While no one was surprised by it, Loki would have certainly preferred not to have gotten punched when he and Clint Barton were finally reunited. He wondered how his other self was usually greeted if this was how the Hawk acted towards him but Astrid laughed and the assassin seemed to immediately melt in her presence. Natasha managed by some account to keep her composure but she raised an eyebrow as Thor gave his best explanation of what was going on, which was to say a very simplified "I now have three brothers because of time shenanigans" followed by Sylvie adding "I am not his brother", Thor's response "If not sister or brother, than what shall I call you?" and more sighs. In the end Sylvie was restored as "sister" and the SHIELD agents/Avengers were given the instruction that Fury was not to be told about things. Clint and Nat gave each other looks but no one said anything about talking to the one eyed director so he took that as a good sign.
After talking to them, and managing to pry Clint away from Astrid who just gushing about her "having another playdate" with his kids, who knew the Hawk had baby chicks, they were on their way again. Sylvie was bristling but Loki decided that was better than depressed; the recovery from what happened to the Tempad had been gradual and while she hadn't spoken to him again since, he felt less on eggshells when she didn't look as upset.
"The living spaces are on lower floors; Stark gave each of us our own. Of course it is nothing compared to home but it is generous of him nevertheless." Thor's jovial attitude on the other hand didn't really help his mood. Call it a dissonance but after everything he had gone through personally, the Loki that only made it to the Battle before being stolen away by the TVA, even with the video of his future that he had seen he couldn't really bring himself to feel all that comfortable with the fact that his brother who he had betrayed, hurt, tried to kill, gotten exiled, was acting as if nothing had changed. That nothing was wrong. And again Luka came to mind and Loki wondered: what had happened in the last year?
Beside him Sylvie walked along silently but the toddler in her arms was far from still. Astrid kept trying to point things out to her and at first the female Loki didn't seem to be too into playing along but by the time they gotten past Clint and Nat she was primarily paying attention to the child and ignoring the other Asgardians outside of walking with them. She nodded and gave stiff smiles but still hadn't spoken yet.
Thor seemed to note this and Loki caught him looking over at her with a concerned expression before returning to his explanations of what he called "Avengers Tower". The trio walked into a large open space and the first thing Loki noticed was that there seemed to be all sorts of high tech training equipment, some damaged, some so pristine they had to be new. There was only two people in the room, one sitting by the windows typing away at a laptop with a serious expression and glasses that seemed on the verge of falling off his face. The other was at that moment beating on a ratty punching bag hanging from the wall, far from the most technological thing but it seemed to be doing it's duty well enough.
"Bruce! Steve!" Thor exclaimed and waved as both men raised their heads to look at him; the former seemed to immediately take note of the ones behind the god and his expression reflected his confusion at what he was seeing.
Steve on the other hand seemed to focus on Thor for the moment, smiling and letting the battered bag swing and slow. "Thor, come for some early day practice?"
"Nay, man of the shield; I was simply showing my new dear brother and sister around the Tower." This of course made Steve raise an eyebrow and he looked at Sylvie still holding Astrid and Loki who gave a sassy little wiggle of his fingers. The soldier blinked at them then turned to Bruce. "What is going on?"
"Hey why are you looking to the Not-So-Jolly Green Giant? Shouldn't you be asking us that?" Loki asked feeling a bit jilted in favor of a man who just stared at them and then carefully pushed up his glasses.
"Because I trust what Bruce has to say. Whereas you're Loki and I don't trust you."
He turned to Thor. "Does my other self get treated like this all the time or is it just my charming aura causing all this?"
"You are a known troublemaker, brother," the god answered with a nod, "But my other brother has managed to garner some camaraderie with our group as a whole."
"I'm going to take that as 'it's just you'."
"People like Mama," Astrid said and leaned her head against Sylvie's, "Because Mama is amazing. Even Brucey and Cap'n Crunch like Mama."
Loki snickered and looked from the three year old to the soldier with a mischievous look. "Cap'n Crunch?"
Steve sighed. "She refuses to call me anything else. I suspect you have a hand in that, Loki."
"Nope," she said and grinned, "I just like Cap'n Crunch best as a name for you."
"Astrid's nicknames for all of us aside," Bruce said clearing his throat, "I believe the best person to explain the situation would be the two with Thor, not myself."
"Oh you trust us to tell you the truth then?" Loki asked grinning too and there was a definite family resemblance.
"It's not about trust or not trusting. I don't have enough information to make a reasonable guess at what's going on but you do so I have to depend on you to explain yourself." Made sense, a lot more than just disregarding or punching him because he was Loki. Of course the god didn't really blame them; he was a scamp as he had told Mobius, and causing trouble was his thing for the most part. And he had caused a lot for them. His actions had resulted in countless causalities, property damage, death and violence and the agent's words rolled in his head, implanting doubt and concerns. He was mischievous but he didn't really want to think of himself as evil, even if everyone else seemed to.
"I'm Sylvie; myself and the fool are Variants, versions of the Loki you know from the timeline who went against our fated path and are thus hunted by a group called the TVA. Basically fascist time police. We ended up here because that idiot dropped us here then got our way out broken and we left it with the man known as Tony Stark so he can maybe hopefully fix it for us." Sylvie beat him to explaining and her tone bordered on both annoyed and bored; she readjusted Astrid in her arms and then continued, "Now your Loki's brother has decided to show us around after he ran off somewhere, leaving his baby in our care."
"I'm not a baby! I'm three!" Astrid complained and huffed, puffing out her cheeks; Sylvie glanced at her then poked one of her cheeks, making her "pop" and then giggle again. The Variant smirked a little.
"So...time travel," Steve said raising an eyebrow; Bruce frowned and started typing into his laptop again.
"Not simply time travel," the scientist corrected, "We're dealing with a multiverse situation, different forms of one individual from divergent timelines, each slightly different in one way or another. They are the result of the idea that for every action that exist in which more than one result is possible that there is a consequent timeline that follows each potential. It's...fascinating."
"So a female Loki in place of our male one," Steve said nodding in understanding, "I see," he then turned to Loki, "And what's the difference between you and ours?"
"Because of your group's actions in going back in time, presumably in the future or a different timeline who knows at this point, I was able to get my hands on the Tesseract again following the Battle of New York and escaped custody," he answered honestly with a shrug, "After which I was picked up by the TVA and set on the trail of this one."
He pointed with his thumb at Sylvie who made a point of slapping his hand down. Both Bruce and Steve just took this in and Thor smiled. "Simple, no? So now I have two brothers and a sister as well as my niece; quite fortuitous I would say."
"Fortuitous is not the word I would use," Steve said.
"This is certainly making some serious history," Bruce said and adjusted his glasses again, "Ignoring the potential negative implications of three of the same individual existing in close proximity to one another, this gives credence to a theory that is still largely controversial in the scientific community, and has other much more potentially beneficial implications."
"As much as I'd certainly love to become a test subject for whatever mad science you must be thinking of indulging in, I think any exploring of implications can wait until Luka returns from wherever he ran off to."
"So Loki informed you of his other identity?" The question from Steve got another shrug from Loki. It certainly made it seem like there was more to the name than just a spur of the moment decision by the primary Loki for this timeline, but that could just be added to the list of strange things that he had heard or seen that he needed to get answers about when possible, lest they drive him mad eventually.
"Loki went to Nevermore for his shift; he said that I was to keep an eye on his other selves and young Astrid," Thor said proudly, "Stark went to examine their broken device; it sounded as if he was optimistic in being able to recreate it."
"We can only hope the idiot can do it," Sylvie said and sighed.
Astrid huffed again and turned to her. "Sylviiiieee, I'm huuuungry!"
"Child, you just ate," the female Loki responded frowning at her.
"But I'm huuuuungry!"
"Well then maybe we can find a kitchen to raid." The goddess turned to walk away and Steve looked for a moment almost shocked before piping up.
"You can't just raid people's kitchens!"
She froze and turned her head to look at him with the kind of look one gave a particularly annoying child. "You want me to starve a three year old? You monster."
Steve was stunned and she took that opportunity to sneak off, followed quickly by a snickering Loki. The two walked down the hallway, Astrid clinging to Sylvie and whining wordlessly; he glanced around them, taking note of the doors, some muffled sounds. He was fairly certain Thor would come after them soon and he was glad Sylvie picked up her pace, seeming to pick up on that too, and the Lokis already disappeared around a corner when he heard the sound of Thor calling out to them.
"He hasn't shown us the kitchen yet," Loki stated but neither slowed, taking another corner and he realized they seemed to be heading back towards the living room area they'd been in with Luka and the others.
"There has to be one around somewhere; they must have food," Sylvie said; Thor's voice was a little further now but not far enough that either could stop to humor him.
"Mortals always keep a stash somewhere, yes."
In the longrun this was maybe not the weirdest experience of his long god life but it was in the running at least. Wandering around Avengers Tower with a female him and a three year old who was complaining of being hungry, while his brother was trying to find them and a third version of them was...somewhere.
"Nevermore," he muttered to himself.
Sylvie glanced at him then shrugged. "Must be where he works though the idea a Loki actually has a job..."
"Doesn't sound very Loki-ish."
"But he's definitely one of us, there's no doubt about that. He must have his reasons."
"Astrid, what is Nevermore?" Loki asked and the three year old puffed her cheeks out at him before burying her head in Sylvie's shoulder. The god sighed and hearing Thor's voice boom very close by he grabbed onto the two girls and try to run faster, "Later then!"
"Brother! Sister! Wait!" Thor honestly didn't sound angry with them which was admittedly pretty much what Loki expected; it's not like they had done anything. Yet.
"Wait, why are we running?" Sylvie asked and Loki pushed her around a corner.
"Because it's more fun this way?"
"I'm hungry!" Astrid screamed and a burst of crackling green energy flowed out, causing the room to distort. The gods slowed if only to not lose their footing but Loki still ended up tripping anyway and Sylvie squeaked as she found herself suddenly floating in midair. She continued to try to hold on tight to the child but the magical energy coming off Astrid made it difficult as it kept trying to bite Sylvie. Both Lokis knew what was going on, and he was sure Thor could guess too since it hadn't even been an hour since Sylvie's little outburst; a magical tantrum, frustration and annoyance and discomfort being translated into pure magical energy. Astrid's effect on the world was a lot more jarring than the destructive potential of Sylvie but both had been less than desirable.
There was a bark and he turned his head best he could to see a golden retriever in armor run over, causing him to laugh. Admittedly the form suited his brother quite well and he was tempted to leave things as they were but Sylvie was trying it seemed to grab Astrid, her own green sparks dancing from her fingers as she tried to press them against the child's forehead and seemed to get nothing from it. He grumbled and as he saw Clint float by with feathers, and Bruce, partially polka dotted, mostly confused, appear behind Thor, he realized that while the chaos and mischief this was causing the amusing, it needed to stop.
"Astrid!" he yelled and the child, who was still huffing and puffing, and now as he yelled tears started form and she looked on the verge of tears. Realizing that he closed his mouth and furrowed his brow before sighing, "Astrid, come on, I need you to calm down."
"You can't just yell at a child," Sylvie scolded and Loki frowned at her.
"At least I'm trying to talk to her; attempting to use enchantment, on a three year old no less, doesn't seem to be working out for you." Sylvie narrowed her eyes at him and he stuck out his tongue, rather childish but as she made a face at him he decided that it was fair play.
"Well then what's your recommendation?!" she snapped and Astrid cried louder. Loki winced and wondered if his other self would kill them for making his daughter upset.
As the two Lokis bickered a greased up cat jumped over to Astrid and put his paws on her cheeks, leaving little prints. She kept crying but he mewed and purred at her, causing her eventually to calm and just stare at him. He stared back and while Sylvie, first of the two Lokis to notice what was happening, gave a furrowed brow at the behavior of what they had to guess was Tony, Loki just watched with some confusion. The cat then turned to him and managed by some miracle to give an annoyed expression before speaking in exactly Tony's voice, "Well, what are you waiting for, Rock of Ages?"
"What exactly am I supposed to do, Anthony?"
"She's hungry right? Make her food!"
"That's what we were trying to do!"
"No you were trying to find the kitchen, brother!" Thor threw in and Loki felt the urge to groan.
"Same difference!"
"Will both of you stop yelling around Astrid?!" Sylvie demanded and looked at Loki, "Idiot, make her something, anything!"
He opened his mouth to ask but decided it might not be a good idea to piss her off more by asking. Sighing he focused and flicked his wrist, causing a cookie to materialize in his hand; he offered it to Astrid and the child stared at it before reaching out to try and get it. Little far; he got up, despite the effects of her wild magic still being in effect and he started to float too, letting out a soft startled noise. They managed to make contact and she took the cookie before shoving the whole thing into her little mouth, munching away and leaving crumbs everywhere; she smiled happily with her mouth full of cookie and the magic dissipated, dropping the floating ones to the ground. The transformed took a little time to return to normal but until then Sylvie sat on the ground with Astrid in her lap, making grabby hands at Loki. The god couldn't help a small smirk and as he heard others groan and grumble a little in the aftermath, he made Astrid another cookie and patted her head. "Good little mischief-maker."
"Reminds me of the time Sif broke one of Loki's favorite toys when we were little; he caused her hair to become serpents and the palace became half sponge and half jungle. Father was rather cross but Mother managed to get to get Loki to calm and reverse what was done; Sif did not forgive easily though that slight," Thor said smiling and nodding, seeming happy to be in his normal form as much as he had been as a dog.
"She deserved it," Loki insisted.
Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair, glad to be human again. "You magic types are so high maintenance. Astrid at least is lucky that she's still cute even if she is a ball of trouble too."
"Just like her father then?" It was weird to heard that from Bruce but he was looking at Tony and the man gave him a glare before going over to pluck Astrid from Sylvie's lap.
"Come on, mini gremlin; let's get you something more substantial than endless magic cookies." He tried to walk away but Sylvie was on her feet almost immediately and she attempted to take the toddler back, who was again eating a cookie whole without a care to the mess being left behind or how big her mouth actually was; Loki was amusing himself while walking after them by making progressively larger cookies to see if they would fit only for Astrid to devour them all.
"I'm pretty sure that what you consider food is not nutritious enough for a growing toddler," Bruce commented and followed after them as well; Steve and Thor was quick on their heels and as Loki glanced back, after handing his other self's daughter a cookie the rough size of Thor's hand, he realized that they weren't the only ones. Having been "caught" the two Lokis and a toddler had been joined by looked to be all the Avengers they had talked to thusfar, including Natasha who had appeared out of nowhere and had put a hand on Sylvie's shoulder. The female Asgardian turned to the female assassin and Nat gave a small understanding shake of her head.
Loki grumbled, not sure how or why they had an entourage but it certainly was not how he was expecting to spend today. None of this was but he created yet another massive cookie, which was this time taken away from him by Sylvie with an annoyed look; he grinned back at her, getting an eye roll in response, and he shrugged. Just because it's wasn't how he expected things to go didn't mean he wouldn't figure out a way to make the best of it. After all if the other Loki could, so could he.