Note: Man this chapter had me thinking too much, but I got it up. Stuff is about to go down.
Also just want to say I appreciate many readers I have gotten and thank those that have reviewed.
Loki sat in his cell with a frown apparent on his lips, his annoyance and anger crashing over his mind as he watched his forearms go pale once more. Sucking in an aching breath that made his bones seemingly shudder, he sat up quickly, ignoring his back and the new lashes as he childishly used the back of his wrist to wipe at his scarred cheeks and take the damned tears away. Cursing Thor under his breath he rolled over, back to the steel once more as he moved out of puddles of blood, smearing and dragging most of it to warm his cold body, he sat up. Extending his neck for more passage of air, he sucked in the breaths he could manage, trying to simmer down, when alone, was easy, thankfully. Able to still put on a mask, Loki put himself into a formal set up, his facial features may have just looked like he woke up in his own bed as he normally would if it wasn't for the bruises and blood that smeared over his expression.
His body and mind were too conflicted to try and think through any of this, so he saw no point in trying, instead he happily laid himself blank against the wall, green gaze like a cloud as he stared up to the ceiling. Gladly zoning out of the cell, Loki didn't notice that he was literally being ghosted into a new environment, one he had visited after having fallen from the Bifrost once he let go. Pulled from his staring once the roof of the cell was gone to open space, Loki was forced to focus with his surroundings, head pulling down while he quickly stood up. Back aching by the sudden movement, he easily held down his pain, not letting it ripple to his expression as he lifted his head, going to and fro to look around at the eerie empty land around him.
For a moment his mind recalled it all as enemy territory, which in his position it might as well be. The question though was where were the enemies? No, the bigger question was how was he here out of his cell that had done well to refrain him from being able to use his own abilities? Slowly he let his bare feet slide along the thick gravel, gaze searching as he began to walk to the steps he passed by many times before that wound up to the unknown authority that had given him his power to go to 'Earth'. He didn't like being here now, bare back, bloody and punished, vulnerable. Trying to make up for it with eased shoulders and careless observation around him, he guessed to wait. He was not brought here to stand alone, so there had to be some purpose.
"The Tesseract is within your reach, and we still require it." The words were like death breathing down his neck, nothing but a spirit of words as Loki turned head cautiously from side to another, still finding no tangible presence. He didn't need to see them to know the demand lying under the words. They wanted him to retrieve the Tesseract, take it back to them.
"Why not get it personally?" Loki's sly tongue was working itself before he had a handle on his thoughts, but that did not stop the coiling wire of his lips as he grinned into the open space before him, starting to walk now, seeming interested more in the rocks than the conversation at hand.
For a while Loki got utter silence, only for it to be ripped to shreds by amplified voice and its dark shades as he was spoken to once more. "You have a vow to keep Laufeyson, and you will stay to it. Bring the Tesseract and things won't get bloody."
Lips snarling down in reaction to be stated by his true title, Loki turned shoulder and walked the trail he had mindlessly trod as he thought. To get the Tesseract was to gain his freedom from Asgard, in itself the demand was tempting. Was there no threat within the lines he would turn it down, for temptations was not enough to have Loki take commands from another, and these creatures knew that. Jaw working and pace halting he stared upwards to the sky, squinting in calculation.
Challenge accepted, only..he held his tongue as he kept on a pondering mask. He didn't wish to be cast back to his cell, this imitation of a meeting clear enough for Loki to want it to be reality. To taunt with those that held a knife near his back if he dare turn on them, rather than to be down in the cell, weak, hurting, bleeding, shredded from well earned walls of skin, layers and layers deep that Thor had torn with a simple lash or another. His flesh would mend but his mind..it took time and meaning to build his walls, and it took meaning and weakness to tear it down. Within the cell all he could do was sit there and be whipped down emotionally to thin string till he snapped. Tip toeing with death was more appealing than to be doing that.
That's all he would be doing if he ended this conversation, being torn down to break, he knew it, because the freedom from his cell was not one he had plans for, nor would it be quick escape with his powers gone, physically beaten down, mind tumbling with other conflicts, a plan to just waltz out wasn't really easy agenda. He knew he would have to think, concentrate on it with all his might and focus. Just being contacted by The Other this way was proof of the difficulty. If he, who warned not to be underestimated had taken this long to get through the barrier of the cell, and drag him out for communication that was just barely there with a voice to intimidate him.
Loki had no intentions seeking their help, showing that he couldn't handle himself, couldn't live up to yet more expectations, no, he would prove himself and not let a weak spot be given. He was Loki, he could figure this out. Finally out of his own conversation with himself he blinked down to level his gaze. "And the vow shall be kept." A silent agreement made to the air around him, Loki stomach twisted harshly when he began to fall.
Falling down from the sky of this ..bridge of contact, as if when they heard his given yes, whatever had been clutching him discreetly to have that meeting had let go like it was straining to have him there. He did not doubt that it was a strain, the properties of his cell were strong, and like chains among his wrist he was shackled to the cage with magic and powers of many realms to contain him. Loki felt like he just fallen off the Rainbow bridge again, déjà vu churning his stomach queasy and head racking like nails had been let out of a bag to be shaken. Ghosted back to the present of laying limply into the cell wall still bloody, Loki gave a soft noise, it just clogging his throat before he swallowed it back, not giving into sudden tempt to black out. The bonds of his cell may have been breached briefly, but they were not cut.