❥ DISCONTINUED
❥ Incomplete
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/ˌevəˈtərnədē/ - eternal existence; everlasting duration
A mutant with telepathic abilities is tasked with performing a psychological evaluation on the God of Mischief. They navigate through their messy pas...
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❝ I am terrified by this
dark thing
that sleeps in me. ❞
~Sylvia Plath
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"Astaaaa," Hank called, banging his fist against their door. "Asta it's like...noon already, and I have results, and I've been waiting."
She forced herself out of her sleep, propping herself up on her elbows.
"Yeah, Hank, I'm sorry I'll meet you in the lab soon I promise," she groaned, rolling off her bed to sit on the floor.
She slept better than she had in months, and loathed the idea of waking up. It might have had something to do with her overtired self pushing her single bed up next to Loki's in the night. They hadn't even really touched, but there was something about him being close that calmed her nerves. He took the edge off.
Of course he had already left, leaving her to sleep in which she appreciated. Word had gone around about who she was and students everywhere poked their heads out of classrooms,, some even trailing her down the halls. It did surprise her, but she didn't mind. She didn't have mutants to look up to when she was young.
Loki was standing in the lab, conversing with the blue beast of Hank when she wandered down, still barefoot and in her robe. She waved as she walked over, and he smiled softly, debating whether or not to hug her. She moved over to him and gave him a quick squeeze, sensing his hesitation.
"Sorry Hank, I wasn't expecting you to have results so soon." Hank shrugged, busy filing some papers away.
"No, it's fine, I just didn't really want to wait to bring it up, its been eating me up all morning. What did you want to know specifically?" He wheeled a chair over and sat down, motioning for her to sit, too. His voice was gruff, and she found that she'd forgotten how much she loved his true form.
"Well, the first thing I wanted to know is how long I'm going to live for." Hank nodded.
"I can't really tell. It's more complex than you'd think it is, Sig." The old nickname rolled off his tongue. "My best guess is at least 900. The problem is that we don't have a good comparison, really. Logan isn't a good example." She laughed lightly at his comment.
"No, he really isn't. Did I just get Logan's healing factor? Or am I going to go into fits where I just want to run off and live in the woods for months on end?" Hank chuckled.
"That's also complicated. The short answer is that you're not going to just suddenly have an urge to go off into the wilderness and hunt wild animals." He sighed, collecting his thoughts. "The reality, is that there's a part of your brain that's completely untapped." Asta looked utterly confused.
"No, I'm almost certain there isn't, I would know." He shook his head quickly.
"Not necessarily. It's something called Feral Mind. Warriors Madness is another common name for it. It's the ability to tap into a primeval sort of anger. Logan's Wolverine is one example. Bruce Banner's Hulk can also be described to have it."
"Shit," Loki muttered under his breath while Asta exhaled heavily.
"So what does this mean?" Hank shrugged his massive shoulders.
"It doesn't mean that you're going to turn into the Beast," he gestured to his blue self with a chuckle. "But it doesn't mean that there won't be a physical transformation. I haven't seen it enough to tell you what to expect. I'm sure you haven't experienced full mastery of your mutation too, so that complicates things." She nodded, understanding.
"I know that I haven't."
"Exactly. Tapping into this Feral Mind would easily bring you to peak human condition. You'd still have your powers of course, so it could bring you beyond human, if you catch my drift. The danger is that you can completely lose yourself, it requires a lot of strength to utilize it without succumbing to it. It leads to battle lust, disregard for your safety, unpredictability, animosity. It's incredibly useful, but as I said, unpredictable. Think of Logan." He looked up into her eyes and she nodded slowly.
"This is a lot to take in, Blue." He reached out and took her hand in his.
"Your mind is unreal. I have no doubt that when you decide to access it you'll have no problem controlling it." She gave him a small smile before standing and wrapping her arms around him.
"Thanks Hank." He smiled and pulled away, looking at his watch.
"I've got a class to teach. I don't know when you're leaving, but make sure you say goodbye first." He rose and left as she turned to face Loki.
He looked at her, taking in every aspect of her being. The way her hair stuck up after a long sleep, the way her silky robe hung perfectly on her figure. He saw the darkness under her eyes, the way her shoulders slumped wearily and he loved her all the more for it.
"Feral mind? What the hell?" She stepped toward him and leaned her forehead against his chest, her arms limp by her side. His chest rumbled as he chucked, combing her messy hair with his fingers.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit fearful of this new development," he stated, and her head snapped up, an angry scowl on her face that made him laugh. "What? Your mind is already stronger than mine."
She shook her head. "No it's not. It's seasoned. Trained. Yours could be stronger, you just haven't taught yourself how to use it properly. You're used to being the most powerful, only using it for illusions and your mischief. Your telekinesis is decent, but your telepathy is lacking." She laughed. "It must be that brother of yours, isn't it? It doesn't take much to see right through him. And even less to fool him." Loki smiled.
"You are not wrong."
"Well, maybe I can teach you a few things. Care to join me for another walk in the gardens Asgardian?" She turned to head for the door, holding her arm back out to him.
