Befitting   von Juju-Chan
================================================================================
                                 Kapitel 15: 
                                 ------------


This kind of rest had been exactly what Loki had needed. Not only because of the
trouble he had had since he had arrived in this realm but also because of all
the distress that he had had during his last days... back there. There was no
dream, no emotions, no memories as if his whole existence had been switched off.
Enough to allow his body and especially his mind to recover from the hardships.
When he awoke some time later to a gentle light from outside, he felt better.
His head no longer ached and he had the feeling even his magic had partially
recovered but that could be wishful thinking. The fact remained: He felt better
and prepared to take up where they had finished yesterday. At least he assumed a
night had passed whilst he had rested. There was only one thing he disliked and
that was the feeling of having been incautious. No matter how much he had needed
to sleep, he had not actually intended to let his guard down in this way. In the
end he did not know what kind of surprise his host could have had in store for
him. He shook his head and swore to himself not to allow such improvidence to
occur again.

“So you have awoken, young one from afar.” The sudden speech startled Loki
but he brought himself not to show it.

“It seems I am.” He looked up to face the man who had picked him up and kept
him save from this beast he had called 'ground'. 

“I fear I do not know how to provide for beings like you but maybe the things
I can offer are suited to nourish you.” With a swift motion he gesture towards
the room they had entered first when they had arrived there. So they had some
kind of dining room even in a realm so far away from everything... a funny
thought. Something so ordinary between all these things that made no sense
whatsoever. But Loki had no intention to take a chance.

“I am grateful for your offer but I think I should stick to the things I have
brought along. No offense meant, I simply prefer not to push my luck.” He
hoped he sounded as polite as he had intended. Nothing good could come from
offending the only being in this realm that had proven not to mean any immediate
harm to him. 

“A wise choice. So be it.” Not a single trace of any reaction was showing.
Had Loki not known better, he would have suspected Thenaree had never actually
expected him to accept the offer. But his last words got right under Loki's
skin. Those had been his father's … the allfather's last words to Laufey
before everything started to fall apart. Thor's last words before he had given
up on him. This short sentence's sound felt like a whiplash. He had to pull
himself together, those memories belonged to the past now. They were no longer
able to hurt him. He followed his host quietly. Had Thenaree noticed anything
odd about him, he had carried it off well and refrained from mentioning it.
Together they stepped into the entrance room and Loki sat himself down. No time
to indulge in reminiscences, the here and now was by far enough to keep his mind
from wandering off.

“May we continue now where we stopped yesterday?” Thenaree sat down at the
opposite side of the table, carefully watching Loki.

“This is what we have decided when you retired yesterday. I assume the rest
has set you up?” For an instant, Loki felt uneasy due to the piercing glance
upon him.

“It has, indeed.” He met the other's gaze with determination. There was no
need to be afraid of this man but neither was there a reason to be rude or, even
worse, dupable. Unfortunately it left him without possibility to inquire about
the magic this realm held. “I believe I have understood some of the things you
explained to me yesterday. But there is one thing you did not tell me... what is
the actual reason you took me in? You said something about the cocoons
whispering my name...”

“Well, Loki, they do.” Loki swallowed hard when he heard his name vocalized
by this man he had never introduced himself to. 

“So you know who I am?”

“I'm far from knowing who you are. You can only know that which knows itself,
can you not?” Another smile but this time rather unpleasant in Loki's eyes.

“Stop talking in riddles, old man.”

“I know your name and I know you are not supposed to exist in this world. That
is all I can tell you for that is all I know myself.” Loki could sense no lie
in this statement and he usually was able to tell a lie from the truth. He
relaxed a little and chose to accept this answer. The guy would not tell him
more anyway and there were other matters he could use some information on.

“What is it the cocoons are housing?” He clenched one fist underneath the
table, almost able to feel this sickening warmth and the steady pulse inside of
it. The red liquid they had shed when they were being wracked by this other
monstrosity. The short moment of calmness when he had rested against one of
them...

“I do not know. I only ever saw them exist like this.” Loki once more missed
something like emotion in this old voice but there was none, probably never had
been.

“You never cared?”

“No.” It was a simple statement. 

“...I see.” He did not. He did not understand this at all. Even someone who
was not nearly as curious as he was would have been wondering, wouldn't they?
Even an unintelligent, stupid oaf like Thor. Yes, even Thor would have wondered
and once he would have been done wondering, he would probably have smashed the
whole forest for the sake of destroying that which he was unable to comprehend.
He would have destroyed the whole forest with all the might Mjollnir
unjustifiably provided him with. But Thor was back in Asgard or even in Midgard
to see this strumpet he had fallen for. There was no reason to think about him.
“...have you ever heard of a race called 'Chitauri', old man?” Of course it
was risky to mention them but maybe, just maybe Theranee knew something,
anything, about them. 

“... I have never heard of them.” Had the man really hesitated or had Loki
started to imagine things?

“Is that so?”

“We here know nothing about your 'Chitauri', Loki. There is nothing outside of
this world that would be of interest for us.” It was true but maybe only to a
certain degree. Or he really was going crazy. There had to be a reason for Odin
to send him into this world of all the worlds he could have sent him to. A feint
rumbling outside distracted him for a moment. In the end it had been Asgard's
wish for him to deal with the Chitauri. Or rather get dealt with by them –
either way was desirable for them. So what reason would there be for them to
purposely delay his meeting with them? He was brought back by Thenaree's voice.
“May I now be the one asking you some questions?”

“I guess it would only be fair. Ask me whatever you want.” But don't expect
me to answer all of your questions truthfully, he added in his mind.

“You are not here because you want to. Why have you come here?” Loki brought
his hand to the amulet he had around his neck.

“I came here.. to sort things out.”

“With those... Chitauri?” 

Loki nodded. “That's the plan.” It wasn't exactly a plan. It was more of a
suicide commando. 

“You doubt it yourself. Even though you were given such a strong charm?” He
gestured towards the amulet Loki held in his hand.

“This? It's only a memento of... a dream.” The dream of being a prince of
the Aesir, beloved son, brother and friend. The nightmare of betrayal. The other
man stood up.

“Well, Loki... I wonder how long you will last running.”

“I beg your pardon?” The man did not face him but all of a sudden his
shoulders appeared to be broader than before. 

“What you seek is in turn seeking you. And it appears as if you are about to
be found within no time...” The old man turned to him. “They tell me it
might be too late for you to run away.” And then Loki felt it... how his heart
convulsed in his chest. “Maybe it's for the best for you not to try at all.
The plains do not hide you.” 

How could he have been found? How did the Chitauri know he was...? He looked at
the man, shocked. 

“So... you have sold me out to them? This was why you brought me here?!”
Loki asked him calmly as if this was exactly what he had expected. But he had
not expected this kind of premature end to his journey.

“There has been no need to tell anyone anything.” 

Loki jumped up, cursing. “Damn it all!” He was not ready to meet them just
yet. Some more preparations would have been necessary. He had had no time to
figure out how to get his magic to work in this realm. “Be warned, old man –
I will come back to you and finish you off if I figure out you betrayed me!”
The man had been right, though: the plains would not hide him and his sorcery
would not be too helpful in its weakened state. But the noises he heard from the
forest made clear that there was no time to waste now. 

“You should just...”

“Stay here and let myself be caught? As if!” He quickly took his stuff and
looked around. He only had to be faster than they were.

Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)