Hello readers! *dodges rocks* Yes, I know, I've taken forever to update but at least here it is! I've been really busy that it has been really tough to make time to write for this. I need more Loki-related for inspiration….ugh I really lacked it.
Anyway, here it is! Chapter 22~
Disclaimer…..(we know this….)
Loki P.O.V.
The rest of the day went on without much complication. Having gained some interest in learning Braille once again, Mandy decided to spend her time deciphering the text with the translation of Desiderata in hand. I offered to assist seeing as I was the only one who could actually read written words. She did not decline at first but after a while, she asked if she could try reading it out on her own. Normally I would have been offended but I have come to accept that Mandy did not like being treated like an invalid and preferred to be independent whenever possible.
I continued to keep her company by reading my own book beside her. It was a sight to behold however, since the two of us were very different in our reading styles. Mandy said aloud the figures that she was translating while I remained silent, going through the words with my eyes. Mandy's recitation was not too bothersome so in a way, we managed to do our business peacefully.
By night time, we had become so engrossed with our books that we decided to eat in the living room. Mandy chose to sit on the floor while I lounged on my makeshift bed.
There did not seem to be a problem with our arrangement but after a while I realized that I was being inconsiderate, having the woman on the ground while I am on a seat. People may think ill of me but my mother taught me better.
"Mandy, why don't you take a seat with me? It would be much more comfortable than down there." I offered.
She turned to my direction and shook her head. "I'm fine. Besides, I don't want to mess up your bed."
"I do not mind. There is more than enough room for you to share." I insisted.
She hesitated a bit before finally complying. Mandy felt around to locate the couch and seated herself next to me.
"Is this not better?" I said to her.
With a sigh, she admitted, "Yeah, I guess."
Feeling a little triumphant, I went back to by book and turned a page.
"What are you reading this time?" Mandy suddenly asked.
"It is another collection of stories called 'The Greatest Works of William Shakespeare.'" I replied.
Mandy hummed in response before saying, "Can I hear about it?"
I cast my eyes to her before asking for clarification. "You want me to read aloud for you?"
"Unless you just want to do it on your own. I was just asking." She answered with a hint of embarrassment in her tone.
I assured her by telling her, "I don't mind but I thought you were going through that braille book of yours."
"I was, but it's getting a little repetitive. I don't want to spoil a good poem by overusing it." She explained.
Understanding her point, I did not push further. "I suppose, but are you certain you want to hear such antiquated words?"
"I imagine that Shakespeare would suit your voice too well."
Her statement left me a little confused that I asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"The way you talk sounds very regal and your voice is- I don't know, just really nice." She answered.
I raised an eyebrow upon hearing it. "You like the way I speak?"
"Honestly, I do. It's one of the few compliments a blind person can give." She said with a shrug.
Accepting the praise, I proceeded to read to her.
Some stories were long but their themes were much more complex than the fairytales. They delved in deeper matters and had interesting characters with both flaws and strengths. These were the kind of reading materials that I preferred.
I was in the middle of the play, 'The Comedy of Errors' when I felt Mandy's head fall on my shoulder.
I turned to her and noticed her eyes were closed. "Is everything alright?" I softly asked.
"Yeah. Go on. I'm still listening." She replied, not even bothering to open an eyelid.
I shrugged in response and continued reading until I finally heard a light snore. I looked once again at the young girl leaning against me and found that she had fallen asleep.
Instead of being offended by it, I smirked at the sight. She had allowed herself to sleep in my presence once again. I attempted to lower her unto my bed but she stirred awake.
"Where am I?" She asked groggily.
"Still in the living room, although I think it is best that you go to your own bed to sleep." I told her.
She nodded and struggled to stand up. I helped her regain her balance but allowed her to head to her room on her own. Mandy may have been tired but she still had her pride.
Since she initiated it, I decided to follow suit and retire for the night. At least this time, I fell asleep almost instantly, comforted by the eased mind that Mandy left me with.
The next morning, however, was not as pleasant. Insistent knocking and calling woke me up, much to my annoyance.
"Mandy? Dear, it's Mrs. Hillston. Are you awake?" Said a female voice coming from the other side of the door.
She seemed determined to find Mandy that she even attempted peeking through the windows. Luckily, the curtains obscured her view since she did not notice me. I, on the other hand, could see her shadow from inside the house.
Becoming increasingly concerned that the woman might become suspicious, I headed to Mandy's room as quietly as I could.
She was still asleep despite the noise that the female outside was making so I was forced to wake her myself.
I gently shook her shoulder as I called out her name but she did not react. I tried again with more force but only succeeded in making her groan. It was a sign that she was slightly awake so I pushed her soft dark hair away from her face and ear before whispering to her.
"Mandy, there is someone at the door."
In response, she shot up suddenly, slamming her head into my own. Both of us cringed in pain, grabbing our skulls to relieve the ache.
Able to regain her focus faster than I, Mandy asked, "What were you trying to tell me?"
"There is a woman outside who wishes to see you." I replied.
Mandy P.O.V.
Just as Loki answered my question, I heard knocking and the voice of someone calling out my name. Immediately I recognized who it was from.
"Loki, you can hide in this room while I deal with her. Don't come out until she's gone, ok?" I instructed before running to the door.
As soon as I opened it, Mrs. Hillston greeted me with a loud and cheerful voice. "Mandy! Wonderful! You're awake."
"Yeah. What brings you here so early?" I asked, scratching my head.
"Well actually, I'm heading off to visit some relatives in another state and I thought that since I'm on the road, I'd drop these off to you." She replied, but I could not understand what she meant.
"And they are?"
Realizing her mistake, she clarified herself. "Oh, sorry dear. I forgot to say. I found these dresses in a shop a few days ago and I thought they'd look good on you."
Her answer surprised me as well as annoyed me that the whole wakeup call was just for something as trivial as clothes.
"You didn't have to do that for me. Besides, I'm not really the dress type." I told her honestly but politely.
She was not fazed at all. "Nonsense. Every young woman should own and wear at least one dress. Now, let's go in and have you try one on so we can see if they fit."
At her suggestion, I hesitated knowing that she might see Loki who, to my current knowledge, was still in his other form.
"That's not really necessary. I'm sure they'll fit just fine." I said, trying to dissuade her.
"You don't have to be so shy, Mandy. I just want to see you wearing one and then I'll go." Mrs. Hillston bargained.
Finding no other way around it, I allowed her inside the house.
Immediately after entering, however, Mrs. Hillston forced me into my bedroom to change and shut the door.
"Loki?" I called out, but not loud enough to be heard outside.
I heard a shuffle before he answered, "I am here. What did she want?"
"She wants me to try on a dress and she won't leave unless I do." I replied with my voice showing my frustration.
"And she intended that you change in here?" He inquired but I could already tell what he was getting at.
"Apparently. Loki, I don't really have a choice here. Do you mind looking away while get into this infernal outfit?" I requested, trying to make do with the whole situation.
I heard no response from him so I spoke again. "Please?"
"Worry not. I have no plans of taking advantage of you." He said mischievously.
Loki P.O.V.
I saw her eyes grow wide at my little tease. Though her reaction was amusing, I had to assure her that I actually meant what I said. Once she was convinced, I turned around to give her some privacy.
I could hear her fumbling around with the clothes which suddenly made me feel more awkward than I had expected to be. The idea of a barely-dressed Mandy crossed my mind for a brief moment and that made everything feel wrong. The longer her changing went on, the more uncomfortable I became. My eyes shifted around, trying to find anything to distract me.
Luckily, I realized that I could simply leave the room altogether through a window. I did so with the utmost silence so as not to startle her. As soon as I was outside, I proceeded to hide behind the house and planned to return after the other woman had left.
Mandy P.O.V.
I tried to change as fast but as modestly as possible. Nothing could compare to how embarrassing and odd it was, knowing that Loki was there behind me. I trusted that he was true to his word but it still felt weird.
As soon as I was dressed, I whispered for Loki again but this time, there was no response.
"Mandy, are you finished?" Mrs. Hillston called out from the other side of the door, distracting me.
Acting fast, I slipped out of my room and closed the door immediately. I hoped that she did not see inside and pretended as if all things were normal.
Mrs. Hillston cooed over me in her dress for several minutes before I finally got her to leave. She did not seem to be offended so it eased my mind a little.
Once I heard her car drive away, I turned to the direction of my room to let my housemate know that the coast was clear.
"Mandy?" said a voice behind me. I automatically recognized it to belong to Loki.
Surprised by his sudden appearance, I barraged him with questions. "Weren't you in the room? How did you get out?"
"I left through the window so you could have your privacy." He calmly explained.
His answer was a little amusing as well as reassuring.
"Well aren't you a gentleman." I playfully told him.
I could hear him feign offense when he said, "Are you implying that I was otherwise?"
I scoffed before telling him, "No, but then again you tend to tease me."
"You make it too easy at times. You look nice, by the way." He went on to say.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion before realizing that he probably meant the dress I was wearing.
"Oh, this thing." I begrudgingly muttered, tugging the ends of the skirt in embarrassment.
He continued to compliment me. "Why do you not wear such clothes more often? It suits you."
Not believing him at all, I frankly said, "Because dresses are uncomfortable and the cause of a hundred possible accidents?"
"You sound like Sif. Womanly things bore her to tears." He mentioned under his breath.
I caught him mention a name which lead me to ask, "Sif? Who's that? Your girlfriend?"
"Ah, yes that crude term. No, she is not my 'girlfriend.' Far from it actually. She was one of Thor's friends who preferred being a warrior than a lady." Loki explained, though his dislike for my choice of topic was obvious in his voice.
"So she's the opposite of you?" I added.
Loki suddenly turned defensive. "I don't desire to be a woman!"
I laughed when I realized the mistake. "That wasn't what I meant. I was trying to say that she wanted to be a warrior while you didn't."
Instead of just admitting that he misunderstood me, he passed the blame. "Next time, be clearer when speaking."
"Sorry. So, if she wasn't your girlfriend, who was?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Have I not already mentioned that most Aesir women were not interested in me?" He reminded.
Unfazed, I honestly told him, "I still have a hard time believing it. I mean, you're a prince and you know how to charm people. I'm sure you've caught someone's eye already."
"You think I am charming then?" He asked, catching me off guard.
I thought hard for a response to get out of the awkward position he was putting me in.
"I better get out of this dress. I think wearing it is starting to make you delirious." I retorted before heading back to my room to change.
Loki P.O.V.
Despite my best efforts to make Mandy blush again, she managed to escape my tactics and even turn them against me. It was evident that she knew what I was up to. She is smart, after all. This meant that she was intentionally trying to keep me from getting what I wanted. I did not really mind. Challenges have always been fun.
By the time Mandy had finished changing into her usual attire, I had already made myself a small meal of cereal; a meal she had taught me to make some time ago. Luckily I was able to avoid freezing the milk this time.
I had offered her to share it with me and she complied willingly. As we ate, I observed that she continually held her head while occasionally wincing.
"Are you alright?" I decided to ask.
She forced a smile before replying, "It's just a headache. It's a little early, and our head collision from this morning didn't help either."
Recalling the incident, I reached for my forehead but did not find any bump or bruise. Mandy, on the other hand seemed quite bothered by it.
"I would apologize but neither one of those were my fault." I told her honestly.
With a sigh, she responded, "I know it's not, but you can't blame me for complaining."
"Thankfully you did not get any ice burns." I noted, seeing no evidence on her head.
Mandy rolled her eyes. "You really have to stop worrying about your skin."
"I will stop worrying once I have reverted to my usual form." I retorted.
She swallowed another spoon of cereal before asking. "Have you tried morphing yourself again?"
My voice could not mask my disappointment when I said, "I have, but my magic is still too faint for me too reach."
"I wish I could help you but we both know I'm just human." She confessed with her blind eyes cast to the ground.
"At least you are not a danger to everyone around you." I told her, hoping to ease her mind.
She raised an eyebrow at me saying, "Haven't I tripped over or into you several times already and slammed my head into yours just this morning?"
I let out a rather uncharacteristic laugh before conceding to her. "You are right. Perhaps you are only a danger to me."
Mandy smirked as well, not taking any offense whatsoever.
We continued to chatter over little things as if we had been friends for a long time.
Having shared our pasts and frustrations, the two of us have become increasingly closer and more comfortable with one another. Mandy herself was not a difficult companion. Aside from her occasional panic attacks and our little spats, she was far more bearable than most of the people on Asgard. If she felt the same way however, I did not know. Mandy never truly complained about my presence so I assumed that she did not mind.
Mandy P.O.V
The meal went on for a long while despite the fact that there was only cereal on the table. Loki and I were locked in a surprisingly enjoyable conversation. He told me a few stories about his little adventures in Asgard although he steered clear of any painful memories. I listened intently not only because I was interested but also because it made him happy. Loki had been having a difficult few days that I let him have all the fun he needed.
"Tell me more about your magic." I suggested at one point.
Loki hummed a bit, probably wondering what to say.
"What are the things you can do with it?" I asked, hoping to clarify my earlier statement.
"I tend to use it for illusions like projections of myself to confuse attackers." Loki told me.
I tried to imagine what it would be like to see what he described but I found it difficult since I still did not know what he looked like.
"That must be fun. I bet you must have used that when you pranked people too." I said to him.
He chuckled a bit before telling me, "Yes, but I have also used other kinds of illusions in my tricks."
"Like what?" I asked, getting more intrigued.
He took a moment to compose his thoughts but then said, "I once tuned wine into snakes and it frightened a server."
My eyes grew wide at that but before I could comment, Loki defended himself.
"Worry not, the snakes did not harm him. They disappeared right after."
I let out a breath I did not know I held after I was assured that Loki did not endanger anyone.
"His reaction to the snakes was hilarious though." He added.
I gave a little pout when I said to him, "I wish I could have seen it."
"Well, mortals are not usually allowed in Asgard." Loki said casually, not catching what I meant.
"I didn't mean that. I wish I could see you do your magic tricks. " I explained but tried to sound a little whiny so as not to appear too upset.
I heard Loki sigh before saying, "At times I forget that you are blind."
"I'll take that as a compliment. And don't think too much about it. I tend to drop the blind-bomb a lot. Don't take it badly." I said, reassuring him.
He moved closer to me when he said, "It is still obvious that you greatly wish to see."
I forced a smile and told him, "I do, but really, what can we do about it? Mrs. Wednesday took me to a doctor once and he said that the damage was permanent."
"Perhaps the technology in this realm is just too obsolete to cure your blindness." Loki said, sounding a little irked.
Suddenly an idea popped into my mind and made me a little too hopeful. "Are you saying that elsewhere, there might be a way that I can see again?"
I felt Loki reach over to my hand as he carefully explained to me. "I cannot be sure but the science of the other realms is far more advanced than that of here. There may be a form of energy that can power your eyes to see once more. The only problem is that it would take a very complex spell and a high energy source to do it."
I could tell that he was trying not to get me too excited. The requirements he was discussing sounded like they were difficult to obtain and I could not force him or anyone to get them for me.
"Wow, all that just for eyesight. The universe must really hate me to make things so hard. I guess that means I'm staying blind then." I said, brushing all of that off as a joke although I guessed that my face could not hide my displeasure.
Loki patted my hand the way I always did to reassure him and said, "The universe is a terrible place, Mandy. Be glad you cannot see the worst of it."
End of Chapter 22
Finally! This chapter went through so many changes and additions! I hope you guys liked it. Things are gonna be building up soon so keep watch for the next chapters.
As always, please review: Let me know what your favorite parts were, what you think I can improve on or any suggestions or questions. I tend to answer them if they don't result in spoilers so just let me hear from you.