This time when Tony entered Tea and Potions he was ready. He didn't feel any fear at the sight of Loki being so near. He didn't worry for the innocent people in the shop; he knew they were as safe as they would be anywhere else. He had a bag slung across his shoulder. The rest waited in the car. He was ready to show what he had made. He hoped, no he knew, that at least one would work as it was meant to. Tony stepped up to the counter and smiled.
This time Loki didn't freeze upon setting eyes on Tony Stark. Of course his smile faltered. And perhaps, though he was loathe to admit it, his voice wavered. Today Loki was prepared to answer the questions. He knew he would handle whatever would happen. So by the time Tony stepped up to the counter Loki had his order at the ready. He hoped, no Loki knew, that Tony would like this more than what he had tasted the last time he had been in the shop.
Tony stepped up to the counter and was surprised by the fact a mug was already awaiting him. It was the chipped cup from Beauty and the Beast but on a much larger scale. And next to it rested two scones on a plate that looked to be made out of wood. "How much?"
"Let's say an even eight."
Tony handed over a ten dollar bill and refused to take the change that Loki tried to give him.
Loki eventually accepted the money and put it safely into the cash register. He pushed the plate a bit closer to Tony and gave a small, timid looking smile. But his hand didn't flinch, his fingers didn't twitch. And the music continued to play at just the right volume. He reached under the counter and took out his sign: The argr will return soon.
Tony shifted his bag so it rested more comfortably on his left shoulder. He grabbed his coffee in one hand and the scones with the other. He showed himself to a chair with a slightly matching table. Meaning that the chair was high backed and black. The table was just a bit too grand, the silver top driven to a shine that was a shade too bright. And the chair across from him was surely meant to stay in the dump it had been taken from. It was missing an arm rest and some of the stuffing was falling to the floor even as he watched.
Loki arrived before Tony had a chance to regret his choice of table too much. He sat down with a mug only slightly smaller than Tony's. It was filled to the brim with the darkest shade of amber that could only belong to tea. The music swirled as he sat down, shifting from some vaguely popular girl singing about love into a cacophony of vaguely Nordic sounding instruments.
The table seemed to shake just a bit when Tony placed his bag atop it. He unzipped it and reached inside for the bracelet he wanted to try first. Placing it on the table between them he let it sit there for a few seconds before he couldn't resist any longer. "These should let allow you more access to your magic."
Tony continued saying something but Loki didn't hear any of it. All he heard was that first sentence. And a part of him was relieved, as if he was actually going to be allowed a little more freedom. As if they would consent to letting him have the power necessary to sew himself a little bit closer to normal. The larger part of him only knew fear. For how would anyone allow him more power. Allow him more of a chance to lash out and destroy everything and anything that could lay in his unfortunate path.
Loki didn't even realize he was holding his mug till it shattered in his hands. He had gripped it too tightly and he only realized what had happened when Tony stopped talking. It wasn't that he had been listening, not really. He hadn't heard a word. But the absence of what had been there only seconds earlier allowed him to jerk from the recesses of his mind. And he saw the shards dripping in his hands. Seeing blood instead of tea. Feeling lukewarm fire instead of lukewarm fire. He was shattering.
Tony hadn't realized that Loki wasn't listening, not really. He went on and on about the bracelet on the table between them. How he hoped it would let Loki heal and of course it would because "Everything I touch always works" and "I have run more scans on this bracelet then I thought possible." And once he started on the mechanics of the thing he got that glassy look to his eyes that meant his thoughts were far ahead of even what he was saying. But then he heard something shatter. Of course that didn't always work to derail his thoughts but almost magically this time it did. He watched as tea dribbled across the table, down one of the legs, how it collected on Loki's fingertips.
He was shaking. Loki was shaking and he couldn't find it in himself to stop. Couldn't even try. Finally he managed to at least look away from his hands. Look away from the blood, no he tried to remind himself, it's only tea. He looked to Tony. His voice was eerily steady despite the fact he was still trembling, "Why?"
"Because-"
Tony wasn't given a chance to explain before Loki found his will to rant. His voice was still steady but broke throughout his speech. "Why must you lie. As if that bag of yours isn't filled to the brim with more restraints for me to try on like a good little pet. A perfect runt of a monster. I am meant to trust that they won't burn me deeper, contort me past the breaking point. Meant to believe that you are truthful. You who say they are meant to help me. Am I truly meant to believe that? Meant to believe what is most definitely another lie. You don't care to help me. Very few ever do, you certainly are not one of them. So why must you lie about it, lie about this. False hope. As if anyone would give me the chance to try and sew myself into some semblance of normal. As if I would ever be trusted long enough to try. I'm the god of lies so don't try and lie to me. It won't work. Not again."
