Ninth Trick: Permavideo (earlier in the day~)

[doeswhathewants]

[The NV feed shows Loki in profile, backlit by a bonfire in the middle of a street in Sector 3. Focus shifts in as an impromptu altar set before the bonfire, carved with runes and decorated with a slaughtered ram comes into view.

Vikings loiter around the fire with piles of suspiciously modern goods, hoisting drinking horns and distributing wares, singing traditional songs of praise for battles won and companions lost in heroic sacrifice- no flyting, not with Loki around to best them all. Behind the whole scene are a few storefronts with suspiciously smashed windows.

Loki turns to the NV and his grin is all even white teeth, predatory]

To whom it may concern, I've contained the Vikings.

[He raises his own drinking horn at them and calls out] Mein Skol, Dein Skol, Alle Vakkera Flikka Skol! [They raise their own horns and call a hearty response before drinking.

Loki throws back his head laughing and drinks from his own horn, eyes glowing the green of bale fires.]

I'd forgotten how fun mortals were.

Comments

[doeswhathewants]

Animating a museum.

There is one in the City of New York with a splendid few floors dedicated to human arms and armory.

[that_is_asecret]

Ah, I see.

Well I did have an old acquitance who used to animate a punch of dolls and play contests, which if they lost would then become part of her collection.

[doeswhathewants]

...that sounds sufficiently creepy.

So the dolls used to be people?

[that_is_asecret]

Oh, is it now?

[He doesn't seem to think so]

Yes, there is also a legend behind it.

[doeswhathewants]

What is the legend?

[Curious, always curious, knowledge was power, after all. So many tended to forget that in favor of brute force.]

[that_is_asecret]

[He seats himself by the fire, and begins his tale]

Long ago there was a young man who came to live in the deserted wilds to escape the gazes of people for awhile...the man's name was Joe. Because he hated other people he moved into an abadoned tower with dolls as his only companions. But the man came upon a beauty named Anne and fell in love with her.

An ironic twist wouldn't you say?

He was a man whose heart had never connected with another. But his obsession with her continued, he wanted to live with Anne. He thought how happy he would be, if only he could make her his, and his alone for the rest of his life.

[doeswhathewants]

[He sprawls on air, one leg crossed under him, one dangling to listen]

Joe and Anne? How boring for mythological names.

But continue.

[that_is_asecret]

[His eyes open up revealing purple irises as he says the next part]

The man's wish became reality... Anne suddenly vanished. One day the villagers, hoping to get Anne back came and broke into Joe's tower.

And what they saw their that night...

A marionette of a young girl, begging for their help. 'HELP ME' she cried to them. Several of the villagers didn't return with their fleeing group, and it is said that whoever spends the night there is doomed to become part of Joe's collection, just like his beloved Anne.

[doeswhathewants]

Mm. And what did Joe do with marionette Anne?

[Notices those purple irises but makes no great deal of it now, filing the information away for later.]

[that_is_asecret]

Its presumed that he trapped her soul and his inside dolls so that they could live on without worrying about decaying through the ages. Rumour has it a copy of a powerful magic book allowed them to do this.

[Though he did know the truth behind it]

[doeswhathewants]

Oh? [That catches his attention further]

What sort of magical book? Do you know what it is called?

[that_is_asecret]

Well there is only one true copy. There were several manuscripts made, which I was sent to retrieve for my temple.

[By retrieve he meant take the knowledge back by destroying]

It is known as the Claire Bible.

[doeswhathewants]

Claire Bible.

[Says the name as though tasting it.]

You have read it?

[that_is_asecret]

Not all of it.

[He rubs the back of his head. Even for a Mazoku the knowledge would take a long time]

It contains more written knowledge then this city could contain.

[doeswhathewants]

Did you learn anything interesting from it? Any particularly fun spells?

[that_is_asecret]

[He smiles, and waves his finger]

That is a secret!

[doeswhathewants]

Secrets don't make friends.

Besides, they're more fun when shared.

[that_is_asecret]

They also tend not remain secret when shared too much.

[doeswhathewants]

I wouldn't tell a soul.

Promise.

[that_is_asecret]

Hmmmm. I may tell you one day.

[Probably not, depeneded on the circumstances though]

Though my temple isn't fond of revealing our secrets. I'm afraid I am only middle management.

[Knowledge was power]

[doeswhathewants]

What are you a priest of?

[that_is_asecret]

Well, more widely I suppose unity.

[Bringing everything together by destroying it and returning it to the sea of chaos]

More specifically my order you could call is concerned with animals.

[doeswhathewants]

Oh? What sort of animals?

[that_is_asecret]

Most varieties you could think of for the word. Except for Dragons, they belong to an entirely seperate grouping.

[Dragons were easy enough to deal with for the most part. It seemed unlikely he'd get to mess around with them here though]

[doeswhathewants]

Are dragons given more consideration than the other animals, then? They're rather just large, brutish reptiles in my world. Those that remain and there are very few.