You Promise(d) Me - Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 8

Hoping that the pain would leave on its own, the shapeshifter continued to draw until her face was drawn to the bed, her sharp senses attuned to the slightest shifts in the atmosphere, sensing something wrong. She had already sensed discomforted sleep from Loki throughout the many days but they seemed to vanish after a few moments. She did not bother him after such nights, as to not remind him of the possible horrors of the mind.

Loki's distress persisted, and abruptly, he sat up, gasping for air. His disoriented gaze scanned the surroundings, beads of sweat clinging to his sleepwear. The other occupant decided to speak to get over it, without looking in his direction as she busied herself with scouring through her notebook.

"What you just experienced was probably a shitty nightmare. Your name is Loki, we are in an Asgardian prison and no one is out to get you in here." She did not elaborate on whether or not it was real, because she knew that it must have been real once.

Loki, still catching his breath, furrowed his brow but didn't interrupt. She continued, "Now breathe in and out," doing the same as to allow the sound to carry across. He started to slow down his breathing to match her own, before calming himself enough to switch his nightwear with his customary attire by magic.

His breathing back to normal, he spoke."I am alright." she knew that he said that to stave off the feeling of being vulnerable, so she agreed with him. "That's good, but just so you know, it's okay not to be." She contemplated on her next actions before giving in.

The shapeshifter dug into her bag until she found what she needed closing her book down for the final time of the day, having finished her doodling. She pulled out two small rectangular packages and placed one of them on the ground, sliding it as to cross the line drawn across the floor, never letting her fingers cross the agreed-upon border. She then placed her notebook back in the back.

"That is the only milk chocolate bar I have on me. I was planning on eating it when I no longer have any dark ones as a last resort, but you can have it. Just don't plan on eating it all at once." She took a bite out of her bitter candy after carefully unwrapping it and separating a square while tucking the rest of it away, the pain finally melting away from her body, leaving her content.

"And what exactly do you plan on asking me to pay it for?" He was wary and tired from the nightmare, not wanting to play any games at the moment. He approached the new item, his hand grasping the chocolate as it flew to his hand.

"It's a gift, nothing more." She snorted. "What? Do you think that everything I do requires payment? But if you want, you could just bring it back." She held her hand up as he inspected the package. "It isn't harmful to many species, including yours." She added as she drew her hand away.

She switched subjects. "I was planning on doing nothing for today because my head is killing me. Do you want to join?" She asked, getting up for a moment to stretch, allowing her joints to crack after being stiff for the night. She then went to get the two new trays that passed through their cell, placing his on the border as well.

"And what exactly do you intend to do with nothing?" He asked after a few moments, his voice hoarse from sleep.

She sat back down. "Just to talk about whatever goes through our heads, no exercise. A cheat day." He looked at her incredulously. "Come on, it would be better to do that than to try to do something productive and get frustrated because you can't concentrate. Besides, while maintaining a routine is good in our situation, it does make us antsy if we don't change it up occasionally."

"I am not particularly inclined to currently talk." He retorted, finally taking a bite from the breakfast.

"Well, how about I chat, you listen? Or you could just look like you're listening and just continue brooding. It wouldn't count towards any of our arrangements." She did want to talk, but due to his reluctance, she was open to either option.

When he did not object, she decided to take it as a yes. "I used to live on Terra when I was younger. I don't remember much about it, other than tried a lot of different food while I was there. This is one of them." She tapped on the wrapping.

"After imprisonment, for some strange reason, I was craving that food. It costs me a fortune to get any amount out here since it isn't highly known. I think I might be the sole investor to the only seller who does provide it." She mused. "Another thing I do remember is how I looked. While my mother and I had our disguises, we could turn back to my actual form then. I was beautiful." She

"What did you look like?" He asked, intrigued by how she might have appeared to her now, if she were able to, if circumstances had not changed.

"My skin had the prettiest shade of dark green." Her hands streamed lightly to her shoulders and went upwards, pointing at the corners of my eyes. "I had my mother's eyes, my face carved out like stone with markings engraved blue when the light hit it just right." She streamed her fingers over the invisible lines that used to be present.

"I had such silky black hair, kind of like yours, but much longer, uncut just like everyone before me kept it. I loved brushing my fingers through them." Her fingers danced through the hair she had before sliding her hands to her shoulder blades back to in front of her. "And you know what the best part of it was?" She smiled like it was a small secret.

"What?" He decided to play along, and she amused his curiosity.

"That it was mine. My body was the closest to perfection, and I don't think I could imagine or create anything better than the original, no matter how many identities I create. I will always love it." The shapeshifter's voice carried a nostalgic warmth, a fondness for a past that seemed both distant and cherished.