They all sat down behind the cameras in the studio set of The Shade of Your Greatness. Chris H and Tom were both in full Asgardian costume, preparing for their live broadcast of this episode.
Tom took his place behind the door of the room Chris was in, and Chris sat down in the chair, resting his chin on his fist looking thoughtful. "Hey, that's my pose!" Tom's voice came from behind him. They all laughed, and Chris smiled, trying not to break character but failing miserably.
"Alright shut up, Tom!" he said playfully, and Tom grinned as he disappeared again.
"Okay, you know your lines?" Sam asked. The two nodded. "Remember. DRAMA, darlings, drama!" said Scarlet from backstage. They laughed again, and Chris put on his strong, troubled Thor face. Sam counted him down. "3, 2, 1, action!"
Chris got up, pacing back and forth. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Where has he gone too now…" he wondered aloud.
That was Tom's cue, and he came bursting through the door. Chris turned, and looked at him. "Where were you, Loki?" Tom looked up defiantly. "I need not tell you everything I do and everywhere I go, Thor. There is no one in this universe alone who can take authority over me." "What about the Midgardian enforcement?"
"Do not mock. You are not my elder, and you are far from earning my respect." "I am your brother- " "YOU ARE NOT MY BROTHER!" Tom suddenly shouted. "You never were," he hissed. Chris looked hurt. "Please. Realize the position I'm in. We were raised together. We played together we fought together. Let there be no more war, and death by the hands of Loki."
Tom laughed in his face. "Nothing but child's play," he snarled. "If you speak any more of my wrongdoings in the past, I will use everything you say against you. I will twist your words, and report treason against the Allfather coming from your very mouth. And I will feel no repentance." He laughed evilly.
Chris picked up the chair angrily, lifted it above his head, and broke it on his knee. He gripped a leg of it. Tom slowly raised his hands in surrender, raising his eyebrow and backing away. "Put it down, Thor. Violence doesn't solve everything…"
Chris lowered his hand, and looked at Tom sadly. "Please. Understand!"
A look of remorse passes across Tom's face quickly, then disappeared into rage. "Why do you think I did what I did? Because I felt like being 'bad?' No, I think you know… knew me well enough to know I wouldn't crack like that unless extremely provoked. Over a LIFETIME of compression, my worthless, small life had no meaning anymore…" his eyes misted up. "But it's not like it ever did, am I correct?"
Chris put a hand on his shoulder. "How can I make it any more clear to you my love for the brother I grew up with? Anything I say goes unheeded, as you think me a fool!" Tom smacked Chris's hand off his shoulder and turned away, the camera zooming in for a close-up on his face to capture the single tear that rolled down his cheek.
He did not want him to see his weakness, so he stayed turned. "You are a fool. A blind fool who hasn't realized all these years that I miss our childhood. I miss living in ignorance of the monster I am… the very monster I feared when I was but a boy I have become." He turned to face Chris. "Do you know what that feels like? To be scared of yourself? How do you get away from that? You can't. So I've had to live with it, for the better part of my life!"
He turned to leave out the door again, but Chris grabbed his slender wrist.
This time, Tom brought the tears in full, and Chris pulled him into a hug. This time, he did not object, and in a weak attempt to push him away, fell hostage to the arms of his brother.
"I don't wish you to see me like this," Tom said, pulling away, face tear stained and eyes red. "If anyone sees me in this state, I am a lost soul in this existence!" "I won't tell," said Thor softly.
"But I will," said a voice at the top of the stairs. It was a palace hand, and she was carrying a basket of fruit.
The two looked up at her. She grinned madly. "I could be the hero. I could ruin the God of Mischief, and make a name for myself! And I will… there's nothing you can do to stop me!" She set her basket down, and ran back to where she came from.
Chris and Tom looked at each other, and Tom had a face of pure desperation.
Sam pointed at the camera crew to pause and cut to black, for the narration. Tom came up, and spoke his narrative lines.
"Will Thor and Loki be able to stop the maid before Loki's secret gets out? Or will he be doomed to live in humiliation for the rest of his life?" his British voice drawled mysteriously.
"Cut! Perfect. Awesome episode." Everyone started clapping, and they got up to go and talk to the two as they took off their makeup. "That was great, guys!" said Chris E, and Tom laughed. "Thanks, man!" "I feel so bad for Loki…" said Scarlet as she approached them. "Hey, what about the betrayed brother over here?" asked Chris.
"Oh, and of course you too!" she said, pretending to comfort a baby.
It was lunch break now, and they all went outside to the picnic tables. "Why are we out here in the rain again?" asked Jeremy grumpily. "Because Sam needs to 'clean up the station' at lunch time," said Robert, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
"At least we have umbrellas," said Chris E. "Yeah, 'cause that's what goes up when the rain comes down!" said Chris H, mocking Chris's weather joke, and they grinned.
"So what went on with Hawk and Widow last bounty bust they had?" asked Bruce, turning to Jeremy and Scarlet. "We can't tell you that," said Scarlett with a smirk. "Yeah, it's classified. You gotta wait for the regularly scheduled programming," joked Jeremy.
Robert pouted, "But we work here. Shouldn't we get an insider's look?" Scarlett laughed. "Come to shooting with us one day, and you'll get the behind the scenes VIP tour!"
"Yeah," Jeremy scoffed, "of angry criminals and crazy convicts who would rather shoot at us than give up their car!"
"Your show sure beats Obtuse Bruce!" said Mark, taking out a wrap he had brought for himself. "Aw, don't be ridiculous Mark, I love your show!" said Tom, peeling his tangerine. "Really?" "Yeah! It's incredibly interesting!" The rest of the group agreed, and Mark smiled. "I feel so loved!" he said playfully.
After a bit longer, the break ended, and Sam called them all back in.
"Alright Scarlet, ready for the news on fashion?" "Ready as ever!" She put on a smile, and walked up in front of the screen she used to display the styles.
"You're on in 5, 4, 3, 2- "
Madonna's 'Vogue' played as the introduction and main title of the feature played. The music hushed, and played softly in the background as she started. "Hi everyone, and welcome to Scarlet's Style Guide.
Style is a big thing. So you want to make sure you're doing it right. But there are a lot of different factors you need to consider when choosing your look. Colour, coordination, pattern, hot scale, and most importantly, ask yourself the be all and end all question. Does it feel like you?
The most important thing in fashion etiquette is staying true to your personal style. If you don't like something or don't think it suits you, don't wear it! You know your body best, and can tell if something looks good on you.
But don't discourage yourself either- if you're adventurous, go for the risky styles, and you'll be sure to attract positive attention from people who appreciate true fashion.
For today's Hot List, we're going to talk about what's in and what is so out."
The screen blinked on, and she pointed to a row of clothes, swiping left to scroll through the collection. She stopped at a teal sweater, and brought it up. "This? Is so very in. Pastels and fades are becoming very popular, and if you match it with gold or rusty jewellery, you're sure to have the formula for a stylish outfit!
"This, on the other hand," she said, pulling up a bright magenta cardigan with black stripes, "Is not. Like I said, pastel is in, and this certainly isn't pastel. It's like walking around with a big sign saying, "Wardrobe Malfunction!"
Jeremy snorted from the back at the cattiness in her voice, and quickly covered his mouth as Sam glared at him.
"Now I'd like to demonstrate the horrors of mixing the wrong accessories. Can I have a volunteer to assist, please?" Chris E. immediately shot up before Tom could, and Tom snapped his fingers in defeat. "Thank you," she said, trying to hold back a laugh.
"So, Chris, can you hold these earrings up while I put the necklace on?" He nodded. She put a pink necklace with a bow around his neck, and some lime green hoops by his ears.
"See what I mean? Wrong." Chris put a hand over his mouth, and wagged his finger in disapproval.
She switched the earrings with white pearls, and stood back. "Better." Chris nodded, putting his hand on his hip sassily. She rolled her eyes and laughed, punching him in the arm to go sit down.
"And that concludes Scarlet's Style Guide for today, thanks for watching, and tune in tomorrow for some dirty couture secrets for your lips!"
"And, off."
Scarlet burst into giggles, walking back to Chris and everyone. "You're a natural, Chris!" "I know. Don't hate me because I'm beautiful," he joked. "That was great Scar," said Jeremy. "Yeah," agreed Tom, "I felt fabulous just watching it!"
They moved on to their second last show of the day, Obtuse Bruce.
