Growing love and the seventh stone | Loki fanfiction

Chapter 11 - Reviving old habits

I step into the library. A bell rings, it sounds hollow. As I slowly go inside to a sparingly lighted desk, I notice that every noise from the traffic outside is gone. The room seems filled with a viscous silence that is enhanced by the carpet swallowing the noise of my feet.
Loki looks at me over his shoulder and goes up to the desk.
I follow him, hoping he knows what he is doing. I didn't expect this place to be scary, but the silence makes my head swim and the shelves seem to lean over me.
We stand in front of the desk. I notice that there is thick layer of dust covering it. Besides a stack of sticky notes that look like they are out of parchment, a quill and a few crumbled papers there stands a new, shiny bell in the middle of the table top.
I slowly raise a hand and look at Loki quizzically.
"I wouldn't do that", he whispers and looks around carefully.
I don't know the reason he is whispering, but I quickly pull back my hand. If Loki is watching out for something, I should definitly be watching out too.
"Why exactly are you whispering?", I breath.
We are starting to walk through the small store as he begins to talk quietly.
"These places are a key to magic, in all the nine realms you can find libraries like this one. I visited a few of them in my life. They ... connect magic, not only of Norse mythology."
My glance wanders over the shelves. I see a few runes on the ones in the back, and something that looks like egyptian hieroglyphs in the corner.
"It isn't always good magic", Loki explains further. "These places are shady sometimes. And otherwhile ... there can even go something wrong. An experiment, a spell ... I don't want to know what happened to the owner of this library."
My stomach gets heavy. Right next to me, the book covers look like written in greek letters.
How to get into the underworld, the title says, followed by the subtitle: Unleashing the monsters.
I swallow.
9 drachmas, a friendly orange price tag states.
"Do we really need to get a magic book?", I whisper and catch up to Loki.
"We can't fight the Avengers without it", he says as we reach the back of the store, his glance skimming over the titles.
"But you have your daggers. You could just ..." I make poking motions with my fingers. "Do your stabby stuff? Even without your powers, you are a weapon." I can't help but look down his body.
Loki chuckles. "I love that you trust me enough to try that. But I would feel a lot safer with magic."
Marginally, I notice how intimate this conversation is. It seems to be down to the store, the hostile atmosphere fuses us together as a team. Against what enemy is another question ...
"Here it is", Loki says and reaches for a book.
"Stop", I say and grab his hand.
He looks at me.
"Are you sure it is safe to touch it?", I whisper.
Loki nods halfheartedly and shrugs. "We have to try. We need this book." He reaches out again and pulls it out of the shelf.
As soon as it is in his hands, it emits an orange shimmer.
"Who is stealing my books?", a voice comes from behind.
We spin round and see a figure standing in the middle of the store. The owner of the library seems to be - a ghost. He is see-through, and the closer we look, the more details of him appear. His skin looks burned, his face has a huge scar and one of his arms is missing ... flesh around the elbow. The clothes of the ghost are black, burned fabric is dangling off of him.
"Oh", he says with an accent that sounds very old, but I can't identify it. "One of you is mortal, the other is not. How interesting. But I can't let you pass without paying." A fireball grows in his hands.
"You are not touching him!", I shout and step in front of Loki.
The ghost pauses and inclines his head. "That is actually nice, protecting your mortal like that. May I know your name, goddess?"
"Oh, um ..." I blush. "I am not a goddess."
Loki places himself next to me.
"Ah, now I see", the ghost says. "You are ..." He screws up his eyes. "I can't tell if you are mortal or not. You are the one that confuses me. But you don't look like a mortal." The face of the ghost lights up. "Oh, are you Athena in male form? It has been so long and she was always a great customer!"
Loki furrows his brows, arms akimbo. "I am absolutely not."
"Great", the ghost scoffs. "Well who are you then? Probably a lower rank god, right? Stuffed in a green dress that poorly imitates Asgardian fashion."
Oh no, I think.
"This is the latest craze!", Loki protests. "And I know about Asgardian beauty, you moron!"
"This is outdated", the ghost says with a snotty look down Loki's body.
"Do you even know who I am?!", Loki exclaims.
"Probably one of these norse idiots. I cannot stand them ... except one."
"Well, who is that?", Loki snaps.
The ghost smiles like he is going through old memories. "Thor."
"Alright, we are leaving", I say hastily and shove Loki in the direction of the exit. "Thank you for your service and everything!"
"Stop", the ghost says in a darker tone. "You can't take the book without paying. If you proceed, I will make you suffer for a lifetime, however long that might be." The fireball in his hand grows.
"Oh, uhm, we - I can pay!", I blurt out.
"You can? Give it to me then." The fire in the ghosts hand vanishes and he opens his hand.
"Yes, uhm ..." I go through my pockets, but I don't have money with me. I find an old bubble gum wrapper. I roll it into a ball and stare at Loki. "Should I give him the old, powerful, magic relic we possess?"
Loki blinks. Then he understands. "Oh no, not the powerful relic!", he calles in a smitten tone and puts his hand on his head. "Please, not the magic relic!"
I make a mental note to compliment his acting skills later as the ghost licks his burned lips.
"Give it to me", he hisses. "I want it."
"I am afraid that we have to give it, in exchange of this, uh, high-quality book", I say to Loki who continues to mourn the relic. "Here it is", I say to the ghost and drop the little silver ball of bubble gum wrapper in his hand. "But be careful, it is a mighty weapon."
The ghost looks at the bead in his hands. "How do I use it?"
"The use shows itself individually to the owner at midnight", I lie and smile knowingly.
The ghost examines it and Loki pushes me to the door, holding the book.
We exit the store and suddenly we are out in the middle of the sunny, crowded New Yorker sidewalk.
"Great acting", I smirk.
"That was humiliating", Loki responds as we walk back to the hotel.
I laugh, and surprisingly he snickers with me.
"Great lying", he says with a wink.