Chapter 25: Of Deception and Envy
Pepper Potts waited outside the office of her employer impatiently and unsure of whether or not the information she had to share was all that important. After a few seconds of anxious hesitation, she knocked on the door and waited for the answer. It was immediate and she didn't like the look of Tony Stark at the moment, having done without sleep in days after the ordeal with the other Avengers and still frustrated about replacing the damage Loki had done to his property. There was also the issue of still not being able to find the missing assistant that had belonged to Jane and then Jane taking off with Thor, something that disturbed and unsettled the hero more than it should have. Pepper appraised him silently a little more and he sensed it, allowing it only for a few seconds.
"What's up?" he asked as casually as possible.
"You asked me to bring you any updates we might have with the case on Darcy Lewis," she explained. He lifted one brow, signaling her to continue. She cleared her throat. "I have something to report . . . something very interesting."
(*)
"You don't like trees?" Darcy asked as they moved further into the forest. This had been revealed to her about Loki upon asking him if he could speak to the forest itself which he had emphatically stated that he could not and had no intention of learning to do so. He had power enough to manipulate natural forces; learning to speak with them was irrelevant. She frowned. "How can you have elf in you at all and not like trees? Even humans like trees, most of us."
"I suppose that is not a part of my newfound heritage I have explored to date," he replied. The idea of exploring it was intriguing, but then terrible as well. Elves might have had powers that surpassed humans and some Asgardians, but they also had strict rules and mandates that kept them within certain limitations, something that the trickster didn't imagine himself doing even in the best of circumstances. "Not that such things matter to you. If you love the natural world so much, why have you yet to learn any of their tongues and ways?"
"I'm a human, I can't really just up and learn to speak to trees," she said with a shrug. She gripped the staff as they continued to walk, taking in the sight of the towering woody guardians and their greenery.
He laughed in reply and shook his head. "Mortals. You really don't see any possibilities farther than what has already been done by others before you, do you?" he asked with a tone of mockery surpassing the meaning of being amused. She glared at him hotly, but said nothing. "If you wanted to learn their tongues and ways, you would do it the same way you would learn from your fellow humans . . . observation and careful listening."
"You have an awful lot of faith in a race that you tried to take over; you know that, right?" she remarked with similar tone and meaning. "Communicating with plants like that is something superhuman or magical or something." He grinned.
"It's simple fact; to learn one must watch and hear, there's nothing superhuman or magical about it," he said, reaching out and taking hold of her wrist as they walked up a particularly steep place in the forest floor and descended more quickly than she would have liked. The hold he had on her wrist made it more difficult for her to fall and she drank in the feel of his protective grasp as they made it to the bottom and continued walking. Out of habit, he continued to hold tightly to her for several minutes after they had reached the level ground once more. He suddenly sensed that her heart was beating rapidly and powerfully. He turned and noted that her colour was exceptionally brilliant now and that her gaze was affixed on his hand clasping her wrist and she was smiling at it. He gave her a confused look, but smiled in return. "Is there something in particular that amuses you so fully, or am I that diverting?"
She shook herself and looked back up at him. "Uh, it's . . . the forest and stuff. I used to go on all sorts of camping trips and hiking with my mom and dad while they were alive. I still feel like they're with me when I'm out in a place like this. Then my Aunt Elloise started taking care of me and we couldn't go as often, but when we did it was always amazing," she said now turning her gaze upward and all around at the canopy and its respective comings and goings. Several animals skittered in and out of the branches, some into well made nests and some into little homes carved into the trees. He looked at her a little more closely.
"Your parents are no longer living?" he asked. She turned and nodded looking as unfazed and calm as ever. He grew a little more somber at this realization and stopped moving. "How, may I ask?"
"Well, my dad was an environmental zoologist and mom was a photographer. I wasn't there when it happened, but I was told that mom got attacked by an animal and was killed really quickly. Dad found her and blamed himself for her death so . . . uh . . . he . . . killed himself," she replied dropping both arms at her sides as she finished the description. He stared back at her in horror. As devastating as it had been to discover that his parents had lied to him for years, he couldn't imagine one of them dying let alone choosing to die by their own hand. She shrugged again, clearly having learned to do this in order to push away unwanted emotions. "I went to live with Aunt Elle and that was a good thing; she never had any other children so it was like I was the opportunity she got to have one."
"I . . ." he began, unsure of what to say after beginning the sentence. He sighed and looked more deeply into her face. "I am truly sorry for your loss."
"Why? You didn't know them. Besides, they're together, so they're alright I think," she said moving past him slowly. "And both of them were human, remember?"
He frowned and looked at her unhappily. "You find me incapable of compassion," he observed almost coldly. She turned and smirked at him, leaning back against one of the trees. "And yet you followed."
She laughed and shook her head. "I followed you to keep you from getting your face eaten off by whatever's out there," she replied. "And I don't think your incapable of compassion, I just don't think you've had a lot of practice with it."
"That's quite an observation coming from a woman who spends most of her life away from the rest of her kind," he retorted indignantly. Darcy felt stunned and hurt by that remark not merely for herself, but on Jane's behalf as well. After all, these opinions were based upon her life and actions, not Darcy's.
"For your information, science requires interaction. I am never alone for very long. I have plenty of friends and colleagues to confer with," she said proudly. He turned and lifted one brow inquisitively and with a measure of admiration for her assertiveness. Darcy thought more carefully about this, about the pretense. She remembered Brenhin's revelation and the question she had been asked before leaving. Did Loki already know? No, he would have revealed that by now certainly. Still, she couldn't be sure that she could keep it from him much longer if the servant knew. She drew in a deep breath and continued walking after him silently for a few moments. Neither wanted to break the silence for the time being and Darcy wondered if he had been able to read her mind. He seemed to be talented with gifts in the mind, but she couldn't be sure if psychic powers were in there as well. She bit her lip and found herself feeling anxious for the first time in the presence of the safety of the forest and the beautiful creatures within. After several more minutes of silence, she drew in a deep breath and spoke. "I wanted to ask you something," she remarked. He glanced over his shoulder at her momentarily, but said nothing. "You do a lot of magic and stuff; has anyone ever been able to surprise you?"
"Only through deception," he said remembering the world-shattering moments in which his origin had been revealed. The notion was not altogether foreign to him and he had suspected that there had been something strange about his birth when he had been unable to keep up with his brother, but it had always been attributed to some sort of spell or curse in his mind. Even the thought of being cursed surpassed being kept as a tolerated prisoner all of his years in Asgard. It occurred to him also that he was again showing weakness and the girl was effortlessly looking for it in him. He shook his head. "Deception is short lived in my presence," he lied and turned, scowling at her momentarily. The scowl faded into a grin as he continued, "Except when I create it, of course."
"That's not really something to be proud of," Darcy commented having sensed the sudden shift in his mood and thoughts yet again. The notion of him being so unsettled by someone else deceiving him was frightening; this had only been a mere mention of it and the reaction was sharp.
"Of course it is. Mischief and chaos are nothing without it," he added, turning and continuing their path to the left. Darcy sighed and followed.
"Well, I'm not sure mischief is your thing. I know what the book in the library said, but I haven't seen much of that since I've been around you. In fact, if I wrote a book right now, I'd have you pegged as the 'God of Emotions' more than anything," she replied. He suddenly materialized in front of her causing her to stumble backwards a pace.
"How dare you impugn my reputation, it is hard earned and well deserved," he said loudly.
"What? It's not my fault you're off your game," she said defensively. "You just haven't really done anything to live up to it in the past few weeks. You've done plenty of creepy, mean, and angry stuff but nothing mischievous."
"And I suppose you have criteria that would fit the description and anything else is inadequate?" he said indignantly.
She folded her arms and looked back at him. "Well, only what I read about you. I mean, when was the last time you actually turned yourself into something else? That's one of your more famous traits, right? Being a shape-shifter or something," she remarked.
"I became a number of creatures in this very forest, including my brother, that you assaulted, thank you," he replied.
Darcy shook her head and then suddenly remembered the odd number of animals that had approached her when she had been trying to find a way out her first few hours in the realm. She remembered thinking that it was odd so many of them had similar colours to them. Her eyes widened in realization. "That was you? The rabbit, the badger, the fox, and the snake; they were all you?" He turned and smirked. The memory of being terrified by the snake and the badger, as well as numerous insects that may or may not have been him suddenly came to her. She raced up and exclaimed in disgust. "Snakes are the worst! Why would you even do that?"
He whirled around. "The snake is one of the creator's most noble and charming subjects. They are lovely and loyal when well appreciated and there are more people that find them so than those like you that seem to be repulsed by natural grace," he said hotly. She stared back at him and then looked away, though not in regret of having said anything. The look he was reading seemed to be in amusement of something, something he was finding a little irritating at the moment. "What?"
"Dude, I'm sorry, I just can't keep talking to you seriously with those horns on. They make you look like a priest for some East Malibu celebrity cult," she confessed.
He reached up and instantly pulled the helmet off, willing it back to the fortress and then waiting for her response. She simply stared back in amazement at the gesture. He couldn't be sure if the amazement was for the spell and not for his form instead. "Happy now?" he asked.
"Can you take anything else off?" she asked playfully. He gave her another look of bewilderment and then turned, walking in the same direction. "What?" she called after him, hurrying to keep up. "It's a legitimate question!"
(*)
In Asgard there had been yet another upheaval, this one again involving the royal family. Thor walked angrily out of his father's throne room clasping Jane's hand tightly. Jane was still in shock and found herself wondering what had just happened. The only thing holding her in place was her beloved and she felt as if she might float away from the strange realm itself if she hadn't been holding onto his hand so tightly. Thor recounted his father's rejection of a mortal bride once more. While this hadn't been a public announcement by either of them, it disturbed the young immortal to hear his father put any restraint on who he could take to his side. It infuriated him all the more to hear his father offer suggestions as to who was worthy of his son. He turned back and glanced at Jane's expression. She didn't seem hopelessly damaged by the private turmoil, but she was lost in thought about something. He sighed and looked up at the sky. If only he could traverse the nine realms as fluidly as his brother. As the two stood contemplating their own conflicts inwardly, Thor, for the first time in centuries, thoroughly envied Loki.
(*)
On Sylvanheim, Loki had adjusted their path twice, sensing the orb's power growing all the stronger and that it was primarily staying in one place for now. The ease that this brought allowed his temperament to shift back to a more eased confidence than before and Darcy found herself enjoying the trickster's buoyancy. The two had conversed for the better part of two hours with Darcy discovering the best way to handle his presence was to let him do the majority of the talking. He seemed pacified by the sound of his own voice and she hoped he would be exhausted with exercising such a command of the vernacular. She listened intently to the story of his first encounter with the gift of transformation and the days that followed. It was unlike anything she had read in any of the books to date and it was incredible. The humor and fear made it real, more real than perhaps what was happening now. Ever few moments Loki seemed to be searching her eyes for something. She was beginning to think that he knew exactly who she was, but liked the game that pretense brought. She decided after the two hour mark to continue the game until playing became something else. In the past hours Loki had through story proven his reputation, but Darcy continued stating that what had happened in the past had little relevance to the present version of himself that was definitely more austere.
"And how would you have me, then?" he finally remarked in full exasperation.
"I don't know, less authoritarian and more fun, I guess," she replied. He gave her a side glance and she sighed. "Look, you're supposed to be the 'God of Mischief' and the only thing you can think about lately is suffering and revenge." Darcy used both hands to physically put the appropriate symbolic apostrophes around his title. He watched this in utter delight. She was consumed in thought about him; nothing was more satisfying. "Did you even play as a kid or was it all learning how to make other people do what you wanted?"
"I was adept at many things even childhood," he said defensively. "I had obligations, but diversions were not forbidden. Even before discovering my natural talent I had a gift at both disappearing and finding things that had disappeared."
"You're talking about hide and seek, right?" she asked with a renewed enthusiasm at discerning the familiar.
"I'm not entirely sure what that it is, but I could hide for hours from my brother and his friends but they could not easily hide from me," he replied. She grinned.
"Okay, so if I were to hide somewhere in the forest . . . "
"You are mortal and far less able to hide than anything in this forest," he interjected quickly. "Not to mention that as a prisoner you shouldn't be trusted."
"Oh come on, there's plenty of time before the sun goes down!" she pleaded. He narrowed his gaze at her. She sighed. "I promise I'm not going to go running off, I'm just going to see how long it takes you to figure out where I am."
"If it will satisfy your accusations against what I am worthy of being called, then so be it. It won't take long to find you when you can't even follow me for very long without making noise," he said. "But I warn you that even at this distance from the fortress, any attempt to flee will be punished, severely."
"Fine, whatever, just turn away," she said excitedly. He shook his head and took the staff from her hand, setting it against one of the trees as he turned away from her. She hurried in the opposite direction and then froze, calling over her shoulder. "Count to fifty."
"What for?" he asked in confusion.
"It's just one of the rules I grew up with, do it," she explained. It felt a little empowering and thrilling to be giving an order to him in some small way. As she heard him counting aloud she climbed over several fallen limbs and waited for him to finish, hiding behind a few distant trees while still keeping a good look at him. She grinned as he finished and stood silently, scanning the clearing around him. He finally moved toward a set of thicker trees and bushes in the same direction. Darcy quickly ducked behind another tree, larger and fallen, then knelt as she peeked over the edge. He was still looking behind the other set of bushes for her. She grinned and knelt, readying herself to get a good running start. She breathed deeply and hurried forward. Before she could surprise the trickster, he appeared out of nowhere to her left. Darcy was shocked to see that he was also still looking through the bushes for her as well as taking hold of her and dropping to the ground. She gasped and turned to face him. He grinned brightly and forced her up against a tree pinning both her wrists against the trunk as he stared down into her trembling eyes. "What . . . how . . . but you're . . . ," she stammered. He chuckled and looked back at the other figure and nodded to it. It vaporized instantly before he turned back to her. "Amazing! You can literally be in two places at once!"
"More than that," he replied. "I can be in hundreds of places at one time."
"Doesn't that get tiring?" she asked trying to free one of her wrists from his grasp. To her surprise he was gripping her as tightly as he did the day he had captured her. She frowned and looked at him. "What is it?"
"You tried to flee," he remarked, taking both of her hands in one of his and pinning them above her head as he leaned down more closely. "I believe I told you all attempts to flee were severely punishable."
Darcy's eyes widened in terror. He was prone to sudden shifts in demeanor and there was no telling when he might suddenly become violent or angered. He reached down with his other hand and gently cradled the edge of her jaw with the tips of his fingers. He looked deeply into her green eyes, penetrating the fear surging on the surface. He softly stroked the side of her face, reveling in the softness and warmth of her skin against his own. It had taken everything within him to restrain himself under the illusion that this was his brother's love interest. She had slipped into the soft and tender portion of his otherwise scarred and unyielding heart; he was grateful for each moment with her even as she deceived him. He leaned down and hovered a few inches away from her lips. Darcy felt her chest fluttering and hoped that if and when they kissed she wouldn't have a cardiac episode. He drew in an even deeper breath and pulled his face back, still looking down into her eyes with more than intrigue. "What do you think is fitting for your crime?"
"Well, I didn't actually intend to run off, so I guess you could classify that as both an escape attempt and deception," she said suggestively. He closed his eyes for a moment trying again to restrain himself for her sake at the moment. She wasn't ready to lie with him and he wasn't sure that lying with a human was safe in the first place. Still, the fact remained that he desired her more than anything he had wanted in the past. Darcy leaned forward, trying to push her face closer to his. "So I think this will set the precedent for any future combination infractions, I guess."
"Then this will set the precedent for many things," he said leaning down once more and this time allowing their lips to touch ever so slightly. He heard the girl's breathing and pulse increase dramatically. Her heartbeat thundered in his ears like ceremonial drums. He quickly pulled back as he felt his own heart racing. As lovely as many of the maidens in Asgard had been, they paled in comparison to the one standing in front of him. He softly reached behind her and grasped a lock of her dark, swirling hair. It was soft and magnificent. The scent floated up to him in an intoxicating wave. He sighed and leaned down, kissing her passionately. Darcy shifted under him, pressing her lips more fully into his own. He moaned happily at the softness, warmth, and astonishing palpitations moving through both of them. He could only compare this sensation to what had surrounded him in his fall to Midgard. Darcy had little other comparison than a sharp, downward dive on a roller coaster. The two breathed into one another until the moon's pull on the tides of all realms relaxed their desire and allowed them to part. They stared at one another longingly and happily, satisfied with the closeness and aching for more all at once. "Have you learned anything, then?"
Darcy breathed deeply and tried to get her head to stop spinning for a few minutes. She smiled. "I think I have," she said softly. "But I don't feel any different. If I get the chance I might just do it again," she said with an even more suggestive tone. "Especially if that's what I can expect in return."
"Then I should devise something else to deter you," he replied. She bit her lip coyly and looked away. Neither of the two was very experienced with the opposite gender, but their exploration was going tremendously more smoothly than either had imagined any encounter going. He smiled brightly and reached down to her side. Darcy tried to shift herself and free both her hands to wrap tightly around him. Before she could move he suddenly began tickling her side. She gasped and giggled, twisting and squirming happily as his fingers softly teased her, tickling up and down her left side.
"Stop, please, stop!" she laughed as she tried to get free.
"Oh no, you've earned this," he said mischievously. She squealed as his hand wandered medially, tickling her midsection with tender precision. Darcy composed all of her strength and playfulness, managing to free one hand and return the gesture. Aiming for the mirrored area on the trickster, she tickled him with slightly more gusto and significantly more affection. She achieved almost immediate retribution, catching him completely off guard as she tickled him playfully under a rib. The two collapsed, laughing on the forest floor one on top of the other as they had been standing. Both ceased simultaneously as they tried to catch their breath. The sight of one seemed to captivate the other and they remained still and silent for a few brief moments. Darcy sighed and reached up, gently stroking the side of his face with a fondness he had only dreamt of. He closed his eyes for a moment and placed his hand against hers, grinning brightly at the tenderness in her features. "That's more the desired effect," he replied, leaning in to kiss her once more. Darcy gathered all the strength she could, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders as they embraced and lay upon one another. This time there was no hesitation as they drew their faces close and softly joined their lips to one another. Loki then realized that he was just as consumed in thought about her as she was in him and together they forgot Thor for one another's company. It was magnificent to touch and feel the presence of something so frail and foreign; mortals clearly had a magic of their own and it felt indescribable against his own. He deepened their kiss as breath and longing passed between their spirits. They shifted and slumped into one another's strength and aspiration. Loki marveled at how wonderfully matched he was with this mortal. The Norn Queen herself could not have devised a more perfect match if she had written down everything Loki sought in a woman and conceived the creature herself. Darcy felt equally awestruck and elated that she had been introduced to the trickster. Even with all of the harsh words and cruel intentions he had once had for her, she was desperately in love with him.
A loud crash interrupted the silence and satisfaction. Darcy turned instinctively and the two sat bolt upright at the sound. Loki pulled her behind him defensively and Darcy saw a glimpse of the innate hero he had suppressed for many years. He stood slowly as she did the same and the sound of heavy footsteps and growling mingled with roaring filled the forest. Darcy's expression fell and she felt the heart that had moments before been leaping for joy suddenly summersault in fear. Loki held out one hand and summoned the staff to him, clutching it and looking back at the girl. "Stay here," he said firmly.
"What is that?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.
"I can't be sure without seeing it," he said as he moved cautiously forward and away from her. "But it sounds like a Lindwurm."