Brooke didn't realize she was crying and flinched away at his touch. He removed his hand and gazed at her, urging her to answer his question. He knew she wasn't afraid of him, he could sense that much. So then why not answer? Perhaps she didn't trust him? That seemed plausible. She recognized his name after all and surely must know of his efficiency in lying.
No, it wasn't that at all. She did know of his skill with deception. What made her pull away was the shock from his touch. His fingers were as cold as ice. No, colder. She recovered from this shock quickly though, and looked into his eyes. Somehow, she could realize that he had no further motive than knowing her name.
"My name is-"
She stopped talking. Behind where he stood, she saw a blazing fire. It raised high over their heads. There was dark smoke billowing from the tongues of flame, blocking the entire sky from view. Unbeknownst to her, these flames were not real. She was seeing them only in her mind's eye.
Loki stared at her expectantly, but her answer did not come. She became rigid, frozen in time.
"Hello?" He called.
She blinked, once, slowly. Her eyes closed as she dropped to her knees. Apprehending that she would fall, Loki stooped forward and caught her before she could hit the ground. He brought his hand to her forehead and brushed her long hair aside. He placed the back of his hand against her forehead. It was so hot, he needed to yank his hand away. He focused on that hand once more. The ivory skin began to darken to a shallow blue. He brought that hand back to her brow and forced the chill of his touch into her mind.
Brooke stared at Loki, still unaware she was in her own mind. The fires became larger. But as Loki gave her a smirk, the flames melted away, leaving everything in the state it was before being scorched.
Loki removed his hand from her face as the fires in her mind were extinguished. He was familiar with this ailment. T often occurred to Thor when they were much younger. Although, the way Loki helped his brother when his mind was entrapped was different than what he did for Brooke. When Thor succumbed to this impassible occurrence, Loki simply put a small cloth soaked in ice to Thor's forehead. Now that he was aware of his Frost-Giant blood, he could use it in a different manner.
He lifted this woman off of the ground and went through the door she left open. As he continued down two floors, he found one door that was swinging open. He walked through and laid her down on the black leather couch that was in the center of the room. He came upon a small bag on the black table in front of him. In it, he found a black wallet. Inside was a photograph of her and under her profile, a seven digit number, but no name. He was slightly relieved that these were her belongings and that he brought her to her own apartment.
Loki walked around her apartment. All of the walls were white and all of the furniture was black. He wandered down a hallway branching off of the living room. He opened one door which led to a rather large bedroom. The bed was made with dark green sheets. One of the walls was transformed into a large window that overlooked the city, similar to the overlooking glass wall in the living room. The carpet on the floor was gold. He was amused to find that this room was accented with the colors he had been dressed in all his life.
He left that room and opened the next door on the right. It was a washroom containing a bathtub against the wall farthest away from him. The floor and walls were black and the fixtures were white, oppositely from the living area of the apartment. He glanced into the mirror hanging above the vanity, but quickly looked away. His own reflection showed him the past he was trying to forget. This nauseated him to no extent.
He quickly left the washroom and opened the last door. It was yet another bedroom.
Why would she need two different sleeping chambers? He wondered.
He peered into the bedroom. On the wall farthest from him was yet another wall of glass. In the dim light of the rising sun, he could see a neatly made bed positioned against a solid wall. The walls were dark grey. Oppositely was a glass table with an odd rectangular slate upon it. Next to her bed was another set of doors. When he opened them, he was met with an odd hole full of black garments and a chest of drawers. Allowing his mischievous curiosity to get the better of him, he opened the top right-hand drawer. He smirked as he pulled out a pair of black, laced undergarments. In another drawer he found more black articles of clothing. In the bottom drawer on the left, he found clothes that he recognized to be from Asgard. His mouth stood open in shock as he encountered this conclusion.
How could this Midgardian mortal have clothes from Asgard?
He pulled out multiple dresses, all various shades of black and dark colors. He made no mistake, these were from the Asgardian realm. At the bottom of the drawer, his fingers touched something cold, solid and metallic. He pulled out a pendant. But this pendant was made from the precious metal Nyexon that was mined only on Asgard. The pendant contained a crest, a crest he recognized as the one his adoptive mother, Queen Frigga, gave up when she married Odin.
Who was this woman to have such rare Asgardian items in her possession?
He heard the woman stirring in the other room. He used his magic to put everything away as he had found it. He sat on the black leather chair opposite her and gazed at her as she woke up.
"That was quite a nasty fall you took." He quipped. It took her a moment to remember what had happened. She stood up and ran a hand through her long, luscious and voluminous midnight hair.
"How did you find out that this is where I should be?" she asked quietly.
"Well I found an image of you in that small bag. So what would the logical assumption be?" He smirked. Brooke sighed and walked over to the large glass wall. She stood staring out at the rising sun coming up over a large building with the name "Stark" plastered at the top, illuminated in white letters.
"I daresay, miss, that I still don't know your name. Would you care to tell me?" Loki said rising from his chair and walking up beside her, his body turned towards her.
She slowly turned ninety degrees and met his gaze with an equal amount of sadness and severity.
"My name is Brooke." She said in her strong voice.
"Well, I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Brooke."
Loki lowered himself onto one knee, and gently took her hand. He brought it to his lips, and gently kissed it.
"Absolutely delighted." He whispered into her hand.