un: hob (text)

[100more]

We're all back from Eos. I don't know how it was for everyone else, but I got to live in a house with two beautiful women and a charming young man. There was a baby, too, but we had to leave her behind.

Now I'm in this flat that I moved into not long before we left for Eos, and it's fine, really, but it seems a bit empty. I know it won't be that way for long, since I'm very much used to living alone, but I wonder if anyone else feels a bit off after sharing a house with other people for a month.

And is it weird if I miss her? I know she wasn't a real baby, but she was so cute and sweet. Wherever you are, I hope you're doing well, little Violet.

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[100more]

Perhaps Loki will have some insight to that when he goes home and taps back into the threads of the multiverse. Maybe he'll even see a life for them in another timeline. Hopefully, it's a happy one. But what about this timeline? Only time will tell.

If it never rains again, Hob would suggest they have a picnic or something. He's going to want to spend more time with Loki, either way.

Hob isn't sure what he expected as a response, but Loki's reaction makes Hob smile sheepishly. "Well, where I'm from, it's safer to blend in, you know?"

[abit_ofboth]

It’s not something he’s allowing himself to think about, but somewhere deep down, he knows he would like to know Hob for the rest of his life. Maybe they would only be friends, or perhaps more, but he can’t allow himself to think of that. He couldn’t hurt Hob like that when he inevitably has to leave.

Can’t hurt himself that way either.

Of course, he’s also weak when it comes to his friends and he also wouldn’t be able to turn down hanging out with Hob for any reason. He might as well enjoy some comforts while he’s stuck here.

“Oh yes, I understand. Many people are frightened of things they do not understand and mortals do tend to not understand immortality. It is not something their brains are built for.” Though clearly Hob is an exception considering he is still human and seems to be dealing with it quite well.

[100more]

Maybe they have that in common. Hob has a desire to be around others, but he knows it's always going to be temporary. Anyone back home he meets and gets involved with will eventually leave him. Maybe he would spare himself the pain if he didn't get involved at all, but there's still a desire to be around others. To not be lonely.

"Yes, frightened or confused. Or I could end up a lab rat in an experiment. Or at the mercy of someone who's studied magic and would like to be immortal themselves. In the end, telling someone is always a matter of risk."

"The last time I got careless, I was dragged out of my home and drowned as a witch. That was a few hundred years ago. And not very pleasant."

[abit_ofboth]

Loki would argue they definitely have that in common. Loneliness is something that Loki is all too familiar with and something that has only gotten worse since he found friends and then lost them again. He knows what he’s been doing is essential, even if this place has a different plan, and that it all means that he is doomed to spend the rest of his existence as nothing more than an observer. All of that has made saying no to friendship even harder here.

“Yes, I have heard of such reactions. And humans always seem to act like they are so good.” He might have changed his mind about humans in general, but Loki is all too aware of some of the hypocrisy he’s experienced at their hands. He’s done some atrocious things in his life, but being judged by people who have done the same or worse hardly helps his opinion of some.

Hob’s story makes Loki want to time slip to where and when that happened to him and show those imbeciles exactly what a magic user could really do. He’s actually a little surprised at his own visceral reaction and just manages to keep himself under control. “I am very sorry you had to endure such things. Please trust that your secret is safe with me.”

[100more]

Hob might not need to keep his immortality a secret here, but even if he did, he’s certain that Loki would keep his secret. "I know I can trust you." Maybe Dream would not agree with how quickly Hob has come to trust in Loki, but Hob just gets the sense that he can, and he's generally a very good judge of character.

"It used to be easier. Reinventing myself. The more the world evolves, the harder it becomes. I fear my secret may not be a secret forever and then..." Well, who knows what might happen to him. Maybe there's no avoiding being someone's specimen someday, or the target of some dark magic user who wants immortality for themselves.

"Gods are immortal, aren't they? And live with other gods? That must be nice."

[abit_ofboth]

If he were to hear that, Loki would be quite touched. It’s only been relatively recent that he’s begun to earn the trust of others. It had been a rocky road with Mobius, but he had eventually succeeded and nothing before had ever made him feel so proud. The idea that someone like Hob could read him and decide to trust him so easily is an experience he never would expect.

“I suppose it depends on how your world evolves. I know that things like witch hunts happened in the Earth of my world, but the things that humans accept now would put simply being immortal rather low on the list. Though I suppose there will always be those who would do harm to others if they thought it would benefit themselves.” In a roundabout way, Loki is trying to say that though he thinks it might also become more likely that others will accept him, Hob should also continue to be careful.

“I believe some are, but not all of us by a long shot. Mostly we simply have longer lifespans. The Asgardians and Jotun tend to live about 5000 years, on average. But we can and do die of old age. It is also possible for us to die by other means, it is simply something that is more difficult for mortals to achieve.”

[100more]

Hob can see Loki is a little in his own thoughts, but he's sure Loki will realize just how much he's trusted soon enough if he doesn't already. It's hard not to let one's mind wander when they think of home, though.

Being cautious is just a part of life for Hob and that's not going to change, even if it's changing a bit while he's here. He doesn't expect things to be different if he ever gets home.

"I never considered that might be the case." But their stories paint gods as immortal beings, not simply those with longevity. "It must be difficult sometimes. Trying to get along with people for thousands of years." God knows Hob has had some trouble getting along with Dream and that was only after a few hundred years.

[abit_ofboth]

It is something that Loki is coming to learn and accept, but after 1000 years of being a trickster god, he still thinks he has a long way to go. It certainly wouldn’t surprise him that Dream might not trust him, though he’s currently unaware of this at all.

Though it’s not something Loki always manages, he understands being cautious. Loki isn’t a complete stranger to that. It’s not like he’s not good at making plans and following through, but he finds it much more fun to fly by the seat of his pants.

“Yes, well I have often thought that it must be hard for mortals to truly understand that long of a lifespan. To most, we would seem immortal. I can’t really speak to getting along with people. To me, thousands of years must feel like a few decades to a mortal. That and I haven’t had much success with even trying to get along with others. I have spent much of my youth preferring to be alone.”

He says preferring, but that isn’t really the case. He’s come to understand that he was lonely and felt misunderstood, but much of that was his own doing.

[100more]

Hob had not thought about the idea that a thousand years might seem like the blink of an eye to someone who could be around much longer. He wonders if that's how it is for Dream, too, who is Endless. It's no wonder he didn't seem to understand humans very well, since they must be around for such a short time to someone like him.

"You say that, but I find it hard to believe. I think you're very easy to get along with. Maybe you didn't get the proper chance." Or maybe Loki ruined his chances early on with some trickery. Either way, Hob finds the man's company to be delightful.