Hey guys! Please do continue to leave reviews and whatnot after you read. It truly inspires us and lets us know what to change and what the readers like and don't like. This chapter is relatively short simply because it's more of a bridge. Enjoy!
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Luna: The next several days stretched out in renewed silence. Things seemed to be returning to the state in which they were before their attempts at conversing with each other. In fact, Loki did not seem to leave his bedroom very often - she seldom saw him around the house, save for very brief moments after which he would retreat, and she found herself wandering over to his door, to check up on him. Perhaps he merely did not wish to be around her, something that she ruined each time she came looking for him, but she found it necessary, lest he spent such lonesome hours devising various plans for who knows what. She didn't know if she would be able to see through it, if it was true, but she felt it her obligation to simply keep an eye or two on him. After all, she knew that it was practically impossible for him to escape, as was ensured thoroughly and meticulously by S.H.I.E.L.D. At the rare times that she found him in the kitchen or rather in front of the fireplace, he seemed to her worse and worse for wear, as if he hadn't had a restful night in ages. Perhaps it was simply her imagination, a play of shadows.
Loki: Out of frustration and desperation to which he would hardly admit, Loki sought to find a hole within the curse that Odin had placed over him, which acted as a barrier between him and his magic, much to his disgrace. If he found the energy, even the smallest bits of it, he would be able to find an escape. If that did not occur, he was entirely sure he would be stuck within a prison cell for the rest of his life, that may or may not extend longer than the next few years. He had to preserve himself, save himself... He refused to be handed over to Asgard like cattle ready for the slaughter. Loki hid himself away into his room and concentrated hours upon hours on accessing, reaching, grabbing hold of any sort of magical energy that he knew surrounded him. Every single time, however, he would overexert himself, finding, much to his utter dismay, that whenever he attempted to overcome the barrier, whenever he felt around it for what he sought, it would bring him blunt, deep pain; his muscles tensed and his abdomen gave him a stabbing pain as his being rebelled against it.
He tried for many nights and many days, coming downstairs only to ensure that she was not suspicious of his being locked up in his room. Periodically, he could sense that she came to his room to presumably make sure he did not escape and then walk away reluctantly. The throbbing pain of his abdomen grew worse each day, but at the same time, he was getting closer... He could nearly sense the magic with him now as he continued trying to pull it closer to him, finding the tendril and locking his hold on it... It took a long while until he could finally find the palpable source of energy, his abdomen searing, and with him lying on the floor, trying to fight the great bit of pain, but at the same time, gloriously pleased that he had accomplished such a feat.
He continued, regardless of the pain it brought him, searching, almost every waking moment, for something that he could use to create something larger than the little bits he so far gathered, and eventually, without the petty mortal knowing, he would find his way out of there, quickly, efficiently. If he could not simply walk out, he would snap her neck and disappear.
Luna: She saw him less and less as the days went by, and when she did, she wondered just what was happening with him; his eyes were set in such dark circles, his hair looking as if he had run his hand through it one too many times, his posture was not as 'royally' set as he preferred to have it – instead, his shoulders curved and his back was not arrow-straight, and each deliberate step he took to put more distance between them whenever he saw her looked as if it pierced something fierce in him. She found herself in worry.
One evening, she descended the stairs in quiet steps, coming to a seemingly empty living room. However, as she walked by, in her peripheral vision she could see a darker bit of the ground, and once she turned to see if it were just her imagination or not, she found him lying upon his back. Her eyes widened - instinctively and without very much thought, she took a large step towards him, her next one stooping down upon her knees next to him while her eyes frantically searched his body for any indication of what might have happened. Such thoughts and possibilities buzzed in her head, making it difficult for her to think in any clear way - the most prominent was the erratic concern, as he did not seem to be simply leisurely lying upon the floor. "Loki?" she murmured, mild panic coloring her voice as she did not know what to do with her hands which were at one point attempting to land on him, and at the other, retreating swiftly.
Loki: He jerked slightly at the sound of the mortal's voice, his eyes opening slightly in shock as to realize what had happened. She was knelt down besides him, her hand lingering above his body in what looked to be an attempt to comfort him. He closed his eyes with a small grunt, placing a hand over his abdomen, knowing that the last thing he could do was tell her what had happened. Without showing the amount of struggle he had behind the motion, he sat up slightly, backing away from her so she would not further study him and the amount of weakness that was ridden through his body. "Luna," he muttered in displeasure, his lips set in a visible frown.
Luna: She exhaled in relief when he sat up, and although she remained still in order to give him some space, her eyes flashed with questions. One of her hands subconsciously extended towards him slightly as her eyes searched his body, first, and then his eyes, for any sign of what led him to such a position. "Loki, what happened? Are.. Are you in pain?" she asked, the worry in her voice mirroring that in her eyes.
Loki: Loki shook his head, "I am well, worry yourself not," he muttered, inching further away from her, letting his hand slowly drift away from his abdomen as he glared at her. "Let me be, I shall be fine," he pressed, knowing that he simply needed to access the magic once more, just to make sure he had a hold on it before resuming his plans of escape.
Luna: She shook her head as she moved her arm back to rest by her side. "You cannot tell me that you are well, you do not look well and you were not lying on the ground because it's soft and comfortable," she, too, pressed, her eyebrows furrowing in further concern; she needed to realize just what was wrong with him, as there most definitely was something that she was not seeing.
Loki: He frowned, "And if I am not, what is it to you? If I am to die after I leave here, why should it matter if I die before?" He muttered leaning himself onto the couch as he tried to cover himself with more spiteful comments to get her to cease caring, for it would make it much more easier for her to ignore him altogether.
Luna: Her lips pressed together for a moment before she spoke. "Because you are under my care while you are here and I do not want anything to happen to you while that is so. I cannot say that I don't want to have you on my conscience, if there is a possibility that you will die when you are gone from here.." she said in a slight rush, her thoughts coming out before they were properly shaped, gaining a form only after they were out.
Loki: "Leave me be," He demanded through gritted teeth as another stabbing pain radiated through his body, glaring coldly at her as the dreadful woman seemed to insist upon bothering him. It was only making everything worse. "You have me locked here. You have no rule of what I wish to do when I wish to do it, and if I insist upon not telling you, I will not."
Luna: With each biting word that he spat at her, her eyebrows rose further. "I can very, very easily have you transported back to your realm to face whatever awaits for you there, so that you may lose the tiniest bit of freedom that you have here," she said, her brow now lowering, her stare upon him hardening, though she did not fail to notice his obviously pained twinges. "Or, if such a thing presents, by chance, relief for you, I can just as easily have you stuck with me here for an even longer period of time."
Loki: He glared at her, his lips set in a deep set scowl, for he knew her words were true. He bit back the following twinge of pain as he listened to her. "I assure you, it is nothing," he muttered after a long moment of silence, simply glaring at her through narrowed, emerald slits. "Let me be," he repeated boldly, knowing there was no more he could do to simply cease her interrogation besides demanding she leave him alone, "I wish to be alone for the time being."
Luna: "Yes, you've made that very clear since you got here," she sighed and rose from the ground, keeping her eyes intently on him. Then, lips pressed tightly together, she extended her hand towards his form sitting on the ground still, as an offering to help him up.
Loki: He looked at the hand she had extended, a scowl still on his face as he did not wish to touch her, much less get up from the floor, as he was still facing the waves of pain that swept over him. "Away with you," he said through gritted teeth.
Luna: She shook her head as she still held her hand invitingly. "Take my damned hand, get up and I will get you back to your room," she said; 'you stubborn mule of a man', her mind filled the rest of the sentence that she did not think wise to say. She would comply for the time being, but she would not let it go entirely.
Loki: He muttered a few curses at the damned woman who would not make herself scarce. After several long moments, he finally acquiesced, taking her hand as she tried, in vain, to pull him up from the ground. Him being much taller than her, she would find it incredibly difficult, but he was amused watching her try.
Luna: Once she attempted to pull him up, she felt a force stopping her from it, and it was not mere gravity and his weight, but rather as if he was purposefully making himself difficult to move. A bitter smile came to her lips - she would heave him up somehow, but that would require further physical contact that he was not so fond of. Perhaps that will get him to move. She dug her heels in and began pulling onto his arm, while at the same time bending slightly to wrap her other arm around his slim waist and use it to try and bring him to his feet.
Loki: He jerked, his eyes widening at the sudden touch of her arm being wound about his waist. He pulled himself upwards, despite the massive amounts of pain radiating through his entire body, forcing his arm out of her hands, looking at her with pure distaste, his frown even more defined. "Minx," he muttered as he stood farther away from her, his arms crossing across his chest, though his shoulders were still slumped in an attempt to hinder the amounts of pain his muscles were pulsing through his body.
Luna: She almost felt hurt at the way he looked at her, the way he flinched away from her so hastily... At least she got him up, she thought to herself. Then, she could not help but laugh with the absolute surprise and amusement that overcame her when he addressed her as he did. However, she was still wary of his physical well-being, scanning over his body with a quick look while his own was elsewhere. She took two steps closer to him, gesturing with one of her hands for him to move, and with the other, towards the stairs and, eventually, his bedroom. "Come on..." she said more gently, taking another step forward to get him to move - it was like they were magnets - the further she came to him, the further he backed away. She could use that to her advantage, she thought.
Loki: His glare did not subside when she stepped towards him, as if knowing it would affect him. He reluctantly followed her towards the stairs leading to his room. He would continue to attempt to regain his abilities on his lonesome, without disturbance. The mortal woman was infuriating as she, without touching him, pushed him along. When he arrived to the door he stepped inside and slammed the door in her face.
Luna: Without a word, she turned on her heel and went back downstairs, trying to remember why she went there in the first place, before seeing him sprawled on the ground. He was rude, lacking the manners for which he knew to scold her now and again, that went without saying, but it was something she began learning to ignore upon meeting him for the first time. It would get her nowhere with such a hardheaded man, complaining about his rudeness and attempting to have him change his ways. It was more than clear that he would respond to such attempts with even further rudeness or plain ignoring. She would definitely leave him for the time being, as she doubted that he could be simply pressured into telling her anything; she would seek out a moment or a few in which she would prod and try to lure it out of him. He was most obviously in some sort of distress and pain that surpassed the one in which he was on any day of the week; she mused getting some more skilled interrogators to coax it out of him, but she had a feeling that he would just put up an even thicker guard. If she fails, that would be her alternative, she decided.
Loki: He continued prodding around his limits, biting back any further pain that would shoot through his middle. He would work at it until he could mold it to do his bidding, rather than reaching out for the tendril of energy and then letting it go. He continued for the next few days until he would be able to do so, coming downstairs only to confirm his presence, but not passing out onto the floor, setting her into unnecessary distress. One day, he was able to conjure a brief sweep of wind through the air, and that was enough to please him. He continued working at it until it was solid, and then ceased, recovering himself from the pain for the rest of one of the nights.
Luna: Each time she saw him and each time she attempted to speak with him, he would be gone as quickly as if he were but an illusion that flickered out. He gave her absolutely no chances to approach him, to say anything, let alone inquire further of his continuing absences and his continuing deteriorating shape. It irritated her to no end, to the point where she thought she would simply barge into his room and find out all she wanted to know.
Loki: He continued practicing after a night of rest, victoriously sweeping random bursts of wind through the air as he would attempt to make sure that what he could do was minimal, but just enough. He sat on the floor to his room, leaning against the bed while waiting for another bout of strength, but this bout of pain was relatively strong. He remained still as his arms wrapped about his midsection, waiting once more for it to pass.
Luna: After an entire day of him not leaving his room, the general absence of noise was beginning to sound very worrisome to Luna. On her way to retiring to her own room, she hesitated in front of the door to Loki's. She stopped, then, and delivered a quiet knock to it. "Loki?" she called gently. When two more knocks and another call of his name went unanswered, led by the concern, she slowly opened the door as widely as it took her to peer inside. The only illumination came from the lamp sitting on the desk; Loki, himself, was sitting on the ground, his back hunched against the side of his bed as he clutched at his own midriff. That sight encouraged Luna to take a still-reluctant step into the room. "Loki, are you alright..?" she asked, at this point more concerned for the pitiful state he was in than for whatever he was doing to get to that stage.
Loki: Loki looked up to the damned woman who let herself into his room. He unwrapped his arm around his midsection and looked up to her, shuffling so he was sitting on his bed, instead of like a dog on the ground. "How dare you come into my room without permission?" he muttered angrily. "I am fine. Leave, now," he demanded, his tone cold and bitter, though he knew he could do very little to force her out.
Luna: "I got neither permitting nor forbidding," she said, "I am sorry, but you worry me," she lingered by the doorway, her eyes following his every minuscule movement, catching sight of those which seemed to be involuntary, which only increased her worry.
Loki: Loki sneered at her statement of worry, "Worry not of me, I told you!" He replied angrily, looking pointedly to the door. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself... It is simply a weakness from my lack of power... No more, no less," He stated, wondering if that lie would easily persuade her from leaving, as it was reasonable enough.
Luna: "One that's showing just now?" she said with a shake of her head, accompanying it with a resigned sigh. Perhaps she ought to speak with him when he is not so obviously and clearly in pain; that, alone, must have worsened his mood enough for him to tolerate her even less than he usually did. Pushing this will not do, not in this way. "Would you like some water or something like that?" she offered.
Loki: He narrowed his eyes, the damned girl being so very insistent. Perhaps by taking her offer of water, it would content her enough that she would leave him alone. He nodded reluctantly, "Water shall do," he replied thickly, his tone trying to be more compliant. After she would retrieve water, surely she would simply leave him be...
Luna: With a nod, she took a backwards step further out of the room and went to the kitchen. There, she took several bottles of water, as whenever she had seen him drink it, one did not seem to suffice. She then returned to his room, finding that he had barely moved, looking truly as if he could use rest; rest from what, she couldn't tell, but it was gnawing at her profoundly. "Here.." she said and handed him one bottle and left the rest on the little night stand next to his bed.
Loki: He took the oddly shaped container of water, unscrewing the cap, figuring out he was thirstier than he thought he would be, as he had not left the room for nearly twenty four hours. He tilted his head back and drank most of the bottle in her presence. He had hardly eaten, as well, he noted somewhere in the back of his head. Perhaps when she is asleep he would find something himself to eat, and continue his work when he is clearly replenished. Perhaps it would help with the muscle aches. When he finished the entire bottle in a few seconds, he looked up to her expectantly, his eyes silently expecting her to leave.
Luna: Her stare mirrored his, but after several silent moments, she retreated dejectedly, with a quiet "You know where to find me," she closed the door to his room and ran her hand through her hair; he was like a reinforced wall, breaking down every battering ram she attempted to use, and she was slowly running out of options.
Loki: He sighed with relief when she left, laying back onto his bed as he attempted to cope with the next waves of pain that flushed through him. But he was resilient. He would find a way out of here... If he could just muster enough energy to change his form after he leaves invisibly, then he would succeed... As for the girl... He was entirely sure she would be easily disposed of. He would hide the body, knowing it would eventually be found, but by that time, he hoped to be on another realm.
