Loki didn't realize how long it was before he dozed off on the highly uncomfortable excuse of a bed. There was basically nothing else to do in the strange Midgardian hovel that seemed to be built into the side of a hill. The children's things were obviously not for him, (And even if they were, he would not deign to amuse himself with them) so he had nothing to occupy him save his own thoughts.
They were very depressing thoughts.
The Plant girl was obviously allowing him to get used to being on Midgard, before she gave him hard, menial tasks. Midgard was a backward, primitive realm, so there was certainly going to be such things for him to do.
He didn't know how to sow a field, or tend to the plants therein. He wasn't sure exactly how to build this type of huts, or any type of huts, for that matter. He had no clue how to clear land for more settlers, how to cook over an open fire, or do any of the things he was most likely going to be expected to do.
Goodness, he really was useless, wasn't he?
It was moments like this that he wished he'd gone on more hunting excursions with Thor, so that he'd have a better sense of what to do in the middle of the wilderness. Of course, he'd read books, he had been on a few of the more mandatory trips, but he preferred to blot out the unpleasant memories. And, although they were extremely informative, one couldn't trust books to be entirely accurate.
And that was why he was going to good for literally nothing, around here. Perhaps the Plant-Person would use him as a personal punching bag, like Thor had. It probably was nothing less than what he deserved, but still. He'd prefer to not be in pain, if he had any choice in the matter.
On that note, Loki was far more exhausted than he would like to admit, not only from the collar ordeal, but also… he hadn't exactly gotten to rest since the ordeal on Svartalfheim, and pretending to be impaled was tiring work.
He didn't know how long he slumbered, but he was awoken by the sound of voices above him.
Voices. That meant there was a visitor.
Most likely, he was going to be expected to wait on whoever it was, or suffer the collar, so he decided it was better to be complaint from the beginning. If he wasn't doing anything wrong, there would be no need to punish him. Right?
Warily, he trotted up the stairs to see the Plant-girl, and another woman seated at the table, staring at each other. The new woman was taller, with green eyes and dusty brown hair, and she wore an expression of skeptical doubt, while the Plant-Girl seemed earnest and insistent. They weren't talking, anymore, so Loki took this opportunity to step forward, and see if there was anything she wanted him to do for this new woman.
"My Lady." He bowed his head deferentially, unsure of how, exactly, one was supposed to act as a slave on Midgard.
"HOLY CRABCAKE!" The newcomer yelped, and leapt to her feet, obviously startled at his presence. "He is here!"
Loki smiled awkwardly, and, unsure of what else to do, fixed his eyes respectfully on the floor.
"Okay, nobody kill anyone else!" The Plant-Girl instructed, leaping to her feet, and stepping between the two of hem in a placating manner. "He's under my protection, it's official, so put away the taser."
The girl eyed Loki doubtfully, but returned the black box in her hand that Loki just now noticed to her handbag.
"Okay. Andy, this is Loki. Prince of Asgard, and, temporarily, my… slave."
Loki nodded, again, hoping he looked respectful. It was difficult to gauge his own impression on someone else, so he simply tried to make himself look small and relatively punchable.
Unfortunately, he was taller than both women here.
"And, Loki, this is my sister, Andrea."
Loki couldn't help glancing up in surprise. These two were sisters? That was surprising. They looked nothing alike. "Does that make you a Plant-Person, as well?" He couldn't help but blurt.
There was a moment of silence.
"A what?" Andrea blurted in surprise.
The first Plant-Girl face-palmed in exasperation. "Payton Plantt." She repeated. "He called me a plant."
Payton, that was it. He'd need to remember that.
At first, Andrea stared blankly between the two of them. Then, a slow smile crept across her face, and she began giggling.
"It's not funny." Payton insisted, but her sister would have none of it. Slapping her knee in mirth, she shook her head helplessly. "Okay… you have an evil psychopath in your house… and you're protecting him from me and the law, and the worst thing he's done is tease your name? You've got to be kidding me."
"I don't think he's all that bad." Payton folded her arms. "Even if he was, I couldn't exactly judge. I've known him for maybe three hours, now."
"He murdered our brother."
Payton stared at the ground silently.
Andrea raised her hands helplessly. "You can't deny that."
"No, I can't." The younger admitted. "But I'd like to know his side of the story. People don't just murder people."
"He's an alien."
"An alien with rights." Payton returned. "You know what would happen if we turned him in to Fury. He'd be in shreds by the end of the day."
"And he doesn't deserve it?" Andrea raised an eyebrow.
"No one does."
Andrea sighed, and dropped her face into her hands. "You're right. But he's dangerous. I don't want to lose another sibling to him."
Loki bit his lip, staring at the floor. He'd wanted to protest that he couldn't hurt her if he wanted to, but perhaps it wouldn't be optimal for more than one mortal to know his weakness. At this point, the collar on his coat concealed the thin band of silver around his neck, for the most part, and he'd like to keep it under wraps as long as he could.
"He won't hurt me." Payton simply stated.
Andrea stared for a long moment at her sister, then nodded. "If you say so." Turning on her heel, she glared ferociously into Loki's face. "You lay a single finger on her, and I'll deliver your head in a basket to my boss." Loki was appropriately intimidated, despite not knowing who her boss happened to be.
"To answer your question," Andrea calmed herself, and, somehow, returned to normal conversation. "No. I'm not a Plantt. My last name is Coulson. Patty's adopted, that's why she's a Plantt."
Adopted.
Loki looked at the young woman with new eyes. She was like him.
He had assumed there would be some sort of loss she'd suffered from his doing, so the fact that their brother had died didn't surprise him in the least. (It struck a fresh pang of guilt through his heart; somehow it was easier to regret things when the proof of the pain you caused is directly before you.) But, perhaps, she knew what it was like to live your life, knowing one thing, and then discovering it was all a fiction.
Not that he could ever talk to her about it. He had to keep reminding himself. He was a slave. Slaves do not speak to their betters without being addressed.
Andrea and Payton climbed the stairs, informing him they wanted to speak privately, together, and he dutifully waited in the kitchen.
What to do…
Loki glanced around in boredom. Tidying up before he was ordered to do so may seem over-enthusiastic, and, besides, there wasn't exactly much to tidy. Perhaps he could pretend to be sickly, so she wouldn't give him harder jobs…
Languidly, he strolled around the kitchen table, eyes skimming over the decorations hanging on the walls. Some paintings, a few photographs, and what seemed to be fancifully decorated dinner plates. Out of the corner of his eye, a photo caught his interest, and he flicked his gaze back towards it.
He registered a double take.
The blood drained from Loki's face as he realized what, exactly this picture meant.
The image seemed innocent enough. Andrea, with her arms around two other people, all wearing big smiles. To her right, was the lady Payton, rolling her eyes, yet her smile twinkled cheerfully. The man to her left, however…
Loki stumbled backward in horror. Of all the houses he had to be enslaved to, of all the mortals in the world, this one was the absolute worst for him, for the man to Andrea's left was none other than Phil Coulson, the man he had murdered in his containment area.
*Pietro voice* What, you didn't see that coming?
Sowwy to take so long with the update.
TheOnlyHuman.