Glada Vappen!

[suomi_thunder]

Aarne hadn't celebrated holidays properly in over a year which left him feeling disconnected. Giant bonfires in the streets and rampant reindeer were frowned upon in most civilized cities, unless of course the punks were involved, then that was arson not celebrations.. ok, well for the punks it was a celebration but not for a Saami.

In the Nexus though, oh here he could do whatever he wanted, or that was what he had learned in his few visits. He had been planning and cooking and collecting. The gods probably don't even know where he stirred up reindeer from in the Nexus but he has and Mouka was happy to have a job keeping them corralled. His usual rock gear is augmented with his family necklace and oddly doesn't look too out of place with rest of his wildness.

He didn't have a lot but parties always started this way. The host had some things and then people came and brought more booze and food, ordering all kinds of things. Aarne did bring Mead, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and a a bunch of lemon tippaleipä batter. He had cooked some but this was something he could show visitors how to make on their own. The honey mead based sugar in a large bowl. Strips of dried reindeer meat and juustoleipä, a Finnish reindeer milk cheese, are out on the table too. There are fruits; strawberries, apples, and nuts which were common as well as a cream from reindeer milk traditional to the culture and nearly like unfermented yogurt.

That all done he looked to the huge pile of logs that he had gotten from various people around the Nexus. The Sami added leaves to it to create smoke at first to attract others. Before lighting it he put up a banner of hide dedicated to the Akka, the female fertility spirits, decorated with the same imagery as his traditional drum. It was sentimental, the first drum he ever learned to play.

Drum in hand he poured kerosene on the log pile and lit it. The reindeer spooked at the sudden fire but soon calmed, especially when the tall Fin went among them.

Comments

[suomi_thunder]

His warm smile doesn't fade but the widening of his eyes betrays the shock of being identified so precisely. It was a rare thing in his own world for many people to know about his culture let alone narrow down the tribe and dialect he'd speak at home. There's a moment of mental disarray before he can respond.

"We are from Kaldoaivin erämaa-alue. My family never succumb to the pressures to settle or Christianize." Aarne tells him but it also means they were heavily persecuted. His schooling in Finland, when they moved, had been abusive and crushing at best. Family was an extended thing for his people and really meant several families that traveled together to herd, hunt and take care of each other. He missed all the traditions which was the best explanation for what was happening right now.

"Not human?" Aarne is curious, slightly suspicious, but not deterred. Everything he had met from here so far, to his recall, had been not human.

[coldsong]

"The courage to refuse conformity is in some ways its own reward," Loki tells him, and there's something unmistakably approving in his eyes. "But I'm sure it was hard, and still is, and will be."

He could use the Allspeak here, switch to actually speaking the dialect this person would use, but because he already seems surprised to be identified, he refrains.

"I stopped visiting the North so often when Christianity took hold, and perhaps that was a mistake on my part. I didn't want to cause excessive trouble for anyone who remembered me."

He shakes his head. "I'm Loki. In my world of origin, Loki Odinson, of Asgard and of Jotunheim. I'm aware that may not be an entirely welcome name to you, or fit with the stories you may have heard of me, but I promise you that I am here in friendship."

[suomi_thunder]

"Hard on everyone else." Aarne has an in your face personality that pushed boundaries and maybe that was a cultural trait as much as a personal one. "Countries are finally seeing us. We might be able to govern our own land again."

Aarne is hopeful because his own family group is invested in these changes since they are still mostly nomadic. "Whole countries forgot about Saami."

Forgot them and then tried to restrict them, change them. Most had given in over time. His eyes go back up to the banner then to the man beside him. Male or not in body, Aarne is a sassy woman in speech. "They can all suck it. We don't need others to remember when we can force them to see us."

Aarne had been outspoken in Finland, and now elsewhere, as he wielded his fame to help even if it was just money to help with petitions. The name is recognized but Aarne has been here before and spoken to some beings farther out of his experience than Norse gods."

The giggle is infectious and he gives Loki a mischievous side eye. "You're popular in the punk scene so my impressions aren't negative. I hear about your refusal to conform all the time."

[coldsong]

Loki grins, partly at the contagious giggle and partly at the declaration that they can all suck it. "Well, I do hope we'll get along because I definitely like your attitude."

He smiles and holds out his arms in a gesture that's half a shrug and half just a gesture encompassing...well, himself. "I am less familiar with the punk scene than I should be, evidently, but stubbornness and civil disobedience are very much to my liking. And as a shapeshifter, I have a particular fondness for those who move freely between genders."

[suomi_thunder]

"The whole band is easy going." Aarne mentions and knows he is probably the hardest to get along with, yet it is early and he's sober-ish. "They'll all be here eventually."

This part of their discussion soothes Aarne. If disobedience and gender fluidity pleased this god then the Hammers, or any of the other two bands for that matter, would get along with him well enough. They were a walking riot, like a gang of rebels, that was loud and varied.

"Vars is here somewhere. Don't let his attitude get to you. He's a lot of attitude for most people but he's a good person."

Their bassist was defiantly punk. Even other punks took a step back sometimes but Aarne knew how he was under it all because the man had risked jail to save the drummer's life.

[coldsong]

"As a guest, it's my task to get along with the other guests," Loki says with a smile, but then snorts with amusement.

"Honestly, as far as divinities go, I'm probably harder to offend than most. You needn't worry, I'm sure."

Idly, he stretches his arms overhead and arches his back, then lets seidr shimmer over his skin, a green-gold gleam. The clothing remains the same, just a shirt and dark trousers, nothing special, but the body beneath gains curves, and the facial features soften into femininity.

"If it's all the same to you, I'll probably change shapes back and forth tonight," Loki says with a sweeter smile. "This is a better throat for singing, I think."

[suomi_thunder]

"It's the same for a host, to a point." Aarne would be on better behavior than usual because he was a host and this was spiritual.

"I'm used to our presence causing problems." Aarne meant that because they stirred the pot all the time either offending social norms or their chaotic behavior. Most didn't care but at a festival hospitality was important.

Then Loki is shifting and it startles the drummer again but then as he watches the feminine shift he sighs heavily. It hurts somewhere inside to not be able to just change so convincingly to what he wants to be seen.

"I don't mind. You should be whatever makes you comfortable." He pauses, staring before his eyes shift away. He's unnerved clearly but it has nothing to do with Loki changing and everything to do with his inability. It was pulling up bad memories from being a teen. His eyes return and he pushes a smile that slowly becomes less forced.

"It's always good to see a man who can make a beautiful woman."

[coldsong]

"The Nexus is accustomed to far worse problems than a little celebratory mischief," Loki says.

And then her expression softens into deep concern at Aarne's shift in body language. She's seen that many, many times, and it never fails to make her feel sorrow--and guilt--that she can easily have what so many of the people she wants to care for cannot. But denying herself the freedom to alter form is the opposite of helpful for them, and so she doesn't second guess her decision, waiting for him to speak, if he needs to.

She reaches out, slowly and gently enough to let him pull back if he doesn't want to be touched, but if allowed she'll cup one hand under his chin. "I hope you're aware of your own beauty. Woman or man, neither or both: I see you, sibling. And I am beyond grateful for your kindness."

[suomi_thunder]

He doesn't shy away from the contact and would never even imagine asking her not to change. It was counter to his spirit and everything he believed about being alive. Though, it didn't stop the emotions which were even easier to put in flux after so much drunk.

Aarne needs a moment to put the thoughts in order and even longer to set himself to something he had never breathe to anyone but the spirits who watched over him.

"I used to pretend my mother's make up would let me do this but it never worked because people already knew."

It wasn't exactly sad but there had been abuse that fueled that desire to pretend once he moved away from his own culture. He runs his fingers down the tattoo on the inside of his forearm without thinking about. There was a reason, a personally empowering one, that drive his choice to put that word on his skin.

[coldsong]

"You are not alone," Loki says softly. "Not among gods or among humans, though people of ill intent may want you to feel that way."

Her touch is gentle, possibly even a bit maternal, and she pats his face with care not to smudge the makeup. She leaves space for him to gather his thoughts, attentive as if the rest of the gathering doesn't exist for the moment. This is important.

"I often wish that I could give my own gift of shapeshifting to others. I think you who shift without shifting are far braver than I could ever be. I can give you my ear and my shoulder, though, with a promise of no judgment, ever, whatever you tell me."

She glances down at the tattoo, thoughtful, then back up into his face. He's actually about an inch taller than she is, in either form. "I think you are a little of everything, both masculine and feminine. Am I wrong?"

[suomi_thunder]

"I don't think I'm alone." Aarne snorted a laugh and shook his unruly hair. "I've wished to be left alone in the past but there are twelve of us now. We're becoming a force of nature."

He meant the three bands coming together. The suspicion never left that Stardust had done this on purpose to shake the social foundations more than he could on his own. It was working for that and to allow so many of them to get out of whatever they were trying to hide. The gentleness brings his smile back, for a moment Loki reminding him of his own mother who was always supportive. Openness without judgement brings his voice back.

"I'm jealous of it." The words come out brazen when he considers the ability to just shift at will. It's alluring to never have to spend so much time on looking like he wanted but his temperament mellows quickly. "Yet, I wouldn't want it. The eagle is in my spirit and it is meant to face adversity even if I don't always like it or want to remember it."

Aarne suddenly laughs and gives Loki a hug without thinking about it. "I'm too much for most of them to handle."

The hug is brief but this was a good thing, a good moment. The overconfidence comes back easily. "They don't call me the Finnish Terror in the media for nothing."

[coldsong]

"I am a friend to chaotic forces," Loki laughs softly. "Particularly those who would cause chaos for the betterment of those they love. I've not always been given to good causes, but...I hope you will call on me if the twelve of you and the followers you collect are not quite enough."

The declaration of jealousy doesn't sting in the least, which is interesting to Loki. It's a burst of bright, hot honesty, but followed by a declaration of who Aarne is, it feels like a claimed facet of his sense of self, not a wound or something to hold him back. This is something she will have to think on later, because she does have her own jealousies.

The hug feels like a little explosion of warmth in her chest, and she giggles at it. "Good! Terrify them. Make them jealous of what you can do."

"I like you." It sounds like a passing of judgment--a positive one--or maybe a statement of blessing, undirected. "I'm glad I came here tonight."

And the evening's just getting started!

[suomi_thunder]

"We're trying to change the world." The Aarne giggles to the point he almost snorts. "Stardust is planning an interview with all of us. I'll tell you when so you can decide if we need help."

There's no hiding from Loki, especially, that this interview is intended for mischief and shock. They had been planning and when it got to the date it was going to open a floodgates.

"I like you too." He smiles and offers her his hand, for platonic reasons, like two girlfriends hanging around together. "Let's get a drink and some food."

And if Aarne saw him on the way, he would drag Joe over to meet Loki too. The two weren't quite open with how much they felt for each other yet but Aarne is proud of the Brit, someone as reckless, loud and in your face as Aarne himself. They were like a tornado and his presence had done so much for Aarne's well-being.

[coldsong]

Oho! Mischief afoot is exactly the sort of thing Loki likes to hear about. She has a moment of very real anxiety on these musicians' behalf, though. If they're planning something as wild as it sounds, they could end up in danger. She'll be watching, and if she can rally any others to their side, she will.

Loki's feminine form is that of an adult woman; someone in her thirties, perhaps, young and pretty but not a shy maiden. When Aarne takes her hand, though, she giggles, suddenly girlish. This is something she indulges in far too rarely: platonic games with other female-identifying people. It makes her feel lighter, as if centuries have been whisked from her shoulders.

"Yes please! I love a good mead. I brought a cake with candied flowers, but there are better things cooking; I can smell the lemon and sugar."

[suomi_thunder]

Aarne is younger, just twenty one, and though he loves his male body his manner and mind are feminine as they come. That is why the only response to the girlish giggles is an exaggerated kiss on Loki's cheek complete with the MmmwaH sound of a kiss. The drummer easily forgot things like social standing, or in this case godhood, when someone switched to being a friend. His own life gave him a deep understanding of how important it was to be treated as a person with everything accepted, to be encouraged, included and dragged along for the ride.

Then he is tugging at her hand and giggling himself. "It's my family's mead but Sami and Finnish is stronger. It's more like whiskey." He meant that it burned with the sweet more than the southern varieties because it was fermented longer. "It's the tippaleipä batter."

Aarne could eat tippaleipä until he was ill and would encourage others to do the same. He's happy to let her pour her own glass but he will make the tippaleipä for them once they make it to the table and the oil heated.

[helland_damnation]

Joe was just perusing around the festival, gulping down mead and generally enjoying himself. It was time to find his Fin though as he wandered up to Aarne talking to a woman. Was he holding her hand? Maybe they were friends? Joe was totally new to this Nexus so had no idea how long Aarne had actually been here compared to him. Ah well, he was here now and it was time to have some fun!

"There you are, babe. I wondered where you got to. You've got company I see. Want to introduce me to your lady friend?"

The Brit waved to the woman who was pretty beautiful for a chick. The bassist preferred hot blokes though and Aarne was all he ever wanted right now. Sipping some mead, he glanced from the Fin to the woman.

"Hello there, love. Enjoying the festivities?"

[coldsong]

Loki only giggles again at the kiss, delighted by the affection. Under other circumstances she might try to deflect and act like she's more prickly than she is, but she's already given up and decided to be as sweet as possible with Aarne. There's no point acting grouchy now.

"I have a high tolerance for alcohol. As long as it tastes good, I'll help make sure none goes to waste," she winks.

She is equally interested in tippaleipä and is willing to help make them if taught.

When Joe approaches, for just a moment Loki feels weirdly protective of her new friend. She manages not to bristle, but she does look at Aarne to make sure this is someone he knows. The tone of the stranger's voice and the body language is reassuring, though, and so after glancing between them she smiles.

"We've only just met tonight," she says. "But sometimes one makes fast friends. Are you bandmates?"

She's guessing lovers, based on the terms of endearment, but it could be both!

[suomi_thunder]

"I love it." He offers her the whole bottle and a small wooden cup. As to learning, it is technique that makes the tippaleipä, pouring at the right rate and layering to get the thin stranded, tower of cake like goodness. However, he will teach her if she shows interest to learn.

The smile plastered on Aarne's face and the way Loki is momentarily forgotten, even ignored, when Joe appears is enough. The Fin is madly in love with the Brit even if he has a hard time expressing it, or knowing what to do with his feelings, it's loud in his body language. The newness of their relationship probably is noticeable too for someone as astute as Loki.

"He's the Hell's Angels' bassist." Aarne notices Joe's behavior and slips his hand around his forearm briefly to get rid of the jealousy. "We're on tour together. This is Joe, Burn Them All. Joe, this is Loki. Vars' god...dess."

He's not sure which he should use for a moment and just throws them both in half-wise to cover everything.

[helland_damnation]

Joe went right up to Aarne and kissed him passionately on the lips just to abbreviate that he was madly in love with the Fin and had been since their fuck behind the swanky New York bar. Their bond had only deepened as they spent more time with each other on tour and doing crazy stunts and pranks on other band members. The helium filled sex dolls---well, that was something.

"That's me. Joe "Burn Them All." We've all got hell related stage names. My band leader is Viktor "The Devil." We've also got Billy and Zack "The Hellmaster". Nice to meet you, Loki. You're a goddess then? Never met a real life one before."

The bassist was pretty drunk and didn't really understand that Loki was the real deal when it came to gods and goddesses. But hey, each to their own. He offered a polite wave and then slid his own hand into Aarne's squeezing softly.

"What does a Norse goddess do then? Can you summon your own booze or make it rain when you want?"

[coldsong]

Loki chuckles softly at the kisses exchanged, bristling dropped at once. She does know well enough how a feminine man can get abused, or taken advantage of, but it seems clear that Aarne trusts this man, and there's no point trying to protect lovers from one another.

"I've been through Hel," she muses in response to the introduction. "It was more dull than fiery, but I suppose these things vary from universe to universe."

She can tell Joe isn't convinced, but he's being civil about it, and she's in no way offended. She's also not going to pretend not to be what she is, though!

"I'm the goddess of lies, mischief, and the outcast," she says. "I can do a number of things, and not all of them are nice. Rain isn't my providence, though. That's more Thor's field."

[suomi_thunder]

Aarne knows why Joe is acting this way and briefly leans into his shoulder as the bassist takes his hand. Being crazy and high energy, like the two of them were, drove people away and while Aarne had adjusted to it the best he could, Joe had been hurt by it. The Fin squeezes his hand and smiles.

He's also well aware that Joe is clueless about spirituality, or that was Aarne's estimation when he had mentioned his own. It wasn't for everyone necessarily to have one or even grow up with one the way Aarne had.

"Mischief and outcasts." Aarne repeats as he pats Joe's cheek. "She's our kind of people; goddess."

He's learning to just go with whatever Loki is using and ignore his years of hearing god associated with Loki's name.

"Horagalles, in my beliefs, is rain, thunder, health, and drumming." No time like the present to try and get Joe accustom to the culture he would be tossed into in a few months. Aarne knew well that all spiritual beings had the ability to be good or punish, few were truly evil so the revelation that Loki could do things that would be viewed as bad or evil.

[helland_damnation]

"Lies, mischief and the outcast? Quite a cocktail you've got there, love. You know Thor too? What are the not nice things you do then? Everyone loves a bad girl don't they?"

Joe smirked as he pressed another kiss to Aarne's cheek. Just hearing Loki speak made the Brit slightly unsure of it all since he wasn't used to the whole goddess thing. Aarne seemed to believe it though so this made Joe think a little more into it. Sceptical? A little.

"Drumming? This boy can really drum. On my head, my ass and on his actual drums. I love him for it."

Directing his gaze towards Aarne, Joe giggled and tipped some more booze down his neck. He was well on his way to getting trashed at this festival and why the fuck not? It was about mixing and having fun. Did this Loki liked to get smashed too? Did goddesses drink?