"Where the hell have you been!" Clint demanded, when Loki finally returned to the tower, walking into the common living space - as though he hadn't taken off without word or warning - just before noon.
"Out." The green eyed god shrugged as he grabbed a can of drink from the fridge, and plopped himself on the couch.
"Out. That's it, that's all you have to say. Out where Loki? You know the rules, you aren't supposed to leave the tower without at least one of us." Clint shot back, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot impatiently.
Loki rolled his eyes, switching on the TV, "To the park. Not that it's any of your business, I'm not an infant who need hold hands."
"It is very much our business." Clint snatched the remote from the teen god's hand turning the TV off and giving Loki a hard stare. "As long as you are living here under Stark's roof, you'll abide by our rules, whether you like them or not. And don't expect to get special treatment because you're a prince, cause news flash Loki, this ain't Asgard. Thor doesn't get any special treatment, so neither do you."
When Loki responded with nothing but a light snort, Clint continued. "Okay, so you're going through some rather rough shit lately, we get it. But you can't just go pulling a disappearing act on us like that, the rules still stand, everyone is out there looking for you right now." He stressed pointing out towards the city. "At least take Nat, if you want some space away from the tower, she is great at blending away into the surroundings, you'd hardly know she's there."
Clint clicked the TV back on, tossing the remote back beside Loki before heading back into the kitchen and grabbing a beer from the fridge. "So, I bet it feels good to be rid of the blue." The archer said as he took a seat, quickly correcting himself as he noticed the dangerous flash of emotion that flickered in the god's eyes. "The cast! To have the cast taken off." God, he hoped Jarvis had already informed the others Loki was back in the tower.
"It was a little hindering I suppose." The kid shrugged back, turning his attention back to the TV. Clint sat quietly watching the show while he sipped his beer.
"Wait, I thought she was the head nun or something?" Barton questioned as Sister Jude was strapped to a bed for electro-shock therapy.
"She was, but she is one of the patients now." Loki shook his head, "though I'm not entirely sure how it came about, I think I've missed an episode or two."
A few of the Avengers had been a little annoyed at returning home after wasting time looking for Loki, only to find him sprawled on the couch watching American horror story, though nobody said anything. Though as soon as Coulson announce that he wanted to meet over the imposter who had messed with both SHIELD and the avengers, Loki attempted to excuse himself.
"I had plans to spend the afternoon studying." Loki announced, as he got up and headed towards the hall.
"It really won't take long." Coulson insisted.
"That may be, but this is Avengers and SHIELD business and last I checked, I was a suspect not a group member. Not that I mind, your director has every reason to be wary of me." Loki shrugged, he was about to turn to continue on his way when Coulson spoke up again.
"Please, Loki, I honestly believe you would be of more use as a group member and not a suspect. We are dealing with things out of our league here, quite possibly magic and no one knows more about magic than you do. Well, nobody here on Earth."
"You're leaning towards magic, have you found a new lead?" Steve asked from his spot by the lounge, as Loki quietly made his way back to his seat.
"We think it may be Chitauri related, the weapon fragment we pulled from agent Harrow matches the metals used in the Chitauri tech left from their first attack." Coulson explained, "And seeing as the Chitauri have proven they are capable of changing shape before, I'd say there is a good chance that we are dealing with these guys again."
"Shape changing does not necessarily require magic." Loki pointed out, "Whilst it can be learnt through high level magic, it is not an easy skill to acquire. Shape shifting is most commonly used by those born with the ability. There are a few illusionary spells capable of mimicking shape shifting, but compared to the real thing they are weak and easily seen though, if you know what to look for."
"But what about those who don't have the proper understanding of magic? Surely it would be harder for them to see through the illusion." Bruce asked, he wasn't entirely sure he would know magic when he saw it, specially if it was being used to deceive him.
"Not if you know what you're looking for, after all an illusion is just that, an illusion, deceptive and misleading. It only works as long as you believe it, catch a glimpse of the lie and it's easy enough to break the illusion." He said, stepping next to Tony and covering the both of them with smoke. "Which is the real Stark?" He Asked. The smoke finally clears to reveal two Tonys both staring at each other with a look of disbelief on their faces.
"Sorry Bambi, there is only one person who's, brilliant, charismatic and handsome enough to be me." The toy on the left scoffed.
"Nice try Loki, the use of a nickname was rather convincing, but you forgot to include sexy and all around awesome." The other Tony tutted. The rest of the group looked between the two uncertain as to which Tony they should believe.
"Oh! I think I know a way. Maybe." Pepper announced, a little unsure. She walked up to the two Tonys placing a hand on both of their chests, a smile crossing her face as she felt the difference in physic. "Sorry Loki, but I'd know my Tony anywhere." She said, wrapping an arm around Tony as she moved to stand beside the one on the left. She had recalled how when Loki got ill when the others were in Africa, she had felt how clammy and sweat slicked his face had felt even though he looked perfectly fine.
"Pepper just gave you one of the easiest ways to catch a glam. Touch. Simple really as glamor's rely strongly on deceiving the eye, the stronger ones like this, rely on deceiving both the eyes and ears. The illusion is an image that cloaks the caster, and one of the major issues with that is that the caster rarely matches the image, the illusion tends to lose effectiveness when you realise what you feel does not match with what you are seeing."
"Do you think that was why the Chitauri pretending to be the new investors I met with last time preferred not to shake hands?" Pepper asked, she had thought it a little strange that none of the men accepted the offer when she extended her hand to them in greeting.
"Indeed." Loki nodded.
"Well, that's hardly going to help us, the guy isn't exactly around for us to cop a feel." Tony - the real Tony, pointed out.
"Perhaps not, but a glamor is much like your Midgardian images know as stereograms, focus long enough and you start to see the image hidden within, or in the case of a glam spell, the being beneath the glam." Loki explained, "People don't often pay too much attention to those around them, they tend not to focus on others too long. After all it is rude to stare. People are far too reliant on what they see, or think they see, which is why the majority of illusionary spells focus on deceiving the eyes."
Steve's brows creased in confusion, he knew he was looking at Loki, but he was still seeing Tony. "Ah is anyone else still seeing two Tonys or am I just really bad at this?" He asked, a little concerned he was the only one struggling. He was relieved when most of the others confirmed that Steve was not the only one. Nat being the first besides Pepper to seeing through the guise.
"I thought he'd changed back during his explanation?" She looked around the rest of the group, she was seeing Loki. His illusion had wavered and dropped while he talked, she had assumed he had dropped it himself but now she wasn't so sure.
"Really? The illusion dropped for me the moment I touched him." Pepper admitted.
Loki smiled, "That is because neither are fooled by the illusion any more."
"See him!" Clint announced excitedly, he may not have beat Natasha, but he had beaten Bruce in seeing through the trick, and Bruce was supposedly a mega brain. So he counted that as a victory.
"It is a little late for that now, though, the imposter isn't playing pretend anymore, at least not as agent Harrow." Phil said, after everyone had finally seen through the glam. For all they knew who ever this menace was could still be in their ranks just playing as someone else. Though with all the precautions SHIELD had taken since finding out, it would not be easy. "Can you still see through the illusion on a recording, on CCTV footage?"
"I am unsure." Loki admitted, "The only way to find out would be to watch it and see."
The footage had come up bust, even Loki could not tell if it was a glamor or shape shifting, for all he knew cameras weren't capable of picking up the flaws in the illusion. They were about to give in when Nat had the genius idea that they watch through the footage of the attack on Pepper as they knew for a fact those guys had used glamor's.
"We are dealing with a shape shifter." Loki announced as Pepper and the four men entered the elevator.
"What! You can tell that by like forty seconds of footage?" Tony gaped in disbelief, jees the kid could at least give them a chance to see through the trick themselves.
"Damn, I see it now." Natasha announced, as the group, on the screen in front of them exited the lift. A little disappointed that she hadn't picked up on it a little quicker, still she wasn't far behind Loki and he was well-practiced in these things so she couldn't be too hard on herself.
Loki gave a sharp intake of air as the older him appeared on the screen, peeking into the room. Everyone in the room, turning to him as he apologised to Pepper.
"I am most sorry, Pepper." He said, chewing his bottom lip as he looked at the woman.
"I'm not sure I understand what you are apologising for, you aided me, you didn't do anything wrong." She replied with a quizzical look.
"Did you not see that?" Loki asked, "There," he pointed out as he had Jarvis's replay from where he first peeked around the doorway, "I sought to flee, to abandon you and save myself."
Obviously Loki was better at reading his older self than anyone else was, as he seemed to pick up on a look that quite frankly no one else saw. Even Thor hadn't seemed to catch it.
"But you didn't. You stayed, and that is all that matters." Pepper assured him with a smile.
"All right then back on topic." Coulson clapped, regaining everyone's attention. "How do you see through a shape shifter?"
"You cannot. Well the eyes, but those who can shift and have magic can use glamor's to fix that little issue. And the aid of Midgardain contact lenses would be of help to any who know about them. Though it would seem from what I have seen on the internet, the - I believe they prefer the term 'Gifted' - woman capable of shape shift has the ability to change even her eye colour naturally." Loki informed them, he had to admit this Mystique lady was most talented. "I could change into a cat, a horse, even my brother, but without the aid of a glamor my eyes will always retain the same colour."
"Is that just an example or are you actually able to shift into other creatures?" Bruce asked, more out of curiosity than anything.
"I can. Though at my current level of practice, I am only capable of changing into that of similar or lesser of my current size." Loki affirmed.
"He can even take the form of a woman." Thor pointed out with a grin, giving his brother a clap on the back.
"You for real? Like a real woman, tits and all?" Tony gapped.
"Yes, tits and all." Loki scrunched his nose as he repeated Tony's rather crude way of putting it.
"Awesome." Tony laughed, oh how he would abuse such an ability had he had it.
"So we are not able to tell if this imposter is Chitauri, human or some other magic using creature?" Steve dragged the conversation back on topic, giving Tony a disapproving look for having dragged them so far off topic again.
"Given the fact it's weapon is Chitauri, I'd say there is a good bet this imposter is indeed Chitauri." Thor said, and Loki agreed.
"I think Thor is right. This one is most likely just further evolved than those guys." He nodded to the creatures lying dead on the screen. And now that he had actually seen what the Chitauri looked like, he was pretty sure he knew exactly who this imposter was they were looking for.