Loki and Sophia arrived at her modest home around the time she estimated. Inside, Loki noted her small personal library, and Sophia allowed her to choose a book and settle on the back porch while she unpacked her car. Sophia joined Loki when she was finished, bringing a piece of Midgardian technology she called a "laptop," and together they watched the sunrise. A couple of hours later, Loki rose to stretch, and Sophia took the chance to show her the notes she had been taking.

"These should give you a good start," Sophia told her, and Loki examined the list of numbers and names, resource information for the wayward woman. "Women's houses, transportation, COMF, it's all there."

"COMF?"

"Coalition for Missing Families" Loki gave her a droll look and Sophia raised her hands helplessly. "I don't make these things, don't look at me. Still, they're probably your best bet in finding your family or anyone else you need to get in contact with. I can drive you around today if you need, but I have to go back to work tomorrow…"

Loki understood the unspoken "so you'll be on your own" Sophia was too polite to say. "I am certain today is all I will need."

A couple of hours more and they were both showered, dressed, and out the door. Other people were about as well, though not as many as Loki expected. The population had not yet recovered from The Snap well enough to fill what was empty; as such, the city felt deflated, like a child wearing a parent's coat. 'I was under the impression mortals reproduced faster than this,' she thought with bemusement as she watched the boarded windows and sun-bleached "closed" signs slide past.

Loki followed Sophia's lead as she took them around the city, and by the fourth stop at an office, Loki had tired of the whole charade. 'Bear it a little longer, God of Mischief, you've suffered worse,' she told herself repeatedly over lunch. As was becoming habit, Sophia spared her a reassuring smile when she sensed what she perceived was Loki's anxiety. She returned the woman's expression. 'At least the company is tolerable, and easily fooled.'

Lani was hiding something, I was sure. It was not anything in particular, she said or did, just a gut feeling I had at the cabin that was now more tangible. On one hand, I wanted to allow her the obscurity she clearly desired, but on the other hand, it wasn't getting either of us any closer to finding somewhere for her to stay in the long-term. By the time we returned to my house, I was wrestling with the idea that I might have tripped myself into a roommate. The thought made me grimace. I had nothing against Lani personally, per se, but I had my home and life ordered and scheduled exactly as needed, and I despised anything that disrupted that. Besides, she was clearly from the upper class; how could my quality of life match up?

I was too tired to languish. After dinner, Lani settled in again with her chosen book and I prepared my infrequently used guest room that doubled as a home office. The bed was simple but would suffice for now, and Lani appeared grateful for whatever I had to offer.

"I'll be gone until mid-afternoon tomorrow. I'll leave the spare key on the kitchen counter. If you need to leave, all I ask is that you lock the door behind you. I've set a few outfits and shoes in the closet as well." Lani nodded to me in that almost dismissive way that was her own and I gave her a half-smile. "I do hope you're able to find something tomorrow." The look in those green eyes said she understood my meaning. There was nothing else to say. I set my alarm, buried under my covers, and tried to sleep.

My phone screeched at me far too soon. I checked the time through bleary eyes and found it was, unfortunately, time to get up. Muscle memory and habit swept me through my morning routine with relative ease. I listened at the guest room door for a moment before leaving and found Lani was still asleep. 'Good, I didn't wake her.' A short drive across town to my office later and I was fisting my hands in my hair with frustration as I listened to the morning teleconference.

Mine was a technology contracting company that had merged with Stark Industries just after The Snap to stay afloat. As was usual, the parent company treated my team and me as if we were second-rate add-ons until we converted to Stark. I had been on-boarded not that long ago, and now I had to listen to their program manager condescend to my former co-workers who were still with the original company. I had already tried speaking up about it, but my boss quickly put me in place. If I wanted to keep my job, I would keep my head down. I tried to explain it to my former team, worked to pull them up to equal footing and recognition, but I knew they still resented me and others like me for our silence. 'Such is the life of contract work, government or no.'

A new project was rolling out to continue repairs to the communications infrastructure in one of the major office buildings downtown, and my blended Stark-Contractor team were the ones assigned. That meant I would be on-call for the near future. The end of the day couldn't come soon enough, and I was out of the office before the boss even realized I had logged off the company messenger application. Idling at a light, I took a moment to glower at the work computer in my passenger seat. The job was more than worth it; after all, it allowed me to maintain my house and send money to my family, but sometimes I really hated it.

Home, I kicked off my shoes, plopped the laptop bag on the kitchen table, and glanced over the menus I had stuck to the refrigerator. I didn't feel like cooking tonight. Only two or three places still attempted the delivery shtick, so there wasn't much to choose from. 'I should probably ask Lani what she wants before I decide, though.' A quick tour of my home revealed she was not there, and I felt a twinge of disappointment, but it didn't last for long. She returned soon after I sat down with the sandwich shop menu to decide what I wanted. She looked worn; a manila folder tucked under her arm. I spared her a friendly expression.

"Welcome back. Any luck?"

"Unfortunately, no," she sighed, removing her shoes at the doorway per my request. "I do not think progress will come as soon as you would like."

I hummed. "Let's figure out dinner first."

We ordered our food and I glanced through the paperwork Lani brought home as we waited for it to arrive. There were no leads on any of her family or friends, no employment openings for her skill set, though there were a few places she could go while she trained for something new, and she had circled a couple workshops of interest. It wasn't much, but it was a plan. 'Another week, perhaps two. I can handle having a guest for that long.'

Loki spent most of the first morning on her own walking the city streets, seeing what there was to see and listening in on conversations. Somehow, she managed to keep the disgust she felt from showing on her face. 'The slums of Asgard were cleaner and of a higher-class than this place…' she thought haughtily, and she took it as another good sign of her recovery. She ran her fingers together, feeling for a sign that any of her magic had returned and found none. 'I assume it spent itself to preserve and deliver me here, and I drained the last to help change my form. I have only been awake for a few days; surely it will return soon.' She needed to believe this. The thought of remaining as little better than a mortal in this place for the rest of her long years turned her stomach.

Eventually, she visited the offices Sophia had taken her to the day before in a lackluster attempt to find something of use. As far as Loki was concerned, however, she would not stay in this city long enough for any of these efforts to matter. The day after and the next, she did the same. She knew she was trying Sophia's patience by delaying, but her wits were still dull from her revival. In fact, she felt almost amnesic. This in addition to her knowing little about modern Midgard left her uncharacteristically aimless.

'What do I do with myself while I recover from this dazed state? Perhaps I can convince this woman, Sophia, to maintain me, and once I am sharp I can… I can…' Loki pressed a hand to her temple as ideas remained unintelligible whispers at the edge of her mind. 'I cannot think. Why can I not form a single thought beyond my immediate needs?'

She found herself at the library somehow, skimming idly through old magazines and brochures. It felt abandoned, and the lone librarian left Loki to herself. As she flipped through pages, one of the images sparked a glorious idea: Norway. Of course! It made too much sense, and she scolded herself for not having considered it sooner. 'Odin called it "home" that day; there must have been a reason. Perhaps there I can find a way to restore my power, a way to escape this forsaken rock.'

It was so simple. Loki frowned, suddenly apprehensive. Simple, yes; but how would she get there?