[EP] aliens control the coffee supply

[st_artliving]

Xavin, for the most part, hadn't actually bothered keeping regular hours at her little coffee nook. She spent some time there most days, how long depending on how many people wanted coffee or how interested she was in whatever books she'd selected for the day.

Today was probably going to be a longer day, if only because she'd had to restock a little from the kitchens. She'd found a little cart to haul things and was currently engaged in putting her supplies away. Milks and whipped cream into the little refrigerator, beans stashed in their cupboard, disposable cups stacked and non-disposable cups cleaned and put away. (Some people liked those, particularly if they didn't intend to leave the library. But it meant that her kitchen time included doing dishes, which was often more fun than drudgery. Especially when she accidentally overdid the soap.)

Comments

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_ratagem]

Ah. Yes. Loki understood about different faces to curb fear. He'd been doing it all his life without knowing it until the last ten years. He was 'lucky' in that his terrifying face took effort to bring out rather than effort to hide.

He flashed a smile. Why not? She clearly didn't recognize him. "I'm not officially here yet. Best I keep a low profile until I am."

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_rangepalette]

"How is it possible that you are here without being officially here?" Lillith mused over this and scowled at him. Were she wearing her Tiefling face, her fangs would certainly show. "To my knowledge no one has arrived without there being a room for them."

Another thought struck her, one she liked even less. "Do you claim then to be one of those responsible for us being brought here?"

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_ratagem]

"No, no, I'm as imprisoned as everyone else here. I took a different shape when I arrived, and I've maintained it since. No doubt there's a room waiting for me, but for now it can go right on waiting." Loki gestured at his book, still open in his lap. "I'm only a person right now because paws are terrible at turning pages."

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_rangepalette]

"I took a different shape when I arrived, too," Lillith observed curiously. "Yet it seems an odd to choice, nevertheless, to remain in an animal form when there is a comfortable room waiting for you. I can think of several reasons, but none of them especially benevolent." Spying and sneaking and tricking were not the sort of thing she condoned when not playful and among friends, or when trying to defeat an actual enemy.

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_ratagem]

"I've at least one certain enemy here, possibly two." Thor's status depended quite a bit on when he was from; Loki had learned early that people came from different points in time. A Thor from before Jotunheim would be a very different proposition than a Thor from New York. Either instance of New York. "I never claim to be benevolent, but I intend no malevolence." Currently, anyway. "I'm simply being practical. My chances improve the more information I have, and I gather information more effectively if I'm not actively defending myself."

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_rangepalette]

Lillith considered his response for some moments, in no hurry to speak. It was true, one need not be benevolent in order to avoid malevolence, but that he actively disclaimed benevolence did somewhat alarm her with her cousin's children on the way.

She fixed her gaze on him very steadily. "What information is it that you seek? I am not unwilling to help you find it, but I warn you that should you offer malevolence, whether you intend it presently or not, you will not find me so congenial."

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_ratagem]

“How many enemies I have here in total, any allies they have, the capabilities of said allies, the likelihood i’ll Be able to avoid either them or any violent kinds of conflict, that kind of thing.” Loki closed his book, which he’d been keeping open; this conversation was more interesting. “Whether revealing myself would be a form of suicide, if there’s a realistic other option if it is. I suspect the latter answer is ‘no’, so I should also plan for that.”

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_rangepalette]

Lillith's mouth twisted with distaste. "For someone who intends no malevolence, you are very concerned with enemies and tactics. Would it not be better to ask what friends you might have, or whether anyone here would allow you to be harmed?" She did not like to think of this place she had come to see as a home disrupted by the hostility this person projected.

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_ratagem]

"Not at all, because I know those answers. I never have to ask." He'd known those answers his whole life. "I have no friends, and no one will go out of their way to assist me."

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_rangepalette]

"I have had few friends in my life," Lillith offered in hopes of showing him he needn't presume hostility. It would be safer for all if he did not. "But I have found many here. Perhaps you will also find friends, if you wish to."

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_ratagem]

"A sweet sentiment, but I doubt it. I'm more than old enough to know my limitations." And there were many. "Among them is that I am fundamentally unlikeable, always have been. I'll strive for tolerance if I can get it, and if I can't, I'll manage."

Re: Tag Lillith - 8/13 - second domino

[st_rangepalette]

"My instructor once told me that if you aim for the stars, you will hit the moon. So if you strive for tolerance, you will not get it." She fixed him with her violet gaze. "Perhaps you should aim higher."