You Promise(d) Me - Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 11

"I'm so bored." The shapeshifter splayed onto the floor, her stare bored towards the ceiling. She shifted through a plethora of skin colours, each lasting for a blink of an eye. "I finished drawing what I wanted to, and I got nothing to do." Not leaving his attention from the book in his hand, Loki was sitting in the chair that he conjured, set on what used to be her side of the cell.

"Then read another book."

She groaned in frustration. "I don't want to read."

"Then stay bored." He turned another page.

"I wish we had one of those devices. They're like," she said as she sat up as she tried to describe it. "These stories you can watch. Like a play with no breaks or a constantly moving." She snapped her fingers. "Movies! They're called movies." An idea just popped into her head. She got up and went to Loki. He looked up, seeing the gleam in her eyes. "Can I please share one with you?"

"Alright." He closed his book and placed it on the pile next to him, but she grabbed it.

"I need this. I'll give it back when I'm finished. " She then pushed his chair towards the center with ease, keeping him steady. He watched her run back to the front of him, the book in her left hand.

"So, it's called Labyrinth," she says, her voice animated as she walks around explaining and acting out the story, changing characters and movements. With each main character, she effortlessly morphs her body and gestures to bring them to life, albeit keeping herself within the boundaries of the cell. With curiosity, he asked questions and nodded occasionally while listening. She answers easily. The story concludes as she raises her arms and relaxes, gracefully shifting form.

It was a good way to sharpen her skills. She indulged in doing something fun and talked about something she had an excellent memory of, even though the ones surrounding that part of her life tainted it.

Her face lit up with delight, her eyes sparkling, until she caught Loki's closed-off expression, wondering why he didn't share in her joy. She frowned a little."What's-" Her voice cracked after that syllable. Even to her ears, it differed from the usual voice she employed whenever she took her Asgardian form. Her body stiffened, an icy shiver running down her spine as she detected the familiar timbre in her voice, sending a wave of unease through her. It was deeper and sounded more like herself than she has in the past, since the last time she was-.

Loki seemed hesitant, trying to approach.

"Don't." The single, low command carried an unmistakable venom, leaving no room for argument. She placed her hand between them. In that single moment, everything stood still as her gaze fixed upon her skin, confirming the dark green hue and deep markings. She turned her hand around, looking at her palm, overwhelmed by the scene, and she involuntarily took a tiny shuffle back, needing a moment to process her emotions.

But Loki was still right there. That was not good. She can't have what happened last time. She might have blocked most of that time, but it still rang inside her even now.

"Don't move." Her eyes scanned the surrounding ground, searching for anything out of place. Catching nothing, she watched his feet instead, ensuring nothing was behind him.

She evaluated her feelings. What happened last time? Pounding ears. She listened, but while her heart was pounding rather quickly, it was more because of the stress of the situation right now than actual anger or hurt. No twitchy feeling either. She was fearful, but not for herself so much about the situation. She wants to avoid a recurrence of the last time she was in this state, resembling her usual self. Her fingers delicately traced the outline of her necklace, ensuring that it was still there and accounted for. Did something set it off? She dismissed that entirely. She was quite happy before this happened. Nothing changed apart from herself.

She took another step, much larger than before, forgetting the change of her center of gravity. She lost her balance and stumbled. Her hands caught behind her. Loki took that opportunity to move closer, to ignore her previous warning. Completely consumed by her own thoughts, she didn't acknowledge his presence until he carefully appeared above her, reaching out his hand. She stared at him.

His face seemed to feign boredom, like this was a regular sight. But she could feel the hidden curiosity that was lurking beneath. She stared at his offering hand.

She took his hand, lifting herself off. The length of her black hair had increased considerably since she was last in this state as she pulled herself upwards. Recognizing its heaviness and the added responsibility of taking care of it, she changed it so it would only extend down to her lower back.

Standing tall, she had to lower her head to look at him. He caught on to the height difference, quirking his lips. He seemed to have caught on that this wasn't the expected situation she wanted. So he pulled her out of it instead of letting her linger.

"Did you purposefully choose to be taller?" He asked, changing her negative thought spiral to something more positive.

It was successful. The gentle chuckle she let out provided her with some comfort regarding the situation. "My mother said I was rather tall at my age. I guess I still am. But that isn't what you want to ask, is it?" She tilted her head to the side, looking at him seriously.

"I could ask why now, but I think we both know that this wasn't purposeful." They both knew there was more to that statement, but she didn't question him further, not wanting to address it now. "If I may inquire, could you provide some insight regarding the change in attire?"

"Huh." She looked down. Of course, it had changed as well. The little device implanted in her shoulder must have felt the difference in her form, and make a black regal suit. Nothing special, but it differed from her usual outfit. But ‌Loki was looking at her head. Her hand went through her hair, caught the object and pulled it out. In confusion, she examined the tiara, noticing the intricately designed moon at its center.

"My chip usually makes something that fits. Though this isn't something I would wear. It must be a glitch." The object turned purple before it disappeared. "But I think the reason is that it remembers that I do have these." She grinned.

With that, her unused muscles pulled against her shoulder blades, creating a small draft and creaking as they unfurled from being curled up for so long. Slowly, the movement became more pronounced. The muscles strained and stretched, pushing something outward from her back, revealing their full and magnificent span. The surfaces, dark and leathery, caught the light, giving them an imposing and powerful look.

"Oh," he murmured in surprise. His eyebrows lifted slightly, betraying his astonishment at the sight of her newly revealed wings.

"I was born with these, but they're not that strong right now, so I have to exercise them." She reaches her hand backwards, patting them softly. "I'll be able to fly again one day." With a gentle flap that creates a small breeze, she folds them back towards her body.

Loki watched them retract with fascination before turning his attention back to the shapeshifter. He suddenly remembered a detail from an earlier conversation. "Do you remember the deal that we made? About your name." She remembered. The agreement if she could turn back, she would say it.

She hesitated for a moment, trying to recall. The shapeshifter hadn't heard it in so long; she had to search back into her memories. It felt both familiar and not as she finally replied. "My name is Esmeray."

A/N: I'm back y'all! I'm so happy that I'm finally able to post this chapter because it's been a long time coming, and there will be more to arriving soon. I might go through this again to edit in the next update, but it's done for now. Thanks so much for the support and see y'all soon :)

11/08/2024 A/N: I'm so sorry for the delays. My physical and mental health, as well as family and general life issues, have been hindering my writing. Hopefully, I will try my best to ensure I can publish the next chapter on the upcoming date.

The next update is the 29/09/2024