***I do not own any of the Marvel characters in this story, yaddayaddayadda. Please don't sue me***
Yay, another update! Thankfully, I got this one out there in less than a week, which is an accomplishment for me haha(: I picture Loki in this chapter kind of like V in V for Vendetta, when the vigilante is throwing the knives towards the end of the movie, in the last fight scene. If you haven't seen it, it's totally epic and you should watch it. Right now.
As always, Read and Review!
Chapter 9
Spira woke up during the earlier hours of the morning, around the time that the sun barely began to peek up from the horizon and illuminate the tower in a rich orange glow. She was set on getting as much training in today as she possibly could, as well as a vast amount of variety in her instruction. The girl planned on having Natasha continue her acting lessons with Spira, as well as the more acrobatic side of fighting. Once Banner arrived, she knew he would have a wide variety of mental exercises planned for her to endure, which would most definitely tire her out. Spira knew that she had always had the stamina to train all day, but when it came to training her own mind, it was exhausting. Perhaps it was the price she had to pay for the remarkable gift she possessed. But to start her day, she knew of only one person who would most likely be up already, and she planned on taking his instruction first.
Spira dressed herself in all black clothing that was flexible, yet comfortable. She didn't want to be itching or complaining over her clothing during a day as important as this one. Though from past experience, she knew that the second day of training was always the hardest. The first day you felt invincible and inspired, and you absorbed every ounce of your instruction like a sponge, pushing yourself to your limit, but the second day was when your muscles screamed with aching pain, and your mind fried itself to a crisp.
Keeping that in mind, she padded into the kitchen and put the ceramic tea kettle on the stove after she filled it with water. Spira had always loved tea, and used it as a substitute for coffee; she hated coffee.
To go with her tea, she toasted a bagel and smothered it in peanut butter, trying to load up on as many carbs and as much protein she possibly could to fuel her for the beginning of her day.
The kettle began to whistle, creating an obnoxious whining noise that echoed through the kitchen. She prepared a cup of tea for herself, making sure that it was loaded with caffeine, just for a little extra kick, and sat down at the table, alone with herself in the orange sunlight.
Spira didn't realize how thirsty she was, and finished her tea in almost one gulp, despite how hot it was. She deposited the mug into the dishwasher, and poured herself a glass a water to drink with her bagel.
It was times like these that she loathed because she absentmindedly slipped into thought and memories that she locked away in the back of her mind. Sometimes, Spira was her own worst enemy, and would frequently throw herself into a trance of conflict based off of the problems in her life that she tried to ignore.
The first memory that came to her mind while she sat, drinking her water, was that of the testing room. As much as she tried to manipulate and delete that memory, it would not go away. They arrived in her mind like bright flashes from a camera, blinking from one second to the next. For a moment she found herself strapped to the hospital bed, struggling to break through her restraints, and then the next moment, she found herself stumbling through the halls, bleeding, shaking, and clawing her way to Loki's cell room.
Spira held her head in her hands, trying to burn those memories, or violently murder them so they would leave her alone. She knew she had been through a traumatic event, there was no denying that, but how come they insisted on buzzing around her mind like annoying mosquitoes?
"Go away…" she mumbled, as she squeezed her eyes shut, intent on banishing the visions from behind her eyes.
From inside her inner struggle, she saw an aura that brought relief to her, slowly bringing the girl out of her frightening trance. Dark green and black flooded her mind, and opened her eyes, but still held her head in her hands.
"Loki." She said simply, greeting his presence as he walked into the kitchen.
She heard the chair in front of her skid along the floor as he pulled it from the table and sat down quietly, not saying a word.
He folded is hands on the table, pressing his mouth into a thin line as he sensed her dark mood. It practically left a taste in his mouth, it was so strong and made the air around him seem stuffy and heavy.
Despite the angry emotions fluttering through the air, he kept silent, his blue-green eyes trained on her, waiting for the girl to speak.
When a few moments passed, and Spira still hadn't uttered a word, Loki broke the silence, "What's wr-"
"Nothing." She said firmly, noticeable anger dripping from her words.
Spira immediately noticed that her reply came out quite more bitter than expected, so she hastily apologized, even though she knew Loki wasn't that easily offended, "Sorry." She said, looking up at him, "I made tea." Spira motioned to the kettle on the stove that was still steaming.
Loki regarded her with his eyes again before getting up to go make himself a cup of tea.
"Mugs are in the cabinet on the right." She said, sitting up fully and regaining a bit more of the excitement she woke up with.
"You consume tea in mugs?" he asked, quite confused. Loki associated mugs with the tall and metal containers ale was served in on Asgard, usually after Thor had conquered another enemy and a ridiculous celebration was thrown in his honor.
"Uh, yea." Spira replied, laughing a bit at Loki's unusual question
Loki opened the cupboard and glanced at the odd looking, ceramic containers that lined the bottom shelf of the cabinet. He picked on up by its handle and turned to Spira with a thoroughly confused look on his face, "Is this the mug you speak of?" He studied it closely, turning it around and dangling it by the handle on his finger.
"Loki, haven't you ever seen a mug?" Spira laughed, getting up a taking the cup from him.
"Of course, do you think me daft?" he said, watching her closely as she poured him a cup of tea, "The mugs we have in Asgard are significantly larger and are made of metal; and we certainly do not drink tea out of them. Besides ale, most beverages are served in a chalice."
"Well I hate to disappoint you, your royal highness," Spira joked, "But most Midgardians don't have the privilege of taking their beverages in a chalice." She handed him the tea, which he took with hesitance, "Plus this design makes drinking tea easier, since it has a handle fit to the size of your hand."
Loki gave her a strange look, but proceeded to sip the tea anyways as he rejoined her at the table. After a few more sips, he placed the mug back on the table and looked at Spira, "You are to begin your instruction today." He stated, watching her stare out the window as she ate.
"Mhm," she mumbled, before swallowing her food, "I figured you would be up this early anyways, so I want you to teach me as much as you can first."
Loki was silent for a moment, considering her words, "I am not someone who can teach you to be the strongest opponent, or best fighter, those are more of my…brother's strengths," he said, scowling a bit, "But I can guarantee you that by the end of my training, you will be able to outwit your opponent with ease." He gave her a mischievous grin, which she returned with her famous smirk.
"Alright," she said, her excitement building, "Let's go."
Spira hopped up from her seat and quickly deposited her plate into the dishwasher, along with her glass of water that she gulped down in one swig.
"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Spira questioned Loki, turning around to him.
"No, I'm not hungry." Loki rose from his chair and slid it back into place with a gracefulness that only royalty can possess. Spira laughed quietly to herself at this spectacle and shook her head; she knew no matter what the circumstances, the God of Mischief had to act with complete dignity and formality. Spira knew pigs would fly before she ever caught Loki slouching or dragging his feet when he walked.
"Alright then," Spira said, grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge and heading towards the hallway, "The training rooms are in the basement, since it's way cooler down there and stuff. I guess Stark didn't want to spend the extra money on trying to cool more rooms than needed, since his tower is so big…not that it matters, Stark is loaded…"
Loki let Spira ramble on absentmindedly as she led him down the hallway and to the elevators, which would take them down to the lower levels of the tower. He could tell she was quite excited to begin her training, but he knew that her enthusiasm would diminish into deep frustration after he was done with her instruction. He had never trained anyone before, but based off of his own harsh self discipline, Loki would not let Spira slack off, even in the slightest bit. He prepared himself for a morning of bickering and sarcasm.
Finally, the elevator made a dinging sound, and the doors opened up to reveal a large room with black foam covering the floor. Weight benches were set up on the sides, and a fully stocked armory concealed most of the back wall. There were numerous doors that lined the side walls, most likely leading to private training rooms or more armories.
"Right then, what do you want to learn first?" Loki said, pacing slowly to the center of the room and stopping to face her.
"Well…"she began, walking around the room for a minute, and then stopping once she arrived in front of the back wall that housed a variety of weapons, "I think that these-"
"Absolutely not." Loki said firmly, beating her to the punch, "You will start your training with hand-to-hand combat. Weapons later."
"Awh..but why?" Spira whined, running her eyes over the shiny and lethal weapons that made her feel like a kid in a candy shop.
"Weapons will not always be available, or they may not be sufficient enough to conquer your enemy. Weapons are also for individuals who possess no skill in outwitting their enemy. With a clever enough mind, you could outsmart an entire army." He glanced over at Spira who was pouting as she kept her eyes glued on the weapons.
"Ugh fine." She said reluctantly, walking over to him, "What do you have in mind?"
"Well, since you cannot use magic to your advantage, we shall focus on your reflexes." Loki walked over to a wall that held several long, wooden staffs, and pricked one from its holster in the wall, "Now, let us pretend that your opponent has gained the upper hand in combat, and is in possession of a weapon and you are not."
"Okay…" Spira said, shifting her weight, and preparing for what he was about to do.
"Of course, naturally, you will be able to predict any move that your opponent is planning on executing, thanks to your extraordinary power, " Loki spun the staff in his hands and circled Spira.
Spira saw that he was going to swipe the staff downwards, which would catch her feet and knock her to the ground, so she prepared to jump out of the way, fast enough to avoid his advance.
"But what if your opponent is…" Instead of his intended move, Loki flipped the staff so it was horizontal, and quicker than light, he brought it upon Spira's back, which made her double over. He then swiped one of her feet with staff, making her lose her footing and fall to the floor, "Unpredictable?"
"Ouch, hey watch it, Asgardian!" Spira said, rubbing her back and standing up again.
"You must be able to react quickly enough so that if your opponent decides to modify his moves at the last second, you will already be one step ahead." Loki raised the staff again, aiming for Spira's abdomen, but she bent backward in time to miss the top of it, which barely missed her face as Loki angled upward so it would have struck her in the head.
"Like that." He said, smirking as Spira barely missed his attempt at whapping her in the face, "You are a fast learner."
"You know you could've hurt me pretty bad just then." She said, narrowing her eyes, and then jumping out of the way as Loki swiped the staff at her again.
"But I didn't," he said, watching her duck from another oncoming strike.
Loki turned around and brought the staff over his head, intent on knocking Spira to the ground once more, but she caught it in her hands and jerked it upwards so it struck Loki in the jaw.
"Now we're even." She smirked, before throwing herself into a fit of laughter as Loki rubbed the spot where the staff had met the side of his face.
"Very funny," he grumbled, tossing the staff aside, "Perhaps we should take a different approach on hand-to-hand combat." Spira quirked her head to the side, but let Loki continue speaking, "When trying to defeat your opponent, there are key points in their anatomy that can potentially lead to their undoing. The collar bone, for example: breaking an individual's collar bone will almost always result in immediate paralysis of the arm."
Loki lifted his arm and traced a line from his collar bone to his shoulder, then down his limb to his fingers, "Instead of trying to break or fracture an entire limb, damage what allows the limb to function."
Spira nodded as he continued, "Ultimately, your goal would be to hit the back of the skull where the spinal cord is connected to the brainstem, but oftentimes, that is more difficult than simply breaking a collarbone. You must slowly break down your victim until you can make the kill."
As Loki talked about 'making the kill', Spira noticed a strange look in his eyes, almost one similar to that of a blood thirsty carnivore. She reminded herself that he was still very dangerous and power hungry, despite his sometimes calmer side he presented to her on occasion.
She tried to not let it bother her, and took into account that killing was almost second nature to him; whether it be out of bloodlust or defense, Loki had no problem with ripping someone's head off.
Loki's instruction about pressure points and soft spots continued for some time, before she grew antsy and insisted on bringing out the weapons.
"Pleaseeee," she begged, insisting that she was ready to finally use one of the guns that almost seemed to be winking at her is it glinted in the glass case.
"Alright, fine," Loki said, caving in to her whining, "But no ranged weapons."
Spira was already halfway to the weapons case when she slumped over and pouted again at Loki's mention of not being able to use any ranged weapons.
"Weapons that require ammunition have several risks and complications that cannot be ignored. You need a weapon that is reliable, durable, and quick." Loki produced two knives from his coat and held the ends of them in between his thumb and forefinger and with a flick of his wrist, sent them flying towards Spira. The girl completely froze as the blades sailed towards her, but they flew passed her and landed beside each side of her head, pinned to the foam that the guns were held in on the wall.
Spira had a look of complete and utter shock on her face as her mouth hung open. Her surprised immediately switched to anger as she eyed the sly God.
"You…" Spira was fuming, as she marched towards Loki, "You arrogant…snake! You could've killed me! What if I had moved an inch, huh? I'd have one of your bloody knives sticking out of my face!" she couldn't help herself, and before she knew it, she was screaming at Loki, "Do you expect me to think that launching knives at my face is acceptable? I should wipe that smirk right off your face, you little show-off!"
Spira grit her teeth and tried to hold back the darkness that began to swirl in her eyes and threatened to unleash itself upon Loki. It had come on quicker and easier than she intended, as was caught off guard as the shadows threatened to take over her. It seemed that they were provoked easier and easier each time she got angry. Spira tried to shake the blackness from her mind, telling herself that he was just being his usual irritating self, but the shadows grew closer.
Loki found her outburst quite amusing, but for Spira's sake, he tried his best to suppress another smug grin from spreading across his face. He noticed the black that threatened to envelope her eyes, but being the God of Mischief, couldn't help himself.
"Temper, temper, Spira." He said slyly, his voice almost a whisper. He could see the battle behind her eyes, she was trying as hard as she could to keep the darkness from overtaking her, and for once, she looked like she could possibly overcome it. He dropped the 'teasing' card, once he saw that this might be a big moment in Spira's training, "Fight it." He hissed demandingly, gripping her shoulders.
Spira squeezed her eyes shut, and clenched her fists, trying to banish it away. From behind her struggle, she knew that Loki was pushing her to gain control of her powers. She felt the beginnings of mental exhaustion, but listened to Loki's words, and continued to attempt to gain control of herself. An evil and sinister sort of presence cooed her into its arms in the front of her mind, its soft but distorted voice coaxing her into its embrace. It told her to let go, and not struggle so- that she would be safe in its unbreakable grasp.
She had never experienced a struggle like this before, usually she lost control quickly, and didn't try to fight the darkness that was trying to win her over; but now that she was putting up quite a battle, it unleashed itself in her mind, trying to persuade her in every way possible.
She opened her eyes again, but the darkness was slowly swallowing the whites of her eyes, her rusty-brown irises already gone. For a second, Loki feared his efforts were in vain, but refused to give up on someone who had promised not to give up on him. It was an unusually unselfish act for the sly God.
"Fight it." He hissed again, gripping her chin fiercely and forcing her to look at him. His expression was hard, his jaw clenched tightly, and his eyes narrowed, the blue-green color now a dark green as he bore his eyes into hers.
Spira grit her teeth and a small hiss escaped from her as well as she imagined herself pushing the darkness out of her mind, "Go away." She mumbled, "Go away, go away, go away…" she repeated that phrase over and over again until Loki saw the shadow in her eyes slowly evaporate.
"That's it," he said, his expression still hard, "Don't lose your sanity."
"You're one to talk." She gritted out between strangled gasps
In her mind, Spira could feel herself gain the upper hand, a sense of unfamiliar self control flooding over her, "You can't have me." She said, speaking to the shadows in her mind, "Not this time…" she whispered.
She closed her eyes again, and repeated her words over and over again, feeling the darkness retreat. Go away, go away, you can't have me, go away, not this time….
Loki felt her noticeable relax in his grip, just like she had yesterday when Stark idiotically pushed her towards the edge. He kept quiet, waiting to see if she succeeded in fighting herself for the first time.
Her eyes slid open and met Loki's, which had returned to his usual aqua-colored green. They both breathed a sigh of relief as the shadows evaporated completely, and Spira gained her sanity again.
Their head snapped up at an annoyingly familiar (and narcissistic) voice coming from the far side of the room where the entrance doors were, "What…the hell."
