When War and Lies Collide

Thrift Shop Music

The five Asgardians strolled into the store like no big deal, however, it was a very big deal to the customers and employees.  They were unaware of any sort of comic festivals or costume parties going on.  All they could assume was that it was some sort of practical joke, perhaps a flash mob.

It was a pretty average shop, not your high quality store but one made for your average American.  Clothes were set on shelves along with racks to hang them on loosely, and the whole set up was thrift shop like.  It smelled of old paper and moth balls, and it took a moment for their noses to adjust.  Even Fandral sneezed from some of the dust.

There was a teenager working the cash register, and at the angle Loki now stood, he could see the boy secretly playing what appeared to be Galaga on his cell phone.  He had large framed glasses with his work uniform on, a plain white t-shirt with the name 'Jake' written in printed cursive on a pinned name tag.  His hair was a dull brown that looked a bit nappy, and Loki couldn't help but think that the boy was in desperate need of a good wash and comb.

Yet the customer's stares stayed put on Loki, all of them recognizing him as a familiar face but not quite making the connection.  The prince quickly ducked behind a rack of clothes, sifting through the colorful options.  Sif looked cautious but appeared to be having fun, grabbing for a new pair of very chic boots and a nice form fitting red top.  She finished for her outfit with a pair of jeans and a belt, taking a few more tops to change into for the next days.  So, she enjoyed shopping.  Who knew?  It wasn't like the fierce warrioress got to do it often.

Fandral had already found his outfits which seemed to make him look like some kind of Hollister model, and many of the women in the store were casting him flirtatious glances.  Being quite the big flirt himself, he winked back and smiled at a few, caught up in the energy surrounding them.  Volstagg, to nobody's surprise had on a Hawaiian tourist shirt with some tan khakis and sandals.  He looked monstrous and almost more out of place than before.  But nobody argued as he was rambling on to Fandral about how comfortable the loose sleeves were.  Hogun settled for your average pair of pants, sneakers and a dark striped hoodie.  He didn't show any signs of approval towards the attire but didn't seem too bothered.

Loki didn't want to be too noticeable unlike the blonde Asgard's Top Model prancing around the store with a few jubilant females, so he stuck with the plainest clothes he could find.  Sticking with familiar colors however, he grabbed a fitting dark green tshirt and black jeans that hugged to him nicely but were not skin tight and awkward looking.  Sif admired him from across the room with fleeting eyes as she grabbed her things, walking up behind Hogun to pay with their golden coins. Almost everyone in the group was done changing and they would definitely have to dart as soon as they slammed the money down as gold lumps were not considered appropriate currency in the United States.  

Loki clipped on a small, black leather bracelet as not to just throw away all his Asgardian regularities for the time being.  If his clothes lacked metal, there at least had to be a bit of leather.  That was certain.

The Asgardians stood in line for only a few moments before the cashier called them all up as a group, his eyes scanning over them a bit suspiciously once he looked up from his iPhone.  Overall, he had been too absorbed into his game to recognize who exactly Loki was.  Because, to any teen, getting a highscore in Galaga was much more important than keeping an eye out for war criminals.  

"What, was there a costume party in tow-?" Before the pimpled teen could finish his sentence, Sif slammed a small pouch of coins onto the counter and they booked for the door, the employee staring in shock before jumping back to life.  "Hey!  Hey, come back!  You aren't allowed to do that!" He screamed out the door, his voice cracking a bit as he continued looking completely flustered.  Fandral was cracking up as they ran, a mischievous glimmer shining through Loki's emerald eyes.