Taking breaks from video work to write this in.

I usually keep dreams to myself, but I had to share this. I had a dream the other night I was hanging out at a hotel with some people from a movie project. Tom Hiddleston was one of them and dropped by seeing us playing a small round of DnD. He had a wizard and we set our stats randomly by rolling the die, and I had a rouge. But his character was rolled as a low 1-3 for intelligence, so everytime he rolled for his fire spell, he accidentally set my character's hair a flame, haha!

I know that's not exactly how DnD works, I play it. Dreams just can be weird, we all know. In the dream he kept feeling bad about it but it was so cute and funny. Now, imagine Loki in DnD? Hmm~

Enjoy!

Loki had been looking through the files as he sat in the car while Charlotte drove. Johnson assigned a car for her to drive to get to the case done than just walk around the damned city. She was huffing and puffing, driving this way and that through the traffic of Philly.

"You failed to tell me you work with the police." She muttered, as he filed through the reports of the murder. "You said it was for a vacation."

"Well, I couldn't tell every stranger I met my real purpose." He excused, finding the photographs and filtering through them. "We'll solve this murder and see if you are detective material."

Charlotte made a face imitating him to herself and huffed a fourth time. "At least read the report to me while I drive?"

Loki put the photos down in his lap and got the report out. "Victim was a man at the age of 57, found with a… pool cue in his chest."

She nodded. "Cause of death?"

"Blood loss."

Charlotte set her jaw, humming in thought. "Makes sense, since we're heading to a bar where it happened."

She stopped at a red light and stole a glance at the photos in his lap as he read more on the report. One photo she spotted was of the victim with the large pool cue stabbed into his chest. Blood stained his plaid shirt and pooled around him.

"Any witnesses?" She asked, turning left once the light turned green.

Loki picked up another file, "No, was found the following morning when the bar owner opened at 10am."

"Security cameras footage?"

"They were shut down."

"What?"

Loki was silent as he read more. "According to the owner, he has had problems with the cameras for a few months."

"That's always the case with these things." She muttered as she pulled the car into a parking spot against the curb.

Loki reached for the door once the car got in park, but then the lock clicked. "Before we go in, I need an explanation."

He snorted and turned to her, "Ask as many questions as you wish." he told her.

Charlotte leaned on the wheel, "You had a visiting visa, clearly stating you'd be here for one year. Not a working visa."

"You misread."

"I don't misread shit, Bucko." She spat, poking her temple. "I got a photographic memory. It said Loki, L-O-K-I, Odinson, O-D-I-N-S-O-N. Visiting Visa, from Norway. Which is funny since visiting visas only last ninety days. Yet, yours said one year." She narrowed her eyes, leaning towards as he leaned back with a raised brow. "Fake visa? Fake ID, maybe even a fake name?"

Loki didn't fail to notice her hand now resting on her weapon that hung on her hip. His eyes rose back to hers, seeing the untrusting gaze pointed at him.

"What do you really want from me?"

Loki tossed the papers on the dashboard. "I could tell you an array of answers, but I doubt you'd believe any word of them."

Charlotte used her free hand to snatch his wrist. She twisted it around and pressed her thumb on, he was tempted to yank her grip off as easily as flicking a fly off a shoulder. But the look she held against him and the small rub of her thumb on his skin had made him feel frozen.

"What… are you-"

"I can tell if you're lying."

That alone made him laugh, "I highly doubt that, my dear." he was the God of Lies after all.

"Try me, right now." She dared, "When people lie, they give a twitch to their facial features, they're pulse changes, voice tone or volume. No one is a perfect liar."

He was about to prove her wrong. Loki thought of what he had built up to her boss Mr. Johnson this early morning.

"My name is Loki Odinson, I hail from Norway in a place called Asgard." She squinted at him, his brows twitched at the thought that she might have found something there. "I came to your country to prove to work with investigations to prove to my father I am worthy and better than my brother. I have one year's time to prove it, by learning the ways of protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty."

Charlotte put pressure on his vain, feeling the pulse of his heartbeat during his entire conversation. She stared at him, analyzing him as she refused to move, let alone blink. Loki frowned, nudging his wrist.

"Find anything?"

After a few seconds, she tossed his wrist which landed in his lap and reached for the papers. "Should I call you Loki or Mr. Odinson?"

He grinned, "Loki, please."

The long winding rainbow bridge branched the connection between Himinbjorg and the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf. The lights sparkled and glowed as each step was made upon the bridge, it's thuds of contact echoed out alerting the presence of a visitor.

"My queen." The guard and observer of the nine realms, Heimdall, greeted Frigga as she approached the observatory. "You wish to know how the princes' are fairing?"

The queen of Asgard smiled, nodding softly. "If it is not too much trouble, Heimdall."

"Of course not, your majesty." He assured her. "Thor is learning well and fast from the Dwarves. Though he is rushing in his metal works."

Frigga chuckled, Thor the ever impatient son who wishes to know now than take the time to practice and learn. "And of Loki?"

Hiemdall seemed hesitant, but breathed out an answer. "He is safe." He started, easing his queen. "He now present with a mortal, helping her investigate a murder."

"Murder?" She questioned.

"The mortal is learning to solve crimes, my queen. He seems to have offered to help her in return for helping him prove his majesty of his worthiness." Hiemdall explained.

"And of this mortal?" Frigga asked. "Has he gone under a guise to her?"

"No, my queen. He has told her of his birth name, but not of where he is from. He has shown his tricks, but nothing too discernible."

Frigga softly frowned to herself, Loki had told his given name, but not of where he's from. He was always one of mischief and enjoyed people's reaction to his spells and tricks. But if it was nothing too attention gaining, she'd let it be for now. Her son was one for attention and praise, but he wasn't brash nor made his actions without thinking it through. She wasn't concerned for now, but would have to check him more often than Thor if he went too far.

"My thanks, Hiemdall." She bowed her head, as he knelt down. "Please inform us of anything that occurs to go wrong."

"As you wish, my queen."

She turned to leave, heading back to the palace as he stood. Hiemdall took a look at Loki on Earth, not finding Thor a current concern with his metal forging.

"So, tell me, Mr. Winston," Charlotte began as she and Loki entered the bar that was closed that morning. "The victim, Nick Stolesman, is a regular?"

"Honestly," The dark man shrugged, leaning against the bar. "I have never seen him before. And I know everyone who comes here."

Mr. Winston was a largely built black man with his hair in thin dreads held back in a braid. His beard hung from his chin but wasn't very thick.

"How is that?" She asked, ignoring Loki who was eyeing up the establishment across the room.

"This bar is only for members. It's how I keep track in case bar fights happen so I can properly ban them." He explained.

Charlotte nodded, "Do you have other workers here?" she asked.

"Only Mickson, but he's been out the past few days. Been on my own, might sack the dude." He shrugged.

Charlotte hummed, possibly on a lead. "Mind if I get his address? We'll question him." Mr. Winston nodded, giving her the address, he lived in Northern Philly. "Thanks, we'll just take a look around if you don't mind."

"Help yourself." He offered, "I gotta get ready to open." he moved to the bar to check his stock.

Charlotte walked over to Loki who was by the pool tables and cues. He was examining the cues, until she approached. "Not very sharp, dull weapons, aren't they?"

"Not really meant for stabbing. It's for hitting the balls." He gave her an inquiry look. She nudged one a 5 ball on a pool table. "Billiards? Pool? You must have that in Norway."

"Never played." He dismissed, placing the cue stick back on the rack against the wall.

She rolled her eyes, "Okay, so the body was found here the next morning at 10am, and the autopsy report says he had been dead for five hours."

"He died at about 4am, yet the establishment closes at 2am." Loki added, standing at the other end of the table that wore the old blood stains of the victim.

"Meaning someone who has access to this place killed him here. We need to question his only other worker, Mickson." She stated, walked around toward the door.

"We couldn't simply do the fingerprint matching of the weapon?" Loki asked, following her out of the bar. "Is that not how you find the culprits?"

"There was no DNA found on the pool cue. Meaning it was wiped down or they wore gloves." She answered.

"Might I ask you a question?" He spoke, as they approached the car.

"Depends, does it have to do with this case?" She countered.

"Yes." Charlotte nodded, climbing into the car and following in the passenger's seat. "Why do you want to be a detective?"

Charlotte waited until she and him were buckled and back onto the main road toward North Philly. "I always love mysteries and detective movies. How they fought crime, punished the bad guys, and always found justice."

"Cops do the same, do they not?"

"They do, but are restricted to many extents thanks to the laws of the state or country. Detectives, they aim to find the culprits and can go to any means- So long as they aren't found out." She explained, a small smile played on her lips as she rested her arm on the door panel.

"I used to read Sherlock books and watch the old show from the 1960s so many times over. The way the murders were done were beyond the imagination. But, sadly, it can be true to real life how far someone is murdered, raped, assaulted, or robbed.

"Is it a common occurrence here?" Loki asked, stealing a glance at her. "I'm impressed not as many people are dead as they are alive."

Charlotte scoffed, "Not every place can be a safe haven like your home, Loki." she commented. "No crime, no murders, probably trust every neighbor and stranger around you."

If only she knew the truth. Sure, Asgard has had peace. But one never knew if a realm would step out and prepare an act of war. The last had been the war of the Frost Giants, and that was far too long ago.

"We've had our fair share of trouble." She told. "Still do."

"Why murder?" He asked, she frowned looking at him before focusing on the road. "Why do you… kill one another in droves? For what reasons?"

Charlotte shook her head, "Mostly petty reasons, others, revenge, anger, pain. Passionate, hiding evidence or worse reasons. Others, we would never know. Some murders are never solved, going as far as centuries ago." she took a breath as she stopped at a red light.

"Jack the ripper in London, Zodiac killer or the infamous Black Dahlia murders. I think the children's murders haunt me the most."

Child murders, "How common were those?" he asked.

"You mean are, they still happen today." She answered, moving at the green light. "They were highly common in children kidnappings, murder, sometimes even rape in the 1970s. I almost got taken once."

His brows shot up, "You got away?"

She scoffed, sending him a sardonic smile. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Earth was more dangerous than he had initially thought. Not even children were safe here. His eyes gazed outside, finding people walking down the street, smiles and laughter. To him, the people seem to ignore the dangers of the world they reside in.

"Yet you do not fear it would happen again?" He asked her.

Charlotte thought for a moment, tapping her thumb at the wheel. "If I did, that would be letting the bad guys win." She answered simply.

The car pulled up to a townhouse that Loki thought to fall apart at any moment. The brick was chipped and the paint was faded. Windows were covered in newspapers and one on an upper floor looked to have been broken through by a stone. The side of one building next to it had wild colors of a mural, nothing like the ones he'd seen at the palace of his home. He couldn't even depict what the mural painting could be. A human, a land or place of some sort?

He turned to Charlotte who was getting out of the car. Loki got out, her eyes scanning around her. He found no one present in the neighborhood, but he heard screams of kids playing and distant car horns going off.

"Remember how you handled that perp the other day?" She asked.

"Like I said, he hit a branch and slipped."

"Yeah, still don't believe that." She scoffed, as they approached the stoop and the banged up chipped door. "But, whatever you did. Prepare for more."

Charlotte swung opened the screen door and wrapped her knuckles on the door. "Mickson, PPD, open the door." Silence was given, she glanced at Loki and knocked again. "Mickson, open the door, we'd like to ask you a few questions."

Loki frowned, looking over the building. Charlotte jiggled the handle, despite how loose it was, she found it locked. She took a step back and looked up at the building, "Locked and no answer."

Loki looked down at the knob, he gripped the metal brass and let his magic flow through the little contraption as he heard a satisfying click. "Locked no more."

Charlotte looked over finding him opening the door with a small nudge. It creaked open and allowed them entrance. He held a smug look, proud of his deed.

"Did you pick the lock?"

"In a way, yes." He confirmed. "Better than kicking it in and scaring off our suspect."

Charlotte rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day, taking her gun out and holding it to the side with both hands as she entered the home. She slowly made her way up the steps with Loki following.

"Mickson! This is the Philadelphia Police!" She called out, arriving at the landing and finding the living room.

The open space smelled of cigarettes with the wallpaper peeling off and the stained damaged future scattered in place. The dark green worn out couch against the wall, chipped stained wooden coffee table in the center and the cracked television screen across the couch. The tan carpet was stained in various colors, but none resembled blood. Possible drink, vomit, or food stains.

"He's here." Loki stated in a hushed tone.

Charlotte looked to him, now noticing he was just standing in the room a few feet away- with no weapon. She didn't question it, but moved closer to him. "Any signs that say so?" She asked, in an equal whisper.

"I can sense him."

What.

Loki pointed down the hall. "Closet." She slumped her shoulders, he spotted her look and waved his hand toward the hall. "Check for yourself, trust me."

Charlotte slowly moved toward the hall, spotting the closet that its folding doors were barely hanging on. Her hand slowly reached for the half hanging handle, when it suddenly got kicked and smashed into her. She grunted, hitting her back against the wall, shoving the door off just to find Mickson heading for the bedroom.

"Shit!" She cursed, shuffling out from under the door and scrambled for the door.

Loki ran after, stopping at the doorway to see her grappling his leg outside the window, a fire escape being his only exit. He stepped over to assist, she let go when Mickson's foot made contact with her face. She yelped and fell back, covering her face to feel blood dripping down her nose.

"Are you-"

"Forget! Get him! He's out only suspect!" She barked, turning to the side to try and control the bleeding.

Loki leapt out the window and ran up the metal spiral stairs with ease, reaching the roof to find Mickson nowhere else to go. He held his hands up, finding Loki's form marching him too much of a threat to fight back.

"Hey, hey, back up!" The dark man barked, "I got no weapon on me!"

Loki didn't hesitate to take the man by the collar of his dirty white shirt and lift him off the ground like he weighed nothing. Mickson cried out, gripping his arm in fear of being thrown off the building.

"I didn't mean it! I swear, please! Put me down!" He begged, legs flaying to reach the gravel ground.

"Didn't mean what, you worm?" He hissed, pressing his knuckles to the man's throat. "Did you murder him?"

"What? murder!?" His voice pitched higher in shock of the accusation. "Man, I never killed no one!"

"Oh? Then why flee? Only mongrels like yourself would run if they are guilty of something."

Loki stepped toward the ledge of the building and held the man over the gap between the buildings. Mickson dug his fingers into Loki's arm, holding on for dear life as he tucked his legs under him.

"Please! P-Please!" He cried, voice screeching. "I-I-I-I knew Nick, he was someone I owed a favor!"

"That favor was killing him?"

"Of course not! P-Please, put me down, I'll tell you!" Mickson bargained.

Loki gave a grin, his arm resting at his side, sliding his dagger down his sleeve. He swiftly brought the blade up to Mickson's throat, hitching his breath. "I don't favor horrible liars, Mickson."

"Loki!"

The prince tilted his head to peer over his shoulder, seeing Charlotte had joined him on the roof. Blood faded but smudged and stained her lips, chin, and left cheek. Her hand still covered her nose, stepping towards with a stumble in her step. Loki kept his grip on Mickson, but stepped back from the ledge. He noticed the look of slight shock, finding him able to lift the man who was high above him with a mere single hand grip.

"Loki, put him down. We need to question him back at the precinct." She explained.

He frowned, "We can question him here and now, dragging him all the way back would be a waste of time."

Charlotte sighed, stepping over. "That's our laws. We can't go against them." She told him. "We have to bring him back and question him properly."

Loki was conflicted, his usual tactic was to torture for answers with the culprit right then and there. Trail then punishment. But, they couldn't just question the man right there?

"Loki, if we're going to be doing this, it has to be this way." She urged. "Put him down."

He finally yielded, tossing the man back onto the roof. Mickson fell face first into the gravel, spitting a stone out as he grunted to sit up. Charlotte got her handcuffs out and knelt down, cuffing his wrists behind his back. She sent a look to Loki who returned one of the same.

Let me know if you like this story so far, please! Feedback is important and want to make sure you guys are liking it! Comment and review!