whose_son_am_i | Meme-shenanigans and Continuations.

"You wouldn't necessarily need a spell for that." Loki pointed out, in a dry tone. But, placing his plate down, he decided on a bit of kindness himself. Moving to pull her chair out for her. "Given your line of work, how are your mental defenses? You seem stable enough from a sanity perspective, and I quite like your sense of humor, but it has to be draining on you all the same."

"True, I'd be very dangerous with a scalpel."

She's flattered when he pulls out her chair, though surely he learned all sorts of fancy etiquette growing up a prince.

"Thank you. My mental defenses? I have a good therapist to help with the bad days, but I don't know, honestly." It's not as if anyone has tried to invade her brain before.

"If you can use a scalpel, you can use a knife." Which he could teach her, considering his preferred weapons. "Were it my choice, I would teach you better shielding and how to guard your mind." Once she's settled, Loki moved to take his own seat. "It...was not difficult to suggest to you that I not be taken to a hospital earlier." Before he'd fully recognized her, and realized the Norns had smiled on him.

It was only a very tiny, almost microscopic bit, that he regret doing that now. At least once he'd realized it was her. It didn't outweigh the practical fact that if he had to 'suggest' or 'nudge' her again, he would.

"Guarding my mind." She nods. Then she realizes what he means.

"That was you? I could feel it, like a thought got put in my mind and I knew it wasn't my own but I needed to trust it." She's not upset about it, it's what he needed to do to keep himself out of a hospital.

"Can you read my mind normally? Or does it take effort?"

"You're not upset?" With a brow arched once more. "You should be, or perhaps you're entirely too kind for your own good." IF she was then it would be all to easy to take advantage of her. Even a year ago, Loki himself would've done that.

"I'm not thrilled you were in my head but I understand why you did it."

She is reasonable above all.

"And yet you still seem to regard me favorably." Blue-green eyes narrowed slightly, puzzled and studying her. Trying to figure her out. Just because someone 'understood' did not mean they weren't often upset as well, in his experience.

"Yeah, I have a bad habit of giving people the benefit of the doubt. You're not that bad."

And she means it, he's not currently as cruel as Stephen could be. She's not got the best taste in men, really.

"Clearly you do, and I can be. I just have no reason to be at the moment." He's not lying about that either.

"But yes, that was me. And if I can nudge your thoughts, then so could others." A pause, and he turned his attention to his food. "I don't quite read minds. Nor can I see the future. But I can manipulate and plant suggestions, as well as project illusions based on your memories."

"Would you hurt me? I mean, obviously if I attacked you."

There's an almost sigh of relief at him not being able to read her mind.

"So you could make my old memories into your illusions?" He'd no doubt be thrilled to see Stephen again.

"If it were necessary, yes." Loki saw no point in hiding the fact. She had been kind, and it would be kinder in turn to remind her who he was. "I could, though I doubt you want me to."

"I don't think you'd enjoy my memories either."

She can't forget who he was, even if he seems much better now, she will never truly forget his invasion.

Another assessing look, before returning his attention to his food. "To at least have some shielding IS something I could teach you. But it would require trust, and while you are kind--I also am aware you wouldn't necessarily trust me." A pause, "I would seek out a teacher though, were I you." Before taking a bite.

Definitely feeling tired again, which meant his body needed fuel to heal.

"The only other magic user I know doesn't really talk to me much." Or at all really.

"So I don't know who I could ask besides you."

Hmmm...

"Do you ever do meditation?" It probably seemed like a non-sequitur, but Loki had a point with this. "A great part of it is knowing yourself and your own mind, to be able to tell what's false."

"I do actually. It's something I picked up while doing my residency." It helps her to relax and to be able to focus even after a stressful surgery.

"Then you already have a good start." Loki replied confidently. "...I...can teach you. If you want to learn." It would be a step to repaying this debt. And he found that he wanted her to know, to be better guarded. A genuinely kind person was a truly rare treasure.

"But not tonight. I won't be very good company after our meal. I'm still tired, and plan to take advantage of your guest room. Not even to read."

"I want to learn." She nods.

"I wouldn't ask you to do much of anything tonight, you need a good meal and a long sleep." She will be in the next room in case anything goes wrong.

"Then tomorrow." Loki agreed, before applying himself more to his food. He found he was actually looking forward to the idea. Her interactions with him had been pleasant every time, and selfishly he wanted to keep it that way. It also gave him time to mull over just why he wanted to protect the rare treasure that was a truly kind person. Perhaps it was just because it was rare, and he did like his secrets and rarities.

If anything he'll do his part to keep conversation over the food light.

Dinner is pleasant, surprisingly so. He makes for nice company.

Once they are finished she does shoo him off to bed, she's his doctor still. She will clean up in the kitchen and then go to bed herself.

Christine makes it a few hours before a night terror has her waking in a cold sweat. Whenever she has such a dream she needs to get up for a little while to calm herself. She's quiet as she makes her way into the livingroom.

He had said he'd do his best to be a good houseguest. And he did have manners. Loki was a survivor, who had needed to adapt before--so he was adapting now. He hadn't argued either, only gathering up his armor and moving to find her guest room.

Nor was he so deeply asleep that someone moving around when he was in a strange place didn't wake him. Taking a moment to assess things after he woke up, and hearing someone trying to be quiet. Yes, it was probably his host--but in case it wasn't...

Hopefully Christine wouldn't be too scared by him. Pale and shirtless in the dark, a dagger in his hand and ready just in case.

She hears stirring movement, but it does give her a little fright when he appears down the hall. There's a quiet gasp then a sigh.

"Did I wake you?" Then the light catches the dagger, "is that a knife?"

Loki just gives her a slow-blink. Before flipping the dagger in his hand and holding it out to her. "It was likely you, but just in case..."

"Were you coming out to protect us?"

That's actually sort of nice, also self-serving, but nice.

"I had a nightmare."

"I may as well--you implied it yourself. You're a woman living alone in a dangerous city." A pause, before he took the dagger back and vanished it in a shimmer of greenish-yellow. "I've had to survive some very nasty places, and it tends to make one sleep lightly and armed."

A nightmare though... Loki wasn't really one for comfort.

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