Capter Two: Kodebryter

"You tricked me," said Loki through teeth that were clenched, but he stood-or rather, sat at the cafe table-astonished and... genuinely entertained. A well-exacted prank seldom angered him, even one played at his own expense, and especially at the hands of his infinitely altruistic brother. Thor was most worthy of his attention at those times when he surprised him, which to be honest were growing more and more frequent. And it was the first real bit of amusement he had experienced in a long time.

"It wasn't intentional, Brother, but it was satisfying."

Loki's eyes moved to Cora, now revealed as the Dr. Eriksen they had been expecting. She was She coolly removed the tea bag from her mug, gave it a firm squeeze, and placed it off to the side. Her motions were fluid, precise and elementally violent, and the sight of the shriveled bag on the table prompted Loki to shift his weight, even if only subconsciously, crossing one leg over the other. A mere minute ago, he had categorized her as a chatty shopkeeper, verging on an annoyance, but there were few things so pleasing as to encounter a being who was at least a bit more than what she seemed.

"Then you did recognize me," he said.

The sinews in her neck tightened. She swallowed and nodded, but the look on her face remained somewhat pained. Loki thought it... Hm. Would he go so far as to call it odd?

"Yes, I know who you are. I've known your brother for months, so I've done my research." She had an accent that betrayed an education in the United Kingdom. Loki had learned a handful of useful things about humans.

Dr. Eriksen paused long enough to sip her tea. Loki noted how her upper lip was cut with the curves of an archer's bow, and that it suited her. To be honest, all of her features came together in the form of something objectively, but still uncommonly attractive. She was decidedly Norse, with a round, open face, in which were set round, open eyes. But to call her doll-like would have missed the mark completely. Her expressions were broad, rather fun to watch, far from delicately painted; it was a face that easily gave away her mind, something which Loki quickly noticed she seemed in battle against. The muscles of her jaw tightened as she spoke. "He tells me I shouldn't believe everything I've read."

"No, you should believe it," interjected Thor with a hint of a chuckle which Loki did not really appreciate. "But there are a lot stories that never could make their way as far as Midgard."

"Good stories?" asked Dr. Erk.

Thor winced. "...Ehh, some of them."

Loki dragged his index finger along the cafe table and gave it a loud tapping. He had other questions and wanted to be serious. "But why the coffee shop?"

Dr. Eriksen sucked in her cheek and chewed thoughtfully, slowly pulling in a long breath through her nose. "I bought the shop about two years ago. I had worked at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology for forever, but I needed to get out of Trondheim. Sometimes everything must change, you know? Coffee is only temporary. I have plans. I'd like to open a small museum. One day."

She finished her story with a smile that touched only one corner of her mouth. Loki felt a twitch upon his own, mirroring her. A "Hm" came from deep within his chest. He looked sideways at Thor, whose face had become drawn and somber. The tension felt disproportionate to her matter-of-fact demeanor.

"Don't feel sad," she said. "This is a better place for me. I'm happier here."

Loki wasn't certain he would call what he felt sad, but he remained intrigued. "And how did you meet my brother?"

"Just like this," she said. "He came in for coffee. His knapsack was full of maps. We started talking about what he was doing. At first, I didn't believe he was who he said he was, but-"

"You did your research," Loki interjected. "But tell me, because I'm curious, what did your research tell you? Your Norse mythology and Asgard's history are often intertwined, but in my experience, just as often-"

"I mean that I read about what happened in New York," said Dr. Eriksen. She looked at him with all the seriousness of a mother prepared to scold a child, and with the same desire that she would rather not have to say anything at all. It came into sharp focus that Thor vouching for him, whatever he had said, had only earned Loki so much grace. The rest of the work was his to do, if felt so inclined.

Loki was undecided. And more than a little put off by the evidence that Dr. Eriksen was a woman who liked to form opinions over half a story. But was that not typical in her field of work? Truthfully, his mood sank. Perhaps she was not so different a creature, after all. "You read what people knew would sell," he said, with tremendous control. His eyes moved deftly from her face to the hand holding her mug, where her knuckles had gone tight and white.

She must have realized he was taking notes, and she moved her hand to her lap.

"We could tell a bit about the arrangement," offered Thor in a voice that was uncharacteristically tentative.

"I'd rather not," said Loki, quickly. He had become aware of a burning deep within the folds on his brain, one which his mind told him to heed, not ignore. Something, he knew not what, remained amiss and unanswered, like a ghost in the room. It was something in the woman's demeanor, her poise a bit too perfected. Practiced. Was it possible that Dr. Eriksen's story, moist eyes an all, had been rehearsed? He knew fear when he saw it, or better, he knew what it looked like bottled up for the sake of survival, and the little ticks that gave it away. She was good, but he was older, and had survived more. He had the unfortunate advantage of experience, and far too much of it.

At last, Thor reasserted his position in the room. "Dr. Eriksen, I would not have encouraged him to come if he had not paid his due and proven his worth. I trust my brother."

For Loki, it was a bit too sentimental. "Thank you, Thor," he said through pursed lips.

"...In this endeavor," finished the strident Aesir. "But the undertaking is nothing small. Dr. Eriksen and I have examined nearly all of the Stave churches in the area. We've ruled out a number of them and now our work becomes more meticulous."

"Yes," she said, clearing her throat. She seemed more apt to relax now that their recruit required some education. "They are medieval structures, but it was often the practice for Christians to build over the sites of pagan temples after sanctifying the ground."

"Funny how what you call pagan, we call reality," said a very dry Loki.

"Nevertheless," continued Dr. Eriksen, "Many of the temples weren't completely destroyed. And your brother's theory"-she gestured graciously to Thor-"Is that some must have been protected by magic, unable to be dismantled. Well, what he asserts we call magic."

Loki leaned back his chair and looked out from the edges of his peripheral vision as Thor finished his coffee. The fire in his eyes had returned. Their trip to Norway had been swift, no time for long chats, but until now Loki believed he knew more than enough about what his brother had undertaken, flying to-and-fro, pouring himself over maps. It had failed to interest him. But now...

"Personally, I've always been fond of calling it magic," he said. The pause that followed was tense and dramatic. He might have shown off, turned someone into a snail, but for once the idea didn't occur to him. "So, I am to be your sorcerer codebreaker?"

Thor leapt on the hint that his brother might be in an agreeable mood after all, knowing full well how fragile those moments were. "I meant it when I said I wanted you to come so that we could do this together. We are the last of Asgard's royal line. If our forefathers left anything in these temples, would you not want to have it in our own possession? It was a bit of fun to trick you into thinking Cora wasn't Dr. Eriksen, but that is where the deception ends. Believe me, it was not my intention to-"

"No need to apologize, Brother," said Loki. An impish grin had taken over his features. "I like breaking things."