mischieftomake

[mischieftomake]

[mischieftomake]

"We shall see."

Loki had turned his attention to his own plate, but paused, glancing back up again as he felt Steve's eyes on him. Finding himself suddenly the sole subject of the other man's rather rapt attention, he raised a questioning brow.

"As is mine, judging by the way you're staring at me," he observed with a teasing smile. "Not that I'm complaining, of course. I don't blame you." It was remarkable how at ease he felt here, sitting across from a man who, on paper at least, he should clash with. He was exactly the sort of man that a younger Loki would have deliberately antagonised, but there was something about Steve that invited jests rather than jibes.

He took a bite, and made an appreciative sound. It reminded him of ordinary meals back in Asgard when he was a child, inherently comforting in its simplicity.

"Not bad," he said, taking another bite.

[mischieftomake]

"Well, you are not just paying for the wine, but also for my company. I've been told that is worth quite a bit." He mused, a light grin on his lips before nodding. "My cooking might be considered quite basic, but I have to say that I rather enjoy it." Steve spoke softly.

He had been raised in another time, was used to the foods of another time. And while he had adapted, he still enjoyed the simplicity of foods as they had once been and so, he made his stews in the ways his mother had. Sure, the ingredients weren't quite the same, but nonetheless, it still brought him comfort.

So, with a smile, Steve looked at his plate, humming as he took his first bite. Ah yes, this tasted just like home. Oh how he loved this kind of food. All he could do now was hope that it was a hit for Loki too, else he was so not gonna be able to live it down. A little nervous, he watched the other in silence, his heart maybe racing a little more than he would care to admit if asked.

[mischieftomake]

"Wouldn't you be uncomfortable in my position?"

Loki debated the merits of being as belligerent as possible, perhaps using the convenient array of daggers set in front of him to add to the effect, but after a few moments decided against it. Like it or not, he was at the mercy of Mantis and her companions for the moment, and he doubted starting an argument with her would be as satisfying as he wanted it to be.

"It is," he agreed, setting about cleaning the blade even though it didn't really need it. The familiar routine of weapon maintenance was the first thing that had settled him since he'd first arrived on the ship.

"This one was a gift. Judging by the workmanship, it's probably from Nidavellir, but I can't be certain. It was a few decades ago and I remember being more interested in the enchantments added after forging at the time."

He turned the dagger one way, then the other, so that it caught the light, admiring it before setting it aside.

@mischieftomake continued from here

Drax had mentioned that Loki had a remarkable collection of blades, and Mantis decided she had to see that for herself. It was impressive indeed, though Mantis had felt compelled to say something to announce her presence and not startle the other.

Technically, Loki was right – no one was safe anywhere. Danger could find anyone. Mantis was merely referring to emotional safety, unless Loki was bothered by the Guardians' constant bickering.

"I try to make you feel comfortable because you seem uncomfortable," she replied matter-of-factly. "Except now. You seem comfortable with that dagger." Mantis took a small step closer, arms wrapped around one of her books. "It's beautiful! Where is it from?"

[mischieftomake]

THOR (2011)

[mischieftomake]

Unfortunately, the barn was as unremarkable as Loki had expected, save for the same dying livestock and suffocating atmosphere as outside. He searched the place thoroughly nonetheless- missing something obvious would be doubly embarrassing so soon after being proved right- but was quickly satisfied there was nothing more he could learn and made his way back outside.

Elsa's admission would usually have been music to his ears. For someone who was (in his opinion, at least) so frequently right, it was remarkable how often people chose not to listen to him, which only made it all the more satisfying when that choice was proven to be a bad one.

But there was no satisfaction in this. The obvious fear in Elsa's eyes only fueled the dread gnawing at him.

"Well, most people take far longer than you have to say that." He half raised a hand with the intention of squeezing her shoulder in an attempt at comfort, but thought better of it and awkwardly aborted the movement halfway through. "Which is good. The faster we can track this to its source, the better."

Elsa knelt down and checked SoYun's pulse, sighing in relief that ii was calm and steady. She remained there watching Loki inspect the barn. She had stubbornly dismissed magic as having any part to play in this blight but it was hard to deny the source being something magical in nature.

She carefully lifted SoYun beneath her arms, carrying her back inside her house where she would be safe in her bed. "I'm sorry," she whispered to her friend, "I've let all of you down," she wiped away the tears that escaped her and left a frosty trail on her cheeks, "I'm going to fix this ...whatever it is ...I promise."

Elsa walked back toward the barn with a sullen expression, the fear was apparent in her eyes as they met Loki's. "You're right. This is the work of magic. I'm so sorry I was so stubborn and wouldn't listen to what you had to say ...I'm listening now and I'll continue to listen."

[mischieftomake]

@trickstersintime

Loki's lips twitched into a small smile as Jack told his story. This was a man after his own heart, it seemed. Making- or what at least seemed to Loki to be- a rather bad deal assuming that he would be able to find a way out of the consequences later was exactly the sort of thing Loki would have done in his youth.

It was also exactly the sort of thing he would do now, if he was honest with himself.

"A little bit enchanted," he repeated, straightening from his crouch and running his fingers along the wood of the ship. "Or in other words, it follows that this entire ship has been infused with the same magic that powers this place."

He glanced towards Jack, as though seeking agreement or confirmation of his words, but ploughed on without giving him the chance to speak.

"And by the same bargain that landed you here, everything that the ship is, including that bit of power, belongs to you. Or it could be argued that it does, depending on the precise wording of the agreement. That the boat is here probably answers that."

"And so..." He gestured expectantly from Jack to the ship.

Jack gave an affronted little squint out of instinct at being asked about his merits. It was short-lived. A god wasn't going to care if a man spouted out his name, even if he was Captain Jack Sparrow.

He drew a breath and exhaled through his nose, deciding to tell some of the tale.

"There's a man called Davy Jones once tasked with ferrying the souls of those who died at sea. He twisted the purpose for his own ends, happening instead upon shipwrecks and bargaining with men's souls for them to forestall their deaths and serve on his crew for a hundred years. Thirteen years before I wound up here, I was dying, along with that ship. I called out to Jones and made a bargain with him to deliver me and what was once The Wicked Wench from my situation. I would get thirteen years of freedom to captain her and then he would claim my soul.

"That ship was reborn, wood charred from the fire she'd perished in. I painted her and named her The Black Pearl. When the time was up, I tried to cheat my way out of the deal. I found the heart of Davy Jones to use as leverage, but it was taken from me. I'd given Jones a fair runaround, pissed him off enough. His great monster, the Kraken claimed me and the Pearl. I woke up here."

Simplified version anyway. He could still remember the jaws closing in, the agony of the myriad teeth.

"Couldn't tell you the specifics of her enchantments. She's mostly an ordinary galleon, if you put aside the fact she got rebuilt by a magical being, she's got this fancy little habit of making fog in the dark, it don't matter if her sails are ragged, and she's the fastest ship in the Caribbean." Jack scratched his nose. "Little bit enchanted I s'pose."

[mischieftomake]

[mischieftomake]

Loki huffed his irritation at Gemina's words, but was otherwise happy to let silence fall as he fell back into step behind her.

Had their situation been less precarious, he would have been happy to be left with his thoughts and process the frankly overwhelming amount he'd learned over the past hour, but he focused instead on straining his ears for any sound other than their quiet footsteps.

He was tempted to send a few clones of himself off into the branching tunnels as scouts to give him a better idea of whether they were as alone as they appeared, but that would have involved both splitting his attention and possibly alerting more monsters to their presence.

There was a soft 'oof' as Gemina stopped abruptly and collided with him, but he was distracted from the admonishment that would normally have followed by her next statement.

He brightened his light slightly and stepped around her, crouching to examine the now dry pool of blood- was blood even the correct word?- the creature had been lying in when they'd left it. He raised his light higher and- yes, there. A few errant spots of dark blood, with another few a few feet further along the tunnel.

He followed the trail in silence, ignoring Gemina's words for the moment. He wasn't sure what 'Gandalf' meant, but by her tone he guessed it was derogatory. When he came to a fork in the tunnel and could see which fork the trail lead down he paused, sighing.

"Let me guess," he said, pointing. "That's the way out, isn't it?"

"Posturing implies you weren't questioning me."

Gemina quietly snapped at him, but did begin walking again. She felt the wall nearest to them while keeping her attention firmly on the darkness ahead.

Her mind wandered to everything that had happened that evening and then over to the man walking behind her. She mulled over his name, his powers, and whatever reason he had for being in those caves that night.

Slowly the familiar scent of death began to creep upon her and she realized they were approaching the first room they'd come across. Ripped from her thoughts she focused on the ground ahead of them -- intending on seeing a corpse splayed across the ground.

And yet there was nothing.

Gemina paused mid stride and lurched backwards, colliding with Loki's chest without an apology. "It's gone." She hissed urgently at him. "It wasn't dead." Then with quick side step, she turned to eye him with barely concealed nervousness. "Your call, Gandalf."

@mischieftomake

[mischieftomake]

I am Loki of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose.

[mischieftomake]

Loki becomes the God Loki.

[mischieftomake]

Loki snorted, amused despite his distrust.

"If it's any consolation, it's not the worst attempt at small talk I've ever been subjected to." It wasn't a particularly high bar to clear. As far as he was concerned, almost anything ranked higher than what most people tended to default to- Thor. As though Loki were nothing more than an accessory whose entire existence was defined by Thor's much more interesting one. "Though if sending you was a group decision, as I suspect it was, I can't help but wonder what your companions would have come up with."

"I think it's rather obvious what happened, is it not?" He spoke slowly, choosing and considering his words carefully. This Mantis didn't want this to sound like an interrogation, but he wasn't naive enough to think it was anything but. Anyone with half a brain would want to know what they'd brought onto their ship, and how much more trouble they might attract.

In Loki's case, it was enough trouble to get him thrown back out of the nearest airlock if he was too honest.

"My ship was attacked. Pirates or scavengers I believe. My... Our Captain refused to surrender to them and-" He waved a hand vaguely. "You saw the result. What more is there to tell?"

His question caught her off guard and Mantis wrung her hands, unsure. She did have a habit of occasionally trying on other people's belongings (she liked Quill's trench coat and Gamora's green lipstick) in order to get a sense of connection and community, but truth be told, she was merely attempting to break the ice, as Quill would say.

The Guardians needed to find out who this stranger was and what happened to him. They agreed that Mantis should be the one to try and get him to speak, as the empath appeared innocuous. She wanted to suggest that Groot did it instead, but she realized that... either the stranger would not understand him, or he would and it wouldn't be long before he noticed Groot's tendency to use profanity.

"All right, look... Your cape is the nicest I've ever seen, and it does look good on you, but I am trying to initiate small talk... and I suspect I am not very good at it," she admitted with a shrug. "I do not want to make you uncomfortable by making this sound like an interrogation." There was a pause as she tilted her head. "I am Mantis." Even though she smiled, her eyes betrayed a genuine concern. "What happened?"

[mischieftomake]

.

[mischieftomake]

Loki glanced from the stick, to the collar around his double's neck, and then in the direction of the approaching footsteps. He didn't like the idea at all, but he didn't particularly like the alternative either.

The collars were a liability, that much was clear. Even if they didn't do what he thought, they'd obviously been forced on them by their captors for a reason, and that alone was enough reason to want them gone.

Perhaps they were even what was stopping them doing magic.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a brief second and sighed, then twisted the mechanism on his own stick to activate it.

"Fine. Together on three?"

@trickstersintime

With an experimental flourish, Loki tossed his own stick and caught it. He nodded.

"Let's go."

The curving corridors swept past a room marked Processing. That was probably where they had been headed, which both sounded unpleasant and held the likelihood of being prepared for their arrival. A distant sound of many running feet heralded approaching hunters.

"If more of those fools show, they might be able to control these collars as you say," he whispered. "I think we should try burning them off."

He twisted the stolen stick and produced the sizzling orange tip. "You do mine, I'll do yours?"

[mischieftomake]

It's Loki's favourite day. 🐍

[mischieftomake]

"So... you're telling me that someone in my family saw a dragon and said "yup, I'm gonna fuck that!" and that's why I'm... me?"

"I'm telling you that you are a descendant of the dragons of Muspelheim, the realm of the Fire Giants. Whatever you choose to infer from that about your parents' proclivities has nothing to do with me."

[mischieftomake]

REBLOG TO BE INCLUDED IN A MARVEL ROLEPLAY MASTERLIST

THE LIST CAN BE FOUND [HERE]. PLEASE INCLUDE IN THE TAGS WHAT MUSE/S YOU WRITE. ROLEPLAY BLOGS ONLY.

[mischieftomake]

Marvel was too cowardly to give us Loki gathering infinity stones so I gotta do it 😤

prints here!

painted in procreate on ipad pro / do not repost / but reblogs appreciated!

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