(no subject)

[allfather-odin.livejournal.com]

Date: May 20, 2000 (Frigga Blot)
Setting: The Manor Dining Room
Status: Public (Everyone join!) 
(Also used for the writing challenge (sorry, quite long)- if you want to skip the memories, just scroll down to the (***)
Summary: Wednesday throws a party

In the bottom of Wednesday's trunk, buried under relics and runes, marked cards and false coins, is a photograph.  Its one of the few photos he owns.  Most of his memories date back long before George Eastmann (1) was born.  

Wednesday doesn't look at the picture much.  He doesn't need to.  He knows every line, could easily reproduce it if he wanted to, can see it when he closes his eyes at night.  The picture is of a woman, her back to the camera, red hair bound and keys jangling by her side.  She doesn't look much different then she did in the First Days.  Her skin is still creamy white, her posture straight.  She does not bow her head even though her hair is blown by wind.  

Sometimes Wednesday pauses, remembers before he was "Wednesday," thinks back to the days when he was Oðinn, Lord of the Aesir, Grimnir and the Terrible One.  He would travel, always searching for more knowledge, more conquests, more virginal damsels.  But always he would return to her in Fensalir.  More of a home than his own hall could ever be.  Her handmaidesn would attend to him as though he had never been away. 

She, on the other hand, was another story.  She was his equal.  Equal in wisdom, equal in ardor, and equal in spite.  She could greet him with a cold shoulder that rivaled the icy grip of Nifleheim.  Her back turned to him as she spun on her loom, weaving the fates of men.  Yet once he was back in her good graces, the doors to the cosmos were flung wide.

The truth is he always suspected that she knew more than he did, and he knew that he was probably right in the suspicion.

And he loved her.  Yes, though he loved many others, it was her face he dreamed of at night.  Her swift wit and cutting tongue that kept him sharp.  Sustained by the thought that at one time he had loved and been in love with a woman that could challenge him, always keep him guessing, and usually come out on top in the end.

He had last seen her in Berkeley.  She had always been adaptable, even more than he was.  She had her own shop; selling tapestries and reading the cards.  He had laughed when he saw her, for she was coning the marks just as he did.  The cards meant nothing, merely a prop for the grift.  It was in her tapestries that the true secrets were kept.  With the same steady hands and un-erring words, she could tell her customers their fate.  A steady point in a changing world.

He had taken the picture without her knowing.  The only photograph he ever took.  One final day in her arms, the sound of her voice in his ear.  He had snapped the photo as she walked away, her head unbowed, her hair as red as the heart of a fire, and keys at her belt that would never agains open doors.  

***
Wednesday woke up early that morning.  He had a lot to prepare.  Mead to be bought, food to be cooked, arrangements to be made.  But in the end it was worth it.  By 6pm, the dining hall no longer had the feeling of a cafeteria.  Wood smoke hung in the air.  Thick scents of meat and bread wafted down the halls.  When the old god closed his eyes he could almost imagine he was back in Fensalir.  With his wife's picture on the mantle, he traced runes.  Runes to gather all the inhabitants of the manor.  With them he hoped to celebrate her name.

(1) Inventor of the camera- (I wasn't sure if it would be too obscure.)

Comments

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

Uriel snorted. Well, there went her I-can't-be-pregnant-unless-I-change-my-name-to-Mary excuse. Perhaps it was for the better, though. She had never been too good in lying.

"There, Loki, well done. Ruin every last bit of my reputation, why don't you?" she asked. "I'm fairly certain I was the last one of us archangels to qualify as a virgin, though. Not that Gabriel admits anything, of course."

She smirked at the bald god. "Ah, but it's no use for you to flirt with her, you know," she said, glancing at Ellie from the corner of her eye. "You're too weak to be of any use to her. If you can't stand a little brawl without becoming unable to stand on your own, I doubt you could satisfy any woman.

"And when I said, 'sex god', Odin, I didn't refer to any god in particular," she said then to the old god. "Just a human saying of which you probably would have made some particularly bad pun had I not mentioned it first."

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"Huh? What reputation? Didn't know you had one to speak of." Loki smirked at her. "I'll have you know that my current girlfriend is quite happy with my performance, thank you. And I can take you in a fight anytime. I'm just holding myself back due to your delicate condition."

Ellie, Destri -- feel free to figure it out or miss the implications, however you'd like...

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

Had it been in her nature to swear, Uriel would have done so at Loki's last comment. As it was not, however, she merely glared at him, hoping the ones present who weren't already aware of her condition wouldn't catch on. At least she could try misleading them, not that she was much good at such a thing. And if they had indeed figured it out, well... she would have to ask them not to tell anyone. Each new person knowing in such an early stage of her pregnancy meant a new potential threat to her child.

"You can take me in a fight anytime? Sure, keep telling yourself that. You wouldn't happen to remember the day of Raziel's arrival, would you? You didn't appear to be holding back in that fight. However, you were indeed unable to get up from the floor when I knocked you down.

"And if by 'delicate condition' you mean the fact that I happen to be female now, well, don't bother. I may now be smaller in size than you are, but I could still kill you any day if I were to fight with you properly. But never mind that, you are free to continue lying to yourself. That's the only thing you are good at, anyway -- lying."

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"That had nothing at all to do with our fight!" He was beginning to feel a little dizzy again. Damn, had to be the alcohol.

"And at least I know how to present an untruth." he grinned at Uriel. "You don't even know the basics. 'if you mean the fact I happen to be female'?" His imitation of Uriel's voice was probably completely off, but he thought he had the posture down quite well. "Oh please! Try looking people in the eye at least!"

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

Uriel did look Loki in the eye. And, while she was at it, she slipped a dagger into her hand and pointed it at the said eyes. "You're just begging for trouble, aren't you?" she asked with an almost pleasant voice, the tip of the dagger about half an inch from one of the god's eyes. "How would you like being a bit more like Odin? Maybe then you'll actually come up with something witty."

Of course she had no intention of actually doing anything, but Loki was getting on her nerves. The god was obviously doing his best to make Ellie and Destruction understand just what her 'delicate condition' was even though he couldn't say it aloud without feeling Odin's wrath.

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki froze. He was so damn dizzy and he'd promised not to hurt Uriel while she was pregnant. Even more important was the fact that he didn't want any harm to come to the baby, but this just wasn't fair! Uriel was supposed to uphold her end of the unspoken bargain and not start any fight either and as far as Loki was concerned pulling a weapon on someone was getting physical. One just didn't do that, if one didn't mean it.

"Odin." he grumbled. "Control your little slut, if you don't want me to hurt the brat."

[entropyoptimism.livejournal.com]

Destruction frowned, wondering what had gone on in his absence. It had been a surprise to see Uriel female. And this "delicate condition" talk was getting him wondering...

Barnabas gave a quizzical whine as voices were raised and murmured "Are you sure you quit, boss?"

"No," Destruction replied in an undertone, "This is just like old times in the Norse pantheon. They always were fun."

[chantinellie.livejournal.com]

"Excuse me," Ellie interrupted, hoping to derail the argument before any further damage could be done (to anyone--potential angel-children aside, Loki did in fact look as though knocking him down would be all too easy; she'd make discreet inquiries about that later, maybe) "but I believe I must take exception to that remark on behalf of all real sluts everywhere. It takes a lot more than not being a virgin to qualify, you know, the title has to be earned."

As she spoke, she shot Uriel a pointed look, flicking her eyes to the knives and back to the angel. "There's no need for those, Severer, it's a party," she added in an emphatic undertone. Put them away, you damn fool angel, you're just attracting more attention! Doesn't anybody in this fucking Manor know when to shut their mouths and walk away?

She then turned to Odin, an impish smile on her face, but trying to convey her apprehension with her eyes. "So, I take it the tradition has something to do with creative insults, then? Well, trust the Norse to come up with such a blockheaded idea and turn it into a holiday. Only a lot of chest-beating throwbacks and ruffians like you could turn rudeness into an art form."

[allfather-odin.livejournal.com]

Wednesday nodded to Uriel. "Yes, angel, put the knives away. No cutlery allowed tonight. Frigga never allowed the children to play with sharp things." He turned his attention back to Ellie. "I never even had this much trouble with my own children. I'm too old to be dealing with these young 'uns now."

The old god leered at Ellie. "As for Norse traditions, my dear, you seemed to have no complaints about Viking ways at our previous encounter. And I would hardly say its, how did you term it... blockheaded? One has to be quick in both wit and deed to partake in a Viking party," In a smooth move, he neatly plucked the daggers from Uriel's hands, and with a wave of his hands, both knives disappeared from view as if into thin air. "Being rude, my sweet whore, has nothing to do with it. It is honor. Without honor and reputation you do no good for your clan. But if you can hold you own in a battle of tongues, your seat is almost assured in my hall." Suddenly, one of Uriel's daggers appeared in his hand again, and he threw the knife towards the hearth, the point burying itself deeply into the wood right above Frigga's photograph. "How better to celebrate a special occaision?"

...She was only holding one knife...

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

Uriel huffed at both the others' words and the loss of her knives. Of course, she still had several daggers up her sleeve -- literally -- but still, there had been no need for Odin to take the one she'd had out. It wasn't like she would have really used it.

"I'm not a child," she said, "nor am I a slut, thank you ever so much, brother." She smirked at Loki, knowing that being called her brother must annoy the trickster god immensely. "And, no offence to you, Ellie -- it is Ellie, right? --, but I do not wish to be called a slut, either. So do shut up, scarface. I don't go around calling you an idiot even though you are one, now do I?

"I'm hardly any younger than you, Odin," she then said, looking at the one-eyed god. "After all, I was there when the world was created -- well, when God created it, anyway. I'm afraid I wasn't present when your lot created the world, however you did it." She raised an eyebrow, thinking about the absurdity that followed from several pantheons and mythologies existing at the same time. "In any case, I'm not younger than you in physical sense. Of course, it's not my fault if you have become a boring old man while I've managed to hold onto my youth. Most of the time you act more like my father than my brother, you know."

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"And you're sure not being a virgin or a husband to show for it isn't quite enough for an 'angel' to earn that title?" The word angel felt strange in Loki's mouth. They were just normal minor deities, damn it!

Feeling too dizzy and confused by now to deal with philosophical discussions he leaned back in his chair and left it to Odin to defend the honour of Norse culture.

"Nice doggie." He remarked to his strange neighbour who seemed to know both Odin and Asgardian customs so well. "I like dogs. They're not as cool as wolves, of course, but still nice."

[chantinellie.livejournal.com]

"Quite sure, Cueball," Ellie said coolly. She might have added more, but there was something in Loki's manner that suggested his heart wasn't really in this debate. So she let him turn his attention to Destruction and returned hers to Odin.

"Well, every culture has its strong points," she said with a sly smile. "And most could do with a little improvement in one aspect or another. For example, in many civilized societies, it's considered somewhat gauche to vandalize the woodwork in someone else's dining room."

A far-off strain of music came to her ears then, and her smile widened. "And then again, we've talked about the early Christians and their lamentable deficiency in tolerance and good humor...but I don't think I'm really the best one to speak about that..."

The song was coming nearer, and words could be made out now, rolling forth in a cavernous basso profundo that made the floors and walls of the Manor shiver slightly in counterpoint.

The tune would be well-known to many Christians, but like so many other things, the words had been changed to bring them into line with the Church's teachings; these were the original lyrics, and they told a rather different story.

"And I came down from Heaven and I danced on the Earth,
and I danced through the nights of revelry and mirth..."

[allfather-odin.livejournal.com]

Wednesday smirked. "Dear temptress, my people invented "gauche." Take a taste of the swill in your glass and tell me if it isn't the most offensive immitation of diabetic piss you've ever had," he said, sliding up next to her. "Yet, on the other hand, we're also the most charming, most virile and most successful pirates the world has ever seen. Not to mention the best skilled at the art of love-making." Odin winked at her with his good eye, pressing himself against her in a way that made Uriel blush.

Wednesday's hearing wasn't nearly as good as Ellie's, but even a deaf person would have heard the booming voice from down the hall. Odin's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "My dear Chantinelle! Have you invited whom I *think* you've invited!?"

[no-npc-here.livejournal.com]

"Dance, then, wherever you may be! I am the Lord of the Dance, said he!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the dance, said he!"

The doors to the dining room swung open, and in walked a being once known among men as the Lord of the Dance and the Spirit of the Winter Solstice (though he might more accurately have been termed the Incarnation of the Righteous Piss-Up.)

He was tall and broad, with a wide, cheerfully unshaven face and coarse unruly brown hair; dressed in an ordinary jacket and jeans, he gave an impression he'd have been more comfortable in bearskin, with a horned helmet or a crown of leaves and berries. Under his arm he was carrying a large oaken barrel, and he grinned at the assembly as though they all shared some hilarious secret joke that only the really cool people would understand.

"Now let me see," he boomed, setting the barrel down with a resounding thud, "who do we have here?

"I see a beautiful demoness on the arm of a good-for-nothing old relic who used to delude himself into thinking he could drink me under the table. I see his infamous partner in crime, who has finally taken my advice and changed that hideous haircut (though I must say, he's taken the idea a bit more to heart than was strictly necessary.) I see a singularly lovely angel I've not yet had the pleasure of meeting; the son of the Morningstar, may he prove less of a wet blanket than his sire; and I see one of the Eternal Brethren, who used to start the best damn brawls this world had ever seen and then leave the rest of us to clean up after his sorry Endless arse."

He laughed out loud, a sound that shouted out like a challenge to the Universe at large, I LIVE! "I believe he still owes us a round or three for that, wouldn't you say, Odin?"

[bipolar-uriel.livejournal.com]

Uriel smiled faintly as she listened to the others' conversation, taking a sip of her apple juice. As nobody else showed any interest in eating, she decided she could jsut as well be the one to make use of the meal her brother had prepared. She was hungry, after all, and not eating wouldn't do good for her child.

She paused, however, as she heard the singing approaching. Soon an unfamiliar man entered, an immortal of some kind although seh wasn't entirely sure what he was. Odin seemed to know him, however.

She nodded a bit in greeting, then asked with a slightly raised eyebrow, "Much as I agree on your opinion about Loki's former haircut -- not that the current one is any better --, might I be allowed the honour of knowing who you are?"

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"Just what does everybody have against my new haircut?" It wasn't quite clear whether Loki's slurred comment was aimed at Destruction or the room at large, or maybe just himself.

He didn't seem to be about to challenge anyone over it, though as he continued to lazily pet Barnabas' head.

[allfather-odin.livejournal.com]

Wednesday smiled at his old friend. "I'll say he does. But then again, those Endless were always tricky when it came to paying up their debts." Wednesday reluctantly disentangled himself with Ellie to greet the new arrival. "By Yygdrasil's roots, I had no idea you were still around. It's been too long, my friend. Way to long."

He fetched the Lord a glass of mead. "I'm glad you could make it. How better to celebrate my ex than with some revelry? Seems you two had a thing going on for a while, too. But then again, she'd spread them for anyone." He winked to show the Lord he was joking.

"As for the angel, she's my new blood-sister. But watch yourself around her, she's hormonal and has an arsenal of knives."

He walked back to Ellie, eager to once again be close to her feminine wiles. "And it seems you know our resident succubus."

[entropyoptimism.livejournal.com]

Destruction's face broke into a wide grin. "December, old mate! Pleasure to see you back in the world. I thought my brother had unwoven you, you've been more absent than me!"

His eyebrow twitched in amusement as he continued in an exagerated stage whisper: "Although I was never convinced he wove you in the first place - he was much too prudish back then."

[no-npc-here.livejournal.com]

"Bah. Don't take this the wrong way, Destruction old son, but your brother wouldn't know a good party if it fell on him. Either of them, come to think of it," the old spirit said with a smirk. "Still, I was sorry to hear what became of him. Give my best wishes and blessing to the new lad, if you should happen to see him, would you?"

He rubbed his hands together and looked around expectantly. "Now, what say we tap this son of a whore and get to the serious drinking? It's really too bad you got such a small turnout, Odin, but that leaves more for the rest of us."

[entropyoptimism.livejournal.com]

Destruction grinned at the bald deity. "That's what my little sister said, too." He paused thoughtfully. "She is rather well represented in this room, too." He glanced quizzically down at Barnabas, who gave the doggy equivalent of a shrug and said "You know how she was when you showed up. I don't think she'll be coherent again for another year or two."

"Hm." Destruction turned back to Loki. "Wolves are actually quite peaceful creatures."

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

"Sister?" Loki asked. "Who's she then?"

He was feeling too dizzy to deal with this many people and now there was music playing. Or was that just in his head? "Shouldn't have drunk the mead." he mumbled softly to himself.

The stranger was still talking, though. Something about wolves being peaceful creatures. "Geri." Loki commented. "Not Fenrir. Nor Freki. They're not peaceful. They're fun."

[entropyoptimism.livejournal.com]

Destruction shrugged. "They keep company with gods. They're more like dogs than most wolves."

Barnabas trotted over to Loki and sniffed his hand. "You," he pronounced, "Are drunk."

[leucemic-god.livejournal.com]

Loki scratched Barnabas' ear. - A little clumsily, because he was currently seeing two Barnabasses and besides wasn't quite sure where his hand was.

"Yeah. Shouldn't be drinking. He said not to mix with alcohol. Wise doggie."

The music was getting louder and his head was hurting again. "Party was a bad idea."

[entropyoptimism.livejournal.com]

Barnabas rubbed his head against Loki's shaking hand. "You're right," he said to Destruction, "He does remind me of Delirium. She went through a bald phase last year. Well, a few hundred bald phases, really, for about an hour each."

At this point some familiar music began to drift into the hall. Destruction frowned. "That sounds like..." a smile slowly bloomed on his lips. "Well I'll be."

Re: Ellie, Destri -- feel free to figure it out or miss the implications, however you'd like...

[chantinellie.livejournal.com]

Ellie barely stopped her head from snapping around toward Uriel at Loki's telling comment. She wouldn't have recognized the archangel in female form if not for the unmistakable, highly disconcerting sense of the Presence hanging thickly around him (er, her,) and Loki's jab brought one startling explanation to mind. It was possible she was misinterpreting, but she sincerely doubted it, and the barbed exchange that followed made it seem less likely still.

An archangel, pregnant? Hooboy. She wondered who the father might be (Odin? She had a hard time picturing the Archangel of the Presence getting it on with the randy old coot, but stranger things had happened) and whether Uriel had the slightest clue what kind of danger she and her child might face if word leaked out to the wrong parties. Probably, given how hard she was trying not to confirm Loki's insinuations.

This could get very ugly, very fast, she thought with rising alarm, and there was no telling whether any of the parties involved understood just how ugly...