I randomly decided that Seneca and Loki would make a good couple. So this happened.
Seneca jerked upright, the taste of berries still on his tongue. He was surrounded by darkness and couldn't see a thing. Where was he? How long had he been out? What?
The felt around him with his hands, feeling the topside of a thick comforter. He was sitting on a bed.
He felt further with rising fear and confusion, reaching the edge of the mattress. He was somewhat hesitant to touch the floor, setting his feet down gingerly, but as he hadn't been short or electrocuted or anything else, he rose to his full height. His eyes were adjusting a bit, and he could make out a few details of his surroundings. A large bed, a digital clock on a small bedside table and, outlined in the light of the green numbers, a lamp. He reached for it and flicked it on, revealing his surroundings.
The room was large and ornate, rich green walls matching the thick green comforter covering the bed. He looked down at himself, finding that he was still in the same clothes he was wearing before, when he'd entered the room to meet his end. When was that? How long had passed?
And why wasn't he dead?
He studied the room for a moment, looking for any clue as to his location. There were no windows, no pictures or screens of any kind. No comlinks or buttons. Just the room and a dark wooden door with a polished golden nob.
He edged his way towards it anxiously, reaching for it carefully. He wouldn't be surprised if it blew up or electrocuted him, really. But he wanted out, and evidently, the door was how to do that.
The door opened smoothly on greased hinges, revealing a cold metal hallway. It seemed to echo and amplify everything, even the silence. He shivered and was about to turn back into the room when a smell caught his attention. Food
His stomach rumbled, and he decided that it really couldn't harm to follow the scent. He wandered, knowing fully well that he wouldn't be able to find his way back to the room if he tried, and having the distinct feeling that he shouldn't be wherever he was, but no one told him otherwise. In fact, he didn't see anyone at all. Not a soul.
The scent grew stronger. He followed it, eventually rounding a corner into a large metal kitchen with a tall, dark-haired man standing at the stove making eggs.
"Um, hello?" he said, voice rasping as he realized just how thirsty he was. The man turned and smirked when he saw that Seneca was awake.
"Ah, yes," he nodded. His voice sounded strange. It was similar to a Capitol accent, but it was off and bore a few similarities to the accent from District 1 as well. But his clothing was too ornate for District 1. And it was too dark for the Capitol. In fact, as the man turned to him in full, Seneca was taken over by the certainty that the man hadn't set foot in the Capitol once in his life. "You're awake, then. Eggs?" He pulled the pan off the stove and transferred them over to a plate with a swift motion.
"Who are you?" Seneca swallowed in an attempt to rehydrate his throat. "Where am I?"
"I'm Loki," the man said. He'd sat down at this point, deciding that Seneca didn't want eggs and that he'd enjoy them himself. He chewed for a moment. "And where you are doesn't really matter."
"Loki?" The name sounded familiar to Seneca, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Humans really have forgotten me, haven't they?" he mused over another bite.
"I don't understand," Seneca admitted. He cocked his head. "Why am I not dead?"
"You're not supposed to understand, see?" Loki chuckled darkly. "And you're alive because I made it so."
"I ate the berries."
"I know you ate the berries."
"I died."
Loki looked at him and he seemed almost mournful. "Yes, you did. But I saved you."
"Why?"
Loki pushed the plate away and rose to his feet, striding over to Seneca before leaning back against the scrubbed metal countertop. "Because humans are stupid and weak, not worthy of the air they breathe, but no Asgardian will even speak to me. They'd probably kill me on sight, anyways. And the frost giants…" He let out another chuckle.
Seneca started to cut in but Loki continued. "But you, Seneca. You're smart; you're clever. You're like me."
"Like you?"
"You like to be in control, like to put on a show," Loki explained. "It's not that you don't care about how your decisions affect others, it's that you think they deserve it, or you think it's worth it, in the end. You don't regret it, you don't hate yourself. It's just what is. How am I doing so far?" Loki stared at the wall opposite him as he spoke. Seneca gulped, wondering how someone could possibly know any of that. Who was he?
"Humans used to be smarter than this, Seneca." Loki was looking straight at him now, completely serious. "They were curious, they thirsted for knowledge, and oh, how they used that knowledge. They created such beauty and destruction. But humans now are just so dull. You don't do anything but eat, sleep, and oppress a large part of your population. It's been done, it's boring. Some of the Gamemakers before you… Eh, they were good, I'll admit that. And your arena may not have been the best yet, but you are the best yet. You see now?"
"So, humans are dull and boring, but I'm cynical and controlling, so that makes me interesting?"
"Exactly!" Loki smiled, nodding.
"And who are you again?"
He smirked. "You'll soon find out.