[closed post -- a readiness of things]

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad has assumed a regular schedule of checking on Magnus -- the protein bars were dire, and Magnus deserves better food, to say nothing of the other pleasures of indoor life (changes of clothes, Ticket to Ride (the Europe version), updates from Claudius' Mansion gossip that seem like they're be interesting to Magnus and not so personal that Galahad would feel bad sharing them). He comes out to the woods daily now.

It's one of the coolest days they've had at the Mansion so far, and he has a long coat on over his clothes. Today's collection of needful things includes a book full of different waffle recipes, the spicy lamb Magnus conjured from the refrigerator on his first day, two bottles of Mountain Dew Code Red, and an assortment of jeweled barrettes that immediately made him think of Magnus' overlong hair.

Comments

[summerdude]

"I said presents," with a great deal of glee. "Everybody who comes brings you a present, and then after the party, you write them all thank-you cards."

[onthewillowsthere]

Presents, plural, is hard to envision at all. Galahad's first gift was the gold-edged psalter the abbess gave him for his first communion, when he was eight, and after that any gifts were from Percival -- things like the cicada, the encounter with the unicorn, his stories about Wales, often less than tangible after the fact. Claudius has given Galahad his calendar, the watch with its braided band (he rubs the leather with his thumb). He can't really imagine what else there is to give, especially in a place like this, where he can have any book he wants, any piece of clothing he can imagine.

"What present do you want?"

[summerdude]

Alex, of course, is the first thing that comes to mind. Alex, or Samirah, or Hearth and Blitz. But having one of them here -- or at least having a way to let them know that he's okay -- that's not something anyone can give Magnus.

"That's a good question," he decides. "I'll have to think about it. You already give me presents, like, every day, and they're always great." He touches the barrettes in his hair. "I think when, like, you're a kid, you mostly want cool toys. A doll, or a lego set, or your own sleeping bag or whatever. Valhalla was more like the Mansion -- they've got basically everything there, even IKEA. Um, that's a furniture store. Plus nobody really pays attention to birthdays. But gifts are more, like, little thoughtful things that make you think of someone rather than something they specifically need. Like, I used to give Hunding the bellhop fancy Midgard chocolate every time I came in after sneaking out. I like those kinds -- the stuff you don't think to ask for, but that people think you should have anyway. Stuff that makes me feel like people appreciate that I'm here, I guess?" He glances over at Galahad, who is great at that sort of thing. "I wouldn't say no to a lego set, though. What do you want?"

[onthewillowsthere]

He flushes at you already give me presents, though gladly, then files away lego set for future reference. He's not sure whether it's the sort of thing Shen Yuan will know about, but he can ask.

"I don't know," he says again, thinking of the way the Mansion provides -- but then he also thinks that it provides everything he gives to Magnus, too, and that hasn't meant that Magnus wasn't happy to get those things. Galahad knew he wanted a watch before Claudius gave him one, and he could have opened drawers until he found it himself, but he didn't. So he adds, "I don't know right now. I'll think and tell you tomorrow."

[summerdude]

"I'll think, too," Magnus promises. "For me and also for you."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Thank you." He rolls over, off his back and against Magnus' chest instead, partly because he's still cold and partly because he wants to have more contact with him.

[summerdude]

Magnus wraps Galahad in a big bear hug. "I'm so glad you're my best friend," he says.

[onthewillowsthere]

"Thee too. I'm glad thou'rt mine."

[summerdude]

"Thank..." Magnus pauses. "Thee? Is that right?"

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad smiles against his shoulder. "Yes. Thee, when you mean the object, and thou for the subject."

[summerdude]

"Dude, you overestimate my memory of grammar lessons in school," says Magnus. He frowns. "Um. Thee overestimate? Thou? Thine? No, not thine, that sounds wrong."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Thou underestimatest," he corrects. "Thy is possessive, and thine if the word begins with a vowel, or if it is intransitive."

[summerdude]

"Oh, right, other words are weird, too," Magnus says, nodding solemnly. "I don't know what an intransitive is, but your boyfriend told me you can use this stuff as an insult to someone who isn't on an, um, informal? level? with you??" He's pretty sure he's remembering that right. "So if I ran into Loki right now, and I really wanted to lodge a sick burn, would it be right to say 'thine absolute incompetence?'"

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad laughs. "Yes. That would be right. Thou is familiar -- you disrespect him."

[summerdude]

"Nice," Magnus says, satisfied. "If he ever breaks out of his new prison and comes here, he's not gonna know what hits him. I'm gonna eviscerate him."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Thou wilt be a champion."

[summerdude]

"I might not even need Kvasir's mead to flyte him," Magnus laughs.

[onthewillowsthere]

"Why did you before?"

[summerdude]

Magnus squints at him. "Have I told you about Kvasir's mead before?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"No."

[summerdude]

"It's pretty gross," he warns.

[onthewillowsthere]

"I can stomach it."

[summerdude]

"Okay," says Magnus. "So Kvasir was a treaty, sort of. After the Aesir-Vanir war -- um, the Aesir are the warlike gods, and the Vanir are like Frey? The natural world gods. I think I've probably mentioned that before. They battled but decided they should stop fighting all the time... I think because it was probably going nowhere? Between the Aesir's might and the Vanir's magic. Anyway, so for their treaty, they all spit into a barrel and all of that combined god-spit from both tribes turned into Kvasir. He was the god of wisdom while he was alive. Very beloved of Odin and all the rest. And then these evil dwarfs, Fjalar and Gjalar -- they're bad news dudes; they took us to Fenris Wolf's island during my first quest and then abandoned us there to die even after we paid them -- they killed Kvasir. Drained his blood, and the gods, in their sorrow, turned it into mead. Um, for the record, when I gave you mead the day we met? Totally different stuff. No spit-guy blood involved at all. But so Kvasir's mead... it has magical properties. Makes you artistically poetic for a time after you drink it, for some reason. Very rare and highly desired by most people who've heard of it... real premium shit. Me and Mallory had to steal the last swallow of it from a really messed up situation so I could have it to flyte Loki, because he's the best flyter in the Nine Worlds and I needed a fighting chance." He pauses. "The blood mead of the spit god didn't taste awful, for the record." Then he frowns. "We thought that was the last swallow of the mead in the Worlds, but it turned out Odin had a secret stash all along that he just didn't bother sharing."

[onthewillowsthere]

It has the sense of unreality and truth that the Old Testament stories always carry, of something that seems impossible to have actually happened but holds weight nevertheless. Still, he asks, "Why did you need it? You speak well already."

[summerdude]

"I'm average at best," Magnus laughs. He thinks probably Galahad is biased, because they get each other so well. Most people don't walk away from Magnus thinking orator, or whatever. "Loki is the god of lies and insults and stories... basically a master of words. Everyone said I'd need the help. Uncle Randolph left me clues before he died, I guess as an apology for getting me killed and trying to sell me out so that he could free Loki and be reunited with his wife and kids? And Aegir the ocean god said I'd be defeated immediately without it... even my grandpa, Frey's dad Njord, was like, kiddo, without the mead it's certain defeat; even with the mead there's only a slim chance of success." He still thinks it's pretty messed up that Odin didn't just give him some, though, since according to Sam, Odin has a vested interest in postponing Ragnarok.