i apologise for the disgrace to mythological canon. it's not even mythological canon, anyway, it's just a bit of a myth that i've borrowed for the MaLoki universe. ( except not really, because if that was so then there would have to be considerably more crack involved in the retelling. ) also, i have little idea as to what the pre-eye-incident loki-heimdall dynamic was like, so i make things up. ^_^ most importantly, i blame this on 'bri. ref - volume 7 of Matantei Loki ---------------- Trial by Water ---------------- It wasn't as though anyone considered seals violent, Heimdall thought, brushing sand and gravel out of his hair as he stood up unsteadily. When you came down to it, they had a mouthful of sharp teeth and a decent amount of body weight, but not much else that you could use in a fight. Their bodies weren't very good for fast escapes, either, unless one was already in the water. He supposed that had all worked out to his advantage. The neckpiece was cold and slippery in his grasp, surprisingly heavy even for gold. He turned to leave, hesitated for a while, then looked back at the surface of the water instead. When it became obvious that he was not about to leave any time soon, a seal finally surfaced, dragged itself back onto the skerry, and turned back into an equally bedraggled Loki. "There was really no need to push me into the water at the end," he said, gingerly fingering a neck wound. "It's all very well for a seal, but now my clothes are ruined, honestly, they're going to be all stiff when they dry out -- you weren't waiting so you could beat me up again, were you?" "Checking if you were alive. I don't think Odin would approve if I killed you by mistake," Heimdall replied, though there was something in his eyes that suggested he would have gladly been careless otherwise. "I don't suppose so," Loki replied cheerfully, wringing saltwater out of his jacket and wincing as it stung his cut hands. "He'll probably want to do it himself." It wasn't fair, Heimdall reflected later on, that Loki had gotten away with it. Entirely predictable, of course - that was Odin for you - but still not fair. *** As Heimdall watched Loki topple into the water, courtesy of Freyr, he felt a vague sense of deja vu. That was mostly overshadowed by the triumph and satisfaction at watching Loki flounder, so he paid no attention to it. Eventually they ( meaning Freyr ) got around to pulling Loki out of the pool, whereupon the half-conscious Loki, now bereft of coat, proceeded to shiver pathetically and cough up a lungful of water. "There was really," he gasped, "no need..." "To push you into the water?" Freyr supplied helpfully. "Yes," Loki said, and promptly lost consciousness. It was just as well that he did - Heimdall was in no mood to listen to him complaining about his clothes.