Thor and Luka were both gone and Loki couldn't help a strange sort of unease, something crawling up and down his spine but he didn't know what it could mean.
Since their talk Sylvie had calmed down quite a bit, seeming almost relieved by the release of the things she had been holding inside for what had to feel like an eternity, but a week had passed and their eldest twin was only around in sparing moments. The day after the conversation he'd apparently asked Tony if it was okay that Astrid stayed at the Tower and the genius had agreed without a second thought, leaving her, Loki and Sylvie sticking around more often; Luka come by but it was sparing and it was always to see Astrid, checking up on the toddler and making sure she did not feel abandoned. At times Loki caught glimpses of him talking to Tony in low whispers, words that the god couldn't quite make out but something told him were only to preclude a storm. Sylvie had simply shrugged when he brought it up to her, saying "Sounds like Luka being Luka" before going back to playing with Astrid and talking to Nat; she seemed to rather like the assassin's company and the two often talked about things, anything. Part of him wanted to be happy for her, another part was desperate to understand what exactly was going on around him.
He did not expect the answer to come in the dead of night. Everyone else was asleep, Sylvie curled up on Thor's bed, the trio had taken over the God of Thunder's room while he was out dealing with a problem in Vanaheim, Astrid sleeping in her arms. Loki was sitting on the windowsill, watching the rain fall and thinking to himself how calm Midgard could get. Not beautiful, this was not his home, this was not Asgard and thus to his eyes would never truly be beautiful; New York's architecture was too gray, too angular, and it made him feel trapped in some ways. But sometimes, when the world turned quiet enough and the natural world showed it's face through the artificial, he could think how calm and at least pretty the realm was. It was times like then that he felt the most like he could breathe, like for a second there was no pressure, no agents at his heels, no evils in his past, no secrets and no pain, just the god of lies and mischief and a world being cleansed in rain.
Loki allowed himself to breathe and close his eyes to take in the peace and from nearby something went thump. The moment was gone and his senses went on high alert, causing him to get up off his perch, knives drawn as he faced whatever danger it was that dared interrupt this time of contemplation and serenity.
His own face looked back at him but there was something odd in Luka's demeanor. The elder variant looked almost panicked, an expression that did nothing to put Loki at ease, but his usual composure was holding in many ways. It occurred to Loki that he did not hear the door open, simply the thud, and the question of how the other Jotun god had entered the room crept into the forefront of his mind. Teleportation was not one of their powers; did he still have the Tesseract then? Or was it something else; something in the corners, in the darkness, called his attention but he couldn't quite make it out.
"Loki, wake up Sylvie, we need to go." Urgency but calm, it would have been jarring to hear both in Luka's tone if it wasn't for the fact that this was Luka he was talking about and the other Loki was nothing if not a ball of mystery and confusion.
"Why, what is going on?" Loki asked only half expecting an answer; the other half expected a knowing and mysterious smile.
He got neither. Instead Luka made his way over to the bed, carefully and gently removing Astrid from Sylvie's arms. The toddler goddess whined and wiggled but seemed to settle quickly in her father's embrace, curling her tiny fingers into his clothes and burying her tiny head in his shoulder. He gently stroked her back as he looked over at Loki and seemed to be waiting for something. Loki sighed, looking upwards and wondering how his life came to this before approaching and sending his knives away before trying to shake Sylvie awake.
Exactly what he expected happened; upon trying to wake her, Sylvie drew her sword and he found himself with cold sharp Asgardian steel against his throat, making him pause and wait for her to fully wake. This happened every time, which was likely why Luka told him to wake her. Her life on the run, always needing to be on edge, always needing to be ready to move and run had instilled a survival instinct stronger than either of the male presenting Lokis'. Letting her wake naturally was usually the safest bet, and she often woke up early anyway because of those same traumas of the past, but trying to wake her from her slumber always ended with being at the end of her sword until she was conscious enough to know there was no need. It was only recently that Sylvie started acknowledging automatically that killing Loki was definitely not necessary.
Seconds passed like that until she seemed to recognize him and finally lowered her blade, letting him relax as well though he allowed himself a grumble and a rub of his neck. "Next time Luka, do your own dirty work."
"I have to carry Astrid" was his twin's only response to that.
Sylvie stretched and yawned, sheathing the sword but not yet getting out of the bed. "What in Hel is going on here? Why did you wake me up?"
"Our brother told me to, it seemed to be an emergency if he choose to come see us so late into the night," Loki said doing no work to hide his irritation at the current state of things; he was enjoying some peace, Sylvie was sleeping, Astrid was sleeping, it seemed like a big disturbance but Luka hadn't yet explained what was actually going on.
"We have a situation and it requires the assistance of both of you," Luka said and he seemed to hesitate for a moment, continuing to rub his child's back before continuing, "I will explain once we get there."
"How about you explain now?" Loki asked crossing his arms.
"We've already wasted enough time, we have to get back quickly." He didn't like that answer and looking to Sylvie it was clear she didn't either.
Luka though moved on and balancing the sleeping Astrid with one arm he held up his other hand; Loki could make out something under the long sleeves of his tunic, something black wrapped around his wrist. He called out that mysterious name "Nightingale" and Loki watched as something in the darkness moved.
No, not something, the darkness itself; it shifted and shuddered, moving towards him and formed into some sort of doorway. The black thing on his wrist glowed and Loki could just make out faint tiny runes, though they were too small to decipher. The entry path glowed with dim power and he took a moment to stare. No malice came from it, nothing evil or uneasy, nor did it feel like the magic of a Loki; there was no green glow, no tiny bite of chill that undermined everything else. This was certainly magic but not his and Loki opened his mouth to ask questions but Luka already was stepping through it and turned to look to them. "Come on you two."
Loki turned to Sylvie. Her expression was only slightly less confused than his but he supposed being dragged out of her slumber would do that. She turned her gaze to him as well and grumbled some. "Why do you look hesitant? You're still the same moron who followed me, aren't you?"
"I'm hurt," Loki said and somehow in this tiny banter there was something comforting, a familiarity that calmed him.
Loki smiled and headed into the strange shadowy portal. He had no idea where it was going to lead, or what Luka was up to, but he supposed if he indeed had been willing to follow Sylvie through time doors, then why not his variant through shadow portals?
The world on the other side was surprisingly still Midgard but he didn't quite expect Thor or Tsuki to be there. There was a third person as well, a Midgardian woman that he half recognized but couldn't quite place; they all in many ways looked the same to him but she seemed to be unconscious and being tended to by Tsuki.
They were in a warehouse of some sort, broken down in places with cracks and holes that let in view of a cloudy sky. It was closer to day here, which seemed to say that they certainly weren't still in New York, or had for whatever reason moved through time. Rubble and what looked to be an abandoned truck littered the area, making Loki wonder more why they were even there. It seemed like a downgrade from the comforts of the Tower, as much as he didn't like being stuck there.
"Brother." Thor sounded worried and softer than he expected and Loki stared at him for a long minute, even as Sylvie walked through the portal as well and made her way over to where Tsuki was with the Midgardian.
"Sorry to drag you both out of bed," Tsuki said and turned to look at Sylvie then at Loki, a small smile on her face, "I assure you that it's for a good reason though."
" And that reason would be...?" There were too many questions here: who was the unconscious woman, why was his brother looking like this, what was Tsuki doing here? Something felt odd there, a sensation of magic that he couldn't quite place but more than anything he found himself unsettled by the fact that so many mysteries seemed to be insisting on appearing in his life.
"What do you know of the Aether?" Luka's tone was careful, calculated, and it still sent a shiver through Loki that made him fidget some.
"The mythical weapon of the Dark Elves? The one they tried to use against the Nine Realms before our...before Thor's grandfather defeated them?" Loki asked, wincing slightly at his own slip of the tongue.
"Dark Elves?" Sylvie asked raising an eyebrow, "Like the ones from fairy tales?"
"You actually know about them?" Loki was honestly surprised considering she had made it clear she was very young when the TVA came after her and could barely remember Asgard itself.
She shrugged. "I remember fragments of stories; there was always this sense that they were evil and dangerous, nothing a young Asgardian should mess around with."
"You remember one of the more important points at least," Luka said nodding, "Yes, the same Aether once used by the Dark Elves. Back when Grandfather and the forces of the Nine Realms fought the Dark Elves the weapon was sealed away, hidden to prevent it from being used, it's location hidden even to the magical eyes of Heimdal."
"Why bring it up though?" Loki looked at Tsuki again, feeling that wherever this was going was not especially good.
"The Aether was found," Tsuki said, "By this lovely lady, Dr Jane Foster."
She gestured at their still unconscious companion and Loki realized that the strange essence of magic he'd been feeling seemed to be coming from her. Approaching he reached out to her but found himself rejected by some strange and powerful red energy, snapping and biting his fingers. He yelped and pulled back with a frown; Sylvie muttered something about being stupid and Luka bit his lip as if to hold back laughter. Loki himself was less than amused and turned to Thor. "Jane Foster. Isn't that the name of your little love?"
"I knew she was doing new research but I never thought it would lead her into such danger," Thor said with a concerned expression; there was a fondness in his eyes as he looked at her that made Loki almost feel bad for almost killing her last he saw her, "I know not what she was looking into exactly but this surely is not what she expected to happen."
"How did you come to find out she had found the Aether?"
"Heimdal had informed me that she had vanished from his sight, something that should not be possible but did indeed happen. Upon learning this I came straight back to Midgard, to where he saw her last, and arrived in time to find Brother and Tsuki taking care of her," Thor said.
Loki then turned to said "brother" and Tsuki. "And why are you here? How are you here? And by the way what was that portal you used to bring us here?"
"You have a lot of questions," Tsuki said smirking.
"There's never any answers!" he answered and she laughed some.
Luka looked at Tsuki and it took Loki a moment to realize why: he was waiting, actually deferring to this mortal. She shrugged and something unheard passed between them before Luka spoke, "We're here on assignment looking specifically for Jane Foster and the Aether, knowing that they would cross paths soon. When we arrived we realized that things were perhaps a little worse than we expected."
"Jane hasn't woken up," Tsuki said and glanced over at Luka , specifically Astrid who had yet to stir despite all the moving and talking, "We didn't expect this; she's supposed to be conscious and moving around at least but since she made contact with the Aether she has been out like a light."
"I mean if the Aether is as scary and powerful as it's always been implied to be then it makes sense that being near it would knock her out," Loki said.
"She didn't just get near it; she actually absorbed it into her body," Luka said frowning some, "But even so she shouldn't actually be unconscious..."
Loki thought that honestly made absolute sense if what his elder twin said was true; a dangerous energy weapon, or whatever it was the Aether even was considering the information on it was pretty sparing, inside a mortal form, trapped within the binds of Midgardian flesh. She was lucky she hadn't straight up died or exploded. But Luka seemed more concerned that she was unconscious than about the fact that she had apparently taken the Aether into her body; Tsuki seemed calm enough and Thor looked worried in general but again he felt like something was not being said and he didn't like it. He felt like his life had become too many questions and not enough explanations.
"How did you know she would find the Aether?" He choose a different question but no less pressing.
"The Nightingale knows a lot of things," Luka said in his cryptic way.
"Look we need to get going," Tsuki interrupted and looked at Thor, motioning with her head for him to pick up Jane; the god of thunder didn't seem to hesitate, picking her up delicately and holding the woman in his arms.
"Go where exactly?" Sylvie asked suspicious.
"To Asgard."
As Tsuki spoke, Loki looked at Luka, his expression confused and concerned. "Is that really wise?"
"We have already wasted enough time discussing things here; we need to get Lady Jane to our mother and the healers of Asgard so they may be able to assert her current condition." Luka sounded calm but there was something under his tone; he was panicked, actually panicked, and Loki had to wonder what it was he wasn't telling them.
"Did you really need us for that though?" Sylvie asked the question that was rattling in his head but he hadn't yet voiced; Luka and Thor seemed to have this handled, so why wake them and grab Astrid as well?
Luka did not answer nor did Tsuki, and neither variant expected an answer to come from Thor. If he understood anything going through the heads of the Lokis then it was a miracle. The god did adjust Jane though and called for the Bifrost, leaving the tricksters to look at one another and try not to be bothered by the sensation that this was not going to end well for any of them.
Asgard had the sensation of both home and somewhere from long ago; in terms of timeline Loki himself knew that this wasn't that long since he last saw it, a year was nothing to a god and a year was how long it was between his fall from the Bifrost and his reappearance to steal the Tesseract and try to take over Midgard. But the experiences since then, the things he'd gone through and learned and experienced, it made this place he knew as home feel like something even more ethereal than it already was. It didn't help that as he looked upon it he was reminded of the scenes he'd seen and the information he'd learned of it's destruction; Ragnarok growing up had always been a thing, a prophecy that would come no matter what anyone did, but the knowledge it was not even going to be five years when it did, that soon his home would be gone and nothing but dust and the remains of the people aboard a ship to remember it by, it made looking upon it now all the more jarring.
He realized, a little late he supposed, that he might not be the only one left so confused. Sylvie beside him looked in shock, her body language stiff and on guard. For him it was a year; for her a lifetime had passed since she had been in Asgard, since the day she was taken away and lost everything she had once known. And who knew how different hers had been from theirs, how different his was from Luka's.
Without thinking he found himself reaching over to take her hand in his and she stiffened more, looking at him.. Loki supposed he was being sentiment or emotional, she did love to accuse him of such things, but if he couldn't show sympathy and support to himself then who could he be kind to?
"Prince Loki," a deep voice that he certainly recognized and certainly found himself standing ever straighter to hear again, "I must say I did not expect you to bring your...twins with you."
"It's an emergency, Heimdall," Luka answered, his tone deceptively calm despite everything he was expressing nonverbally; he shifted Astrid who started to wake and whine, rubbing her eyes.
"I Spy?" she said and Loki was surprised to see a small smile cross Heimdall's face.
"Did your father wake you, little princess?" Astrid made grabby hands at the guard and Luka willingly handed the child over, allowing Heimdall to hold her.
She buried her face in his armor for a moment then looked up at him and smiled. "It's okay, I like seeing you, I Spy Guy. Spy me something."
"Perhaps later, princess, as I suspect your father and his cohorts must make their way to the palace quickly," Heimdall said then looked at Luka, "The Allfather is not yet aware of the situation, as a courtesy to you and yours."
"I appreciate it Heimdall," Luka said giving a small bow, "And before you ask, I think it will be for the best if I do bring Astrid along; she is the best at defusing Father after all."
Astrid's eyes widened. "We're gonna go see Grandpa?"
Luka smiled and Heimdall handed her back to her father who allowed her to wrap her arms around his neck and bury her face in his hair. This though was pretty common and he nodded. "Yes, little star, we're gonna go see Grandpa, and Grandmama too, but I need you to be a good girl and not cause trouble for a bit, okay?"
She nodded quickly without looking up, causing her father to chuckle before turning to the others. "Tsuki."
The girl nodded and turned to Thor. "It may be for the best if you don't come; last thing we want is Odin getting angry at you."
The thunder god gave one of his bright friendly grins, the kind that made it hard to hate him and Loki would know: he'd been trying for a very long time. "I will stay standing by the sides of my brothers and my sister and you no matter what, Tsuki. If Father wishes to be upset with the situation then it is only right that as a prince of Asgard I face him with you."
She sighed shaking her head. "I thought you'd say that; don't say we didn't warn you though, Thor."
There was a notable fondness there that Loki couldn't help but notice and wonder at. His oaf of a brother chuckled and Astrid whined, seeming to be getting restless. A look of what seemed to be resignation flickered across Luka's face, making him suddenly seem older somehow, before he returned to the usual calm expression he often seemed to wear and moved without another word. Loki did not need to ask where to, he could guess and as the group walked, he thought of all the ways the Allfather could become frustrated with them. An unconscious human woman with the Aether inside her body, three Lokis when he barely seemed to tolerate one, and the mysterious but surely mortal woman named Tsuki, and Thor glorious crown prince of Asgard being as brave and unconcerned as ever. He just took it all in stride, his only concern and worry seemed to be spared for the still slumbering Jane Foster, but where his siblings and Tsuki was concerned there seemed to be nothing but faith. And Heimdall, Loki's mind was already running through things, all the oddities, all the strange aspects, and Heimdall hit him; the watchman had never really had a good relation with the younger prince, not that Loki had ever once tried to foster one. But the guardian of the Bifrost always saw through the tricks and the lies and was unimpressed, an irritation for a god who wanted to be sneaky. Their attitude towards each other had always been lukewarm at best and usually mutually irritable, yet Heimdall and Luka seemed almost friendly; he even caught the man give the smallest smile as they had left before returning to his usual station. More mysteries that just compiled and left Loki feeling...uneasy. He hated not knowing, he really did.
Soon enough though all other concerns left him as they took their first step into Asgard proper and instead a multitude of complicated and uneven emotions filled his chest. Longing, regret, anger, sadness, nostalgia, dread; everything he could feel it seemed was being pulled out from within him and mixed together into a stew that almost made him feel sick.
It was probably the things the TVA had shown him, that was his reasoning on this. The memory of Ragnarok, no, the memory of his mother's death more like, combined with his own experiences of what he had done, what he had almost done, it made being here hard. He missed home, he missed it so very much and he wanted to be there, he wanted to go to his room and lay down and breathe in the scent of the sheets and his room full of books and just forget. He wanted to run as far away again as possible but even further, hide away on some star that maybe he might never be found upon and forget what cruelties he had wrought in the name of something he didn't even really understand anymore. He wanted to rule and he wanted to be left alone, he wanted to fight and he wanted to live in peace. He wanted, he wanted, he wanted.
Did they? A look at Sylvie gave no answers, still in that strange stiff state that she'd taken on once they returned. But surely some part of her, the Loki within her, missed this place in some way. The extent to which she might express it though was questionable, as was much with the female Loki. Her hand though, still in his, tightened every so often and he held tight, not daring to let her go. This situation was far too difficult for him as it seemed to be for her and some comfort was nice.
As they walked, into the palace and towards the throne room, an old path he felt he could have walked in his slumber at this point, he took note of everything, all to try to distract himself. The guards glanced at them and nodded courteously to Luka, to Thor, a smile at Astrid and strangely even a nod to Tsuki; their eyes widened some behind their helmets at Loki and Sylvie but the former was more interested in compiling every note he could to care much for that. The surprise at there being more than one Loki was becoming so commonplace he barely noted it anymore.
In everything else though it seemed the same: the same golden architecture, the same flickering torches, the same smell of flowers mixed with blood and sweat and life, the same air electric with magic and energy that made his skin tingle. Loki could almost swear he still heard laughter, his and Thors as they had once run through these halls as young boys at play, in the days when things had been so much more simple and so much less painful. He hadn't questioned who he was or whether his father loved him then, he hadn't felt so broken and lost inside. This too though made the sick feeling within his chest grow.
He was so lost in this and in every other thought that he nearly didn't notice the group stop and thus almost walked right into Thor. But they had and a feeling of dread and fear filled him: they were before the doors to the throne room, a room he'd been in a thousand times before but always in those days before it all fell apart for him. Yet again here he was and he felt like throwing up from what he realized was anxiety, causing him to clench Sylvie's hand tighter, and he saw from her face that somehow, someway, she felt it too. A look of unease was in her eyes and he glanced about to see it everywhere, in each of them, save perhaps the toddler child Astrid; she alone seemed unaffected and but aware and she patted her father's cheek gently.
"Grandpa is waiting, Daddy, right?" she said in that soft innocent way only a child could pull off.
"One last chance, Thor," Tsuki said in a low tone to the golden god as Luka tried to smile for his daughter and kissed her little hand, "You don't need to do this too."
"Jane Foster needs me and so do my siblings and you," he said sounding so much less confident than Loki could ever remember hearing him sound.
With that the Thunderer pushed open the doors and Loki took a deep breath, trying to get as much air into his lungs as possible, to prepare himself. There was nothing else he could do but hold Sylvie's hand and walk in with the others.
The throne room was no different here than in his home timeline, complete with the strange warmth that felt in contrast to the sternness of Odin Allfather's gaze. The king of Asgard, Loki's adopted father and kidnapper, sat upon his throne with all the regal air and structure befitting him, and that same unwavering gaze from his one eye. But Loki allowed himself only a second to look upon him, focusing instead upon the woman standing beside him and he didn't expect the utter happiness that filled him upon seeing his mother's face; the memory Mobius had shown him, of what was to happen, what would happen, burned still in his mind but Frigga looked beautiful and healthy and the gentle smile that often was upon her face changed quickly to a confused, though not unhappy, look as she seemed to take in the whole group. She did not speak a word though, simply stood there, but Loki didn't mind or care. He found he simply was happy to see her, had missed the warmth of his mother more than anything, more so after seeing what he was apparently destined to cause to happen to her.
"Thor, Loki," Odin said and his voice boomed without yelling, the commanding presence of a king in full view but his tone was welcoming more than anything, "Tsukkuyomi."
Tsuki twitched and Loki snickered.
A small squeal pierced the air and in Luka's arms Astrid wiggled before being set down, at which point the child rushed over, climbing the steps to the throne as fast as her little legs could carry her before launching herself at Odin's legs. "Grandpa!"
"Ooof my my, little one, you've grown very strong," Odin said and there was a definite fondness there which made Loki honestly a little jealous; he watched his father set aside Gungnir before reaching down and picking the little girl up and holding her in his arms.
Astrid put her arms around his neck, nuzzling into his beard and giggling as he held her so affectionately. Frigga, seeming to have set aside her confusion upon the approach of her granddaughter, smiled again and stroked her hair. "Oh my little miracle, look at you, you'd grown so much since last we saw you."
"Hi Grandmama~ Daddy says I've grown a whole inch since last time and that at the rate I'm going I'll be tall as him in no time!~" Astrid said with a bright smile and closed her eyes as her grandmother continued to stroke her hair.
"Soon you'll be big enough to be able to wield Gungnir yourself," Odin told her and smiled at the way the child's eyes lit up at that, "Though we will need to start you with smaller weapons first. Perhaps a sword."
"As big as my dear daughter is I don't think she's quite ready for sword training yet, Father," Luka said with a tone that exuded calmness and composure, the Loki's trademark for when trying to hide their true feelings and emotions; Loki though couldn't see any jealousy in his other twin's eyes, not like what he was feeling deep in his heart.
Odin turned to look at his son and seemed only then to realize the full extent of the group before him. Loki resisted the urge to snort: all knowing Allfather indeed. Odin's expression didn't so much as darken or harden as it did become more intent and he continued to hold Astrid as he spoke in a far more kingly fashion, "Loki, what is the meaning of this? Who are these other figures and what is that unconscious woman doing here?"
"Dr. Foster was doing research while Thor was handling things in Vanaheim when an accident occurred," Luka said smoothly though Loki knew for a fact each words was carefully calculated, "She stumbled upon a place where the walls between our world and another was weakened, allowing her to slip through and come into contact with something I believe to be the substance our grandfather Bor sealed away long ago after the first war with the Dark Elves," he paused, though for what reason was unclear before continuing, "The Aether."
A gasp escaped Frigga and it was now that Odin's face seemed to darken finally. His tone was low and Astrid whimpered but clung onto him nevertheless. "How did she find the Aether? It's location was supposed to be a secret."
His gaze was not on Thor or on Jane or even on Luka. To Loki's surprise he was looking directly at Tsuki who was managing to stay surprisingly calm despite being stared down by a god, Odin of all people. She smiled lightly. "We do not know. We were keeping an eye on Jane for Thor and by the time we realized she had disappeared temporarily and went to go check on her she had already been spit back out with the Aether inside her body. As Luka has brought up, it seemed to have been an accident, something that she happened to do while doing research; there is no evidence of any directing of her by anyone to find it."
Odin seemed to wince and sigh. "I do wish you wouldn't call him by that name; his name is Loki, Tsukkuyomi."
"That might be a bit moot considering," she said through Loki did see her body stiffen just a bit as Odin called her that name again; she let no other sign of whatever was going through her head show on her face as she continued, "Point is Jane accidentally found the Aether and it is now within her body; we came here because we were hoping you would be able to find out why she is still unconscious."
"That is a simple one, child; she had the power of the Aether inside her and as a mere fragile Midgardian, it is likely it is killing her." Odin's tone was matter of fact and somewhat dismissive. Tsuki lifted a hand immediately and Luka had grabbed his brother before he could take a step forward though the look on Thor's face was a mixture of anger and pain. But of course, Jane was precious to him, his little human girlfriend, and while Odin never did approve, it had to hurt to have his father talk like that about her.
For her part on his lap Astrid frowned and shook her head at her grandfather. "Grandpa, no, that's not nice; we like Janey, she makes Uncle Thor happy and we like it when Uncle Thor is happy."
"I did tell him that a Midgardian woman would of course be a bad fit for him," Odin said with little remorse though he did pat Astrid's head.
"Is that all you have to say you giant asshole?" Loki wasn't sure what he expected but it did feel good not being at the receiving end of Sylvie's anger for once; the female presenting Loki bristled and half snarled, her eyes narrowed as she took a step towards the Allfather who for his credit did straighten and look somewhat wary of the woman. Out of the corner of Loki's eye he took note of the guards adjusting their weapons but none dared take a step forward, all seeming to be waiting for her to make the first move. His mother though alone seemed unworried despite what had to be a strange woman snarling at her husband; there was calm and understanding to her gaze as she watched that made Loki almost suspect that while Odin might not know, Frigga did suspect somehow.
"How dare you," Odin said in a low but no less commanding manner, frowning, "I am the king of Asgard, you will not speak to me in such a way, child. Who are you?"
"My name is Sylvie, dickwad," Sylvie said unintimidated and definitely not standing down any time soon, "I'm a Loki, just like the fool and Luka."
Astrid gasped and counted on her tiny fingers. "So many dollars for the swear jar; one...two...two dollars!"
Odin's eye widened and Loki shrugged. "Three Lokis, must be your worst nightmare huh Father?"
The amount of venom he could shove into that one six letter word could have downed a bilgesnipe but of course Odin's hide was too thick in his opinion for such things to get through anyway. Still the look that Odin gave him, gave them all was a masterpiece in his opinion. Luka stayed calm but Odin turned on him with a displeased look, holding Astrid in his arms who still seemed to be delighted over adding to the swear jar, "I assume then this is the work of you or the witch."
"Auntie Tsuki is not a witch," Astrid said matter-of-fact with a nod of her head.
"We did nothing to cause this," Luka assured his father, seeming almost too at ease; his eyes flickered to his daughter, to Frigga, to Tsuki, to Loki and Sylvie before returning to his father, "This situation is very much a surprise for me-"
"But not to the witch." Odin seemed to have not paid much mind to his granddaughter's admonishment.
"Rude, Odin, very rude," Tsuki said with a frown, "We came here for help, not to be insulted by you. Jane is currently in a very dangerous state and we only wish to see her restored to some sort of normal if possible."
"My healers and I can try to examine her." It was the first time Frigga had spoken up yet though Loki did not regard this with anything less than necessity; in the throne room of Asgard Odin was ruler and she though queen was there to support and advise him as needed. Of course he knew outside of this room in many ways Frigga was the true power but in this play they were in now, it was necessary they play their parts. Loki had never been much good at that though, nor was Sylvie it seemed. Or Tsuki.
"Please Mother," Thor said sounding as hurt and concerned as he looked, through his gaze was on their father still; his statement still cut extraordinarily deep it was clear.
Frigga smiled gently at her eldest son then looked to her husband, the play broken. "I am sure that neither Tsuki nor Loki mean any harm with whatever has occurred; it is in neither of their natures after all, Odin. The important thing now would be to try to focus on the Aether situation I would think."
"The important thing is to understand how it is that a Midgardian woman found the Aether while there is now three of our son-"
"Excuse you," Sylvie growled, "I'm currently a woman."
"While there are three of our son," Odin repeated glaring at her, "standing before us with no reasonable explanation."
Sylvie bristled and Loki found himself feeling for her. It wasn't like gender really mattered too much to the Lokis, they had already gone over that more than once, but it didn't mean that being disrespected didn't hurt. Especially for someone like Sylvie who still didn't really seem to like the idea of being counted as simply "a Loki". Tsuki had moved to put an arm around Sylvie's shoulders and whisper something to her while Luka pursed his lips in an uncommon expression of displeasure. Astrid whined and wiggled out of Odin's lap to run back to her dad but instead launched at Sylvie. "Grandpa is being phoooooobic! Auntie is Auntie, just like Daddy is Mommy and Auntie Tsuki is not a witch! No worries Auntie Sylvie, you're a very pretty girl, I like your short hair, it's very pretty and it's color reminds me of Grandmama's!"
"Thanks little star," Sylvie said and picked her up, hugging the toddler who of course hugged her back and Tsuki hugged them both.
Frigga frowned and opened her mouth, possibly to disapprove but Loki got an idea first. A little niggling voice in the back of his head told him very much not to do it, and a louder voice yelled that he really shouldn't. But an even louder booming essence from deep within his heart and soul commanded that he very much do it and look, Loki was going to listen to the loudest voice and that one alone. So with the most Loki grin he could muster he lifted a hand, making eye contact with Odin before snapping his fingers.
His magic was, at best, more powerful than Sylvie's, or more stable at least, and he liked to believed quite impressive, though he acknowledged that Luka was stronger and Frigga definitely so. But though Odin had magic, the king was a warrior first and a king second and a father/husband third and a god fourth and maybe, maaaaaybe, a magic user fifth unless there were other things he could be. So deep down Loki believed that if he concentrated and believed in himself he was more capable at it than his dad, at least enough that he could cast a spell on him.
There was a flowing magic, his usual emerald green, that encased Odin for a second, followed by gasps and snorts of laughter, and eyes widened in surprise as they gazed upon the King of Asgard. Or maybe that should be Queen.
Truth be told Loki would admit that Odin did make a pretty woman though not as much so as Frigga of course. His long flowing white hair was ever the same and seemed to suit now him still even as his beard disappeared and his jawline was smoothed out, giving him a somewhat more gentle shape to his head. He had curves, which disgusted Loki to think about and he made mental notes never to think about ever again, and the general appearance of someone who was a cross between a headmistress and a librarian.
"My my father what beautiful eyes you have," Loki snickered and did nothing to hide his amusement.
Thor's eyes widened. "Father, you make such an imposing woman!"
"She really does look impressively nice," Luka said, "Though of course Mother is the most beautiful."
"Agreed dear brother," Thor said nodding enthusastically.
"Grandpa is a Grandmama too?" Astrid asked looking honestly a little confused.
Odin's face reddened and Frigga put a hand to her mouth, her eyes creased with something akin to both concern and amusement. Words could be heard gently whispered by her, "Oh Loki..."
It seemed to take the guards a little while to fully take in what just happened to their liege, something that Loki mentally made note of as bad form considering he could have done so much worse, but they seemed none too happy with it and pointed their weapons towards the group. Thor seemed to be displeased by this and Sylvie adjusted Astrid to be held by one arm as she drew her sword with the other, ready for a fight. Tsuki let go of the female Loki and looked around them with a frown, same Luka, before turning to Odin. "Please tell them to stand down; we did not come here for a fight, we came here for help."
"Release this spell upon me immediately," Odin said, even his voice changed to a higher register and while stern, somehow losing part of its boom in the process.
"Not til you acknowledge Sylvie as what she is," the middle child of the Lokis responded with his usual stubborn air.
"How is being changed into a woman supposed to help Father see the value in respecting Sylvie's identity?" Thor asked confused.
Loki shrugged. "It won't but I'm irritated and uneasy and there's been too many things going on that I'm not getting any answers about and I guess I sort of snapped. Besides if he's gonna be difficult, then he can at least be difficult as a pretty lady."
"Loki, I will not ask twice," Odin stated in his most stern voice.
"Loki, please?" Frigga asked gently, knowing that commanding their youngest never really worked out well.
Loki looked at his mother than his no-longer-father and then at Jane. "Shouldn't we be getting the woman to Mother's healers? I don't like the color of her skin at the moment."
Jane had admittedly started to go quite pale and Thor frowned, adjusting her carefully in his arms. "She seems to be sweating; I fear she might be running a fever."
"No one leaves this throne room nor will that woman get any treatment until you reverse this blasted spell you have cats, Loki!" Ah there was the Odin yell; even as a woman he managed all the authority, even without all the boom, and Luka, Thor, Loki and mysteriously Tsuki all straightened up. Astrid's lip quivered and she sniffled, Sylvie rubbing her back but being unable to keep the toddler from starting to cry loudly.
The palace shook and guards lost their footing as the floor cracked and what looked to be tree roots started trying to make their way in. Sylvie continued to try to calm her, joined quickly by her father and by Tsuki both but the toddler screamed and wept, greatly distraught obviously by her grandpa yelling the way she did.
Loki watched as Odin's face immediately dropped and suddenly he understood exactly why Luka had told Heimdall they would need Astrid. The elder god looked greatly displeased to see the child cry and got up off his throne to approach. "Astrid, it's okay, it's alright, Grandpa didn't mean to scare you. Please don't cry, I'm sorry."
Astrid clung to Sylvie and the roots lashed out at Odin who seemed displeased by this but seemed to hold his anger back even as a maelstrom of magic started to swirl around the group, pushing him back. The king of Asgard pushed back of course. "Astrid..."
"Oh sweet starlight." Frigga's voice was calming and sweet and she moved with absolute grace and ease to them, holding out her arms. Sylvie looked up at her, at the Allmother, adopted mother of Lokis, and Loki watched as she simply handed over the child, her expression one of calm trust. Maybe that was just ingrained in them all, from the days of their infancy to the last: Loki would always trust in Frigga no matter the form.
Frigga cooed and hummed softly, cradling the upset Asgardian toddler in her arms as she rocked her back and forth. "Hush now sweet little starlight, dry those tears; your mean old grandfather didn't mean to make you sad you know that. He's just a little upset because your uncle played a trick on him but now he's gonna remove the trick and then grandpa won't be so upset, right?"
She glanced at Loki and at Odin, her expression that of a mother displeased with childishness of grown adults. Astrid dug her tiny fingers into her grandmama's clothes and buried her face in her shoulder but it did seem to be working, the magic starting to calm though she was still crying and hiccuping. Luka's expression was absolutely stricken and it was clear that he greatly disliked seeing his child so upset.
Loki bit his lip and turned away. "If Father agrees to apologize and call Sylvie his daughter."
"I don't fu-fudging care if that old geezer calls me a daughter or not," Sylvie said with a sniff, catching herself for once.
Luka frowned and with a snap of his own fingers Odin was returned to normal. Loki's eyes widened then narrowed at Luka, about to say something but guards moved in to grab him and remove him from the group. Frigga gasped and Thor looked startled. "Unhand my brother!"
"He used magic upon the sovereign god of Asgard," one of the guards holding Loki said, frowning as well, "As such he needs to be detained."
Thor turned to his father. "Father, please, tell them to release Loki!"
"I do not understand what is going on but between the Aether situation, this mysterious appearance of two more Lokis, and then his attack against me, I cannot condone his actions," Odin said reaching out to stroke Astrid's hair who whined and swatted weakly at him; this made his face take on a stricken expression but he rallied and hardened before facing his son again, "That version of your brother will need to sit in the dungeons until at which time I am given proper reason to trust him, and the female version as well."
Sylvie hissed and guards moved towards her through she brandished her sword and narrowed her eyes. "Try me, I've killed scarier when I was barely up to your knees."
Tsuki put out an arm. "This is unfair; Loki was merely playing a prank in defense of Sylvie."
"And I'd do it again in a heartbeat!" Loki exclaimed which got him looks from the others that translated to 'not helping'.
Luka frowned, looking from his twin, his sister, his brother Thor, his mother and daughter, Tsuki and Odin and then finally back over at Jane. He sighed and stepped forward to stand between the group and Odin. "We need to get Jane to the healers; we have wasted far too much time and obviously she is getting worse. We can revisit my twin's situation afterwards."
Loki wanted to complain, as he did not want to go to the dungeons and he did not want to be separated from the group to be put away, but glancing at Jane, seeing her chest heaving with each breath, the glisten of sweat on her skin, and though he didn't much like Thor's little Midgardian girlfriend from the things he remembered of her, he found he didn't like seeing her suffer like this far more.
He bit his lip then spoke. "Just haul me off already and get Jane examined; I could use some quiet time away from the mayhem you all bring."
Frigga looked sad at her son but Odin nodded and with a tap of Gungir on the ground the guards took Loki away.
His mind raced, with questions and emotions and mysteries but most of all that unease he'd felt while in Thor's room, watching the rain, waiting and unable sleep. He just hoped, prayed more like, that it wouldn't be an eternity before he felt more at ease again, nor an eternity before he would gain the answers to all the strange experiences. But most of all of why.
Why had Luka come to get him and Sylvie? Why did he need them there? And why did it feel like Luka and Tsuki knew far more about what was really going on than they were saying?
