Adopted. Her mind returns to the train, that final conversation of real significance. Returns to one of her earliest meaningful exchanges on the barge, the theory that there's physics to these things. As in one life, so in another. This is a split instant; she's listening attentively, nodding where appropriate. Not so much as a peep until he's well and done stating his piece.
There's no mistaking the tension as he goes on, but, optimist that she is, the conscious control over it is also noted. She thinks briefly of her own youth and roughly sidelines it.
"They could both be muddled," she suggests mildly. "If one could be less than heroic, the other isn't necessarily without some kind of worth." Not that she could claim any personal experience.
And the train, the father, the brother. She continues, "Were you happy? Before you knew?"
Loki's eyebrows raise. He hadn't expected such a blunt question. But it's insightful.
Had he been?
"More happy than I was before, certainly." His eyes go distant as he pictures that time. "But I also thought I was smarter than everyone around me and tried to indirectly persuade them into doing what I wanted." Also known as manipulating them. "So I couldn't have been that happy."
"Something to hold onto, then." Not the unhappiness, but-- "Even if that part of you is entirely rotten, which I'm not sure I'd believe, it couldn't be the root of every problem. One moving cog."
It would certainly be simpler if he could point to one single cause for all his failures. But it wouldn't make overcoming them any easier. Being evil at his core doesn't exactly solve itself.
At her question, he shrugs. "Leave me alone, largely. But I also sabotaged my brother's coronation because I doubted he was ready. Which he immediately proved to be true, I might add." He scowls a little, eyes darting away as he remembers. "It didn't work out. I discovered my nature in the course of it. Went a bit mad over it. Sort of ended sabotaging myself, in hindsight."
That was usually what happened, actually.
"Even when I'm right, I'm wrong. Seems a bit like the deck is stacked against me, don't you agree?"
Hardly sounds sweet, but she's not without sympathy. After considering it a moment she pats his shoulder - twice, light, and her hands return to her lap. Companionable.
"I'm sorry things turn out like that. You're sounding pretty self-aware, at least. If you can keep ahold of that long enough to resist jumping into the same traps you could probably cover a lot of ground. Still feeling a bit mad about things, or-?"
There are factors ultimately working in favor of recovery and composure, but on the whole she does seem receptively wired for them. Hard to let even an echo of a friendship die.
And he seems like the sort to need it. At his question, she shrugs. Honest. Not flippant, but decidedly casual.
"I wouldn't call it a pressing concern, but it's good to know what you think, and what to expect when the ship pushes too hard. People blow up a lot and things turn up alright, but it's probably good to check and know whether or not to expect it."
Loki's not surprised that people would blow up given his first flood and breach. They were both bound to rile people up, and most of these people seem to be bad at coping with boredom, let alone having their buttons pushed. He's surprised she's concluded things turn out okay more often than not.
"I wish I could say I know what is likely to 'set me off', but given what I've seen so far I really don't know what to expect. Not to mention the fact that this place seems capable of taking my ability to control myself away." At least, that's what the flood that happened just before he arrived sounded like, from what he's been told.
He sighs, sitting up straight again. "In any case, I'm not an idiot. If I'm trapped here, it would be foolish to intentionally do damage." And he's starting to like some people here, though he'd likely do plenty of damage just by admitting that.
"Foolish things don't always feel foolish in the heat of the moment," she counters with a wry smile. Everyone simply having bouts of foolishness would be too easy an explanation for such a variety of complex people. "Right buttons pushed at once, anybody's gonna do some stupid stuff. Those are the things it's better to not hold against somebody too much."
Within reason. Of course.
"Probably good to have hit that point already though. Things run smoother for you."
As she speaks, Loki realizes that he actually would like to know what his buttons are. He has an idea of some of them, but even he has been surprised at things that have upset him in the past. Perhaps he'll never know precisely why those things are an issue, but he'd at least know to avoid them if possible. It's something to work on with a warden, perhaps, if only to keep him from being expelled from the ship entirely.
"Thank you for your counsel, Miss Misty. I might just do well here after all."
Not graduation well, necessarily. But not as poorly as he might've thought.
It's reassurance enough. If he can stay on board, eventually the right stimuli will work out a lot of the rest. Something of a weight lifted, she bows her head.
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no subject
There's no mistaking the tension as he goes on, but, optimist that she is, the conscious control over it is also noted. She thinks briefly of her own youth and roughly sidelines it.
"They could both be muddled," she suggests mildly. "If one could be less than heroic, the other isn't necessarily without some kind of worth." Not that she could claim any personal experience.
And the train, the father, the brother. She continues, "Were you happy? Before you knew?"
no subject
Had he been?
"More happy than I was before, certainly." His eyes go distant as he pictures that time. "But I also thought I was smarter than everyone around me and tried to indirectly persuade them into doing what I wanted." Also known as manipulating them. "So I couldn't have been that happy."
no subject
A beat.
"What did you want people to do?"
no subject
At her question, he shrugs. "Leave me alone, largely. But I also sabotaged my brother's coronation because I doubted he was ready. Which he immediately proved to be true, I might add." He scowls a little, eyes darting away as he remembers. "It didn't work out. I discovered my nature in the course of it. Went a bit mad over it. Sort of ended sabotaging myself, in hindsight."
That was usually what happened, actually.
"Even when I'm right, I'm wrong. Seems a bit like the deck is stacked against me, don't you agree?"
no subject
"I'm sorry things turn out like that. You're sounding pretty self-aware, at least. If you can keep ahold of that long enough to resist jumping into the same traps you could probably cover a lot of ground. Still feeling a bit mad about things, or-?"
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But her question earns something of a smirk. "Less than before, I suppose. Larger concerns arose. And I had a few years to 'recover', you could say."
He leans his head onto one hand, elbow resting on the arm of the chair. "Do you worry I'm unstable?"
no subject
And he seems like the sort to need it. At his question, she shrugs. Honest. Not flippant, but decidedly casual.
"I wouldn't call it a pressing concern, but it's good to know what you think, and what to expect when the ship pushes too hard. People blow up a lot and things turn up alright, but it's probably good to check and know whether or not to expect it."
no subject
"I wish I could say I know what is likely to 'set me off', but given what I've seen so far I really don't know what to expect. Not to mention the fact that this place seems capable of taking my ability to control myself away." At least, that's what the flood that happened just before he arrived sounded like, from what he's been told.
He sighs, sitting up straight again. "In any case, I'm not an idiot. If I'm trapped here, it would be foolish to intentionally do damage." And he's starting to like some people here, though he'd likely do plenty of damage just by admitting that.
no subject
Within reason. Of course.
"Probably good to have hit that point already though. Things run smoother for you."
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"Thank you for your counsel, Miss Misty. I might just do well here after all."
Not graduation well, necessarily. But not as poorly as he might've thought.
no subject
"Fingers crossed for you."