Coffee and Books 2

Loki's view - scene 3

(This scene takes place on the same day as chapter 4 of 'Coffee & Books')

The story of 'Hamlet' was certainly entertaining, but Loki finds himself out of books again. So the next morning he rings the bookstore, asking the owner for some books about Midgardian history and culture. "Please skip the religious topics, I've got no patience for fairy tales," Loki tells Frederikson with a hint of sarcasm.

"I'll see what I can do," the man answers, clearly smiling on the other end of the line. "Do you want them today? I can ask my niece to deliver them this afternoon."

"That would be fine. Thank you."

"Ordering books again?" Thor asks curiously when Loki puts the phone down.

"Yes, I thought I would save you the trouble of having to comfort the mortals today." He watches his brother challengingly.

Thor sighs. "Would it really kill you to be a little nicer to the people here? They're not that bad, really."

"Well, that girl certainly smelled bad."

"You are such a snob."

Loki rolls his eyes at his brother and wants to walk away, back to his own room. Thor catches his arm before he can escape his brother's lecture.

"You were right yesterday," Thor admits solemnly. "If you are not able to leave this apartment, it is just like a prison. I talked to Stark, he thought of a solution to give you some more freedom of movement. Within limits, of course. S.H.I.E.L.D. has put down some restrictions."

"What? Do I get a leash?" Loki says sharply, pulling his arm out of Thor's grasp. "Or an armed escort?"

"None of that. Well, not entirely." Thor frowns, like he knows that Loki will not be happy with what he has to say. "You will have an agent following you when you go out. You also can't go any further than a previously permitted distance."

Loki counts internally to ten. Or a thousand. The S.H.I.E.L.D. escort was to be expected, but also easy to ignore. Or lose, if necessary. "How will they know if I stay within their radius?" It's a calculated question.

"A tracker." Thor answers curtly.

Loki stares at his brother. "A tracker? What? Like they're gonna stick a tracking device on my clothes? By Valhalla, these humans are idiots."

"Not on your clothes. In you." Thor doesn't dare to look him in the eyes.

"In. Me?" His nostrils flare.

Thor nods gravely.

Loki clenches his jaw and stalks out of the room, slamming the door behind him. His blood boils; almost literally because the magic inside him, triggered by his anger, can't get out. These bloody cuffs restrict his magic, prevent him from being the real God of Mischief. Now they want to tag him like an animal! They might as well hang some yellow label from his ear, like they do to their cows.

---

Lady Eir looks over his wounds in silence, his lower arms placed on the kitchen table so she has a good view. Loki knows she must be judging him, but she keeps it to herself. In the hall he can hear the sounds of the housekeeping crew that has come to clean up and repair his room. 'Let those pesky humans clean up what they have caused', Loki thinks angrily. The worst of his rage is over, but his neck is still strained from the tension.

"I can help you heal them," Eir says quietly, her hands already hovering above his wrists.

Loki nods and concentrates on knitting the red gashes in his skin back together. The skin on his arms slowly turns blue, his rage has worn him out. Though with the help of Lady Eir his skin soon looks like normal again, maybe only slightly redder than it's supposed to be. Loki pulls his bloodied sleeves down, he would need to change his shirt later. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Loki." Her eyes tell him she's sorry too, but she knows he doesn't want to hear it. Instead, she changes the subject. "Do you have some new books coming today?"

"Yes. They should be delivered this afternoon."

"That's fast. I thought the postal service on Midgard took at least a day." Eir says, trying very hard to keep up a normal conversation, for which Loki is actually grateful.

"Frederikson is sending his niece to bring them over."

"Might that be Lady Ylva?"

"I think so. How do you know?" Loki looks at the Asgardian healer curiously. What is it with the fascination of his roommates with this human girl?

"Oh, Heimdall told me about her," Eir says lightly and turns away from the kitchen table. "Do you want something to drink?"