Neutral Omens

Horus had been watching Loki interestedly from the roof of the manor, wondering what he was doing. When he heard Loki call his name he swooped over and landed in the nearby tree, as much to get a look at whatever Loki has been cutting up. He was surprised to see the plate of meat and looked at Loki, asking without words what he was doing out here.

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"Hey!" Loki greeted the hawk with a friendly smile. "This is for you. Thought that since I apparently upset you with that old prank, I should do something to make up for it. Are you hungry?"

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A peace offering? He looked at the plate of meat, then eyed Loki carefully. There was nothing to make him think the offer wasn't genuine, so he fluttered down from the tree and accepted a piece of the meat.

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Success! Loki smiled and continued to cut up the meat with renewed vigor. Maybe this place wasn't all bad after all. It had fellow gods and pretty girls and the weather was fine today as well. If it weren't for Adam and that nuisance Uriel, it would be a great place to live.

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There was no way of knowing if Luna had registered that Loki had referred to Horus as a person, but she probably had. Still looking interestedly at Horus, Luna said, "Well, it looks like he's enjoying himself. Horus. A fitting name for such a beautiful bird. He's a beautiful bird though, isn't he?

By the way, my name's Luna." She reached out her hand for a handshake. "Oh wait. Your hands. Never mind then."

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Loki nodded. Compliments never heard.

"Yes, he is beautiful." he agreed. "And you can call me Loki. Not beautiful and not a bird, I'm afraid, but I've got the advantage of being more talkative than our friend here."

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Horus watched amusedly as Loki continued to cut up the meat, then turned his attention to the girl. She looked familiar, and after a moment he recognized her as the girl who'd made the branch grow out of the wall. He watched her curiously, amused by her comments but not enough to change in order to say anything in reply.

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Not beautiful and not a bird, I'm afraid, but I've got the advantage of being more talkative than our friend here.

"Well, that's true." Luna studied Horus. "Though you'd have to work hard to be less talkative than him." Pondering for a while, Luna tiptoed and whispered into Loki's ear, "Do you think he'll bite if I try to pet him?"

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"Oh, he does talk when he wants to." Loki explained.

And then she leaned in close and whispered into his ear!

"No," he whispered back mostly because he just loved whispering. It felt so much like plotting! "But it would probably startle him and he'd fly off and then I'd have cut up all that beautiful meat in vain."

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"Oh. That's nice. When does he usually want to talk then?" asked Luna.

"No. We wouldn't want you to have cut up all that beautiful meat in vain." From anyone else it would have been sacarstic, but then Luna did not know the meaning of sarcasm.

"Now what would it take for you to trust me?" she asked Horus. She might, or might not, have expected an answer.

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"Well, when he has something to say, of course." Loki grinned.

"I think you'd probably have to turn into a bird, or something. He doesn't trust people easily."

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Horus watched them whisper, but couldn't make out what they were saying so he turned his attention back to the meat and ate a bit more of the meat. He looked up again when Luna spoke to him. Trust her? He cocked his head and studied her, meat momentarily forgotten. It was true that he had no reason not to, but after his earlier discussion with Loki.... He turned back to the meat, but kept an eye on her.

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"Turn into a bird? Really?" Luna mulled over this. "Well, I could probably do it, but it'd be difficult, and I don't see how I could change back again. I never did try to become an Animagus. And besides my form might not be that of a bird's even if I were one."

Luna squatted down to look at Horus so that they were eye-to-eye. The black pupil in the golden iris was a little disconcerting though, and she stumbled a little as she tried to stand up again. But that didn't put her off. If anything, she was more determined than ever to find out why Horus felt odd. He didn't seem like an Animagus. What could he be?

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Ah, so she was a witch. That was more comfortable than an angel, but still required caution.

"Maybe you could get another wizard to turn you into one and back." Loki suggested. "You'd have to be very sure they're trustworthy first, though. Maybe not such a good idea. Too much risk of accident." he mused.

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"Maybe. Perhaps. Eventually." But Luna knew that the only other wizards around were, well, not around, literally and figuratively. She put this course of action aside.

Then she studied Loki. "Are you a wizard?"

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"Not quite." Loki said vaguely. "And I can't change you into a bird, I'm afraid. I can change my own shape, but it's not worth the effort it takes. It's quite exhausting."

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Luna nodded, as if she had known all along. Perhaps she had. "He's not a wizard too, then," she said, pointing at Horus.

"You look tired." A pause. "Are you?"

If Luna had been asked, she would have said, "You feel tired, too." But she hadn't been, so she didn't.

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"No, he isn't. He's Horus." Loki stated as if that explained everything.

Her next question made him pause. How much was it wise to admit? Deny too much and people get suspicious, give too much away and they guess the rest.

"A little." he shrugged. "Didn't get enough sleep last night."

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"Yes. That happens." Luna nodded, as if satisfied.

"Well, I'll leave you and Horus to it, I suppose. Got some things I need to calibrate. See you around?"

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"I most definitely hope so." Loki bowed to her playfully and flashed her his most charming smile. He wasn't yet sure what to do with the little witch, but she certainly had potential, both as a playmate and a toy. If he weren't sick and that Adam creature weren't around ...

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Luna gave a brief curtsey, and turned, mind still full of Horus. One way or another, she'd find out who he was. She did not notice the intent behind Loki's smile.

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Loki soon realised that he had cut up too much meat for one hawk's meal. Once Horus was full and flew off he took the leftovers and searched through the bushes.

Several grateful cats, hedgehogs and magpies later he decided to just throw the remaining pieces out for the local wildlife to find and went on to visit the horses. Hopefully this had improved his relationship with Horus, but he wasn't entirely sure. Hawks were difficult to read.

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Luna finished her ground survey of the Manor grounds, noting possible Humdinger nesting spots. She'd probably do it from the air again; although Humdingers weren't aerial creatures, they could dig pretty well, and hence access areas that weren't acessible by human foot.

Walking through some low bushes, she came upon a man who had a plate of meat, and the hawk who felt strange. She blinked.

"Hullo."

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Loki looked up at the sudden voice. He really should pay more attention to his surroundings. Anyone could have snuck up on him, even Adam!

This definitely wasn't Adam, though. It was a young woman with beautiful blond hair and a friendly smile. A bit young, perhaps, but just Odin's type. That meant he'd better leave her to hs brother, but then again Loki had never been known for his caution.

"Why hello there, beautiful!" he greeted her happily. "I'm afraid I can't shake your had right now." He held up one bloody hand to illustrate the point. "But I'll be only too happy to make up for it once I'm done here and have had time to wash my hands."

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Luna was not surprised. No, really. Oh alright, she was, a little, but she took it in her stride. "It's quite alright." She took a cautious step towards the hawk and the man, keeping her eye on the hawk. She didn't want to frighten it away like she nearly did the last time.

"Is this your hawk? Only I wasn't quite sure what to give him when he showed up at one of the Manor windows, and well I gave him exactly what you're giving him now." This was said with a small smile, but most of Luna's attention was still on the hawk.

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