Miranda here.
I woke up to a low moan on the floor nearby. I sat up, rubbing my head.
Loki lay in a hole on the floor.
"Hi," I said.
He glared at me.
"How do you feel?" I asked. "I imagine having the Hulk smash you on the floor isn't much fun."
He kept glaring.
"Where's Ivy?"
"Barton hit her in the head."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Stark's going to die, though."
"No, he isn't. He'll fall and the Hulk will catch him."
He groaned.
"You know, Ivy was right. It's all you. It's not anyone except you."
I've heard all the theories about Loki being under mind control. I'm not sure what to think, but I do know that his longing for revenge is probably his and his alone, not a result of mind control.
What would happen if we smashed the blue gem on his staff, though? I've always wondered. And what happened to that staff afterwards anyhow? We never did find out.
Right. Back to the story.
"You know, they really do care, Loki. They really care. And you're very lucky for it. I think everyone who ever had a sibling has felt the way you do, to a certain extent. Everyone feels as if their brother or sister is favored over themselves. Some had more reason to think so than others. Particularly Ivy." I closed my mouth quickly, it wasn't my place to talk about Ivy. Nor is it my place to discuss her life in this recording.
"Maybe I should have had her join me at the beginning."
I actually laughed. "No. It would take more than that staff of yours to make her do anything for you without her trying to fight against you. You saw what she did when you ordered her to kneel." Was she okay? I put the thought out of my head. Ivy was out of his control, and she could take care of herself. "But you know, Loki, maybe you could try to take her example. She's not lying in a dent on the floor, fighting a losing battle. Just saying."
I doubted he'd listen to me. But you never know. Sometimes, you don't know until later if you did any good, and sometimes a small seed is all it takes.