The buzzing of air and power got louder as Jane descended the stairs. It did not disrupt her other senses, rather it seemed to form a new sense of its own. The irritating force that had remained with her since the Aether had been removed had finally drawn her in. When the Aether was removed from her something had changed, Thor had explained it to her as her true power being unlocked, magic that ran through her veins. She was now considered a sorcerer, one of few in Asgard. Odin had wanted to observe her and as such she had been stuck in the strange realm of gods. In honesty she was curios about her new abilities, it did not make sense to the logical part of her brain but she continued to document everything that happened, ever new trick or power she developed. The thing that ran through her records most was this buzzing sensation that sat constantly at the edge of her mind, as if willing her to find it. Her loneliness had finally drove her to investigate. Jane was not ill-treated, she had freedom to wander wherever she wanted and was gifted anything she could desire. Despite this the other Asgardian's considered her with distain, a Midgardian who had developed sorcerer. They thought she could not her them talking sometimes. Thor was often drawn away on important business, rarely able to keep her occupied. The first few months she had been content to observe the world around her, piece together the way things worked and she had ignored the buzzing as much as possible. As she descended into the deeper reaches of the palace she puzzled over her freedom to wander. The decorations became increasingly less fantastic and gold trimmed marble gave way to cold stone. Hesitation hit her about half way down. These stairs led into the dungeons, where criminals were kept, dangerous people. Did she really want to do this? Her eyes closed for a moment and she focused on the buzzing. It was defiantly down here, no doubt about it. Of course her curiosity was getting the better of her she scoffed and started to descend the stairs again. A few guards stood upright as she passed and she felt safe in their presence, if something happened they would be around to save her. The path continued for a while free of guards, she felt something lightly pressing against her skin for a moment before something beeped above her. The first cell to the right was the one that drew her attention and green eyes stared out at her.
"Loki…" She muttered almost silently. It made sense when she thought about it, she had heard from Thor that his magical ability scared the entire realm, that people feared him for it. Of course the magical energy resonated from him. She almost scolded herself at not realising it sooner.
"Jane, what a surprise to see you" Loki sounded like he was almost laughing, a grin had spread across his face as he faced her. The prince looked as ever, cloaked in a heavy black coat laced with green trim. She hesitated, was he expecting her? His facial expression betrayed no surprise despite his words. "You are a very strange being" She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. What was she going to say? Nothing made sense in her mind, how was she supposed to explain it to him? Why would she want to? He had tried to destroy her entire world; that was why he had been trapped in here to begin with. Although he had also saved her life and helped Thor to remove the Aether from her before it killed her. Her mind swirled with uncertainty as the green eyes studied her "You can feel it can't you" He continued, he rested his arm against the corners of his cell and stared out at her. She snapped herself from her thoughts.
"What do you mean?" Her voice was shaking slightly and she cursed it.
"The magic, in the air. You can sense it. You carry it around you" He seemed to lean forwards with the same smug expression pressed against his features. Jane stared at him in shock. She carried it around her? Did she buzz in the same way that he was? "What can you do with it?"
"Not a lot yet, I seem to get better the more I use it" She answered before thinking. Only Odin had asked her any questions about her powers, and he always seemed to disapprove of any development.
"Show me" He insisted, standing up straight again. His face became serious as he studied her. Jane hesitated, was this the right course of action? He was the only other person in this place with magic, she could feel it now. Every time he moved he seemed to pulse with it. Eventually she sighed, moving her hands together and focusing on the gap between them. She thought about the particles between her fingers, the movements that caused minute frictions and forced heat. She thought about the speed of that friction, how the heat was increased and flames started to form between her fingers. It formed in a ball, starting to swirl before she pressed it out of existence again. "I'm almost impressed" Loki snorted, twisting on his heels and retreating further into the cell. His jacket snapped behind him as he moved. Jane felt tiredness leech into her muscles, it always seemed to leave her feeling drained but each time she tried she could hold it for longer.
"Are you jealous? Suddenly you are not the only sorcerer in the realm" The words tumbled from her before she could think about and she found herself glad for the force field that separated them. He seemed to stiffen at her words and she felt a surge of pleasure that she had made the prince of lies react to her words. They was a moment of silence as everything she had heard about him danced through her minds. Some spoke that Loki had repented, that he could be released without harm, others cursed him as too dangerous.
"Why are you bothering me?" Loki growled at her, his back still turned to her.
"I…. You are the only one that could ever hope to understand" Once again the words fell before she could fully process them. She had not realised how true a statement that had been, nobody else had any magical abilities, but he. Maybe he had some wisdom he could teach her. Help her. He tilted his head slightly, twisting just enough to look at her. "They are scared of magic, it is isolating. Lonely." She paused for a moment. He was still watching her but she could not identify why. She imaged seeing sympathy in his eyes. "I don't pretend to be able to understand you but…. at least you can understand me…understand magic" Loki looked curiosity at her as she spoke, his mind ticking over the information. "N…never mind" She sighed, the confidence starting to ebb from her. She turned to leave, sadness leaking from her as the hope of a mentor vanished from her mind.
"Stay" Loki snapped, stalking back towards her. Jane found herself rooted to the spot at his command. His eyes burned into his back "Why did you come down here?"
"I can feel the magic buzzing around you. I didn't know it was you" Jane admitted as she turned to face him once more. The distance between them was further now but somehow it felt different. Loki nodded in reply.
"You may stay, I suggest you conjure yourself a chair. This cell restricts my magic to this room alone" He clicked his fingers and one of the chairs near him rushed to his side in a whir of magic. It resonated through the force field, swirling louder to Jane's new found sense. She gulped, closing her eyes as she focused on the shape she wanted, willing it into existence. Her eyes opened and by her side stood a small stall. It was a simple three legged wooden stool, bare of any decorating and not anything compared to the elaborate works within his cell. Jane blinked, this could not physically exist. Her brain screamed at her not to trust it as she gently pawed at it with her arms, testing her weight on it carefully. It held firm, although the texture seemed unusual. Had she just forgotten what wood felt like? They were shrouded in silence for the longest time as his green eyes stared at her. Occasionally she would shuffle uncomfortably.