The Hermit Herbalist

Chapter 35 - Loki Is Stressed

Clint being called away on a mission spelled concern for Loki. She understood that he was still a SHIELD agent as well as an Avenger, but that did not mean she had to like it when he went away. She was not entirely alone as Pepper tried to be around for her, as did Bruce and Thor. Natasha and Steve went on the mission with Clint, and Tony was busy in his lab most of the time. Loki just wished that there was more for her to do.

"What's your education like?" Bruce suddenly asked one day as he joined Loki in the communal kitchen and watched her make medicinal remedies and can them in thick glass jars. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow as she finished screwing a ring over the cover on the jar.

"My education? I can read and write and do mathematics and philosophy is an interest to me," Loki responded as she wiped her hands and put the jar in a canned heater.

"Ever considered becoming a doctor like me?" Bruce suggested and Loki paused as she lightly tickled Darian's cheek. The baby giggled and grabbed his mother's hands, almost putting her fingers in his mouth.

"A doctor like you? But you're not a doctor. You're a scientist," Loki corrected.

"Well, I technically am... I have four PHDs," Bruce amended and Loki frowned.

"And none of them are for healing a human body. That does not constitute a doctor. Does your world hand out doctors titles for everything?" she asked and Bruce ruffled his curly hair with a sheepish smile.

"You can become a doctor of science, a doctor of education-"

"A doctor of education is pointless. I could be a teacher to the children of the village and I do not need a distinguished title to know what I know and teach it to others. Maybe your world thought of it so they could better explain why the cost of that piece of paper is so much," Loki stated. Bruce could not decide if he wanted to laugh at her brutal honesty or cry, because she was not wrong. Trying to explain to her that going to school went for almost 20 years, if not more, and cost so much money led to such a tongue lashing from her that both Tony and Bruce felt mildly ashamed about their degrees. "You waste the best and formative years of your life stuck in a box and being completely useless! How you have survived as a world is beyond me!" she had screeched and Clint had to conceal his laughter (and thank God that he had only barely graduated from high school, and spent the majority of his young life in the circus). "The knowledge that I possess cannot be taught in your classrooms anymore. Also, I don't need the affirmations of people who haven't occupied this plane we call reality in quite some time," Loki said firmly as she started cleaning up her herbal canning.

"Wow. Feel that strongly about it, huh?" asked a voice and they looked up to see Tony walking into the kitchen. He was covered in grease and started making faces at Darian. Darian laughed and flailed in his little counter seat. Loki took the bottle of alcohol out of Tony's hands and gave him a glass of water instead.

"I added a mixture that is excellent for your kidneys and liver. Trust me, you need it," Loki informed him as she put the alcohol away and brought out a ham sandwich. "And eat this."

"Yes, mom," Tony answered but cringed when Loki reached for a kitchen towel.

"Clint, Natasha, and Steve will be back soon. I think you're acting up because you're worried," Bruce finally stated and Loki sighed.

"You are partially right, I am worried about my husband. But, I'm also just bored. I want to do something, to contribute. I can't just stay here, putter about the kitchen, and swoon over Darian," Loki said and that was when Bruce and Tony understood. She had been doing her best, but the life change had been drastic. Loki had sacrificed everything so that Clint could maintain what he had grown up with, in the world that he knew, surrounded by his friends. Loki had kept it to herself, but the stress was starting to get to her.

"I'm going to call Pepper, and you're going to have a girl's day and we'll watch Darian. How hard can it be to watch a baby?" Tony said and both Loki and Bruce gave him looks. Loki's look was one of confusion and Bruce's was one of disbelief.

"A girl's day?"

"Guess you don't have those on Northheim," Tony said.

"Nornheim," Loki corrected. Tony sighed and shrugged his shoulders as he continued to eat his sandwich.

"Either way, you need to speak to a lady who's an expert at being busy and doing things." Loki glanced down at Darian as she listened to Tony's suggestion. Did she really just need to be with a career woman? Listen to whatever advice she might have? "Look at it this way, what harm would it do?"

"I suppose that no harm would come of a little time spent to myself," she admitted and Tony clapped his hands, holding the sandwich in his mouth.

"Guf fuf youf!" he said, only to get bipped in the side of the head with a dish towel.