"It doesn't seem like it's him." The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent hissed to Black Widow as they strategically snuck through the dark sandy beach, only illuminated by the moonlight above. The New York city lights were just barely visible on the horizon.
"Too early to tell, and keep your voice down." Natasha responded sternly, taking care to press the voice communication button on her headset to get the message across. The agent she had been paired up with always seemed to have trouble remembering to use his headset to communicate, much to her annoyance.
This type of rookie mistake could get them killed on many missions she had previously been on, and this current task was hard to gauge on how dangerous it could be.
A small cosmic anomaly... The kind that S.H.I.E.L.D. had learned to track after Loki's initial contact with Midgard. A violent rip between dimensions that allowed a being to carelessly cross between two realms.
But they didn't see an army of aliens storming in to take over Earth this time, or any obvious otherworldly presence demanding attention. It was hard to tell if the silence around them now was welcoming or suspicious, but they needed to investigate the source of the anomaly nevertheless.
"What the HELL is that?!" The agent suddenly let out in a loud shaky whisper, and Natasha's eyes widened as her attention was brought to what the other agent had pointed to.
At least he remembered to use his headset this time.
She dashed toward a humanoid object laid crumpled on top of the soft moonlit sand. "Call Fury for backup!" She shouted, as a loud inhuman screech erupted from the mass.
"What are you do-" The agent began before Natasha interrupted him, her command more focused and unsettling in his ears than even the demonic screaming filling the air around them. "NOW!"
The agent fumbled with his radio, repeatedly pressing the keys for an emergency extraction with shaking fingers.
Loki stood in Odin's throne room in boredom, listening to Odin and Thor drone on about this week's activities.
He had been sent back to Asgard after his invasion of New York, but due to his nature and elite status, along with Odin's indifference toward the lower realms, he was mostly just met with a slap on the wrist along with some new restrictions on what he was allowed to do.
Leaving Asgard was the main large no-no that left him confined yet thankful that he did not have to deal with Thanos while the Avengers took charge in Midgard.
This left him with plenty of time to pull some of his usual trickery.
Although most of it was fairly minor, messing with the servants and locals did provide a fulfilling enough pastime for him for now.
"We have gained a new addition to the Avengers!" Thor boasted. "I plan on inviting them to Asgard for a visit tomorrow afternoon."
"Anyone worthy of interest?" Loki asked while rolling his eyes. He walked over to lean his back against the closest of the many elegant white pillars decorating the hall while crossing his arms. His gaze landed on a servant holding a wine filled pitcher, and she hastily brought it over to fill a golden goblet he suddenly summoned out of thin air.
Thor turned to Loki to address his question. "Perhaps... Although I do not know of her origin and have only spoken to her briefly. The man of iron tells me she has some control of fire, along with some unique skills in elixirs and the like."
Loki groaned, before he drank the entire contents of his goblet, and summoned the servant for a refill. "What kind of quality elixirs can anyone from Midgard make, really..." He muttered bitterly, as he began slowly tracing the rim of the goblet with his pointer finger.
Odin spoke up, growing tired of Loki's uninterested behavior. "If you keep drinking like this you will be a drunken fool before supper!"
Loki glanced at Odin with a smirk. "My overindulgence may be for the better, father. I assume you would not want me embarrassing you in front of others like I usually do, would you?" He shot back, venom dripping from each word.
"Don't be silly, brother!" Thor exclaimed as he walked toward him, slamming a hand on Loki's shoulder. A bit too hard for his liking. "As for the woman, from what I have heard she says she is not from Midgard, yet she does look like a Midgardian... The man of iron did not provide an explanation." He added with a shrug.
Loki rubbed the sore spot where Thor's hand made contact after he removed it.
Odin gestured for the raven seated on his shoulder to fly out, more than likely silently directing it to keep an eye on some other part of the realm before he spoke. "Loki, you are well aware of the reason for why you are to remain here. The trouble you have caused is an embarrassment not only to yourself, but to the entire realm! You WILL be present for hosting the guests tomorrow, Midgardian or not, and you will be on your best behavior!"
Loki finished off his drink once more, and summoned the servant woman for a third. "Very well, father." He sighed while glaring into his cup.
The next afternoon, another unlucky servant came to summon Loki from his chambers. "The king requests your presence, my lord." He showed her a devious smile. She was older, probably in her early to mid 3000s, but was fairly pleasant to look at for her age.
"Well, he shall receive it then... I should not keep him waiting now, should I?" Loki asked playfully. As she walked away he cast a spell to give her a small but painful flick on her behind. She yelped while increasing her pace, and Loki chuckled to himself, before he began walking towards the throne room.
A table was set in front of Odin's throne in preparation for the upcoming feast. Thor and some other Asgardian elites were already seated, and Loki sat down as far away from them as possible.
A few moments later some members of the Avengers began making their way in.
He could recognize Captain America with his usual tough and unreadable look on his face, and then Black Widow, who to his interest was being followed closely by a woman in dark robes. Her fiery red hair was flowing in waves down to her waist behind her. She was pale, and had very soft features that looked a little odd when combined with her composed expression.
They introduced themselves to Odin one by one with a light kneel before his throne. After Odin acknowledged them, they sat at the long feast table amongst the Asgardians.
The woman looked around the grand throne room with mild curiosity, seemingly looking between the faces of those present with some sort of hidden purpose.
"An Avenger that is concerned about meeting Asgardians?" Loki thought to himself with interest as her eyes locked onto him. He held her gaze directly, showing a smirk in acknowledgement. "How curious."
Her expression didn't change, but her gaze did seem to linger on him for a few long moments before she heard Black Widow finish her greeting to Odin. She walked closer and looked up at Odin in his enourmos throne before gracefully taking a knee as she spoke. "Greetings, Allfather. My name is Kitri."
The raven resting on Odin's right shoulder squacked when he shifted in his throne as he looked over the woman. Even though the two ravens had seemed nearly identical, this one had slightly clouded eyes, covered in a bit of white that was noticible when compared to his pitch black eyed counterpart on Odin's other shoulder. "That accent you have... Quite unique, yet somehow familiar. You are not of Midgard, are you, child?"
Odin noticed a tinge of discomfort in her expression, but she seemed to have no surprise at the direct question. "I am from the nine realms, yet not from Midgard nor Asgard. I come here today as an Avenger, and as my origin is not related to this role, I will not trouble anyone here with my background at this time. It is a great pleasure to be here, Allfather."
Although seemingly not fully satisfied with her answer, it didn't seem like Odin was going to question her further. "Stand, my child. It is a pleasure to have you in my realm." He said as he nodded toward the raven seated on his left shoulder.
The raven croaked before immediately flying off of Odin and into some other part of his Asgardian halls, sent to help settle some of Odin's thirst to learn more about this woman, but without seeming inhospitable to his guests.
She smiled softly as she stood, but it was clear to Loki how relieved she seemed that Odin did not ask more about herself. Much to his delight, she moved to sit right across from him, noticeably farther away from the rest of the Avengers.
Loki could not keep his eyes off her as the others said their introductions before dinner arrived.
Her skin was so pale... A milky off white that added even more contrast to her bright fiery hair. She had a slim yet well shaped body that even her loose fitting dark robes had trouble hiding.
He could not remember seeing robes like those on Midgard. They were fairly simple and modest, yet well fitting with an elegant cut. Buttons trailing from her waist up to right above her cleavage, and a black cape trailing swiftly behind her that made a pleasant sound whenever she turned.
She periodically glanced up at him as the food was served, her dark gaze digging into him, but her expression was still mostly unreadable.
Meanwhile, she felt very odd and made a point to try to hide it. Loki was so pleasant to look at, not at all what she had expected from the horror stories she heard from the other Avengers. Dark hair and elegant pointed features... A large contrast to his brother, whom she was fairly indifferent towards.
She had very few men she has ever been interested in, less than she could count on one hand. Women were a different story, but her interest in pursuing any was based completely on her mood. Although Loki seemed... different. His gaze made her feel like he wanted to devour her, and she realized she was actually enjoying having it on her.
Still, they avoided interacting aside from a few brief and polite conversations.
As the guests began enjoying the festivities Odin organized to welcome the Midgardian visitors, Kitri moved to sit by Loki, making a pleased sly grin appear on his face. She leaned in to speak to him, hoping the closer proximity would allow her soft voice to carry over the sounds of the laughing and dancing guests. "I will not be around Asgard very often, but if I am here again, would you mind showing me around? You are Odin's other son, am I correct?"
Loki's heart skipped a beat, mischievious thoughts brewing in his mind. "I am Loki, quite right. I am certain you have heard much from my brother..." He said as he shot Thor a disapproving glance. "There is not much to see here in my opinion, but of course it would be my pleasure. Perhaps it may be more feasible if some dinner or drink plans were involved as well?" He asked as he grinned, expecting her to get uncomfortable and back away.
She was an Avenger after all, and must have heard of the chaos he caused on Midgard many months prior.
"That sounds lovely." She answered in a silky voice, and he raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her directly from the unexpected response.
"Having been forced to attend tonight's feast may have not been a punishment after all..." Loki thought to himself as he bit down a smile.