Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 171

"How do you get your eyeliner so perfect?" Darcy asks.

Loki furrows her brows. "I'm sorry?"

"I need some tips," Darcy says. "Especially on the wing. I always have to do it, like, three times 'cause it's uneven or the angle's wrong or it just looks stupid."

Loki cocks her head to the side. "I still don't know what you mean." What wing is she talking about? She doesn't have wings. She's not a bird.

"What do you mean, you don't know what I mean?"

"I mean that I don't know what you mean."

It's Natasha who figures out why. "You have no idea what eyeliner is, do you?"

Loki shakes her head. "I haven't the slightest idea," she admits.

Natasha walks over to her vanity, rifles through one of the drawers, and reappears with what looks to be a little black pen. "It's this," she says, like that helps. She uncaps it and holds it out for her. "It's makeup. You've got the..." She gestures to her own eye, a slight swoop to the motion. "The cat eye thing going on."

"Oh." She's seen herself in the mirror enough to know what she's referring to. "It's not real."

Natasha stares at her. "It's not real," she repeats, dumbfounded.

Loki shakes her head. "I can shapeshift into whatever form I choose," she explains. "And I chose to shapeshift into a woman that will largely blend into Stark's parties." It's not even an illusion; it is quite literally a part of her. She doesn't look all too different than she did when she used to shapeshift in Asgard. It's just a few little added details to look a bit more Midgardian – like, of course, fake makeup.

"No way," Darcy breathes. "You can just magic on your makeup?"

Loki shrugs awkwardly. "Yes, I can."

"That explains why it's always so perfect," Natasha remarks. After a pause, she adds, "I probably should have figured it out when you shapeshifted in front of me and suddenly had makeup on."

Loki cracks a smile. "Yes, you probably should have," she agrees.

"What else can your magic do?" Darcy asks. "Can you do your hair?"

Loki answers that by simply letting her hair braid itself – only the top half, though; the bottom half, she lets hang loose and wavy, a contrast to the straight hair she'd worn before, just to show the full extent of her magic hair capabilities.

"No fucking way," Darcy breathes.

"Can you do your nails?" Wanda asks.

"I could," Loki replies, "but I tend not to. It's certainly not common practice in Asgard."

Natasha gives her a curious look. "Have you ever had your nails done?"

Loki eyes her cautiously. "I have not..." she says uncertainly. Is this going where she thinks it's going?

Natasha pulls out the chair in front of her vanity. "Sit down. I'm painting your nails."

"You really don't have to–"

"Yes, I do."

"She does," Darcy agrees. "Having your nails done is an important rite of passage as a woman."

"I've been a woman longer than you've been alive," Loki tells her. "I don't expect this 'rite of passage' to change anything."

"Spoken like someone who's never experienced this rite of passage," Darcy replies.