Loki was furious at Clint and felt it would have been completely justified to simply remove his head from his neck, but sending him across the world was an amusing punishment for the attack. He rubbed his chest absently as he watched Natasha study the bow, seeming quite interested in it. For a moment he thought she was beginning to remember things, her eyes were locked on and curious but there was no recognition in them. For some reason, this made Loki almost relieved. If he could solidly turn her against the archer and make her fully believe that he was nothing in a way of a friend, then it would be a harsh blow.
He glanced down at the shredded front of his robes, a large portion of the chest material had been burnt completely and smelled terrible. Loki wrinkled his nose as he ran his fingers along the damaged parts and watched with mild indifference as the material appeared to heal itself, knitting back together with ease. When he glanced up he noted Natasha was now fascinated with him, the bow still in her hand but apparently forgotten.
"Hand me that." He instructed, flicking his hand toward the archer's favoured object. She complied with a curious expression but asked no questions and waited patiently as he took it from her grasp and ran his hands along it. He had seen the archer wield the weapon, both while under his control and free of it, he used it as an extension of his arm and treated it with care. It was so different from the bows of Asgard, holding many different parts to easily compact or expand, hiding many tricks that Loki knew he may never fully discover. He smirked as he held it up and pulled the string back, as though an arrow was in place. He was a competent archer, he had of course been trained in the art by the Light Elves, the most fearsome archers in the Universe. Every day of his young life had been focused on training with bows, swords and shields, though when it became apparent he held higher skills with magic, he had left the more brutish attacks to Thor and begun to train with the ancient sorcerers.
"You look like you know what you are doing." Natasha told him, almost sounding appreciative and Loki's smirk grew. He had never exactly been known for modesty, though he was not as blatantly obvious in his pride as Thor was.
"It has been a long time since I picked up a bow." He admitted. He released the string slowly and used his finger to draw a straight line in the air. A silver arrow appeared at his command and he plucked it from the air, pulling the string back once again and turning toward Natasha so it appeared he was aiming for her. She raised her eyebrows and took a hesitant step backwards, obviously not sure if he was seriously threatening her or not. Before she could speak or move away, Loki released the arrow and watched it speed directly toward the centre or her forehead.
She flinched but there was never any danger, the arrow was merely an illusion of sorts, holding no physical properties and seemingly went through her head, leaving a ghostly shimmer in the air as it flew.
"That is the last time this bow will be used." Loki said casually, waving a hand over the object and muttering a painfully simple incantation. He handed it back to Natasha, who was evidently confused by the whole situation. "Pull the string." He told her and smiled widely when she tried to carry out the command. She was not successful, earning her frustration as she became determined to complete an act that he had done so simply. "It is… locked." He explained, taking a moment to search for the best word to use for description. "Magically locked, so that the string cannot be moved. By anyone."
He continued to smile as she looked up and blew away a fiery curl that had fallen in front of her eyes. She tossed the bow aside, looking annoyed at her failure even though there had been no possible chance of victory.
"Are you hungry?" He asked with a lazy drawl and then didn't wait for her answer before walking over to the small table that sat beside her bed. He closed his eyes and held out his hands, conjuring an ornately decorated silver platter that was piled high with a range of fruit, some that was found on Earth and some that only grew on Asgard. He picked up a small purple berry and was well aware of the mischievous smile that crossed his lips. He turned and offered the unique fruit to Natasha, who looked apprehensive, no doubt worried by the playful glint in his eyes. "Try it. You will not have tasted this before, I can guarantee it."
He watched as she hesitantly took the small berry and placed it in her mouth, but made no move to chew it, she was wildly suspicious. With a single thought, Loki split the berry, releasing the juice as it sat on her tongue and laughed at the look that crossed her face. He knew the sweetness of the fruit would be too much for her to handle, she would never have had anything even close to such a flavour and as she placed her hand to her mouth and coughed, he conjured a goblet of Asgardian wine.
"Here, this will help." He lied, handing it over for her to wash away the overwhelming taste of the fruit he had deviously given her. She took the wine and tipped the edge to her lips, pouring in a large amount which she swallowed and then paled as the taste hit her tongue. He laughed again, this new target to mess with was proving to be very amusing indeed.
"Do not feel bad." Loki grinned as she was sent into a coughing fit. "Those berries are the sweetest in perhaps the Universe, far too strong for a human taste pallet and Asgardian liquor is beyond anything you could handle. Take this-" He materialized a glass of pure water, ensuring the cup was clear so that she could see no trickery lay in his offering. "It will ease the burning of your mouth."
She glared at him before swallowing her pride and accepting the water, tentatively taking a sip to make sure it was drinkable and then rapidly downing the whole glass. Loki watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, shuddering as she tried to overcome the taste which was probably horrific to her.
"That was not appealing." She managed to say after a moment. "And it was cruel." She added, looking up to him, not pleased at all.
"God of Trickery." He told her, taking a bow as if it had been a grand performance. He straightened up and took a purple berry for himself, he did enjoy the taste even if it was strong to him as well. He chewed and swallowed, rubbing his chin with his thumb. "You never did like my tricks I suppose. Though I never really had you at the centre. Sometimes it is amusing to gain anger from a target, but you tended to overreact a good portion of the time." He took another berry and popped it into his mouth, smiling at the thought of the times he attempted to use his mischievous talents on Natasha.
"Tell me." She said suddenly and he looked to her with a raised eyebrow, asking her for clarification with his expression. "I don't remember anything, tell me about something." She looked so earnest, desperate for something of her past to cling to.
"There was a time when I locked you in the training room." Loki told her, the edges of his lips twitching as he recalled the memory. "And flooded it. The water level rose until it had almost filled the area entirely. It was very entertaining." When he looked at her to see if the tale struck a bell of recognition, he saw only a blank face with accusation in her eyes.
"You tried to drown me?" She asked, balling her fists defensively.
"You humans." Loki sighed, rolling his eyes. "You are all so over insensitive. It was merely a bit of fun. If I recall correctly, you campaigned to have me executed or sent back to Asgard. It hurt my feelings." He placed his palm over his chest mockingly.
"It seems you would have deserved either." She said hotly, staring at him harshly. "What would you have done if the 'trick' had gone wrong and I had actually drowned?"
"I would have saved you of course." Loki answered and then almost flinched at the surprise on her face. He had not meant it to sound so heroic, he was not meaning he would have rushed in there and pulled her to safety, desperately trying to keep her alive. Most likely, he would have drained the water and simply informed a passing agent that she needed assistance. He wasn't exactly someone who liked to get his hands dirty, he was quite happy keeping his distance from most things. He was suddenly uncomfortable with the look she was bestowing on him. He walked forward and placed him palm to her forehead, staring deeply into her eyes. "You should sleep." He laced the last word with magic and watched her eyelids flutter in response, sensing all the tension disappear from her body. Since she was already sitting she did not fall far as sleep took a solid hold.
Loki did not take his hand away from her, as her mind cleared he was able to feel everything and became instantly aware of the barrier that had locked her memories out of her reach. He pushed with his magic and found it was quite strong, but certainly breakable. He held himself up with his other hand, so he was looming over her, knowing that if anyone came into the room they would get one hell of a wrong impression. His eyes closed as he probed further into her mind and magically testing the barrier for cracks or weaknesses. There were no weak points but he was certain that he could shatter it with minimal effort. He opened his eyes and narrowed them in concentration, his lips moving soundlessly as he silently cast a spell to push her into a deeper sleep, gaining him easier access to her mind and it's limitless depths.
He was just about to plunge through the barrier and release her memories, but he suddenly stopped. If he carried out the action and reverted her back to how she was before, then his fun would be over. She would be gone and no longer be causing so much trouble, no longer entertaining him or giving him something to do whilst serving his sentence. He pulled his hand away from her forehead and stood, smoothing the front of his robes.
"I am not finished with you yet Natasha." He murmured quietly, even though he could have shouted in her ear and she would have still remained in a slumber. "There is still much fun to be had." He smiled and turned, moving himself through the base with a single thought. He heard a crash as he materialized in his new surroundings and looking to the side where Thor was staring longingly at the spilled glass of mead. Loki sighed and waved his hand, fixing the large glass and refilling it with the potent alcohol that Thor had loved since he was a young teenager. He did not apologize for causing Thor to drop the glass with his surprise and Thor did not thank Loki for fixing the situation.
"What have you come here for?" Thor asked, taking a sip before setting the glass carefully on the table beside him. "I have not had a chance to speak to the Captain yet." Loki hid a smile, clearly Thor did not yet know about the trip he had sent Clint on, or he would have opened with a berating on that subject first.
"I have come to ask a question-" He started to say but Thor cut him off. He grinded his teeth as his 'brother' spoke, he did not like being interrupted.
"Where is Natasha, what have you done with her-"
"She is sleeping." Loki informed him, pointedly refusing to allow him to finish his own sentence. "Tell me, is travelling to and from Jotunheim still impossible to all but me?" Thor seemed surprised and even a little suspicious about the question, but thankfully answered without much reservation.
"You are not the only one, but if you are referring to such methods as the BiFrost, those ways are not possible. Only by sorcery can one travel to that location."
Loki nodded, he had expected no different. He turned to leaved but Thor moved to him and grabbed his shoulder with a grip that Loki found highly uncomfortable. "Stop." Thor commanded. "Tell me why you asked such a thing."
"I was merely wondering-"
"Do not lie to me!" Thor growled, forcing Loki to turn back to him. Loki pointedly smacked his hand away but remained where he was standing and made no move to leave again. "Loki, you have the same look that you always wore when you took one of your tricks too far and came to seek my help."
"I do not need your help!" Loki spat, outraged at the insinuation. Thor was not convinced and placed both his hands on Loki's shoulders, leaning in closer.
"Tell me what you have done." He insisted, ignoring the searing gaze that Loki gave him in. "Loki. While on this planet you are under my ruling and you will answer me, or I will return you to Father and he will take over your punishment." Loki hated the tone of Thor's voice, hated when he acted so superior and he loathed it when threats were made that actually worked. Thor seemed to be the only one in the Universe that could ever tell Loki what to do.
"I… killed Gurdanii." He waited patiently, allowing his words to sink in and resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he saw the rage on Thor's face rise to unrelenting levels.
"What?" He whispered, his voice strikingly quiet in comparison to how loud he usually spoke. "Tell me this is a trick you are conducting in poor taste. Tell me you did not kill a Prince of Jotunheim and break a truce that was impossibly achieved after it was broken the first time."
"By you." Loki pointed out, pushing away Thor's arms and taking a step back. "You were the one to break the truce the first time." He was furious that Thor could be so angry about such a thing, it was so hypocritical of him.
"Just tell me why." Thor demanded, stepping forward so there was little space between them. "You have done many stupid things Loki, most of them recently. Why would you do this, create even more chaos in an unbalanced Universe? Have you learnt nothing about compassion and peace? What reason could you possibly have for killing a Frost Giant, a royal of the land and one of your own blood, whether you refuse to acknowledge that fact or not?"
Loki glared hard at Thor and did not back down from the angry stare or the harsh words that stung more than he would ever let on. It was just like their teenage years, when Loki created a mess and had to ask for Thor's help to clean it up. It was humiliating to think even after so many years he could still not hold his own, that he was still unworthy.
"Because he was going to kill Natasha." He spat the words with malice and watched the surprise replace anger in Thor's eyes. The thunderous God stepped back, clearly shocked by the reason Loki gave him. "Would you have preferred me to allow her to be crushed in an effort to retain a truce that neither of us really care about?" It seemed he was breaking truces all around the Universe and yet he wasn't overly bothered by that. Thor appeared speechless, stroking his chin as he considered how to reply.
"She would not have been in such danger if you had not taken her there." He finally said. It was logical of course and entirely correct, but Loki was still angry that it was all just accusation.
"What is done, is done." He said calmly, moving away from Thor once again. "But there is no pressing issue if travel between that planet is not possible." Before Thor had a chance to reply, he moved himself back to Natasha's room and turned to make sure she was asleep, though he did not expect anything different. His eyes widened as he saw she had disappeared from the bed. "Impossible." He whispered, there was no way she could have awoken in such a short time, it would have taken her so much longer to claw her subconscious to the surface. He closed his eyes and growled in frustration, not able to sense a trace of any others. As far as he could tell, no one had entered the room. But he received no trace from her either, she had not left the room of her own accord. She had been taken.
Did this while half asleep and I apologize for the amount of spelling and grammar errors, also the lack of decent writing.
