Lyanne woke up shivering. The thin cot had not come with a blanket, and her ratty clothes had afforded her little coverage from the cold air in her cell, which she was sure had been chilled to make her more uncomfortable. Sometimes it was the little stuff that got to you the most. She tossed and turned and eventually decided she would be getting no more sleep tonight. She tried to warm up by taking a shower, but the water, too, was ice cold. Lyanne bathed in it anyway, hoping that by the time she was done the air might seem warmer by comparison. It wasn't. She huddled in the corner of her cell, the bars to her left and the stone against her back, curling into a ball to help preserve her body heat.
"Having a bad night?" she heard Amora whisper groggily.
"It's freezing in here."
"You get used to it."
"They do it on purpose, don't they?"
"Yes, I'm sure of it. I think the only reason they don't turn up the heat is because it would make us smell terribly - this is less offensive to them."
Lyanne giggled a bit and tried to see around her cage to get a view of Amora, but did not succeed. She leaned back against the wall again and shivered.
"I hate to bring this up, but, wouldn't you smell anyway? It looks like they don't allow you to use the bathroom."
"They use the showerhead to clean me off occasionally, but to be fair I don't really need to eliminate much. I do not eat the food they bring me, nor drink the water I am served - except for when the shower comes on. Then I drink."
"Why?"
"I want them to know how strong I am."
"I'm not that strong - I have a feeling they're going to starve me on purpose and overfeed you, just as a torture method."
"You're probably right. I can go much longer periods of time without eating than you can, being of Asgard, so if you can reach my food, you are welcome to it."
"Thank you," she said, suddenly suspicious. "Why?" Then something occurred to her. "Wouldn't the magic wall keep me out?"
"No, the barrier is specialized only against magic, and myself. I'm just lonely," she admitted. Lyanne believed it. Even the most hard-hearted of souls must need company once in a while. Like Loki. She sighed.
"I feel so stupid."
"Don't," Amora said, but not in a comforting manner. Her tone was clipped, matter-of-fact. "They want you to. They want you to feel some emotion so that they can take advantage of it and use it to manipulate you."
"As Loki did to me already?"
"Yes."
"What I don't get," Lyanne said, "Was that he needed me in order to help him find the gems, and use them, otherwise he'd be exhausted and, eventually, injured."
"Perhaps he found the Gauntlet - that would make having you around unnecessary."
"No, I don't think so."
"Why not?" Amora laughed. "Because he didn't tell you he had found it?"
"Well, yes," she admitted lamely. Amora gave her usual airy, mocking chuckle.
"Perhaps he found it, and perhaps he did not. Maybe he still needs you for something."
"What could I possibly give him locked up in here?"
"Well, what was your plan before he held a knife to your throat?"
"How - how did you know what happened?"
"The Agents here wag their tongues like dogs when they think no one is listening. Fools."
"Oh. Well, we were supposed to infiltrate SHIELD and try to hack into the files."
"And how would you do that?"
"Loki said he could use his magic to bypass the security codes."
"Hm. Maybe. But it's hard to believe he would be that stupid - as much as I hate admitting that."
"Well then what do you think?"
"I think he is plotting something much bigger than you."
"Do you think he'll break me out?"
"Unless it suits him… no."
"Oh," was all she could say. They spent the rest of the night in silence until breakfast, when, sure enough, Lyanne received a small bunch of wrinkled grapes and a tiny glass of water, and the Enchantress was handed a plate full of hot eggs, bacon, and toast. Lyanne could not reach it when Amora offered it to her, but she didn't feel very hungry anyway.