Jane didn't know how she had gotten herself into this situation. She had thought that she was going to be working safely with a fellow scientist, that she would finally have enough funding to work on her research, and that she would be far enough away that Shield wouldn't be able to keep interfering with her. Instead, she found herself in possibly the worst situation.
"I always knew this science thing would get me killed," Darcy complained from the corner of the room. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, her expression somewhere between a glare and a pout.
Jane pressed her lips together in a grimace as she focused on the computer screen before her, steadfastly ignoring the room around her. Darcy, on the other hand, was staring straight at the cause of their current discomfort.
"Doom does not plan to kill you," The man told them, standing on the other side of the room and watching them. "Doom has already told you that you are free to work on what you wish."
"Are we free to leave?" Darcy asked crossly.
"No," Doom answered simply. "Doom does not know why you would wish to leave, you have everything that you wanted. Doom is going to allow you to do your research and you do not have to worry about any expenses."
"We have to worry about evil baddies stealing whatever we create," Darcy snarked.
"Doom does not have to steal anything from you," He told them. "If you wish to sit around pouting and glaring, you are free to do so, but it won't get you out of here any sooner."
"Oh, like you're not going to kill us afterwards," Darcy snapped.
"Doom has no interest in your deaths," Doom said again.
"Darcy," Jane hissed. "Quit antagonizing him!"
"You're just going to do what he wants?" Darcy questioned in outrage.
"What do you want me to do?" Jane snapped.
"I don't know! Use your science on him!" Darcy suggested.
"I can't just-"
"If you wish to plan escape measures," Doom began, interrupting them. "I would suggest that you wait until I am out of the room."
The two women were silent as they stared at Doom. Jane turned back to the screen in front of her and Darcy returned to pouting. The man watched them silently for a moment before joining Jane at the computer. "Is it necessary to have this one here?" Doom asked, looking at Darcy.
"Of course!" Jane said immediately.
"Because she could occupy herself elsewhere and keep out of the way." Doom said.
"Out of the way!" Darcy yelled.
Doom turned to face the entrance to the lab. "Enchantress, would you mind entertaining our guest?"
A blonde woman appeared in the doorway, a large man standing behind her. She glared at Jane momentarily before looking away. "Is that her?"
Doom ignored the question, turning back to Jane. "You expressed a desire to work together when I extended this invitation to you, so shall we begin working or not?"
"Come on," The blonde said to Darcy.
"What? No! I'm not leaving Jane!" Darcy insisted.
The other woman didn't seem concerned with the refusal. "Skurge," She said. The man moved forward, tossing a struggling Darcy over her shoulder. "Don't make such a fuss," She said to Darcy.
"What are you going to do to her?" Jane asked.
"Nothing unpleasant," Doom assured. "Simply removing distractions. Now, if you will," He gestured back to the screen.
Loki was wearing Mystique's form when he returned to the castle. There were other forms he could have worn to hide his identity from the other guest in the castle, but he wanted to get used to seeing blue on his own skin. He wasn't comfortable enough to walk around in his true form yet, but he wanted to be. Not to mention, he wanted to get the women used to Mystique in the case they needed to interact with the mutant later. Mystique was still rather touchy about human-mutant relations.
After walking around for a bit, he heard sound from one of the sitting rooms and changed course toward it.
"- don't even know what he sees in her!" Amora's voice was loud and irritated, drifting through the open doorway. Nothing much out of the ordinary as far as Loki was concerned, but he had to refrain from groaning out loud when he heard a woman's voice answer.
"Hey! Jane is... she's super smart! Okay! She... has really bad fashion, but that's... that's not... she's smart!" The girl's voice was slurred with a rising and falling pitch.
It was obvious why once he entered the room. Amora was sitting in Skurge's lap with a golden chalice in hand, a slight glaze to her eyes. The mortal girl, the pet of his brother's woman, had her own goblet in hand. Her face was flushed and she swayed slightly in her chair.
Loki wanted to face palm right then and there. "What in Norn's name have you given the girl?" He asked Amora in exasperation.
"I swear it was juice!" Amora objected immediately. She paused after a moment before adding, "Oh... Mystique. I thought you were-"
"I am," Loki said firmly. Was she really so intoxicated that she couldn't even tell that much?
"...it's juice..." She repeated.
"It is not."
"Skurge brought it from-"
"I don't care," Loki interrupted. "How much did you give the mortal?"
"I didn't give her any! Really! I told you..."
"The mortal has wine," Skurge spoke up. "From Midgard. I would not allow my mistress to accidentally poison the mortal."
Loki nodded his head in thanks.
"Whoa... how drunk am I..." The mortal said to herself, staring at Loki. Well, at Mystique, he supposed, remembering that he was currently disguised as his blue ally.
"Are you ranting to this poor girl?" Loki asked instead, folding his arms and looking the goddess over impatiently.
"I just don't understand!" Amora pouted. "I saw her, Lo-" Amora bit her tongue before his name could slip out. "I saw her," She repeated. "She's nothing special."
"Yes, I'm sure you learned that after a single meeting with her." He reached out to take the chalice from her hand. "Aren't we leaving old grievances behind?"
"That's what I'm doing?" She replied. "I'm getting it out of my system so that I don't kill her. Or him. Step one is to get stupid drunk, step two is to make nice with his... woman, step three is to stop dodging Thor. This is a process!"
Loki shook his head, returning the chalice to her reaching hands. "Whatever you say." He turned to the mortal. "Let's get you to bed, shall we?"
"Hey, I don't swing that way! Whatever way blue babes swing..." The girl trailed off.
"My intentions couldn't be further from taking advantage of you."
"No need to be rude!" She yelled, stumbling as she tried to stand, sloshing wine onto the floor.
"Mortals," Loki sighed.
"Don't, don't take that... tone with me!" Darcy slurred, attempting to be firm but failing.
Loki plucked the goblet from her hands and began to lead her off. "What do you call yourself? Or can you recall?"
"I'm Darcy!" She exclaimed.
"Then come along, Lady Darcy."
The mortal followed him willingly, but not at all quietly. Loki was half tempted to give the woman over to one of Victor's machines, but his mechanical clones were not known for their care.
Once he had safely deposited the woman into bed, he went to Victor's lab. The scene he came upon was mostly what he expected. Thor's woman looked uncomfortable, Victor seemed to pay little attention to her mood, but there was an increasing amount of information being added to their separate screens.
"It might be time to rest until the morrow," He told them.
"I did not believe you would care about such things," Victor answered almost absently.
"I am not who you believe me to be," Loki said. Victor looked up at that and Loki could practically feel the scrutiny of the gaze, even if he couldn't see it. "Do you truly believe it would be so easy to see through?"
Victor didn't reply to that. Instead, he turned to Thor's woman and spoke. "If you would like to rest, I suggest you follow her."
"Where's Darcy?" She asked first.
"In her own room," Loki told her.
"I want to see her."
Loki shrugged. "If you wish, but you have your own room."
The woman gave him a determined look that indicated she trusted him as far as she could throw him. He gave her Mystique's best smile as he said, "Follow me."
Loki was back in his own form when he returned to Victor's lab. "So Victor, do you think you can handle this venture on your own?"
"Contrary to what you believe, your assistance is not necessary," Victory replied without turning to face the god.
Loki smirked, even knowing the mortal couldn't see it. "Are you so sure? I may not be back for some time and you'll have to deal with our dear Enchantress."
"Ignoring her is no difficult task."
"No, I don't suppose it would be," Loki replied. "But she will be your singular assistant in dealing with Thor's woman and her pet, and Amora is still recovering from her fallout with Thor."
"Your point, Trickster?"
"My point is that you should be aware of her. You aren't the most nurturing of people and I'd not like to come back to find her broken."
Victor sighed, turning to face the god. "I am not going to coddle her."
"I'm not asking you to. A little self-awareness would not be amiss, however."
"And while I am coaxing Miss Foster toward the creation of her Einstein-Rosen bridge, you shall be giving your undue attention to Stark."
Loki sighed. "You know that is not the case. I shall be with the Avengers."
"Stark, as I said," Victor repeated.
"And Raven will be introducing me to her mutant compatriots. And I've gained a presence with Shield-"
Victor folded his arms. "Convenient that you've so many reasons to remain at Stark's side."
Loki blinked at him for a moment. "Are you really doing this right now?" Loki asked him.
"I am merely stating the facts as I see them before me."
"What is this, Victor, jealousy? Are you upset that someone else gets to play with your shiny new toys?" Loki sighed again when the man didn't answer. "Your jealousy is both unparalleled and unbecoming of you, Victor. It is not as if our alliance does not hold more weight than my infatuation with Anthony, unless your issue is that you wanted to be the first one to fuck a god. Then again, you've already got Amora for that avenue, unless you are even more greedy than I already perceived you to be."
"You assume too much as always, Trickster. I am simply objecting to you making me do your work for you."
Loki glared at Victor's back, pushing back against his rising temper. "I am asking you for a singular thing here and it is not even something you have no wish to participate in! Do not pretend to have no interest in figuring out the workings of the Bifrost."
"You are asking me to babysit two mortals as well as deal with a tantrum prone goddess, both of which should be your problem. Or at least, your brother's problem," Victor answered.
Loki stared at Victor for a long moment. "I have no idea what your problem is right now, Victor, and I am in no mood to guess. Either you will speak your peace or you will not, but I do not have all day to wait and find out."
Victor turned to face Loki fast enough that his cloak flared dramatically. Any other time, Loki would have thought that the man did so on purpose, but this time the god was sure it was just a consequence of the dramatic attire. "Stark cannot protect you!" The man spoke with certainty and, if Loki was not mistaken, just a hint of concern. "You are surrounding yourself with enemies and for what? Some useless romantic drivel that can be undone with in moments by a few words or lack thereof?"
"I..."
"Shield is watching for us, they have eyes on Stark, half of The Avengers work for them! What sense does it make to place yourself so easily in their reach?"
"Raven is already in the same position, Victor, and she is within Shield itself," Loki reminded.
"She is not distracted by silly sentiments and cheap emotion!"
"Regardless of what you believe of Anthony, my emotions are not cheap, Victor. If nothing else, you should know that of me."
"All the worse that you are so enamored," Victor said.
"Also, I am very capable of protecting myself. I do not need Anthony to do it for me, nor do I need you to perform the task." Victor did not respond right away, so Loki ventured further. "Do you really think me so blinded by emotion that I will no longer be able to take care of myself?"
"Stark will not be your only distraction," Victor answered. "There is also that oaf of a brother of yours and they will both be clamoring for you to stay with them longer than needed, calling for you to give up your plans for their own, trying to pull you to their side..."
"You think they are going to turn me against you?" Loki asked with incredulity. Loki couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up at the thought. "You think that after centuries, I'm going to suddenly give up being the villain now?"
"You were never the villain then," Victor replied, his voice the closest to a whisper Loki had ever heard it, almost as if he were afraid to speak and trying to hide it. "You were always serving the word of your king."
"Then I cannot possibly be the villain now, when I am trying to save an entire realm," Loki said. "And you would be the hero of your people for ruling justly and Raven a paragon of her people for fighting for their rights, but it is not intentions or laws that make us the villains, nor is that what holds our alliance together, unless I am gravely mistaken on your objectives and priorities."
Victor didn't respond to that, instead moving to a work bench across his lab and moving about the objects strewn atop its surface.
"Do not let your insecurities get the better of you," Loki told him softly.
In reply, Victor slid three metal bracelets across the table. "I've made modifications," He said. "There is a button that opens a communications feed. It is only one way, to avoid situational complications."
Loki picked them all up, replacing his old one with the new model as Victor looked on. "I suppose I should give this one to Amora?"
"No, that one is... for Stark..." The man's gaze was fixed somewhere on the table as he continued uselessly moving about spare parts. "For your own piece of mind."
Loki grinned widely. "Why, Victor!" Loki began, but was cut off immediately.
"I will hear nothing more from you!" Victor said firmly. "I am only indulging your petty infatuation because I know you will complain later if he comes to harm and I wish to avoid your whining. Also, if you come to harm under his care, I will be able to find him and express my displeasure."
Loki's smile softened and he crossed the room to stand before the mortal. Softly, he said, "Thank you, Victor."
"You are the property of Doom, so anything that you have laid claim to belongs to Doom, as well."
"As you say, Victor." Loki smiled, but chose not to further comment.