Lin asked herself who had the "awesome" idea to take her to a party, after all, what could go wrong? It isn't like she was a time-bomb dressed in red, right? Ok, she isn't dress in red yet.

If it were a normal circumstance, Stark's answer to the proposal of celebration would be a beautiful no, but she was playing a good roll until now, she didn't want to screw this up, so, she made everyone to believe she was happy with the idea.

- Smile, handshakes, social drinking, it can't be that hard. – The woman whispered for herself while tried to find a good human appearance that pleased her eyes and fit with her clothes, but that, at the same time, wouldn't be so different of how she really was.

Pepper, earlier, brought a beautiful dress, a pair of high heels and a lot of make-up, she probably truly believed that the younger had any idea of what to do with all those things.

When Loki appeared again in the room, she was still staring at the mirror, agonized not knowing how to continue to dress up. Stark was restless about the fact of having to interact with many humans that night, she wasn't comfortable at all to go down and to join the guests. Her friend looked from afar, he wouldn't help her with this kind of things unless she asked and it was obvious that Lin would do that sooner or later. Loki was simply wonderful, he could squander very well the beauty of a god when he wanted, his style pleased her and sometimes the human wanted to punch him to be so handsome, even being his true appearance of Frost Giant her favorite yet.

- Can you please get out? – Lin asked, frustrated – your shine is blinding me! – She closed her eyes, dramatizing.

- Would that be a compliment, little monster? – Loki answered, not moving from where he was. By the way, Lin hated to be called little monster and that's exactly why he called her like that.

- No. – She frowned. – It seems someone threw glitter on you.

Lovely as always, the "Asgardian" ironically considered, but he knew that the woman didn't mind at all about how he presented himself physically, even the view pleasing Lin, she was the kind of person who didn't give a fuck about someone's appearance. She learned very early that the most beautiful body usually was followed by the most questionable intentions, his best friend was a perfect example of that and that's exactly why, for Loki, it was weird that she was making an effort to look pretty.

He observed the different eyes facing the mirror, sit on a comfortable chair and with the magic flowing through her skin in a constant change of shape, she still can't keep the perfect transformations for a long time, but it isn't like she would admit it for the real wizard. By curiosity, Loki ended up observing an opened notebook on the bed of the bedroom where she was dressing up, a certain rarity coming from someone with so much access to technology as her, he paged some leaves, seeing that the content was nothing more than an enormous list with photographs, names and other tens of information about many famous businessmen.

- Do you think these humans may be there? – The question was whispered and he noticed when his friend took her hands to her knees, sticking her nails to them to contain the anger. No part of her body seemed to be green. Fortunately.

- I see no problem with these humans… - the god would say something else if he hadn't turned another leaf and recognized one of the faces. It has her turn to see her friend's body to freeze in hatred.

- This isn't a complete report about prospective guests. – Lin said with an acid humor and a pain voice. – It's the black list you asked me.

The black list. Yeah, that made sense. Loki was already impatient about the long time she took to hand him his targets, but not even him, who kept track of Stark's life so close had an idea that they were so many. Two thousand, eight hundred, sixty-three pages. Each one with the maximum of data that she could get about the humans who put those scars on her skin. For more than nineteen years he expected to pay back to each one of them for what they've done to his girl, probably he would become a Midgard enemy again when the damages started to show up, but Loki would never feel any resentment for that.

The god got closer from the human and stopped the theater for now, just because it was him to be around, he turned her with his magic into the same god appearance he emanated for such beauty. The clothe Pepper brought was drastically changed, but looking attentively, it was possible to see a little bit of the original costume. Loki made her marks disappear and her skin with a tan that would provide a much more natural appearance than her actual pale skin could. He lengthened her hair, making it to shine in an almost perfect curly, her already-fleshy lips didn't change much, but now were more scarlet. He didn't change much her body structure because he knew that Lin hated the beauty pattern of the humans. She turned to be elegant, and it really seemed that people would interpret her as a powerful, brilliant and genius woman.

- Let them see you! – The jotum whispered with a tone of anger next to her ear. If you recognize any of the son of bitches, you know what to do with it. – The god conjured one of his most unnoticeable daggers and stuck it to the neckline of her beautiful costume, the smell of the poison of Asgard was soon noticed by Lin and no, he didn't force her to use a dress, however much humans wanted to see this. You'll be surrounded by your father's allies, no one will suspect your fast hands to kill.

Kill was a too weak word, that poison would make anyone beg for death. Loki would never allow one of the bad men left so easily.

- They will look at me with those desiring eyes… this still bothers me, you know that. You should have kept my face as it is, so that they feel fear and don't want to touch me. – The reason why the woman wanted her real appearance was this, she abominated the idea of being desired by other humans, however much she could understand that not always women felt so much pain to be touched by someone and that many times they also felt delight with it, but for her, it seemed never to be possible. Maybe someday she could submit herself to such a situation, which she feared so much for free will, for this kind of pleasure and for instinct, but she could never ever lay down with a human.

- You're an Avenger, this is enough reason for they to do nothing more than looking. Besides, there will be a lot of attractive people around, not all the attentions will be on you.

- Yeah, you're right… - It was clear that Loki was suggesting that almost no one would look twice at her because someone with his level of beauty would be around, that's why she couldn't help teasing him. – Thor will be there, he definitively will be the center of attentions with that perfect body.

- I beg your pardon?!

- Someone here doesn't need magic or make-up to look so amazing! – And once again she could make the bad atmosphere disappear, although Loki was still angry. – Don't look at me that way! – She raised her hands innocently while got close to the window and the god faced her in a murdering way, but Lin couldn't feel not even a little of fear when he looked at her that way, she knew that her friend wasn't really mad at her. – You know it is true! Who would ever be into your ugly face? – It seemed he would attack her at any moment and when Loki started to near her in fact, she sat on the window sill. – As you were so benevolent in helping me, I won't lose my time here anymore, the earlier I show up there, the earlier I can come back, besides that, I have a triumphant entrance to make!

Lin threw herself back for the almost mini heart attack of the other, but the trickster god felt as an idiot to worry about her when he got to the place she fell and saw her armor flying far away while she waved funny. That night had a promise to be disastrous, but those both would take advantage of it on their own ways, there were some few things that would do as entertainment until the boredom could in fact defeat them.

(…)

The original idea was that the event was simple, something just to introduce the Iron Girl to the population so that she didn't need to formally show up in front of cameras, but as if the Stark's pattern can be some small thing. Loki, as soon as he showed up on the red carpet that led into the restricted area of the party, was immediately surrounded by the paparazzi, of course that none of them was bold enough to get much close to him, they feared him a lot for the attack in New York, but most of them found as fascinating to get images of him as of Thor, it wasn't always that a god got so close of mortals. The wizard, particularly, liked a little the attention he had whenever his presence was spread somewhere, he played the role of the good guy for so long that many of those started to adore him. Humans were so easy to manipulate that it almost lost its fun besides the benefits.

After smiling to the mortals and let them to spread his mighty, Loki at last entered the event and immediately understood why his friend seemed so anxious. Midgardian parties were too busy and noisy for the taste of both.

The event would start with a formal introduction, when the Iron Girl would officially meet important people from the most diverse areas from all around the world, Lin as Tony Stark's successor was seen with concern by the whole world, Stark's family has the habit of being as unpredictable as genius and that's why everyone expected to have a good first impression to trust her the Midgard protection. After all the formality was set aside, the party would keep going calmly with just the Avengers and people close to them.

Loki couldn't wait to see Lin acting as the good submissive girl that those vultures wanted her to be, the sensation of knowing she could, by herself, deceive everybody there made him satisfied to the point of not minding at all the beings around him, however much he planned to court some humans while appreciating the play his favorite would provide.

- Brother! – He heard that so-familiar voice to call him. – Hey, Loki! Here! – The wizard decided immediately to ignore him and to run away to the other side of the hall, but Thor could be very insistent when he wanted and it was no surprise when Loki felt his shoulders being involved and his body being taken to the table where his brother was with some midgardians. – Girls, this is my brother, Loki!

With a deep breath, the trickster god considered to turn into a bird to at last fly away from the blonde thing, but then he remembered the shaking body of desperation of his brother, how he would always brake when being alone at night and how he more and more seemed an idiot to hide all the pain he felt. Thor blamed himself for Asgard's destruction, for the death of his people, for Odin's and Frigga's deaths, for Hela's death, however much she was a sister he barely knew, for Jane's cancer, for all the humans he couldn't save, for not having acted when his brother told him that Lin was in danger and Loki knew that the god of thunder also broke every time he believed he wasn't enough to save him too. Thor wasn't like his human, Loki would never show care or gratitude towards him, but it wasn't like the trickster didn't mind, although he pretended not to see it. The world wouldn't be so fun without the brother to annoy and that's the only reason Loki permitted him to take him to the midgardians, his lack of reaction had nothing to do with a possible consideration for Thor, of course not, feelings are weaknesses.

His brother seemed to have fun with those strangers who admired him so much, even if it weren't a genuine joy. Internally, Loki took a mental note that he would help Lin to find a canine friend for the blonde, Midgard dogs are infinitely better than its humans and would never be as egoistic as those women were being now.

Loki was also being brazenly desired by the midgardians (men and women) around them. But he lost completely the interest that anybody could offer and decided just to provoke his brother as a hobby until the great moment arrived. It wasn't any being that called his attention and there was no reason to pretend this with someone that night.

The avengers were the most highlighted among the crowd, their presence was treated completely differently from what would be usual with any other person, everyone knew who they were and what they were, everyone respected them for that and pretended to like to be with them. The truth was that most of the people feared the heroes team, they just acted as if they were adorable because they were who kept the planet safe. Liars like them would never be good enough to trick a liar as Loki.

From where the trickster god was, he had a good view of the main team in general. He could see Sam and Scott talking in a corner isolated, Wanda interacting with the reporters she hated so much, Wakanda's King T'Challa was greeting his old friend white wolf Bucky, his warriors team was laughing at anything told by Valkyria, the current king of New Asgard, Shuri was talking to someone who wasn't in the place through one of her devices and Loki suspected that this someone was the great attraction of the night, Lin Stark. Bruce was very far from the crowd, in the main balcony where he could have a great view of the city, no one contested him when he opted to keep distance from the people agglomerate. Barton and James were the only ones who he couldn't see, but Loki didn't worry about them, he already knew they were the assigned ones for the protection of the place. However, among all the avengers, the one the jotun was most worried about was Carol Denvers, there weren't much information available about her and the woman was definitively not like the others, she was stronger than his brother and Hulk together, behind her calm smile and supposedly gentile look, it was the biggest threat to his plan, Captain Marvel.

The god still didn't know the ways to test her, to know her weaknesses and in which wounds he should stir up, he couldn't get closer without being repelled and barely could keep his sight on her for more than a mere second without her to look back as if asking why he was directing his attention to her, her seventh sense made her almost untouchable for someone who took so much advantage in little details as Loki, she was always alert to everything around her, she oculd read the trickster almost at the same intensity that Lin used to, she didn't trust him not even a bit, just tolerated his presence because he turned to be useful in the last years. The second was over and Loki looked away to a Midgardian who was trying to seduce him, pretending to be interested just to feel her sight to get to him, few miliseconds later she would know who observed her.

He knew he could survive an attack of the woman if he needed and even could keep his power at the same level as hers for a minimal time, but in both cases, he would reduce his magic to nothing when the time were over, he would become an easy target and that's why he preffered not to risk annoying her for now, he would do it when his best friend conquered the total powers of Original, then he knew he wouldn't be in death danger if she realized they were friends. Sometimes Loki thought to find a weapon that would serve as the Mjölnir for his brother, something that could canalize his powers and made it easier to control, many could never imagine, but the Asgard Frost Giant has always been the most powerful among the princes, however he couldn't keep much longer his maximum power and most of the times he didn't even wanted to do so, that "weaker" image suited him just well mostly.

A general commotion was heard. The outside and inside crowd pointed to the sky, everyone amazed about a shining spot flying over the party hall. "It's time", Loki thought, seeing the armor getting close in maximum speed. Shuri discreetly walked to the main balcony where Bruce was, barely holding her excitement. The civils outside agglomerated as close as possible to see the Iron Girl's arrival and the less important guests didn't act differently, the humans who surrounded the princes of Asgard also dispersed to try to see it too, but the brothers simply raised their eyes over where the woman was coming from.

Lin landed exactly how her father used to do, starring a new perfectly red and golden armor, the most alike to the Stark's of all she had ever done. She stopped on the main balcony just as formerly agreed and people now shouted euphorically and joyfully for seeing her. Shuri was there by her side as a support, but the other woman didn't need and Bruce also suited so even not being this his purpose, since people would never get excessively close if he were around. When the armor stood up and the sound the people were doing slowly ceased, everyone stared at her with much expectation.

Loki knew very well how his partner felt so awful with the sensation of being so observed, but he also knew that she would never allow herself to be overcome by such a discomfort. The armor slowly opened and from there the woman everyone expected to see got out. However much that wasn't the true Lin, they wanted to see Tony Stark once again, and that's what she presented for them. The human walked out the armor with all the beauty and elegance that the magic offered her and waved to the people with a sarcastic smile which many missed. The many flashes of the cameras started and the crowd started to shout her name again while she interacted with the people and walked towards the event. The armor quickly followed her, commanded by Friday. No one was seeing who she really was, only what her appearance and gesticulation suggested.

He didn't make any move indicating some interest to get close to her, just took a drink that a waiter offered him and tasted it slowly. The wizard kind of appreciated most alcoholic drinks from Midgard, they were so weak to his taste that sometimes they could be compared as a simple tea. Loki wasn't as used to Asgardian drinks as Thor, but even so, none of the ones the normal humans could choose would cause any effect on him, what was an excellent fact, the trickster god hated to get drunk. His brother called his attention when he was digging in a different drink that the waiter brought specifically or him, it seemed to cause an effect on him and this intrigued the younger.

- This is something Stark made for me a long time ago. – He explained when noticing the other's questioning look upon him. – He was shocked I didn't get easily drunk with the strongest drink of his stock, so he created this one for me and fell into an alcoholic coma after judging to be strong enough to drink it with me. – Thor laughed funny recalling the scene, it was clear how Tony Stark was missed even by him. Loki would never understand it.

The prince asked himself about human feelings, after all, Iron Man was so hardly criticized and was who people threw upon the guilt of their beloved's deaths if they died during conflicts involving the avengers, but even so, now that he was dead, they treated him as a memorable hero and as a saint. Loki didn't know Tony well, and even so he could tell that he wouldn't want anything that people are doing in his memory. But it isn't like if the Asgardian truly cared about that.

Lin, by afar, pretended very well she was comfortable and happy with the event. Shuri and Pepper followed her closely, they were who introduced the Iron Girl to the guests. The god didn't pay much attention to his friend, but also couldn't hold the mean smile for her behavior. Everyone believed so easily in her lies that it made the trickster presumptuous.

The hours were passing, less important people had already left, Stark wasn't exactly the spot of attentions anymore and she allowed some humans who really aroused her interest to get near. Loki didn't stay near his friend at any moment, but it wasn't like if he weren't attentive to her moves, even while socializing with some annoyingly important worms. Luckily, none of those faces was in the list the human had done.

(…)

- I suppose you're Jane Foster! – The great attraction of the night spoke to the sick and fragile woman in the enclosure. She couldn't even walk for the chemotherapy consequences, but even so, kept a constant good humor.

- I'm surprised that Lin Stark has heard of me. – Jane slowly and sincerely smiled, tired. Both were more afar from the rest of the people and before answering back, the Iron Girl drank a little bit of the drink she had with her, probably it was the very first time she tasted that one specifically, for even the other could notice how hard it was for Lin to hide the disgust she felt while drinking.

- Of course, I have! After all, you have already been Thor's human and I think I memorized your name because Loki said it, he has never said anything about his brother's girlfriends before, so I was curious to know who you were.

That woman was much more than her words said, she has been the goddess of thunder someday, someone even worthier of Mjölnir than Odinson itself and who bore Thor's title with honor and bravery. What Stark knew about her was too little comparing with what she had really become, but since the hammer came to its end for the second time and Jane's powers disappeared, few were the ones who commented about her doings. Whether for respect or simply cowardice, the world decided to forget her grandiosity as a heroine, as if giving her a chance of a normal and peaceful life on her last days.

- "Thor's human"? – Jane frowned, thinking she could have misheard it. – And what would you be? Loki's human? – She answered ironically, she knew that man considered humans too inferior to cling to any of them. Stark, for her surprise, simply smiled, nodding.

- Yeah, kind of. – Lin confirmed Loki was hearing her when his smile got a little bit bigger. – He is surely avoiding me since this event started so that I don't mess up his night with some mortal.

- And don't you mind he getting laid with other people? – She lifted one eyebrow and found it funny the expression the other woman showed probably imagining his partner in a bed with someone, however much she couldn't see jealousy on her face.

- Loki and I are not together, I mean, we are, but not this way… We're friends for a long time, but not a couple. – Jane found it pleasant to see the embarrassed and truthful expression of Tony Stark's daughter, the human thought that that was the first time since Lin arrived that she felt no need to lie.

- Are you sure? I'm here observing everyone since I arrived and Loki always looks at you when he thinks no one is paying attention to him. – Lin held her laugh, her friend couldn't escape Thor's human's eyes even when no one else saw him. – It's not like if the fragile and sick Jane could do much more than observing.

- I understand why you called the attention of Asgard's princes. – Lin analyzed her a little bit more. – Why hasn't anyone cured you yet? – She seemed really confused with that. – Humans for sure have enough technology to bring your health back.

- You speak as if you have passed the last years far from our world. – Jane smiled bitterly. – My cancer yields much money for the pharmaceutic industry for anyone to want to spread a cure for it.

Lin had never been interested in searching about this matter, but she knew how humans were cruel, she wasn't surprised about the information. In her mind, curing something as cancer didn't seem that complicated, she took a mental note to ask Friday to remind her of researching about something that would end that disease later. Stark lied about Loki having said Jane's name in a conversation, her friend really didn't care about whoever was his brother's girlfriend. It was one of the voices that took her there, the one among the seven that knew Foster and that wanted to annoy one of the few alive creatures that could impress it.

Reality was indeed the most trickster voice among the others that talked inside Lin's mind. The human used to think that this stone would be the one who would mostly get along with Asgard's prince if he had tried to use its power sometime. Jane found it weird the sudden silence of the new avenger, it was as if she suddenly weren't there anymore, but inside a particular universe. The former Thor couldn't be righter.

Lin's thoughts wandered about how each one of the voices had a unique personality, completely different of each other. With the information her friend has given her, she started to learn each more to differ to whom each whisper in her subconsciousness belonged. Space was inconstant, stubborn and always sent her the images of the places in which it has already been when it realized she needed some inspiration to draw. Power was brute, instable, but as gentle as a cub with those he liked, basically the other five stones and oddly Lin. Mind was the most intelligent and genius, sometimes it whispered ideas when Stark didn't know what to do, generally was the one which spoke the less. Soul was always calm, owner of the softest words and told her stories about the great beings it had killed along the billions of years that the creatures used it. Time was the calmest, most patient and whispered flawless strategies when it wanted to help; it was it that decided to keep the human's and Loki's memories the same, despite the different timelines. The only things they shared were the cling to each other, the hatred for those who used them and the reluctance against the seventh voice, in the same time they want to get to it. The seventh was the worst among all. It was the one that could manipulate Lin's actions the most, that frequently tried to take over her body, that made the other voices to turn unbearable, it was the one that oppressed its equals and that made Stark so disturbed. Most of the time the other six were her protector, but the seventh changed her perception, altered the words the others wanted to transmit, hurt her and it was also the one that kept the human alive for her own good.

The experiment with the super-soldier serum and with the gamma rays only worked because the seventh had already altered her DNA dramatically so that she could survive to any other genetic change. It was it too that implanted an alert on Loki's senses so that he showed up to rejoice her every time Lin gave up keeping resisting. Part of everything that the seventh did, involved its own will to also protect the human, but it was itself that harmed her the most without noticing it.

Jane, in a confusing way, saw Lin's look change from serious and kind of mad to calm and funny in a blink of an eye. Stark didn't remember anymore what she was wandering about moments before, in her mind, it shined a funny idea to distract her.

- Wanna help me to do a trick? – There was a mean smile dancing on her face and Foster usually wouldn't accept such a proposal from an unknown, but Lin faced Loki with the promise of fun at his expense and since she came back to normality, few counted on her for something, they treated her as a diseased woman and wouldn't allow her to do even what she loved the most.

- Tell me what you're thinking.

What is wrong with making a little trick to laugh at the trickster god?