Loki
Neutral 
No. Mischief is a small thing, a toy I've well used and discarded. This isn't mischief. This is mayh
Posts: 32 
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Post by Loki on Jan 13, 2017 22:47:15 GMT -5
It had been a long time since Loki had been trapped among the Midgardians, but since that time there had apparently been some interesting developments. Most notably, of course, was that Germany was now under Latverian rule. The trickster knew of only one person that could be thanked for that, and he intended to congratulate the man in person. Of course, that in itself could be amusing. The last time he'd seen Dr. Doom face to face, he ... well, had a different face.
It was a pleasant enough evening when Loki made his way to Castle Doom. Well, he less "made his way" there and more "just appeared at his leisure." Luckily, the castle was big enough, he could wander by himself for a little bit before he really wanted his presence to be known. After all, last time he was here, he didn't get the tour he so desperately wanted. He chuckled to himself as he paced down the hall, eyeing some of the more antiquated looking paintings. Everything was truly impressive. Not nearly as impressive as Asgard, but of course he was biased. He always would be. He would rule Asgard one of these days, and then it would be even greater.
He found his way to the top of the stairs aligning the entrance hall and slid down the railing, feet dancing to the floor when he reached the ground level. A brief look around and a smirk came across his face. It certainly was grand architecture, but that wasn't all that caught his eye. A servant was busy dusting off a vase and hadn't seen him yet. Oh, he could have a spot of fun here. With a flick of the wrist, the servant was forced to behold a seemingly endless wave of rats crawling out of the vase and falling onto the floor. The servant let out a horrified yell and ran from the room, the rats all following him. They weren't long for this world, of course. Being cheap sorcery, they would chase that poor human for an hour or so before dissolving into nothingness.
After a good, healthy fit of giggles, Loki went back to examining his surroundings with an almost impressed air. "Why you don't offer tours of this castle is beyond me, Victor," he said, though he was sure Doom wouldn't hear. Unless he had one of his pesky phantoms listening in, of course. He took great delight in catching the monarch by surprise, and he was sure that was obvious by now. Contented to keep wandering, he gave a brief exhalation of air before disappearing and reappearing elsewhere in the castle.
When his eyes opened, he saw that he was in the throne room, and he found Doom. Meditating. Ah yes, of course. Loki grinned his famously impish grin and disappeared once more, reappearing noiselessly behind Latveria's ruler. He was silent as the grave as he approached the meditating man, leaning down as close as he could to the armor covered ear. A sharp intake of air to draw breath, then suddenly, "BOO!"
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Lord Doom
Neutral
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33 
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Post by Lord Doom on Jan 13, 2017 23:46:17 GMT -5
It had been a trying day. Yes, trying indeed. Not only were the blood samples he had acquired been insufficient to continue his experiments on his prisoners deep in the bowels of Castle Doom, but there had been resistance on the eastern end of the German peninsula. He had been required to transport himself through to the front, which took no small amount of magic to accomplish. His appearance made the rebellions cease almost immediately and surrender to the rule of Doom. A matter of hours before the change of power had begun, and all was now continuing seamlessly.
However, upon returning to his city, Doom required a meditative rest to acclimate to the natural world again. It was so often the case, after heavy magics were performed. He could continue on without it but as long as there was a lull in the remainder of the day he would not pass up the ripe opportunity.
Doom's eye twitched beneath his mask. He sensed a foreign power within his walls. He had not reached out and foreseen anything in particular...until he did just then. It was the form of a man, a level below, causing mischief and harmless magic. And that smile. there could of course be only one culprit.
His eyes having closed again, Doom kept his other senses acute and ready. Loki did love his tricks, but Doom would seldom be taken by surprise at them. It had become a sort of game for the trickster, he fancied, to surprise the likes of Victor Von Doom.
Upon the cry of BOO! at his ear, Doom did not move a muscle. His green eyes opened and looked straight ahead as he shifted in his chair into a more relaxed position.
"Loki," he said in his thick accent, "It seems that the fates have intervened on my behalf again at last. I had been hoping that you would return in time. And even now, such an inelegant entrance. All the while tormenting the servants in my halls."
He turned his head to behold the god, giving him a nod of greeting.
"I hope that you have kept well." he said as he stood and offered his forearm and hand to the god in a show of remaining friendship.
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Loki
Neutral
No. Mischief is a small thing, a toy I've well used and discarded. This isn't mischief. This is mayh
Posts: 32
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Post by Loki on Jan 14, 2017 0:20:18 GMT -5
Despite the catastrophic failure on his part to frighten Doom, Loki laughed heartily until tears sprang to his eyes. It was all in harmless fun, after all. If he intended any real harm or damage, he could easily scare the metal pants off of the monarch. He was almost sure of it. It wouldn't take much to break a mortal's mind. Even one as impressive as Victor Von Doom. Every mortal had their breaking point, and he was sure to find Von Doom's sooner or later, if he absolutely needed to. Their friendship was entertaining enough, though, Loki saw fit to keep him around, and thus he kept his shenanigans down to a childish level. As long as it made himself laugh, that's all that really mattered.
"Victor, it has been too long," he mused, taking his friend's forearm in his hand and smirking. "I really should make a point to drop in more often than once every ... How long has it been? Your country was smaller last time I was here." He smirked. It was a harmless jab, now that Germany had been absorbed. He released Doom's arm and examined the throne almost longingly. Not for that throne specifically, and he trusted Doom to know that, but for a throne. He was born to rule, after all. That's what he was raised to believe.
He pushed the thought from his mind for the time being, but didn't take his eyes off the throne. A drink materialized in his hand and he took a sip of his Asgardian wine before speaking again. "To tell the truth, my friend, I would not be here had I not been banished yet again from Asgard. You would think they would learn to take a joke by now, but no. You would think they would learn to trust that sometimes I don't act out of malice, but no. It is always Loki's fault. Loki must always be punished." He rolled his eyes and leaned against the throne, traces of a smirk still tugging at the corner of his lips.
"You have been doing well for yourself, though. I can tell. Absorbing Germany must have been easy after the war. Must have taken a bit of diplomacy on your end." He fake gasped and covered his mouth. "You talked your way into more land! I'm so proud of you!" The condescension was all sarcasm, nothing genuine. It was clear in the tone of his voice that he was just teasing. Of course, another one of the little pleasures he took in life was to tease his friends with his childish jibes. "I will most happily drink to your stunning success in gaining land for your kingdom, Victor."
He raised his glass in a toast and sipped at his wine, suddenly stopping where he was. He sniffed the air. He lowered his glass, then sniffed again. For humor's sake, he sniffed himself, then sniffed the air one more time. Oh, that wouldn't do at all. "Why does it smell like a fishery in here?" He looked at Doom. "You didn't .... Did that Atlantis brat come here?"
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Lord Doom
Neutral
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33
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Post by Lord Doom on Jan 14, 2017 12:10:29 GMT -5
After their forearm clasp, Doom held his arms behind his back and looked Loki over.
"Banished from Asgard yet again?" he mused, "A pity. You are far more worthy of great Odin's throne than any other successor. It would serve you well to perhaps shelve your pranks if you wish to gain the throne of your father."
Doom moved toward one of the high windows and looked out upon Doomstadt. His city. His city reforged from the crumbling remains of a past now forgotten and built into a city that would soon be the capitol of his empire spanning the entirety of Europe. If all went to plan.
"You have not been to Latveria since before the second Great War," Doom said as he turned once again to his friend, "Much has changed for the better. It is fortuitous that you have come at such a time."
He thought for a moment. Now might not be the best time to discuss this with the trickster god, he might still be in a more playful mood. Doom measured the situation carefully and deemed that it would merely occupy his thoughts entirely until he let it out. He permitted himself a gracious slight nod at Loki's appraisal of his successes in his conquest. From a god from so many ages past, it was a compliment indeed, albeit a playful one and he nodded in reply to the scent left behind by his Atlantean visitor, but would say no more.
"I had hoped that you might be of help to me," he said finally, "This crisis that I now face, that all of my people now face...perhaps you are familiar with HYDRA? They have proven a great thorn in my side. They have taken something from me, something very valuable. A young girl who could prove the very last stroke of my victory."
He moved closer to Loki again, determination in his eye.
"There is not much that Doom could offer you that you could not easily create yourself," he said, "But for your assistance in this matter, I would grant you any favor you could ask of Doom that it is within my power to give. It is unfortunate that my reception of your presence here is one of asking help of you. But these are desperate times."
He gave a low bow to the god.
"Will you hear me on this matter?" he asked, not bowing out of ceremony but genuine respect, "You may decline now, if you so wish."
Doom was many things, but intent on changing the minds of others often disinterested him. And who could outdo the trickster himself? Not even Doom, for all his machinations and ability to manipulate, should he so choose.
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Loki
Neutral
No. Mischief is a small thing, a toy I've well used and discarded. This isn't mischief. This is mayh
Posts: 32
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Post by Loki on Jan 15, 2017 3:18:04 GMT -5
Loki chuckled in amusement. Of course Doom would suggest he shelve his pranks. A God of Mischief, however, did not simply stop being mischievous, and anyone would be a fool to expect it. Odin brought order, but order could not survive without the chaos Loki provided. Surely the AllFather knew that when he'd adopted the young frost giant. Either way, he agreed that seeing the throne of Asgard fall to someone like Thor would be a mistake. Whether Doom was trying to stroke his ego or not, he certainly appreciated it.
He followed his friend to one of the high windows and looked at the view before them. Doomstadt truly was a sight to behold. "Second Great War? And here I thought we were still on the first one." Just went to show, he either had no idea how many years he had been gone, or it all blurred together for him. "If I had known it would be fortuitous, I'd have waited another decade," he teased, trademark smirk tugging at his lip.
The moment the word 'help' left Doom's lips, the smirk was gone. It was replaced by a look of utter surprise. He'd never known the man to explicitly ask for assistance, and was frankly shocked that he would come to the Lie-Smith for help. Despite his nature, he kept his mouth shut until Doom was finished talking, and he let everything sink in. HYDRA had taken something from Doom, and he wanted it back. A young girl. He thought back to what he'd had Heimdall fill him in on before his sentence was carried out. Doom had a young girl that he had experimented on, and that young girl was ... Oh, that's right. She was the daughter of the leader of HYDRA. Oh, this was delicious. The bow was just the icing on the cake. If there was one way to get a disgraced god to do as you wished, it was to show him the respect he so desperately craved.
At long last, a grin spread over his face. "Victor, you should know that I simply do not care about HYDRA. They pose no threat to me. As a matter of fact, I have a few plans for them in Russia when they find their way there. I have no interest in interfering with them or their plans, nor do I care about the conflict you have with them." He paced as he spoke. He didn't speak out of ill will, but he spoke simple facts. He saw HYDRA as beneath him, and he had almost expected Doom to do the same.
"However," he said, stopping and turning to face Doom, "to witness Madame HYDRA scramble her forces all to retrieve her little girl? Oh, I'd do that for a Klondike Bar." With a delighted grin, he stepped back toward the Latverian monarch. "I shall see you have your toy back, but you know how I play. I won't make it simple, but she shall dance right to your doorstep." His face was alight with the kind of mischief that could only mean harm to one or more people, and it was his favorite kind of mischief. "I'll take the favor. A favor from Lord Victor Von Doom is worth more than some of Odin's treasures. But frankly? I'd do it for the fun of watching with a bucket of popcorn."
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Lord Doom
Neutral
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33
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Post by Lord Doom on Jan 16, 2017 20:28:43 GMT -5
This pleased Doom.
He nodded in satisfaction at Loki.
"It would go uneasily for me," he said, "If some compensation were not offered for your services. I have found that while I may transport myself in the form of a phantom into their facilities, physical access is far more precarious. They are well stocked and guarded, to my surprise."
Doom moved back toward his throne but did not sit at it, instead clapping his gauntlets together. This brought in a servant, bearing a golden goblet on a similarly golden plate and a bottle of wine in a decanter. He knelt and presented them to Doom, who always preferred to pour himself for the pesky and rather irrational concern of poison. Doom poured himself a goblet full of wine and nodded toward the long table that stretched down the great hall. The servant bowed low and repeatedly to both of the men present and set the tray on the table before he excused himself.
"Madame HYDRA and I," he said as he looked to Loki once again, "Have an arrangement which no longer serves my purposes. She would send me vials of the girl's blood to examine in exchange for resigning the girl to her care. But it is not enough. Doom has only ever been successful in his experiments of that kind but once again, and her blood now reveals few secrets to me. I require her full presence."
He took a contemplative sip of his wine.
"If the girl's mother were to find out that Doom was coming for her child again," he continued, "They might be lost entirely. And so it is far better for one of your talents to assist me. They currently are based in Vajdahunyad Castle in Budapest. My spies report to me that HYDRA is alive and well within its walls. This cannot be tolerated if I wish total dominion over the lands to the sea."
Doom realized that these specifics may not have been of much use to the god, who could no doubt make his way to anywhere he wished or appear before anyone he wished regardless of his knowledge going in. Even so, Doom wished Loki to have a full understanding of what he knew beforehand.
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Post by Titania on Jan 17, 2017 7:23:25 GMT -5
At that moment, the doors to the throne room opened and a rather tall, imposing figure entered, walking towards Lord Doom with a purpose. Dressed in a Latverian military uniform, a casual observer may have mistaken the figure for a man, due to their impressive height and muscular build, at least until they noticed the strawberry-blonde hair pulled back in a bun, along with the curves and assets her jacket outlined. Her cadence was measured and confident, hesitating only once as she noted that Doom was not alone in this room, before redoubling and striding more forcefully towards the unexpected guest. How this visitor had gotten inside the castle, she wasn’t entirely sure, since there had been no announcements of an arriving emissary and the, from what she knew, Doom had planned for no guests today. This little intrusion irked her briefly. She was well aware of how proficient her lord and master was at defending himself, but the woman, named Titania, took great pride in securing Castle Doom.
Approaching the throne, Titania bowed before presenting a dossier to Doom. “An update on troop movements through Germany, my lord. For the most part, everything has been on schedule. Our forces has been asserting control over the provinces they pass through while the secondary and support units are providing security as well as food and supplies to refugees as needed, hoping to make the transition to citizens of Latveria more easy and enjoyable. Of course, there have been pockets of resistance,” she briefly smirked at that, taking a breath as she remembered one particularly enjoyable skirmish. “But it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be handled.” No matter how violent the battles became and how much she enjoyed getting her hands dirty, Titania always made sure to make herself presentable to Doom. Blood on an officer’s uniform was frowned upon. “Some of the fighters may have been small bands of HYDRA agents, but if they were, they were quite disorganized and easily broken. Certainly not any sort of main force.” She enjoyed seeing HYDRA on the run.
Her report given, Titania now took the opportunity to assess Doom’s guest. The first thing she always noted was the height, no matter what. For most of her life, she always had to look up at people and now she took pleasure in looking down on everyone. This man was almost her height. Almost, but not quite; knowledge that made her smirk. He had a relaxed nature and an air of mischief around him, as if he didn’t care that he was in the presence of a ruler who was steadily putting more and more of Europe under his domain. She wondered just who he was and why he was here and why Doom was putting up with him and his passive insolence.
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Loki
Neutral
No. Mischief is a small thing, a toy I've well used and discarded. This isn't mischief. This is mayh
Posts: 32
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Post by Loki on Jan 18, 2017 15:00:21 GMT -5
Grin still alighting his face, the goblet in his hand refilled itself with wine as he listened to his friend talk. He remembered HYDRA. They were a relatively ancient organization, and their motives shifted based on who led them. He idly wondered what their motives were now. If they clashed with Doom, as it appeared they did, it could be quite entertaining. Hearing they were well guarded against Doom was a surprise to him, especially. Not many could manage that.
The servant that came in caught his attention. Surely Doom wouldn't mind a spot of harmless mischief, aimed at such a submissive underling. Nothing had been done about the rats, after all. Just a little bit of fun. That was all. As the servant excused himself, Loki winked an eye and the servant was suddenly struck by an insatiable bout of happy feet. He was already leaving, but now he was dancing out. Dancing like a complete buffoon. It made the trickster smile, at least.
When Doom spoke again, he snapped back to attention and sipped his wine. It was interesting that, with the conflict between Doom and HYDRA, Madame HYDRA was willing to come to an arrangement to save her little girl's life. He wondered if the girl knew where her blood was going. Now there was some delicious dishonesty. But, if Doom needed the girl's presence, he would see to it.
"As far as I'm concerned, my friend, the girl is as good as yours." He grinned and raised his goblet. "As I recall, Vajdahunyad Castle is an old HYDRA operation. With Germany's defeat, it seems HYDRA is building less new bases and reusing some of their more ancient ones. Good thing you've got someone that remembers where they're all at." With a wink, he took a sip of his wine. A plan started formulating in his mind. Never a direct plan, but a way to make it seem like, to the girl, it was her idea to come here.
Before he'd even lowered his goblet, the doors swung open and a giant of a woman entered. She might have been mistaken for a man, but he could tell a woman when he saw one. Interestingly, she reminded him of one of his ex-wives. Angrboda was every bit as intimidating and imposing. Though, now he noticed that she was coming his way. He barely blinked, didn't flinch, and gave no indication that he thought he was in any danger. He wasn't, after all. Not as far as he was concerned. He did, however, take pride that his very presence seemed to annoy her. Well, if that's all it took to get under her skin, she'd be easy.
He let her speak. Military movements bored him. While she gave Doom an update on the situation in Germany, he paced the throne room, glancing around at the decor as he often did. He couldn't help but overhear, though, that she spoke with great enjoyment. Oh no, she was one of those, wasn't she? He could tell, either he was going to have great fun with her, or he was going to detest her. Either way, he was going to have some fun first.
The report over, and her attention on him, he grinned his most playfully charming grin and strode in her direction. He quickly noted, getting closer, that she was a little taller than him. That wouldn't do. He remedied the situation and shifted himself to be the same height, pointedly looking her in the eye to show their new equality before bowing gentlemanly. "I had no idea Victor kept such impressive women around. It truly is a pleasure to finally have someone around I can see eye to eye with." He laughed unashamed at his own joke, eying this large woman.
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Lord Doom
Neutral
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33
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Post by Lord Doom on Jan 18, 2017 21:04:18 GMT -5
Nodding to Loki as he mentioned his tidbit about Hydra, Doom took a thoughtful sip of his wine and at last sat again at the throne. He sensed the arrival of his General.
"You are a fortunate friend to keep in many respects, Loki," he said with a nod, genuinely meaning it, "Doom looks forward to the day that you sit upon Odin's throne yourself. It will be long-fought for and well deserved, there can be no contesting that."
He did mean what he said. He perceived that the makeup of the world would be a more interesting thing with Loki at the helm of Asgard. He had foreseen that it was a possible future. Doom contented himself with their Midgard in the meanwhile. Doom recognized his own flaws as a human, not an immortal and certainly not a god. It would do him poorly to idly flatter or even flat out lie to a god. He spoke only truth. And Doom kept few friends.
It was then that Titania darkened the room with her frame. Doom did not stand at her arrival, though his usual manner compelled him to initially. But he was the Lord of Latveria and this was no political soiree. As his General approached and bowed before him, Doom accepted the dossier and examined it swiftly.
He then looked at Titania and nodded as she delivered her summation report.
"Very good, General," he said as he stood and bid her to rise again fully, "This pleases Doom."
Doom turned to Loki and noted that he had adjusted his own height to match hers. He now looked up at both of them.
"Loki," he began as he gestured to his General, "This is Titania, Grand General of the Army of the Empire of Latveria and my most trusted assassin. General, this is Loki of Asgard. I apologize, but your unexpected arrival did interfere with her arrival to report. But it is of no real consequence."
He waved his hand slightly and the tray and bottle of wine vanished from the table before the steps of the throne and appeared again on the table beside the seat along with another spare goblet. Doom poured it himself and offered it to Titania. Doom was many things, and arrogant at times as well, but there were other moments like this when he would show humble respect to his lessers.
"Drink with us, Umbra," he said, his Latverian sort of pet name for her, for she was indeed as his shadow, "A very important bargain may have just turned the tide of our combat with HYDRA."
Doom raised his goblet to his eye level.
"Latveria triumphs." he said, the mantra of his military men, before he took his sip of his wine.
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Post by Titania on Jan 18, 2017 23:13:38 GMT -5
A soft smile played upon Titania’s lips when Doom complimented her report. It always felt good to hear him praise her, but then again, she always made sure he had a reason to praise her efforts. Now that her attention was free once more, she turned it back towards Doom’s guest… who was suddenly meeting her eye to eye. Confused, Titania looked him over more carefully. He had been shorter than her by a few inches, she was sure of it. “Someone you can see eye to eye with? A moment ago, that wasn’t the case,” she told the man, lip twitching at his laugh. While Titania always enjoyed attention from people, she was under a distinct impression that this constant eying wasn’t sincere or due to admiration.
Thankfully, Doom remedied the situation by giving proper introductions. He didn’t always use both of her titles when introducing Titania to guests, usually sticking to solely introducing her as Grand General, but with the addition of being called his assassin, Titania became aware of just how important this man was. She had heard of Loki of Asgard, if only through the fantasy books she read as a child. He was a trickster god, which would explain why he was suddenly not the height she thought he was. Had she not been in Doom’s presence, Titania would have replied with some sort of snide remark, but as it was, she simply nodded at him. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Wine poured by Doom himself? Quite the rare gift. Of the few years she had known Doom, Titania was aware of how much a well-mannered gentleman he was, but even so, there were some things the ruler of Latveria either never did or only did so once in a blue moon. She graciously accepted the goblet, once again smiling when he spoke the nickname he had given her. Normally, she would have shied away from such a thing, denying him any chance of calling her something other than General or Titania, but Umbra appealed to her. She had to look it up, for she had never heard of the word before, but upon reading the definition, the tall woman had chuckled a bit. Titania was Doom’s shadow for many reasons, mostly out of the desire to protect her lord and master, but also due to looming behind him as needed for intimidation purposes. She rarely spoke during those times, believing that actions spoke louder than words. Then there were the times she literally blocked people's light, but that had mostly stopped once she became used to her new height.
Titania followed Doom’s toast and echoed his words, feeling pride at having a place she now called home and was entirely accepted into, even if most people had little choice in the matter. The wine was sweet and Titania found herself thinking of how a couple of years ago she would have asked for a beer instead, and even then she’d have nursed it all night, never really having the stomach for alcohol. Now she was drinking wine with a god and a glorious ruler who was also her boss. How times had changed. “HYDRA?” she asked, knowing there weren’t many reasons to be bargaining with them. “This is in regards to the girl, isn’t it?” She tried to hide the contempt in her voice, but it wasn’t exactly a secret that Titania had no love for Jessica Drew.
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Loki
Neutral
No. Mischief is a small thing, a toy I've well used and discarded. This isn't mischief. This is mayh
Posts: 32
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Post by Loki on Jan 23, 2017 0:16:13 GMT -5
Loki allowed himself to dwell on the inflation of his ego Doom inspired, mentioning that he deserved Asgard's throne. He always liked Doom because of that. One of the few mortals that understood that Asgard needed a ruler like him. Odin's time was over. The man was old and his power was dimming, though not at the rate Loki would have liked to see.
He was, however, a little less thrilled that this large woman wasn't as receptive to his charms as so many other women. Then Doom introduced her as his General and assassin, and it started to make sense. She likely didn't have a sense of humor. That didn't mean, of course, that he wouldn't try to get a reaction from her. It was what he did, after all. And he showed no remorse for interfering with her delivery of her report. He didn't care. The affairs of mortals rarely concerned him unless there was fun to be had, and it sounded like all the fun was already had here.
With a smirk, he sipped his wine as Doom did, watching this ... Titania respond. She was eying him, and he wondered if she had taken notice of his new height. It was just subtle enough of a change - two measly inches - then she spoke. He smirked. "A trick of the light, my dear. I was further away." His silver tongue worked its magic and the lie wormed its way into her ear to seat itself into her mind. He had a giant's blood, after all, and a prince's pride. He couldn't be shorter than someone.
She seemed displeased that HYDRA was involved, and seemed to guess that there was a girl involved. That caused the corners of Loki's lips to turn upwards in a Cheshire grin. "Oh, is there some animosity on the examination table?" He looked at Doom, putting together that Titania must have been another experiment. They never got this tall in Midgard, and he never trusted just anyone to be his shadow. "I must say, Victor, if Titania is one of your experiments, I can't wait to see what kind of masterpiece the HYDRA girl is."
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Lord Doom
Neutral
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33
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Post by Lord Doom on Jan 23, 2017 17:51:14 GMT -5
Doom was pleased that Titania was behaving herself. In that same turn, he was also not entirely surprised that Loki was up to his usual tricks, having added some height to himself. But Doom paid it no mind, it was harmless at its worst and if it amused Loki then so be it. Such shenanigans were beneath the Lord of Latveria, but he did not scold the Asgardian. Instead he nodded to his general.
"HYDRA's child is still of some little value to me, Umbra," he said as he took another sip of his wine and moved back toward his throne, "There is much to be gathered from her recapture."
He thought for a moment and then sat on the throne. It was made of stone and richly carved, the symbol of his empire emblazoned on the high back of the seat.
"After she is through with the procedures I have in mind," he continued, "You may do what you wish with her."
It seemed a fair arrangement. Madame HYDRA's bargain with him had worn out its uses, thus the bargain no longer made sense. What business was it of Doom's to alert her to such a development? Indeed abolishing their somewhat more manufactured conflict since the deal was done would serve only to rekindle the fire in the hearts of his troops. This seemed best.
"General," he said, "Once Loki has secured the girl and brought her to Doom, I wish for you to take three battalions from the garrisons surrounding Latveria and move them toward Vajdahunyad Castle. They shall be flanked by a company of treaded tanks. I intend for us to draw their leader out. If she wishes to parlay with Doom, I will hear her and make myself present. I shall be watching. There will be no need to send word."
He looked up at Loki for a moment, thoughtfully.
"If you wish to participate, Loki..." he said, offering, "You may join us. But General, if I am not called upon, then you may destroy their facility utterly. They shall be crushed with one stroke. It has been some time coming, and they know how outnumbered they are. Whatever they had hoped to gain in all of this, it shall be taken from them."
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Post by Titania on Jan 23, 2017 22:46:40 GMT -5
Titania blinked, looking momentarily confused as Loki charmed her with his words. Had she misjudged his height? As she thought on this, the suggestion given didn’t so much as change Titania’s memory as it fogged it just enough to make her second guess herself. Initially, she noticed the god upon entering, but her disapproval of his presence could have distracted her. Bowing before Doom would not have given her a proper judgement, and it wasn’t until he spoke that she was able to fully assess his height, so yes, it was possible that she was wrong. “So it is,” she nodded. “My apologies. It is my first time being in the presence of a god.”
But there was that grin of his again. That was clearly a constant if nothing else was, and it made Titania remember just how troublesome the god Loki was. Titania would have gladly given her full and honest opinion of the “masterpiece” that was the Drew girl, but only if Doom were on the other side of the world, and even then she would resort to writing it down rather than saying anything. “I know better than to question the will of Doom, my lord,” she answered, though the same smile she wore when giving her report graced Titania’s lips once more when Doom gave his permission for Jessica to be Titania’s plaything when his own business was concluded.
That smile grew even more when Doom spoke of his future plans. “I take it this means the snake will no longer be a guest in this castle?” Titania asked, just to be certain. She wondered if Jessica knew about her mother’s visits to Castle Doom. The answer was doubtful, and she would love to be the one to inform the girl of that bit of news. “Three battalions and a company of tanks? Do you really expect that much resistance, even after we have her child as a bargaining tool?” All she had to do was be standing there in front of Viper, holding her daughter’s head between her hands. Surely the woman would be smart enough, or desperate enough, to surrender then.
When Loki was given the invitation to participate, anger flickered across Titania’s eyes. It was her honor, duty, and right to bring down any opposing base Doom sent her to, but for a god to attend and participate as well? It stung her pride greatly. Though she had only just met him, Titania had the distinct impression that Loki was the type to steal the spotlight. “If they do not cooperate, HYDRA will be buried. Once the human element is dealt with, the base will become rubble… unless you wish for the original structure to be preserved. If so, I will have to act a bit more delicately.”
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Loki
Neutral
No. Mischief is a small thing, a toy I've well used and discarded. This isn't mischief. This is mayh
Posts: 32
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Post by Loki on Jan 26, 2017 16:05:32 GMT -5
Loki sipped his wine as Doom spoke, but his attentions were on Titania. The large woman was a curiosity to him. He noticed that she had ignored him, which might have been wise for her. Getting a reaction was always what he wanted, and the lack of one was a disappointment, to say the least. Though, he was sure he would have gotten to her with the insinuation that she wasn't a masterpiece. The way this woman held herself, she had a lot of pride. Perhaps she tuned him out to favor listening to her monarch. That was a possibility. He would try again.
He was offered a chance to participate in the carnage, and he grinned. Oh, Doom knew just how to tickle him in his trickster heart. More than that, it seemed to frustrate Titania. There was the reaction he had been hoping to see. It had to come at the words of Doom, but he got to see it, and that was what mattered. He couldn't stop himself from chuckling. The anger she was displaying was just far too amusing. He would have loved to assure her that she would have the spotlight, but he knew he would be lying. He didn't want to lie to a friend of his friend. Not at the first meeting, anyway. And certainly not when the friend was still present. Once Doom had left the room, or if he found himself alone in Titania's company, he might promise his hollow promise that she would have all the glory of that day.
Her side comment about needing to act more delicately if he wished the structure to remain preserved did open another opportunity for some light mischief. He perked up and grinned, looking up at Doom. "Oh, I don't know. If HYDRA is to vacate the space, I might like Vajdahunyad for myself. A home away from home, if you will." He had no real interest in any property in Hungary. The Scandinavian countries interested him far more. But he had to admit, the opportunity this provided was excellent. Not only was it a suitable place for a future king to live, but it would annoy Titania to take care not to destroy the complex. Perhaps it could be considered petty, but he wasn't much interested in more damaging mischief in Doom's court.
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Lord Doom
Neutral
Doom's word is law.
Posts: 33
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Post by Lord Doom on Jan 26, 2017 16:57:12 GMT -5
It was of some little interest to Doom, Titania's constant anger at Madame HYDRA's child. Both were perfected in their own manner. Improved, to say the least. But to Doom's mind, Titania was the better of the two for she did not question her gifts. She accepted them. Was grateful for them. She showed how grateful she was by serving her lord, the very one who had bestowed them upon her.
"HYDRA will be eliminated entirely," Doom agreed as he thought for a moment in silence, "I have foreseen this. It is the most likely of the many possible futures before us. There will be little resistance compared to the iron fist which will sweep them from the board. But it must be demonstrative. Swift. A larger force will serve our purposes well for this. HYDRA has played at war for long enough. It is time that the stump of wax remaining have its light snuffed out."
Doom nodded to Loki as he spoke.
"The castle is yours, if you wish it," he said, "Preserve of it what you can, Titania. What is left in waste shall be rebuilt. It would be far better for an ally to occupy it than it remain cold and empty. It would be but a symbol of victory for you compared to what else I have in mind to provide."
Doom paused again for a moment, closing his eyes. He was deep within the walls of his own mind. Searching. Seeing.
A flash of a vision came to his forefront. It was a ghost from the past.
"The girl's resolve has been strengthened." he said slowly, "I have not seen its like before in recent memory. She carries a different aura about herself. Emboldened..."
He stood from his throne and let his cloak drape around him entirely before he looked up at TItania.
"There is a plot at hand," he said as he moved toward her, "You will remain in the city. Do not go back to the front. Mobilize what forces you can out to the borders of our land. I could not see it clearly. But it will come from HYDRA's base. And it will come in the night."
He turned between the two and moved swiftly to look out at his city. He had seen fragments of a scheme within the HYDRA base. He could not see it fully, but forces would move in on his lands. That would not be tolerated.
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