Who: Hurley and Loki. What: Random encounter. When: During the Narrative Balloons plot. Where: Out on the streets of Orange County. Rating: Low. Status: Complete.
The whole text balloon thing was getting old fast. Not that Loki had even remotely enjoyed it at the start, but it was getting obnoxious. He didn’t need his actions narrated. People could see his actions, they didn’t need to read them. He huffed in annoyance and tried to bat one away as he walked down the street in hopes of getting a coffee. In elegant script against a green background, it read just that. It was also sure to add a large SIIIIIIIGH for effect.
Sometimes, Loki really despised living in the OC.
Hurley had been having a grand time with the narrative balloons. An avid comic book fan, he and his friend Chuck had already spent time goofing off to see what they could get them to do. It was like living inside a comic book!
He was on his way to the local McDonalds to get himself a twenty piece chicken McNugget meal and a big Sweet Tea. He grinned lopsided up at the balloon, craning to see what it said. In McDonalds font and colors, it wrote exactly what he'd been thinking about, complete with how he was strolling down the street so carefree. It was this distraction that had him on a collision course with Loki if he didn't look away in the next moment.
Fortunately, Loki was much more aware of his surroundings. His eyes were ever observant, and he stopped just short of being knocked into. While the bubble above his head simply filled with several exclamation points, Loki raised his eyebrows.
“You really should watch where you’re going, you know. Some people won’t be so forgiving to be nearly walked into.”
Hurley stopped, startled at the near collision and the verbal warning. “Oh dude, sorry. Sorr...wait, you’re…” Eyebrows went up and his eyes went wide. “Dude! You’re like, Loki!” Because really, it couldn’t get any more ‘comic book’ than this.
Loki blinked a bit. His narration bubble indicated his surprise, in a font that would be recognizable to Hurley as a very Asgardian font. Of course, his initial reaction was that Hurley simply knew him via his career as a magician, and he was, of course, quite flattered and preened a bit. “I am, as a matter of fact.” He’d clearly forgiven the man for his initial ignorance.
"You're like the coolest, most badass of the Marvel movie villains!" Hurley couldn't help but geek out. The big guy pushed some locks of his bushy hair out of his face. "Well, wait..." and his tilted his head, thinking. He'd paid attention to all the dream chatter people went on about on the networks. He realized something funky was up, some sort of past lives or parallel universe thing. Like when the Avengers fractured the space time continuum. "So are you like, remembering you're Loki? Cuz then, do you know what happens in the Avengers, and what are you here in this life then?" Clearly all the comic scribbles flashing through his balloon as he ran through possible comic and scifi theories displayed his ignorance of the man's profession in this world.
“-- Oh.” That was, really, almost better, and a very proud smirk came across his features. He’d known, to an extent, this … Knowledge of his other life existing to everyone. He was also aware that Loki had quite a following, so take that Thor, and this was delightful proof.
“I do, in fact, know all about Earth’s so-called mightiest heroes. And how that story ends.” Which was neither here nor there, and maybe Loki was a touch resentful about it. “Here? I’m a magician. Fitting, don’t you think?”
“A magician?” Hurley almost laughed, because it seemed so beneath the Asgardian god of Mischief. But then again, Loki was right. It actually did make sense. “Wow. That’s cool. So you like, play Vegas and stuff? Is it like, David Copperfield magic?” In his thought bubble it described basic tricks - rabbit from a hat, sawing a woman in half, and then moved on to making the Statue of Liberty disappear, with the word ‘disappear’ vanishing slowly. That was about the extent Hurley knew about magicians.
Loki rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt. “Please, Copperfield’s a hack.” So he had a bit of resentment for that man, too. He was world’s beyond Copperfield, he felt, and yet everyone knew about him and … Well. Actually, so many people knew about Loki. It maybe evened out. “I do magic like him, yes. I have a show opening in Los Angeles in a few months, based around Houdini’s work.”
“Houdini? Nice. Which escape acts are you doing?” Hurley seemed genuinely interested, and who didn’t know of the great escape artist?
“All the classics. I suspect it won’t be too hard for me to pull any of them off.” Which was, technically, cheating, but he was Loki. As if he wouldn’t do everything he could to make the show perfection.
“Sweet.” Hurley grinned. “I’ll totally check it out. Which place will you be at?” He didn’t want to keep him, and totally wanted to ask about Thor, but decided not to considering how well that relationship was going judging by the movies.
It was probably a smart move. Loki was growing less and less a fan of his brother, and it was likely that his name alone would turn Loki’s good mood sour. But he told Hurley the name of the theatre. “We’re hoping to open mid-January.”
“Man, mid January?” he almost pouted. “You going to be doing any other shows before then? I haven’t been to a magic show uh...ever actually.” He shrugged his big shoulders. “Y’know, outside of when I was a kid and went to those lame birthday parties.” Realizing how sad that made him sound, Hurley got that look of self awareness and shifted a little. “Uh, can you do any of your like, mirage stuff? Like in the Avengers? Y’know, go from swagger threads to your Asgardian...threads?” Honestly there was no name for the seemingly bizarre yet simultaneously cool signature outfit and helmet that Loki bore.
“As a matter of fact, I’m doing a small revue on Halloween. I’m afraid it won’t be quite so flashy as anything Asgardian, but I never disappoint.” Loki held out his hands and gave a curt nod of entirely false modesty, which his narrative balloon was quick to point out.
“Ahem,” he said, making the balloon cower and pop away. “But I do have a variety of abilities akin to my dream self, if you were curious.”
“I can do Halloween. Lemme know where, dude, and I’ll totally be there.” It was definitely better than hanging out till all hours at the Halloween party the comic publisher he was interning for was throwing; Hurley wasn’t much of a party person. He tried not to smirk at the balloon but his own balloon seemed to display his amusement all the same. He swatted at it briefly in irritation as if it were a persistent fly.
At the mention of Loki having some skills not unlike his Marvel self, Hurley’s eyes got big again. “Yeah? Like what?”
Loki tutted his tongue and shrugged. “Now, where would the fun be in telling? A real magician never reveals his secrets and all, you know.” Also, who would he be, laying out all his cards on the tables.
Hurley looked a bit dismayed but nodded."True that, man." His stomach suddenly growled loudly, reminding him of his original mission. He flushed a little in embarrassment and his bubble declared just how hungry it was before flipping to the McDonalds logo. "Hey, uh, I should probably get goin'," he then muttered and swatted at the bubble, "Stupid bubble." Then to Loki, "But yeah man, I'll totally catch your magic show. It was nice meeting you...Loki." Hurley stuck out a big hand for a handshake. His bubble meantime, proceeded to geek out about all things Loki for a moment.
Loki’s narration balloon did little to hide his indifference towards Hurley. Though, he suspected the man wouldn’t be too offended, since he seemed to be well aware of Loki’s nature. He shook the offered hand and managed to not roll his eyes. “Remember what I said about watching where you’re going. Some people won’t be quite so forgiving as I.”