Chelsea Grin (7)
Trapped and Released

"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust him." ~Ernest Hemingway

Loki had watched the sunrise through fogged and bleary eyes. Time seemed to drag on as the sun climbed over the horizon, and even longer so when it finally scaled past the skyscrapers. He decided to get out of bed and change. After rummaging through the closet, Loki managed to find a set of clothes he deemed decent: a dark gray suit with matching pants and an accompanying green scarf. He had forgotten how awfully inconvenient the task could be without the aid of magic. He splashed his face with cold water from the sink to shake off the grogginess. Loki had long been awake by the time Tony opened the door.

"Oh good, you're up. Jesus, your room is cold."

"Yes, I prefer it that way."

"Pepper's making breakfast downstairs. I can't let you out of my sight, so you better stick with me. I'm damn hungry."

Loki didn't want to admit that he too wanted food. A long, sleepless night plagued with nightmares had drained him of energy and increased his appetite. He followed Tony down the same route they had taken to get to his room. A pleasant aroma wafted from the kitchen area. They made it just in time for Pepper to add finishing touches to the breakfast she made.

"A dash of salt and some pepper...oh, morning boys."

"Hey, baby." Tony pecked a kiss on her cheek. "Ooh, those scrambled eggs look great. They're all for me, right?"

Pepper held the plate away from Tony's reach and pinned him down with an admonishing stare. "No, Loki and Happy are having some too. Learn to share. Go sit yourselves down...I need to get the bacon next. There's already toast and butter on the table."

Nevertheless, the men politely waited for Pepper to join them before they began eating. Loki was the last to dig in, as he eyed his plate uncertainly.

"I'll eat yours if you don't want it," Tony volunteered. He grunted when Pepper gently whacked him on his arm.

"Quit being so rude to our guest!" she exclaimed.

"He's not a guest. He's a hostage."

Pepper shook her head before taking a bite. She glanced at Loki, whose hands slowly fluttered to the fork and knife.

"It's not poisoned, if that's what you're worried about." she said. "I know scrambled eggs isn't a meal fit for a king, but...I figured I would make your morning with my signature dish."

Loki merely nodded. He took up his silverware and cut neatly into his breakfast, making Tony and Happy look like slobbering pigs in comparison.

"How's the food, Loki?"

"...Adequate."

She took it as a reluctant complement. "You're welcome."

"Are you kidding me? This is great!" Tony declared. "One more reason to love you, Pepper."

"I second him on that." Happy said.

After finishing breakfast, they drove in Tony's car to visit Natasha. Everyone was quiet and hesitant at first, knowing that she had turned away their company before. Tony and Pepper were thrilled when the nurse told them she could take visitors. Tony made Loki wait outside while he and Pepper went into Natasha's room first. They didn't take long.

When Tony exited, he said to Loki, "Okay…your turn, I guess. Pepper and I didn't want to hang around too long and make her uncomfortable. I suggest you do the same, Rock of Ages. Make it quick."

Loki rose to his feet; slowly and carefully, he entered her room. He greeted her with a small nod.

"Good morning, Agent Romanoff."

He studied her, taking note of the faint bruises under her eyes. "I take it that you had a restless night? Or more than one?" He shook his head. "No matter. Perhaps I should not pry into your business…like the way I've done last time. You can't answer me anyway, so it'll do you and me no good to ask questions."

Natasha regarded him silently. She was still on her guard. She never took her eyes off of him as he occasionally shifted from standing up to sitting down to pacing around. He found her gaze intense and unsettling. It almost made him uncomfortable. He could imagine that she felt the same way. They were like two wolves—tensed and bristling, made to share the same space. Loki hardly broke the silence, only to ramble aimlessly about the mundane Midgardian life. Soon he would run out of things to talk about, and he would lapse back into silence once more. His eyes wandered around the room, yet they always seemed to linger on Natasha's scars. She noticed, but she didn't seem to mind. The skin no longer bore an angry red color. But with the fading of red, the black stitches stood out more pronounced and etched on her face.

"You seem to be healing quite nicely," he remarked. "As expected from a strong woman like you."

He was going to ask her how much longer until she would be able to walk, but he held his tongue. She probably didn't know either. Her injuries went beyond the scars on her face and her broken ankle, that much he knew from Thor. Those kinds of wounds would take much longer to heal. Loki had never heard of or seen rape within the Asgardian court, though stories circulate concerning victims who were mostly commonfolk or slaves. It was a horrid and disgusting act, that much he knew. Loki was no stranger to killing people, though he wondered how those who rape could bear to carry out something that is so inhuman and primal. At least he had made killing and suffering a quick affair, to snuff out one's life rather than prolong it to reduce that person into an animal. Natasha had been unfortunate to endure such an experience, and because of that he felt sorry for her. To a certain extent.

'That time she had outsmarted me in my own game, rendered my silver-tongue to lead with her own…it still doesn't sit well with me. No one has ever bested me in the art of lying, let alone a woman. She will not expect my fullest sympathy anytime soon.'

His mood gradually soured, and he was filled with bitterness to the point he no longer wanted to remain in the room. He turned away to leave.

"Good day," he said curtly.

He could feel her eyes on his back as he left. Tony and Pepper had waited for him outside, and now the billionaire folded his arms and gave Loki an expectant gaze.

"Well? Crazy as it sounds, but did she warm up to you yet?"

Loki scoffed. "I'd sooner believe the coming of Ragnarok than that."

"The coming of what?"

The Trickster God shook his head irritably. "Never mind. I suppose we're going back to the tower now?"

"Well, we can't just go places and let you walk among the very people you tried to destroy."

Loki bit back a sigh of dismay. He hated traveling in a car, even if it was a nice and expensive one like Tony's. He spared a momentary glance at Natasha's room before trailing behind Tony and Pepper, feeling like a downtrodden dog.


After suffering from sleepless nights, Natasha needed the company. When Tony and Pepper showed up, she could tell they really wanted to cheer her up. Pepper worried and fretted, asking Natasha if she had been getting enough sleep and something to eat. As always, Natasha would be moved by the other woman's compassion. She had looked away guiltily, unable to answer. Tony had looked as if he was sorely tempted to make a joke many times.

"I want to make you laugh and smile—for real, you know." He awkwardly gestured to his mouth. "But I don't want to—uh, hurt you." He had scratched at his goatee, glanced at Pepper, then said to Natasha, "Well, I guess we better get going and leave you in peace. We don't want to be a bother to you or anything like that."

They excused themselves and left, but not without Pepper giving Natasha a quick but careful kiss on the cheek.

Clint had been visiting her the most, and he was always careful not to make her feel patronized or pitied by him. She wished she could confide with him about her nightmares. But she doubt he would understand, even though he would definitely listen. Despite the fact that he too was once a criminal, Clint was a Boy Scout compared to her; Natasha had lived a long time, and her mid-twenties appearance masked that fact. Serum administered by the Red Room, a perversion of the very same formula used for Steve Rogers in America, gave her an unnaturally long lifespan and prolonged youthful prime. Red Room and S.H.I.E.L.D. data files hold her real birth date: 1928. As of the year 2012, she was roughly 84 years old, still as strong and young-looking as ever. Even though Steve was older than her by a couple of years, he had been in ice while she had been running rampant in Russia...lying, cheating, stealing and killing. Each murder would be carefully planned and brilliantly done. In that aspect, she could consider herself a serial killer. She took no pride in that.

Natasha was convinced she must be having some sort of breakdown. Must be a long-delayed PTSD, she thought.

She didn't have the appetite to eat much. Sometimes she felt numb and detached to her surroundings. The lack of sleep didn't help. While she became desperate for company, she still felt she couldn't relate to any of them. Natasha hated being alone more than anything. Without her comrades, teammates and friends, she was left to fend for herself and the demons of her past. No matter how hard she tried, they kept resurfacing to haunt her in every shape or form. Whenever daylight streamed from the glass window and onto her bed, a sense of panic would slowly build up within her. Natasha's entire body would feel as if she were lit on fire, fire as bright and hot as the one that had killed her parents in Stalingrad all those years ago. Her mother and father…she couldn't remember their names…couldn't even remember their faces. But she knew they had been there…and left just as quickly.

Even when Natasha had requested a nurse to shut the curtains of the window, the sense of panic and dread did not go away. In place of fire were shadows, ones that reminded her of the darkness of the Red Room. She and the other girls, orphans off the streets just like her, were no more than lab rats trained for killing…and tampered by technology to help them do so. The Red Room had always been such a shady place, enclosed everywhere and shut off from the outside world. It was not a place she wanted to remember.

'Post-traumatic stress disorder, claustrophobia, fear of being alone, avoiding sunlight…damn it, what's wrong with me?'

Natasha used to enjoy keeping to herself. That was when she had been able to push away memories, sights and sounds of her past. She used to love the silence. Now the silence wasn't so pleasant anymore. She fully understood that her friends, much as they wanted to, couldn't visit her all the time. They were busy with their own lives, their own worries. Still, she would give anything to have someone, anyone, by her side. She expected Clint's face to appear in her mind among anyone else's. He was her best friend, after all. She knew him longer than the rest of her teammates. So why was she thinking of Loki as well?


A week passed since visiting Natasha. Loki spent his days cooped up in his room, with nothing to do but watch the television from sunrise to sunset. He couldn't even take a nap without thinking with dread about the Other and his mysterious threats. So Loki willed himself to stay awake and find something to do. The only thing to read in the room was an instruction manual for using the TV. He read that from front to back until he knew everything about the damn thing. The only time he was allowed to be out of his room was for meals. Even then, he never ate much. As soon as Loki would finish, Tony would send him straight to his room. Eventually, Loki was trusted enough to be allowed roaming the tower's general rooms. He was banned from entering Tony's labs, since the billionaire would sooner die than let the God of Mischief touch and mess with his stuff.

Pepper unofficially signed up for the babysitting job. Might as well, since she frequently saw the God of Mischief as he was forced to hang around Tony and wherever he went. Sometimes Tony was too busy to babysit Loki. He would bustle all over the Avengers Tower, taking care of housekeeping and occasionally disappearing for hours down at his lab. He wouldn't say why. That left Pepper alone with Loki. She and Tony had nothing to worry about; Loki posed as much harm as a fly. He really was next to nothing without his magic, and Pepper could see on his face how much he hated the fact.

Tony had to do something down in the lab...again. Pepper and Loki were left to hang around the penthouse lounge. Loki stretched out on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Pepper was at the other side of the room, pouring drinks. When he turned his head to her, she held up an empty cup.

"Want a drink?"

"No thank you." he replied briskly.

She shrugged and poured a glass of scotch for herself.

Loki lifted his arm to look at the peculiar gadget strapped to his wrist. Tony had done the honors of drawing Loki's blood and installing the thing.

"What is this?" Loki had asked with distaste.

"You think S.H.I.E.L.D. and I can just let you run around like a dog with no leash? This thing monitors your location and every move. All my tracking stuff now has your DNA signature. Including the stuff that communicates with Director Fury. Try to do anything suspicious, with your magic or not, and you got S.H.I.E.L.D. coming after you faster than you can say world domination!"

"This isn't funny." Loki had muttered.

"Maybe to you. I think it's hilarious." Tony had tapped at the tracker fondly. "And I've always wanted to test this baby. It's hard to find volunteers, though. Since I gotta take your blood and all."

Loki muttered a silent curse and returned his scowl to the ceiling. He felt trapped, irritated and utterly bored. He found no amusement in any of Stark's advanced toys.

"Does he not have any books in this damn place? Can I not find comfort and solace between the pages of a book?"

Pepper looked startled and confused at Loki's outburst. "Tony doesn't buy hard copies. They waste space and collect dust. According to him, anyway. JARVIS keeps a massive collection of e-books, though. Like a Kindle."

"JARVIS? Kindle? I don't understand what you're trying to say." he snapped. "Midgardians..."

"Hey, JARVIS?" Pepper called.

"Yes, Miss Potts? How may I be of service?"

She couldn't help but feel amused as Loki bolted upright, looking around for the source of the artificial butler's voice.

"Loki would like to read a book."

"Very well. Here are selections of newly published and bestselling works, brought to you by ."

Loki lurched back in surprise as a large blue webpage spread out before him, with holographic images of many titles. He recognized none of them, nor did he find them interesting.

"Anything you like, sir?"

"No," Loki retorted. He felt stupid talking to something he couldn't see. He tried to think. "Do you happen to have...Beowulf?"

"Yes, sir. An excellent choice, if I may add."

The holographic e-book materialized before Loki, and he held it tentatively in his hands. He felt like flipping through an invisible, weightless book, despite the text in front of him. He quickly glanced at the ceiling, not sure where he should direct his talking.

"Erm...thank you."

"You're welcome, sir."

Like the TV, Loki quickly got used to handling the e-book. About three minutes into his reading, Pepper spoke up.

"You've heard of Beowulf?"

He shrugged. "It's the closest thing to Asgardian literature. It has come to my mind that the Midgardians of that time, ones you call the 'Anglo-Saxons,' no longer write these works after their conversion to this Christian religion. They no longer worshiped and believed in us since then."

"I didn't know that. I only read Beowulf in high school."

"The whole thing?"

"Pfff. Are you kidding me? It would take me a couple of years to finish that chunky book."

"It worked for me. I'm sure you could do the same if you had the time."

"You...you've read the whole book?"

He looked up from the e-book, and smirked at the newfound respect in Pepper's eyes. "Indeed. This is my third time."

"Third time...?" Pepper tilted her head skeptically. "How old are you, exactly? You look like you're in your early thirties. But something tells me that looks are deceiving."

Loki nodded. "We age very slowly once we reach adulthood. My 1030th name day will be approaching this winter."

Pepper's eyes widened and she nearly spat out her drink. "You're 1030 years old?"

"Not quite. 1029, going on 1030. Thor is older. He's around 1050."

Pepper didn't speak for a few seconds. Loki guessed she was either having a hard time swallowing, or a hard time believing. Or both. "Good God. You two have been around for quite a while."

Pepper and Loki fell silent as they returned to their own activities. After finishing her drink, Pepper kept herself busy by keeping inventory of Tony's stock of liquor. She took note of several bottles that were close to empty, and jotted down a list for future grocery shopping.

"That Tony...always finishing the bourbon first." she muttered to herself.

Loki decided to stop reading at the beginning of Grendel's appearance. "I think I will have a drink now."

"Sure. Help yourself." Pepper replied.

Loki left the e-book hovering in the air as he rose and walked over. Along the way he spotted a wide, cracked dent on the floor. It had been preserved and laminated. He saw a small plague accompanying the man-shaped hole. Loki raised an eyebrow when he read the Gothic font. "Where the Other Guy Kicketh the Ass of Loki."

Pepper saw what he was staring at. She appeared to look both amused and embarrassed. "Tony insisted to keep that part of the floor untouched. To uh...commemorate the first victory of the Avengers."

"I see that," Loki replied dryly.

He poured some vodka into a glass in silence. Then he finally asked, "Why are you so kind to me?"

Pepper shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be? You seem like a decent, smart guy with manners. When you don't have your magic to destroy things, anyway. And you seem to be of help to Natasha."

"You think so?"

"Well, she doesn't kick you out of her room. That's a good thing."

Tony emerged from the elevator, looking a little weary from long hours of working in the lab. He pointed an accusing finger at Loki. "Hey, you. Stay away from my girlfriend."

Pepper shrugged. "You're the one who left me with him in the first place. Besides, we were just chatting and having a drink."

"Well, chatting is over. Finish your drink and go to your room, Reindeer Games."

Loki had no choice but to follow his orders. He was disappointed to see that HBO still hasn't released a new episode for Game of Thrones. He switched to the Nickelodeon channel, which featured revived episode reruns of Invader Zim. It featured a boxy green alien and his dysfunctional mechanical slave. The show seemed bizarre yet amusing to him. He figured that the show's radical, 2-dimensional visual format must be some sort of art style formulated by the humans. Loki decided to watch a few episodes. He chuckled many times at the dark humor, as well as the randomly crazy antics of the waffle-loving, pig-worshiping GIR. As Loki watched, he could see himself in the alien named Zim. The similarities were uncanny. Both had dreams to dominate Earth. Both would do anything crazy or delusional to obtain it. Both even had a servant with glassy blue eyes.

Loki watched Zim pluck out the eyes of his "bestest friend," and he had to turn off the TV. He did not want to be reminded of his past sins, particularly that incident.

He sighed, flopped back onto the mattress and stared out the window. The beauty of a fast-approaching sunset was lost upon him. His heart sunk at the thought of yet another sleepless night. He yearned to be anywhere else but the confines of his temporary room. But he had no ability to do so. Everywhere he went beyond Stark's tower, which happened to be just the hospital, required transportation in a car. Loki remembered the sights of New York's Central Park, from the last time he had been on Earth. He never lingered there for long, but he remembered the green open space, a rare sight surrounded by sprawling gray buildings. He'd rather walk around there in free, quiet peace than be forced to endure more nightmares within the trap of his room.

Loki had been good and obedient. But he highly doubted he would earn the trust of Stark so soon. Even with the tracker, the chances were slim to none with Loki asking for permission to go out. It was also a matter of pride and dignity that further discouraged Loki. Stark would certainly ask for Loki's possible ulterior motives. And when saying a harmless walk in the park wasn't enough, Loki would have to confess his sleepless nights like a troubled child. It would be humiliating to even ask Stark in the first place. He was a prince of Asgard. Princes don't ask, they command. He hadn't asked for anything since he was a small child, asking Frigga if he and Thor could play in the courtyard or ride their colts around the palace.

'Yet this is no better...I'm trapped in this room like a child being punished and made to skip supper.'

Loki remembered his fair share of such nights. He bitterly recalled the time he had slipped a scorpion into Thor's breeches. Least to say, Thor couldn't bend down, let alone sit on his ass, without crying out in pain. Loki had winded up in the same predicament, after Frigga had given him quite a beating and sent him to his room. He didn't expect such a harsh action from her. It took all he could not to cry when he tried to sleep. Frigga had instantly apologized, of course. While he had been denied supper, he finally fell asleep in her lap as she sang to him and stroked his hair. She fretted after young Loki and Thor until they recovered from their respective injuries, and were back to their vigorous and mischievous selves again.

A light rapping sounded from the glass window. Loki turned his head, and he sat up in surprise. Thor stood behind the glass. But that wasn't what shocked him. Perched on Thor's shoulders were a pair of large ravens. Not just any ravens...these two bore Dwarf-forged golden bands on their legs, a sign of regality and importance in Asgardian animals. There was no doubt: the ravens of Odin were here on Midgard.

Loki walked over to open the window and step outside. "Thor? How did you find me?"

"It was hardly a task, Brother. Stark's tower is full of glass windows for me to read the entire building like a book. I located your floor soon enough when I saw you laying around, with nothing to do."

Loki's reply was a sarcastic drawl. "So you've noticed how much fun I was having." Finally, he looked to the ravens perched on Thor's shoulders. "Huginn and Muninn? What are you doing here?"

Odin's ravens gazed at him through dark, beady eyes. "We come with good tidings from the Allfather." Huginn said.

"Yes, the Allfather comes with good tidings." Muninn said.

"No, that is wrong," Huginn snapped. "We come with good tidings from the Allfather."

Loki rolled his eyes. For a pair of all-seeing ravens, they sure were annoying. One of the things he didn't miss from Asgard were memories of their raucous squabbles as they fought over how they delivered news to Odin. They were like old men with beaks and wings.

"Get on with it," Loki said impatiently. "What does Odin have to say that's good for me?"

"He has decided to grant you some of your magic back."

"Yes yes, your magic is granted."

Thor and Loki were astounded. "Why?"

"I repeat that it is only some."

"Yes yes, only some."

"Muninn and I have kept a close eye on you since your return to Midgard..."

"Indeed, your return to Midgard made Huginn and I keep a close eye."

Huginn rapped at his partner sharply with his beak. "Shut up, you old bird! I am trying to talk!"

"You're no younger, you ancient sack of feathers."

Huginn shook his head as Muninn crossly ruffled and preened his feathers. "Anyways, the Allfather has sent us the ability to open one of your gateways, as a sign of trust."

"Gateways? What do you mean?" Thor asked.

"Which one?" Loki pressed eagerly.

"Teleportation."

"But only that, and nothing else for the time being."

Loki's heart slightly sunk. But it was better than nothing. It was enlightening to hear that Odin is beginning to trust the God of Mischief.

Loki extended his arm. Huginn and Muninn shuffled from Thor's shoulder to perch on Loki's arm.

"Are you ready?" the ravens asked.

Loki nodded, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Huginn raised his neck so that he leveled his beak to the center of Loki's forehead, while Muninn lowered himself to have his beak almost touch Loki's chest. Light blue energy, swirling and brimming with pure magical essence, emanated from their beaks. Thor's confusion turned into awe as the ravens' beaks simultaneously touched Loki's temple and chest. Loki gasped from the sudden rush of power. It was over as quickly it had started. Huginn and Muninn drew back. Loki panted lightly and blinked several times.

"What did the ravens do to you, brother? I don't understand."

"I have my magic back, as they said. But not to the fullest extent." Loki took a deep breath as he tried to explain. He'd better start from square one. "The concept of using energy and magic...is similar to what the Midgardians call using chi or chakra. Our bodies are basically matrices of energy reserves. The reserves are also called gateways, because they serve as such when we project energy from various points of our bodies. As you know, magic is defined into many categories. Shape-shifting, elemental manipulation, healing, the dark arts of necromancy and the like...the list is endless. A true master of magic can tap into all gateways that are needed for many skills. But magic uses energy, therefore it is finite. I cannot just use magic forever. Naturally, the cost takes its toll on my body, especially if I use magic unwisely."

Loki's brow furrowed. "Sometimes...in extreme situations, one could use so much magic at once, especially for dark arts, at the price of one's life."

Thor took this in with curiosity and careful listening. "How many gateways can you use?"

"I do not know the precise number. It's not a simple key and lock system. Multiple energy reserves can be used for one particular skill. I must admit I am far from the invincible, all-powerful sorcerer. There's plenty of skills I have yet to learn. But I can do quite a bit. You know that teleportation, duplication and illusions are my specialties."

Thor stared at Loki thoughtfully. "If you can only teleport, does that mean Father is giving back your magic piece by piece?"

Loki paused to think it over. Then he made a tentative nod. "I suppose you could say that. Not a surprise that he's taking extra precautions."

"How did it feel to get some of your magic back?"

"It felt rather...refreshing, and liberating. I felt a part of myself unlocking. It's...hard to explain. One has to be a sorcerer or mage to fully understand the experience and feeling."

Huginn and Muninn had been surprisingly quiet throughout the brothers' conversation. Now that Thor and Loki fell silent, the ravens ruffled their wings.

"Well...I suppose it's time we head off."

"Yes yes, to complete our scouting duties for the Allfather."

Loki looked at the ravens. "Tell Odin...I said thank you."

The all-seeing birds acknowledged him with a nod. They dipped their heads to the brothers in respect before taking to the sky. The twin streaks of black disappeared with a series of loud caws.

Thor took his gaze from the sunset-streaked heavens to his adopted brother. "I must get going as well. Jane is expecting me for dinner, and I must go home to dress in proper Midgardian attire."

There was slight guilt in his eyes. "Are you sure you're all right with staying here? I do not want to make you feel that I'm abandoning you."

Loki shrugged. "I have no choice in the matter. But don't fret over me…I will be just fine, Thor."

Thor seemed to sense his adopted brother's unhappiness. He briefly patted a hand on Loki's shoulder. "All right, then. Have a good evening."

"Uh...Thor?" he blurted.

"Yes brother?"

Loki hesitated while Thor waited for his reply. Then he said, "Have a good time."

Thor's wide smile creased his features. "Thank you."

With a few powerful swings of Mjolnir, Thor vaulted off into the air. Loki retreated back into his room and slid the glass doors shut. For the first time in days, excitement and energy stirred within him, threatening to burst. He did his best to restrain himself.

'I'll have to practice first, to make sure it works. Teleporting from one side of the room to the other sounds safe.'

He studied his destination: the corner closest to the bathroom door. Loki breathed in and closed his eyes. He felt the familiar rush of summoning energy needed for his task. Then he felt himself dematerializing from his spot. Seconds later he reappeared. To his satisfaction he ended up right where he wanted to be. Loki walked over to his bed and sat down, trying to assess the endless possibilities of where he could go.

It felt good...so damn good to feel the magic coursing through his body again.

A grin spread slowly on his face. 'I know just the place to go.'


The Invader Zim episode mentioned in this fic is called "Bestest Friend." Zim gets a new friend at school who quickly turns into a creepy loyalist stalker. It got on his nerves. So Zim had his eyeballs removed. That's nothing compared to "Dark Harvest," when Zim steals various organs from his classmates to appear more human.

Huginn and Muninn were fun to write about, since they basically turn around each other's sentences. Or at least, Muninn does. :P

Loki getting his magic back is derived from the Avatar concept of energybending and the Naruto concept of chakra. As for Loki and Thor's age, I guesstimated. Neither Marvel nor Norse myths gave out specific numbers. The war between the Jotuns and Asgardians, aka when Loki was a baby, had to be at least a thousand years ago. Loki's an old, old guy. He sure don't look like one though. :3

What is Loki planning this time? You'll have to find out in Chapter 8: Insomniacs!