1963-09-11 - Truly, Covetously, Enviously
Summary: After Amora spies on Crystal and Thor, she tracks down Crystal for a 'one on one' chat that goes sour quickly.
Related: Any Crystal + Thor log, related to the Going to Asgard plotline
Theme Song: None
amora crystal 


Just last night, Crystal's sister awoke. It means there's a lot of catching up to do, a lot of changes coming to her life. But right now, it means she's very happy about life. Medusa wasn't rescued with much of a wardrobe, so Crystal's come into the city to go shopping for clothes for her sister to better prepare for whatever may come next. She's stepping out of a small shop, a pair of bags in hand, as she searches down the street for the next stop.

*

After several thousand years, Amora had perfected the dramatic entrance, especially when it came to other women. The goddess of desire, dripped with sultry elegance, even in her mortal guise. Her ample figure was clad in a silky green dress, that flashed her legs and caught the eyes. A matching headband sat perched in teased tresses of gold. She stood outside the store, her arms crossed and her eyes hidden behind large sunglasses. Ruby lips pulled wide into a predatory grin as she swaggered into step beside Crystal.

"Hello Princess, a pleasure to see you in the flesh again. Crystal is the name you go by here on this mortal plane, is it not?" Her voice was clipped in aristocratic tones, edged with poise and confidence. Each step she took echoed with a commanding click of her heels. The other mortals around them eased away in the crowd, like a school of fish avoiding a shark instinctively.

*

Crystal's steps falter for just a moment as Amora arrives, surprised. Surprised, and suddenly very aware of every spot where her dress has been mended and tailored to last a little longer. Of the fact that it's a good ten years out of style. Of the way her hair has gone utterly flat in the late summer heat and the bags in her hands keep her from doing anything about it.

But there's nothing be gained by showing fear. Right? After that moment of pause, she begins to walk again, chin tipping upward. "Yes, my lady, that is correct," she replies. "Though I would appreciate it if we could leave the titles out here," she adds with a small smile. "Has there been word of the professor?"

*

Silence followed for several long moments, in which Amora lowered her sunglasses to peer over the rim at the woman, as if noting all the details in which Crystal would prove 'unworthy' of the Crown Prince. A smile, cold and cruel pulled at her lips as she turned away with a slow shake of her head. "No, indeed he has not. As is what I expected after the silence of the past several days. He is being kept, most likely against his will." She murmured.

"Which brings me to why I have stopped to see you, Princess." The way she said the word, the title, almost sounded as if it was instead the deepest insult possible. She fell silent again, her emerald hued eyes narrowed behind the sunglasses as she shifted her figure with a subtle grace of a snake about to strike.

"What is your intent with my Prince Thor? Do you truly plan to arrive in Asgard with him?"

*

"That is his current plan," Crystal replies neutrally, keeping her gaze straight ahead of herself as she walks down the street. "Though I mentioned to him that there are some strategic weaknesses to it given what he's told me of his father. I'm sure he could benefit from the suggestions of someone more familiar with the political climate of your homeland, though." Flattery? Perhaps. But she's stepping carefully still.

*

Steel crept into the Enchantress' voice as she responded without so much as a beat of the conversation passing. "The Thunderer is, and never has been, a man of clever planning or manipulations. It is one of the reasons that he is a good man. However," Her lips pursed into a thin line. "This is not a time for him to be honest, not when the whole plan is based on diversions and distraction. It is foolish for him to bring another element into Asgard when he is already risking much. It is highly likely that he will be exiled permanently as a result of going against the All-Father."

Amora reached out a hand then, attempting to halt Crystal by catching her arm in a vice like grip. "Your presence puts this attempt at 'rescue' at risk. I owe Loki a debt, but I will /not/ be responsible for you or your safety should Odin take offense at his son's actions." She hissed sharply.

*

Crystal comes to a stop when Amora catches her, turning a steady gaze to the hand on her arm before she looks back up to the other woman. She doesn't have an Asgardian constitution, but she's certainly made of sterner stuff than most mortals. "I appreciate your concern, my lady, but I am responsible for my own safety. I am more concerned that his highness not strain relations with his family any further than they already appear to be."

Arching a brow, she takes a breath. "With that said, he seems to be aware of where he stands and the risks he takes. He is a grown man and a prince. These choices are his to make."

*

The Asgardian drops her hand, her lips peeling back in disgust as she stared down at Crystal over the rim of her sunglasses. "You're an outsider to Asgard, your presence will do /nothing/ to aid in his family standing. Not when the All-Father desires him to take up his Crown, as is his duty, and he continues to refuse it to remain on Midgard." Her voice dropped as she loomed over the woman before her.

"Remain here in Midgard, where you understand the rules. The Asgardian court bares nothing for you. And leave the Prince to his own devices. You have no stake here." Her voice was chilling, just the edge of promised violence.

*

"My lady…" Crystal sighs, turning away to continue walking down the street with just the slightest roll of her eyes. "I appreciate that you are concerned for his highness. I appreciate that this is also your opportunity to return home. I do not wish to interfere with either of these things. I wish you well of your home, and I wish only for his highness to reconcile with his family."

Her spine straightens - perhaps thanks to a little bit of distance from the Enchantress - and her grip tightens on her bags. "But I have responsibilities to my kingdom and my family as well. And I will not alienate a potential ally by refusing aid because it does not suit you."

*

There was only a moment, a breath, of time between Amora releasing her grip on Crystal and then appearing just before her in a glimmer of green magic. The feat went oddly unnoticed by the mortals on the sidewalk. The Enchantress clearly had picked up the idea of being 'subtle' during her time in exile. Especially in regards to making scenes in downtown New York City—something other Asgardians often lacked.

"I tried to be what they dub 'nice', truly, I did. I gave you fair warning, and I did not threaten. I tried. Truly. Which is more than I can say when Sif imposed herself. Or when that mortal thought she could be Queen.." She rolled her eyes skywards and held out her hands as she sighed—as if she were much put upon.

"Do you have any idea of who I am, Princess? The Enchantress of Asgard. The Witch of Asgard, as many call me. The strongest practitioner of my generation." Her voice dropped and she prowled forward upon her toes. "Call this the customary, last, warning. Stay away from the Thunderer. He is not your Prince. Asgard is not your realm. This is a mission to free Loki, Asgard's second Prince and God of Mischief and Lies. You have no business to be involved." She hissed, her finger uplifted to gesture at Crystal.

*

Crystal leans back slightly when Amora appears in front of her, drawing herself up as tall as she can when the threats start to fly. "I do not care who you are, my lady," she replies. "I have threatened nothing of yours. I do not want your realm. I make no claim on your prince's heart. But if an exile whose only means of returning home is to sell herself to a prince who does not want her is the most politic member of the rescue party, then you are all in a very sorry situation."

She steps forward then, toward the other woman. "I have held back the seas. I have moved a city. I walk through flame and the air itself can hold me aloft. I am of the royal blood of Attilan, and I will do what I must for the good of my people. I would like to do that as your ally, Enchantress. But I will not be swayed by threats."

*

A golden brow hooked upwards as Crystal did quite the opposite of what the Amora was expecting and instead of cowering backwards, rather stood taller. An amused curl pulled at her lips and Amora leaned forward, putting her face inches away from Crystal's. "I am not /selling/ myself to Thor, he holds my heart. He always has.. And when the situation threatens to deny Asgard of not one, but two heirs, the only heirs Asgard has—you put the entire realm at risk. Asgard polices the other Nine Realms and keeps the peace. Without that stability, Asgard's enemies will be roused. You threaten a great deal, Princess." She practically snarled.

"Keep to your people, and your business. Leave Asgard to those that know it."

*

"Then tell him, you-" Crystal cuts herself short before she can say something entirely inadvisable. "If you love him, then save us all the angst, tell him how you feel, and let it be done with. I have no wish to step between him and his heart, no more than he wishes to come between me and mine. But my lady, if it is a queen that you wish to be, then I urge you to learn to consider more than just your heart," she cautions, shaking her head as she tries to step around the other woman. "With rank, comes obligation."

*

As Crystal cuts herself off, Amora steps back, giving the woman her own space back. She made no attempts to halt Crystal this time, but continued to keep pace her with alongside. "He is aware of my feelings." She muttered, sliding a glance over the Princess with a hooked quirk of her brow.

"I would be his Queen if he allowed it, but he never shall. I am well aware of it. But I love my home, and would not have it fall to its enemies if at all possible. I am sincere with my concerns, Asgard is in danger if this goes ill. Thor does not realize, nor seem to note, that his discontent with his father's rule could be cured if he but took up his duties."

"It has always fallen to Loki to advise, and Loki is not here. I owe it to my realm, my home, and my Princes, to ensure all goes well. His insistence on your presences put it at risk." She hissed, her lips pursed into a thin line. "And he shall not heed me." Amora looked at Crystal over the rim of her sunglasses and cocked her head to the side.

*

"He is a good man, my lady." Crystal looks back over to Amora, and this time her look is softer, more sympathetic. "But as you say, an honest one. I don't think it is in him to consider anything other than the truth in his heart. I seek no claim on your kingdom. The plan, as last we discussed, was not to announce any sort of betrothal. It was instead to allow Thor an opportunity to demonstrate that he is willing to consider a marriage that is more alliance than affection. An appeasement to his father's wishes, by seeking his permission to court. It is my understanding that the All-Father is no fool," she notes, arching a brow in turn. "If we seek to convince him that he's gained ground without sacrificing the freedom of either prince, then subtly would be wise."

*

Amora clucked her tongue under her breath, shaking her head. "You put yourself into the middle of the All-father's path. You make my presence redundant, and as such, heighten the chances that Odin will not remove my exile as it breaks the terms set out from him. I will not be accepted into the palace. I will not be able to scry for Loki. And if he is in the royal palace, I will not have freedom of movement to search for him. How do you plan to free him if he is kept against his will? By inserting yourself here, you make it impossible for me to move and fill my debt. And you make it so that Thor shall have to act openly against his father." She muttered tightly, her jaw squaring.

"Do you not see how this puts all in danger?"

*

"Ah, and now we are being honest with each other." Crystal shifts her bags to one hand, the other reaching for a light touch to Amora's arm. "Thor intends to say that you convinced him to come and see to his brother," she explains. "Thus lifting your exile and granting you the freedom you require, as well as bringing up the request for his freedom. I am a blind, my lady, little more. A distraction that suggests that the All-Father has gained ground without making it all seem entirely too easy."

*

A step back followed Crystal's reaching for Amora's arm, and golden brows hooked upwards. "I was to charm Thor back to Asgard, to return his heart and affections back to more acceptable women. By bringing another woman, my work is undone and unfinished. It denies me the ability to roam the palace freely. There are wards there, that can only be surpassed by being behind them already. If Loki is kept there I can not be certain that I can free him." That was a lie. She could easily do so through other means, but it was more work. More risk. One that she was unwilling to hazard with her exile possibly being lifted.

"My debt will remain, and you do not understand the importance of clearing a debt to the God of Lies and Mischief. Thor and you will be on your own. I will have no right, nor reason, to bring Scarlett with me."

*

Crystal arches a brow at the last, quizzical. "Why would you be bringing her at all?" she asks. "You're upset by the idea that I, not an Asgardian but a princess who understands royalty and politics, would be coming to Asgard. But you intended to bring Scarlett along?" Clearly there is something here she doesn't know about.

*

An amused breath of laughter escaped her and Amora slowly shook her head, "I see he did not tell you? Ah.." She clicked her tongue, "Scarlett comes for Loki, she has trained under both myself and him. She was there in Muspell and fought. She also.. feels a great deal for the second Prince of Asgard. I would not deny her, and offered her the chance to come as my handmaiden. A plot that will no longer be feasible if I am simply a forgotten footnote. I know Scarlett and trust her ability to be underestimated and of worth to this feat of mad-caps and skill."

The Enchantress tsked under her breath, folding her arms under her ample chest. "This means that she will no longer be able to accompany us, two outsiders are an impossible feat to bring to Asgard. I doubt the Thunderer will inform her, so it shall fall to me to break the news to the maiden that she might not aid in the rescue of her beloved prince."

*

"She is ever full of surprises," Crystal muses, pausing at a shop window to consider a display of hats. "I hope you will forgive me, Enchantress, if I do not entirely trust your determination of impossible, though. If it made sense for you to bring a handmaiden, would it not make sense for me to do the same? More, perhaps, given that Scarlett is human. How many human handmaids have you had, my lady?"

*

A cold look glossed over Amora's features, a flicker of utter hatred aimed at Crystal as Amora's eyes narrowed. Then it was gone in a flicker, a flutter of eyelashes. "I have spent more time in Midgard than any other Aesir prior to the Princes’ most recent interest here. I have had my share of seidr women trained under my hand. I have lost more mortals to the hands of time than most could possibly comprehend." Her voice soft, barely above a whisper.

"She is my student, and my responsibility until Loki is freed to assume his protection of her. She will not be safe at your side in Asgard if the All-father even permitted it. What can you do to ensure her safety? What do you know about the court, the ways in and out of the palace? Can you teleport her to safety? Can you do anything to merit this danger? No, you're an outsider, one that has inserted herself into this plan without any knowledge of what is at stake. As the mortals say, 'you've no pony in this race'."

*

"First, I have inserted myself in nothing," Crystal notes, raising a finger. "But I suspect that is what irks you more than anything else. Your prince has asked for my help in this. And so I will make this simple." She turns away from the shop window, facing the Enchantress. "If you would like me not to be there, then you have only to convince Thor. If he asks me not to come, if he says he would rather not risk the ire of his family, then I will happily step aside."

*

Amora's lips pursed into a thin line, her jaw squaring at Crystal's 'deal'. She rolled her shoulders back, eyes narrowed as she glowered at the Princess before her. "I could transport you away, far away.. and he'd have no choice but to go without you." She hissed, taking a step back and to the side as she lifted her chin—taking the measure of the woman before her. Her weight shifting upon her toes.

"You are an exile to your own kingdom, you're part of a royal family with nothing to offer Asgard, save your name." Her eyes focused upon Crystal's clothes again, almost cruelly. "How taxing it must be for you? Do you plan to remain wearing such things before the glittering, golden, court? I heard you have only just returned your sister to your care.."

A check book magically materialized within Amora's hand and she held it aloft. "What a burden it must be for you in Midgard's ways.. Comparatively I have access to several life time's worth of funds.. Wouldn't it be easier, better even, to stay here with your sister? Enjoy time you have together here?"

*

"You could. And then Lockjaw could teleport me back, and that would be terribly awkward to explain, don't you think?" As Amora brings out the checkbook, Crystal's brows both rise. "Do you think I can be bought? My lady. I assure you, there is no amount of money which you can offer that would make such an arrangement worthwhile. Do you think so little of your powers that you doubt your ability to convince the prince to leave me behind?"

*

The checkbook vanishes as it came, in a puff of green smoke. "I doubt the ability of anyone in all the Nine Realms to set the Thunderer off any course he desires. As the All-father has faced time and again." She growled, having little idea of who Lockjaw was nor seeming to care overly.

"And it was worth such an attempt with your poor fashion." She bit out, between gritted teeth, irritation clearly written upon her features.

"He is the God of Thunder, and I am not a fool to get into the path of an oncoming storm."

*

Crystal brushes a hand over her skirts, perhaps a little stung by the insult to her wardrobe. But it doesn't really bear discussion at the moment. "My lady, someone is going to have to get into the path of the storm at some point," she sighs. "If he is to be a king, if he is to take the place you all so very much want him to, knowing who he is…Someone is going to have to be able to stand in the path of the storm."

*

A chuckle escaped Amora's lips and she half bowed in a mocking gesture. "The only one to stand in that spot, was and always will be, Loki. His darling brother. The one that we all seek to discover if he is indeed being held against his will. And if he is, to release him, against the All-Father's commands—for he is the only one that might keep Loki in Asgard against his desire." She shook her head as she rose.

"Since I will have no further business in the palace after my arrival, I wish you luck in keeping Thor from being implicated in treason in his attempts to free Loki. For I shall have no recourse to lend aid."

*

"It is my hope, my lady, that this need not become a challenge," Crystal shakes her head. "That perhaps there might be compromise, negotiation…agreement. In which case, there will be no need for recourse, no need for accusations of treason. But as I said: should the prince request I remain behind, I will gladly do so. For so long as he requests my presence, I will offer what aid I can."

*

A twist of Amora's lips fashioned a smile worn of utter lies, a purse of ruby into thin lined white. "I make no accusation of treason, merely speak of what is possible. If Thor is caught going against the All-father's wishes?" She laughed, shaking her head, gold hair bouncing with the movement and she stepped back another step.

"Like I said, I wish you all the luck in the Nine Realms. For you shall need it." Her smile dropped as she spoke the last sentence, her voice cold and unrelenting. She waved a hand and vanished into a cloud of green. The mortal crowds once more closing in around the space she had occupied as if she had never been there at all.

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