Eccedentesiast

Someone who hides pain behind a smile.

Frigga, Queen of Asgard dragged her steps through the uneven surface of the weaving concrete path. The realm of Midgard produced no hope for her endeavour. Her son, Loki had proven that keeping the peace on Asgard would be an unattainable goal. And who? Who was she looking for? Someone incredible. Someone who didn't exist. Eight realms she had searched and found nothing. No God nor earthly being could tame the fire within Loki. So she needed him gone. Away from Odin, from Asgard. It was wrong, she knew. To betray her kingdom to save her son.

When she saw the silver-haired woman she thought her desperateness had betrayed her eyes. An Asgardian among the humans. A beacon of light and magic. A witch. She hurried to catch her, grasping her arm softly. She turned.

"Can I Goddamn Help Yo-", The silver-haired woman's eyes narrowed at Frigga. "...Queen Frigga". She breathed out.

"Furya, the bride of Valerian, what did he do to you?",

The vigorous stirrings of a storm awoke Furya from her miserable sleep. Unfaltering rain pelted against the walls of the tower and lightning burst through her glass window in a lux of yellow light. It lit her room up like a goddamn bonfire. She writhed in uncomfortable restlessness. Valerian was coming back to Asgard that night. This time there was no casting him back to Vanira. He'd take up residence and hellfire would rain on anyone who dared to move him. She ran a hand through her hair that was slick with sweat and wrestled the duvet past her chest. The beast would return to reap whatever he saw fit. Her loose tank shifted, exposing her back to the cold night air but it was not the breeze that caused her shiver. She hugged her legs closer to her chest and glanced at the trickling rain. What a disaster.

"I quite liked that dream", Loki's accent pierced the silence in a soft tone. He didn't startle her even as he appeared on the opposite side of the bed. His long-form sat with crossed ankles at her shoulder, making himself comfortable. He piled pillows between the bed head and his back, wriggling to test their comfort.

"You don't sleep much do you?", She questioned, unbothered by his presence. She favoured the distraction from the vast loneliness that encompassed her room.

"No", He answered simply, settling into the pillows.

Fury breathed out a soft breath. He missed Frigga without compare. Her absence had cultivated the darkness beneath his bright eyes. It initiated the sleeplessness that became him. Whether he was torn apart by guilt, she didn't know. Fury had thought him incapable of the emotion. A mindless villain. Yet so much rested behind those glimmering eyes of green. Too much agony and anguish to compare him to such a beast...He felt it. He felt it all. Every single mortal inkling of pain and sadness. Deflecting it had become a second skin.

"Frigga worried about what I had done, where I had gone and I showed her.", Fury recalled, lightly hugging herself in the cold. "It is unlike me to be so trusting but she had those deep eyes that seemed to watch every detail and a heart that broke with every devastation...", She laughed lightly, catching that emerald iris'. "You have those same eyes that speak long before you do...And Frigga, well she was willing to risk treason to prove you innocent. I could see it in her aura, I could...", Fury breathed out over the pattering of water against the palace walls.

"And why would you help her? You, who would watch Asgard consumed by flame without trepidation", Loki fidgeted the ring on his middle finger, twirling the metal around and around.

"I was assigned to protect Asgard when there was no one else. No one was willing to risk treason. Not for you Loki."

"I fail to believe that you are so unique. Why you?", He pressed.

"I didn't like it any more than you... It was just another job. I spend a few weeks training with Frigga. I befriend you. Get you away from Asgard. I get paid and I get home in time for supper", She lied without falter. It was something she did well. Something comfortable that she almost believed. The more in-depth the lie the better. Perhaps she'd lace some truth but never would she tell him. Fury would entangle him in her web of deceit. She could do it better than breathing.

Loki chuckled, a low horrifying laugh that encompassed the darkness and drowned out the hammering rain. "How well-rehearsed".

"Does it compare to the reason behind why you're allowing Valerian into Asgard?", Furya sneered in return, grasping her duvet tighter to her chest.

"Dear Fury, Are you accusing me of conspiring with a demon?", He spoke with sarcastic hurt, crossing his ankles over one another. Fury narrowed her eyes with caution and hissed.

"Are you?"

His lips formed a thin line. It was an impenetrable force that sealed his words behind his tongue. He watched the rain with a discernable scowl that wrinkled his otherwise flawless skin. The moonlight bathed him in an ethereal white glow, like the luminescent trees of the enchanted forest. Phosphorescent amidst the darkness. Once more she was to behold his unequivocal beauty that stemmed from his irritated expression. That voice which was like silk against her skin spoke lowly and clear in the night.

"Did you betray Frigga?"

Fury thought of what he had asked. She replied with a moment of falter.

"Yes",

Anger erupted from his palms in threads of green and gold mist. It encompassed the room in dull light.

"My dear, beloved Furya, How did a Vampire monster betray Frigga's trust?", He sneered demonically, standing from her bed like a beast ready to attack.

"I brought you back to Asgard", Fury breathed out, watching the strange creature halt in his step. His gaze turned back to her. The green iris' of his tired eyes shimmered with the ghost of an apology and he nodded his head slowly, turning back to the arched pane of glass that protected them from the storm. The thunder boomed with a murderous rage, shaking the wing of the palace. She couldn't read what thoughts stirred through his mind but she knew something kept him awake at night. Perhaps it was the purple beast she saw within his memories. Loki returned her wondering stare with a soft smirk. She spoke.

"Eccedentesiast",

"I beg your pardon?", His eyebrows furrowed with question while he folded his arms at his chest.

"Someone who hides pain behind a smile", Fury replied, flattening the duvet in her hands. That expression of curiosity on his fine features doubled. His long eyelashes fluttered open and close quickly like he was trying to decipher her words in their oddity. He was searching for something to combat her with but he simply turned back to the sound of the rain, glancing through the clear glass. Silent and contemplative.

After a while, he turned back to her and spoke a single word.

"Pulchritudinous", Loki smiled then disappeared into the night.

Fury's smile faded from her lips like a fire being extinguished by water. She hadn't a clue what it meant. If it meant anything. And if it did translate, why did she hope it was something that would solidify their unorthodox flirtatious behaviour. A sign.

She sighed. Her life consisted of Determining whether someone would run or fight. Whether she'd need to shoot or move. She didn't even have to look to tell after a century. It was like a sixth sense that she could read without fail. But Loki...He shielded himself from her. When she studied him she felt nothing. No Goodwill. No malice. Which made him the most dangerous.

Furya studied the black-bound book in her palm, a smile crested on her lips. Light streamed through the widely opened drapes, bathing her in the small sun the rainy day had to offer. She shifted her spine against the red velvet chair that had been negligently banished to the corner of her room. Her chest rose with trepidation, hearing the footsteps before she saw the mop of curls swept against her page.

"You know I had this nagging urge to come to see you. Like my life depended on it. I only remembered halfway here that you're unequivocally mischievous and gifted in the world of witchcraft. You wouldn't have summoned me would you?", Myra spoke with narrowed eyes, crossing her arms over her brown leather bodice. She continued

"I need not even ask. That smile tells me all I need to know",

Fury childishly grinned, flipping the pages of the book in reverse for a moment. She faced the paper toward Myra. Her brown iris' darted around the paper, browsing swiftly over lines in paragraphs. She spoke, reading the heading of the second passage.

"Telepathy for the Advanced: Mind...manipulation",

"Subcategories include Dream walking, Binding, Memory reading, Telepathic invisibility, Psychic shadow, Psychic torture-"

"Okay. Okay", Myra raised her hands like she was calming a yapping dog. She wasn't at all comfortable with witchcraft.

"And you...you can do all of this?", Her voice was low as to not be overheard.

"I don't know. I haven't tried", Fury knitted her eyebrows together, shutting the black book.

"Anyway. I didn't call you here for magical guidance", She sauntered to her bed where a black dress lay flat against the Amethyst quilt cover. Myra peered over her shoulder.

"Holy...mother of ruffles", Myra eyed the satin material gown that had puffed sleeves and a huge ruffled skirt layered in chiffon and gossamer.

"It's unfortunate I know...But this Black Vanir satin is over half a century old, it's unmistakable.", Fury lightly swept her fingers over the soft material.

"You'll need the best dressmaker in all of Asgard to make this into something presentable by tonight", Myra scoffed with a grin.

"What say you?", Fury combatted her comment. She may have asked around to seek recommendations for a dressmaker. Everyone seemed to tell her that Myra herself was as good as they come. She made all her own armour and attire.

"I think you're lucky that Valerian is as evil as they come and I would revel in seeing him seething. The dress is after all stolen from his palace." , A devious smile painted her expression as she crossed her arms over her chest. Fury spoke

"What's your price?",

"What's your desired outcome?", Myra rebuffed.

"I want to see Valerian weep",

"Then I'll need some black leather, buckles and much more material...and what shoes will you wear?",

"Ummm", Fury eyed the thin heeled silver shoes that accompanied the dress. They were ugly.

"We will need some of those too",

"Come come", Myra hurried, scooping the dress into her broad arm span.

"Where to?",

"Measurements, sewing and then a trip to the market.",

"Ugh", Fury groaned, rubbing her sore eyes. She hoped that if she rubbed hard enough she might blind herself and she wouldn't have to attend the ball.

"You have the easy job Fury", Myra popped her head up from the dress mannequin while stitching a seam close. Her face crumpled with calculation.

"I know, I know", Fury flipped through the pages and pages of designs and materials, a headache pounding in her temple. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what she wanted the dress to look like. In her thoughts, it was black Vanirian satin, tight-fitting with some sort of slit in the side for practicality in case Valerian attacked. She needed her legs free.

"Huh?", She glanced down to the huge binder on her lap as it's pages flipped to an empty spot and an image started to form in black ink. It appeared like the fine strokes of a felt pen. Her thought printed onto the white paper.

"We're settling on the look 'Mother of all evil'?", Myra swept her concentrated eyes onto the dress design. "I mean when I said leather and buckles I meant it in a subtle quantity",

"I agree. What if we leave the leather as a bodice. Forgo the chiffon. Just a layer of black satin with a slit on the leg."

"I think the whole assembly will weep", Myra smiled, handing the drawing to her sewing aides. The three women bustled quickly.

"This may take longer than I thought. We've got your measurements so it looks like you're going shopping by yourself. I'll draw you a map.", She continued while working on the satin material. Fury smiled at the hideous dress that had been carved and torn into ribbons.

"I'll manage", She bobbed her head and stepped outside the small boutique on the outskirts of the township. The dark French doors softly clasped shut behind her and she observed the old timely Parisian painting that came to life in front of her. Vendors selling yellow and red flowers in bundles out the front of stone encased shops that displayed fine jewellery, fresh fruits and even the odd weapon. Vibrant Shades were erected to shield the lines of precious items for sale from excessive downpour. The trickling rain made the tiles of stone glisten under her feet. That cobblestone led her to a quaint outdoor cafe which was virtually deserted. She had followed the lively trees that bordered the side path for their protection from the wet. She and one other were the only shoppers about in the wet and miserable state of the realm. The hooded man bowed his head while he passed, accidentally bumping her shoulder.

"Apologies", The stranger flicked her a silver-eyed glance and kept walking. Wait...She knew him. She knew those eyes. Quick! Fury grabbed his arm without falter and forced him into a shielded ally with a hand clasped over his mouth.

"Damn Fury", Dastan laughed and swept his hand through his dark hair, dropping the hood from his head.

"What are you doing here?", Her voice escaped in a growl while she still gripped a hand at his buckled chest.

"You sent me on a fool's mission while you went after Valerian", He struggled against her strength, tapping against her forearm. Fury beheld the black-haired man with tracks shaved into the sides. The man whose face was scarred and stubbled from neglect. And she saw a seventeen-year-old guard in Vaniria. A demon boy who she found defiled and beaten in Valerian's keep. A teenage boy who had said no to a true demon and paid the price. She sobbed when she found him and cradled him like he was her own child. That was the night she burned Vaniria in a spectacle electric blue flame.

"He can never know that I saved you, Dastan",

There were few things that surprised Furya about Valerian. Few weaknesses that he had. And when she did link the pieces together, well she thought it un-fucking-believable. He was obsessed with Dastan like a schoolgirl with a crush on the cutest boy. It explained why he loathed her so passionately. Valerian was inclined to the company of men. Younger looking men. The pretty ones with innocent eyes.

"You've got shopping to do", Dastan smiled crookedly and slipped from her grasp.

"Dastan!", She hissed quietly in the alley but it still echoed with more volume than she had hoped. He strode from the dark and seedy place and spoke without turning an inch.

"I'll see you at the ball tonight",

Fury felt her heart drop in her chest. "The hell you will Dastan!", She growled, stomping after the man who had disappeared like a ghost.

"Who is Dastan?", Loki spoke from the darkness. Fury breathed out a flustered sigh and straightened her composure. She spoke and slipped into the openness of the mist ridden path lined with orange lamplight. "Never you mind",

Steps tapped beside her and a shadow blocked the luminescent light. Now she was the only one in the town centre. Loki didn't speak but kept her fast pace as heavier rain descended upon them.

"Do you even know where you are going?", He taunted. She kept walking with an unequivocal burning in her chest. Dastan shouldn't have been there. She wasn't even sure if she had heard what Loki had said. She didn't particularly care. Valerian was coming back tonight and no one would be safe from him. To kill a kingdom would be unfathomable. No, He'd make her watch her friends die. Picking off anyone unable to defend themselves against a demon. It was fortunate that she inhabited a realm of Gods and immortals. Checkmate you sadistic fuck.

"Furya?", Loki pulled her back from the void that grew within her chest, sweeping the wet silver strands of hair from her sight.

"Are you alive or what?", Fury wondered aloud. He was pretending to be Odin but was he just a ghost or did he fake his death? He felt real. So real that the question had burned on her mind for weeks. She just never found the appropriate time to ask.

"...I am", He questioned with curiosity, retracting his cold hand. Freezing slivers of rain slipped down the bridge of her nose and over her lips. She smirked.

"You're absolutely frightening", A low voice emitted from her followed by a chuckle. She exclaimed, "Fuck" And shook out the water on the ends of her silver hair. Loki evaded her sight, exhaling a long and defeated breath. Like a wounded pet. He was astonishingly and unequivocally...Elysian. Was she wrong to be impressed?

"Hey, it sure beats being dull like that ghastly kitchen grouch", Fury tapped his arm with her knuckles, stepping around him in a circle with dance-like fluidity. He seemed bewildered by her assessment, by the sudden apparition of what sounded like manners. She enjoyed his chaotic nature that was delivered with an impeccably flawless accent. It required being in caught Valerian's keep to appreciate Loki's mild behaviour. Fury learned to dislike that only one of the men was labelled a Monster. The one who dragged her from the beast's drool covered jaws. The Asgardians sneered Loki's name when they had been in the company of true evil and said nothing. They knew what Valerian was.

"Greta?", Loki spoke with furrowed brows and glistening black hair. His skin was paper white, almost blue and those emerald eyes glowed a brighter colour than she'd ever seen them. "Greta the Gremlin", Fury dubbed the awful old woman whose scowl could curdle dairy. Loki chuckled, heightening his stare to the sparkle of her eyes. She smirked and resumed a more natural pace, watching the wind catch his extraordinary long black jacket that fluttered majestically against the breeze. The drenched prince trudged through the wetness without objection. She was impressed.

"Do we know who that Witch was?, At Vaniria", Fury interrupted the pleasant silence. Loki breathed out an exasperated sigh.

"She's not relevant. A conjurer of simple tricks. The same second-rate creature as Valerian.", He rolled his eyes, lowering his tone, "Anyway, with my magic, Furya you are astonishingly frightening."

"Magic?!", She snapped but calmed her tone, flicking the rain out of her sight. "Magic isn't even the pinnacle upon this mountain of disaster",

"Then I do not understand", Loki responded calmly.

"You wouldn't.", Fury breathed out and stopped at a shop front, staring into the streakless glass.

"Will you stop that. I'm not a spoiled child born of great fortune, Furya", Loki spoke softly, gazing into her reflection. He touched her hand lightly and reeled back for a moment. A perplexed expression pained his face. Furya clenched her jaw and forcefully tore his hand away. He had delved into her mind.

"Hey!", He scolded.

"Next time I break it", Fury gripped tightly on his leather-bound arm, motioning the action of snapping his forearm.

"Noted", He smirked that signature sinister smile, having gotten what he had wanted. Fury's eyes narrowed at Loki's plain black attire. No gold extravagance insight. While he could never appear as an average Asgardian this was the closest attempt she had seen. Her eyes scanned the long black jacket that was indented with some swirling design which disappeared into the blackness. It Overlapped at his chest with a thin buckle disguising the rest of his outfit barring a pair of unremarkable combat boots. His raven hair that had been saturated by the wet curled with defiance against the rain that pummeled upon in. She released his arm.

"Are you mocking me?", Fury smirked with an uncertain tone. His look was very Fury inspired.

"It is rather dull isn't it?", Loki jested, glancing down at the black jacket.

"It matches your gothic decor", Fury averted her stare off the glass storefront and lingered toward the next.

"Thank you?",

She shot a smile back to him, eyeing the heeled boots behind another square of glass. She swore, hugging her jacket to her arms, "Shit it's cold",

"What are we looking for?", He whined, dragging his heels.

"Myra has sent me for shoes", Fury's eyebrow's furrowed. She wasn't capable of the task.

"Why didn't you say so?", Loki nudged her shoulder, leading her down a dim road that veered off the lamp lit path. He walked into a shop that was the colour of charcoal. A little green shrunken head hung below the brass doorknob. She followed him in, expecting to see body parts in jars. The shop owner, a small but fearsome woman went white at the sight of Loki. That fearsome being that had rescued her from Valerian's keep sprung to life again as he held a finger to his lips and the woman collapsed.

Fury sighed and surveyed the shop of cult items ranging from sacrificial altars to ceremonial athame's. It was a retail chain of witchcraft. Dingey metal shelves held priceless items and fragile glass casing contained the most potent of potions. The orange glow of candlelight stung her sight in its vast quantity. Black candles in bunches of six or more littered the space. All were lit and burning. Loki veered close, almost into her. She shifted his mass with little more than a glare. He spoke with no sincerity. "My apologies",

"I thought the gown had footwear", He added in a higher pitch.

"The old dress did. The new and improved dress needs something of finer taste", Fury stopped and turned on her heel. Black leather laid abandoned behind a shelf of cauldrons and mixing utensils. A cloud of throat itching dust came from her find. She coughed but laid hands on the supple leather boots. The five-inch heel was chunky to her liking. The solid heel was cased in the strangest plate of silver metal. Yet It appeared to be the only item to reflect normalcy within the establishment. Thin laces decorated the front of the long boot and metal buckles were fastened at the side in a pattern of buckle, eyelet, Buckle. All brushed silver barring the black laces.

"Will that be all?" , Loki's voice resonated from behind the counter where he stepped carelessly over the shopkeeper. Fury responded.

"What if they're not my size?',

Loki laughed and turned her back to the door. "Trust me, they'll fit,", He chuckled with certainty, tossing a satchel of coins onto the shop counter with a dodgy note.

"Think of it as recompense", He motioned to the dust-coated boots, pocketing a blue vial on the way out. Fury must have peculiarly shrivelled her face because he laughed at her.

"Had I known you were buying I would have got the matching dagger.", Fury hugged her jacket closer to her body as they stepped back into the drizzling rain. He took the boots from her grasp and they disappeared someplace. Back to her room, she hoped.

"You look miserable", Loki observed, motioning to her far off expression. Her thoughts were torn between worrying about her slow death, Valerian, the Wildmen and now Dastan being in Asgard...She wasn't the most attentive. Fury sighed, eyeing the raven-haired man whose eyes shone with the smallest inkling of care.

"I am", She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. She cursed the breeze that slapped water droplets at her skin. The God of mischief had no snarking reply or crude comment. He mirrored her crossed arm stance. Thoughts whirred in his twisted mind. She could almost see them.

"I'm unsurprised that you would refuse to beg for your magic. It is the true reason behind your misery after all. That you may die before Valerian meets his end.", He observed, propping his long body against the light blue lamp that twisted into two orange bulbs. Furya gritted her teeth but let go of the venomous eruption that would incinerate him in a deep exhale. She met his eyes and spoke.

"It is not within me to grovel to you...to anyone"

"You need have only asked me, Furya", He bewildered her with his sincerity.

"Would you have said yes if I did?", She rebutted the weak argument that furrowed his brow.

"...No. Because ramming foreign magic into your body is not a solution. Despite your will to do so.", He shifted, " A powerful woman and such, I felt it inopportune to interject when you stumble in the dark so well. It is incomparably entertaining.", Loki schooled her with an unyielding tone of slight annoyance. Fury silently scolded the trickster, settling with an unimpressed glare that warned him against any other honesty he wished to reveal. Ugh. She felt frozen to the cobblestone path, stiffening at the round of wind that slapped her with icy droplets. Perhaps on a normal day, she could have laughed and left him with a snarky comment. Not that day. The lugubrious mood she embodied had a mind of its own. She walked. Her boots thumped into the puddles of water on the ground in a rhapsodic thrum. Further away from the black-haired man.

"My dear Fury, I didn't mean offence", That voice purred in her ear followed by the shadow at her shoulder. Fury raised her sight to the green-eyed man and scoffed.

"Sweetheart. Don't flatter yourself",

"Noted", He grimaced, diving his hands into his pockets. She wondered about him. Why he tolerated her, Why he seemed to encompass her existence. Whether or not he was a friend or foe. Though he writhed and resisted. Like a vicious cat being forced to be kind. He was a friend.

"I thought of all days Odin would be preoccupied with more extravagant tasks. Rather than trapesing around in the miserable weather with me", Fury swept her gaze into the mist that shadowed the town like an ominous fog rolling into the dark. Loki didn't respond. She couldn't see much further than a few steps in front of her. The path had ended and she trudged through the flattened grass with no real direction. In search of some shelter.

Fury watched the sheer veil of rain that blanketed everything beyond her sight. It pattered around her but she was safe from its icy bite. An ancient Willow swayed in the breeze. Its wispy leaves hung around them like beaded curtains. She underestimated the spaciousness of the shelter. It was like something from a dream.

"Come with me", Loki presented his palm for her to take. She did and before her the 'dark' forest blossomed to life, dulled by the mask of fog that waltzed around them. But there was light. Blinding and beautifully streaming through the trees. It didn't seem appropriate to call it the 'dark forest' when it looked so enchanting. Fury smiled. The weight of killing that creature had become unbearable. She had done it without care or caution for repercussions. She hadn't thought. She hadn't planned. She just killed the beast. But as she watched the tiny Fel frolic through the moss-covered grass and over the stream of flooding water she saw the fruit of her fight and it humbled her. The cat-like beasts chased and played freely like over energised children, zooming faster than she could watch. There were more than she thought, close to fifty at least.

"Pick one", Loki nudged her forward with encouragement. Fury scrunched her face with perplexion. "What?", She eyed the little balls of fur. She wanted them all. " It saves me increasing the guards outside your room", Loki replied, watching her fondness for the small creatures. "Only one", He added in a harsher tone. "Hmm", Fury pressed index finger against her lower lip, scraping past her pointed fangs. She carefully treaded over moss and slime-covered ground, descending toward the river bed. Her boot slipped on the damp ground. "Careful", Loki warned and hauled her weight upward singlehanded while surveying the forest. How ridiculous. She wouldn't have fallen. Fury examined the unnecessary cold hands at her waist with a scowl. He released her like her stumble had disrupted his deep thought but still kept his closeness. She could feel his coat flick against her thigh as she trudged forward.

The gathering of Fel scurried from her path, forming a circle with her at the centre. They mounted rocks and shied beneath leaves to keep from the assaulting rain that rumbled the forest. Fury shielded herself from the blinding drops and from her palm, a tendril of iridescent magic erupted. It buckled under the rain but weaved against it, seeping into the branches of the trees. Back and forth it sewed a weak shield of magic above them that dispelled the unforgiving wet. She glanced to Loki who shared her expression of disheartenment. It was a poor excuse for magic. The meagre drop of talent she possessed for Loki's magic was not enough to save her against Valerian. She saw he was just as unimpressed.

"What's that?", Furya shooed the curious Fel from the tracks she made. They followed her behind her shield. "Shoo", She warned the few that kept at her feet. Beyond the comfort of her shield, an infant Fel lay motionless under the harshness of the rain. She had initially seen the violet aura that pulsed so strongly against its weakly beating heart. Fury scooped it into her arms, leaving her shield with the Fel gathering.

"The Fel leave the weak behind for a reason", Loki peered over her shoulder to the palm-sized beast in her arms. A Gunk covered rat by the look of it. Furya held the weak creature to her eye and examined the vibrant yellow orbs with an amber glow that blinked at her. That small face was a medley of orange and black fur illuminated by a solid line of black down the centre of the Fel's nose. It opened its mouth at her and wept a weak cry that said 'help me?'.

Fury hastily tore off her jacket and wrapped the baby in warmth. Her palm extended to the small being prepared to cast magic into its body. But she hesitated.

"Can you heal it?", Her head inched to Loki who raised an eyebrow. "Experienced hands and all", Fury extended the creature towards the God of Mischief who in turn hovered his hand above the little beast. Magic expelled from his hands in green and white whisps that danced and wove around the Fel. Loki's soft features wrinkled with concentration and he lightly took her other hand, holding it below his own.

Energy surged through her, it snatched his tendrils of green power, siphoning them from the weak Fel. It made the tattoo itch against the nape of her neck. Loki watched the black ink, following its markings. She realised why when her eye caught the dark swirls of her tattoos surrendering to bright ribbons of iridescent magic. A smile ghosted her previously pursed lips. "Cast your magic through the nostrils and into the core of the creature. Just a single tendril. He's only a few weeks old.", Loki commented. Fury set forward a small whisp of white iridescence into the small gunk-ridden body. It flinched in her grasp and she envisioned the energy weaving through the beast's being, suctioning out any sickness that dwelled within it. Repairing anything that was broken. But she hadn't done it on her own. She felt Loki's awareness in her mind, prepared to extinguish any fires she may create.

A low squeak signified the sudden wellness of the orange and black Fel. Those lively yellow eyes blinked softly between Loki and herself. A smile crested her lips from the white luminescence that warmed the Fel's feet and made its nose glow. When it unfurled itself she could see it was bigger than she had thought, extending the length of her palm by almost double.

"I should have gathered that you would take pity on the first strange creature that came into sight", Loki breathed out with sass. "Strange? No, He's beautiful", Fury examined the patches of Orange and black fur, wrapping the Fel tighter in her jacket. "He's the equivalent of an infant", Loki voiced, taking away any grip he had on her. "I don't need protection. He does", Fury mindlessly patted the wet fur of the Fel in her hand.

"If you want the ugly beast Fenrir will be stationed at your door", The God of Mischief rattled through his own thoughts, rearranging to suit Fury's new decision. But he still didn't hear her. "You're not listening. I don't need a guard", Fury interjected his thoughts as she walked back under the safety of her shield where the wild Fel sniffed at the creature wrapped in her black jacket. "It was not a question", Loki breathed out, flicking the wet string of dark hair that hung in his eye. He walked ahead of her to queue the end of their conversation. Fury watched the dark-haired man saunter into the misty rain like a scene from a painting. The forest was bathed in a veil of dust that glimmered under the dull light. And Loki, the epitome of the enchanted forest's beauty. He bound himself in darkness but he had a gentleness that was so pure. It was something dark magic could never defile. A brightness that shone in the dark of night. It captured her soul wholly. She felt that gentleness seeped through the magic he shared. It was calming and warm.

He was just out of sight and she stood alone with the sleeping beast in her arms, surrounded by a crowd of the cat-like beasts that stared at her with wide eyes. This was her chance. A chance to prove her magic wasn't completely useless. That her clumsy new body wasn't beyond redemption. "C'mon", Fury urged herself to embody some form of calm, feeling the warmth of the white magic that crept down from Loki's brand at her neck, down to her palm.

"Okay", She flexed her neck and limbs as if she was about to start a marathon. Her eyes settled on the minuscule patch of fur in her grasp and she watched its ragged shivering breaths that shook its whole body.

She imagined the Fel in her arms safe on her bed, clean and sleeping. Its nose making a small whistling sound to signify the depths of its slumber. A moment passed and lightness weighed on her bare arms that were licked by the wet breeze. She opened her eyes and the Fel was gone. Along with her jacket. She smiled a victorious grin that enveloped her heart in warmth. But now wanted to test the ability of her power. So Fury dove into her mind, searching for the God of Mischief like he had done to her many times before. It caused her tattoo at her neck to tingle. It was the sensation of ants burrowing underneath her skin. A second past and suddenly The slippery floor of moss and dead leaves shifted beneath her feet into a platform of hard dirt and long grass. Somewhere that had access to better airflow from the state of the mossless surroundings. It was an open path encompassed by towering trees that seemed to form an arch as cover from the elements. Thick intertwined vines weaved between the jagged trees, dominating them to its will. It created a rooflike spectacle. Fury snapped her sights from the dark and sinister trees. Straight to the God who rubbed at his collar. He was just in view. Fury smiled, casting forward an illusion to appear in front of him. The rain cut through the holographic Fury, hopefully not enough to notice. She watched it confront him. "Fury?", He questioned the weapon that the clone produced.

Loki would have sensed her. There was no probability that she bested his innate awareness. But where was he?. She narrowed her eyes to the black-clad man who glitched under the heavy rain.

"That move becomes predictable", Loki purred from behind her wet form. Fury smiled but didn't turn to face him. The hair on her skin stood against the cool breeze and she cast her awareness into the swift wind, feeling around with her invisible claws. She delved into the forest, snapping her sights to the left where the God lingered with crossed arms. A green wolf appeared at his feet made of pure magic.

"I wouldn't", She warned. Her palm flexed at her side, summoning the silver sword she had left behind. The magic that coursed through her from her collar to her fingertips seeped into the blade, flickering off its sharpness like a magical white flame.

"Therein lies our crisis", Loki smiled that wicked grin and set the beast free.

Fury shielded herself as the beast snapped its huge teeth at her. She swung through the green mass, vibrating off the pure magic. The wolf dissipated into a cloud of emerald bats by her will. He wanted to see a breakthrough in her magic and she wanted to show him one. Loki launched another wolf in a different colour. Then he released another. And another. She shattered them into particles of green dust that clung to the air. Loki stopped and surveyed her with a crossed armed stance, his emerald stare cut through the pattering rain. She could see it clearly the closer she stalked. He was thinking of something sinister and depraved to throw at her.

The whole side of her body glowed like a beacon of light with each destroyed beast. Tendrils of luminescence wrapped around her, replicating the delicate lines and spells she had ingrained into her skin. It was the closest she had come to wielding her flame since she lost that power. It felt euphoric. Her fist curled at her side as she deflected another beast formed from glowing energy. From the distance, a low growl rumbled the earth at her feet. It grew louder with each breath she drew. But it didn't faze Loki who cast another creature. This time it was not an animal. It was the Ghoul. Solid and flesh coloured. A breath hitched in her throat at the beast. She mentally traced the wounds from its claws. Rosemary and lavender clung to her senses. It made her stomach turn. The beast was skeletal and by all standards, it was the portrait of death. The skin had rotted away at its mouth, giving it an open-mouthed stare. And those white glazed over eyes. They haunted her nightmares with their uncompassionate glare. They were monstrous. A depth of unfathomable darkness.

The thought of the creature's cottage forced bile to rise in her stomach as she recalled the smell of rotting flesh. The sight of Asgardian skin displayed like fine china. It was unfathomable...Unforgettable.

A low growl tore her sight off the Ghoul that lingered at the end of Loki's leash. The Fel padded around her, emerging from the shrubbery and dense trees. Small little creatures that sprouted into horse-sized wolves. They shadowed and engulfed her in their protection.

Loki held up his hand in surrender. A sly grin painted his lips as the ghoul dissipated into the mist of green energy.

"I yield",

Fury smiled a sinister grin and whispered an order to the leader of the Fel. Loki's brow cocked at the scarred beast that padded toward him. It circled him with a low growl as Fury appeared at his chest. Her glowing skin pulsed brightly and the beast retreated. "You truly cannot stand to lose", Loki smirked, eyeing the silver-haired witch. She had lost too much to feel defeat again. She couldn't lose again. "You can't stand to be defeated", She purred with a smile, fixing the crooked buckle on his jacket. She was bitter about the Ghoul. Her visit to the beast was still an open wound. That ghastly creature had scarred her with more than just its claws. "I suppose not", He breathed out, tracing the tendrils of magic that wrapped around her shoulder. New and unseen. "I do apologise for the Ghoul", He continued, examining the white lines with a furrowed brow. She shivered at the coldness of his fingertips on her skin.

"You've learned to summon magic in the most peculiar way. A conduit is what I'll call you. Your energy burns so bright that it glows from your skin. It passes through from sigil to sigil that you've marked on yourself before it can escape.", Loki deduced with an expression of bewilderment as he trailed each line of iridescent ink.

Fury shielded the spark that ignited at his touch. "Excellent", She spoke absentmindedly. He flickered a glance toward her. A symbol on her skin stumped him, causing an array of confused emotions to cross his face. "Don't strain yourself", She laughed through the mind-numbing allure that seeped from his action. Loki scolded her with a glare, examining the lines that extended from her wrist. "Will I live?", She shook off his grip with a half-hearted laugh and a scowl. "What?", He asked with a question to her sudden sass. "You're being nice. I don't care for it", Fury justified, adjusting her skin to its normal hue. He watched the magic fade. "Do you not care for my company?", His facade of impenetrable sarcasm raised itself and Fury scrunched her face with disbelief. "I feel it ungenuine. I am as you put it so delicately 'A Vampire monster'. Why would Prince Loki be wasting his time with me otherwise?", She mirrored his wall of impenetrable deflection. But he did something unexpected and dropped the facade, cocking his head like a dog that didn't understand a command. She saw an abundance of answers roll through that brilliant mind but only one slipped from his tongue. "I like you", Loki met her eyes but decided against holding those firey orbs, "I thought I made that clear", His eyebrows furrowed. "I apologise for the 'Half-breed monster' comment. I do not think of you as such", He lifted her chin that lowered with uncertainty. "You are quite the opposite",

Rain scattered around them with unforgivable malice. Loki was the embodiment of a question mark. She hated how he unsettled her. How he rattled her. How she feared about his imminent double-cross. Valerian, she might be able to fight but Loki, he was beyond any skill she had. Before she got too close she had to know.

"Would you tell me if you were trying to conspire against me?", She asked without breaking the eye contact between them. She realised the childishness of her question. The morosis of it all.

"I believe that would defeat the purpose...", Loki spoke lightly. Fury stiffened against her closeness to his lanky form. Every fibre in her being told her she was too close. Much too close.

"Undoubtedly...", She breathed out a sigh and rested the palm of her hand on the hilt of the knife jammed between her belt buckle and her tank. It was little comfort.

"I'm not. If it is any comfort", Loki spoke with crossed arms. Had she offended him?

"I'm not asking to deter you,", Furya removed his hand from her face, clashing with those astonishingly green eyes, "But if there was ever an opportune moment to fuck me over, now, with Valerian and the Wildmen...It would be the time",

"Why would I?" His face shrivelled into question. Fury turned to face the mysterious creature, straightening the buckle on his chest that had become crooked in her movement. "Chaos. Destruction. Mischief. It would be brilliant", She purred, clinging to the God. She ran her hand over the buckles on his chest. In the back of her mind, she loathed the ease that came with her deceit and lies. Damn it. She had overshot and overplayed it. She could tell by Loki's raised eyebrow, lightly shooing her hand away. Usually, she could simply knock them on their ass before they saw through her but not him. "Stop it", He hissed with irritation, catching her adventurous hands hostage. "I'm not a child distracted by colourful toys!", He hissed with a smirk.

Fury flinched at the action and he released her. Loki held his hands in surrender. "...Shit. I forgot...sorry", He apologised, catching her by surprise. "Forgot what?", She asked. Hoping his answer was far from the truth. "That you expect to be punished for your chaotic mind", Loki answered softly, lowering his hands. Fury eyed the man who had known such an intimate detail about her. Her mouth formed a straight line. He was destroying her natural-born killer facade.

"I usually throw a punch before anyone can", She justified, sheathing the knife that she had half drawn. "I know", He smiled, eyeing the silver dagger that slipped back between the safety of her belt and shirt. He was too close. Too close to the truth. Run. She had to run. Through the pelting rain and back to the safety of her own company. But it wasn't Loki that was too close. It was her that was inches from being burned. Her who had mindlessly watched the God break through her walls of steel.

"I've got to get back to Myra. Be Good", Furya hesitated, backing away from Loki. She had to rethink her approach. "...Well. Don't assume anyone else's identity.", Furya smirked, tapping his shoulder lightly. It was collected. More collected than she felt. Loki frowned. "No", He spoke with disgust. "That's the spirit", Fury ignored his reply and stepped into the rain.

"Goodbye, dear Furya",

Loki

Loki watched the woman swagger into the misty abyss of rain and fog. The mysterious woman who had an ambrosial effect upon him. A warrior Goddess who embodied the word Virago. Strong and fearless. A hero even though she couldn't comprehend it just yet. She would. He knew she would. She crippled the villainous beast that was Loki of Asgard. She blinded him with her unequivocal fire. And when she ascended to the brilliant creature she was yet to become she would forget about him. He would become just a small flicker of light in a sea of flame.

"Still has an ass that could make you weep", Valerian, the dull creature reappeared at Loki's shoulder. His crossed arms, mirroring Loki's action. Orange eyes lingered on Furya's fading form that became engulfed by fog.

"What do you want?", Loki ordered an answer from the snivelling creature that dared to breathe his air.

"She was right to question your loyalties.", Valerian taunted "Whose to say you're not going to turn on me like you have your 'Dear Furya' ". Either he was too daft to anticipate Loki's swift attack that had Valerian gasping against the strength of the God, Or he was too scared to retaliate. "If I wanted to destroy you, I'd reveal to her the true reason you so desperately need her dead, and Furya would brutalise you, herself.", Loki released the disgusting creature that quivered against his power. Valerian opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by Loki's glare. "Know your place, demon filth"

Loki straightened the silver buckles on his jacket and backed away from the panting beast who feverishly rubbed at his neck. "Why was Fury at my castle? Why did you save her?", Valerian hissed in a bitter but defeated tone. A smile crept on Loki's lips. "Think of it as a surprise yet to be revealed.",

Valerian sneered his pointed teeth and puffed out his chained chest. "Once you get her to 'Wildmen' country. Think of our binds as broken.",

"Was it something I said?", Loki smirked a smile underlined with anguish and turmoil. She'd destroy him. Furya would undeniably burn him alive. And forgiveness, she would forget the meaning of the word. His one friend would disappear into nothingness.

"You've kept her alive this far. Don't fuck it up.", Valerian surveyed the God with a small smile. "Perhaps you did it for more than just our contract. She is, after all, an abomination like you ", He taunted without fear, disappearing into the wind. He was a fool for making a deal with Valerian. It was the price for inexplicably rare and powerful magic.

What had he done?