justdontgiveame | Labyrinthum Inbox

"Playing the game would be obvious, but if Vaeros is as egotistical as I'm giving him credit for, he would expect something like that. It might even amuse him. Not that I care about doing that." Puck had some food and listened as he gave an understanding wince. "It can be hard to get used to. You seem to be doing it well enough."

Puck nodded. "That's why I've got all of those romance and poetry books. The first bait reads like I've got nothing better to do with my day than spend it thinking about how much I love you. But it also plays to Vaeros as I expect him to possibly try finding it. Not quite kowtowing, but 'I' notice that I should be more appreciative and how heartbreaking it'd be if the party had never happened."

He had another drink. "I almost screamed in anger writing the last page. The idea."

Loki winced sympathetically with the idea. "I toast to your fortitude and self-control then." And Loki did raise his own mug before taking a drink. "I was pondering a decoy journal or two of my own, but only disguising one as another book. Have you considered any ciphers for yours?"

"I had to dig very deeply into the reserves, I assure you." Puck grinned at the toast and had some more of his meal. "Hm? No, not at all. I want to sell two ideas: One, I'm so in the forest with theories that I didn't think to do any type of cipher. Two: I'm lovesick and too busy trying to deal with everything that comes with that to bother taking the actual work of information gathering seriously."

"A cipher would hurt both of those ideas. 'If he's so in love, he shouldn't be thinking of anything else enough to be writing out in code. He's so wrong with these ideas, why bother encoding them?'. But let's be blunt, Vaeros would be too busy breaking his arm to pat himself on the back for what he helped along. I could redo them in a cipher. Maybe."

"Don't, if you're not already. You have good reasons not to. I was also thinking that having much of the core information being spread out was also a useful idea so that no one person has all of it and can be compromised. Eilonwy is also taking notes, for example as she and I have been in contact regularly."

"My hands thank you." Puck had another drink and listened. "I don't recognize the name, but scattering the information is very smart, yes. It's especially important in some lines of work-- backups of backups." His eyes shone a bit at a private joke, but he didn't elaborate.

There's secrets and lies in Loki's own eyes too, and he toasts Puck again with that statement. "Eilonwy is one of the princesses here, 12 years old, clever and considers herself and adult, and well-trained. I intend to teach her runes as well, for her own defense."

Loki held up a hand, and conjured his notebook again. "I also meant to ask you for information you're comfortable sharing about Fae. For now, we're working on the likely assumption that Vaeros is a fae. If we need to pivot later, we can."

[OOC: See the highlighted parts if you want.]

"She sounds charming." Puck answered, filing away the info. One of them? Interesting.

He looked to the notebook and sat back, folding his hands behind his head casually. "Fine, we've got magic to.. Well, not to do. But to at least talk about." Puck said conversationally. "I'd say that assumption has at least some strength to it. What do you want to know first?"

"What do you think would apply most to Vaeros? Let's start with that, and if anything else needs to be noted, we can deal with that later." Loki took his notebook back, and conjured a pen so he could take notes. Both of his conjurations had that sheen of green around them.

Puck gave a hum in thought. "We don't have very specific ways of organizing us into types. You're either Oberon's Child or you're not. There are halflings, but those are rare. I've only seen one while in this specific form. But!"

Puck took a drink. "If we're using terms familiar to humans that don't require explaining a bloodline, 'fae' is a fine term to use. I doubt he's human, but I know he's nothing close to Oberon, Titania, or myself as far as abilities go."

Loki's pen scratched as he made a note or two. "Why do you say he's nothing compared to the three of you, or is it just because of the weakness of his spells we've seen?"

Puck took a deep breath before he answered. "That's part of it. For a fae who's the ruler of an entire realm to have to use magic that weak to affect a group is a personal insult. If he's at the power levels required to be a ruler, his magic should be much stronger. It's also because we've existed for longer than you can imagine." He sat forward to have some more food and then sat back. "So for something younger, using weaker magic, and running around claiming to be a ruler to put on that entire spectacle and for it to even slightly work was a slap in the face."

"Longer than I can imagine would be impressive. I'm 1,053 years old." Loki mentioned, but he was still making notes.

"That would also support the idea that perhaps he's using the dragon as a power-source, which is why it's still alive. Possibly others too, since his tax collectors were told to take the eggs with intent to kill them."

Edited 2024-01-08 02:13 (UTC)

"Different worlds." Puck answered, but he noted the age with a grin. "I should clarify-- in my version of the world as I know it, I'm considered old. But to you, I'd be young. Just shy of three and a half centuries old."

He nodded. "If he has to stack magic like he has been, then that would tie together. I don't know how his replenishing works, but even mine is finite depending on what I do. I never have to use something or someone else as a battery, however. Just a few naps resets things. Why kill them if he needs their power?" Puck arched an eyebrow. "He can't even--"

He looked off to the side and barked a laugh. "If he has to kill them to get their power, that's another tell."

"Agreed, although I believe the consensus is that we'd prefer the dragons remain alive on general principle, whether source for his magic or not. This is my own thoughts regarding a transcript of Eilonwy and Bakugou talking. It's a side avenue to persue, but is part of the whole."

Loki paused, moving to take a drink. "Like you, I do not need a battery. I've yet to reach the limits of what I can do, as well."

"I love animals. Of course it's better if they're kept alive."

"That's interesting to know." Puck held up one of his hands and started to tap his fingers as he listed things. "Let's see so far. What do I think Vaeros is, some information about the monarchs I serve, and you know that I'm not entirely as youthful as I look. What's next?"

"You're still quite handsome and charming and cute, youthful or not." Loki said smoothly and with a small laugh. "But then I certainly don't look my age either." Loki took another drink and thought for a moment.

"Would you like me to share my personal notes, and see if anything seems to lead somewhere for us? They're the ones written in runescript and not easily deciphered by others." Because that might also spark some discussion. "Of course, I also would wonder about weaknesses. We do not have 'fae' as such where I'm from, but I know the myths of Midgard."

"Likewise, so are you. We make a decent pair."

Puck considered it for a moment. "After a few more questions, yes. Because right now I want to get the information I know out." He fell quiet at the question about weaknesses, but finally answered after a moment. "The myths are just that. What ones have you heard? Hang a specific plant over your doorway? Never say 'Please' or 'Thank you'? Things like that, I would bet. The only thing that actively hurts Oberon and his children is cold iron. That's it. Not herbs, not colored sand, none of those things that humans have decided to apply to fae as they know it."

Loki nodded. "I think I'll just conveniently for now leave that out of my notes, but it's good to know." He was aware the other had just given him valuable information, trusting a vulnerability like that with him. It...privately Loki promised himself he'd be worthy of that trust.

"There are likely other Fae here too, as I know Alice was quite upset that some of the rules she'd heard didn't apply here. Night Sky also spent time as a prisoner of Fae, hence her belief that Vaeros would be like an archfae."

Placing his mug down, Loki took up his pen and tapped it for a moment in thought. "How true are the 'rules' about fae words being binding? I'm guessing the 'only able to tell the truth' thing is a lie. But if you give your word, must you keep it? And if so, is it Spirit and Letter? How malleable can it be?"

"Thank you." It was said plainly, but with some heart behind it.

"I know one named Maleficent, but not well. We've never talked in depth about anything, but she was excited when I made a guess at her name. She thought it was because her name traveled to Oberon's ears. Oh and on that, she knew Oberon as the King of the Fairies, so make of it what you will."

Puck grinned at the questions about rules. "Oh, I was hoping you'd touch on this. For everything under the umbrella of Oberon's Children, himself and Titania included? Not at all. An agreement reached between fae and human lasts as long as conditions are being met, until the fae gets bored, or until the human dies. We can misunderstand things, and technically not be lying. But the whole 'we can only tell the truth' idea is a lie, which is pretty comical!"

He laughed and continued. "The fulfillment conditions of a request made can be interpreted in any way that completes it, but doesn't have to be the spirit or the letter. It can be whatever's called for at the time. Or something entirely different. That's the fun of it. A promise isn't the same as a wish or a request. It's not treated the same."

"I've met Maleficent as well. I shall have to see if she'll discuss more with me." Loki had been able to tell that the spring had affected their moods, but he could work with that. "Considering you refer to yourself and other's as 'Oberon's children' that's not an unreasonable thing to think of him as. Certainly he's very well known."

Loki laughed when Puck grinned and at the sheer delight the other showed at explaining. "Good to know, and it also explains how you banter so well. Which, lovers or not, I very much appreciate a good sparring partner for." A wink, and then Loki was making notes.

"It couldn't hurt to see what she knows." Puck blinked at that and gave a nod. "That's true. He and Titania are quite well known on Earth."

He finished his drink and watched Loki write. "Oh no, that's nothing from what I am. That comes from my job in Oberon's court." At the wink Puck grinned. "Do you fluster all of your sparring partners, or is just for someone you're posing as a lover with? Or am I the exception to both of those ideas? Or is it because I react in the first place?"

"Really?" Loki said with surprise, whether real or feigned, and then chuckled. "I am a master of weaving words and crafting lies. People react so wonderfully sometimes." That wasn't an answer, so Loki finished writing and then took his mug back up. "With you? All of the above would be the correct answer." There was a smug smile seen behind that mug.

Puck gave Loki a pointed look before he sat back again. "So you're into bullying- I'm not that surprised." His cheeks were red and as good of an actor as Puck was, he hadn't figured out how to control literal blood flow yet. "I give you a good reaction, you do it again because it's entertaining, like re-reading a book of poetry."

Puck grinned. "How fitting- it's a quick dose of mischief, and all you have to do is talk."

Loki chuckled again, but would have mercy for now. "If it really bothers you, I'll stop. Or at least not do it quite so often. Out of respect." Which was very telling there, if Puck would catch it.

Puck caught it and genuinely smiled. It was touching, cute, and slightly unexpected. It was also impressive. "It doesn't. If anything I'm more amused that I'm so reactive to it. But you're good at it, and If you enjoy it so much then go ahead. If I were actually bothered by it, you would have known by now. Your display of mercy and understanding was quite cute, though. I'm touched!"

Puck winked back with a playful grin.

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