The golden halls of Asgard had been home to Loki for over five thousand years and yet for some inexplicable and undefined reason he always felt something of an outsider when walking through them. Perhaps the feeling stemmed from his inability to fit in with the other warriors he had grown up with. All of his life he had been somewhat of a shadow to his older brother Thor, tailing him in his younger years even while the Prince's friends had not accepted his presence. He was never overly bullied, but mostly mocked and jeered at for a various range of things. Not in the least was his lack of physical strength or bruteforce attributes. Loki had always been crafty and filled with venom, even before the true genius of his magic showed through, he fought with his mind more than a sword. He was built so vastly differently to Thor, his older brother was only slightly taller, but so much more muscular that Loki appeared weak next to the golden haired God. The younger Prince was still very strong and he was not worryingly thin, but his body style was wonderfully toned instead of ridiculously muscled.
Being so different to the first born prince in way of appearance meant that the favourite child in the eyes of their father was no competition. Like his parents, Thor had golden hair and warm toned skin. He was well built like the King and his aptitude for battle had been obvious at a remarkably young age. He was the perfect son to the King and the perfect heir to the throne that oversaw the Universe. Loki on the other hand was raven haired and his skin was much paler than that of his family, instead of battle lust forming when he was a child, books had been his focus. The attention denied from his father had been made up by that of his mother, her favourite of the two children was almost as clear as Odin's and yet in many ways was much more subtle.
During his younger years Loki had spent much time with his mother, she was in essence the kindest women he had ever encountered, protective of her children to no end and full of love. She used to read to him endlessly and his love of books had no doubt stemmed from hers. He might not have her golden flowing hair, or her warm and gentle eyes, but as his aptitude for magic became clear he certainly knew he had inherited something strong from her. While Loki's main studies had been taught by various tutors, his mother had personally taken on the role of honing his magic. Even she –a powerful sorceress- seemed to have been surprised at how fast he learned and how quickly his power had grown. Perhaps because Thor had little to no interest in magic she had expected the same of Loki.
When it came to the uncomfortable situation of an intimate meeting between the two main siblings and their parents, Loki always found himself searching for his mother's gaze and knowing his father's rested on Thor alone. After being summoned back from Midgard by his impatient father, Loki was forced to push the strange mortal from his mind as he entered the spacious throne room to see the others waiting for them. Loki's thick boots were as always so silent on the polished floors as he crossed the large distance to his family, reaching his brother's side and bowing low in reverence to his parents.
"Father, mother." He spoke in a cool tone as he straightened, nodding to Odin and smiling ever so slightly to the beautiful woman standing by his side.
"So good of you to join us Loki." Odin spoke without care, seated on his enormous throne in a relaxed position. This was not a formal meeting then, or the King would have been leaning forward, at least seeming interested.
"Apologies father, there were important matters than required my attention and . . ." Loki trailed off as Odin waved a hand for him to be quiet. Very well then. Loki was not at all surprised that his attempt for an explanation was wavered. It was not the first time that he was cut off and he knew it would not be the last. Loki snuck a look to his left where the favoured Prince was standing and noted that Thor was purposely not looking at him, never a good sign.
"Thor tells us you have been spending a good deal of time on Midgard." Frigga spoke up gently and Loki drew his attention back to her, a sneer starting to show across his lips. His eyebrows arched in response and he waited for his mother to continue, as he knew she was itching to do. He loved his mother dearly, but her involvement in his adult life was not something he overly enjoyed. As expected, he did not have to wait long for her to continue.
"Loki it is time you are found a bride to bear your children." Frigga opted not to beat around the bush and merely came right out with it.
"Another bride, you mean." He corrected her with that evident sneer. "And /more/ children." Both of his parents seemed to shift uncomfortably at those comments and Loki did not bother looking into the skyblue eyes of his older brother, the others all decided to avoid his gaze for a moment. Loki was forbidden to see his children, one of whom had been enslaved to ruling the underworld and another was chained up beneath the very palace Loki resided in.
"Yes." Frigga responded after a painful moment of silence. "That is what I mean." Loki knew why this was wanted of him, during his previous marriage he had settled down almost completely. His antics had been kept to a bare minimum and his need for carnage had not been overly present. But the horror of that time was not something Loki would willingly volunteer for anytime soon and he could see by the hardened look across his mother's face that she knew it too. The prospect of a wife meant little to his parents, he was aware. It was the idea of children that they aimed for. 'Normal' children that could carry on his name and title. He might not have been ascending to the golden throne but that did not mean his line was allowed to end.
Thor had informed them of the way he spent his time on Midgard and this was his parents trying to put a stop to all that. He had known it was coming but he had no intention of listening to the predictable lecture.
"Thor will be corronated in less than three moons and then I will take a bride." Loki spoke up before anybody else could speak. He said it all quite convincingly though he had no intention of such a thing. "This is an agreement that we have already decided on and until then, what I do on Midgard is irrelevant." He spoke loudly and firmly, though not rudely for the backlash that would come from his father was not worth the argument.
"Loki you are a Prince of Asgard." The Queen in all of her grace moved down the steps of the throne so she could stand before him. On the same level she was shorter than Loki, but somehow she was still intimidating. Certainly not in the same regard as his father, but she commanded respect all the same. With a gentle grip she put her hands gently on his shoulders. Loki could not feel her touch through the thickness of his robes, but her touch was reassuring in a way that always reminded him of his childhood.
"Is that concern I can see in your eyes mother?" Loki's tone was almost mocking, she did not need to worry for him but he could see it clearly. Before she could interject he elected to continue. "I am no longer a child, mother, do not think me as fragile as I used to be."
"Just be careful my son." Frigga soother gently and moved one hand to his cheek. Her touch was warm and Loki faltered for a moment, eased so greatly by her. "To see you hurt is not something I desire." It was clear that the words were coming from her heart, Loki's mother was never anything other than truthful with him and being titled as the God of Lies, Loki was eternally grateful for it.
Their eyes met and Loki gently closed his hand over her wrist, bringing it back from his face. There seemed to be a cool patch on his cheek now, where he was missing the warmth of her touch. "This is something I know mother." He spoke gently, so unlike he would have to his father, or his brother. "But you needn't worry. I am an Odinson, we are the ones that do the hurting." His eyes flicked to his father and he made sure the King knew the comment was not empty of meaning.
The raven haired God stepped back and bowed deeply in obvious mockery, not bothering to spare Thor a parting glance before he turned on his heel and used his long legs to sweep across the hall in an elegant fashion.
"Loki!" The booming voice of the Allfather rang out through the empty space and echoed off every surface. Loki was barely out of reach from the end doors when Odin chose to speak. He paused with his arm beginning to stretch out and turned back towards his family, waiting.
"Do not sully my name." Odin warned loudly, his rumbling tone barely able to hide the threat behind it.
"I would not dream of it father." Loki flashed a fake smile before he exited the hall, intending to leave before Odin could speak again.
There was an instant wave of relief when he golden doors slammed shut and he found himself alone in the corridor, save for the two guards that stood watch on either side of the entrance. Neither of them acknowledged Loki except for the customary dip of their heads when he came through the doors and Loki paid no attention to them in return. He leaned his back against the heavy doors for only a moment, letting out a single breath before pushing forward and standing upright into his poised Prince stance that he nearly always wore. With his hands ever clasped behind his back and his shoulders held high he made his way directly out into the afternoon sun that shone brightly down onto the golden palace. From there he chose to teleport to the end of the Bifrost, his destination being the point within the dome that was guarded by the gatekeeper.
"Midgard." He said sharply to Heimdallr who nodded and placed his sword inside the waiting slot. White lightning spiralled out from the point of contact and a blinding light enveloped Loki, the force of interdimension travel slammed him hard, but he was more than used to the feeling and his body was completely steady when he arrived where his mind was centred –the balcony of 'Natalie Rushman's' apartment.
It was from his parent's warning that he had returned back to Midgard instantly, but it was his fascination with this particular mortal that lead him straight back to the scene of the crime, so to speak. From where he stood on the small ledge he would have been completely exposed to view if anybody inside had been watching. As it happened, the curtains had been shut. A gentle smirk curled at the corner of his lips as he was clearly amused by that little detail. Time passed at the same rate on both Asgard and Midgard, but the days held different times. Still, like in Loki's home world, the sky was holding a bright sun at that moment and therefor the need for closed curtains should not have been present.
With a wave of his slender hand Loki caused the curtains to slowly move along the rail, bunching to the side and giving him full view of the apartment within. He saw her instantly, the deep red hair was something hard to miss and Loki had impeccable vision. She was positioned on the other side of the small lounge, wearing far more clothes that when they had last crossed paths and she was holding her weapon at him once again, clearly she was waiting for him.
To his surprise the sliding door was unlocked this time; he was not sure how long she had been standing there, ready to fire without hesitation if needed. Perhaps hours and yet she did not seem the slightest bit shaky. She had perfect balance and once again Loki was willing to bet she had perfect aim.
She stared him down, daring him to enter and the God could only oblige with a slow rising of his hand. As predicted, she straightened a little and narrowed her eyes on his hand, no doubt remembering how much damage he could do with a simple movement. Despite what she was clearly preparing herself for, Loki closed his hand around the cool metal of the door handle and slowly slid the glass open.
There was no way either of them were going to break eye contact, Loki was still not entirely certain how much a Midgardian gun could inflict upon himself and while he was powerful, his craving for self-preservation was flaring around this woman. He was not an idiot, she might have been pathetically weak compared to him but she was certainly a creature to be wary of. Something about her drew him in but that same something filled his mind with warning.
There was silence between them other than the sound of the door sliding shut behind Loki once he had stepped inside. This time he used magic to complete the action, lest he remove his gaze from the woman. He could almost see the intensity of her mind as she tried to read everything about him; perhaps such a thing was obvious as that was what he was trying to do with her as well.
For a remarkable amount of time the two of them simply stood there, waiting for the other to act. It was clear that Loki was the one feeling more comfortable of the two, even though he was technically within foreign territory. And so he was quite content to wait as long as he needed to in order for her to make the first move, whether that would make her feel less at ease or even more so he wasn't quite sure.
"What are you?" She finally spoke up, voice strong as it could be despite how she had previously spoken it.
"I have already told you." Loki's response was almost instantaneous and that clearly unnerved her. Her steady grip tightened a little on her weapon.
"What do you want from me?" Her voice was a shade darker and he did not imagine the way her expression hardened. The deadly looking in her eyes sent a subtle shiver up his spine and he was pleased the thickness of his green and black robes was enough to hide the cause for his pants suddenly becoming much tighter. Unsurprisingly, the darkness she projected was simply alluring, she may have been full of danger, but danger had always excited Loki. However, the question itself threw him a little, mainly because it was not something he could answer straight away like he had intended to do. In fact he did not have an answer as he had been trying to ask himself the same question.
He was losing composure, that much was obvious in her eyes with every second that drifted by without him giving her an answer she was gaining metaphorical ground. Oh Loki could not have that. His decided response was to slowly move forward and actually take hold of the literal ground between them. He would not be outdone by a mortal.
To his shock she moved towards him as well and pressed the barrel of her weapon against his temple. If this was an effort to impress him, it certainly worked. Instead of backing herself into a corner as he had expected, she had met him in the battle ground and there was no waver of will in her expression. He almost felt like vocally congratulating her.
She was shorter than him and that was something he was happy about, even if she didn't seemed at all intimidated by his height. Despite the gun pressed into his head, he found it difficult to focus on anything other than the strong scent of this woman now filling his nostrils. Her eyes were a startling green, hypnotic almost. If he wasn't careful, he would find himself completely under her spell.
His only option here was to catch her completely off guard and he had a very strong feeling that would be difficult to achieve. If he attacked, she would counter. There was a shockingly potent urge to grab her and simply take her, but for some insane reason Loki was resisting such a thing. What he needed was something she couldn't possibly see coming, unfortunately something that he wasn't very likely to do.
A smirk curled across his lips as the thought came and he slowly reached up to close a hand over the gun, careful not to touch her skin. With strength she could not hope to match, he moved the weapon away, having to hope she would not fire just to prove a point. Despite her clear struggle to keep the gun pointed at his temple, her finger did not squeeze the trigger in the process of him moving the weapon to the side.
For several long moments the sound of their breathing was the only thing that could be heard other than her racing heart, until finally Loki stepped back and resumed his poised position, hands clasped as they always were.
"Perhaps we should attempt a fresh start." He murmured in a smooth tone, "I am –as I said- Loki of Asgard. And you are?"
The sheer surprise spanning across her beautiful face at his passive actions was exactly what he was hoping for.