Loki (fiorvalr) wrote in noexits, @ 2021-07-06 23:15:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log/thread/narrative, marvel (tv/movies): loki laufeyson, the magicians: julia wicker, → week 016 (disney world) |
Doctor Strange rightfully sent Loki to some random middle of nowhere location to 'cool down' after Loki tried to attack him. (Lesson of the Day: Don’t bring daggers to a pool party.) Julia follows after to bring him back. She’s disappointed in him, sort of. He’s apologetic, sort of.WARNINGS Language
Well, portals were fickle things you know. And this time he didn’t run out horizontally but fell vertically. He shouldn’t have been surprised. But he landed smack dab in the middle of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere.
Loki leapt to his feet, daggers armed, torso covered in dust, and growled. In the distance, far in the distance mind you, were the twinkling colored lights of a city. That was a long walk.
“Wow!” A voice called out. Loki turned and caught the glimpse of an old man hobbling out of a rickety old saloon-style building. The only building as far as the eye could see. A neon light above meant to glow BARRY’S BAR but a few of the lights were busted and it read BRR BR. “Nice suit.”
A goat sat on the saloon porch eating a tin can.
Loki frowned. Then he looked down and saw his swimsuit. He grumbled and threw on an illusion of clothing. He took out his Derleth phone.
“Not gonna get no bars here, son.”
“Clearly. How far to the city?”
“Oh, I dunno. Forty-five minute drive? But you can’t walk it!”
“Watch me.” And Loki started off.
Julia didn’t have Doctor Strange’s skill or power. A master magician? She’d learn more about him later. The only other magic user she’d seen cast that effortlessly had been The Beast. It was worth investigating, but not her major concern.
“LOKI.”
Julia had a cover up over her swimsuit and a wide brimmed hat. She looked less witch and more wayward tourist, ignoring the old man and his goat and stepping off the saloon porch.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” The portal behind her disappeared. She was going to have words with the trickster god first.
Not that that was any surprise.
The old man looked at Julia, brows raised. “I take it back. That’s a nice suit.”
The goat chomped on the can.
“Me?” Loki laughed, but the tone was bristled and agitated. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”
He stepped back toward the saloon’s porch. “Did you come to get me?” There was a slightly mocking edge to the question, but in truth Loki simply didn’t know how to process his surprise. Was this what it meant to have a friend?
Julia stepped over him. The goat didn’t care
“And who pulls knives out on someone at a pool party? If you really hate him, agitate him into attacking you first. Jesus Christ, come on.” She didn’t sound that upset that Loki wanted to murder him, more like she was upset he had been caught. Dr. Strange had tried to reason with Julia, but his reasoning had required a conscience on her part.
Still, she wasn’t about to make an enemy she didn’t have to. Not when they both could be useful to her in their own ways.
He watched as the old man fell asleep. The goat licked his hair and then went back to his can. It made Loki think of the goat in Fillory, king of the bridge by now no doubt.
Loki still wasn't king of anything.
“That sorcerer and I just…” Loki paused. “Well, I don’t like him.”
A lame excuse, he knew.
He stepped closer until he was standing directly in front of Julia. She’d come to get him. She didn’t have to, but she did. And that struck a peculiar chord in Loki. “Thank you for coming.”
That likely spoke to his power. Or maybe he was faking it the way Julia did during their brief confrontation.
“Are you going to behave? Because Fandral looked like he was going to start crying when you disappeared and if that happens, I am definitely winning the bet.”
When Julia mentioned Fandral, Loki rolled his eyes. “Fandral is overly protective.”
Loki acted like he didn’t appreciate that side of his fellow Asgardian, but he did. It was important to him that someone was worried about him. That someone wanted to protect him. But on the same token Loki didn’t really know how to respond to it. He’d never been on the receiving end of that kind of loyalty before. It had always been his brother who held that sway over people. Fandral included. Or so Loki had always assumed.
“You are not winning this bet. I had it in the bag before Strange pulled his damn portal nonsense on me.” Loki shook his hair back over his shoulders. “Fandral better not get all emotional and ruin this for me. I’m looking forward to our long walk on the beach when I win.”
Loki smirked. “So, yes. I promise I’ll behave.” He paused. “Where are we at the count anyway? Last I checked it was three.”
Julia gave an oh so casual shrug. It was Loki’s fault for dragging them both off the site of the party. Kady would manage fine, but it was still impolite.
Julia gave him a once over. It was hard to tell if she was wanting more reassurance he would behave or if she was concocting another plan in that head of hers. Or, it was possibly both.
He looked at Julia expectantly, but she wasn’t going anywhere. She merely stood there, arms crossed, staring at him.
“What?” Loki asked. And then he realized what she was doing. He gave an awkward laugh. “Are you scolding me? Really?”
But she didn’t budge. She didn’t make a portal. She just stared at him as though waiting for something.
Loki placed his hands on his hips. “Don’t tell me you’re waiting for an apology. I’m not going to apologize for trying to stick a dagger through that self-righteous sorcerer. He deserves it. And he knows it too!” Loki paused. “I will apologize for ruining your party though. Well, not ruining it. I’m certain half the people were too drunk or slobbering over each other to even notice. But I’ll apologize for interrupting it. Just a little.”
He tried to read her face, but again she was blank. She must have been the best poker player in the world. “Oh, come on. What do you want from me? No one got hurt.”
Although Loki’s ego was feeling a tad bruised. He furrowed his brows and pursed his lips in a pout.
She motioned with her head and waited until she turned to face the door to smirk. The smirk threatened to become more as she was trying hard to maintain composure.
Did she actually like Loki? Huh, maybe she did. She wasn’t sure she remembered entirely what that meant. But the parts of her that could enjoy things liked his company. Julia checked herself again— was that a good thing or dangerous? She tried to picture Quentin’s face, his reaction but it didn’t come to her.
Instead she waited until he was beside her and talked him through how she created portals. But instead of making one herself she stepped aside for him to do it for them.
He tried to analyze that smirk on Julia’s face. It was halfway between friendliness and suspicion. In fact, the perfect word for it was mischievous. And Loki liked that. Loki liked that a lot. In the same way he liked her.
The hedgewitch who kept him on his toes. The woman who was multiple riddles wrapped up in a conundrum. And Loki, ever the creative problem solver, desperate to figure it out.
He stepped up beside her and listened carefully as she walked him through the steps to creating a portal. After she stepped away to give him space to try it on his own, Loki paused for a moment, thinking the process through in his mind before trying it. He was a quick study, but his first attempt didn’t work. The second was closer, but not quite. Third time, however, was the charm.
His mother would have been proud. His father would have facepalmed.
Loki held out his hand, palm up. He smiled, enthusiastic and boyish. “Care to join me, Miss Wicker?”