justabitoffun | Recent Entries

No, I am not looking forward to Ragnarok, thank you.

It had been nearly two years since he had set foot in this realm. Practically two years worth of almost non-stop seclusion and isolation. The brief visitations from his mother notwithstanding and the one short adventure with his brother that he used to escape the dungeons of Asgard besides the point. He had spent much of the second half of his isolation hiding in the forests of Alfheim. There had been plenty of time for contemplation and self-searching during the idle days and restless nights spent alone in the remote stretches of the wilderness.

Before that, he tried traveling the stars on his own. There were plenty of places to hide out in the darkness between realms and many breathless sights to distract the mind. But it had quickly lost its appeal ~~with no one to share the cold beauty with~~ and he found himself going in circles, running from an enemy that was only in his mind. (Everyone thought him dead. Why would they search for him?) A part of him must have ached in a way he didn't realize possible for eventually he found himself in an old, familiar place and settled in. When he thought of why he was here or what he was doing with his time he thought he recognized the voice that took shape in his head as it sounded suspiciously like someone he knew in the past. Old conversations seemed to spring to mind as he contemplated what to do next. He never came to a decision.

And then one day the God of Chaos grew restless. He tired of the repetition that was born out of idleness and isolation. He was bored of the nothingness that his life had turned into. It was time to stop hiding.

Finally, he made a quick decision. It was more like a whim.

Two years had past since he set foot in this realm of Midgard. Two years since he had seen the mortals scurrying about on their rock that they called Earth. Two years since he had seen a certain mortal man whom he had grown rather... fond of.

It took him less than two hours to find the man when he finally got down to it. The hardest part, admittedly, had been the casting of the magical story that gave him access to a seat next to the man. The computer had succumbed eventually, however, and one poor unfortunate soul lost his claim to the seat so that Loki could walk aboard the plane and, with an elegance that defied the circumstances, sit calmly next to Phil Coulson in a commercial flight back to the United States.

The Random Scenario Meme

[Casually leaning against a wall, watching.]

( only to fall )

In retrospect, not a good idea.

"Out of the entire store to chose from, why is it that I find you standing and staring in the least exciting section?" Loki said as he walked up to Agent Coulson from behind. He stopped next to the agent and peered into the tank directly in front of the mortal. He made a disappointed expression. "There's not even any fish in this one. What's wrong with this display?"

Coulson merely smiled. "Look closer."

Loki shot the agent an irritated frown but then did as instructed and peered more keenly into the fish tank. Hiding beneath an ornamental log set into the middle of the aquarium were two writhing forms. Loki was amused to discover the pair of eels.

"And you find these more interesting than the rest of the animals here?" Loki asked.

"They remind me of you."

Loki's face fell at that comment. "Is that so?" he replied, tone flat now that his amusement had dissipated.

Coulson turned to the god. "They remind me of one of our first encounters together," the agent explained.

Loki's head cocked slightly in intrigue at the statement, encouraging Coulson to continue.

"You put a pair of eels in the coffee pot I was about to use," the agent elaborated.

The god's face lit up in recognition at that and he chuckled softly at the memory. "As I recall, you carefully moved them to another container for transportation. What ever did you finally do with them?"

"I found a good home for them."

This caused Loki's smile to grow more fond as he gazed at the agent. There was always that quality of homeliness about the suited agent and yet the pleasant surprise of his unexpected actions continued to attract the god to the simple mortal.

"Why did you bother?"

Coulson did not answer immediately, pursed lips indicating that he was searching for the words he wanted to use in explanation. Loki watched the agent carefully as he waited patiently for the answer.

"It wasn't their fault for being there. I had no quarrel with them, and they were innocent of the practical joke being played on me. It wouldn't have been fair of me to hurt them. And if I suddenly found myself displaced from my home, I know I'd be grateful if someone were to help me find a new one."

It was an honest answer and read as such from the agent's expression. But Loki had need for one step further. "They were just eels. Why go to all the trouble to save them? Why not simply get rid of them, kill them and dispose of them? No one would miss a pair of slimy eels."

Coulson was happy to provide the answer to this question as well. His eyes shone with fondness for more than just the honesty with which he provided. "Contrary to popular belief, most eels aren't actually all that slimy. They weren't going to hurt anyone and they deserved a chance. Besides, they made someone happy."

"Oh?"

"They still do. We could visit and see them if you like," Coulson said with a knowing smile.

Loki gave Coulson a funny look, a clear decline to the offer but one tinged with amusement at it. "I'll take your word for it."

Coulson nodded and then turned back to the tank with the eels hiding inside. "You know, I bet Raun would enjoy them."

The hidden implication was not lost on the god but he played along with the game anyway. "I have a feeling you might be right. What feline could resist the attraction of the wriggling form of an aquatic creature beset before them?"

"I know I wouldn't be able to. If I were a feline."

Loki caught Coulson's eye and the two of them shared a moment of resisting smiles together. Coulson lost the battle and smiled up at his partner first though Loki suspected the mortal simply did it to force Loki to smile triumphantly in return.

After all was said and done, they ended up leaving the store with a pair of happy eels accompanying them.