The sun was just setting but it felt like the trick or treaters had been here for hours already. Little boys and girls running from person to person at Tony Stark's annual Halloween party. Loki couldn't help but smile at the lilting voices that were definitely chasing each other across the main floor of the party. Once or twice a child would bump into his legs and run off shouting a well meaning apology as they left.
Loki liked seeing the costumes. It was his second Halloween in Avengers Tower but this year felt different, safer. Of course there were little ones waving around wands and yelling about magic. A few times Loki gently had to bite his tongue to keep from correcting them. Every so often a parent would give him a backwards glance and he couldn't tell if they were concerned for or about him. This year he even had gotten into the spirit of the holiday and actually dressed up. Though Tony said it was cheating if Loki dressed up as himself. It wasn't as if he was wearing his armor. He had gone to the trouble of spelling his hair fiery red and putting on ridiculous viking garb. He looked more like a clown than anything else or at least he felt that's what he looked like but if anyone asked he was Loki of the mortal mythology variety.
He started walking across the room, trying to get to the snacks that were on the far side of the room when a child ran head first into his legs. The impact was so hard that they both stumbled and the little one fell into a haphazard pile at his feet. Loki bent and reached out to help the child up. He froze when the child looked up with wide eyes.
"You...you're Loki!" She said in the highest pitch voice Loki had ever heard.
"Sorry. I. um. I'll just. I was going over there. I didn't mean. I'm." Loki didn't know where to look or what to do. This little girl was going to start crying and screaming any second from now. People would be angry.
She jumped up and smiled. "I'm dressed as you! You when you're with the other Avengers. When you fight the bad guys who come from space and stuff. Mommy said that I should dress up as a princess or witch or something with a lot of pink. But I made her let me dress up as you!"
Loki half smiled as he looked at her costume, "You...why would anyone dress up as me?"
He hadn't realized he said anything but the little girl was already answering him. "Because you wear my favorite color. Green. And you use magic. Not pretend magic but real magic! And you helped protect my Daddy. And people listen to you when you speak. And-" She was cut off when her mother ran over.
"Elle, please stop pestering this poor man. I could hear you all the way across the room. I'm so sorry sir I really hope she wasn't bothering you too much. Elle did you even apologize for running into...I'm sorry what is your name?"
"Loki. I'm Loki."
Elle's mother smiled, "That's a wonderful Loki costume. I don't think I've ever seen a norse version but I meant what's your actual name?"
With a flick of his wrist Loki's costume melted back to his clothing from earlier. His hair was slicked back and pristinely black. He was in his black slacks and green button up. "I actually am Loki. As far as I know it's the only name I've ever really and truly had." He carefully stood up, "It's been a pleasure-"
Elle's mother stopped smiling. She brought Elle a bit closer. "I am so so sorry."
Loki tilted his head to the right. With another flick of the wrist his costume was back on. "I...I mean you nor your daughter nor anyone here any harm. I actually." He bent down and smiled. "I'm very glad to have met you Elle. I'm sure people listen when you speak much more then they listen to me. You're obviously much more interesting. And I'll tell you a little secret." Loki leaned in a bit closer and said, "I'm not the only one who can do not pretend magic. Most people of the nine realms have that ability, especially little children with open minds. As long as you believe in yourself and try your best you can wield even the smallest hints of magic. Don't tell Stark. I don't think it would be the best idea to let him even think about The World Tree."
Smiling, Loki leaned back and grabbed a few things out of a magical cubby he made as a mere child. "If it's alright with your mother I'd like to give you these." He looked to Elle's mother and she gave a small but sharp nod. "This is a book that teaches...well it teaches a bit of everything really. Anything from magic to math to all the languages of the nine or at least many of the languages."
Elle snatched the book from his hands the second he held it out to her. She immediately opened the dark brown cover and began flipping through the pages as Loki held up a rather ordinary stick made out of the darkest wood Elle's mother had ever seen.
"This is an actual magic wand, it will help you feel The World Tree and perhaps she will even allow you borrow her energy to shape some magic of your own." He held out the wand but lifted it out of Elle's reach when she tried to snatch it from his hands. "This needs to be handed with care not whipped about without any thought to the matter. It is a part of Yggdrasil that she allowed to be cut so we might be closer to her. If you handle her without care she will strike back. If she is hurt she will do what anyone in her position would do. For you that might not mean terribly much. It probably doesn't mean much to many Midgardians of this age."
"But she isn't from...this age. She came from…"
Loki smiled, "Exactly. She is one of the first things formed at the very dawn of time which means…" He pauses and wonders if Elle will have anything to fill in.
Elle's eyes dart over to her mother and then she looks back to Loki. "It means if someone hurts her or does something she doesn't like she'll make them pay. She...Yar...Yrg...Yggdrasale wouldn't just bottle up her feelings or anything. She would hurt those who hurt her."
Lowering the wand so Elle could reach it Loki said, "Exactly. And hurting this wand is like breaking your best friend's arm. You might not mean to but it hurts-"
Looking only at the wand being offered Elle said, "I promise not to hurt you."
Nodding Loki handed the wand over to Elle but before she could properly grasp it the wand was snatched from her.
Elle's mother took hold of the wand and glared at Loki, "I understand giving her the book that's...that fine I guess but I am not having this cursed thing in my house where it will hurt our family.
"Mommy, can I please have it back I don't think she likes you."
The wand which had been the darkest of night's was now an ember about to explode. Elle's mother dropped the wand but before it hit the ground Loki plucked it out of the air and placed it in Elle's hands along with several stones of various colors and weights. In her hands it returned to it's natural dark color.
Loki turned to Elle's mother, "I'm sorry but it's not really up to you. Yggdrasil likes and accepts Elle. She's a good kid and Yggdrasil doesn't hurt families. It merely lashes out if someone tries to strike her down." Turning back to Elle he did a little bow and said, "Happy Halloween, Elle. If you ever help simply call for me, Yggdrasil will do the rest."