Alright guys, first off, big thanks to everyone for faves/follows/reviews. I'm glad to see some people finally taking an interest in this. You guys pushed me to get this chapter done quicker than I had originally planned so big thanks to:
ALotObsessed
Nessa191
PrettyRecklessLaura
LVCatullus
DragonDaemon93
Lee's Legacy
ItFellFromTheSky
waterflygirl
Yami1414
Secondly, life is being a little bit of a dick to me lately along the "work schedule" and "life change" lines so I'm sorry in advance if the next update takes a while. I will be trying to write a little each day but I'm kind of going straight from work to bed and back again at the moment so I make no promises. Reviews and such push me to work faster and better so if you want a faster update, let me know what you think in the happy little box at the bottom of the page. Anyway, without further ado, the next chapter!
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A Break and A Battle
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Riley sat on her bed, a cigarette between her fingers curling hazy lines of smoke around her face. She watched the smoke trail as the currents of air in the room made it sway and shift. It was a habit she'd developed early on, when she was still hiding her little rebellion from her mother. She remembered how the smoke looked, curling through the beams of moonlight that came through her open window as she sat, perched precariously, on the sill. She remembered dropping the damp butts out that window, always being sure to dunk them in a glass of water first, watching them fall the four stories straight down into the grassy lawn around the apartment build where she'd grown up. But the habit gave no comfort now. No moon beans speared through the gray swirl, lighting it up silver and faintly blue. It was just gray, just smoke, curling around her and giving no relief. She took a long pull, letting the smoke curl out of her mouth and nose in a practiced, lazy exhale that she'd once used to attract all manner of bad boys.
A caustic smile tugged at her lips as she thought of all those young men. She'd never had what most women would call "good taste" when it came to the boys she liked. She wanted all leather jackets, motor cycles and wild underage drinking, not the mathlete on the fast track to wealth and power. It would seem her tastes hadn't changed. Here she was, locked in her bedroom, still crying over the tall drink of icy sarcasm that had been both her savior and her undoing, all in the same few hours. Talk about tall dark and handsome, Loki was the epitome of a "bad boy". Hell, he even came complete with leather and a bad attitude. Of course she was going to be attracted to him. Of course she was going to start feeling for him. Why wouldn't she. It wasn't like she was an intelligent young woman with the ability to discern this type of problem.
She sighed, pausing her internal berating to put out her cigarette. She shook a new one from the pack, looking at it like it would solve all her problems before she put it to her lips and lit it, taking a long pull and blowing out a perfect smoke ring. She smiled as she watched it drift lazily above her bed. It was a talent that had taken many years to perfect. Cigarette smoke was not like pipe smoke, something she found out the hard way when she tried a pipe for the first time. She learned quickly not to inhale the heavy vapor, it didn't end well. But she had been completely obsessed with the trick of making shapes with the smoke. Her friends, most of which either smoked pipe or hooka, told her that it would be nearly impossible to do with a cigarette and the smoke was too light and dissipated too quickly, but she'd done it. It was a defining trait of hers, accomplishing things that seemed impossible. Just look at her current situation. She shouldn't be alive. She shouldn't be able to push ice bullets out of her hand, she shouldn't be slowly falling in love with the most caustic, sarcastic, insensitive, malicious, irritating piece of handsome ass she'd ever seen. But she could, and she was.
She groaned, flopping back onto the mattress and ducking the cigarette into the ashtray. What the hell was wrong with her? How the hell had she gotten herself into all this? It wasn't like she asked for it to happen. She just wanted to get paid and make a new friend. Was that so much to ask? Sure she could've gone to any other office in the city and gotten a job. But James had been so sweet and he was affiliated with the school, and the pay scheme had been really great, not to mention he respected her hours requirements. All around, it had been a good, logical decision. So why was she being punished for it now? Why, in all the hells, had the gods, in their apparently demented infinite wisdom, decided to visit this fate on her.
She was interrupted from her internal monologue by a sharp knock on the door. It was too heavy to be Jane and Loki wouldn't knock so she knew who it was before he burst in. His voice, loud and booming, grated across her brain like a saw and the headache she'd been slowly easing, returned with full force.
"Jane has commanded that we are to go out today. She says you are not to be kept in this small house where so many bad memories live. She is taking you out for a "girl's day" and then we shall all dine out. I am supposed to get you up and ready." He smiled after relaying the message, walking over to the bed and all but hauling her bodily from it. He pulled her into a one armed hug, clearly thinking she needed it, and not being entirely wrong, before setting about turning on lights and opening windows. This must be how it's done in Asgard. "This room is dark and stuffy, you will join us in the living room." He took her hand, pulling her toward the door before she could shake him off.
"Whoa there big fella. Listen, thanks for the invite, but I'm really not feeling up to any outings right now. I kinda just wand to sit in my dark stuffy room and think." She began to walk back to the bed, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned and was met with the most stern look she'd ever seen on the big man's face.
"You are in mourning. I understand how you feel. I too have lost someone very dear to me. My mother was slain by Malekith's own hand. I know you wish to remove yourself from the world, thinking it will remove you from the pain of the loss, but it will not. It will only make it you feel it all the more. Please come and sit with us, dine with us tonight and forget, for a while, your troubles. Jane cares for you as a friend and worries for you. It will make her happy to see you and I will see to it that Loki does you no harm." His eyes shone with the sincerity of his words, pulling her against her will into agreeing. She sighed, turning and grabbing her pack, lighter and ashtray and turned, motioning for him to lead the way. Her room needed to air out anyway.
Jane practically squeaked with excitement when Riley agreed to go out with them but it did little to brighten her mood. Depression was something she'd always struggled with. It had always been minor, only really affecting her in times of loss or great disappointment, but when it got its grips into her, it was something she had to fight tooth and nail against, and she didn't really feel like fighting this time. But she knew that if she was going to go out with this motley band of misfits, hopefully to get the boys some more sensible clothes, then she would have to fake it or drag the whole group down. So she steeled herself for the chipper chatter and excited shopping that was sure to follow and grabbed her keys and purse, shoving a couple more packs of cigarettes as well as her "mini flask of holding" a gift from James, into it. They all trooped out the door, two bright happy faces, one resolute fake grin and one out right grimace.
Thor made sure to stay between Riley and Loki as much as possible, allowing Jane to sit up front when they reached Riley's car. It was a tight fit in the back seat for the brothers, Thor simply took up too much space for most cars that were smaller than a Humvee, but the ride to the mall was short enough that no fights erupted. The only squabble was when Loki reached up to change Riley's music. That was a cardinal offense in her book and she slapped his hand way without realizing who she was slapping. She tried to cover, acting like the now icy glare pointed in her direction didn't intimidate her, but Thor must've noticed because he shouldered his brother further against the door with a warning growl.
The mall itself was another adventure all together. The brothers garnered more than a few stares, their outlandish clothes and frankly distracting good looks causing men and women alike to simply stop in place. More than one pile up of shoppers followed in their wake and Riley felt her resolve to fake her happiness slipping as mall security started to follow them. She stopped at the first mens clothing store she found, Hollister of all places, and shoved them inside. She handed Jane her card and commanded the men to find something less conspicuous to wear while she found the nearest exit. She left without another word, needing to be away from the press of people and the presence of one God of Mischief that was trying to glare a hole through her skull. Her emotions were too raw to handle this, just as she'd known they would be, and she needed to find some solitude quick, before she burst into tears in the middle of the crowded shopping center.
It was with great relief that Loki watched Riley all but stumble away. She'd been a constant presence in his mind since he'd left her. It was like she was a spot on his skin that he couldn't scrub clean, taunting him with her presence but doing nothing about it either way. She would neither advance or retreat, simply being, existing near him. He couldn't tell how much of it was from his own guilt over his treatment of her, something he was still trying to ignore as it made no sense to him, or simply her presence that grated on his nerves so, but her absence was a welcome respite. He was instead faced with another challenge.
She had made a good point when she said they stood out, it was hard to blend in with an indigenous population that insisted on covering itself in such bland and irritating fabrics and his armor was, perhaps, a bit formal for the kind of life he was likely to be living for the foreseeable future. So, with great reluctance, he allowed Thor's woman to lead them through the heavily perfumed store, the scent sticking in his throat to the point of being able to taste it. He looked around for the source of the offensive odor and saw, at once, the cause. A young man was spraying it from a small glass bottle, assaulting anyone within reach and preaching its value. It was with no small amount of amusement that Loki sent a shiver of frigid air straight to the stand, causing all the bottle to shatter, showering the obnoxious youth with the fragrance.
Jane looked back at the sound, her gaze moving from the apparent accident to his less than innocent face. He watched her mouth twitch up at the corner, clearly fighting a smile and he gave her his best grin.
"Brother. Enough." Thor's hand closed over his forearm as if he'd just brandished a weapon and he found his small amount of mirth snuffed out by instant and violent rage.
"The man child was an irritation. I have not injured him, merely given him a taste of what it is like to be assaulted with a scent you do not enjoy. Surely there is no harm in that." He jerked his arm from Thor's grasp, moving on down the aisle.
The next half hour or so passed in a monotony of clothing, rough trousers made of a fabric called Denim that was not entirely to his liking. He put forth the argument that he could simply shift his appearance to mimic the people of the city, but Jane would have none of it. Thor, for his part, seemed to be enjoying the process. He had been through it all before, as Loki remembered, and was inured to the scratchy nature of the "jeans" that everyone seemed to enamored with. Eventually he was worn down, accepting the clothing foisted on him simply to stop the small human from berating him any further. She gave each of them several of what she called "outfits" cobbled together from the various racks of shirts and trousers, tossing a few packages of underthings onto the growing pile in each man's arms before declaring them to be "done".
They took their various purchases to the counter at the front of the store, settling them before a rather shocked looking store attendant before Jane flashed the card and the look of shock became one of delight. The cashier quickly rang them up and had everything detagged and bagged. Jane grimaced at the amount on the small screen attached to the register, whispering a small apology to Riley, wherever she'd run off to, and swiped it, praying the woman's credit limit was high enough to handle all this and the fun she wanted to take her on later. It went through with a little dinging sound and the bags were handed over. Jane checked every bag, making sure no security tags were left and began to load each man down with his bags, missing the look of discomfort that had just crossed Loki's face. He winced again as she began to load bags into his arms, finally gaining her attention when he stumbled backward, nearly knocking over one of the many mannequins around the store.
"Loki, what is it?" Thor was at his side in a second, bags forgotten.
"It is nothing. I must go." He pushed away from the stunned couple and was gone before either of them could question him further. The pain had not been his own. It was removed from him, though not by much, which could only mean one thing. Riley, wherever she was, was in pain. He had to find her. It took a moment for his mind to calm enough to form a plan. This place was quite large, it would take to long to search it all. The pain was building, even as he moved, building from a dull stinging to a sharp ache. He knew the pain, having become an expert at inflicting it. She'd been stabbed. He closed his eyes, stilling his body and focusing on the link that was between them, feeling it like a rope around his spine. He could transport down it, directly to her.
He took a breath as the pull of the magic raced him down the tether to where her body was lying. It looked like she'd been sitting at one of the rear entrances, small shadowed areas that were meant more for employees and delivery people than the consumers that wandered around inside. He materialized next to her, becoming visible and solid once more as he knelt beside her small form. She was unconscious, though he could not tel if that was from blood loss or if she had simply been struck. The wound was apparent, nestled in her side, almost covered by the baggy shirt she had put on that morning. It was bleeding quite freely, leaving small red trails against the pale skin that could be seen from the hole the blade had rent in the shirt. Her breathing was shallow and sporadic, her body had gone into shock.
He knew if he didn't act quickly, she would be lost to him so he reached forward, not thinking to check if anyone else might be around and pressed his hand to her side. He felt the chill in his blood begin to spread, covering her wound, effectively sealing it. There would still be damage inside, something he could not fix at the moment, but she would not bleed out. But as he watched, about to withdraw his hand, her skin began to bleed out in color. It began to turn, slowly, around the wound from its normal pale peachy pink to a chilly blue that he knew all too well.
He jerked his hand back as if stung, refusing to believe what his eyes showing him. She could not be. It was impossible. He fell back, the force of his disbelief carrying him further from her still form as his mind raced to make sense of this new variable. He knew much of soul bonds, having researched them at length during his many wakeful nights as a child, but nothing he'd ever read or seen could explain why she was slowly taking on the visage of a Jotunn. He settled a few feet from her, watching what he could of the color as it tracked down her arms and legs and over her face. He watched as it slowly eclipsed every last pale inch of her, the runes standing out against the blue that seemed a shade or two lighter than his own. It was at this moment that his brother and his bothersome female found them.
Riley had been sitting outside for what felt like forever, waiting for Jane to give her a call and let her know the boys were presentable. She guessed that one of the brothers, who shall remain nameless, was giving her a hard time. She sighed, flicking open her Zippo and lighting another cigarette, leaning against the stone barrier that circled all around the building and served as a planter of sorts for the little shrubs and trees around all the entrances to the mall. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it was close to the ashtray and out of the way of the foot traffic. She was nothing, if not a polite smoker. She was just getting ready to go in, tired of waiting for the phone call that might be another hour coming when the kid came at her.
If he was more than sixteen she'd kiss someone's ass, but that didn't seem to stop him from knowing how to handle a knife. It had all happened so quickly. He'd run up and demanded her valuables, taking a swipe at her to show he was serious and catching her on the arm. It had stung, but the blade was fairly dull on the edge so it hadn't gone too deep. She had been ready to just give the kid her cash and let him go, but not now. She let her purse drop, knowing he'd go for it the moment it hit air, and sure enough, he was on it like a vice. But she was on him just as hard. She waited until he was close enough and then buried her knee in his stomach, forcing him to curl in on himself. But he wasn't as much of a push over as he looked. She got a couple more hits in while he recovered but once he didn't run after the first hit, she knew she was in trouble. She had pegged him for a scared kid, looking for some quick cash for whatever, but she couldn't have been more wrong.
They danced around each other, one trying to end it before anyone saw them, the other trying to drag it out as long as possible. It was this distraction that proved her mistake. She'd been so consumed in waiting for someone to come to the small entrance that she looked away, for a split second, because she heard a stone fall. This was all the mugger needed. Before she could turn back, he'd rushed her, burying the knife into her side. The point, it would seem, was much sharper than the edge and she felt it as it slid through her, tearing muscles and vein as it went. He pulled the knife free, looking shocked for a moment that he'd actually done it but then she'd caught his eye, something she'd learned never to do. His face twisted into an angry grimace and he pulled a fist back, punching her in the side, the force reverberating through her with a kind of pain she'd never known before. She let out a hoarse half scream and crumpled. He ran off, leaving her purse beside her.
"Loki, what is the meaning of this?" Thor stood above his brother while Jane worried over Riley. She'd already put in the 911 call and was just waiting for the ambulance to reach them, checking and rechecking Riley's pulse and condition.
"Why is she blue?" Jane turned, looking from one man to the other. Blue was a bad color for humans, it meant death and sadness and Jane wasn't sure she could take another loss so soon after James. She was getting really tired of the friends she made ending up dead or possessed.
"I do not know. Only those of Jotunnheim react in such a way to extreme cold." Loki sounded just as shocked as his interrogators, though both thought it was some kind of act.
"And the ice?" Jane pointed to the ice still covering the wound.
"I placed it there to stem the flow of blood." He didn't have the energy to lie.
"How did you know she was out here? How did you know where to go? What aren't you telling us?" Jane's voice rose with each question, becoming more and more shrill as she realized she knew absolutely nothing about the current situation.
"I did not know, I guessed and I can assure you, I am keeping no secrets." Alright, maybe he did. He felt a small glimmer of amusement at the look of pure aggravation on Jane's face. Served the little upstart right, delving into things that were not her concern. She opened her mouth to continue her questioning when the ambulance arrived. Loki passed between the other two, all but ripping the ice from her side, causing it to resume its slow trickling bleeding. Her skin began to fade, returning to the paleness he'd grown accustomed to and was once again normal when the EMTs finally made it through the press of people that had collected outside as news of the woman spread through the mall. They shooed everyone away, gods and scientist included, and set about trying to get Riley stable enough for transport.
Loki was not one prone to fidgeting. He preferred to spend his time with his thoughts, not pacing around and bouncing his legs about like a child. But that did not mean his companions were more than willing to indulge in the behavior for him. Jane's leg had been going for the better part of ten minutes, he'd been counting, and he was surprised that Thor's heavy foot falls hadn't worn a hole into the next floor down by now. It was enough to drive any man insane, add uncomfortable new clothes into the mix and things tend to not end well. He reached back to adjust the "pony tail" Jane had shoved his hair into. It tugged every time he moved his head and was beginning to give him a head ache.
It had been the better part of two hours since thy had been shown into the waiting room, the nurse had told them to wait here and they would hear about Riley soon enough. She was being prepped for surgery, whatever that meant, and they were not allowed in the operating room as it was a sterile environment that they would contaminate. The terms had since been explained to both brothers by a very shaken up Jane and Loki found himself disgusted by the practice. It was barbaric to cut into a person and sew them together. Surely their hearers were more skilled than to have to resort to such primitive methods of treatment. Jane explained about the advances in medical science, how the stitches used were organic and would simply dissolve as the wound closed and that the techniques used I the surgeries were quite advanced, but neither Asgardian seemed comforted by the fact.
"It is barbaric, no matter how specialized the barbarity." Loki muttered this under his breath, directing the voice to his brother who had been on the receiving end of this "medical science" at one point and saw a nod in return. He felt his heart lurch uncomfortably at the thought of Riley, the fiery witch he had come to know, lying helpless on a steel table, her body opened to the world as numerous physicians tried to mend what had been torn. It hurt, to think of her unable to move. What if she wasn't truly unconscious and was in great pain? They would have no way of knowing, truly knowing, if she was unaware of the procedure. But he could. He could know, definitively. He allowed a small smile to creep across his face as he settled further into his seat. He closed his eyes, reaching once more across the tether, making contact with her mind, brushing against it softly. She didn't respond, even on a subconscious level. So she was truly "under" as the saying went. That was a mercy at least.
He caught himself in that thought and was shocked to see that it was not, as he had intended, in any way sarcastic. He truly cared for her. It was truly startling to discover, a feeling he hadn't even realized he was fostering now blooming against the surface of his mind. If she didn't make it out of this alive, he would care, not simply because he would have to train for decades to get back what her death would cost him, but because she herself would no longer be I the world. It was something he'd always sworn against, something he never wanted to experience. It was completely foreign and entirely uncomfortable, but he savored it none the less. It was something that he always thought beyond his grasp, the feeling of caring for another person more than yourself, but here he was, caring not about his loss of power, but at her potential danger.
His thoughts must've shown on his face because Thor was beside him in a second, angry and ready to resume some previous argument no doubt. He had just opened his mouth to begin when the door to the operating area swung open, a thin, balding man in his middle years shuffling tiredly out of it. He pulled the mask away from his face, tossing his bloodied gloves into a bio-hazard trashcan nearby as he approached them.
"She made it through the surgery but that knife clipped her heart. The tear wasn't too bad and we managed to close it, but it'll take time for it to heal. She's resting, the anesthesia should be wearing off soon. I can't let all three of you back there, policy says only one visitor at a time in post op, but if one of you wants to go back and let her know you're here, she should be up soon." He let a tired smile grace his face as Jane stepped forward but Loki was the one to speak up.
"I will see her." His voice was final, allowing no room for anyone to argue as the doctor nodded and led him back through the doors. The smell of the hallways was sickeningly sterile. It smelled chemical and false compared to the smoky mixture of aromas he had grown used to in Riley's home. The hallway itself was also too clean, the wallpaper muted and meant to encourage well being no doubt. It bled seamlessly into a bland tile floor, not quite beige and not quite white, but a muddy shade in between that served only to reflect the light of the fluorescents set into the popcorned drop tile ceiling above him. It was an uncomfortable place to be, nothing with any substance or feeling around to draw the mind from the pain these patients were no doubt feeling.
These were the thoughts in his mind as he was led into a darkened room, the curtains pulled around the only bed. His heart almost stopped as he saw what was in the bed. It was Riley, but at the same time it was someone so wholly unknown to him. She was in some kind of medically induced sleep, the anesthesia the doctor had mentioned, and the lights flushed what little color was in her face completely out. She looked half dead, lying there helpless. But the true shock came from the number of tubes and needles coming from her. There was on in her arm, a small tube resting against her upper lip with two small prongs going into her nostrils, another needle in the crook of her elbow and a series of wires coming from the neck of the loosely fitting hospital gown she wore. It was as if they had turned her into some kind of automaton, powered by hoses and wires.
"You alright son? Look like you've seen a ghost." The doctor patted him gently on the arm, guessing that this man was the patient's boyfriend or husband.
"When will she wake?" His voice sounded too quiet for his liking, the shock apparent.
"Shouldn't be long now. I expect she'll but up in the next few minutes. Now, she'll be groggy, she'd had a hell of a shock, so give her some time to get about herself before you start huggin and kissin on her alright?" He laughed again, patting the shoulder one more time before exiting the room. Loki felt the last of his strength leave with him, his body collapsing into the chair nearby the bed as his mind raced. What had they done to her? What were all these tubes and needles for? They had healed her, the physician had said as much, so why were all these measures necessary? He felt a sick little feeling in his heart that she wasn't fully healed yet. Perhaps they couldn't mend flesh the way the healers of Asgard could, but instead could merely mend it so that it can heal itself, with time. That must be what the man had meant about being weak and needing rest. He shook his head and barbarism of it all, rising to leave when a sound from the bed caught his full attention. He leaned forward, about to take her hand when he caught himself.
What was he doing? She wasn't his woman. She was some irritating little mortal who had berated him for every habit he had, slapped him on more than one occasion and thrown a bottle of wine at his head. She was the disrespectful little chit who dared invade his very being and forge a tie between them so that, even now, he was looking on all her failings with a favorable light. Yes, she had berated him, but it showed that she had the spirit of an Asgardian woman, capable of going toe to toe with his impressive wit. She'd been unafraid to put him in his place when he was out of line, something to be admired in a woman and her aim was impeccable. Had he been visible she would no doubt have hit him. He found himself smiling at the audacity of it. She was truly a fiery spirit.
He shook his head, clearing it as the aforementioned woman began to come around. He tried to ignore the warmth in his heart and the relief at seeing the hazel orbs of the woman who consumed his thoughts. He told himself he was merely happy to see her alive because of the cost it would mean if she were not.
"Loki?" Her voice sounded sleepy, all together too helpless for his comfort.
"Yes Riley. Are you aware of your current situation?" He leaned forward despite himself, claiming manners as his reason. No reason to be shouting in a hospital if one could whisper.
"Got stabbed...and punched...rat bastard..." She moved her hands lazily through the air as she spoke, looking like a puppet with an exceptionally bad puppeteer. One particularly wild flung gesture tugged sharply on the needle in her wrist and she whimpered, pulling it back to her side. "Damn IV...damn hospital...side hurts." She let out a huffed breath and Loki felt hard pressed not to laugh. She was simply too...cute. He searched for another word, a more proper word, to describe her behavior, but none would come.
"Yes, I'm sure it does. Do you remember who attacked you? Were they mortal?" He placed a hand over hers, holding it gently in place so she wouldn't damage it further.
"Nope...yup...in that order..."He almost lost control as she attempted to move her arm, tapping her elbow in time with the words. Her head swiveled on the pillow, looking down at their joined hands and let out a soft giggle, tapping her finger against his palm. "Holding my hand..." Her tone was melodic, much in the fashion of a teasing limerick and he felt a smile cross his face.
"So I am. Rest now Riley. Thor and Jane will be here shortly to look after you." He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb, tracing a small pattern into the skin, following the runes that had been visible during her transformation. She smiled, still laughing softly, drifting back into a deep healing sleep.
Her nurse and the attending physician came in soon after and began preparing her for transfer. She was going to be kept in the ICU, Intensive Care Unit he later learned, until she stabilized. Visitors were allowed, but only during certain hours, unless they had permission to stay overnight. Loki nodded, returning to the waiting room and informing the others of the developments, leaving out any and all sentiment that may have been present. He informed them of the room number and the floor number where Riley would be and then excused himself, his form already beginning to shimmer. Thor knew what came next, though he'd been allowing his brother to remain blissfully unaware of his noticing. Jane, on the other hand, was no so observant.
"Where are you going? And why do you look like that again?" She looked over his armor, helm firmly placed on his head, wickedly sharp daggers in both hands.
"Because my dear, I am going hunting." And with that as a farewell, he disappeared, leaving one very confused scientist, and one grudgingly proud brother. He did not approve of the murder Loki was about to participate in, he had always preferred to settle his scores with fists and drinks, but to protect the woman he was coming to care for was a noble pursuit Thor never thought he'd see from his younger brother. Perhaps there was hope for him after all.
Alright, there you have it, Chapter 8. Tried to ramp things up in this one, give you a little taste of what is to come. Please please PLEASE let me know what you think! Also, I am not officially taking ideas on how you think the story should progress. I have multiple ideas and am having trouble deciding which direction to go in so if you have something you would like to see LET ME KNOW! Also, the main story of the movie will be starting back up next chapter so you'll see some more of Malekith, for those of you that are a fan of him (like me) so something else to look forward to. See you guys in chapter 9!
