[North's in the mansion, putting away food after a trip to the kitchen. He's humming to himself and debating what to make for lunch. Leaving the island the mansion's on isn't exactly something he's thinking of doing right now. His hand and feet up to his calves are all glittery and sparkly thanks to wading in the water off the patio steps and using his hand his hand as an oar. He glances at his hand now, frowning slightly at it, and while he continues to think about what he wants, he heads over to the sink to try to wash the sparkles off.]

[It doesn't work. He's still at it a few minutes later, scrubbing his hand, when he spots a few pieces of chocolate hanging out behind the box he used to transport food.]

Huh, when did those get there?

[From inside his mind, a little quizzical voice adds:] Dunno, maybe we didn't notice?

Maybe... [He dries his still glittery hand on his pants and wanders over to grab one of the pieces. He turns it over in his fingers; it looks like a regular piece of chocolate. It doesn't look much different from the chocolate he can find back home. It smells delicious too he discovers after shrugging and unwrapping it to pop it into his mouth. The appealing scent plus a rumble from his stomach finally makes up his mind about what to do with it.]

Theta, if anything weird happens to me, find Patricia.

O-okay! [Theta agrees, but wonders why North thinks something might happen.]


~*~*~*~*~*~

[Elsewhere, Loki's in the bar, curled up in a corner with a very pained expression on his face. He's not dressed in his normal leather clothing, but rather a black fabric tunic and pair of trousers with his regular black boots. His hair is unkempt and sweat is beading on his skin. On a table nearby are a few foil wrappers, empty of their contents.]

What vile degenerate has dared to poison me?! [He lets out a groan, a hand pressed to his chest.] My chest feels as though it has been set aflame...!

[What he wouldn't give to have more of his powers. Why Odin saw it fit to banish him.... He was only trying to rule in his stead! Odin, the man who knew what he was and forced him to think of him as "Father" for all those years! All he ever wanted was to prove himself worthy as a son of Odin, and banishment is all he could be rewarded with...]

[He glances at his hand, trying to carefully breathe and keep his mind off the assault in his chest, knowing he cannot yield most of his magic. Odin managed to strip him of just about everything, but he is not powerless. No, that much he can feel. There is some magic within him, but he is nowhere near the sorcerer he once was. And once he has figured out a way to quench the flames, he will be better equipped to test what powers he has left.]

[If only he hadn't eaten that accursed chocolate...]


[ooc: Take your pick! Or hit both, I don't mind <3 (We'll pretend I hit "send" before falling asleep last night.) Anyway, North is going to be cuddly and physically affectionate, but Loki, now in a mortal-state thanks to being banned and stripped of his powers, is now experiencing a very bad case of heart burn for the first time in his very long life.]

[All at once, every bad change on the Plane disappears. The food returns to normal, the alcohol is no longer water, the ink returns to its pages, the ice spikes recede but leaves the Coliseum walls intact, the trees go to sleep and lose their sentience, the creature in the water disappears with a final burble of bubbles, and the fog dissipates and those voices plaguing everyone are silenced at last. The stars shine and twinkle as they did before, but there is one thing that may get people's attention.

There are flashes of light--mostly green, but it varies depending on the spell--coming from near the black hole. Loki is there, teeth gritted, as he tries to push past the gravity well surrounding the black hole. A vein in his temple twitches from the strain and fury simmering so very close to the surface.]

No, no, no! It should have worked! They should be here by now! [It's how this works back home. He makes trouble, someone notices, and that's that. His point is made. But not here.

He slings another spell at it, the bright blue magic bouncing away and scattering back around him. Near his feet is an old sack with a box-like object inside. He knows it to be a fake Casket of Ancient Winters with a fake baby inside that changes colour whenever he touches the Casket. He hasn't had the heart to destroy it; there are too many questions it raises, but he figures there must be a reason for him to receive it. There must be! And to make him believe he was king... These cannot be coincidences.

He walks a few steps away, smoothing his hair back, then turns back round to face the black hole in the distance.]

[In a soft voice to himself:] Why haven't they come? Why, after all this, after all that I have done, why have they not even tried to stop this? [Suddenly, he bursts out yelling:] WHY?! Have you no care? [He reaches for a pair of his daggers and charges them with an archaic energy, making them glow red, then orange, all the way to a bright hot white--and then he flings them towards the black hole, intending them to trigger an explosion. However, the gravity well has other ideas and they barely make it in before the energy is sucked away and the daggers just drop to the ground.]

All this time and still, still, you do nothing but taunt me with your silence?! Taunt me with objects like this? [He kicks the bag.] Name me king and think I will not make you regret every passing second since it was taken from me?! You thought wrong!

[And with that, he tries in vain to throw spell after spell at the black hole to change it in some way, to do something that'll get the attentions of the people who run the Machine.]


[ooc: Aaaand this marks the end of Loki's reign of chaos. Everything is returned to normal, nothing is changed (though that poison in the bar is still there. He physically placed that himself instead of conjuring it), and there is only his shenanigans here at the black hole that need to be dealt with.]

[The Plane kitchen. Often, it is the saving grace for any and all hungry Plane-goers. Sometimes, it is a deathtrap, fooling people into believing it will be a safe haven.

Today, it is neither. It is the start of something bigger by a demi-god who is mad as hell--and he's not going to take it anymore.

The kitchen is empty when Loki enters it. He doesn't linger inside; he merely retrieves a piece of fruit from a bowl then leaves. But the kitchen has changed the moment he's gone, though it doesn't look like it on the surface. Nothing is out of place. The fruit looks like fruit, the meats in the fridge look like meat, the crackers in the cupboard look how they do on the box, and so on. But one touch is all it will take to make each and every food item melt into a thick sludge. It will not smell unpleasant, nor will it be hazardous to one's health. It's actually quite nutritious, but tastes like roasted boar for some reason.

But will anyone actually eat it? Well, that's one question...]


[ooc: This is the start of Loki's plan to piss off everyone ever create enough chaos to get the hosts' attention. Details can be found here, and please keep an eye on the ooc comm for future updates for it!]

[Loki leaves the bar after meeting with Mu, the truth of what happened to him (and the others) still swimming around his head. To say that he's angry is an understatement; his temper has reached a threshold where mere retribution and suffering just will not do. It isn't the first time the denizens of the Astral Plane have dared to do anything to him, but playing with his life as if he was just a mere child's toy?

Well. Two could play that game.

He knows he isn't alone in his thirst for vengeance against this woman, so it will not be difficult to spur them into action. Finding her will be another issue entirely, but not one he is concerned with. After all, if he had been the one to do this, he certainly would be waiting to watch the reactions and fallout. He pauses for a moment, then smirks to himself, suddenly understanding a little better how Thor must feel when the wool has been pulled over his eyes.

Quickly squashing that self-realisation into the back of his mind for another time (to be forgotten), he sends doppelgänger off to seek those he's seen speak to the other victims, including anyone left in the bar. While they are off delivering his message to gather somewhat near the bar, he strides forward and starts to clap. His eyes are scanning the area for any sign of this woman; of course, he's also doing so from a safer place while under a cloaking spell. In truth, it's another doppelgänger who is exposed and clapping, and begins to speak.]

I really must congratulate you, mortal, for what you have accomplished here. I must say that I'm impressed. Bending another's mind to your will and bidding takes a certain amount of power; I never thought a mere mortal could do such a thing.

Perhaps we could meet? I really must learn how you performed this difficult task.

[Admittedly, he really does want to know. He can imagine overtaking his brother and ruining his reputation in such a way that their father will have no choice but to declare him unfit for the throne.

However, the other part of him knows that confronting such a person as this woman in this manner will also put her off her guard for the others to arrive. What they do after that is up to them.]


[ooc: It's confronting Laith time! When Laith replies, go ahead and make your own threads to her to question her about what she's done, etc. If fighting breaks out, well, it's only understandable. Definitely keep an eye on each other's threads so we don't accidentally double-up on questions, that kind of thing.]

[Normally when Loki is out and about the Plane, he likes to observe in relative silence, occasionally showing himself to people of interest, or those he's slowly growing to know to personally. He has his reasons for doing what he does. Even his snow

This time, however, he makes it very clear that he's arrived since he's brought with him an ornate, gold sofa. But the thing is...the golden color isn't due to actual gold or any metal at all. It is golden sugar glass and smells of honey, while the cushions themselves are marshmallowy in texture.

And Loki? Looks very much displeased about this, which does seem to contradict that he has a giant candy couch. Anyone else may be pleasantly surprised by such a state of affairs, but him? Oh no. Not at all.]

This, this, will not be tolerated! Whomever has dared to do this will show themselves now to right what has been wronged. All will be forgiven if this is done without haste.

[...Except it won't because he will remember, and he will take retribution for what has been done.]


[ooc: Unfortunately, this isn't all that has been done to him. Loki's first experiment makes it so he can only turn things into candy and ice cream, and if he really tries, he can reverse it--but that's it. No matter what kind of spell or enchantment he tries, it'll have the same result. So that also means he can't skulk about in secret either. Oh, but he won't be able to turn people into candy or ice cream versions of themselves. With player permission, he can change clothing--but that's only if any of you guys want that. Otherwise, we'll see where things lead!]

[A light layer of snow coats Loki's shoulders and head as he appears on the Plane. Winter has begun to set in back on Asgard, but has yet to hit with full force. Shame, too. He finds...comfort in the quiet and crystalline beauty the snow brings. There is serenity there, time for meditation and long nights curled up by the fire, or for a lone walk through the falling snow while all of Asgard rests nestled in their homes to keep out of the cold.

Then again, the cold has never quite bothered him. Where others need several layers to keep it at bay, he finds that only a few are sufficient and, in truth, more than enough for him. It is never something he has never truly dwelt on and probably never will.

Besides...the cooler climate offers something else to him that no other season can: an opportunity for innocent mischief that he can reap the benefits of for months until the last stubborn ice crystal melts away.

One look around at the Astral Plane and at the snow caught in the folds of his coat and gloves gives him all the ideas he needs to have a bit of fun without any interference. A smile curls on his lips as reaches up and scoops some of the snow off his clothing, cupping it in his hands. It is more than enough for his purposes. He lets out a slow breath, the air condensing and cooling around him. With the next, he blows into his hands, a plume of snow shooting out an opening left between his fingers. Up it rises until it's high in the sky--and then the snow and cold begins to spread across the Plane. Frost builds up on the windows of all the buildings, snow covering anything it happens to fall upon, even those unlucky enough to experience the sudden change of weather.

Loki looks up into the sky, snowflakes landing softly on his face. It is a start. He glances towards the desolate beach and gestures in its direction, a patch of snow swirling fast and tighter before it descends upon part of the beach, forming a thick layer of smooth ice. Naturally, other slick patches of ice form in other locations of the Plane, as well, hidden under the snow in varying sizes.

He twists his hand ever so slightly, watching the snowflakes turn thick and heavy, the flurries turning into a veritable blizzard that sweeps back and forth in waves--just to keep things interesting, of course. Why make a tame snowstorm when so much more fun can be had with a worse one?

With his mischief fully under way, he chuckles to himself and begins to stroll about the Plane, curious to see what fun can be found.]


[ooc: Be it Snowpocalypse, Blizzard of [insert year here], or a day that ends with a y if you live in typically colder climes, Winter has come to the Plane! The snow's gonna be pretty thick soon enough, but it will come and go in waves as Loki sees fit. Treat this as a mingle post if you'd like to have some snowy fun! Build a snowman, go ice skating, play some hockey, or huddle in the kitchen with hot cocoa. Do whatever you please! Of course, you can always catch Loki in the middle of what he's doing, either at the start of the snowstorm or later on. He'll be ensuring there is opportunity for fun and mischief of many kinds, so watch for any black ice (Plane-ice??) on the ground, icicles of varying sizes, and one might not want to touch any tongues to any pole-like things that might be around. Not even you're triple-dog dared. Enjoy! o/ ]

[When Loki arrives on the Plane, momentary surprise turning to curiosity as he looks around and does not see the woman, Meredith Sault, he met here previously] Of course. She would not be here again. [A small, knowing smile crosses his features.] I wouldn't be.

[He sets off to explore this new world after he is certain he won't simply be thrust back outside that little cottage once more. Stars surrounding him are not an unfamiliar sight to Loki. They are, however, not the ones he is used to in the constellations he studied and has used to guide him when no map could. They intrigue him and will warrant further inspection--but they are not his primary concern. After finding the Information kiosk and receiving aid from a helpful invisible woman--who he tried to find initially until he figured out the trick--he is left with questions not about how to go home. He has already tried what was suggested to him and found it quite clever. No, he wonders other things...] How is this world even here? Why has Father never mentioned it?

[As things seem relatively peaceful, he does not put on his armor; there doesn't appear to be any need for it, though he does stay on his guard. Instead, he cloaks himself for a time, wandering around this "Astral Plane" invisibly to see what it has to offer.

It...is not quite what he is expecting, but then again with the "Astral" denotation, he might have expected objects dealing more with the celestial bodies than what he has found. Surely, there are answers for this as well, and as he has assessed the dangers and this place well enough already, he removes his enchantments and heads towards a building which purpose he was initially unsure of until he took note of all the bottles of alcohol and suddenly it all became clear. The mortals there would be a good place to start.]

[As he speaks, he pushes the bar doors aside and gracefully strides in.] Pardon the intrusion. I must admit this is my first time getting a proper look around this plane of Astral. Yet, I find myself with more questions than the box of information can provide me. I would reward you with food and drink... [He glances at all the bottles behind the bar.] But I believe this building and one other is already handling that for you.

[He would know who would trick the trickster.]


[ooc: If you haven't already, please fill out this short permissions thing! Thank you ♥ ]