I: On one hand…
His eyes were much colder than the air that surrounded her. His gaze stayed on her for a moment, as if piercing through her soul – and in that moment, she was afraid that he'd be able to decipher the things she had kept hidden for so long.
She longed for his return, but she never expected this kind of welcome from an old friend she had missed so much. In the days of his absence, she would imagine he'd come back at any moment. Despite him not doing this in actuality, she would imagine him surprising her with a warm hug, or giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead – with the latter being the more unlikely thing to happen than the other.
But when he finally came back, he came back as a criminal. The Loki she once knew was long gone. His thirst for power consumed him, and he had already sunk too deep. She never lost hope though, because she believed that he was only left astray and that he only needed saving.
She looked at him intently, disbelief still evident in her eyes. Both of his hands were chained and an impenetrable barrier stood between them, keeping her from closing the distance. For added protection, Thor has ordered one of his trusted guards to accompany her on her visit – giving her all the more reason to stay put.
She stood there for a second, still baffled at how the man she once called a friend turned into a merciless monster he was now known for being. Still baffled at how he would make her feel with his look. Still baffled at how her feelings for him still lingered despite all the things that happened.
"Are you not going to say anything?" His words snapped her back from her thoughts. "Isn't this what you came here for? To talk to an old friend…" A smirk formed on his lips as he was saying this, and all she could do was grimace.
"I came here with hopes that the real Loki has already came back. I was wrong." She tried to sound firm. "I want to talk to my friend, not to you."
"He isn't coming back," he said, a smirk still evident on his face.
She slowly shook her head. "He will. I know he is still there."
"How petty could you possibly be? Holding onto something so fragile has not helped you after all this time, and it never will. It has blinded you instead!" She could feel her body tremble as he continued, "He will never come back! He's already dead!"
She was holding back a tear for so long that she just couldn't hide it anymore. It cascaded down her cheeks as each and every word he said seeped in her mind. He was right, after all – he would never be the same as before. He was already too distant for her reach; too far to even look back. She knew this all along, but she still held on to the thought of being reunited with the Loki she knew of as a companion.
She never did realize how wrong she was until he pointed it out.
She finally decided to head back as she wiped her stained cheeks with her fingers. She gave him one last look, with the thought of hugging him in mind, but something much stronger than the barrier keeping her from him prevented her from doing so – his eyes.
She felt trapped. "We are both prisoners after all," she whispered as she walked away.