neutral_omens | (no subject)

Entry tags:

loki,
uriel

(no subject)

Time: July 13, 2000
Place: Lobby
Status: Public (Complete)
Summary: Loki is forced to go begging.

Loki waited until he was sure that most of the manor’s inhabitants had gone to lunch before he snuck down into the lobby hoping to find it empty. It was bad enough that he’d been reduced to having to ask Uriel for money. The last thing he wanted was somebody to see him doing it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Forge money?" Uriel asked, frowning. "Oh, no, it's real money. If it were forged they would notice the difference in bank. I don't forge it, I just create it." She really couldn't comprehend what was so shocking about it. "Haven't you ever seen me creating things before?"

Loki was smiling at her? Wow, he must be really sick. Otherwise he would have never done that. "So money was all it took for you to realize that I'm not just waste of space?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "If I'd known that I would have done that a long time ago. Although... what is 'sleight of hand'?" She'd thought she was fairly familiar with the English language, but this particular phrase had never caught her ear before.*

Loki looked now upset for some reason. She wondered why.

---
* It must be understood that, indeed, Uriel was an angel. And, while most of her human vocabulary had been learnt from artists, she did not consider magicians artists. It wasn't that she wasn't well enough acquitanted with English, she just had never been in a situation where such a phrase would have been uttered.

"It's not real money, if you make it." Loki shook his head at Uriel. Was she really this naive? "Look, there's a limit on how much money can be printed in each country. If there ... Oh, forget it. I don't want to lecture about economy and finances. Just know that each country chooses who is allowed to print money and how much of it. This country probably has a royal mint or something like that. Any money made by someone else is forged no matter how real it looks."

"And it isn't about the money, though that is a very useful ability. Odin and I are grifters. We live of tricking people and if you want to be part of the family, you'd better learn some tricks of your own. I thought you not-gods were too honest for that, but if you're already a capable forger, we could probably teach you after all."

"Sleight of hand is ..." Didn't the stupid not-god know anything? "It's the art of deceiving the human eye. You use it when cheating at cards, in coin tricks and particularly clever pickpocketing tricks mostly. Want to learn? I'm ... Well, when healthy I'm very good at it. Right now I can't concentrate enough. Damn illness is making me tire too quickly."

Why was he making offers like that? He should be glad she wasn't good at those things. Teaching her would only help her replace him.

Uriel shook her head at Loki's explanation of the workings of an economy. "Is there some kind of mathematics involved? If so, don't bother. I wouldn't understand it anyway." She still couldn't understand why it would not be honest to create the money she needed. After all, nobody lost anything, right?

"I don't forge money, I create it," she stubbornly said. "That's different. I can forge art, though. I'm pretty good at it, too."

At Loki's suggestion, she smiled. "I'd love to learn," she said happily, partly because it sounded interesting, partly because it would give her more opportunities to get to know the stubborn god better. "If you want to teach me, that is. You're welcome to keep your best tricks to yourself, though," she then said. "I'm not trying to replace you, you know. I'd just like to learn because it sounds fun. Once you're healthy again you can do your tricks with Odin all you want to and I won't interfere."

Of course there was also the possibility that Loki wouldn't ever be healthy again, but she preferred not to think about it.

"Lets try without math then." Loki shrugged. He could deal with different approaches. And he'd read enough satanic bibles by now to have an idea of the vocabulary Uriel was used to: "The government has said: Thou shalt not make your own money."

She didn't want to replace him? Yeah, right.

Even if that were true it wasn't a matter of what anyone wanted. If she was there and strong and healthy and Loki was weak and sick and no fun at all Odin would simply start doing everything with her and leaving Loki behind. After a while Odin would simply forget there had ever been a Loki.

Maybe it was a good thing. He didn't want Odin to be left all alone after he died, but he didn't know what he'd do without him while he was still alive.

And when he was healthy again? Where'd she gotten that crazy idea?

Oh right, he'd put that into her head himself. He had told her that he was okay and that his medicines were making him better after all.

"Maybe we should just stick with the lying for now. It'd be better, if I could show you what the tricks look like properly. I might show you one or two, if I feel up to it." Right now his hands were shaking from weakness.

"I didn't make any money of my own," Uriel said. "I gave it all to you, didn't I? So it isn't mine." She still felt kind of confused -- why would such a thing be forbidden? -- but decided to play along for now. Loki definitely didn't seem to mind her doing it, though.

"Yeah -- lying will be fine for now. I should probably try to get it down properly before I even think about learning anything else."

A thought entered her mind and refused to leave. Thus, she smiled and looked over Loki's shoulder into the otherwise empty lobby. "Oh, hi, Adam!" she said to the thin air. "Can I help you somehow?"

That, she thought, Loki might even fall for. He'd probably be too startled to notice the signs of dishonesty in her.

Loki gave Uriel a condescending glare. "Pathetic," he declared, but quickly collected the rest of the money anyway. "I saw that one coming miles away."

"Too bad." Uriel shrugged, smiling. "I'll try again when you're too tired to keep your eyes open, then." She then grinned at him. "Was there anything else you wanted, or were just trying to annoy the Heaven out of me?"

"Nah, that'll be all," Loki smirked at her. "Thanks for the nice forgery and don't get worried, if you don't see me tomorrow. I'll be in the hospital all day."

Halfway to the stairs he turned around once more. "And keep practising. Even you have to get it someday."

Uriel grinned at him. "I will. Even if it's not for any reason other than finally tricking you." She didn't even dream of tricking Odin. Loki she might actually manage.

As she watched Loki walking away, however, her smile faded away. "But I will worry," she whispered to herself. "I can't help but worry."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only