003; video/text

[deputychief]

[Hanging in the Odin Welcome Hall. Itsuki offers a smile and a typically composed look to the bracelet.]

Greetings, everyone. Perhaps not all of us have had a chance to go through the publicly available, ah, discussions with our resident trickster god. I thought that I'd perhaps offer a little executive summary of information which was new, at least, to me, to those who haven't been able to. It is attached as a text file to this message.

Of course, I would love to hear other thoughts on these matters. My own opinion is that Loki's argument was reasonably compelling. No matter what our true affiliation is, there is certainly no purpose to be served by not even appearing to be cooperative. For my part, I'm inclined to say that cooperation is in fact the best route for all our interests. [Though of course he'd say that either way.]

[text]

Pertaining to the gods:
- Odin's powers or resources are taxed by maintaining our presence.
- Freyr is said to be a hostage from Vanaheim and to have incurred displeasure due to his advocacy on our behalf. The same to some extent can be assumed for Freya.
- The ruler of Utgard is the "brother" of Loki, and likely hostile, certainly chaotic.
- Sigyn is the wife of Loki. Despite this, the mythological incident with the horses, which I presume refers to the story that Loki was once the mother of a horse, is not denied.
- The prospect of our rebellion is not a harmless one for them. They have repeated that we are the "chance to avoid the apocalypse."

This reinforces two points, which, of course, we knew already:
1) The gods are not a uniform entity, but represent a spectrum of views.
2) Both they and we have stakes in our presence here, despite their power over us.

Pertaining to the war:
- The expected conflict should arrive within one year.
- The war is predicted by a certain prophecy.
- Allies of these gods include elves, as well as the gods of Vanaheim.
- Enemies include the giants of both types, whose attacks on the city we have seen previously.

Finally, Sena Kashiwazaki-sama provided some excellent advice on the comportment and conduct befitting a god. I would advise anyone, and indeed, everyone, to study it carefully.

[added after this thread]

Miss Hel, would you mind if I asked you a few questions?

Comments

[corona]

[ Good timing and bad she'd say; bad because there isn't long for her to consider her answer, good because there isn't long for her to consider her answer. She can confess, as usual, impulsively and without thinking too much, before convincing herself she's wrong. ]

I already am.

[deputychief]

[He smiles, almost to himself.]

Me too.

[Hm.

There's something he should be doing now, isn't it? He's just standing still here, half-looking at her.

Oh, right.]

...I think I'll have pistachio. What about you?

[corona]

What? [ Seriously where did that come fro- oh! ]

Oh! Oh, uh— [ Shoot what do they have again? She spent all her Carefully Examining the Choices time talking, and since her order has been something different every time she's come there's no "regular" to fall back on. ]

Is pistachio any good?

[deputychief]

It's an interesting flavor. A little quirky, relatively, but quite popular nonetheless. [Which is pretty equivocal, so...]

... I like it.

[corona]

[ That little addition puts another smile the size of the sun her face. She doesn't even have to prompt him now!

So hopping forward and holding up two fingers in the clerk's face: ] Make that two pistachio, please!

[deputychief]

[He reflects that seeing a smile that bright is affecting him somewhat unfortunately. Really, rationally, he ought not to provoke it if it keeps making him feel more -- what's the word? -- childlike, as it were, every time.

In any case, he nods to the clerk and hands over a few runes.]

I take it you haven't had anything pistachio before.

[corona]

No way. [ Perish the thought of even asking. ] Pistachios were crazy expensive back home since they had to be imported. I only found out recently how that's done, but most of the nuts we ate were local anyway.

[ beat ]

Is it true they're addictive?

[deputychief]

Addictive? Well, not physiologically, as far as I know. If you like it that much, though, anything could be, couldn't it?

[corona]

I've just heard that they're impossible to stop eating once you start... But yeah, sure! If that's true I'm probably hooked on a lot of things.

[deputychief]

Oh? Well, maybe that can be my next question... What other things?

[glistens]

Books. For one. Collecting things I find on the ground... chocolate... Music. Oh gosh, music. It's insane how much there is out there! And made by other people? Wow.

[deputychief]

[He gives her a sidelong glance.] And you're a painter, too. You must be quite happy to be in Freyr House, then.

[He shrugs.] Not only is there so much music in the world, there are so many things that it can be. People have called all sorts of things music over the years. It's one of those things which is just impossible to understand by talking about it. Why it appeals to us and how it should be defined alike... It's a good reminder that there are such things as music, or humor, or love, or so on.

[glistens]

Or so on... [ As soon as the clerk returns with their ice cream Rapuznel takes both in her hands, a look of combined triumph and mischief barely masking itself.

She holds Itsuki's out for him. ] I think I understand actually. "Music" is a word sort of like "art" too. It's so indistinct and vague and... huge that defining it with one thing seem almost impossible.

[deputychief]

[He carefully goes to take it from her, amused at the odd expression she seems to be not-quite-showing.]

Yes. It's the old "know it when you see it" approach, isn't it? Simply go out and experience it, and you'll understand it better than trying to make chains of logic, or to create and argue over theories. So much the more unfortunate for those people who don't have as much time to actually experience it.

[Of which he's probably one. Oh well, time to start eating this ice cream before it melts.]

[glistens]

[ She doesn't seem half as concerned about melting on the other hand. Nor does tact make it on that list. ] Are you one of those people? To be honest, I've... basically been trying to figure that out since I met you.

[deputychief]

[He swallows some ice cream. So direct. So contrary to his nature.

...And a bit of brain freeze to go with that. Well, he's not going to stall by having any more ice cream, then.]

I... [Surely this is too much to reveal all at once, right? He feels the need to protect something, for at least a moment.] I don't know if it matters. Why have you been trying to figure that out about me?

[glistens]

[ Oh nice save. And with that kind of ball in her court, she's in exactly the same position. ]

A lot of reasons? I guess? Oh - [ wincing ] Gosh I really need to stop saying that don't I? It makes me sound so indecisive. Mother uses "vague".

[deputychief]

[Ah, good. His dodge kind of worked.] Well, it's fine, if not obligatory, to be vague as you start thinking about an issue. Of course, it's good to become more precise as you narrow down the answer.

[He smiles. Not going to be distracted, not without getting something else out of it, anyway.]

So, what are some of these many reasons?

[corona]

[ she narrows her eyes ]

Oh no. You are not— Shoot. [ Meaning that the neglected ice cream is getting its revenge at last. She isn't about to let licking a hand keep her from her true purpose - namely glaring at Itsuki over her cone- however, and the result has Rapunzel looking so serious throughout it's either comically sad or hilarious. ]

You are in no way about to get off that easy. I mean come on. You said it yourself didn't you? [ (Time for that ironic echo to get its revenge too.) ] I drive a hard bargin.

[deputychief]

[Kind of both. More hilarious for him, though. He smiles and raises his hands in mock surrender before having some more ice cream.]

You certainly do. On the other hand, it seems a bit like you're the one trying to get off easy just now.

[His smile fades.] I'll answer, then, and then you can explain those reasons, all right?

[corona]

[ It's mostly for his benefit that she pretends to consider.

His benefit and her dignity. ]

You already know I'm going to agree. Don't you?

[deputychief]

[He smiles.]

Perhaps I suspected it, but what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't at least give you a chance to refuse?

[Well, and now on with it. He'd earlier sidestepped the question of his own powers. He may as well mention them now, obliquely.]

I'm afraid I do feel like such a person, much of the time. At the same time that I read as much as I can, and listen to as much music as I can, I do spend perhaps the majority of my time working with the organization of espers that I mentioned. When I'm not doing so, there's schoolwork. Now, the Brigade, as well.

[He shrugs.] Of course, for several months now, I haven't... had to do anything of the kind. So...

There are plenty of people here to learn something like that from. Or with.

[corona]

[ Maybe she should be sad for him, but pity is another of those terribly useful things Rapunzel is awful at faking.

And as she's beginning to realize, he has a knack for addendums that make her...happy. ]

I wouldn't have guessed that at all. Not the first time I wondered. You're just - you're really smart, Itsuki. And you know that. But...what I wanted to know was if all those things you talked about came from what you understood or from what you'd done. You know? With everyone else it's - it's weird but it's actually easy for me to relate. I can see them. When I talk to people, I feel like I'm getting a glimpse at who they really are. But with you, I didn't know.

Your Haruhi was right. You're... [ She shrugs, lips twitching towards a smirk. ] Mysterious.

[deputychief]

[Mysterious. It's kind of an ideal he tries to realize; Haruhi is a convenient excuse for that, but even before that, it was necessary to seem deeper, smarter, secretly hiding something, so that people might respect him or at least wonder, be off-balance. That way he'll never need to think or fear that he might be too ordinary, or might be incapable of playing the part he needs to...

Somehow, the way she says it and describes it undercuts that, even as it makes him gladder that he had cultivated it. Her definition wasn't quite the same, but it seemed better, in a way.]

Well... ah, thank you. [I think.]

On the other hand, surely it's ... relatively easier for someone like you to relate to someone who perhaps understands more than he's done.

[He smiles a little.] Are you saying that your reason for wanting to know is that you simply wanted to penetrate the mystery, then?

[glistens]

Please. I hope you don't really think that badly of me. [ Despite rolling her eyes, it's another few seconds of eating her ice cream before she thinks to clarify, maybe in some way wanting to extend her own mystique - what little she possesses anyway. ] Most things are a mystery to me. I wanted to know because I like you. But it helps that you're the first person I've actually had to ask to tell me things.