Trust In Me (Loki)

[Pinocchio Black]

(ooc: February 19th. Redoing the loki/pinocchio friendship thread since it was accidentally deleted.)

Pinocchio walked out into the main room. He didn't know how to work the tv so he left it alone. He was bored. Being unable to fight or train he was stuck in the house. He sighed.

"I hope someone shows up. I want to have fun today. Maybe play games with my friends or hang out with my parents. Something." said Pinocchio.

He sighed. He then head footsteps walking towards the room and he grinned. Someone was coming. He hoped they had time to play.

[Loki]

Although he was normally not very keen with babysitting, Loki was surprisingly alright with the idea. Due to La and the others being busy with the problems with the brainwashed, Loki was assigned to keep a watch on Pinnochio. Which was understandable because due to an attack, Pinnochio was considered the key to Ask thatguy and was in fact the heir to the leader. Loki felt connected to the child which was probably why he was fine with the assignment. He went to the main room with his head held high and heard Pinnochio, childishly, gripe about wanting to have someone come over and have fun with him. Anything really. Loki was aware of the boy's boredom but felt that he needed to make himself well-known.

"Well now. It seems you have received your wish, young one" Loki said kindly. He eyed the couch that Pinnochio was sitting on and responded politely "Care to let me sit? I promise I mean no harm. You may already know me as Loki, yes?"

[Pinocchio Black]

Pinocchio paused looking up seeing Loki and smiled.

"Hello. I remember you. I've seen you around before but I guess we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Pinocchio. Pleased to meet you." said Pinocchio.

He grinned.

"So are you waiting for someone? Or were assigned to watch me? Cause you don't have to watch me if you don't want to. I know there's probably other important things you'd rather be doing. I could just stay in my room until one of my parents is free." said Pinocchio.

He'd be bored but he didn't want to feel like the guy was forced to be here. He had few friends here and he did want to make more. He was just nervous. Everyone he'd trusted before this war had left him or betrayed him. Even the Blue Fairy kept leaving and said she couldn't always help him. But he had a new family and friends here now and he needed to stop focusing on his past and more on his future. He paused looking at him with a grin.

"Unless you want to do something fun then I wouldn't mind you staying." said Pinocchio.

[Loki]

"A pleasure to meet you officially, young one. Such a unique name I might add" Loki praised, smiling softly, doing his best to seem pleasant. He actually wanted the boy to not be afraid of him and so far it seemed to be working. The two seemed to hit it off very well already. He looked the boy up and down though as he talked, observing how quick the boy was to object for the sake of Loki's personal comfort. Loki paused, listening, observing and watching. He was a fantastic observer, it was what caused him to be such a great manipulator when the time arose.

"Well I was assigned but I willingly wished to see you and spend time with you. You seem bored. And I too feel the need of some company. Many of the magicians are busy with working on other things, such as the brainwashing issue, and La is working with your parents on other important matters. I am free to do what I wish. I do not mind being here" Loki said, genuinely serious. He didn't mind children. He actually liked them, despite what his reputation lead to believe. He saw the boy seem very keen on having company but was a bit shy, which was fine because he just was little and not as social as the rest of the kids.

He saw a empty seat and took Pinnochio's chat as permission to sit down and sat on the empty spot. He looked to the boy and smiled at him. He responded "I would like to stay. I too wish to do something fun" He conjured up some green smoke before making it disappear. He turned to see Pinnochio's response.

[Pinocchio Black]

Pinocchio grinned at Loki's words.

"Thanks. I didn't think to ask my fat- Gepetto why he named me that." said Pinocchio.

He paused frowning at his slip up. Even now he thought of Gepetto as a father. He had betrayed him and cast him aside for another child. He paused wiping fresh tears from his face.

"Sorry. Even now I still miss him. My new parents showed me he replaced me with a new child just as soon as I vanished. Maybe he never really cared about me. Maybe he just wanted a child and didn't care where he got it from." said Pinocchio.

He listened to Loki speak.

"So you don't mind spending time with me? I'd think anyone would hate having to babysit a kid. Especially me. My first battle I got hurt and captured. I was eventually freed but they baby me. I mean sure I'm only six weeks old but I look like I'm 6 year old boy. I escaped from an evil puppeteer, a crazy man that turned kids into donkeys, and even fought a whale to save Gepetto. I can take care of myself. I just need more practice with the fighting I guess." said Pinnochio.

He smiled as Loki sat down next to him and said he wished to do something fun. Seeing him conjure some smoke he looked on in shock and grinned.

"You can do magic? That's so cool. Could you show me more?" said Pinocchio.

[Loki]

Seeing the boy's reaction to the compliment made Loki himself grin, yet the tears caused Loki to look concerned. Loki came a bit closer, wanting to see what was wrong when the boy spoke again. He explained that Gepetto, Pinnochio's former parent, replaced him and was adopted by the leaders of the family who showed him this knowledge. Loki's heart sank in sympathy. "You do not need to apologize for your feelings. I understand you quite well. I know what it is like to be neglected by others. I do not believe children should be considered things to be replaced" He admittedly was passionate about this mostly because of his own issues. But right now he didn't need to tell a child his problems.

Loki shook his head at Pinnochio's surprise at him wanting to be near the child "Not at all" He then listened with shock as he learned this boy was not 6 years old but actually only 6 weeks old. Not only that but has suffered abuse, abandonment, manipulation and other things thanks to being captured and other dastardly things. He was once again captured in this war but now was babyed because of it. He sighed and responded, allowing his personal thoughts get to him "That is terrible for you. No child should be treated the way you have in the past" He then pondered what to say next "Yes I have done wrong but I would never do so against young children let alone children of any age. Yes you are clearly able to depend on yourself but you should be cared for as a child, not manipulated. Your story is disheartening to me, those who have harmed you, I assure you it will not be the same with me"

He then saw the subject change for a moment thanks to Pinnochio's fascination with his magic. It caused a sense of pride within the magician which increased when Pinnochio asked him to show him more "Well of course I can. I have for many years. I will be more than happy to show you more. Which trick would you like to see next? I can shape-shift for you perhaps?"

[Pinocchio Black]

Pinocchio nodded smiling at him.

"Thanks. I know everyone just sees me as a kid here. Even my parents try to protect me. It's nice to be not treated as a nuisance. I know they don't mean to but I feel like that sometimes." said Pinnochio.

He smiled as Loki seemed to be sympathetic to him.

"I know. Sometimes I wish I'd been turned into a teenager or adult. Being a kid hasn't been much fun. Well until I met some friends here like you." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio nodded.

"I know everyone makes mistakes. I did quite well in my first battle. Facilier made me older. I felt useful for once. But the spell wore off and I got captured. I was rescued but I miss being bigger." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio grinned his mood really happy now that Loki was asking him to show magic.

"Sure. Maybe you could teach me how to do some of them sometime. At least I'd feel like I'm doing something while I'm stuck here." said Pinocchio.

[Loki]

"Well yes you are young, it causes the rest of us to immediately wish protection upon you. Well, someone who genuinely has emotions" Loki responded, not disagreeing with the boy but also showing him the adult side of things. But the child did have a point. It was a bit of a double standard to have more concern over someone who wanted to help but was young than someone who wanted to help but was a adult or older. "I understand your feelings however. Eventually the adults will allow you to do good"

"I doubt that you will enjoy teenager-hood or adulthood, young one. Problems will not disappear for you, they will increase in different ways. Best for you to just appreciate the time you have as a child and let fate present itself" Loki replied, chuckling at the child's wish to be an adult/teen. Thinking it would be easier was understandable but it wasn't. Life never got easier.

"I am sure you did. But Facilier's magic comes with a price. I have heard of his magic before. Those types of magicians do not get their powers for free and certainly don't use it for free. It is shady and scandalous. I strongly advise staying away from those type of people, young one" Loki responded, a evident amount of distaste. He had no mind with humans using magic. But dark magic was something Loki had experience with, not pleasant experience either. Loki's magic was different. It wasn't dark but it wasn't do-good magic, it was just a power he learned from his mother and teachers.

"I most certainly can teach you. Whenever you wish. Now. Let us see what should impress you" Loki observed the young boy. He then let out his hand and suddenly a golden wisp of lined light came into view. The golden light quickly morphed into a red apple. He quickly gave the boy the apple and grinned, teasing with him "Go on. Enjoy it. I promise it is not poisoned" He let out a soft chuckle

[Pinocchio Black]

Pinocchio nodded sadly.

"But I don't want to be shoved into a closet or a liability. I want to fight and protect my family and friends. But no one will let me train or fight. How can I get better if people treat me like this?" said Pinocchio.

He sighed as Loki spoke.

"I hope so." said Pinocchio.

He grinned at that.

"It can't be as bad as you say. I know there will still be problems but at least I'd be treated better." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio frowned at that.

"I hope I've already paid that price. I don't want to still be in debt to him." said Pinocchio.

He nodded listening to Loki's advice.

"I'll still clear of him. I'll only trust magicians here in this army from now on anyway. And I'll make sure to ask you or my mom first. I know one of you would be able to tell if it's the right move." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio grinned as Loki agreed to help teach him. He watched as Loki conjured a golden light that morphed into an apple and handed it to him. Pinocchio accepted it and grinned at Loki.

"That's incredible." said Pinocchio.

He bit into the apple and grinned.

"It's delicious. Best apple I've ever tasted." said Pinocchio.

Loki

[Loki]

Loki hummed softly as the boy brought up good points. He shook his head "You're not a liability my boy. Perhaps you make a good point" He then pondered before grinning "Perhaps it is time for you to indeed train more. I can easily arrange something for you" He then offered "If I talk with your parents about letting me train you or find a way for you to train with the others under my supervision, would that be alright with you?" He then responded "Only if you want. You do make good points in that just leaving you here will get you harmed eventually I'm afraid" He then nodded at Pinnochio "Whether or not I get them to listen, you will become allowed to train sometime"

"Trust me. I lived long enough to know that the problems children face are nothing compared to being a adult. But to be fair to you, you're growing up into a war. A very unfair situation. But fortunately, there is time for you to learn and being quickly turned into a adult won't help you learn or grow properly" Loki replied, trying to comfort the child as best as he could. He tried his best and hoped he was succeeding.

"You will pay for nothing. Don't worry. I am strong enough to prevent Facilier to try to collect that if he ever has a payment. He will have to deal with me and very few people who deal with me bother me again" Loki winked assuringly as the boy expressed nervousness over Facilier. He nodded "As you should. Most of us users here are actually smart and loyal enough to know that your mother is quite the woman to mess with" He then nodded in satisfaction as Pinnochio promised to learn magic through his mother or him "Good. Very good for you to do so"

"A simple trick but a trick that takes skill nonetheless" Loki replied with a smile as he was praised. He froze as Pinnochio praised him more, recalling that he rarely got praised as much as this boy did. Loki snapped out of it quickly before replying "Wish to see more?"

[Pinocchio Black]

Pinocchio sighed.

"But I am. As long as I don't have the proper training. I mean the world I'm from I was tricked and used by several villains. And even here I was tricked by Facilier and got captured." said Pinocchio.

He grinned as Loki said he could arrange something.

"Yes. I'd like that. Especially if it was you. I think most people will go too easy on me afraid to hurt me. Or push me too far. But I think you would be right in the middle and allow me to train and get strong. I don't know you that well yet but I trust you." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio shrugged.

"I know my life wouldn't be perfect. This is a war. But I'd be taller and stronger. I could protect myself better." said Pinocchio.

He smiled as Loki said he wouldn't pay for anything.

"I believe you. I know you'll protect me if it comes to that." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio nodded.

"I don't even know how powerful she is. I mean you and Hades are gods and yet sometimes I've even see Hades nervous around her. My Mom and Hades might be the only ones here to give you a challenge in your own training. I'm sure you don't need it but perhaps they do." said Pinocchio.

He was secretly worried about Loki's safety as so many of his enemies were on Critic's side. But he didn't want to say and risk insulting him either.

"If summoning an apple is simple what could be hard for you?" asked Pinocchio, curious.

He kept eating and grinned as Loki asked if he wanted to see more.

"Yes. But maybe we should go outside or something. I mean I don't know much about magic. The Blue Fairy's magic was limited. She couldn't help me very much. But I wouldn't want to risk destroying anything inside. Well I'm sure you could fix it but perhaps we could just go outside so you won't have to waste time fixing things." said Pinocchio.

Loki

[Loki]

"Perhaps it's time for a change then" Loki replied, his tone a bit sad. Due to the fact the boy was telling him that he's been tricked and lied to so much, the god couldn't help but feel pity for him. But he didn't want to offend the child either, seeing he wanted some sort of independence.

Loki was shocked to see Pinnochio be so trusting to him. And be so willing towards him. The god chuckled "For your sake I think you should get to know me before you make very big decisions like that. Considering my other titles include "God of mischief" and "god of lies"" He then responded "Not that you shouldn't completely trust me. Considering I am a part of this army and would be a fool and quite cruel to even think of harming you. But you shouldn't completely give over all your trust. Just a moderated bit for now"

"Yes. You can definitely trust me to at least protect you. I'll be damned before I let some false moronic magician get his greedy hands on you" Loki replied protectively. He was starting to care about this kid and he didn't understand why. Loki didn't know but this kid was starting to remind him of himself at a young age. He then nodded "You are correct though. This is a war and you will need to have a way to protect yourself if no one else can come to you. So you will need to learn all you can about magic with me or your mother. And definitely some combat. I'll try to arrange it for your sake"

"I might. Even gods need to be at guard. Because some of the enemies here are more powerful than I assumed" Loki said, also worried a tiny bit about his own safety. But for his ego and pinnochio's admiration of him he would never say so. He then chuckled, gently touching pinnochio's nose with a single finger "My dear young boy, you forget I've learned quite a lot of tricks. Very few spells are challenging for me"

"That's because she's a fairy. She's not a god like me. But yes let's go outside. Besides, my next trick may require me to go outside anyway" Loki winked and got up from the couch. He then offered his hand for Pinnochio to take.

[Pinocchio Black]

Pinocchio smiled and then sighed.

"But I'm stuck. They say I need more experience so I can fight. But they won't let me fight or train to get that experience. Adults can be really confusing sometimes." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio chuckled.

"But if you were trying to trick me you'd be wanting to get to know me and gain my trust. So trying to get to know you wouldn't help me. Not that I believe you're tricking me." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio shook his head stubbornly.

"It's my choice and choose to trust you. My parents wouldn't even let you near me if they thought you'd try to hurt me in any way or trick me. If they trust you then I trust you." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio smiled as Loki agreed he'd need to protect himself.

"I'd like to learn with you. Even if my parents agreed to teach me they might go easy on me. And in a war people I'm fighting won't go easy on me." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio frowned worried about him.

"Then maybe you could research resurrection spells or something like it. If you or someone else gets killed in our army we could bring them back." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio grinned.

"I see. I bet that list would be very short." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio nodded.

"I guess that's true. The less power or knowledge you'd have the weaker your magic?" asked Pinocchio, not sure if he got that right.

Pinocchio took Loki's hand ready to go outside.

Loki

[Loki]

"They can be, young one. They can be. They're so determined to protect you I suppose. But fear not, if you wish I could help you make a environment where you can train easily. That way people won't too go easy on you but you won't have to deal with such difficulty in training" Loki offered. The boy was right. He wasn't going to be small forever. He WAS going to have to learn. It wasn't even a choice. They could deny it all they wanted but the boy wasn't a baby. He had to fight.

"Very, very observant. You're very bright. Fair argument, young one. I am pleased with your trust. I will not abuse it" Loki smiled, approving of Pinnochio's points. There was no point in the boy getting to know him if he was trying to trick the kid. And even if he tried, he wouldn't succeed, especially since his parents were the leaders and would definitely notice. Speaking of which, it made sense that as long as the army trusted him so would Pinnochio himself.

"Well I wouldn't go too rough on you, but it amazes me how right you are. I would be happy to teach you. I've assisted in sparring training back in my youth, I can always do it again" Loki replied as they continued to talk about training. He off-handedly ignore the resurrection idea but could tell the boy was concerned about him "Pinnochio, I am a god, it is practically impossible for me to be killed. But for your sake I will keep my eyes out"

"Exactly right, my young boy" Loki confirmed Pinnochio's intellect about how fairies worked against how gods worked. He then walked the boy right outside to the backyard. He picked up the boy on a rock for him to watch. Loki then smiled "Now this trick is slightly harder but once you get the hang of it, you never get rid of it" He then backed up and closed his eyes as green and gold glow surrounded him. Eventually he appeared in his battle armor, horned helmet and all, he even had a spear with him. He looked to see the boy's reaction.

[Pinocchio Black]

Pinocchio sighed.

"I know. But keeping me in a bubble won't keep me safe. I was nearly captured when the army split in two here. I was hurt on the battlefield and captured before that. But this is a war. People are going to get hurt or even die. I can't stay locked away forever and let my friends and family get hurt or worse. And if someone did show up and I was alone I'd end up captured or killed because I couldn't protect myself. After all there's no way everyone can be around me all the time." said Pinnocchio.

Pinocchio smiled.

"I know you won't." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio grinned as Loki agreed to help train him.

"Thank you. I appreciate this." said Pinocchio.

Pinocchio looked at him concerned but nodded as Loki said it'd be impossible for him to be killed.

"But we're also in another world. Who knows what changed since came here? What if you can die here?" asked Pinocchio.

He was scared for his new friend and he already saw Loki as his friend. He paused for a moment and sighed.

"Sorry. I know you can take care of yourself. I just don't want anything to happen to you." said Pinocchio.

He smiled watching Loki begin the training after setting Pinocchio on a rock to watch. Pinocchio got as comfortable as he could being on a rock while he watched in amazement as Loki summoned his armor, helmet and spear to him.

"That's incredible." said Pinocchio, applauding the effort.

Loki