The Green was as good a place as any for Stephen’s purposes. Derleth was practically empty, with most everybody having fun at Disney, using their ‘miracle money’ (and he called it) to shop, or lounging at the side of some pool somewhere. For optimal privacy he could’ve used his room, where a locked door would guarantee privacy, but this natural setting felt better.
After finding an out of the way spot, he cast a circle of protection around him that crackled with yellow-gold energy. Stephen then levitated himself in the center, a few feet above the ground, tucking his legs into the lotus position. With arms resting on his knees, hands positioned in an arcane gesture, he closed his eyes and slipped out of his body to explore the area in his astral form.
****
Loki hadn’t intended to come back to Derleth for the entirety of the week. In fact, he’d been enjoying the distance from it. He hated the way the campus felt like a prison, always tugging them back on the seventh day no matter where they were. When they were on Planet Vegas, Loki had considered traveling as far as possible, but Julia told him it wouldn’t matter. No matter where he was in one of the realms they were brought to, he would always wake up at the start of the next week in his bed. Choking. Gasping for breath. Reliving those last moments of his life and the subsequent darkness that followed. It was torture. Worse than that, it was tearing him apart. Breaking him down a little bit each week. One day he might snap. And Loki, perceptive as he could be, was very aware of that fact. Which was why, when the opportunity arose, he avoided the campus at all costs.
However, Julia had shown him a kindness that night at the pool party by teaching him how to make her magical portals. And, wanting to ensure he could operate them quickly with his own magic, he took to practicing. Which was how he ended up stepping out of a fuzzy glowing doorway and into the Green. (Because it was rarely occupied and Loki had no desire to entertain people.) He wanted to see how far he could go and how accurate his portals could be. It was a test. So far he was doing quite well.
Maybe next time he’d try for the moon.
He waved a hand and the portal disappeared. It was a delightful trick. One he wished he’d learned earlier. And he quietly cursed himself for not paying more attention to his magical aptitudes when he was alive. Perhaps, if he’d spent less time relying on daggers, he wouldn’t have fallen so easily.
Or perhaps he would have.
Not that it was relevant here. And not that there was anyone around that he’d feel comfortable having a philosophical conversation about it. But it was a curious thought. Now, where to next?
*** Somebody was using magic in the immediate area, Stephen was able to sense it, in the ether. It was a type of magic that he wasn’t familiar with, which was what caught his interest. His body remained still, in a meditative pose, but his astral form sped back to the material plane to identify the source of the magic.
Loki. Just his luck.
Remaining invisible to the mundane eye, he watched what Loki would do next, hoping the god of mischief would wander to the campus instead of taking the path that would lead him to his body. But he was also curious to see how Loki would behave if he thought nobody was around.
***
Magic worked in funny ways. And different types of magic worked in even funnier ways. Sometimes Loki was able to recognize when someone else around him was using some form of mystical energy or conjuring abilities. Sometimes he couldn’t. And sometimes he just wasn’t paying attention. In today’s case, he simply wasn’t interested in anyone else. He was purposefully avoiding as many of the Derleth residents as possible. Only a select few deserved his attention anyway. His inner circle, if one wanted to be overly dramatic about it. Not that it was much of a circle. More like a triangle, really. Since there were only three people, give or take on any given day, that Loki considered friends. And that term was also used lightly because Loki wasn’t the sort of person to actually have friends. Derleth was offering a new experience for him in this particular arena. And only time would tell if they stuck around.
Loki was about to make another portal. One that would send him somewhere a little more interesting. Reykjavik crossed his mind. Or maybe Oslo. Australia was probably nice this time of year. But then he got a tingling sensation over his shoulder. A tiny instinctual prickle that warned him someone was watching. When he glanced around, however, he saw nothing.
Maybe he was just paranoid.
He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and removed the small box that withheld Julia’s shade — that tiny piece of her soul — and checked that it was still safe. He peeked inside. It glowed, bright and hypnotic. And somewhere in the back of his mind he thought he heard a voice calling out to him. But he shook it off and snapped the box shut, magically hiding it somewhere on his person.
And then, for reasons he couldn’t explain, he walked deeper into the forest of the Green instead of out of it. Right in the direction of Doctor Strange’s meditating figure.
***
The box and its mysterious contents sparked Stephen’s interest. All he could see was the glow reflected upon Loki’s features, but it gave off a strong radiance of life energy. The way Loki peeked inside and quickly hid it away made Stephen very suspicious. Then again, practically everything Loki did was suspicious.
Instead of returning to consciousness, Stephen decided to wait a bit longer. What would Loki do when he came across his body in the forest? The magic circle would protect him from attacks, both physical and magical, but would Loki try. It was a test. How often would Stephen have a chance to observe in this way? Stephen followed, but at a discreet distance.
***
Loki couldn’t help it. He was a naturally suspicious guy. And it didn’t help that he was carrying around things that didn’t belong to him. Granted, in a way Julia’s shade did belong to him because he was the one who went on the quest to retrieve it. He was the one who convinced the goddess of the trees to give it to him. But, at the same time, it wasn’t really his at all. Nor could it ever be. It was a piece of someone’s soul. The only one who had a right to it was the person it belonged to. Pity that person didn’t seem to want it. Which was why he still held onto it. Perhaps one day it would pay off in his favor. Or end disastrously when all of Derleth found out what he’d done. But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Not when he was in the Happiest Place on Earth.
Everytime he heard someone at one of the parks say that phrase he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He was getting really annoyed by these fake kingdoms.
After a few minutes of wandering deep into the forest — why did it always feel like the Green was getting bigger? — he came upon the meditating figure of Stephen Strange. Loki paused for a moment, glancing from one side to the other for signs of anyone else. No one. Curious.
Loki stepped closer, but not too close. He saw that golden sphere of energy around the sorcerer and was smart enough to know not to breach its barrier. Loki had a good deal of experience making bad choices with sorcerers and he was finally starting to learn his lesson. He did walk around the man, however, observing his floating posture carefully. Cautiously. When he made his way completely around he stopped and stared at Strange’s chest. He wondered.
Then he picked up a small pebble from the ground and tossed it at Strange’s head.
***
The pebble ricochet off an invisible shield that surrounded Stephen. At the exact same moment, the sorcerer’s eyes snapped open, looking directly at Loki, irritated.
“You’re hilarious,” he dryly said, his astral form snapping back into his body before Loki decided to do anything else.
***
Loki quirked a brow when Strange opened his eyes. Not exactly inquisitive so much as amused. Well, at least Loki hadn’t decided to poke the mystical barrier with a stick. Or worse, a dagger.
“It’s a humor I’ve spent centuries perfecting,” Loki said dryly. That tiny hint of sarcasm was punctuated by the small upward turn of his mouth on one side. He was being intentionally annoying. But at the end of the day Loki didn’t want an argument with the sorcerer. He had enough going on as it was without mixing another one of Midgard’s heroes into the hellish batter of his existence. It was bad enough that he had to share a bedroom with one of them, on top of the fact that most of them still harbored animosities about New York. The last thing he needed was to have Doctor Strange, the illustrious whatever-whatever magician of earth, making his time at Derleth worse. And Loki knew Strange could if he wanted to.
They could wrap each other up in an eternal weekly time loop until one of them either gave up or Derleth caused them to disappear. And neither of those prospects appealed to Loki.
He took a step to the side in preparation to leave. “Well, my apologies for disturbing your nap. I’ll just be on my way. There’s a Main Street parade I have to crash.”
***
“It’s alright,” Stephen said, truly not bothered by the disturbance. As his feet touched the ground to stand, the magic circle dissipated. “I couldn’t find anything, anyway.” This was what frustrated him, as the tone of his voice revealed, along with a troublesome glance across the sky, remembering what he’d seen while exploring the ether. Or rather hadn’t seen. “Which is ominous, in its own way,”
There were questions Stephen wanted to ask Loki, but he knew better than to be direct. If he could pique the god of mischief’s curiosity, he’d have a better chance at getting answers.
Attention on Loki, he asked, incredulously, “What? You haven’t stormed the palace yet? You better hurry. There’s not much more time before we’re all whisked away to our next location.”
***
It was good that Stephen wasn’t bothered because Loki wasn’t really apologetic. He was just offering perfunctory pleasantries in a halfhearted attempt at avoiding a magical confrontation. Only time would tell, however, if Loki would be able to uphold that courtesy.
Loki made an irritated face. “What exactly were you looking for? A means for escape? Because I can assure you, if you can think of it then it’s probably been tried.”
At least, that seemed to be the general consensus among the residents of Derleth who’d been there since the very beginning. And as much as Loki hated believing that there was no way out, he had to admit that if there was a means of escape he didn’t know what it was. Then again, he hadn’t really tried to leave. Because he wasn’t sure if there was any place he could go. He didn’t even know if he was alive. Not really.
“Oh, you’re mocking me now, are you?” Loki glared. But he hid his minor embarrassment behind his illusion. Why? Because he had tried to storm the castle. Which was how he realized it wasn’t a real castle. He was very disappointed in that. He’d had high hopes for ruling the Disney Realm.
*** “A means of escape? An explanation for what’s happening? Finding out who or what’s behind all this? Yes, all of the above. You’re not the first person who’s told me that others have tried and failed to find answers, but call me stubborn.” Stephen shrugged. “I need to find out for myself, my own way. And who knows? Maybe I, or somebody after me, may see something that others have overlooked. Or maybe have knowledge where others haven’t been taught.” He looked away, scanning their immediate area, suspiciously. “I wish I could say I was certain that the force that brought us here isn’t 100% malveonent. In fact, there’s nothing I can say for certain at this point.”
And that irked him. This didn’t mean he would give up. On the contrary, he was even more determined to uncover the mystery. It just might take a bit longer than he hoped.
Loki’s reaction seemed a bit… odd, and when Stephen returned to look at him, it was done curiously. Stephen expected snide remarks, but this seemed uncharacteristically defensive.
Oh, you’re mocking me now, are you?
“Uhhhh… yeah,” Stephen replied, as if it was obvious. “Duh. You insult me, I insult you. You’re behaving a little thin skinned.” His eyes narrowed. “Something’s off.” It was not a question, but a statement of fact.
***
“You can’t say anything for certain because nothing is certain except for the fact that we have no control over who comes here, who leaves, and what happens to us. So, welcome to the club. Grab a chair. Enjoy your stay. Because it could be indefinite.” Loki sneered. And yes, there was a jagged edge to his tone. Why? Because he was stubborn too. But obstinance hadn’t helped him in this situation. Nothing had. And it had made him incredibly defensive. Because as much as Loki wanted to find the same answers to the questions Doctor Strange and all the others were searching for, he also didn’t want them.
Because Loki wanted to live. And if he wasn’t alive then, at the very least, he wanted to exist. He wanted to continue being. And if Strange or Rick or Tony or one of the magicians figured out a way to send them home and he got caught up in it then there was a strong possibility that he would cease to be.
Essentially Loki was scared. He’d been afraid for many of the last years of his life, for various reasons, but this was the first time he felt truly terrified. He’d looked his brother in the eyes one last time thinking it would be the end. Believing he was doing the right thing and that he would be welcomed in the great hall of Valhalla for finally serving a glorious purpose. But that’s not what happened. And the thought of going back to that darkness — to the split second of nothing between dying and arriving in Derleth — froze him in fear.
But he was Loki. He couldn’t talk about that without showing people his true self, without admitting vulnerability and weakness. So what did he do? He rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
Then he waved a dismissive hand at Strange and began walking away.
***
Stephen didn’t know what Loki was going through, but from this reaction he could tell it was pretty hard. He saw somebody who was wounded, weary, frustrated, fighting back the same way a cornered animal might. The point Loki brought up of not being in control felt like the key, which was understandable given what Stephen knew about Loki’s future. As curious as he was, he instinctively understood that, at least at this moment, having a conversation with Loki would utterly backfire, causing more harm than good.
If Loki wanted to leave, there was nothing Stephen would do to stop him, but he would let him go with some parting words.
“Take care of yourself, Loki.”
***
Those last few words caused Loki to pause mid-step. He hesitated, glancing back over his shoulder to see if he could decipher any sort of deception or trickery in the sorcerer’s gaze. Loki didn’t expect that kind of response. Then again, Loki wasn’t exactly accustomed to kindness. Least of all from the people of Midgard. It made him suspicious. But when he looked at Strange’s face he didn’t see any sign of insult or disrespect in his features.
Was that politeness? Was that honesty? Why would Strange care how Loki looked out for himself? It didn’t make any sense to him. But of course it wouldn’t. Because Loki’s first thoughts never went to altruism. They always went to the opposite end of the spectrum. Probably because that’s what he’d expect from himself were the circumstances reversed.
He furrowed his brows, lips pursing into a thin line. He didn’t know how to respond. But he had promised Fandral and Julia and Natasha — and possibly a few others — that he would try not to be so antagonistic. That he would try to make friends. And so he bit his lip and nodded. “Thanks. You, too.”
There was a moment when it looked as though Loki might say more, but he didn’t. Instead he just turned and continued back out of the Green. He needed to get as far away from this place as possible.