I don't own Loki or anyone else from the Marvel Universe. I am not making money off this story.
Chapter 11: Alterations
Loki enjoyed learning about the strangely brief history of Earth. She was surprised to find that very little was known about humans more than a few millennia ago. Mostly art remained, and certain humans called archaeologists were left to draw their own conclusions about what the art meant. She realized then why Steve and Tony were so surprised by her age. She had known how short-lived humans were, she just hadn't realized how young their civilization was.
Father made them, she reminded herself, it was only a generation ago in Asgard.
What was even more shocking was how little music remained. It seemed that humans did not bother to write down their music effectively until a mere four centuries ago. As a result, most of the music composed before that had been lost to human memory. What remained, however, was fascinating. It seemed that in those four short centuries humans had sought to fill the void of memory, twisting and changing the art until the music of this era barely resembled that of even a century earlier.
Jarvis cleverly presented the art and music together, moving forward in a chronological progression, and she could easily see how they influenced each other and future pieces. From the excesses of the Renaissance came the restricted, overbearing elegance of Baroque, and then in retaliation then the lighthearted, frivolous Rococo. Humans then sought more than the superficial, diving into the emotional turmoil of the Romantic period, before eschewing religion and sentimentality for the new scientific Enlightenment. From there, conflict erupted between those who sought to relive the glories of the past and those who wished to push on to the new, undiscovered, and Modern. Viewed from such a distance, it was like a fascinating drama, the players taking the stage only briefly, but forever changing the story.
After her enlightening lesson, Loki felt inspired. She decorated her room, using magic to paint an Art Nouveau border along the top of the walls. She turned the curtains and bedding green, and the carpet to a soft gold. The desk and dresser became dark-stained wood in an imposing Baroque style, and she moved the dresser to the corner so she could expand the bed into a nice four-poster. She put a bulletin board on the wall above the desk, and filled it with art and architecture that inspired her. Lastly, she put a large poster of Thor on the ceiling above her bed. On second thought, she cast an illusion on it so that it would be invisible to Thor.
Next, she set about making the apartment musical. Jarvis offered to ask Mr. Stark if she could be given some stereo equipment, as well as a digital music player she could carry with her everywhere. In the meantime, she sought about making herself a piano. This would be more complicated than decorating her room, and she researched the construction and materials carefully. The mechanism in particular was very complex, and she studied a few diagrams carefully before crafting a small model to make sure she understood how it worked. But it would be worth it-Jarvis assured her it was by far the most versatile instrument available. At last she was ready.
She walked into the living room, and selected an empty spot along the wall. She would have liked to make a grand piano, but there wasn't enough room, and so she opted for the slightly more complicated upright model. She took a deep breath, raised her hands in the air, and began.
First she made the case to hold it all, taking the wood from the golden oaks of Asgard. Next the soundboard within, made of a metal she knew would resonate well. For the strings, she stuck with plain steel, unsure how the sound would change with the material. She could always experiment later. Lastly, she fashioned the keys and their complex mechanisms. She studied the little model she had made, and then replicated it, full scale, eighty-eight times.
Almost as an afterthought, she crafted a bench, and then sunk down on it. She could feel that her magic was nearly drained, and fought a surge of disappointment. True, it was the most complex spell she had done in a long time, but she hadn't used a third of the energy she would have had before. She began to feel angry about it, when the ruby necklace she wore flashed brightly. She whimpered, clutching the sides of the bench, and then the moment of pain passed.
Loki sighed heavily. Perhaps now would be a good time to read the book Dr. Bryardie had given her, before Thor got home. She could teach herself to play the piano later. She ambled into her room, picked up the book and started to read.
It was far worse than she imagined. She was already somewhat familiar with the female body, as she had indicated to Natasha earlier, and this wasn't, if she was truthful, her first time as a female... But that had been an entirely different situation. This was mortifying, and she was glad the book was thorough, because there was no way she could ever ask Natasha or Pepper about it.
At last, she finished the wretched thing, and turned to the fashion magazines. These were much more fun, and she posted a few of the better outfits on her bulletin board for the following days. She glanced at her watch, wondering when Thor would come home. On a whim, she used the laptop to try to figure out what she might do to make herself more attractive to him.
Jarvis was rather unhelpful with her search, hinting that it was a very good thing Miss Potts had installed the safe search moderator and wouldn't she rather learn the piano? After poking around without much success, she capitulated and took the laptop out to the living room.
She was practicing scales when Thor came home. She left off immediately, jumping up and running over to hug him. Thor accepted the hug warily.
"Where did you get that?" he asked suspiciously.
"The laptop? From Pepper. How was your day?" she stepped back, running a hand through her hair to make sure it looked ok.
Thor frowned "No, not the device, that... large wooden thing." He walked over and pressed one of the keys, surprised by the sound it emitted.
"It's a piano, a kind of instrument. I made it," she grinned, proud of her accomplishment.
Thor's only response was to deepen his frown. "Made it?"
"With magic," she said, pointing out the obvious.
"What?!" he turned to her, shocked.
She was confused. "Well, how else would I get it?"
"Loki, you mustn't use your magic so frivolously!"
Now it was her turn to frown. "Why not? They didn't have any restoration work for me to do yet."
Thor shook his head. "The others, they will see things like this," he gestured to the piano, "As a flagrant display of power. If you can make this, what else might you make? A weapon?"
Loki blushed, ashamed that Thor would think of such a thing when she had not. "I would never, I can't-"
"I know that," Thor said kindly, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. "But they do not. They do not trust you as of yet. You must set to that task before entertaining yourself."
She sighed heavily. "Dr. Bryardie suggested I use a little magic to make this place feel more like home to me. I guess I went a little overboard."
The frown returned to Thor's face. "What else did you do?"
"Just decorated my room a little," she protested. When Thor raised his eyebrows, she walked to her door and flung it open, crossing her arms petulantly.
Thor came to stand in the doorway, but did not enter, still wary. He looked around with interest, and Loki was very glad she had thought to hide the poster from his sight. Thor sighed. "All of these things could have been acquired for you by conventional methods," Thor said disapprovingly.
"Yes, but that would take money, which I don't have," Loki argued.
Thor crossed his arms. "I have more gold than any mortal could hope to spend in a lifetime. I do not often exchange it for currency here, but if you had asked me for these things, I would have bought them for you. Even the instrument."
Loki found she could not explain to him why it was important that she acquire these things for herself. As much as she craved his affections, she had no desire to be completely dependent on him. And now he seemed to be in such a foul mood. Floundering for a way to make him like her again, she tried to think back to before the change. If a woman had upset Loki, what could she have done to sooth his ire?
Suddenly a little chime sounded from the watch she wore, reminding her to eat. "Let me make you some food," she said soothingly, placing a hand on his upper arm.
"That is not necessary," Thor began, but she interrupted.
"Not for you, I know, but I must eat now that I am human, and I should like it if you would join me."
Thor smiled a little. "You can cook?"
Loki grinned. "Not yet, but I am sure it cannot possibly be more complicated than some of the potions I have brewed." she waved a hand in the air dismissively, plucked her laptop off the piano bench, and headed for the kitchen. "Jarvis," she said to the computer, "What shall I make for supper?"
"That depends, Miss Loki. What ingredients are available?"
Thor sat at the table and watched bemused as Loki rummaged in the well-stocked fridge-courtesy of SHIELD-smiling at the easy rapport between her and Jarvis as she lunged headfirst into the culinary arts. She seemed to be undaunted by the task, her only frustration the lack of specificity in the recipe.
"But exactly how many degrees is 'medium high?' This stove is only numbered 1-10." she complained.
"I do not believe that most cooking requires that exact of a measurement," Jarvis answered. "I believe medium high would be a seven or an eight."
Loki turned on the stove, and held a hand over it. "Why isn't it hot?" she demanded. "I don't think it's working."
"It appears to be an electric stove. It will take time for the element to conduct enough to heat up. I would estimate about three minutes to reach optimal temperature."
She continued working, chopping things that smelled delicious to Thor, as well as cracking several eggs. She beat the eggs with a little milk-once Jarvis had explained how one beat an egg-and then poured them into the pan. The chopped ingredients were added next. She stood staring intently at it, spatula at the ready, as she waited for the conditions Jarvis had described for when it was ready to turn. Then, moving swiftly, she tried to fold it over. Apparently it did not go as planned, as she began cursing at it with a fluency that made Thor smile, remembering. Jarvis assured her that the dish would still taste the same.
At last she turned off the stove and slid the eggs out of the pan onto two plates. The apartment was full of a delicious aroma by now, and even though Thor didn't need to eat his stomach rumbled in anticipation. She set a plate before him, and fetched some silverware before sitting down on the other side of the table.
"Jarvis says this dish is usually served at the morning meal, but we didn't have any meat," she explained.
"It smells delicious," Thor assured her. He took a big bite, unsure what awaited him, and then groaned.
Loki's eyes became wide. "Is it awful?"
"No," he said through another mouthful he shoveled in. "It's fantastic!"
She looked at her own plate, took a small bite, and smiled. "Oh, it is good! I'm so glad."
Thor nearly inhaled his omelet, and she followed at a more sedate pace.
"Truly," he said as he put down his fork, finished, "even Volstagg could have found no fault with your cooking.
Loki smiled slyly, "Except perhaps that I did not make a full dozen."
He laughed at that, and she did as well. Maybe things would turn out alright after all.
A/N: Hey all! The story progresses well, especially as I'm writing this for NaNoWriMo. I currently have a 6 chapter buffer, so I'll continue posting two chapters a week.
Also, I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this. It means so very much to me, I can't tell you how happy I am to see how many people are enjoying this story. I hope everyone continues to like it!
