Loki was staring out at the faint pink sky when he heard the familiar sound of a distant click as Erin let herself in through the front door of the Rabbit Hole. He stood and arched his back, stretching his muscles from a full night of gazing out the window, craving the realm he referred to as home. He walked downstairs to see what the young woman would be doing today.
She was settling her things on the desk before pulling something from her bag. It was slender and fit in the palm of her hand and, as her thumb danced over the surface, it came to life with music. It was light and smooth to Loki's ears as he watched her body flow down the aisles of the store cleaning as she went. He scoffed at her actions, surprised at her simple ways. Although, as the music filled the air, he found himself mesmerized by her and the way her body moved. The look in her eyes was far away, definitely not in this realm. Loki pulled his eyes from her and went to sit on the chair by the desk, his long legs stretching up to rest on the scratched surface of the table next to the piles of books. As she continued to dance her way around the small store, Loki observed her belongings that she kept in her bag. Notebook, chapstick, compact mirror, lots of pens, nothing that seemed of value. Giving up his scavenging, he scanned the table before him to find the book that she was reading yesterday before an idea popped into his head. He immediately climbed the stairs leading to the second floor, a smile creeping onto his face. He found the book from the day before in no time at all, his index finger stroking the spine before pulling the book from the shelf. It hit the floor with the same loud resounding thud as the previous day. In half a moment, Loki could hear distant footsteps on the stairs, the volume of the music lowered instantly. He saw the woman search for the where the noise had come from, only to see her stop abruptly in front of where the book was laying. She froze, her brows furrowing as she picked up the book and brought in back to its home on the shelf and making sure it was placed in a way to make it nearly impossible for it to fall. She waited a moment, her hand still on Anna Karenina, and let her eyes wander the shelf looking for a loose screw or a slanted shelf that could explain why the same book from yesterday had fallen.
The sound of the bell above the door downstairs pushed Erin into action as she quickly made her way down the stairs to greet the arriving customers. He could hear her voice rise as she spoke with them, "Morning, welcome to The Rabbit Hole. My name is Erin, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask."
"Erin." He turned her name over in his head, speaking it aloud and letting each syllable roll off his tongue delicately as if not speaking it with respect would ruin her very being. He peered out the second floor window, watching her welcome passers-by into the store. We shall have a proper introduction very soon, my pet.
The next few days went along very similar to the first day that Loki encountered Erin. He would often start the day following her around, trying to put an end to his boredom by observing her and her actions. He often tried to frighten her, taking joy in her jumps of surprise and occasionally the soft sound that would escape her lips if he managed to scare her particularly well. She was surprisingly resilient, Loki realized. How, every day just like the first, he would push the same book off the shelf; and she, every day just as the first, would pick it up and stare at the space where it had been with a stubborn curiosity about her. Loki relished in the uneasiness that shook through her and some days he could see her skin raise at that fear that he evoked from her, but she would continuously hold her ground even as her body tried betraying her. Though he could see how unsettled she was, she would stare right at him, not even knowing that she was looking directly into the eyes of the god of mischief. Loki awaited this moment when her eyes looked right through his, it ebbed away at the isolation he felt… though he would never admit it. Even as the days crawled by, Loki still shielded himself from the rest of the world, refusing to reveal himself until he felt strong enough to use his power to its maximum potential. Just so, most days he felt weakened from the little tricks he would perform, even constantly shielding himself from the naked eye slowly draining what little energy he possessed.
A week had passed since Loki had first arrived on Midgard, and each day seemed to be as equally eventful as the day before, which wasn't very eventful at all. Starting as most days did with the two, Erin let herself inside The Rabbit Hole and began to tidy up what she could, focusing on the second floor that day. As usual, Anna Karenina fell from the shelf. Accustomed to it by now, Erin merely fidgeted at the sound, to Loki's both amusement and slight disappointment. She walked over to the where the book had fallen, the sound of her brown boots echoing through all two stories of the bookstore. She bent to pick it up, turning it over to examine any additional scratches to the cover from the numerous times it had fallen. Once again, she looked through the now unoccupied space on the shelf, her eyes meeting the the empty space of the next row over. Loki stared back at her, watching her face contort into numerous emotions: confusion, curiosity, even the smallest flecks of fear presented itself in her brown orbs. What Loki didn't expect was for the young woman to stretch her arm through the shelf, her hand spread with her palm facing him.
For the past week, Erin couldn't deny a presence that she felt in the old building. She was not quick to believe in ghosts but found that there was not much else to really put her finger on... other than the fact that she was losing her mind. Over the time that she was experiencing this recurrence, she found herself becoming familiar with the same presence, consistently in the store hanging over her shoulder. Deciding to feel the empty space in front of her to just...feel something different, something explicable, might help her find some sort of answer to the questions that shrouded her mind. Her fingertips grew closer to Loki's shielded form and she was able to feel a sudden coldness in the air. Normally she would blame such a thing on a draft in the building, but she knew Vince had had the building renovated this past year to prevent the cold from getting in so easily. Additionally, the heater was making the store so hot that she was still boiling in her skin after taking off her flannel shirt, leaving her in a thin white t-shirt. Her fingers stretched a bit farther past the cool air and she was once again met with a warmth, but it was different than the heat the enveloped her body. The warm air she felt surrounding her hand in waves was pulsing against her skin, sending vibrations down her fingers, through her arms, and throughout the rest of her body.
Her intake of breath did not go unnoticed by Loki, he himself a little shocked by this exchange. He could feel the warmth of her hand reaching for the space where his torso was located and for the briefest of moments, he could feel her her featherlight touch on him.
Erin pulled her hand back to her chest and slowly walked around the shelves to where her hand had been just mere moments before. She took one tentative step forward, and then another, until she could feel a cool wall of air before her. The feeling was surreal, she could only equate it to the chill of frozen glass - subtle yet apparent, contradictorily is it may seem.
Loki looked down at the girl, he saw wonder and fear in her eyes, but not at him. Fear of the unknown. His brows furrowed, She'd have more fear if she knew whose presence she had been standing before. He smirked and took a resolute step backward and with a swift jerk of his hand, sent Anna Karenina falling once again to the floor between the two of them. Her back straightened and her hand flew to her mouth to stifle the yelp that escaped from her lips. Loki, with more than a little satisfaction, turned on his heel and retreated to the safety of his chair by the window. He sat down and let out a gust of air from his lungs, feeling the blood rush to his head. For most of the morning, Loki sat in the same spot, cursing Odin for all that he had done to him; Frigga, for her unyielding love; and this woman, for her curiosity and the place on his chest where her fingers had been.
The remainder of the day seemed to crawl for Erin and Loki, both lost in the recesses of their minds. They both settled in their respective places of the store with their noses buried in their books and their minds absent. In the late afternoon, an older man with long white hair tied at the nape of his neck let himself through the door. His glasses were huge and obviously outdated, but Erin once recalled him telling someone that they were a gift from his late wife. The gentleman turned towards Erin, who remained oblivious to his presence, "Well, this was the welcome I had hoped to come home to. Hugs and general excitement are definitely overrated."
Erin finally focused on the man. "Vince! You're back... has it already been three weeks?" She rose from her seat and hugged him tightly, "It's great to have you back. How was Poland?"
"It was very lovely, as beautiful as I always remember it. I visited Katerina's grave for a few days while I was out there." He smiled warmly at the sound of his wife's name leaving his lips and Erin couldn't help but feel an affection for the older man, like a father.
Loki entered, overhearing the commotion and investigating the source. He saw Erin speaking with a much older man. She, as per usual, was chatting away in her animated way of speaking. He watched closely as the man cupped her shoulder and handed her a small envelope. "Here, take this for watching the store while I was away. Think of it as a bonus for all you do here." She blushed and tried to refuse but her attempts seemed rather half hearted in the god's opinion. After taking it, she retrieved her belongings, first tugging on her olive jacket and looping her scarf, the color of autumn leaves, around her neck. "Well, I think I'll be on my way. Welcome home, Vince."
"Thank you, dear. Why don't you take the next few days off? It's not like we'll get much business anyway... I believe I may just sell the place and move back to Poland." Vincent stopped to look around the store, reflecting on his life spent in the simple two-story building. "My wife and I starting selling our books first you know. She taught quantum mechanics at the local college while I read literature. We both had a penchant for poetry though...you can image the variety that we had!" He sighed, "This was such a bustling place for those who hungered for knowledge and enlightenment… Now, we collect dust." He tapped his shoe against a nearby stack of textbooks, the dust filling the air around them and sending Vincent into a fit of coughs.
Erin patted his back, "She sounds like a great woman; I wish I could've met her myself. Just know that anything you need, Vincent, you can ring me. Whatever you choose to do with The Rabbit Hole, I'm sure it'll be for the best."
"Thank you, dear. Katerina would have loved you. You're like the daughter I've never had." They exchanged warm smiles and she hugged him once more.
"Well I should get going. Do you mind if I borrow a book to take with me?" At his nod, Erin retreated to the closet to pull out a six foot ladder. She proceeded down the furthest aisle to the shelves that ran along the back wall. Leaning it against the shelves, Erin started climbing the steps of the ladder, nearly to the top when she reached for the highest shelf. "Now, where are you," she clicked her tongue, her eyebrows furrowed. "Hmm...ah! There you are," she reached forward and pulled a relatively thick book from the shelf, it's title reading Look to the North, a History of Vikings. "I found this the other day under a huge stack of medical anomalies, thought I'd give it a shot," she called to Vincent, who grumbled as he absent mindedly inspected the mail he received in the time of his absence.
"Don't bother returning it dear, we could use the room… This goddamn government is trying to run me into the ground! Those sons of guns are lucky I'm not the chiseled soldier that I used to be…" he shuffled around, muttering insults and punching the air.
Erin chuckled and shook her head to herself, appreciating the man's...zest, for lack of a better word. She started the descent down the ladder steps when she felt her foot slip from its spot and caused her to fall backwards, her grip totally lost of the ladder. As she was awaiting her collision with the wooden floor, it never came. Her fall was cushioned by...something. She looked down at her feet, mere inches from the ground. Before she could fully comprehend what was occuring, she felt herself released from the air and her feet unceremoniously hit the ground. Shaking, she glanced around quickly, scanning for something, anything, that could explain the events that had just taken place. On edge, she scurried to the door before stopping suddenly and running up the steps to take Anna Karenina off the shelf and tucking it under her arm. Spinning on her heel, Erin took off, practically flying out the door.
Loki watched the girl with amusement as she retreated from him and rushed from the store. Well, this certainly is going to be fun.
Erin was still shaken up from her "fall." Her heart was pulsing so fiercely that she could feel it in her ears threatening to deafen her. As frightful as it was that she fell from nearly six feet only to be stopped mid air and placed gently on the ground, that wasn't where the shock resonated with her. No, it was the warmth that encased her, vibrating through her body. The smell of pine and lavender that filled her lungs with each intake of breath. The quiet chill that brushed her cheeks in waves. She shook her head and allowed her footsteps to quicken, Where is my mind? She thought to herself, looking to the sky in hope of finding an answer.
Loki decided it was time to see what the girl was made of. He followed her closely as her pace seemed to quicken. He could faintly here her muttering to herself, no doubt convincing herself of her own sanity. His smile widened at the thought. Let's see where my little pet goes at night. She turned sharply on her heel down a less occupied road and Loki merely lengthened his stride by an inch to fall in step beside her, examining Erin from the corner of his eye. She didn't appear to be frightened, but her mind was definitely on another plane as she walked the streets of the city. He could understand why, as he was a little perturbed by his sudden urge to rescue the girl from harm. In the end he was surely glad that he had, because the most curious thing had happened. She had felt him, only she didn't know it yet. She was keenly aware of his presence, but unable to identify it. He was quite curious to see how far he could take it. But first, he decided to had a little fun with her.
Looking down at the laces of her shoes, he was able to use his magic to give them a firm tug, causing her to trip and nearly fall. She was able to catch herself in time as her left foot was able to steady her body, and he chuckled as he watched her arms spread as if a bird taking flight. He was surprised to see that when she turned to look for the culprit of her sudden hinderance that she was also laughing to herself. Unable to find anything, she turned and continued on her way down the empty street. Loki, only slightly irked, decided to try a different approach. Changing his form into that of an emerald snake, he quickly slithered into her path stopping her in her tracks. She knelt before him and examined him closely. "Well, aren't you just a cutie," she said to him, surveying his scales. He hissed at her, clearly irritated by her aloof manner. She only stood up and continued on her way, "Good luck, little guy," she called back to him as she jogged ahead to a door reading Anything Goes in red neon lights in the window. He reverted back to his invisible self, winded by the power he used, and cautiously followed after her.
Once inside, Loki was surprised by the lack of lighting and his ears were assaulted by the sounds of awful loud music and slurred voices. Older patrons sat along the counter of the bar while younger ones stood in groups, making it difficult for Loki to spot the Erin in the crowd until he managed to catch sight of copper strands as ran her fingers through her hair, finally freeing it from the knot she had it up in that day. He came to stand behind her as she pulled a seat out for herself at the bar, sitting alone. A man behind the bar walked up to her, his blonde hair pulled into a bun that allowed for more attention focus on his deep blue eyes. His tight shirt, defining the contours of his body, stretched as he leaned forward on the counter to get closer to Erin. Loki was reminded of his brother as the bartender smiled charmingly at her, "Hey Erin, same thing?" "Jameson, neat please for today Gabe" was her reply. He nodded and turned his back to her to pour her drink while she pulled money from her pocket and placed it on the counter for him to see. Taking her drink, she kept it placed between her palms, rolling the glass in between her hands. Loki continued to watch her, sensing the familiar aura that settled around her as she stared a hole through the bottom of the glass she was holding.
"Hey, is this seat taken?" Both of their attention was brought to a young woman, tanned skin and dark hair pulled into a ponytail that cascaded down her neck.
"Oh no, have at it." Erin scooted her chair to give the other woman more space.
"Thanks," the woman said, turning to hang her bag over her chair.
"Anytime. It's relieving to know that I'm not the only one that sits at the bar this early during the week," Erin joked, gesturing to the other people in the small bar.
"Thursday is close enough to the weekend," the other agreed. "Especially when your husband is screwing the neighbor back at home."
Erin's eyes widened, "Shit. Why aren't you over there with a hammer and glue gun?"
"Waiting for the opportune moment. Anna," she introduced herself, lending her hand.
"Erin," she took her hand, feeling Anna's acrylic nails against her skin. "So, how long has your husband been having an affair?"
"Three months. The marriage was pretty much over when he started sleeping around, but that is still no excuse." The bartender came back to the women, eyeing up Anna. "I'll have what she's having," Anna gestured to Erin. "What about you? Husband, kids, picket fence?"
"No, not for me."
"Not even a man?" Anna asked, shocked. "You're smoking hot. I'd fuck you myself if you got enough of these in me," she gestured to the drink in her manicured hand, in which Gabe raised a suggestive eyebrow. "Tend to your other patrons, horndog." Gabe walked off, his neck bright pink.
Erin laughed at her blunt behavior. "Thanks, but no. I haven't met anyone worth keeping around, and after awhile it just becomes useless looking."
At that moment, Loki watched as a man came over to the women, his strut looking more like a problem he was trying to handle without the use of his hands. He leaned on the counter to Erin's left, eyeing her up like a dog staring at a bone. "Hey, you seem a little lonely tonight." He leaned in close to her, the smell of alcohol intruding on her personal space. "I could fix that for you."
Loki rolled his eyes at the man and awaited her reaction.
Erin, surprised at the sudden intrusion on her privacy, leaned into the man, momentarily confusing Loki. Both men drew closer in as she whispered to the guy at the bar, "I could definitely use some company tonight. However," Loki was so close he could feel her hot breath on the man whom she was speaking to, the smell of liquor and jasmine filling his nostrils, "I'm already taken for the night." She finished, leaning back into Anna's shoulder and giggling with her as Anna's hand encircled her waist.
"Yeah, whatever bitch, you sure are missing out," he slurred, tilting his drink back to his lips. Loki took the opportunity to push the glass, it missing the man's mouth and spilling onto his pants. He jumped back immediately and hurried off, clearly embarrassed by his blunder. Erin and Anna turned to each other cackling in laughter while Loki watched the scene play out, smiling in triumph.
Erin had entered her apartment just a little after one in the morning, stumbling through the door and giggling to herself. Loki followed in behind her, amused by her obviously intoxicated but pleasant demeanor. She had spent the past four hours talking with the other woman at the bar, sharing stories and jokes of old lovers and fond memories. Loki found that Erin was quite insightful for a Midgardian of her age, yet as she shared her more rebellious stories he felt a sense of pride at the way her eyes lit up when retelling her adrenaline filled tales. He surveyed her home, finding it oddly barren. A couch lined the far wall of the living room to his right, facing the windows. A small table was placed in front of it, containing large canvas paper that spilled onto the floor. Erin, in her clearly drunken state, took her jacket and bag and dropped them on the living room floor, running her fingers through her hair as she walked into the kitchen. She reached into her cupboards and pulled out a glass to fill it with water. Loki seated himself in one of the two chairs at her kitchen table and watched her move around the room, her movements surprisingly fluid for one so intoxicated. She turned and leaned against the counter, sipping from her glass and allowing the silence to settle in the air. She looked tragically beautiful, Loki realized, finally admitting it to himself. The way her eyes held so much expression no matter how distant they were. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were a bright pink from the crisp winter air that hit her face as she walked the three blocks from the bar to her home. Her lips were the shade of a dusty rose and were swollen often from her catching her lips between teeth and biting them absentmindedly. Her hair was frizzy from the dampness in the air and it lay about her in warm golden hues, tickling her freckled skin as it fell. Loki felt himself mesmerized by the creature. She finished her glass and entered a third room that contained a bed, a dresser, and a bookshelf. Removing her shoes and pants she climbed into bed, tucking the covers around herself. Moments later, Loki could hear her breathing, slow and deep. He watched her for some time, trying to figure her out. He settled with seating himself at the foot of her bed,gazing out at the moon as its light flooded the room, bathing them in its silver light.