Morning dew misted across Elena's face, rousing her from an anxious slumber; she felt the tickle of tall grass against bare skin and smiled. Only a soft fluttering breeze blowing through the trees, and the Larks' morning songs could be heard in the distance.
Opening her eyes she saw the pale sky of dawn, bordered by a thick nest of tall pine trees; she was alone and at peace. Abruptly, her body caught up with her thoughts, screaming in agony, as the memories (and lack thereof for that matter) of the night washed away her once tranquil state. Bolting upright, she scanned the area. A searing pain ripped through her scalp as her brain reconciled last night's distorted images with her current surroundings: Open, grassy meadows; expansive, encompassing forestry. Her eyes rested on a cabin.
The reality of the small home was a dilapidated shell of the recollection: rotten pieces of wood splintered from the warped deck, and the door sagged limply on its long unused hinges, while a thick overgrowth of vines and weeds wrapped the house, inside and out. It had clearly been unoccupied for years.

Why was she here?
How the hell had she gotten here?
Where the
fuck was here?

Reaching down, and desperately hoping that what she was looking for would still be in its place, she hiked up the shredded fabric of her dress. Brushing her fingers across her thigh, she immediately came into contact with the cool plastic case of her phone, held tightly in place by a dark green garter. She laughed in pure triumph, making a mental note to chide Jon for insisting its tackiness had outweighed her utility of the garment.

Speaking of. She sent off a quick text to the aforementioned, not trusting the voice in her dry, sore throat.

Lost. Can send coordinates. Help?

His response came almost immediately,

Send them. OMW.

She sighed, relieved, and used her GPS to search her location. The signal was weak, but it was there, almost 13 miles from Stuttgart, in the comprehensive Black Forest. Sending off her location she put her phone back in its place, hoping Jon wouldn't be too put out by the rescue trip. All she had to do was wait, and wonder how she found herself over ten miles from home.
Pushing up from the ground, she dusted off, and attempted, in vain, to smooth her ruined dress. Glancing around again, she noted that the serenity she had found within the tall grass had evaporated, replaced by an unexplained anxiousness.

All I have to do is wait. She reminded herself. Hopefully not for long.


A tall, dark haired man watched from the shadows of the trees. After thwarting SHIELD's attack the night prior, he tracked the frantic girl to her apartment. He had originally planned on his apprehension by the spy organization. However, that was before he had met this mortal. Well, not so much met as attempted domination… Specifics aside, the results had been… unexpected.
There was something amiss with this midgardian, something besides her unusual power; either way, he wasn't going to allow her escape. The girl's mind had seemed weak, full of paltry memories and subtle struggles. He was repulsed by her very apparent humanness, and yet she had stood so defiantly in his presence. She had faced almost certain death for a stranger, and once more, lived.
A pained gasp shattered his silent reverie as the startled woman sat up in the field several meters away.
Upon finding her the previous evening, he had been greeted by the site of an extremely disheveled and seemingly entranced girl dragging her bare feet out the door, and down the street. Curious, he followed. Without warning, she burst into a sprint, unceasing, for almost twenty kilometers, whereupon she collapsed in this field.
He smirked a little at the memory; this mortal had no idea how interrelated the length of her life was with his piqued intrigue, but surprisingly, he found it increasing exponentially with every moment.
She appeared as puzzled with her choice destination as he had been, and spent several moments absorbing her surroundings. Loki's eyes widened briefly as her fingers danced over what remained over her long dress, sliding it back to reveal a deep green garment wrapped around her upper thigh. Bursting into celebratory laughter, she clutched an object to her chest before her tangled hair fell over it and her face, concealing her actions. She was odd indeed. He watched as she struggled off the ground, waiting in the shadows of the forest until she had completely disappeared into the house before pursuing.
Stepping forward into the early sunlight, Loki followed the strange midgardian he was obstinate to understand.