He was not at the Compound to investigate aggressive custodial staff. He was there to aid Thor and Jane's research and assist Wanda Maximoff with her magical abilities. However, as he ate his breakfast (a hideous Midgardian concoction called oatmeal) he couldn't help but think about the woman they'd startled.

Startled might have been too light of a term. By sending her through the rifts they'd nearly killed the poor janitor. He supposed she had every right to hate them, but he still wouldn't forgive her for kicking him across the room when he'd been a pomeranian. There was a bruise on his ribs that smarted whenever he moved his torso.

"Good morning, Loki!" Thor greeted with a blinding smile and a booming voice.

Loki rolled his eyes, but inwardly couldn't help but think that he'd missed the loudness of his brother. The dungeons of Asgard had their fair share of noisy inmates, but none of them were ever as jolly as Thor. Of course, the jolliness could quickly get irritating, but for the time being Loki was savoring it. And pretending to hate it, of course.

"Must you be so vibrant in the mornings, brother?"

"Apologies, I did not mean to disturb you," Thor patted his shoulder and then turned to the industrial fridge in the Compound kitchen. He selected a half eaten rotisserie chicken and began to polish it off.

"Did the janitor call Stark?" Loki asked.

"What janitor?" Thor licked his lips and thought for a moment. "Oh! The one we… err, accidentally transported last night?"

"Yes, her. What is her name?"

"Her uniform says 'Baker' on it so I have always assumed that is her name."

"Does she possess abilities of any sort?" Loki asked, remembering how Wanda had been whispering with her and the electronic bracelet on the woman's wrist.

"She is truly a genius when it comes to repairing the toilets in this place! And her skills with a squeegee are unparalleled. She keeps the windows so clean that I have flown into them before!"

"I meant super-human abilities," Loki paused in thought, "Unless she is not human?"

"In truth, I know very little about her," Thor shrugged and continued eating, "I believe someone told me that she tried to kill all of the other Avengers once while I was away. Her employment here is part of her rehabilitation."

"She tried to kill them and they trust her to work here?" Loki raised a brow.

Thor raised a brow right back and inclined his head. Loki understood his meaning.

"Touche. But I am your brother. Nepotism got me here, why does she get to stay?"

"As I said, I do not know her. You might ask Wanda. She and Baker seem to speak to each other frequently," Thor gnawed on the bone he'd just picked clean, "Or, I suppose you could ask her yourself. She lives in the building somewhere. Though, after her reaction to you last night, she may not want to answer your questions."

"Perhaps I will apologize on behalf of you, me, and Jane and she will be more willing to talk," Loki stood and scraped the rest of his oatmeal into the trash. He turned his face to the ceiling. "Lady Friday? Might I inquire about the whereabouts of the janitor Baker's chambers?"

"Staff residential information is confidential," Friday replied. "A request must be placed with Mr. Stark before such information can be released."

"For privacy," Thor guessed. "And the staff's protection. Tony does have quite a few enemies who might harm his staff to get at him."

"Then I suppose I will just have to speak to Wanda," Loki sighed and looked back at the ceiling, "Might I know Ms. Maximoff's location at least?"

"Of course," Friday responded, "She is in the training room sparring with the Other AI."

"Who?"

"That's what Friday calls Vision," Thor whispered, "We all suspect she is jealous of him."

"You were quite forthcoming with Ms. Maximoff's location," Loki said, somewhat sarcastically to Friday, "Are you not worried about her privacy or safety?"

"Respectfully, she could kick the butt of any who might try to harm her," Friday responded.

Loki ignored the voice's sass and went to find Wanda and Vision. Even if she didn't give him answers about the janitor, he did need to meet with the witch if he planned on advising her. At the very least, he could watch her train and see what he was working with.

When he arrived in the training room, he had to dodge a laser that Vision fired at him.

"Cease fire!" He called, rolling out of the way of another laser blast. "I have just come to speak with Ms. Maximoff!"

"Vis, stop! He's real!" Wanda bounded over from where she previously stood in a fighting stance.

"Yes, very much real, thank you," Loki straightened up as Vision descended from where he'd been floating in the rafters. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I should have scanned you first, my apologies," Vision nodded at him. "One of the training simulators projects holograms of potential threats to spar with. I thought it had turned on."

"Stark programmed a threatening hologram of me into your training system?" Loki asked, pressing his hand to his chest, "I'm not sure whether to be insulted or flattered."

"If it makes you feel better, we are all holograms in the simulator," Wanda smiled, "Stark is working on trust issues. Though I don't blame him after the things some of us have done."

"We met last night," Loki extended his hand to her, "But it is lovely to meet you in the light of day, Ms. Maximoff."

Wanda shook his hand. "You as well. Thor speaks of you often."

Loki looked at Vision, his eyes catching on the stone in his forehead. "So that is what became of the scepter, hmm?"

"It is a long story," Vision smiled and offered his hand to Loki as well.

"My brother tells me you are able to wield his hammer. I suppose that means you are worthy of the power you possess," he turned his attention back to Wanda, "While I do intend to assist you with your abilities at a later time, I was wondering if you could first tell me a bit about the other woman I met last night. The janitor?"

"Her name is Jaklyn Baker," Vision piped up, "A felon who is working off her sentence in Tony Stark's employ."

"What crime did she commit?" Loki asked. Interested to learn how successful the woman might have been in attacking the Avengers. He knew from personal experience that it was no easy task and wondered how the woman was still in one piece. The Hulk must not have been present when she lashed out.

"I will let her share the details when she is ready," Wanda said, "But to sum it up, she snuck into Avengers Tower, before Vis and I were part of the team, and she nearly killed Steve because of some long ago conflict. I believe her mother was somehow involved as well as magical mental manipulation. I'm told the events lasted two days, during which time Jaklyn's mother was killed and Jaklyn surrendered."

"Magical mental manipulation," Loki repeated, "Similar to what you do?"

"I believe so, but perhaps more like hypnotism? Her mother was very skilled at it and that's how she convinced Jaklyn to do some of what she did."

"And Ms. Baker has magical abilities of her own?"

"You should talk to her about it," Wanda said with a small smile, "Convince her to train with us. I'm sure we could have her power dampening cuff removed, right Vis?"

"She has been well behaved in her time here and Mr. Stark does seem lenient in her punishment. It would be Agent Woo that we would have more trouble convincing," Vision replied.

Something else that Wanda had said stuck out to Loki.

"You said that she had a long ago conflict with Captain Rogers. Is he not… significantly older than she is? By human standards?"

"You know, that would be a great question to ask Jaklyn," Wanda laughed, "If you want to know her story, just go speak to her."

"I would, but Friday refuses to tell me where she is located in this building," Loki replied, sending a glare at the ceiling.

"Staff confidentiality," Vision nodded.

"I take that to mean that you will not tell me either, robot?"

"Come on, I will take you to her," Wanda beckoned Loki to follow her.

They wound their way through the polished halls of the Compound, passing laboratories and sparring rings. Loki made note of the location of the heavily fortified door labeled "Armory", in case he might need that information at a later time. The Avengers might consider him reformed, but that didn't mean he was peaceful. Though, of course, he was not currently planning any world altering attacks. Mostly, he just wanted to be prepared for when the Mad Titan made his next move on earth. Loki knew better than most what devastation Thanos could bring.

But he wasn't going to think about that now. Right at that moment, he was going to introduce himself to the pretty janitor and make amends for scaring her the night before.

He blinked and missed a step as he walked.

Pretty?

He shook his head and kept following Wanda. It didn't matter. Anyone with eyes could see that she was attractive. Not in the conventional way, like Romanoff, Wanda, or Maria Hill, maybe, but still lovely to look at. Perhaps better than the others simply because her features were not so severe and stunning. Her face was softer, though her brows were thick. Her nose was a bit crooked and her eyes were not fawn-ishly large. He caught himself wondering if her hair was nice to touch or if the pink dye had made it somewhat crunchy.

As he considered these things, suddenly they were at her door and he barely knew how they'd arrived there. He irritably rubbed his forehead, inwardly scolding himself for being so easily distracted. If he wasn't careful, he'd wind up like Thor: head over heels for a woman who would die in a handful of decades.

"Would you like me to stay with you?" Wanda asked as they stood in front of the door for an awkwardly long time. "Perhaps I can help calm her down if she is… less than happy to see you again."

Loki nodded vaguely, knowing it would help his cause to have the witch present. Jaklyn would feel safer with someone she trusted, someone who was more than capable of fending off Loki if the janitor worried about him doing something "evil". Not that he would. He was only there to make amends and learn more about her possible powers.

He reached out to knock, but the door swung open before his knuckles connected.

"Geez louise," Jaklyn drew a sharp breath and took a step back, "It's like living in a horror movie. Jumpscares everywhere."

"Good morning, Ms. Baker," Loki took a step back as well, recalling that she was not fond of how close he stood the night before, "I have come to apologize."

"I'm sure that will make you feel much better, but I don't have time for it," she reached behind the door and pulled forth a battered rolling suitcase. When Loki glanced behind her, he saw that her small bed was neatly made and the chair had been flipped upside down on top of the desk, presumably to make cleaning the floor easier.

"You're leaving?" He asked.

"How observant of you," she took a step forward and pulled the door closed behind her. "Good luck, Wanda. I'm sure you'll have a lovely time learning about your powers and I look forward to hearing about you being heralded as the strongest Avenger."

"Jak, wait," Wanda put her hand on the other woman's shoulder, "Did Agent Woo reassign you?"

"I spoke with him and Mr. Stark first thing this morning. It took some arguing, but they agreed that I can go work at one of the Stark factories instead."

"You are leaving Avengers Compound for a factory job?" Loki asked incredulously.

"Unlike during the Industrial Revolution, factory jobs are actually fairly safe now," she told him with an annoyed look, "Safer than living here."

"The portals were Jane's doing, not mine!" He protested, "Well, I helped, but it wasn't entirely my fault! And when I tried to help you, you kicked me across the room!"

"Here I thought you were going to apologize," she rolled her eyes and started walking down the corridor. "Goodbye Wanda, I'll text you once I'm settled in at the new place."

"You can't leave!" Loki blurted, catching up with her and grabbing her arm. He looked down at his hand on her bicep and then looked up at her glare. Quickly letting go of her, he took another step back, hands raised peacefully. "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate of me."

"Listen, Loki, it's nothing personal. You just make me feel completely unsafe and as if the whole building might catch fire at any moment. Besides, based off of the stunt you pulled in New York, I know you have a big ego. I also have a… large personality. We'd only cause problems," she started walking again, "And I'm sure it's against some safety code to have two former supervillains living in the same building."

Loki hurried after her and Wanda tagged along a few feet behind. He wasn't sure why he was so adamant for her to stay. It's not as if it affected him one way or the other. But he wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know about her motivation for attacking the Avengers and what the extent of her powers were. Apart from a certain area of Tibet and a handful of other gatherings, it was rare to meet a magic user on Midgard. And Tony Stark had one working as a janitor. Even worse, soon she'd be a factory worker!

He told himself that was why he chased her down the hall, reasoning with her to stay. Because, as a sorcerer himself, he couldn't let any potential skill she had go to waste. He pictured Frigga in his head, shaking her head at the poor little Midgardian, condemned to hide her abilities. It was for the memory of his mother, for the respect of the craft that he followed Jaklyn all the way to the front door. Certainly not because she was pretty and made his heart beat faster.

"What can I say to convince you to stay?" He asked her as she stood outside the compound, staring down the long driveway. A federal vehicle was supposed to pick her up and take her to her next job. Loki figured he had until then to get her to change her mind.

"That you're leaving earth and never coming back," she said, crossing her arms and sitting on her suitcase.

"You have magic. Let me teach you along with Wanda," he offered.

She lifted her wrist, showing him the metal cuff. Small red lights blinked rhythmically.

"Can't. No magic for me," she looked up at him curiously for a moment, "Why do you want me to stay anyway? Nevermind. Don't answer. I don't care. I'm leaving."

Loki grinned, sensing that she was beginning to cave.

"I am a powerful practitioner of magic," he told her, conjuring a suitcase identical to hers and sitting on it so he would be at eye level with her. "I feel responsible to ensure that the art of enchantment is passed along correctly. Even if your lifespan is a mere blink of the eye, I've seen what sort of damage human's can cause with improperly used powers-"

"The blink of an eye?" She snorted and crossed her arms and looked over her shoulder to Wanda, who stood nervously by the door, "You didn't tell him?"

"He is very curious about you," the witch said with a small smile, "But I told him that he would have to ask you himself."

"Well, I suppose I don't have anything on your years," Jaklyn turned back to Loki and looked him up and down, "But two hundred and fifty years is surely more than the blink of an eye even for you."

"Two hundred…" Loki gaped at her, "Are you… not human?"

She shrugged, but didn't say a word. His interest in her only increased. She had to stay now. He'd find a way to keep her even if it meant trapping her in a pocket dimension.

"Are you unsure or just being difficult?" He asked in regard to her shrug.

"My mother was a human. I only met my father a few times, so I can't be sure about him. He looked human enough," she replied and then quickly looked away from him, "Not that it's any of your business."

Two hundred and fifty years would put her birth in the 1760s. Loki had not spent much time on Midgard during that era, so he had no idea what sort of historical events were happening. But he knew that America had at least been invaded by the Europeans by that point. She looked European. Her skin was fair and her eyes were… how had he not noticed her eyes before? They were a dark purple color. He supposed he could have mistaken them for brown previously, but in the daylight, they shone with unused power. Humans did not have purple eyes. At least, not that he knew of.

"We could find out more about your heritage if you stayed," he offered, "Perhaps you have Asgardian blood. Or elven!"

She opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again and looked at him.

"What makes you say that?"

"Is your hair naturally that color?"

"Yes…" she responded, tucking a loose strand back into her ponytail.

"What color hair did your father have?"

"I can't remember…" she hesitated, "It was, I think it was black. But I remember thinking it looked like it had been dipped in ink. He might have dyed it."

"Perhaps he was not of this world," Loki suggested, "He may just have been human, hiding gray hairs, but what if he were more? What if you are not of this world? Wouldn't you like to find out? I can help you."

A black SUV appeared at the end of the drive. Loki stood and blocked Jaklyn's view of it, getting her to focus on him.

"If you worry about what mischief I might cause, don't. My brother is here to keep watch. The Avengers have already defeated me once and now I have promised to aid them, what have you to fear?"

She watched him carefully and then looked down at her wrist.

"It's tempting, but legally, I am not allowed to use magic anymore," she shrugged once more and stood up, "And it looks like my ride's here."

A federal agent stepped out of the SUV as it stopped in front of them. He regarded Loki carefully, hand resting on his weapon. As if the tiny gun could do anything of consequence.

"Ready to go, Jaklyn?" The agent asked, stepping closer to her.

"Stay," Loki said, voice firm. "Or I'll have to come find you to finish this conversation."

"Uh, sir, if you could please step away from Ms. Baker," the agent put his hand up, "She will be going to secure location and-"

"If you live as long as you claim, I'll have plenty of time to find you," Loki told her, raising a brow and smiling at her. He added a bit of threat to the grin, knowing exactly how intimidating he could look with a mere smile. Her cheeks flushed red and she looked away, knuckles white as she gripped her suitcase. She pursed her lips and tapped her foot quickly.

"Jimmy, I've changed my mind," she told the agent, "I overreacted."

"Jaklyn, we've already got the paperwork sorted and, no offense, it's probably against some safety code to leave you in the same place as Loki," the agent gave Loki another judgemental once over.

"I have already sorted out the paperwork," Vision appeared, floating up through the ground. The agent jumped in surprise, hand going to his gun once again. "And, Ms. Baker, I have contacted Mr. Stark's legal team. They believe that you can have the cuff removed if you show proof that you will use your magical abilities to better society. If you were to register as a member of the Avengers team-"

"Whoa! Whoa!" The agent put both his hands up as if trying to tame a group of wild animals, "Everyone slow down."

"Seconded," Jaklyn pointed at Vision and then pointed at Loki, "I haven't agreed to learning about magic. I am only agreeing to stay in the Compound. For now."

"You would make an excellent Avenger," Wanda commented.

"I'll register as an Avenger when he does," Jaklyn gestured to Loki with a scoff, "For now, I'll stick to cleaning."

"For now," Loki agreed. And here he'd thought his time spent on Midgard would be boring.

A note from the author: Thank you so much for reading and special thanks to those of you who favorited and followed! :)

See you in the next chapter!