A Long Time Coming // Loki & Malin
There were no hesitations in the way she moved as she walked his way, and Loki wasn't used to that. In his kingdom, people were always cautious when they approached him, almost withdrawn. It might have been his title, being a prince in itself would make him somewhat intimidating to his subjects, but that wasn't all it was. It was the way he carried himself, that cold, glassy gaze that he wore so often, and the air of indifference that came with his presence. All of those qualities about him would easily make someone shy away, but not her. She came towards him in those natural, fluid movements like it was the most common thing in the world, and it made him uncomfortable. That struggle for power between the two of them was so evident, and as she placed her arms on either side of him, trapping him up against the wall, he felt like she held something over him, and it didn't sit well in his mind.
In their proximity, Loki could look nowhere else but directly into her eyes. He stared unwaveringly at her icy blue orbs, and would not let his eyes stray from hers. To him it felt like a challenge, like a game of control. There were countless times where his father would tell him about the battles he had fought in, and how two opposing leaders would stare each other down, to see if their determination faltered in anyway. His situation now wasn't too different. It felt like a storm was brewing between him and the fallen Norse goddess, and the first one to look away would be deemed the weaker. As the unsound eye contact continued between them, Loki noticed something he had not seen at first. Her expression wasn't that of completely confidence, there was an uneasiness present, an uncertain edge to whatever she was feeling. He lifted his chin at the discovery, looking down his nose at her, feeling like he was of a higher rank, which he no doubt was when it came to their abilities.
"Let’s find out together." The words were detached, they came from her almost absentmindedly. She wasn't making a statement, that much he could tell. It was like she was questioning herself about her own capabilities, curious as to what she could do after all these years of putting them aside. Loki himself was going through the possibilities in his mind, but when her delicate fingers reached up to touch his face, he wasn't sure what to expect. He froze in that spot, waiting for something to happen, hoping that she hasn't completely lost her powers. As the determination in her eyes turned into desperation, he realized just how bent out of shape she really was. She was merely a mortal now, just the same as the rest of the humans on this Earth.
Tears appeared at the brim of her eyes as she backed away from him and tore her eyes away from his. He watched her lowering herself to the floor, curled up in a feeble manner as the pitiful speech came out in a broken whisper. It frustrated him to know that she was so utterly useless after all, that he'd come to Earth only to be disappointed by what he had found. He knew that she was weak, but thought that she would have at least retained some of her powers. He hoped that she would have had something, anything for him to utilize, but he was sadly mistaken. Never would he have dreamed that these years could have chiseled away at her like they did, but her shaky display just a moment ago spoke for itself. She was so decrepit, debilitated to the point where he didn't even know if the remnants of her former self was recoverable anymore.
"He did this to me." The forlorn bitterness in her voice made him fix his eyes upon her again, studying the way she spoke. The hopelessness that was in her before fizzled away, replace by a jaded attitude as she spoke about his father. A part of him wanted to agree, to share in that grudge she held against Odin after his father’s deception. However, he surprised himself when he realized that he didn’t feel vengeful at all. Despite the lies that he had been fed for his entire life, he felt protective of the man who had raised him. He didn’t want to hear her talk about his father that way, smearing his name and throwing around accusations. Who was she to talk so mightily when she had sank to the absolute bottom of her own identity? She knew it too, whatever expectation she had for her potential was gone, and the self devaluation was complete when she uttered the words that seemed to have been looming over her head for a long while. "I have nothing for you."
He wanted to sneer at her, to make her aware of the lowly position she had put herself in. She was the only person to blame for her own fate. Odin took away her powers before her descent to Earth, but she wasn’t left completely dysfunctional. She had almost six years to work at her loss, to strengthen herself, but she didn’t, and her fragile state did not make Loki sympathize with her. If anything, it angered him to know that he’d run into such a hitch in his plans. She was right when she claimed herself to be pathetic, and he wanted badly to reiterate it to her. He wanted to use her emotions to release his annoyance on, to kick her while she was already down, but he stopped his thoughts before they could get out of hand. As difficult as her recovery was going to be, she was the last hope he had, and he’ll be damned if he couldn’t make his father proud enough to rise to the throne.
With a sigh, he fell into place on the floor beside her, staying silent as she looked anywhere but at him. He had to do this, he had to gain her trust in order to avoid any suspicion on her part. It shouldn't be hard, he could be very well spoken and charming when he needed to be, the hard part was how he was going to restore her to her former glory. He had no idea where to start in terms of training her but he knew he had to give it all he's got. Before all of that though, he needed to get closer to her and make her certain that he was doing all this for the reasons she believed him to be doing it for. He reach out place his palm on her cheek, turning her head to look at him, and with the utmost conviction he handed her another smooth lie, only one of many to come.
"You're wrong." He searched her eyes for any withdrawal from him, but he could find none. She was seeking comfort and he was giving it to her, tugging on all the right strings. "You are not left with nothing." He reached down to pick up her hand in his, and held it between them for her see. "You are among the gods Skuld, and as much as your weakened form seem to be a hopeless cause, it's not." He paused to see her take his words in, how could she not in her vulnerable state? She was putty in his hands. Resisting a triumphant smirk, he continued with his fake support. "You may not see it, but I know that there is a spark of magic left in you and I can turn into something much more, but first you have to believe that you can do it, your will is half the fight." In that moment of silence, he looked not only at her but into her, and could almost see her thoughts splash across her features as she processed everything. He didn't have the patience to wait though, so he ushered her gently to give him an answer. "Do you think you can do it?" A small nod from her was what he got and that was all he needed to know that he was winning her over already.
Pushing himself up off the floor, he offered a hand to her to help her up. Once they were both on their feet, he made his way to the door again, opening it up and stepping out. He held the door for her, and chuckled at her confused expression. "You mentioned dinner plans? If we’re going to eat we should get to a better atmosphere." He could tell that she wanted to get out of her house as well, away from the emotional turmoil that the walls have witnessed, and in a second, she was right beside him, locking up and heading out. He walked along her side as they left the building and out onto the road to which ever destination she had in mind. They rounded a few corners before arriving at a quiet establishment with not many people inside. A server approached them almost immediately and she seemed to know the blonde woman that was with him. The two women only exchanged a glance before they were led to a booth in the back.
The girl left them with two menus then swiftly turned on her heels to tend to other guests, but not before looking at the woman in front of him with an expression he could not decipher. Looking back at Skuld, he noticed that her lips have curled up slightly into an amused grin, but not entirely understanding why. Putting the matter aside, he wanted to continue with the work he was doing, gaining her alliance was the goal and he was getting there. "Why don’t you fill me in on these past few years?" She lifted her head from the menu, raising an eyebrow at his inquiry.
"I’m sorry?" The puzzled look on her face remained as she questioned him, but Loki remained completely unfazed, as if he was talking about the simplest thing in the world.
"Since we’ll be spending a lot of time together from now on, we might as well get acquainted. Or if you prefer, we can just dine in silence." She was hesitant for a moment, but ultimately gave in to his request.
"Alright."
Loki bit back the smug smile trying to make its way to his lips. She was making things too easy for him.












