you're not used to them. I should have warned you, sorry." Loki didn't feel her apology was very heartfelt, seeing as she was still trying to hide her giggling.
"Well, I suppose they aren't too bad," he said, unable to stop himself smiling at Sigyn's amusement. "Once you get past the initial shock."
"Here," she said, passing him the box containing the final foodstuff. "Try these, they're chocolate pralines. They're delicious." Loki regarded her suspiciously.
"Is this a trick?" he enquired, which served only to further Sigyn's laughter.
"No tricks, I promise," she assured him, and he cautiously picked one out and placed it on his tongue.
Sigyn hadn't been lying – it was possibly the best thing he'd ever tasted. The chocolate praline, whatever that was, melted in his mouth; nutty, rich and sweet.
Satisfied that Loki had recovered from his vinegar-related shock, Sigyn resumed the movie, not failing to notice that her friend kept returning to the box of pralines.
When the credits finally rolled, Sigyn turned to Loki, ready to ask his opinion, but he spoke before she had a chance.
"Does the story continue?" he asked. "I feel as though there is more to be told."
"Yes," Sigyn told him with a smile. "There are three more movies – although I only have one more besides this."
"Might we watch it? For such dull creatures, the Midgardians do have an intriguing way of telling stories. I hate to admit it, but I do prefer it to the solstice performances."
Sigyn looked at Loki, saw how his smile had finally reached his eyes, and she felt like she could be looking at her friend from before all of this. Before Loki's fall, and before her exile.
"Of course," she smiled warmly. "Just let me fetch it."