Rope the South wind; Canvas the Stars

[coldsong]

There is an ocean in the Nexus--at least one, maybe many--that comes and goes. It has been seen frozen over in the winter, laced with sand and amusements in the summer. Sometimes it's within sight of the Plaza, but more often one has to seek it out in the Wilds, tracking it by the cry of the gulls.

Today, it's close enough to smell the salt-spray.

No one is called, no one is compelled to wander closer, but should the adventurous depart the main Plaza and follow a pebbled path through long grass and winding trees, they will come to a place where the ground rises into a gentle dune, then drops into an expanse of sand and rock sketching out a sort of cove. Indigo water laps the shore there, low waves splashing froth onto the shore. And in the water there is something that could be called a ship, if a ship could be made of ice and bone; if a ship could be strange and hard to look at, if it could stretch up so tall toward the sky it seemed eldritch and unbalanced.

The prow is sharp as a blade, and when the wind sings in the ropes, the noise is high and sweet, like siren song.

Loki is on the shore, and his children are with him. Agnarr and Una are playing in the sand together, the elder stacking rocks and building castles for the younger to knock down. Sigrid and Eindrid, though, are on the Ship itself. A casual observer can see the form of Loki up there with them, guiding them gently as they explore, but he is also below, seated on a heap of driftwood to observe his other two children. Bilocating.

He glances up and nods at whoever wanders close, polite, if protective of the kids.

"Do you believe in birthright?" he asks. "Something beyond the gift of existence itself, to which a person is entitled just by entering the world?"


((ooc: Just to warn, my tags will be VERY slow!))

Comments

[slayers_desire]

Loki and his children are not the only family who are exploring the beach. There is a slight commotion of noise, as another family appears down the beach. April Kent is holding a large umbrella... protecting herself from the sun and enjoying the day.

Her six children are all with her. Jonathan, the oldest, is exploring ahead. Laura is laughing and teasing her older brother. William is under the umbrella with his mother, and is holding Martha, a young infant, in his arms. Drake and Dru, the small toddler twins, are both looking for seashells.

April recognizes a protective look, when she sees one. So she ensures none of her children are rushing forward, in their curiosity and excitement to see the Asgardian children again. "I do. I also believe that one can change a birthright, if they desire to do so. I know I had a birthright that I had to understand."

[coldsong]

Well, that is a big group of children! Loki is inclined to bristle and protect his own, but the fact that this is clearly a family out enjoying the weather--in spite of the ominous shape of Naglfar hulking out in the water--makes him feel friendlier than he might otherwise. That, and Una gives a squeal of recognition and waves enthusiastically to her friends. Loki looks to Agnarr for an explanation and smiles at the signs exchanged.

"Very well, then. Play, if you like and if they'll have you, but don't get in the water and don't go so far I can't see you."

On the ship above, Sigrid and Eindrid will be too absorbed to note the others for the moment, but chances are they'll be happy to see them, too, when they notice them.

Loki gives April a nod. "There was a time I thought my birthright was a throne. And then my father told me my birthright was to die. We were both wrong."

"I am Loki. Agnarr says you all met while I was away?"

[silverseamariner]

"I should have known Eindrid picked it up somewhere," says the Lord Mariner, a twinkle in red eyes. Her own vessel is unusual, since a living ship probably isn't something people see every day, but this alien vessel is something that makes her beak drop. skekSa has also seen the great ship of the Sifa clan, the Omerya, which carries their Great Tree. She, the captain of the leviathan Vassa, is impressed by this ship. Her hat is doffed in respect to a fellow mariner.

"As a skeksis," she says slowly, "we appointed ourselves masters of the Crystal of Truth ever since our original forms were divided in two. That wasn't a birthright so much as something we took - though some of us thought we were doing what the urSkeks did and following in their footsteps. But it's been a long time since any of us took that service seriously. I figure it's turned into an excuse for extracting tribute from the gelfling tribes and making war on our neighbors than anything else."

She nods to the direction of the water, which ripples softly. Someone else has been attracted by the sea and the strange ship.

"Ah. I brought someone with me who the children might want to meet. My other half, urSan the Swimmer."

[coldsong]

Loki smiles. He fully expected to see skekSa, and was hoping she would arrive. While he can pilot vessels of air or space, and has been known to sail small ships, he's frankly been hoping for her assistance in teaching his children some sailing and navigational skills.

"This is Naglfar," he tells her. "The ship of nails. It was designed by Eindrid and Sigrid's mother, and built by her and their father, with a little help from me at the end. It belongs to them, not me, but I hold it in trust for them."

"It's not a birthright so much as a gift, I think...but the sea is in their blood, and most especially in Ein's."

"UrSan?" He repeats, and cranes his neck a little to get a look at the water. Part of him is a bit nervous about a stranger, other half or not, but none of the children is about to go swimming, themselves, so there should be no need to fret. "Do they stay in the water always?"

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Ah, Loki." Ben's beaming when he sees his friend, though that isn't the only reason why he's happy. He's been in a consistent good mood for a while now, and Loki will notice the sweeping black cape that the young man is wearing. "It's good to see you again. It's been a while, and some things have changed since we last talked." Ben looks up at the ship, curious. He's seen ships before, including giant ones, but this isn't the kind he's used to.

"I...used to believe in birthright. My family bears a long, complicated, and not completely happy legacy. I embodied the worst of it. The irony is that even though I spoke about killing the past I wasvery much a product of it, and it was only when I decided to come to terms with that legacy that I was free of that. A good friend of mine was born from a family whose legacy is one of evil - but she's one of the bravest and kindest people I've ever known. So our families are part of who we are, but they aren't the whole story."

Ben smiles faintly, waving to the children. "But I think children are entitled to protection, and acceptance, and people who love them. These things don't necessarily come from birth families. My family loved me, though our relationship was badly damaged. But those things can come from other sources, too."

[coldsong]

Loki smiles at how upbeat Ben looks today. It's a good thing, but it's so incongruous with his usual black, brooding attire and tendency to introspection, it's also a little bit amusing. He'll refrain from teasing, though. Agnarr, too, looks happy to see Ben, waving from where he and Una are inspecting the contents of a tidepool.

Ben is likely to get a sense of energy from the ship. It is built of bone and will, and there is a dark otherworldliness to it. It comes from a place of Death, but has been used exclusively in the defense of Life.

"Hmm." Loki looks pensive. "I suppose the same could be said of my family. Odin styled himself as the protector of Nine Realms for most of my life, but in truth he had conquered them first, and necessitated the protection he gave them. But that is a legacy that will be harder for my brother to come to terms with than I."

"I've come to feel that a child's birthright, aside from the care of family, is self-determination."

[adpacempertyrannidem]

"I believe that all the necessities of life, and all the simple pleasures, are birthrights. But you know that, dulscintara."

Megatron smiles. "I'm not here for long, the sand and the salt and the water, together, are awfully corrosive, but I couldn't resist the chance to see Eindrid on an actual boat."

[coldsong]

"You know, I could ward you against sand and salt easily enough." Loki smiles at him in return, but nods his understanding. Una and Agnarr get up and run over to greet Megatron; the latter more sedate, like he's trying to be an adult. Up on the ship, the other children are oblivious thus far, but needn't be for long.

"It's not just any ship," Loki adds. "This is the ship I piloted out of Hel to face the Black Order on the battlefield. When Eindrid is old enough and powerful enough to pilot it himself, I'm sure he will do great things with it."

[stark_ravingmad]

Tony was testing out the new booster jets on his refurbished suit when he caught sight of something rather different just past the Plaza through some trees. Was that---a ship of sorts? Flying high over the land he squinted inside his helmet and used FRIDAY to lock on and zoom in from the distance he was flying at. A ship but one he hadn't seen before. Then he saw Loki and some children playing close by. A smile quirked inside his helmet as he flew lower before activating his stabilising jets to stand up in mid-air.

"Hey, Icicle. Nice tub. Is she yours?"

He couldn't resist coming to greet the Asgardian and his kids. Tony had heard about Loki's children and was still surprised that the god had actually become a father. Who was he to judge? As for the ship though? It was an impressive craft and he wondered how it got here.

[coldsong]

Loki is wary at the first signs of something flying overhead, but as soon as he recognizes who it is, he relaxes, a smirk of amusement flickering onto his features. His and Stark's friendship may be tentative and in extremely early stages, but the man is not going to attack the ship or his children; of that, Loki is certain.

"You're going to make the sand fly all over like that," he tells Tony as he hovers, but he's smiling. "This is the ship Naglfar, I'll have you know. And I have piloted her, but she belongs to my children, Eindrid and Sigrid."

A gesture up at the ship, and Tony can probably see the little girl and toddler on the deck, the latter in the arms of a duplicate of Loki. The other two children on the beach are approaching curiously, though, intrigued. Agnarr recognizes the man from the cookies he gave out at the Dawning, and after a brief exchange of sign language with Una, the girl comes to stand by Loki and cups her hands to her mouth to yell up at him, "HEY! DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE COOKIES??"

Congrats, Stark. Iron Man is now Cookie Man to these kids.

[the_rebel_son]

The devil often travels to the ocean for many reasons. His love of the vastness as it disappears over the horizon and more personal memories that bring him to the beach over and over. He hears the children long before seeing them. He does pause to watch them and will great the children if they come close. He has a strong parental streak himself and loves children. There is little reason for Loki to bristle as he does but the angel understands all too well the reasoning that may be behind it. He's lost children and knows the lingering pangs that make him aggressive over the ones that are left.

Lucifer is glad to see the god. It has been awhile. Though they don't actively hang around each other, the two have a stable and growing friendship, perhaps even respect for each other. He smiles at Loki and nods.

"Kaliméra, apateónas" He addresses first. He has been spending time among the Greeks recently and it shows in his language and voice. "I think it exists but I am not sure it should be classed an entitlement that one has regardless of action."

He stops to turn and look at the ship. It reminds him of Kharon and he wonders how that god fairs. "Living under an oppressive God who believes firmly in birthright over behavior, I am perhaps not the most fond of the idea. I have one myself as a creator but the God who flaunts his love of birthright seeks to take it away."

He sighs and looks curiously at the god. "Is it truly a entitled birthright if someone can strip it away? It sounds more like an office or title when you consider it in this light more than a part of creation or existence inherent to a being."

[coldsong]

"Kaliméra kai se séna," Loki replies with a grin, a blend of the Allspeak and genuine familiarity with the Greek language assisting him. Now that he sees who has come to speak with him, he relaxes. The children are as safe with Lucifer as they are with him, if not more so.

Agnarr, especially, seems happy to see the angel, though all four of them are better acquainted with Sin than with her father. Still, they know a friend and benefactor.

"Being entitled to something doesn't mean one necessarily receives it," he says. "Especially not without insisting on it." He pauses to watch as Una chooses this moment to practice cartwheels in the sand, smiling and applauding her efforts before looking back up at Lucifer.

"I was thinking of my own father, oddly enough," he tells him. "I was raised as a prince, and taught early on that my right was royalty. And then I displeased him and he told me that my birthright was to die, and I would be nothing had he not stolen me from my own kind."

"I don't believe either of those things any longer, but it makes me think. Especially now, in light of this." He nods at the ship. "This was made by Eindrid and Sigrid's mother, with the help of their father. It's theirs, indisputably, but is it a right, or a gift, or a responsibility?"

[sweetcandygirl]

Even from miles away, King Shark was able to smell the ocean. And he quickly sent a PINPoint message to Harley Quinn, so he could explore the newly appeared location with a buddy nearby.

He is more excited to see the water itself, then the giant large ship that docked nearby. And he wades into the water quickly, not even worrying about getting the suit that he is wearing wet.

Harley is carrying a picnic basket with her. And she spots Loki and the children. So she heads over to their direction.

"Me? Nah. Not really." Harley answers his question. "Hello Princess."

[coldsong]

Well, he shouldn't be in the least bit surprised to see King Shark by the ocean. Loki whistles to Una and beckons her away from the water. It's too cold for her to swim, really, but he would rather there not be any misunderstandings that might lead to her being bitten. As long as the children are no further in than ankle-deep, he imagines they're safe enough. He doubts the Shark would attack them deliberately in any event short of some sort of instinctual frenzy; he seems very mild when treated right.

Seeing Harley is not a surprise, either, when it comes down to it, though he didn't entirely expect her with her friend. Either way, she is a welcome presence, and the children all look up and call and wave to greet her.

"Hello, Beautiful," Loki greets her with a warm smile. "Your timing is good. I wanted you to see this anyway. This is Naglfar. It belongs to Eindrid and Sigrid."

He rises and comes over to her, offering a hug and a gentle kiss in greeting.

[chiron_survivor]

Drawn in by the smell of the ocean, Adia walks the pebbled path over the dune and down to the cove, where her breath catches in her throat. She has never seen a ship like that before, and yet somehow she feels like she knows what sea it's meant to sail. She scans the deck, half-expecting to see a grizzled old ferryman at the helm, and is surprised to spot Loki and two of his children instead.

And, oh, there is Loki on the shore with two more children. She smiles at them all shyly. "Hi, Loki... I hope I'm not interrupting family time or anything..."

As for the question, she fidgets with the messenger strap of her bag, her brows drawn in thought. "Um... love, maybe? You know, being wanted and cared for properly, everyone deserves that..." The idea that he might be talking about titles or privileges doesn't even occur to her, her mind stuck on the vulnerability of anyone who is freshly born into the world.

[coldsong]

"Adia." The greeting is calm and not overly sentimental, but something about the brightness in his smile suggests he's particularly happy to run into her. "Norns, it's been a while. When did you see the children last? No, you're not interrupting at all."

It has been a while, and the children smile at her but most of them seem a bit shy. Except for Una, who doesn't know what shy means, and comes running over with a handful of seashells to show off. "Hi hi! I found a starfish, look!!"

"Don't shout at Adia, älskling," Loki says. "She can hear you just fine with your normal voice."

He leaves a moment to let Adia look at the tiny purple sea-star she's being shown, smoothing his daughter's hair, and then nods. "That is not one I had thought of, but yes. I like that birthright. Love, and self-determination."

[risenintothevoid]

There are still oceans on Earth, and on Titan, and several other celestial bodies that Aegis has visited before. But never one where you don't have to watch your back. She still does, of course - a Guardian who lets their guard down is often a dead one - but it feels different to know there's such a low chance of anything hostile eyeing her up.

The Exo is walking through the surf, water splashing gently with every step, leaving deep imprints in the sand that are swiftly softened and dissolved by more waves. The ship stands out the moment she sees it, unnatural and spooky, almost like a construct of the Hive. Her hand goes to the sidearm at the small of her back, wary for the screams of thrall and shriekers, but the only cries she hears are those of children at play.

She leaves her weapons stowed, though they are highly visible against her armor - a pistol, a longbow, a sword. Her armor bears no cape, though there is a wide square of fabric tied at her hip, dyed a deep purple to match the rest of her metal shell. Her helmet is off, the face distinctly mechanical in nature, though one with the sense for such things might detect a human soul at the heart of this thoroughly inorganic body.

"You mean like fate, or destiny?" she asks, glowing cyan optics flicking over him and the children, noting the second copy of the adult up on the ship. "Or are you talking about something you're owed just for living?"

[coldsong]

That is a Guardian, and not one he knows. Loki watches her a little warily. Thus far, he's on mostly friendly terms with them, but they come from a world that sounds far more black-and-white than he is comfortable with, and where battle is a daily reality. He doesn't expect any of them to be aggressive to his children, but aside from Steve and maybe Blaze, he's unwilling to let his guard down amongst them.

He hardly needs to be rude, either, though, and when she speaks to him he rises and gives a slight bow of greeting, and a polite smile. The children glance up but seem absorbed in their play, but Agnarr's gaze lingers longer than the others, and that might be partly because he's interested in the longbow.

"The term is usually used to denote something inherited from one's parents," he says. "At least where I am from. The firstborn is handed rights and gifts from parent to child, whether it be property or titles. The firstborn of a king is in line for the throne: that is their birthright, at least in some societies."

"But that is a narrow definition, and arguably antiquated."

[rogueinladysclothing]

It's the smell that leads Amelia down the path that leads to the ocean's shore. The way the salt lingers in the air and on the tongue after a deep breath. She walks between the trees and swaying grasses with her eyes closed until her heels touch the sand, taking in everything around her with her most honed senses. It's an incredible feeling, and it almost makes opening her eyes to take in the sight of the ocean more difficult than it should be.

The ship is an unexpected addition to the view. It's grotesque and unnerving, but it doesn't bother Amelia as much as it might once have. She stares at it for a moment as she stands at the edge of the dune, then slowly makes her way down to the shore after spotting the children and Loki.

"No one is entitled to anything, and if anyone they believe themselves to be, they're a fool. Anything and everything can be taken from a person, no matter how tightly they might cling to it." The rogue throws a brief smirk in Loki's direction before turning her attention back to the ship. The ocean itself calls to that part of her that longs for sea air and freedom, and the wind through the sails makes it doubly so right now. "I'd never have gotten as far as I have in my life if anyone was entitled to anything. My family wouldn't be noble, I wouldn't have magic, and I couldn't have helped the rise and fall of hundreds of people if that were true."

[coldsong]

Amelia is a welcome sight, though her answer to him is grim. Her outlook is, he knows, that of someone who has fought for every scrap of good she's ever had in her hands. It's humbling to speak with people who have had a harder scramble uphill even than Loki himself. He gets wrapped up in his own hurts, which are severe and numerous to be sure, but he sometimes forgets he was raised a prince, with his every material need met without question.

He looks at her quietly for a moment, and then gives her an oddly gentle smile. "I think," he says, "that one may be denied the things to which they have a right. And that doesn't mean the right to them ceases to exist. It just means that no right can be taken for granted."

"I think we are all entitled to self-determination, if nothing else. But perhaps that stretches the definition of 'birthright'."

Her approach was subtle enough that the children haven't noticed her yet, and she will get to watch as Sigrid, standing in the bow of the ship with her brother, makes gull-noises into the ocean wind. The cries are carried down to the beach where they stand, and they're surprisingly accurate, near-perfect mimicry.

[housejudgement]

This was one of the first occasions that Variks had ventured forth from Ben Solo's apartment; where he had been recovering and keeping a low profile in the Nexus since his untimely arrival. The day was clear, and Katiri assured him that this area was on the remote side despite it's closeness to the plaza. Considering that the ocean tended to come and go, Variks insisted on going to see it.

The Eliksni scribe came over the grassy dune onto the beach itself, holding his spear in a metallic hand and walking carefully in limping strides. The breeze caught at the dark green tabard he wore. It was still hard to judge his true height, considering he stood hunched - but one could guess he was pretty tall if he was straightened up.

It was impossible not to notice the huge ship. Variks's helmeted head craned up as he looked at it, swaying on his feet as he almost lost his balance. Gripping his spear and using it like a staff while picking his way along the sand, he noticed the children at play, and recognized the man with them. He had met Loki at Ben's Life Day party. Not wanting to startle the hatchlings, Variks kept his distance, though still observed as he made his slow way to the waterline to bend and dip one of his lower hands into the water.

He hears Loki ask his question from where he sat on some driftwood, and tilts his head. "Maybe, when Variks was young. Yesss." He mused. "A long time ago." There was nothing like that in Eliksni culture now. Not like the Old Ways. Now they fought to earn any title or respect...or even leadership.

[coldsong]

Their conversation at the party was not overly long, but Loki was quick to take a liking to Variks. He is clearly cut off from the wider society of his species, especially here, and Loki is forever drawn to outcasts. That, plus his calm, quiet pragmatism means that Loki is not at all alarmed to see him. Indeed, he's pleased, and when the children glance over at him to make sure they're allowed to socialize this time, he gives them a reassuring nod.

Una, the youngest girl, comes closer to the Eliksni, though at a walking pace rather than her usual reckless run. She remembers Loki told them not to overwhelm this person before! But she has a collection of shells that everyone needs to see, and she holds them out in her hands when she gets closer. "There are lots of shells here, and I found a starfish and this weird black thing that Loki says is a mermaid purse but I don't know if he means it or if it's just a story."

Amused, Loki lopes over to intervene before the children monopolize Variks entirely. "Do you think things are better now," he asks him. "With everything needing to be earned? And Una, that's the egg case of a creature called a skate, but they're also called mermaid's purses because Midgardians like stories like that."

[juststeverogers]

Loki will hear the crunch of brittle driftwood shattering under heavy boots long before the Nexus' newest Guardian will come into view. He's got a worn sidearm pointed always toward the ground in one hand while the other points out to nothing--commenting on a HUD layout that Siri is bringing up for him to see in his visor. Their patrols in the Nexus have been nonviolent at least so far, but as Blaze's protégé Steve has a better sense than most of what the Fallen holed up deep within the Wilds are capable of.

But he startles when he notices civilians and especially once he recognizes Loki and the children. Steve's quick to have Siri transmat his weapons back to the base where they won't be able to be touched even by accident. Only when he's disarmed will the Guardian make a slow and careful approach. He nods to Loki by way of greeting.

The question is one that sits uneasily in his chest.

"What I believe in and how the world works don't really add up, in my experience." Not just his world, torn asunder and forced to rebuild, either. He's been here long enough to learn about other worlds too. Enough to be pretty sure of his words.

[coldsong]

This far outside of the Plaza proper, where accidents can happen, Loki is very vigilant with respect to his children. Agnarr has been known to hike along the outskirts of the Wilds alone, himself, and Loki permits it despite the risk, because the young man is at least as woodcrafty as he is, but the younger three are not ready for the kinds of surprises this place can fling at them. When he hears the approach of a stranger, Loki listens for a moment to the sound of steps: bipedal, heavy but not huge--almost certainly humanoid.

Steve is one of the better options as far as who or what could have been walking up the beach, and there's a fleeting smile on the Trickster's face, which only grows when he notes how the man sends his weapons away at once. Thank you for being a teachable moment, sir!

He gives him a nod but speaks to the children first (and if Steve looks up at the ship he will see the same discussion going on with the Loki up there and his two little ones): "There, now, that is what a responsible adult does with ranged weapons around small children, in a place where there is no antiviolence field to protect them from accidents. In the Nexus, people will carry weaponry all the time, and some even have it permanently attached to them, but in versions of Midgard, if you see a human with a gun, you should be cautious. Especially when you visit Uncle Thor; the police in Norway do not carry guns on their person. There is seasonal hunting, but there should not be anything of the kind in Asvera, as stewardship of that land has been given to the people of Asgard."

Looking back at Steve, he adds: "Thank you. I'm aware that you're better able to take the risk of being unarmed than most, but I appreciate your care for my children nonetheless."

That out of the way, he stands and stretches, as if he's been sitting too long on the driftwood. His shoulder joints pop subtly. "What we believe shapes the world around us," he counters mildly. "Even if it's only a small, personal alteration."

[delphicbooksandbaubles]

If there's saltwater (or water in general) somewhere Aal's not surprised the Dor sniffs it out, literally or otherwise eventually.

She can't help but softly giggle as her mate in his glamoured form of a Golden Retriever at the moment till they're certain there are not any folks who'd be frightened by a pair of wolves about. Woofs cutely, as he half bounds, and barks at the edge of the sand before pointing with his nose. Before doing a jaunty and proud head rise and bob back and forth. In a 'Look what I found' sort of way.

She laughs bemusedly. "Yes, I see the Water bug strikes again." She murmurs her eyes twinkle merrily.

"Roo." Dor playful murmurs back before twinning around her legs for a moment as she pats his fore shoulder and side lovingly.

"Yes, darling love you too." She murmurs back low and tender with a little smirk.

She however blinks and her eyebrows go up, as they get a bit closer to the ship so she can make out better details.

The group looks familiar so she puts a small friendly smile on her face and calls gently but warm, "Ahoy, there." With a wee wave.

Aal tilts her head slightly at the question. She hums half in thought. "I suppose it depends on a few things. Are we talking something like an inherited hmm gift or skill or.." She trails off and half prompts in return.

[coldsong]

The oldest boy, Agnarr, is the first to notice the dog, and he beams, delighted. He doesn't have quite Loki's senses yet and is not aware he's looking at a shapeshifter. In fairness, though, he'd be just as happy to run into a random wolf as long as it wasn't snarling at him. The boy doesn't speak, but he crouches a little in the closest approximation of a play-bow a two-legged person can get, and gives a soft whistle of greeting.

He smiles at Aal, too, silently, and then Loki catches wind of what's going on and wanders over to speak with them. "Hello to you both! It's been a while; but then it's been a while since I was out and about, myself. Have you met my children? I can't recall."