"Friends?" Tony asked in vague disgust as Loki nursed his reddening cheek and Jane Foster stood before him, fuming.
"Perhaps 'acquaintances' would be a better term," the frost giant allowed, and Stark turned to Banner, putting a hand out.
"Five bucks. I called it."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jane demanded before Banner could reply, pinning her hands on her hips and leaning forward in as intimidating a way as she could, being nearly a foot shorter than Loki. "Where's Thor? What have you done with him?"
Loki raised his hands, his mouth tugging up into a smirk.
It appeared that even after their 'mutual dumping' she still cared deeply for his brother. That was an advantage. Loki had been betting on that.
Thor had taken lovers before, and while his parting from them had been nothing quite this dramatic, Loki had never seen them harbor any particularly ill will towards him. The man was ridiculously nice.
"This time? Nothing. My brother and a number of our fighters have vanished behind what appears to be a dimensional gate. We've come to demand your assistance."
"Request," Stephen interjected sharply. "We're requesting your assistance. Not demanding it." He shot an admonishing look at Loki who shrugged, not feeling scolded in the slightest.
Jane glanced around the group, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"I know who you two are," she said, glancing at Stark and Banner before turning her gaze to Strange. "But who are you?"
"Doctor Stephen Strange, magic expert."
"You make it sound so dull," Loki smirked.
Stephen's eye twitched.
"Oh, fantastic..." Jane muttered under her breath. "Here we go again."
Loki simply smiled.
"Indeed."