"A traditional breakfast should work, can I get a hot chocolate with that as well please?" She asked politely, wracking her brain to try to remember what Magnus liked. As far as she could remember, he wasn't very picky, but he seemed to like hot drinks, and hot chocolate seemed like a safe option. Glancing up at Loki, she offered a tiny smile, "Anything else you want for the walk back to the palace?"
Lillian nodded, writing down the order for the breakfast and hot chocolate. “I’m sure your friend will love this.” She reassured with sweet smile.
Loki thought for a moment and scooted out of the seat, whispering his order to Lillian before settling back down.
Lillian smiled with a shake of her head and went to the back to personally fill in their order
Avalin slid right next to him as he sat down, hooking her arms around one of his. She smiled to Lillian, then closed her eyes, taking in the feeling of being able to sit here with her husband. "Did I ever tell you how much you mean to me," She murmured, looking up to him.
He laughed and nodded “every single day my love, just by being by my side,” he replied, pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. “I only hope I do the same.” He nudged her head affectionately “you’re everything to me.”
She smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek in return, "You mean more to me than all of the nine realms combined." Avalin looked around the cafe as they waited for the food, watching it get become steadily busy as the city woke up. She smiled sadly at a family that walked in, a small child held in male's arms and a little boy holding the woman's hand.
Loki followed her gaze and sighed quietly, “we’ll have another chance, love. You’ll see.” He said softly, straightening when Lillian came back with Magnus’ and Loki’s order. “There you are, I do hope you enjoy.” She smiled sweetly at them, hugged each of them tightly Andy then went off to start to take other peoples meal orders. “The poor thing needs a break.” Loki said, nodding at Lillian as he stood and took the bags of food. “Ready to talk with him?”
"Thank you Lillian, I really appreaciate this," She said as LIllian came over, returning the hug tightly as she pulled her focus away from the family. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to talk to your brother, but I suppose we have to eventually. First we're visiting Magnus right?" Avalin shrugged and held out a hand, smiling gently, "I can take the food if you'd like." She led the way to the door, waving one last time to Lillian as they made their way back onto the streets of Asguard.
He nodded “yes, Magnus comes first.” He decidedly gave her breakfast, not wanting her to peek at the dessert. He followed her out of the cafe with a final wave to Lillian. “Don’t worry, I’m not all too thrilled about talking to him either, but it must be done.”
On the way back to the castle, Loki’s mind filled with millions of ways his and Thor’s conversation could go, some even landing him back in the dungeons. He didn’t need for that to happen, so he’d try to be a bit more cooperative, though that decision didn’t come easily, especially when most of the things he wanted to say were more were more insulting. With a heavy sigh, he glared at the guards posted near the door as they passed, making sure to keep his head high, even as they were in the halls.
Avalin was lost in her thoughts as they walked back to the palace, aware enough of her surroundings that she smiled hesitantly at the guards as they passed. Then she was pulled back to her mind, letting the topics keep her occupied the entire way towards the servant's quarters. She wasn't sure if Magnus was even there, but it was a good place to check, and it was away from the throne room, where they would eventually have to meet Thor.
"Does it feel strange to walk freely in the halls again?" She asked gently when she focused on the present, looking around and mentally gauging how many guards would be around each part of the palace.
He sighed softly and nodded “yes it is, usually when I step in here and not have to fight my way through the halls.” He laughed and shrugged. “It’s an odd change.” He guided the way to the servants quarter, taking the longer way around so as to avoid the throne room and his brother as much as possible. He asked around to some of the other servants, seeing if they knew where’s Magnus was now. Some were a bit nervous, others outright ignored him, though they did manage to find out Magnus’ whereabouts through one of Avalin’s closer friends Andy colleagues.
Booping very lightly no rush :3
(Ah shoot I thought I replied to this >_< I’ll reply as soon as I have access to a computer)
(It’s alright!)
"He must have taken up my daily work if he's assigned to the library," Avalin said gently as they headed away from the servants quarters towards the library, a guilty frown crossing her face, "That means he's working almost twice as much as before…he was as tired as I was just doing one person's work, with two…gods.." She squeezed Loki's hand as they walked, lost in her worry for their friend. Even though she was grateful not to be working again, she hated the idea of Magnus being further punished for her not being there anymore.
Loki gently squeezed back, disheartened to hear that Magnus was now working more due to their actions. It was his fault that Magnus was in this situation for asking him to go against orders just so he could see Avalin and their unborn child. Tears pricked at his eyes but he refused to cry any more, Not until Magnus was free from his duties and Avalin and him were away from Asgard. With that in mind, he raised his head high as they passed Byblos a few guards, mustering any shred of confidence he had left as they entered the servants quarter. He stopped before they went any farther. He turned to Avalin and sighed softly. “I think it’s be best Igbo I speak with Thor first. You bring Magnus food while I find my brother. It’ll be easier to talk to him without giving him an incentive to defy any requests.”
Avalin frowned as he offered out the idea, but she nodded slowly. It made sense to try to talk to Thor without giving him leverage with her around. "Okay," She murmured, wrapping him in a tight hug, "I know you'll only be in the throne room, but please be safe. Don't make him mad please. I'll come meet you when Magnus is done eating." She looked up at him with a tiny smile, nervous at leaving his side. She had just gotten him back, the last thing they needed was to be split up again. There was no way she would survive that again. Taking the food from Loki, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and smiled once more, "You mean the world to me, love."
He hugged her back and smiled softly at her instructions. “I’ll try and be safe and I’ll try not to make him mad but no promises.” He gazed down at her, not wanting to leave her side ever again but knowing they needed to be apart for a while just once more. He gently cupped her cheek and pressed a kiss to her brow after she kissed his cheek. “And you mean everything to me.” He passed her the food and pressed another kiss to her lips. “I’ll see you in the throne room soon. Send my regards to Magnus.” He offered a reassuring smile before turning and head back towards the throne room
(Do you need me to control Thor and Magnus? Or you want to take one of them?)
Avalin took the food with a gentle smile and a nod, trusting that her husband would be smart enough to keep himself out of trouble. Watching him leave, she headed towards the library, where Magnus was supposed to be. She wasn't sure if he would actually be there, but if he was stuck doing her assignments, then he would be there for at least a little while. Guilt washed over her at the idea of him working for two people, followed by a determined look. Loki was going to negotiate him out of working as a servant, and before they left, she was going to arrange for him a place to stay and a job if needed.
(I’ll take Magnus if that’s ok.)
Loki strode through the halls towards the throne room, passing by guards rooms and servants wandering the halls, not paying any of them mind as they didn’t not try and stop him. He turned a sharp corner and grasped the handle to the door. He took a deep breath and glanced down at his hand, seeing that it had turned blue. He took another calming breath, reminding himself what Avalin had told him. He waited until he returned to normal before yanking open the door and striding into the room, towards the throne where his brother sat
(Yeah that's alright)
Thor looked calm as he sat on the throne, speaking to one of the many advisors and pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so. Slowly, he looked up as he heard the door open, waving away the advisor and sitting up straighter on his seat. "Brother," He simply started, nodding his head in a tense greeting.
The king didn't look particularly happy to see his brother, but he didn't look angry either. He just looked like it was a minor mishap in his day.
Avalin wandered into the library silently, a soft smile on her face as she looked around for Magnus. It didn't take her long to find him, and quietly, she walked over to him, only announcing her presence by knocking on one of the bookcases.
Loki nodded back, clasping his hands behind his back as he patiently watched the advisor leave the room. He gazed around the throne room, seeing not much has changed since the previous year he’d been here. Of course those were under different circumstances. Finally his bright green eyes landed on his light brother. Loki breath a small laugh and smirked “I see you’re doing well if not a bit tired. Though I do suppose that is the way of king. Of course I’m only just observing, no way possible I could know from experience.” Loki couldn’t help himself, it was far too much fun to jab at his brother a bit, especially since it offered a distraction from talking about his son’s funeral.
Magnus had been cleaning the shelves for the past few hours, ordered to take books out and clean them from the built up dust then arrange them neatly. He was on his last shelf of the day when Avalin came in. He jumped slightly and dropped one of the heavier books when he heard the knocking and glanced up, praying that it wasn’t one of The guards that usually taunted him.
“A-Avalin?” He immediately stood from picking up the book and hugged her close, tears welling up in his eyes. The last he had seen her was the day Leif had died. The memory came crashing down on him all at once Andy he slid to Thebes floor on his knees “I’m sorry! If I had gotten Loki to you early he could have helped you! You did have your son with you now.” A sob racked his body as he dared a peek at Avalin. “I’m sorry”
Thor frowned at Loki's words and sat back against the throne, sighing, "It's nice to see you're well brother, at least try to hide your reasons for seeing me. Get to what you want, I have more important things to deal with than jabs at my position."
Thor had worked hard to bring Asgard towards its old glory, but it was slow, and the constant stress had taken more than its fair share of sleep. He looked fairly well, but there were darker circles under his eyes, and his hair didn't look quite as perfect. He still wore clothes fit for a king though, and Mjölnir sat at his side, looking no different than always.
Avalin weakly smiled at Magnus, setting down the food only seconds before she was wrapped in a tight hug. Without hesitation, she hugged him back, barely noticing as they sank to the floor in their hug. "Magnus, it's ok," She murmured, tucking her head against his shoulder to hide her new tears. "Magnus," She said as she heard his apology, still hugging him tightly. He looked crushed, and she felt even more guilty for not having seen him sooner after the incident. "There was nothing Loki could do," She assured him softly, even if it caused new tears to trail down her cheeks, "None of it was your fault either, it all fell on me. My son died from the constant stress of my work, none of it was your fault."
Loki feigned offense, his brows stitching together as if he were hurt. “Am I not allowed to visit the king? My own brother? I was hoping to rekindle our once strong bond dear brother.”
His smile dropped completely and he regained his stoic posture, his aura completely flipped. “But seeing that won’t happen any time soon, I suppose I’ll, as you said, ‘get to the point.’”
He narrowed his eyes at his brother, hands clenching behind his back as he struggled to restrain himself. “I’m requesting a funeral for Leif. We have discussed planning for The funeral after a year or so but we figured it would be easier to plan everything now and come back in few months instead of waiting for so long. We were hoping you’d attend, considering you weren’t there there at the birth, I think it’s be good for you to see your nephew. Possibly say a few words as well.” He added in casually though there was no calm in his eyes. He was more mad at Thor for not being there for Avalin and Leif when he couldn’t be than for any fight they've gone through in the past years.
“And if I had helped you more, had you take more breaks, taken your job for a bit then you wouldn’t have so stressed!” He argued, another’s sob racking his body. “I could have talked without Thor, asked him to put you on a leave while you were pregnant, offered to take your place while you took care of yourself.” He whispered, burying his face in her shoulder. He tried his best to compose himself, eventually quieting his sobs. He pulled away slightly, stuttering an apology for being such a mess and gently brushing away her tears. He took a deep breath and looked around the room “where’s Loki? Is he still in The holding cell?” The last he had seen the the prince of mischief was in the hallway of the hospital wing for Leaf’s birth. “I though he was to be released after you had Leif?”
(Sorry for the late response, life is…interesting to say the least)
Thor seemed calm, less frustrated as Loki started to speak, though his expression quickly changed. He frowned, then pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed. "There is no reason we couldn't fix our bond brother, but you make that quite difficult." He looked up again as he continued, sympathy clear in his eyes, "I will be there for the funeral if that is what you'd like, I regret missing Leif's birth more than you know. As for speaking at the funeral…I'll think about it."
He looked to his brother once more after a long pause, "I suppose you're also requesting permission to, as you said, leave for several months and come back? Anything else you'd like to request as I think over what you've asked so far?"
"Working was the only way I was going to see Loki again, I've thought over all the possible ideas," She added, her tone quiet as she let herself cry far more than she had allowed herself to before, "Even if there was the option for me to rest…I wanted to see my husband, I wouldn't have taken any breaks." Avalin hugged him tightly as she properly mourned the loss of her son, murmuring out the assurance that he wasn't a mess.
She wiped away small tears that appeared as Magnus pulled away, turning her attention back to the original mission of finding the former guard, "He's talking to Thor right now. He was held for a few more months after Leif's birth, I hadn't quite paid off all of his time, but he's out now." Avalin pulled the breakfast container towards them as she composed herself, a wobbly smile on her face, "We brought you breakfast, though it's hardly an apology for all you've been through. I'm afraid I'll never apologize enough for what you've had to go through just from us."
Gods above Loki wanted to be so mad at his brother for putted both him and Avalin in so much pain. But he was also tired of fighting both with Thor and everything that seemed to be going so wrong for him. He wanted to enjoy his life with Avalin, seeing that the 7 years they had been together 6 of this were spent apart. “Well, it was never going to be easy.” He murmured, relaxing his stance a bit as he saw genuine remorse and regret in Thor’s eyes. He could say a million things about his brother but his emotions were never hidden. He nodded slightly, at least he’d be there. That’d be enough for Loki, for now.
He took a deep breath, a small smile crossing his features. “No dear brother, I’m not requesting Permission on that particular note. Avalin and I need to be away from Asgard for a bit. As much as I hate for Avalin to leave her home after being away for so long, we can’t be here. We’ll come back after a few months and have the funeral. If we are granted stay after that, that’s completely up to you.” He shrugged as if it were nothing, unable to meet Thor’s gaze again, not without revealing his grief.
“Ah yes, there was one more thing.” He said, steeling his emotions for now. “Magnus, the captain you promptly stripped of his position not too long ago? I’d like to request he obtain his position back. Despite what you may have thought had happened before, he didn’t deserve that. Even if he did, he has shown immense loyalty to the royal family, especially when it came to the health of Avalin and Leif in my absence. He’s an amazing young man that has well earned his title.” He said, starting to pace around the throne room, unable to keep still. “Besides, you havnt appointed a new captain. That’s telling me that you believe no is fit for the job Moreno than him.” He addd on casually, trying his best to lighten the mood
Magnus Hughes Avalon’s small frame as he silently sobbed, knowing he could have done more to keep Avalin from over working. But none of that mattered now. Leif was in Valhalla. At least Loki had been set free. They could start to repair what had been lost, even if it took them decades. The pain would never ease but they would be able to live for Leif until they could meet him. Magnus found comfort in that, that Loki Andy Avalin would see their son, even if it felt like an eternity away. They’d see and loved him.
He let her pull away for a moment, laughing through a sob as he wiped away tears. “Ah, thank you.” He took a calming breath and shakily stood, guiding Avalin to a small table setup in the corner of the room. “Neither if you have to apologies. I knew what I was doing and I knew the consequences. I should be thank you actually. Although I’ve always wanted to be a guard, I never really knew the life and hardship of a servant until now. I’ve gained a new respect for them. I think some of them are getting attached though.” He laughed softly and winked with a shake of his head. He opened the container of good and grinned “I’ve never had midgardian food!” He poked at one of the pancakes with a fork. “What do they call these discs?” He asked in fascination, poking at everything else and asking even more question