[Loki is not given to easy sympathy, but somehow it sits ill to watch someone go from joking about oral tradition to a thousand-yard stare. He moves a half step closer and ducks his head to get a closer look at zir face, trying to draw eye contact.]

I'm not sure where you've gone, but perhaps you ought to come back here now. [Spoken surprisingly gently. He doesn't want to touch anyone without permission, or he might pat zir shoulder for the sake of being reassuring. But not everyone reacts well to contact.]

Sounds like enough horror stories, hm? Shall we start over? What's your name?