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epidemiology2016-07-06 05:05 pm
CLOSED.
DATE: Between week one & week two.
WARNINGS: Loki and Tony are their own warning, but I'm sure Steve will pull it back aka probably not but I'll update here if anything comes up.
SUMMARY: No one listens to Natasha.
A story told before,
[ back in the day when superheroes were nothing but crossovers and team-ups, an evil Loki had made a decision that had painted him as the supervillain there ever after. fate had set the bait, and he had stepped right into the trap, dragging the teeth on his ankle ever since. to get back at his brother for his exile, he had tricked the Hulk, causing events to domino into the catastrophe that would form the Avengers. cursing himself, he would try time and time again to undermine them, all ending in a barrage of failures more fantastic than the next.
well, except for one.
the details of this group's conception were still blurry, but he has broader suspicions, and that's all he needs to get the gist. when he meets them here and there, his first instinct is to run, but his ambitions clash with it in a fury, reminding him that this is an opportunity. it is an opportunity, just as it had been with Thor. these Avengers, they knew the story of that world's Loki, not of him, and he was not that Loki, no matter what the multiverse tactlessly regurgitates. if they were going to make something out of this, it would be on Loki's terms. (that proves to be wishful thinking.)
they have a few run-ins, curiosity turning to the exchange of barbs. Loki bites down the sour taste of how he got them and not Thor. mentioning his brother's former presence won't do any good, he decides, so he keeps it to himself, like a personal secret that brings satisfaction when Tony insists that the Loki he knows and him are one in the same.
they get dismissed for the time being, and Loki goes back to the mission (whatever it is), and adopts a small, soapy child. for the time, it's left with Ahad, squealing and making noise over something in favor of scoping the terrain. between his teleportation and Seven League Boots, there's not much that proves to be difficult for him.
he's shaking off the frost from his jacket, the useless buckles jingling. on the snowy beginnings of the forest, the range of green on his attire sticks out like a sore thumb. he may not look like the other Loki, but there's certainly a golden, horned diadem on his head. the rest isn't difficult to parse out. it may be difficult to sneak up on a trickster, especially a godly one, but they are on the same mission, after all.
Loki skirts the outside of the forest, leaving no imprints as he steps on the paper thin layer of ice solidified on the snow. there are glowing green footprints trailing behind him as he examines the forest edge. ]
It's not like you're going anywhere, hm?
[ sure, he could be talking to the forest. ]
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that's never stopped him before.
their short encounter really only served to ramp up his curiosity, especially when he clearly struck some kind of nerve. he's met enough people now that he can't deny the existence of alternate earths: one idiot who somehow missed the news of an alien invasion might be written off, but a plethora of people who'd never heard of iron man and a spider-man who had long passed puberty had driven home the point.
he still thinks loki wouldn't be above using that as an all too convenient cover story. it seems like he might get a better read face to face, where presumably loki can't angrily hang up on him.
we'll see.
the snow crunches beneath his feet, the baby left behind securely for the moment, unhappy as it might be about it. he plant himself firmly in place about fifteen feet back, studying his profile. ]
Was that meant to sound vaguely threatening? Because it could use some work.
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the ease of his stance doesn't change, nor does the sort of lackadaisical gesture of dismissal that he makes with his hand. it was almost as if he was expecting him. (he wasn't.) ]
Oh—ah ... hello. I'd say we need to stop meeting like this, but we haven't actually met, have we? I hope you haven't come with threatening pointers, last I heard, we'll be working together. It's bad if you want a reference.
[ as if he ever had a job in his life that wasn't god of chaos.
it's Loki who moves to bridge the gap between them, curious and uncaring of Tony's comfort. he's easily and confident, walking over the snow with a faint saunter of his hips as he comes closer. the buckles on his jacket sway, the back fanning out in a deliberate ostentatious fashion. there are some keen differences—his facial features are softer, with no underlying maliciousness waiting behind his eyes. there's a light accent highlighting his vowels, slipping into his words from his days on Midgard. ]
You're Steve, right?
[ Loki holds out his hands, shoulders up in a shrug. ]
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he's surprised, however, by what he's seeing - not because loki doesn't look the same (he assumed he'd be able to change his face as much as he wanted) - but because there's something about him that just doesn't feel like the same guy. still, he's not about to drop his guard, particularly when he's very aware of being on this planet with no suit to his name, standing in the presence of a god he doesn't have any reason to trust means him well.
yeah, this was a great plan. ]
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Well, it's not as if he's here to complain. [ it comes out smoothly, with a hint of easy poetry that shows, despite being approached, that he's entirely in control of the situation. perhaps that he even meant for this to happen. (he didn't, but he's got a knack for lying and faking it worth a few million gold coins.) ] You never really know—there's all kinds of crazy universes out there.
So-oo-oo ... [ and then he tactlessly eye rakes him. ] Wanna chat? I charge by the hour for pleasant conversation.
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Why am I telling you anything, again?
[ it's not as if he's particularly obligated, especially when Tony's made it clear to him that he won't believe him, anyway. ]
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his concern only doubled when he caught sight of them from a distance.
Natasha had filled him in. Told him to keep clear. Told him that it wasn't the same Loki, but that didn't really mean much when he sees his (former) friend having words with him.
Stealth isn't Steve's forte, and the squidge trotting along after him certainly has no idea what's going on. Between the two of them, they make plenty of noise in the forest to announce their approach.]
What's going on here? [There's a warning edge to his tone, but given the circumstances, it may be unclear just who he's directing it at...]
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[ ah, Natasha didn't tell him about this one, but he's not difficult to recognize. Loki keeps his casual demeanor as he approaches, a look that says he's done nothing wrong. with a cant of his head he leans it toward Tony, as if he should be the one saying something. ]
Why? Do we like we're up to no good?
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Somehow I don't buy that.
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there's strain oozing off the two of them. while that's not necessarily surprising where he's coming from, it is curious that they're making no effort to conceal it. if they really knew another Loki, an evil Loki, then he'd be eating this up. ]
Do I detect some tension?
[ he says in a pointedly not-at-all tense tone. ]
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Give us a good reason and you can detect it up close and personal.
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There's no tension. [He snaps in the most tense voice ever.] But I'm still waiting for an answer. What are you doing out here?
[This time directed just to Loki, at least.]
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Loki lifts his brow somewhere amid no tension and falling head-first into Steve's demands of his movements. ]
Oh, I don't know—our mission, probably. Last time I checked, we were all on the same inter-dimensional hopping timeline-saving team.
It seems to me ... [ he looks between them as if he could care little about turning his head from one to the other. ] Now that you have no one to fight, that you seem very intent on finding someone. Is it that bad where you come from?
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[ it comes out a little dry, actually. ]
You know, assuming all Lokis.
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[ it comes out flat, if not a little salty. ]
Though if you're insisting on making an enemy, you've certainly done a rather good job of paving the way for it. Or are the Avengers in your world as good at making villains as they are battling them?
[ and then, bitterly: ]
I didn't do anything.
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[ Natasha approaches through the woods with Bart on her heels, a disapproving look tugging at her lips but not fully manifesting; in fact, her eyes remain wary. There's enough power in this clearing that she knows if they wanted to get into a fight there's little she could do to stop them. But here she is to try anyway because that's the kind of Avenger she is. ]
No one wants to make an enemy here. We're on the same side. [ She looks over at Steve and Tony, as if measuring whether or not that really believe that, and by proxy, if they really believe her. It's not hard for her to understand why they might be suspicious of Loki still, but it's her estimation that his reputation's riding on, and by that warrant, it's their trust in Natasha's assessment being called into question here. ] I hope no one here's forgotten that.
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His demeanor shifts ever so slightly as he shrugs. ]
I just had to see this for myself.
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Something we can agree on. [Steve mutters after Tony speaks. He clears his throat and speaks up a little louder.] We were just talking.
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It sounded a bit more like demands leaning in the realm of accusation, if you ask me. But it's a thin line, really. [ his dark nailed fingers get tossed dismissively. ]
Please, go on, blame whatever you want on me.
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Can't blame a girl for getting the wrong impression if everyone was invited to the party but me. [ She said it with a placid, passionless smile, attention alternating between Steve and Tony. ] I think we all understand what you're afraid will happen here. I share the same concerns. But this kind of talking isn't doing anything to prevent that.
[ And while it hurt to admit, probably her more than them, it seemed for the time being that Natasha agreed with Loki: they were making themselves an enemy that they didn't need because they were both so eager to hunt down a fight. ]
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u wrong ] Maybe a rousing game of Truth or Dare?
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Whatever.
[ he turns on the heels of his boots, gliding between them with downward twist of his lips and stalking off. ]
Count this as a win for the Avengers.
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What?
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[ She wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt—they weren't thinking straight, courtesy of the conflict between the two of them and with Bucky, but they were going to cause more problems still if they didn't rein it in. Natasha wasn't going to be accountable for picking up that mess. ]
Are we really hurting this bad for enemies?
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