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[justabitoffun]

Loki didn't leave the apartment all day in part fear that Barton would attempt to escape somehow. He already knew he was going to get into trouble for what he'd done, he certainly didn't need to loose the archer on top of the impromptu transformation spell he'd cast to turn the agent into a white tiger cub. He didn't mind being stuck inside all day on this particular eve though as the entertainment value provided by Barton's defiant attitude and Raun's eager attempts to get the cub to play with him were priceless.

By the end of the day Raun had begun to settle down and when Loki took a relaxed seat on the couch the kitten was almost instantly there to lie down in his lap. The Trickster god petted idly at the kitten's soft fur as he kept a deceptively lidded eye on the tiger cub.

Coulson would be home soon. Loki couldn't be more overjoyed by the prospect.

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[justabitoffun.livejournal.com]

Loki was delighted at Clint's reaction for all of two seconds before Coulson ruined it by getting up and moving to the door. He grinned sheepishly. "You remember I have little need of an actual door in order to leave, yes?"

[kingofarchers.livejournal.com]

:I'd settle for a window.: Unfortunately, Clint knew that look. His ears drooped, and Clint dropped back onto the ground, just out of Loki's reach. :What are the odds that you just want to hold the door open for me?:

[sonofcoul]

That look didn't change. "You mean what are the odds that I want to see you, in an unfamiliar body, at the size you are, running around outside with no supervision and city traffic? I don't know, maybe you can answer that one." He then glanced at Loki. "And I'm quite aware of your travel capabilities. I'm just making a point, and it's a good one."

[justabitoffun.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't have to let him out onto the street. I could send him straight home." Odd how it was him who had fought against the idea in the first place. Now he was fighting for it? Either he just liked to argue for the sake of arguing or he really was that susceptible to cute, fuzzy faces.

[kingofarchers.livejournal.com]

:Why was supervision on that list? How much trouble could I possibly get in when a Cocker Spaniel could make me look like a dwarf?: The comment he made about Coulson being a mountain had been true enough. It would probably take more wheedling than Clint was up for to get the man to agree. He glanced at the couch, remembering how he failed to hop up on it by himself, and settled on the floor. :Straight home is a bad idea. There may or may not be a trigger happy kid on my couch.:

[sonofcoul]

A mountain might have been easier to convince, actually. Coulson's voice was as measured as ever. "Not talking about you causing trouble for once, believe it or not, although I don't doubt your skill at it in the least. It's still my job to keep you as safe as I can within the boundaries of what's reasonably possible. When a Cocker Spaniel can make you look like a dwarf, the number of things that can harm you grows dramatically, and even if you're home, you're not able to communicate if something goes wrong. And I'm not going to see it happen. I'm not going to toss my responsibility to you away just because it happens to be inconvenient."

[justabitoffun.livejournal.com]

"Size aside, trust me, you're not nearly fuzzy enough to constitute as a dwarf." This conversation was getting wildly out of hand (Loki loved it) and it was easier to make a quick quip than stay on target with the argument. He wasn't even such what side he was on anymore.

"If home is such a bad idea why did you want to go there so bad in the first place? I know it's hard to focus sometimes as an animal with their instincts buzzing all around in your head but really--that's not something to forget." He sighed, getting annoyed and grumpy with all the bother. Why had he done this again? Any of this? If it wasn't for...

Well. He was already committed. No going back now.

[kingofarchers.livejournal.com]

:Yeah, yeah. This just turned into twenty questions with no prizes at the end. For the record, bossman, you're supposed to keep me in line, not safe.: Not that there was a huge difference at the moment. Heaving a sigh, Clint flopped over dramatically, then rolled on his back. The dwarf comment reminded him of an earlier conversation though. He batted at Loki's leg to get his attention. :Hey, what the hell's a bright elf?:

[sonofcoul]

"There's a surprising amount of overlap there." Satisfied that Clint had gotten over the urge fly the proverbial coop, Coulson pushed away from the door and went back to his previous spot on the couch, leaning back and half-closing his eyes as he puzzled over the reason for the question posed to Loki. It was a less taxing puzzle than most he'd been dealing with lately, at any rate.

[justabitoffun.livejournal.com]

Loki's attention was easily swayed to focus on the adorable fluff at his feet, everything previous readily thrown to the wind. He tried not to grin so that his answer would come out straight. "Bright elf, light elf, sun elf. Names for the ljósálfar, the fair skinned elves of álfheimr. They are divine beings held in much regard as the Æsir. Their counterparts are the dökkálfar, dark elves."

He smiled down fondly at the cub and dared to dangle a few fingers in front of him just to test the waters of Clint's current attention span. "You'd make a good álfar."

[kingofarchers.livejournal.com]

:You're imagining the overlap.: Clint was fluent in all of two languages and that was neither of them. He wrinkled his nose, absently twisting to swipe at Loki's fingers while he puzzled that out.

:I'd make a good what now? And that doesn't really tell me what makes elves so special that they have to be separated like laundry.:

[sonofcoul]

Coulson had definitely had reason of late to do research into Norse cosmology, but he was by far not the expert in the room for this particular line of questioning, so he just closed his eyes and listened to the conversation, absently petting the dozing kitten in his lap. It was easier to relax now that he was more confident that the odds of either of the other two attacking each other was significantly lower than it had been.

[justabitoffun.livejournal.com]

"You'd make a good elf. Weren't you listening?" But Loki, amused with Clint's reaction, hadn't stopped dangling his fingers in front of the cub and in fact gave them another wiggle before he continued. "Elves are divine beings that dwell in a realm known as álfaheimr. They're divided because though they hold the same traits their overall culture and society differ vastly. Much like the Vanir and the Æsir in such regards."

[kingofarchers.livejournal.com]

:The next person to call me an elf is getting bit.: There was another halfhearted swipe at Loki's fingers. :I'm hoping with fewer hostage marriages, because after three that gets messed up.: Or he thought it was three. He really had made an effort to research this so he didn't look like an idiot in front of Thor, but facts were always hard for him to keep straight.

[sonofcoul]

"Don't know if it's that much of an insult, Barton," Coulson quipped, opening an eye and glancing down at him. "At least it's more Lord of the Rings and less Keebler."

[justabitoffun.livejournal.com]

Loki decided not to mention that he was frequently called an álfr. That would ruin the good favor Coulson put in.

The Trickster smiled at Barton. "You've done your research. What a pleasant surprise. The álfar have not fought a war between one another as the Æsir and Vanir. For the most part they live in separate realms. As for the goð, you'd be surprised how frequent marriages are used to placate someone and not just in conclusion of that war."

[kingofarchers.livejournal.com]

:How is that any better? You be the elf, I'll be something with normal ears.: Making a noise of discontent, Clint rolled back onto his stomach, ears back. :Don't even tell me. The last thing we need is me trying to storm your flaming rainbow bridge because you guys regularly kidnap people.:

[sonofcoul]

"Pretty sure that whatever's in the cards for me, it doesn't include elfhood." Coulson leaned his head back onto the back of the couch and closed his eye again. "But stranger things have happened."

[justabitoffun.livejournal.com]

Loki glanced at Coulson through the corner of his eyes but managed to hold his tongue. Looking back at Clint he rebuked the accusation. "We don't kidnap anyone. The hostage exchange from the Æsir–Vanir War was a mutual agreement and the participants went over willingly." Although for some--namely, the Æsir hostages--they didn't afterward willingly participate in the society they were suddenly thrown into and ended up somewhat...dead. Besides the point. "The marriages happened afterward, much later when the Vanir had become a regular part of our society."

He paused, leaned back, thought of something else. "And in Skaði's case," he sneers at the name, "we gave her a choice in men for reparation of her father's death. How is any of that kidnapping by any standards?"

[kingofarchers.livejournal.com]

:Keep telling yourself that, Legolas.: Clint snorted, still not sure why the idea of any marriage like that bugged him so much. :That wasn't fair to the guy, was it? And you're putting people in a position where they might have to kill their spouse, assuming they even like them in the first. And what if they have--:

He held his breath, suddenly realizing why the idea didn't appeal to him. Standing up, the cub shook himself off and resumed walking laps around the room. :Never mind. What happens over the rainbow bridge can stay over the rainbow bridge.:

[sonofcoul]

"Afraid I don't have that dreamy Orlando Bloom quality that they look for in casting." Coulson shook his head a little and sat up straight. Dozing off on the couch would look more than a little ridiculous. "Getting restless?"

[justabitoffun.livejournal.com]

To say Loki was intrigued was a bit of an understatement. He watched Clint carefully. His voice was soft when he spoke. "Skaði was disappointed in her choice and eventually left him for another anyway. The Vanir do as they wish and are happily married to people of their choosing. Why are you so upset?"

[kingofarchers.livejournal.com]

:Don't sell yourself short, Coulson, I get lost in your eyes all the time.: He paused, only to change direction. Nope, those were questions he wouldn't be answering freely. Time to shift focus away from him. :Didn't we agree Coulson had a bedtime? Yet here he is, half asleep on the couch.:

[sonofcoul]

"Half asleep is overstating it. And it's more comfortable than falling asleep at my desk, which I've done a time or two also." Or significantly more than a time or two, but that was not exactly the operative point.

[justabitoffun.livejournal.com]

Loki snorted. He wasn't going to give up on the question that easily. Though for now he let it slide; he could bide his time, slip it into a later conversation, weasel his way into finding out what Barton was so ruffled over.

He stood up and moved over in front of Coulson. "You're right, Barton. It's time to put the suit to rest. Come on," he said and grabbed Coulson by the wrists to pull him to his feet. He wrapped an arm around the agent once he was standing. "It's about time you got some sleep."