Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 67

Loki balances precariously on the edge of the bathtub, gripping the bar that holds the shower curtain just a little too tight to keep her balance. She turns to the side, looking at her dress in the mirror. Now this is cute. It's a floor-length gown made of silky smooth green silk that hugs her curves in all the right places. She shrunk her form a bit so she could wear her heels, which seemed like a good idea until she started standing on the ledge like this. She's pleased to see that she looks as hot as she'd hoped she would.

She hops off the shower ledge and walks up to the mirror for a better look at herself. Her hair is in a gorgeous updo, if she does say so herself, so it doesn't cover her rather low-cut top. She runs a finger along her emerald-and-gold necklace, drawing attention to her chest — she has to make up for the lack of a short skirt somehow, and unnecessary cleavage seemed like the logical choice — and catches sight of the ring on her finger, the emerald shining in the bright bathroom lights.

She gives her dress a little tug, straightening it out, and smiles. She blows herself a kiss in the mirror, tosses a wink over her shoulder, and then she's off to crash Tony's birthday party.

When she steps through the elevator doors, she's greeted with awful Midgardian music blasting through the speakers. Why this is a staple to a Midgardian party, she does not understand, but she knows better than to complain at a party she's not invited to.

The first familiar face she sees is Natasha's. She and Clint are on the other side of the room, chatting quietly amongst themselves, and that's the conversation Loki decides to crash first. She'd much prefer to spend time with Steve, but she can't see him from here so that will have to wait.

She's greeted with smiles even before she's within earshot, so they must remember her from the last party. They must not dislike her, either, which is nice. This would be a boring party if everyone decided they hated her.

"Hello, Clint Barton," Loki says. When she turns her attention to Natasha, a flirtatious smile appears on her lips. "Lady Natasha." She takes Natasha's hand and presses a kiss to her fingers.

Natasha huffs a soft laugh, and it might be a trick of the light, but she almost looks like she's blushing. Clearly Loki is doing something right.

Loki's eyes trail up and down her body, admiring the long, black, form-fitting dress the assassin wears. "Wow," she breathes. "Don't you look lovely."

Natasha shakes her head to herself, her smile unwavering. "You always know just what to say, don't you?" she remarks. "We were wondering if you'd show up again."

"Oh, of course," Loki says. "I would never miss a chance to spend a night with my favorite Midgardians."

"We just weren't sure Thor was gonna tell you about this," Clint says, earning a look from Natasha.

Loki waves that off. "I have my ways of finding these things out," she tells him. "Though I'm sure he would have told me if we'd seen each other recently. He's been so busy, you know, with all the heroics." She forces a wistful smile, as though just the thought of Thor earning praise for needlessly slaughtering the neighbors in their home realms doesn't make her nauseous. If they'd even thought to do the same to the Asgardians, they'd be executed before they'd even gotten to their weapons.

"Yeah, no, we get it," Clint says. "He's not around much here, either."

"He's here tonight, though," Natasha tells her. "You want to go find him?"

Loki shakes her head. "I'm sure I'll see him eventually. No need to interrupt him." She'll cross that bridge when she gets to it. She looks between them all with a smile. "And how have you all been?"