Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 98

Loki is, as always, fashionably late to Tony's party.

She struts into the room, the train of her fitted green gown trailing behind her. She's nothing if not dramatic, after all, and she would like everybody to know that.

She'd planned to seek out either Steve or Natasha first, but instead, she finds her sights set on Thor across the room, talking to a very unsuspecting Jane Foster.

She smiles to herself.

This is going to be so much fun.

She makes her way over to them, a flirtatious smile on her lips. She can see the exact moment that Thor notices her. He makes his exasperation very clear. She wonders if he knows that it just makes her more excited to be here. As long as she's annoying her brother, she's satisfied.

She greets her brother with a curtsy like the royalty she is. "Thor."

Thor just stares at her, unamused.

Loki pivots to Jane, making a show of looking her up and down. "And who might you be?"

Thor sighs dramatically, rolling his eyes.

Jane looks over at Thor, a confused smile on her lips, before answering, "I'm Jane — Jane Foster."

Loki gasps, covering her mouth with her hand dramatically. "You are the fabled Dr. Foster?" She lets her hand fall from her mouth, now covering her heart instead. "Thor has told me so much about you." With a slightly flirtatious smile, she adds, "He'd told me you were beautiful, but it appears to me he was underselling it."

Jane giggles — which, Loki has to admit, is adorable — and her face grows even more red when Loki kisses her hand.

Thor rolls his eyes again. "Loki, enough."

Loki scoffs and kicks him in the shin.

Jane's smile falls. "Loki?"

Loki sighs. "Yes, hello," she says monotonously.

"What...?" Jane looks between her and Thor a few times, confused.

"As far as anyone else is concerned, I am not Loki and I am not of Asgard," Loki says, keeping her tone matter-of-factual. "They've dubbed me Sylvie. They know me only as a princess from another dimension. I implore you not to ruin the joke. It is the only entertainment I have."

Jane just stares at her, looking impossibly more confused than she did already.

Loki is fully aware that she's not welcome in Jane's presence, so, with this explained, she turns on her heel to strut away.

She immediately collides with somebody else.

Loki reaches out instinctively, grabbing the other woman's shoulders to steady her. Though she'd yelped at first, the woman seems to be unharmed. Loki offers her a swift apology and prepares to leave, her dramatic exit unfortunately ruined, when...

"Loki?"

Loki pauses. She furrows her brows. "How did you...?"

"You're, uh..." The woman eyes her up and down. "You're not really trying to hide it."

Loki scoffs, putting her hands on her hips. "I very much am."

"Dude," she deadpans. "You've got black hair. You're wearing green and black. You have an English accent. I promise, you are not as stealthy as you think."

Loki narrows her eyes. "Nobody else has figured it out."

"Well, nobody else knows you're on earth," she says with a shrug.