Chapter 15: A Different Call
Time passed oddly slowly on Asgard, at least for Ciara.
The last of her injuries were finally healed, with help, and she was back to being fighting fit. Or at least as fighting fit as she was before being injured. And with a moment at last to finally relax and breathe after the chaos of the Aether being found and the Dark Elves awakening, Ciara was for once, not racing around.
Instead, she sat in the library, going through the books in the restricted section that she hadn't been allowed near until now. It seemed there was a benefit to being the one person who knew the Allfather's secret. That he wasn't the Allfather, and instead was Loki in disguise, finally having gotten the throne he'd wanted. And he'd given Ciara some leeway with certain things, within reason.
And the one thing she'd wanted was the knowledge inside the books kept in the restricted part of the palace library. It had been the only place where she'd seen anything to do with the Infinity Stones, and she wanted to know more.
She hummed to herself as she zipped about, darting from book to book to read a section in one before moving to the next one, not sticking to one particular book.
"Is the word 'focus' in your vocabulary?" She looked up at the Allfather's voice, and saw him walk in, passing the librarian who bowed respectfully to him. He glared at her, clearly still mad that she was now allowed to read the books he'd been guarding from her, before stalking away.
"I could recite each of these books back to you word for word," she flashed Loki a mocking smile.
"Would it be anything of importance, or more of your useless babbling?" he countered. Ciara stuck out her tongue.
"I hate when you mock me when you're all Odin'd up," she told him, and went back to her book. She heard the quiet laugh that seemed so out of place in Odin's voice, before leaning back in her seat. "I did find something. About Guardians," Ciara told him, and he walked over to lean over and see. "Like we already know, there's one Guardian per Stone. We're chosen at the point of conception, so unless there's a species out there that gives birth real fast…"
"The Aether will be without a Guardian for some time," Loki finished for her, and Ciara nodded.
"So hiding it with that Collector guy is probably the safest place for now," she allowed, flipping the page. "Another thing that I figured out is that Guardians can always recognise other Guardians, at least when we're active. So if I come across any others that have been in contact with their Infinity Stones, I'll know," Ciara explained.
"How useful," Loki murmured, only partly sarcastic.
"Oh, I wasn't entirely right about Guardians being chosen when they are," Ciara hummed as she turned the page. "The Soul Stone is different. Because of the method behind its hiding place, a Guardian must always be present, even if they're already dead. Until the next Guardian is ready to take their place, the spirit of the former Guardian has to protect it," she read.
"Sounds like a terrible way to spend the afterlife," Loki considered. Ciara snorted.
"Yeah, you chose a much better way to spend yours," she told him, and he rapped the back of her head with his knuckles as he walked past her.
"Well, I have another meeting to attend, if we're to have Asgard back to normal any time soon. Enjoy your studies," he said, and Ciara smiled faintly.
"Enjoy listening to people complain," she called over her shoulder, just catching his sigh before he left. Ciara smirked, going back to her book.
The bustling crowds were loud, and reached Ciara where she was currently sitting, threatening to distract her as she attempted to focus. She sat out on a balcony of the palace, having finally pulled herself away from her books long enough to train.
"Come on," she murmured under her breath. "It's been over a year. I can do it," Ciara told herself, focusing on a place in her mind. She could see it clearly. All she needed was to draw on the power bubbling under the surface.
Ciara took a deep breath, before there was a gentle wind that knocked her hair out of her face. For a moment, she didn't think anything of it, until she realised that the murmur of the crowd had disappeared. And the smell could only come from one place.
Ciara hesitated for a moment longer, a little nervous, before finally opening her eyes. An excited laugh escaped her, and she stood quickly, looking around at the grassy area she was now in. Nearby, an old building was teetering on the brink of collapse, but somehow still stood. "It worked. It actually worked," she laughed.
She was back on Earth.
Despite her temptation to try again and move back to Asgard, Ciara decided instead to walk towards the rickety old building. The windows and doors had been boarded up, and the place listed as too dangerous to enter, but Ciara still slipped inside. Barely any light could get through, leaving the place in semi-darkness, as Ciara pulled up the hood of her cloak and looked around at her old home.
With December in full swing, it was just as cold inside as it was outside, and Ciara regretted not wearing anything thicker over her tunic. She tugged her cloak closer to her, looking around the building she hadn't visited in years, before reaching out to touch a crack in the wall. "I can't believe we never actually brought this dump down ourselves," Ciara murmured, nostalgic as she walked into what had been the living room.
Ciara wasn't too surprised to see that it hadn't been entirely ransacked. After all, it had been the boarding house for a group of mutants, they probably thought the place was cursed. Plus, it wasn't like a lot of it had been in great condition before they left. "The downside to living with a bunch of boys and that boom-crazy bitch," Ciara murmured, leaving the living room and carefully making her way up the stairs.
Looking around her old room, Ciara smiled faintly. It was in better condition than the rest of the house, but not by much. She'd destroyed almost all of her personal belongings before she'd left, not wanting to bring them with her while also not wanting them to end up in the wrong hands.
A memory surfaced as she considered that, and she turned. "I wonder…" Ciara moved the bed out of the way, and sneezed as it kicked up a load of dust. The dust swirled as Ciara sneezed a second time, briefly overwhelmed, before she spotted the vent in the wall, hidden away. She crouched down, jiggling the plastic cover of the vent. However, as she pulled it off, her eyes narrowed. It had been opened by someone else, and hadn't been put back right. "SHIELD really don't want me hiding anything, huh?" she wondered, pulling out the box stored in the vent.
Before she could blow the dust off the box, Ciara stopped, and instead brushed it off with her hand, deciding she didn't want any more sneezing fits. Once she'd wiped the dust on her trousers, she opened the box, sitting cross-legged on the floor.
A soft smile came to her face as she saw the contents of the box had been left there. If someone had been rooting through, at least they didn't take them. She lifted a photo out, her smile widening at the picture of a much younger version of herself. Her hair was much shorter, barely reaching her shoulders, and pink bows were tied into braids to keep it out of her face. Her arms were around another girl, whose hair was cropped much shorter, dyed pure black, and the eyeliner around her eyes was thick, making her already dark eyes even darker. She looked startled, barely managing a shy smile.
Ciara sighed as she looked at the girl's awkward smile, which was a contrast to her own. "Dammit Wanda, where the hell did you disappear to?" she wondered, returning the picture to the box. She purposely avoided the other pictures, and instead looked through the little trinkets that she'd collected over the handful of years that she'd lived in the house with the rest of the Brotherhood.
Finally she shoved the box back into the vent, fixing the plastic cover back over it carefully, and returned the bed to where it had been. Ciara then cast another look around her old room. The contents mainly consisted of old school books and discarded clothes that no longer fit. "Of all the places to stay untouched during the battle, it's almost poetic. Maybe next time it'll be gone," she wondered aloud. Knowing she wouldn't get an answer, Ciara took a deep breath, and vanished.
Humming to himself as he made his way into the Throne Room, Fandral was in good spirits, considering he'd just returned from Nidavellir, where he'd helped to quell a fight with the Dwarven population there. He was looking forward to telling Thor about it, thinking about the last time the God of Thunder had gone there, before he sobered a little.
Thor's decision to leave Asgard and return to Earth to be with Jane, while also aiding the Avengers with whatever fight came next, had surprised not only Fandral, but the rest of their friends, and even others of Asgard. While it had been made clear that Thor was not abandoning them for another realm, he was well loved on Asgard - and had become even more so after his brief exile on Earth - and he was already sorely missed.
Fandral jumped, letting out a small noise of surprise, when Ciara suddenly materialised beside him. She stumbled backwards, a little disorientated, and put a hand to her head.
"Whoa," she laughed. "Need to be careful with that," Ciara said to herself, and looked around to make sure she'd actually gone where she wanted. "It worked!" she cheered, pumping her arms into the air in a childish celebration.
"I assume whatever it was, it's good news?" Ciara turned to Fandral, who'd put a hand to his chest as if to steady his pounding heart. He hadn't expected the speedster to appear out of nowhere like that. She grinned widely at him.
"It is," she confirmed. Fandral lifted his hand from his chest and reached out to her. Ciara let him brush his fingers to her face, and when he pulled them back, she saw the dust on them.
"And just where have you been sneaking around, to be covered in filth like this?" he asked, trying to sound stern. However, he smiled when Ciara laughed at his attempt. She was too excited to stop him.
"Now that would be telling," she said, and he shook his head.
"You play so coy with your secrets, my dear. How does one pry them from your chest?" Fandral asked her, leaning closer to her. Ciara smirked up at him.
"You don't," she told him simply, and he reeled back as if wounded. Their antics were then interrupted by the loud cough, and they looked around to see Volstagg looking uncomfortable, while Sif looked unimpressed. Odin - Loki, whatever - was expressionless.
"If you are quite done, may we perhaps continue?" he asked, a touch too mocking. Fandral bowed.
"My apologies, your highness," he spoke carefully. Ciara didn't speak, turning and walking away. Fandral frowned after her, worried that she was going to offend Odin, but he didn't react.
Once she was out of the Throne Room, Ciara's grin returned, but she kept herself calm other than that. She closed her eyes, feeling for the power in her chest. She still wasn't entirely used to it, and couldn't give an exact answer on how much power she still held, and how much she'd used jumping between worlds, but what she could feel, seemed like there was enough power to keep going. The lure of the Tesseract wasn't particularly strong either, so after a quick detour to the kitchens, Ciara made her way back to her bedroom.
Only once she'd shut the door behind her, did she give an excited laugh, bouncing up and down as her elation over being able to travel between worlds finally broke free. She tossed her cloak aside, spinning around her room giggling.
"This is gonna be so much fun! SHIELD aren't gonna have a clue what I'm doing," Ciara laughed, before biting into the berries that she'd stolen from the kitchen, suddenly starving, more so than usual. "Hmm," Ciara hummed thoughtfully, wondering if her hunger was linked to the two big jumps that she'd managed.
"That was quite the entrance you made earlier," Ciara jumped, whirling around as Loki appeared in her room, dropping his illusion so that she could see him properly. "And quite the dance," he added, looking amused as Ciara went red.
"Do you have to spy?" she threw one of the berries at him, and it bounced uselessly off his chest.
"Throwing food at the king?" Loki asked, tilting his head. Ciara smirked back.
"Not my king," she reminded him, and popped another into her mouth.
"Why are you covered in dust?" he asked, changing the subject as he saw the dust that clung to her clothes. Ciara's grin returned in full force.
"I jumped to Earth," she told him, taking Loki by surprise. He'd known she was working towards being able to do so, but he hadn't expected her to be successful so quickly. "And then back to Asgard. It wasn't even that hard, I think I just over-thought it in my head and-" her ramble was cut off when Loki crossed the room in a few long strides and pulled her up into a searing kiss.
Ciara immediately forgot what she'd been saying, only making a muffled noise before closing her eyes and enjoying the heated kiss that made her head swim. When his arm came around her to pull her into him, Ciara grabbed his arm to make sure she didn't overbalance.
Surprise conflicted with the enjoyment for Ciara, even as she kissed him back. She was still trying to work out what exactly their relationship was. The first time had been interrupted by people wishing to speak to Odin, and they'd barely had time to compose themselves and have Loki recast his illusion as Ciara slipped away before they'd found him.
The month had passed by in a blur, even for someone as fast as Ciara, as she worked on controlling her powers and learning about being a Guardian, while Loki had been in almost constant meetings with guards, nobles, and ambassadors from other realms as they tried to restore Asgard back to how it had been. They'd not addressed what exactly had happened between them, but during that time they'd settled into some sort of partnership, but this was the first time since that he'd kissed her so suddenly since the first day.
Ciara knew that she needed to step back and try to figure out what exactly they were becoming, but the thought just never stuck around long enough, especially when he kissed her like that.
When Loki finally drew back, both were breathless, needing a moment to gather their wits before either could even consider speaking. Ciara reached up, and poked his cheek. "What was that for?" she asked, a little flustered by his sudden actions. Loki opened his mouth for a moment, before closing it again. Ciara then smiled softly, not pushing him. Instead she pressed her lips to his for a brief kiss that tasted like berries, before she pulled back out of his arms. "Wow, I really am covered in dust," she realised, brushing her trousers and seeing the dust bunch up. "Suppose being in a place that wasn't clean even back then will do that," Ciara considered.
"You said before. That once you learned how to jump between worlds…" she turned as Loki trailed off, looking a little frustrated. Ciara tilted her head, and struggled to hide her smile. Putting her hands behind her back, Ciara took a step towards him, looking too innocent.
"You could just say you don't want me to go," she teased, enjoying the shade of red that his face turned. He scowled at her.
"Perhaps I want you to go. Maybe I'll finally get some peace without your constant questions," he said, but the words lacked the malice they once held.
"Uhuh," Ciara was still trying to stop her smile, which only annoyed him more. Loki sniffed, turning his head away.
"If you seek that kind of assurance, I imagine Fandral will be more than happy to give you a reason to stay," Ciara's eyes widened at the bitter comment, and she leaned back, stunned into silence by the comment. Loki wasn't able to help himself, having had it on his mind, both from how she'd flirted with Fandral in front of everyone, and the moment on the skiff when he'd had his arm around her. It had irritated him back then, and it had done more than just irritate him this time.
The next thing Loki knew, Ciara was grabbing his arms, and then suddenly he was falling. He landed on the soft mattress of Ciara's bed, having been teleported, and Ciara was straddling his stomach. She'd grabbed his arms and was holding them over his head.
"You know that I could easily break free of this pitiful hold?" he asked, looking unimpressed.
"Tell me to stay," Ciara ignored his words, staring down at him with an expression he couldn't work out. His eyebrow arched. "You. Not Fandral, or anyone else on this goddamn world. You, Loki," she said, her words almost pleading with him. Loki was quiet for a long moment, staring up at her as she didn't move, almost desperate in her words. He had to admit, he was almost envious of her ability to say what she wanted, when he struggled.
'So much for that silver-tongue,' he thought to himself.
"Silver tongue turn to lead?" Volstagg's taunting words echoed; a memory he tried to keep buried.
When Ciara's grasp on his wrists, already weak, loosened, panic seized him. He wasn't sure where it came from, but he grabbed her and swung quickly. Ciara gasped, helpless against him as he pushed her down, rolling on top of her. She stared up at him with her big eyes, unsure of what to say.
"Stay," finally the word managed to get free. "Stay on Asgard," Loki told her, watching as her surprise crossed her face. She really couldn't keep her emotions hidden, and it made him smile. Part of him wondered when he'd found traits like that about her endearing, but he decided to keep that particular thought to himself.
"Okay," Ciara's voice was quiet, and she reached up with a gentle hand to touch his face. She guided him down as she pushed up, meeting him in a kiss that only stayed gentle for a brief moment before he deepened it, bracing one hand beside her head as Ciara tangled a hand in his hair. When he shifted, letting himself get caught up in the moment and using the hand currently on her face to move lower, she gave a soft sigh that told them both that neither had any intentions of stopping.
Stirring from his light sleep, Loki opened his eyes to find that darkness had fallen while he'd slept. For a moment he just blinked up at the ceiling, before the weight on his arm made him aware of what had woken him. He looked down at Ciara, who was curled into his side, using the crook of his arm as a pillow. Despite being asleep, there was a frown on her face and she twitched occasionally. Vivid dreams, he suspected, and sighed lightly.
From the moment he'd met Ciara, he'd never expected to wind up in such a position, with her fast asleep beside him in just her tunic that she'd worn during the day. He wasn't even sure when he'd transitioned from resenting her visits when he was trapped in his cell, to tolerating them, to even looking forward to them. For someone so fast, she'd certainly taken her time to worm her way in, and seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she'd done so.
It wasn't as if he were completely inexperienced. Far from it. He was known for his silver tongue for a reason. But there was something very different about her.
'She's mortal,' the thought kept ringing in his mind. A warning; a deterrent. He'd made a big show of telling Thor to say goodbye to his mortal, all while being the biggest hypocrite. Not like that was new.
When Loki had crafted his plan and managed to impersonate Odin, he'd resigned himself to not telling anyone - to stay alone the entire time.
"You will always be alone," Sif's words whispered in his mind.
But even though Ciara had helped Thor again, putting her own life at risk to help save the entire universe, he'd decided to put a small degree of trust in her and show her the truth. And she'd cried. It was unexpected, but not unwelcome.
"Always so perceptive to everyone but yourself," Frigga's final words to him made Loki have to take a deep breath. Unwilling to address those emotions or thoughts, Loki finally rolled onto his side, and as he reached out to brush Ciara's silver hair out of the way, her eyes opened. He quickly lowered his hand, not quite ready to let her see that kind of affection. She blinked rapidly, completely unaware, and after a wide yawn that made her breath wash over him, Ciara slumped, groaning.
"Great," she grumbled, more to herself than the bare-chested man lying beside her. Even that didn't distract her from her irritation.
"Something wrong?" Ciara blinked at the quiet, sleepy words, and looked up to meet Loki's gaze. A blush heated her cheeks as she finally realised where she had been sleeping. For a moment, she wasn't quite sure how to speak, and the knowing smirk on his face didn't help.
"Uh…" she drew a breath, and offered an embarrassed smile. "Have you ever heard of a place called Xandar?"
Well, that's Whims of Fate completed!
The next story, A Different Call, will be posted hopefully sometime in the new year, as I'm staying with family for the next couple of weeks for the holidays.
I hope you liked it!
Please review!