Power of the Throne (Closed for Watching Cloud)

[scarlettnuit]

Of course he was wearing only a towel when he walked into the kitchen and she found herself blushing hotly now that the vibrato of her being half awake was gone.

“Of course,” she responded and poured him a cup of tea as well.

She sat down and was content to watch him go through the pantry, more content than she should have been and she it took her a moment to realize that he had asked her a question.

“Oh, whichever,” She responded and then added some honey to her tea.

She wondered if this was how things were going to play out. It seemed so domestic and normal, considering everything that had lead up to it, that she felt at ease. She wanted to hate him but just like everything else in life, he was gray, not black and white.

“I must warn you, I believe I’ve met one of your ex’s and she had nothing but terrible things to say about you. Can’t say I blame her,” She jested.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki handed her a pastry and took a seat opposite. At Ivy's comment about one of his ex's, he looked scandalized.

"Me? Bad things? A complete misunderstanding, I'm sure."

Loki chuckled, then took a bite of his pastry and washed it down.

"Must have been one of those who'd tried to get to Thor through me. You know the type. But talking about me? Do tell! I must be allowed to defend my honor from such vile slander."

Loki was all but certain Ivy still had no idea he'd been disguised as Anja. Her deception about the content of those conversations was absolutely delicious and he couldn't wait to hear what she said.

 

[scarlettnuit]

“She said that while you tease, you are quite shy when it comes to women, all bark and not bite, as the saying goes,” She responded and then took a bite of the pastry he gave her.

It was heavenly of course, so much so that she closed her eyes and moaned softly, the sip of tea she took after only multiplied the pleasure. She licked her lips and then opened her eyes again.

“Well, I suppose I should get to work, and probably get into something less revealing,” She told him as she held the pastry in her mouth and took her cup of tea to the table where her work laid. She set it, and then the pastry down before moving into the bedroom.

She looked in the armoire and picked out a simple, mint green toga styled dress and went into the bathroom. She changed into it, the soft gauzy fabric caressing her skin as it moved its way down her body. The waist was high and her full breasts filled it out nicely without having to put on one of the corsets the Asgardian women seemed so fond of.

She pulled back the tip of her hair and tied it with a leather tog she found lying on one of the counters and then returned to living room, sitting down with her tea and pastry as she started to work out her calculations. After only a few moments, she paused and looked around the table. She started shuffling through the papers until she found the tiny scrap she was looking for and then picked up her device and started tinkering with it.

 

[WatchingCloud]

“She said that while you tease, you are quite shy when it comes to women, all bark and not bite, as the saying goes."

Loki chuckled. Not quite where he expected her to take it. A challenge?

"Oh, if she didn't see my bite, then she wasn't worth my time."

He watched in amusement as Ivy tasted the pastry and then the tea, moaning in near orgasmic ecstasy. Oh, this human was fascinating. Playful, teasing, and much deeper than she let on. She would be his before this was over.

“Well, I suppose I should get to work, and probably get into something less revealing,” she said.

"If you must," Loki said. He was mesmerized by her long legs and the way her ass swayed under the satin gown. All the way up the stairs, calves flexing with each step, he was certain her performance was for him just as he'd intentionally teased her. Game on.

He finished his breakfast, considering his next move, when Ivy returned in a simple but lovely green dress. She set about her work as if intentionally ignoring him. Fair enough. He had to remember that she still believed she was working on Odin's request and not his. That work was still important.

Excusing himself, he went up to the bedroom and found a pair of simple, tight-fitting black pants and an open collared white shirt. He then stepped out on the patio to check his (Odin's) messages from the morning dispatch. The investigation of the frost giants had turned up evidence of them arriving along the shore of the Sea of Marmora but beyond that the trail was cold. That fit with his suspicions as to how they'd arrived. He'd have to look into it.

Leave Ivy? He'd told her he'd watch her. The risk to here alone should be minimal, but there was that nagging feeling. He'd long since learned to trust that.

He came to a decision and went back downstairs.

"Dr. Wild," he said, politely interrupting her. "Would it be of any benefit to your work to study an active bridge across space-time? I have to assume the mechanics to your device share similar properties."

 

[scarlettnuit]

Tiny pieces of her device littered the table, all laid out neatly in the order that she took them apart in. She almost didn’t hear him as he face lit up when a tiny coil came into view. It glowed a purple blue and she looked up into space as the answer dawned on her.

“Oh my God…Oh my God!” she cried out and then set everything down.

She leapt up and half ran to Loki, grabbing his hand and dragging him over to the table.

“I’ve figured it out!” she said excitedly, “See this coil? It’s made of a very rare metal called vibranium. I’ve never seen it glow so brightly before! There is something, some magnetic field here that seems to hyper charge it. I believe it’s that super charge that gave it the ability to transport not only you to Earth, but both of us back to Asgard!”

She paused to look up into space as more thoughts unlocked themselves, “The pocket of negative space it created of course became much larger,” she said to herself and then looked at him, “I mean, the coordinates still need work but clearly there is something here in Asgard that vibranium really likes…the possibilities are endless if I can discover what it is!”

She was so excited to unlock this mystery the she let out a little squeal and then jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him for a moment, kissing his cheek before letting him go and sitting back down. She began to reassemble the device, her hands moving with surprising speed.

“The rest is just programming! The possibilities!”

She was so excited that it took several moments for his invitation to study the bridge to break through to her. “Really?” she paused, “That would be wonderful!” She smiled at him broadly and started to sing to herself until she had completely reassembled the device.

She then reached into her satchel and pulled out film cannister. While it’s appearance was humble, it made a great disguise for the tiny fragment of valuable vibranium it held inside. If it reacted at the site of the bridge, or anywhere in Asgard, perhaps she could figure out what, exactly, it was reacting with.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Yesterday, in Jotenheim…

Parfrey, king of the frost giants, concealed his unease by scowling at the imp. Byrus was a slimy piece of work, but he had an intelligence network that often surpassed Parfrey's own. If he was here, there was probably a good reason for it.

"Your Highness," Byrus said, bowing deeply but with only mock respect.

"What brings you here, imp?" Parfrey said, not bothering to rise from his throne.

"Some interesting news out of Asgard," Byrus said, clearly enjoying his moment. "I'm sure you'd be interested if your own agents haven't already passed it along."

It was as Parfrey suspected - the imp knew something of his excursion party into Asgard. No word had come back from them yet and if others knew of it then things had almost certainly gone poorly. He hated to pay Byrus, but he wanted the information more. He quickly negotiated terms for what the imp knew.

"My sources tell me four frost giants and a hound were found dead in a park at the base of the palace," Byrus said, clearly studying Parfrey for a sign of how he'd take the news. "Friends of yours? Or working outside your orders?"

Parfrey had no intention of giving the imp more intelligence to sell elsewhere.

"How'd they die?"

Byrus shrugged. "Killed in a fight, it seems. No one else died, but I do know a little something interesting about it. If you're interested."

Parfrey nodded, reluctantly, to one of his men who tossed the imp more gold. Byrus snatched the money and made it vanish into his cloak.

"Rumor around the palace has it that a human was at the scene of the...crime." Byrus smiled, clearly reading that this was indeed news to Parfrey. "And, probably not coincidentally, a human was caught in the palace not two days ago. Now, there can't be too many humans running around Asgard. I'd wager there's a connection."

"Who's this human?" Parfrey stood, his agitation growing as the mystery deepened. He cared nothing for humans, but interference in his revenge was intolerable.

Byrus shrugged. "No one seems to know. But there are ways to track a person. If you have the right resources."

Parfrey knew he was being sold something. "How much?"

Byrus smiled broadly. "Oh, this one won't come cheap..."

#

Later that day, in the Abyssal Shelf of Jotenheim…

Parfrey hated this area of Jotenheim. It was bitterly cold and isolated, even for his realm, and there was the constant feeling of being watched. No...hunted. He also hated having to go to see someone. What was the point of being king if you couldn't summon peons to your throne?

Verisar was no peon, though. The witch frightened him. She was far older than anyone knew and had ways about her no other frost giant kin could replicate. She'd helped Laufey only when it pleased her and the price had always been steep. Threats would do no good.

He and his traveling party found her hut at the base of a massive glacier, a small thing made of cross-crossing icicles and festooned with animal carcasses and unidentifiable bits of detritus. His nose wrinkled at the smell.

Verisar met him at the door, the gnarled old figure almost completely obscured beneath layers of sullied furs. "Just you, Parfrey," she said in a cracking voice, not bothering to use his title. He pushed down his indignation and ordered his men to wait outside.

The inside of the witch's hut was even less pleasant, but at least it was too dark to see much of it. Parfrey had to hunch over to avoid knocking things hanging from the ceiling. She led him to the back corner, turned, and held out a hand.

"What?" Parfrey said, uncertain.

"Well, you wanted me to look at something, didn't you?" She sounded annoyed that she had to answer. How she knew what he wanted was beyond him.

"I want to find a human," Parfrey said, extracting a small vial from his pocket. Within were a few blades of grass on which there was a small spattering of dried blood. The human's blood, Byrus had speculated and for which he'd extracted a hefty sum. He handed it to Verisar.

The witch uncapped the vial and sniffed it, then harrumphed. "One of your soldiers."

"Excuse me?" Parfrey was baffled.

"My price. You give me a soldier, and I look for the human."

It wouldn't sit well with his men, but Parfrey wanted this information badly. He'd already lost four, what matter a fifth in pursuit of vengeance? He nodded.

The witch turned her back on him, taking the grass and mixing it with all manner of vile things. This mixture she then smeared across a perfectly smooth sheet of ice and began chanting strange words. Within moments, the smear became translucent and an image appeared in the ice. It was dark, but movement could be seen. Parfrey leaned in closer, fighting down his gag reflex at Verisar's stench, and saw a woman with red hair in Asgardian armor. Curious. He'd assumed humans would look more different from Asgardians. Either that, or the imp had given him bad goods.

"That's her, then?" Parfrey asked.

"Yes."

"But where is she?" Watching the image, the woman appeared to be somewhere very dark. Rock surrounded her. A cave? She appeared to be getting into a small boat. There was something nearby her, a blurriness light a mirage. "What's that?"

Verisar leaned closer as well. "Obfuscation. Magic. Someone she's with his hidden from remote viewing."

"That's possible?"

"By one who knows magic well, yes." Her voice sounded like she was talking to a child.

Loki? Parfrey didn't know the extent of the trickster's powers, but that sounded like something he'd do. He was both excited and disappointed - his quarry might be closer, but he still didn't understand the human or where they were.

The image faded. "Come back tomorrow," the witch said, her tone final. "I'll look again. You came outside with your men until then."

Parfrey simply nodded and retreated, plans and possibilities already swirling in his mind.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki was startled and amused when his question went unanswered under the avalanche of enthusiasm from Ivy over her potential breakthrough in understanding. As she explained where her thinking was going, one word stood out - vibranium. Where had he heard that before? It took a minute before it came to him. That do-gooder Captain America's shield was made of the stuff - neigh impregnable. He didn't know much more than that, though, as it was either unknown to Asgard or known by a different name. Curious, though.

So lost in his thoughts was he, Loki was startled by Ivy's hug and kiss on his cheek. She bounded back to the table before he could enjoy the moment and respond.

"That's excellent news," he finally said. It was, though he found himself almost disappointed she'd made a big breakthrough so quickly. But she had said it was tied to something inherent in Asgard...so maybe their time together wouldn't be cut short after all.

Ivy sounded interested in his suggestion of visiting a dimensional breach. She was humming something to herself while working on her device and he wondered if she'd even understood what he was asking.

"It could be dangerous," he mentioned, almost off-handedly. "I didn't have that armor made simply because you look good in it, you know."

He waited until he was sure he had her attention. "I have an idea how the frost giants might have gotten into Asgard and I want to investigate. Because some got here, others might be around. We'll have to be careful."

Loki eyed Ivy's device as she finished assembling it. "Is there any chance you might have that set up such that we could make a quick get-away if necessary? Or do you need more testing to ensure it's safe?"

 

[scarlettnuit]

She looked up at him when he mentioned the danger and she played this over in her mind for a moment. She didn’t know why she thought it would be anything less, especially given how rare these bridges were.

“I understand,” She said in a more solemn tone, twisting the last tiny screw into place.

The idea of running into the frost giants again made her stomach lurch slightly. They had been the most horrific things she had ever seen, especially the wolf hound or whatever it was. She had barely escaped with her life, or Loki with his, if it was even possible for him to die.

“Admittedly,” she started, turning to look up at him, “I am not very good at combat but I’m not completely useless. I’d rather take the chance at danger and die than to live forever a life of boredom,” she smiled at him.

When he asked if the device could be used to make a quick escape she smiled and pulled the portable “computer”, if one could call what the Asgardian’s gave as simply a computer. It’s technology far outpaced the simple functions of a human computer. She put the disc on the table and holograms appeared and she placed the cube within them. She flicked through the different options she had managed to cypher before she had been brought to the tree house. She then started moving many of them quickly around and entering information.

“There…” she said and then flicked her wrist, turning the computer off and catching the cube before it fell into her hand, “We can use this to come back here I a flash. It can take on the coordinates of anywhere it’s been before, though I’m sure in future, I can program other coordinates into it.”

She stood and held it in her hand for a long moment, weighing over her thoughts as she stood before him. She then took his hand in hers and placed the device in his hand.

“All you have to do is press the button on the side, and it will take you and anything you’re touching back here,” she told him as she closed his fingers around it.

It had been a big decision for her to trust him with it, she would have kept it herself but given the possible danger they were to face, his combat skills far exceeded her own and because of this, he would be better able to find a gap in action to press the button and get them out of a pinch if it came to it.

She left him and went into the bedroom and took off her dress, hanging it carefully back I the armoire. She then called her armor to her and then pulled the rest of her hair back at the nape of her neck and secured it with another leather tog. She walked back into the room where she had left Loki and took a deep breath.

“I suppose I’m ready when you are,” she said taking a deep breath as if to steel her courage, “As ready as I’ll ever be anyway,” she offered with a smile.

 

[WatchingCloud]

“I am not very good at combat but I’m not completely useless. I’d rather take the chance at danger and die than to live forever a life or boredom,” she smiled at him.

Loki was impressed with her attitude, even if he was more of the persuasion that preferred staying alive in the face of danger.

"Well, how about we try to avoid as much danger as possible while staying alive and then...doing something not boring?" He gave her a quick wink with that.

Ivy made some adjustments to her device and seemed quite confident that it'd be able to bring them back here on short notice. Very handy, indeed. More reassuring, however, was the confidence she showed in her handiwork.

Then she handed it to him and explained how to operate it. She was trusting her life's work with him? Loki wasn't used to be trusted by anyone with anything. Quite the opposite, in fact. Had he significantly overestimated this woman's intellect?

No, he realized. She really did trust him, because he hadn't given her reason not to. They'd saved each other. Furthermore, it was practical if they did end up in a bad spot. Maybe she was more like him than he'd originally realized - looking out for number one. Seeing the expression on her face as she handed it over, though...it was more than all of that.

"I'll protect it and you with my life," he said solemnly, tucking it away in a hidden pocket. He even meant the words...mostly. "But, to help both of us along on that front, how about something to help you along?"

Loki led Ivy to the kitchen and opened a cabinet, then rotated the entire shelving unit out to reveal a concealed space filled with a small assortment of Asgardian blaster guns and handheld weapons. "Take your pick," he said. "The blasters are simple enough to operate and might even have enough kick to ruin a frost giant's day."

He let his companion take her pick of the lot and then closed it up. With that done, he led Ivy back down to the boat and navigated back out to the sea. It was mid-morning and there would undoubtedly be some boat traffic from Asgard on the open waters. Not wanting to attract attention, Loki summoned up a fair bit of magic to cast an illusion over their boat to make it appear as a small fishing vessel while also masking their manner of attire to match that of a small crew. Unfortunately, to maintain the illusion, he had to keep the boat at a slow speed appropriate to their cover. It would take several hours to reach their destination.

"Ivy," he said, "tell me about this vibranium piece that you think is key to making your device work. I'm unfamiliar with the material."

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy followed him into the kitchen and wasn’t entirely surprised that there was a cache of weapons hidden in it. She looked at them all and decided on a blaster gun and a dagger. She flipped the latter in the air, catching its hilt, and then slid it into her boot.

“With any luck we won’t run into anything,” She offered and considered the fact that she was an absolute moron to go along with this.

His vow to protect her life reassured her, for the most part anyway. She still knew very little about him other than what she had read and heard from others. When it really came down to it, would he save her? She supposed as long as she was able to save herself, none of it would matter. She had lived most of her life depending on no one but herself, his flirtations certainly didn’t change the fact that of all people, she trusted herself the most.


She followed him out to the boat and sat patiently as they traveled through the waters. She marveled at the illusion that sprung up around them, though she knew it was a necessity more than a mere parlor trick. She now sat facing him, the journey thus far had given her time to consider a number of things, as well as doubt herself. She prayed she didn’t make a mistake in trusting him with her life’s work. She was prepared to go to a great length to get it back, if it came to it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as he asked her about the vibranium. She had secreted a small piece of it in her pocket, contained in a simple film cannister. She hoped to see if it’s properties changed the closer they were to the central city, but now was not the time to discuss that.

“From what I understand, the metal came from an asteroid that hit earth millions of years ago. It’s extremely rare and the tiny amount I have cost a fortune. Indeed, I wouldn’t have it all if I hadn’t received an anonymous, and very generous, donation towards my research. It is indestructible and carries it’s one energy signature, but that’s it really.”

She also knew that it came from Wakanda, which was built on a mountain of the stuff. It was only recently that Wakanda opened itself, and its technology, to the world. She had been fortunate enough to meet with the brilliant Shuri, King T’Challa’s sister. She helped Ivy to manipulate the vibranium into the energy coils her devices now ran on. However, she didn’t feel that he needed to know any of this. She had no desire for him to set his sights on Wakanda or its inhabitants. While he wasn’t currently threatening anyone, it didn’t mean that he wouldn’t in future.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki was still interested in the vibranium, but that was probably more from his natural inclination to seek ways to empower himself. It sounded powerful or useful, but Ivy clearly didn't know much more and the stuff was rare even on Earth. Maybe he'd look into it later.

He made idle conversation on and off through the rest of the ride, eyes and focus split equally between Ivy and any other water craft in the area. No one appeared to be following them.

Their path veered further inland from the city, where there were even fewer boats and signs of civilization. One set of mountains faded behind them while they approached the foothills of another. This shoreline was dense with massive pine trees, which had the knock-on effects of leaving little in the way of undergrowth. Where he guided the boat into a narrow, rocky inlet, the ground was almost a smooth carpet of soft pine needles. Hard for anyone to ambush them, but also hard to sneak around.

Again, Loki got that strange sense of being watched. It was strong enough that he seriously feared it was more than his paranoia. Heimdall? Had the all-seeing guardian-in-exile found a way to penetrate Loki's carefully crafted wards? Unlikely, but suddenly Loki had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as his gaze fell upon Ivy - who'd picked up on his nervousness and was scouting the woods.

Fuck. It had never occurred to him that someone - Heimdall? - might be watching Ivy. If so, they might be able to discern their location. The smart move would be to retreat. But was the Tree House even safe now? Scrying might show a person without revealing the actual location unless the person using the magic could recognize the surroundings. Same was true for their present location - this was a huge region.

Loki was fed up with being spied on, even if indirectly. He pulled forth the necessary magical energies and wove them into a shield similar to his own, wrapping it unseen around Ivy. Probably best not to tell her, he thought - no sense having her worry over something outside her control.

"The crack between worlds is a few miles from here, further up in the foothills," Loki said, gesturing vaguely inland. "If the frost giants did indeed come this way, they might have guards posted in the area. I was thinking our best approach would be by using something of a disguise. Something better than a simple illusion."

He gave her a wry smile.

"Tell me, Dr. Wild, how are you at flying?"

#

Parfrey watched over the witch's shoulder in keen interest. The human had appeared again in the sheet of ice, this time on the same small boat as it was about to dock on a rocky, pine-thick shoreline. The sense of obfuscation was still with her. He grinned, as he recognized that shoreline as being near to the other end of Loki's secret path between realms. They were coming to him.

A moment later, the human woman vanished from the scene and then the image faded away altogether.

"What happened?" the frost giant king demanded.

"Your human woman was magically obscured," the witch said. "Someone finally figured out we were trying to watch her. I wouldn't expect this to work again."

Parfrey was disappointed, but he got the sense from the witch's tone that arguing would do no good. She'd provided him with enough information to act upon. It would have to do.

He left the hut and passed word to his underlings to send fast word to the soldiers he'd staged at the breach. Their quarry was heading their way and it was time to get ready. Almost as an afterthought, he picked the weakest of his men and ordered him to go into the witch's hut. Payment in full, hopefully worth the price.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy enjoyed the small talk during the journey but was glad when they finally reached the shore. She was eager to see this “crack between worlds”. She climbed out of the boat and looked up at the foothills and then wondered what the disguise could possibly be.

“Flying? Last time I checked I needed a plane…” she responded, not entirely sure what he was getting at.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki smiled broadly. "Oh, there are other ways, despite what my brother might think. Try not to freak out too much..."

Without giving Ivy a chance to process his little warning, Loki dug deep into his magic repertoire. This spell took more energy and concentration than most. Though, for reasons he didn't entirely understand, it had come easier to him of late.

He uttered a few soft words to focus the power, met Ivy's eyes, and then unleashed the spell upon her. Ivy's entire body flashed in a cascade of brilliant colors and then shrank in upon itself. A second later, the light show was gone and a raven flapped awkwardly as it dropped to the soft ground.

He couldn't read Ivy's expression beneath that black beak, but he figured she was either spectacularly fascinated or disturbed. There usually wasn't much middle ground in these things.

"Ravens can speak," he said. "But it might take some getting used to."

A few moments later, Loki joined her (albeit with practiced grace) as a raven.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy wasn’t sure exactly what he meant until she suddenly found herself flapping away as a bird. Had she not been in so much shock, the constant thought of “what the holy fuck” would have escaped her lips. She wasn’t overly pleased about this surprise transformation and then followed him as they flapped their way towards their destination.

It was an interesting experience, though admittedly she wanted to stay much closer to the ground that Loki, but the feeling of flying, a feeling that she, as a human, had no right having, was somewhat freeing. Once she got used to it, she dived and soared and played with her new wings, her fear of heights far dissipated by the ability to stop herself from becoming a splat on the ground.

When they finally arrived, and she landed, very slowly, easing herself down, she popped back into her human form. She felt sick and immediately ran behind some bushes and empties her stomach. She stumbled back towards him, on hand on her stomach.

“Please don’t do that to me again,” She said as she tried to steady herself.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki had to give Ivy some credit as she quickly took to the air and was flying with no small amount of skill in short order. He led the way up through the foothills, weaving between pines with his attention devoted almost entirely to seeking out frost giant patrols or any sign of recent occupation. The lack of any was distressing - he'd have felt better knowing there was something waiting for them than worry he'd overlooked it.

It had been a while since he'd last been here and he'd never approached by air, but the cleft in a patch of strewn boulders was easy enough to find. He circled several times, but again found nothing aside from the usual cooler temperatures. Leading Ivy a short distance away to some sparse cover, he landed and transformed back. Ivy did likewise, but was promptly sick.

“Please don’t do that to me again,” she said, looking a bit queasy still.

"So, you're a woman who can handle her alcohol better than her shapeshifting," Loki teased. "Sorry. Just wanted to scout the area before going in. Didn't see anyone or anything, but we'll have to be careful."

A dagger appeared in Loki's hand and he led the way across the carpet of pine needles and over the boulders. The terrain was difficult and would give any giants a significant advantage in a fight given their size. Ivy did well in keeping up and he was soon standing before the small cleft. The temperature was downright chilly here and the boulders comprising the sides of the spot dripped with perpetual condensation, leading to a heavy coating of moss.

Loki nodded ahead to what looked like little more than a fifteen foot long and ten foot deep gap between large rocks. "You can't see it, but if we walk forward, we'll be in Jotenheim. The breach is invisible.

"Do you need your device to study it, or should we just walk through? I do need to see what's on the other side. Maybe see about closing it permanently, if possible."

 

[scarlettnuit]

“Perhaps a bit of warning next time then,” she responded and then smiled broadly, “It was a lot of fun though!”

When he explained to her where they were and how close they were to running into those giants again she was hesitant. Why she thought that this bridge he spoke of would lead elsewhere she didn’t know, she suppose she just hadn’t thought that he would want to get himself mixed up with the frost giants again. But needs must, she supposed.

When he asked about the device, she removed vibranium from her pocket and opened up the little film cannister. It was glowing brightly and as she walked towards Loki, it glowed even brighter. She looked up at him and took a few steps back and found that the glow decreased somewhat.

“Interesting…” she said and then walked it closer to the bridge, though that particular test didn’t seem to change the properties of the element. “Hmmm.” She said and then closed it up and put it back in her pocket. She took a deep breath when he said needed to find out what was on the other side.

“Well,” she started, trying to steel her courage, “Only one way to find out,” she said and then stepped through.

It was the shock of the cold that hit her first. Even in her enchanted armor the cold was unbearable. Of course, the four frost giants that sat littered around the cave were fairly shocking as well. In a flash they were on their feet, their weapons at the ready as they charged towards her. Before she could let out a scream she pulled out the blaster she had taken and shot at them as she ran to the side and away from their oncoming charge.

She managed to barely nick the shoulder of the largest giant, which served only to anger him further. She moved behind some stalagmites and took another few shots, one of them hitting home and taking out one of the creatures. Just as she tried to change her attention to the other giants, one grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and pulled her up high in the air, their icy fingers around her neck.

She choked as her hands moved to pull at the fingers at her throat, gasping for air. She flayed around until she was finally able to reach the dagger in her boot. She managed to swing it backwards and drive it into the ice giant’s ribs and she was abruptly dropped, the wind getting knocked out of her. She was coughing and trying to get back on her feet when the back hand of the frost giant came flying through air and across her face, the inky black of unconsciousness claimed her.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki watched in interest as Ivy checked the little glowing thing in the small case. He got the sense she'd expected it to respond to the breach rather than him. What did that mean? Then, as if to confirm her beliefs, she just walked right into the breach.

Had he not just warned her about frost giants? Sure enough, not a moment later, he heard howls and grunts and blaster fire on the other side. Crap.

His first instinct was to dash in and save her. Without knowing what was on the other side, though, that plan could end disastrously for both of them. When in doubt, keep your opponent off-kilter.

Loki pictured the frost giant from the park attack, the one who'd appeared to be the leader of the group. A moment later, he was cloaked in a very passable illusion of the giant. It'd have helped if he knew the giant's name or anything else about him, but he had to work with what he had.

He stepped through the breach and found himself in the familiar ice cave in Jotenheim. One frost giant was down on the opposite side of the chamber and another was on a knee, hand grasping a dagger in his side. Most impressive, Ivy.

What he saw next, however, cut deep. Ivy was in an unmoving heap against the other wall with two more giants bearing down on her.

"What's the meaning of this?" Loki bellowed in the frost giants' own tongue. "What have you slack-wits done to my new informant?"

The giants spun on him and clearly he wasn't what they'd expected to find. Loki snarled and their confusion changed to fear and suspicion.

"Commander Verwyn?" one said, standing up a little straighter. "We heard you were killed."

"Do I look dead to you?" Loki stalked closer, taking a look at Ivy. Her chest moved, but her skin was already turning blue despite the protections of her armor.

The other giant looked less cowed and gripped his sword tighter. "King Parfrey warned us someone else was with the human. Someone cloaked by magic. Someone who might be Loki trying to trick us."

Parfrey had either gotten smart (unlikely) or had recruited help. Loki didn't much care which was the case. He could try to fight the two of them, but it'd be tougher now that they were wise to him. Or...

Loki parlayed their lack of understanding of magic with the fact this Verwyn had been magically concealed when they'd crossed paths in the park. He sneered and spat on the floor.

"Must have been from that stupid illusion we had to endure when in Asgard," he said. "Never did like the idea of using that. Now, who's to blame here?"

That got their attention and they both pointed to the bleeding giant who'd slumped entirely to the floor. Loki looked down at him and all the giant could do was cough up blood. He sighed inwardly.

"Take him outside, at least," Loki said, knowing he had to get them away from Ivy.

"Ignore him," another frost giant voice said. "Verwyn is dead."

Loki looked up and saw the new King Parfrey enter the cave with a full dozen soldiers flanking him. Parfrey wore a sneering smile. Loki knew that look - vengeance.

The two giants closest to Loki seemed to gain resolve from the presence of their king and raised their weapons. Loki knew when to cut his losses and give up the ruse. It'd be easy to step back through the breach and escape, but that would mean leaving Ivy behind. If her device worked, he could save them both. Time to put his faith in her.

In a blur, Loki drew and flung daggers from with each hand. Both struck home with the two closest soldiers. Neither was likely fatal against the tough giants, but it was sufficient to slow them a step.

Against a backdrop of shouts, Loki spun and dove across Ivy's prone body. He slid his hand into his pocket, found her device, and punched the button. The familiar sensation of getting pulled across space met him a moment before an alert soldier's spear would have skewered him.

They arrived in a heap back in the Tree House's sitting room. He gave Ivy a quick look and didn't see any obvious wounds. Internal ones would have to be diagnosed later.

"Ivy! Come back to me, Ivy!"

Her skin was a distressing shade of blue. He lifted her easily in his arms and hurried up to the bathroom, ordering the tub to fill with hot water. He carried her straight into the rapidly filling tub, armor and all, and held her in the water while keeping her face above the surface. He mentally wished his armor away and then, with a bit more difficulty, did the same for hers. With the hot water fully engulfing her body, Ivy's color finally started to return. So, too, unfortunately, were some ugly bruises.

"Ivy?" he said softly.

 

[scarlettnuit]

When Ivy came too, she immediately went into attack mode, her hand slapping Loki soundly on the face as she thrashed. After several moments she finally realized where she was and stopped flailing around. Her teeth chattered, and she sunk deeper into the water, her hand moving to her face that now throbbed and ached terribly.

“I don’t think I like frost giants,” she said as she crossed her arms over her breasts, too cold to care about being nude, save her panties.

“I did, manage to see how the portal was formed,” she told him after several minutes of silence, “it should be easy to destroy, should you have the wish to do so,” she told him.

She looked up at Loki who seemed to be relatively fine, and then started to get angry with herself. Her mind admonished her for rushing into a situation, not only the frost giants but with trusting Loki. He had saved her, for which she felt lucky, but she very much doubted her would save her ass a third time. She needed to get herself back to Earth where it was safe, and she put no one’s life in danger.

“My apologies for being a nuisance. I might be able to program the cube to take me home and continue my work from there,” She told him as she gingerly moved to sit on the lip of the tub, grabbing a towel to cover herself. “Whatever it is that is charging it can send me home, but I’m not sure if there would be enough charge to bring back for very long.” she said honestly.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki was relieved when Ivy started thrashing, coming to. Her blows to him caused no harm and he did his best to keep her head above water until she came around.

“I don’t think I like frost giants," she said.

"Nor they you, I'm sure," Loki said, shaking his head. "You're racking up quite the body count."

Loki listened carefully as Ivy explained she thought she understood how the portal was formed and how to destroy it. He very much wanted it destroyed. Or, better, moved. He liked having escape options. Sharing that one with the frost giants had been a calculated risk at the time, but now it was a big liability. Worse, there were very likely dozens of frost giants coming through and they now knew he was indeed alive.

She climbed onto the side of the tub and wrapped in a towel. He could tell she was shaken by her experiences and started talking about going home and charging the device. The latter part was almost lost on him as he didn't like hearing about her going home. On the contrary, he'd quickly grown rather fond of her company. She was almost like his good luck charm.

Loki moved toward her, rose up, and placed a single finger across her lips. He looked at her until he was certain he had her undivided attention, then leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't chaste, nor was it long, but it certainly conveyed passion.

He then leaned back to meet her eyes again. "Ivy. You're talking all practical and reasonable and I'm just glad you're alive. Ten minutes ago, I saw you on that floor and I didn't even know that much."

He took a deep breath, holding her arms gently. "I'm truly sorry I didn't stop you before going through there. I probably should have never brought you along. I let your enthusiasm and passion for your work get in the way of my better judgment. You're trying to apologize, when I'm the one who should be."

 

[scarlettnuit]

When Loki kissed her, she felt her entire body come alive all at once. Heat moved to her core and she felt almost breathless when he pulled away from his all too brief embrace. If that were not enough, the concerned he seemed to show for her moved her even more.

“I’m sorry I acted like a complete idiot,” she offered in return to his own apology.

She placed one of her hands over his, even as her mind warred with her heart. She looked away as her thoughts raced with all the reasons she should punch him in the face and get home as quickly as possible. However, he had saved her, not once, but twice. Moreover, he had her cube and could have very easily left her to die. It was then that she came to the realization that she blew his cover.

“Oh Loki…I’ve made things so much worse, haven’t I?” she said as she gripped his hand tighter, “Will they come now?” she asked him, looking into his eyes, her own full of worry. She would rather sacrifice her life than to see innocent people killed.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki squeezed her hand back and smiled.

"Well, let's just say you've made things more interesting. I think they're after me for killing their last king, but they somehow know about you. So, we're both in a bit of danger.

"I don't know if they have any way to find us here. I've obscured both of us from magic, but that's no guarantee. Fortunately, this place has some protections to it, so I can think of worse places to be should it come to that."

Loki ran his free hand up Ivy's arm to her shoulder and traced his fingers over the bruise as it continued to darken. It had friends around the rest of her body, despite the armor's protections. He leaned over and kissed the wound with the softness of a feather.

"We'll have to see about closing the breach and hunting down the giants," he said, pulling back, "but at the moment the more pressing concern is you. Are you okay? Anything broken?"

 

[scarlettnuit]

“Let it never be said that you do anything by half measures,” She said in response to his murder of their King. Supposed that normally she would be appalled at the murder of anything, but now she was a murderer, wasn’t she? Does murder of something horrible count as a sin?

Despite the pain she was feeling from her bruises, his touch upon her skin, followed by his kiss made her heart race and she was suddenly and very acutely aware of how naked she was. All she could think was that she needed to move away from him. She had been stupid enough for one day but he was making difficult to resist him.

She found herself reaching out and tracing his collarbone, her eyes following her fingers until she looked up at him again. She let her hand fall away and fidgeted a bit.

“I should go get dressed,” She told him as she started to pull away.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki could practically feel Ivy's heart beating faster at their touch. When she brushed her fingers against him, he knew she was torn between desire and sense.

Loki held her, gently but firmly as she moved to go dress, his hand sliding from her shoulder to behind her neck. With his other hand, he brushed aside a stray lock of damp hair from her face.

"You could," he said. Then he leaned in so close his upper lip brushed hers.

Whispering, he said, "Or we could just keep making questionable choices. It's gotten us this far..."

 

[scarlettnuit]

Mental alarms blared loudly in her mind as the rest of her body reacted to his touch. She closed her eyes for a moment when his lips brushed her own, wondering if she was being manipulated or if he actually felt something for her.

“This is a really bad idea,” she said before she tentatively pressed her full lips to his own.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki meet Ivy's lips and melted into them. Even he hasn't realized just how badly he'd come to want her. She might be human, but she was far from weak or dull or passive.

"The worst...," he mumbled between kisses.

Once he got a taste of her lips, Loki was famished. It took a godly amount of will to restrain himself from pushing too far, too fast. She had, after all, just been through some serious action and that was after having her world turned upside down. He could only hold back just so much, though, and between kisses he teased her lips with his tongue. Both hands cupped her head, holding her tight with fingers placed through her hair.