[ Video | Action ] Thread .001

[cloudspinner]

[Fólkvangr seemed to come with a real pain in the back, and this was certainly not a banquet hall. Even before she opens her eyes, Frigga knows she is at a beach. She can feel the sand, the heat, smell the salt in the air... and, goodness, when was the last time she'd worn this little in public? Not since she was a child in Vanir and she had taken to the forests in a fit of rebellion, surely.

Sitting up, she sees exactly what she expects save for one thing - a book, curiously bound, with her name on the cover. Well aware of the power of names and books, Frigga pauses to magically assess the book before touching it. She can tell it is a thing of some small power, but the exact nature of that power seems harmless if utterly foreign. Picking up the book, it doesn't take long for her to ascertain that it is a communication device of some sort.

Well. This was no way to make an impression, but since she was in a desert as far as the eye could see and not at all looking forward to a long journey on bare feet, she decides to see if there are any who might render her assistance before taking further steps. Automatically, she falls into very formal language.]

Greetings. It appears that the arrival of strangers to this place is a thing of no little commonality. I wonder if there is any means of transport from this ocean to a more populated place?

[And Aaaction for those inclined to less first-contact type threads!]

[As informative and helpful as her sons are, there are some things a woman wants to do for herself. Finding the proper garments is one of those things. As soon as her sons are willing to part with her, she makes her way into town. She borrowed shoes, cast an illusion over her dress to approximately casual Asgardian walking garb.

...this 'shop' was fascinating. For a woman who had her outfits tailored specifically to her for the past several thousand years, shopping fully made clothes was an unusual experience. A random passerby might see her shake her head and laugh quietly more than once.]

Comments

Red Rover Red Rover send Billy on over!

[complicatedliar]

[As soon as he and Thor have finished greeting mother properly, Loki immediately sends Billy a message:] Billy, you must come over to my house immediately. [He doesn't even think to say why. But his tone certainly sounds happy.]

[Then he turns to mother, grinning broadly.] There is someone else to whom I must introduce you.

[cloudspinner]

[This was a most astonishing place. Her sons united. Loki with a lover. And now someone else that he simply must introduce her to before she'd even had a chance to change?

Her tone is bemused.]

I look forward to it.

[selfhelp]

[Considering what happened the last time he got summoned to see Loki in a hurry, Billy's kind of bracing himself for something terrible. Doesn't stop him from coming, but he's cautious and concerned when he abruptly teleports into the room they're in, a foot or so away from Loki.]

Okay, I'm here- what's the big emergency?

[Loki looks like he's in good condition this time, at least. And... happy? What the heck?]

[complicatedliar]

[Well, he can't see Billy, but he obviously knows he's there thanks to the burst of magic and the sound. He grins broadly.]

Billy! I must present to you, Frigga Fjörgynnsdottir, Frithweaver, Beloved of the Stars, Spinner of Clouds at Sunset, She Who Tends the Golden Apples. Queen of Asgard.

Mother, this is Billy Kaplan of Midgard, who is called Wiccan. [We'll leave off the bit about the cute red cape for now.] Whom I call Little Brother.

[Hopefully everyone gets why this is so important to him now. Hi mom I adopted a third kid for you hope you don't mind.]

[cloudspinner]

[Despite being clothed in nothing more than a thin white sundress, it was evident by her bearing that Frigga's titles were not given to her for simple adornment. She very much is who she is, and who she is right now is someone vaguely amused at Loki trotting out all of her court titles - all but one, the 'wife of Odin' which causes a flicker of a frown over her face - and someone who is more than a little surprised that Loki has managed to expand his definition of family. He had been so set on it only being a matter of blood.]

Well. [That after a brief pause. She extends a hand to Billy.] After such an introduction, I can only bid you welcome indeed, Billy Kaplan.

1/2

[selfhelp]

[.....

what

WHAT

WHAT

For a long moment, Billy can do little more than stare. Frigga? Frigga? As in mother-of-Thor-and-Loki-Frigga? The real deal? Queen of Asgard. Queen of freaking Asgard! He's the epitome of deer-in-headlights right now, gaze flitting from her, to her outstretched hand, to her again, and once more, back down. Holy crap. Holy crap.]

I'm so sorry

[selfhelp]

[But no. No, no. Seriously, behave yourself, Kaplan. This is a real lady and a goddess and holy crap Frigga of Asgard. It's all he can do not to split his face with a grin as he tentatively takes her hand. Is he supposed to shake? Kiss it? Shit, ladies get their hands kissed, historically.

....

He can't freaking kiss the queen of Asgard what the hell is he thinking.]

I... it's an honour! A pleasure! Um. Your Majesty!

[cloudspinner]

[Frigga glances between her son, who is blind and confident in the presence of this young magician, whose power hums under the surface of his skin as steadily as his excitement. Her second mortal of the day, this one seems much more excitable than her son's lover, far... younger, in a way. Perhaps that was the excitement; it was difficult to judge mortal years.

With a faint squeeze of Billy's hand, she releases it and smiles at him.]

I think if my son calls you his brother, you may at the very least refer to me as Frigga.

[selfhelp]

[She really is lucky he's not a gibbering mess of incoherence right now. It takes considerable effort not to keep staring at her. Refer to me as Frigga, she says, like he's allowed to be so familiar with royalty. Good grief. It's different with Thor and Loki- which, admittedly, is something he can't justify- but this is their mom. Teenagers aren't allowed to call moms by their first names. It's one of those eternal etiquette rules. He just can't do it.

But he can't say no, either, so he just smiles politely and tries (badly) not to fidget. Oh god, oh god, oh god.]

Um... o-okay. Thanks. [Yeah, he won't. Ever. Sorry, Frigga.] This is a better surprise than I expected...

[cloudspinner]

[Frigga senses something of this, and honestly she is well-accustomed to court formality.]

'Lady Frigga' if you prefer.

[Even Thor and Loki occasionally refer to her as their 'lady mother.' She was, after all, the Queen of Asgard.]

I am relieved to be a pleasant surprise, Billy Kaplan.

[Mortal names. How long had it been since she had spoken so many mortal names?]

[selfhelp]

['Lady Frigga' is a good compromise, actually. He can manage that, and he looks relieved about it.]

Oh man... ridiculously so, believe me. I grew up loving Norse mythology as a kid- this is like meeting a celebrity for me. So cool.

[He bounces on his heels a bit, feeling a little absurd, but happily so. Loki, you bastard, you totally knew he'd be like this, didn't you?]

*sneaks one in there* ehehehe

[complicatedliar]

[Smug mode: engaged, turned to 11. Billy, his only regret is that he can't actually see the look on your face.]

Mother, Billy is quite good at magics. I've been teaching him. [And he'd also like to get Frigga's second opinion on a couple of things about Billy he's not quite sure about, but we're not going to talk about those yet. Better to see what she might sense on her own first. And talking about it in front of Billy is a no-go.]

And Billy, you ought to now that my Lady Mother taught me much of what I know. [He's learned a lot more on his own, but she did lay the foundation.]

I ought to play host a bit better. Tea and coffee. [And with that he heads to the kitchen. He's confident enough with the way that you'd never know he was blind, just to watch him.]

[cloudspinner]

[Frigga's gaze follows Loki with a hint of wonder in it - his entire manner is so happy and open, it's the fulfillment of her hopes in front of her eyes. Her gaze returns to Billy, welcoming but considering. She wonders what part this young man has played in her son's happiness.]

So you are a mage, then?

[selfhelp]

Um- more or less, yeah. I usually say witch, but mage and wizard are acceptable subs.

[Just not warlock. Warlock is Not Okay.]

I have a lot to learn, though. Like. Huge amount of learning needs to happen.

[cloudspinner]

['Witch.' Interesting. Names had power, and so did categories of magic. She wonders how Billy Kaplan defines 'witch.']

What is it you are most interested in learning?

[selfhelp]

[Huh. Even he's not sure of that one.]

God, um... control, I guess? Yeah, control. My magic can be kind of... unpredictable. And I can't cast anything unless I want it. It's not exactly ideal.

[cloudspinner]

[Frigga nods slightly, though she is aware that there is more to what this mortal is saying than she can comprehend. Surely Loki will have taught him that all magic is performed through an effort of will, and therefore his 'casting' must always be done out of desire. She is uncertain, then, what exactly he means.

It is very rude to attempt to discern another practioner's grade of magic with ones own talents, and so Frigga restrains herself, though she is curious. Most of her talents are still bent towards this earth, for however quietly she sits. She is content that the air is still air, but the quality of earth seems utterly foreign to her. That is disquieting, an uncertain hum in the back of her mind.]

It is well to seek control. It is the nature of most power to be at least somewhat unpredictable. In order to control anything, be it power or something more mundane, the first step is always to seek understanding.

[selfhelp]

Hah... maybe that's the problem. It's something I've had a lot of trouble understanding. How it works, and what my limits are, and... yeah. Reality bending is messy.

[Especially with six months of no practice. Stopping cold turkey had been hard, but getting back into it without letting fear take over is harder.]

[cloudspinner]

[Her eyebrows arch slightly.]

Is that the innate nature of your power?

[selfhelp]

Far as I understand it, yeah. I mean, what else would you call the power to do basically whatever?

[Which sounds uncomfortably egotistical, but beyond the limits of his own moral code he hasn't really figured out what he can't do, although in this place it's more constrained than back home.]

[cloudspinner]

[A warm smile.]

I suppose that depends on what you mean by 'basically whatever,' moreover how much power it takes to accomplish such a feat. [A slight shrug.] On one hand, reality changes all the time - the merest pebble falling in a pond changes the nature of reality. On the other hand, some things are far less malleable.

[selfhelp]

Well... okay, fair enough. But pebbles fall in ponds all the time, and anyone can cause ripples. Reality-bending magic, like, turns the pebble into a boulder when it sinks, or makes it float, or turns the water into Jello or something. Magic does stuff to the world that doesn't happen naturally.

That's what I think, anyway.

[cloudspinner]

What is 'Jello?'

[She has a point to this question, honest.]

[selfhelp]

Um... gelatin powder and water. Turns into a wobbly jelly thing. It's a type of dessert on Earth.