Mischief on Midgard

The Widow

Oh, joy... Loki thought sarcastically even as he worked to keep his expression pleasant. Of all the Humans that I could encounter here, she is the one I'd rather continue to avoid.

As a woman, she was beautiful to behold. Even by Asgardian standards. Her body was slim and shapely. Depending on how she held herself, others could be easily fooled into believing she wasn't all that strong. Her hair was a deep red, so much so that it almost looked unnatural to the eye. And yet it was her true coloring.

Still, one shouldn't be fooled by outward appearances. Everything the woman did was perfectly calculated, all to make Loki feel at ease with her being nearby. Like now, for example. Her face was set in an open, pleasant expression with a soft smile tilting her lips upwards. Her body language was open, calm, and relaxed, and her voice was pitched low and gentle.

And yet, this woman was a master of manipulation, just as he was. Worse actually! She was more than capable of reading others around her using the slightest shift in body language, tone, and spoken word.

Loki had to be more than just mindful of his words around Natasha Romanov. He'd have to be careful of his motions too. Ugh. His best defense would be to remain aware of his words and actions when around the woman. Perhaps even speaking as little as possible.

He would not lose to a mere mortal. No matter how skilled said mortal was.

Natasha was currently standing in front of Loki, a kindly smile on her lips. The sort of smile that would melt the heart of many a mortal man.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Robert," she said in such a kindly, honest tone that made Loki want to twitch. "Steve has told me so much about you."

Loki remained quiet, acting reclusive and making himself seem a touch shy. She was testing him. He knew it. There was no way that tone was anything but a lie. He had to stay on guard.

"Also, Tony mentioned that you've been helping him," Natasha tapped thoughtfully at her chin, expertly drawing attention to lush lips. He ignored the movement. "You're a scientist, right?"

Loki nodded his head slowly in agreement.

"You're a mythologist too, I heard," she said with a tilt of her head. "Got ahead of the curve when it came to figuring out where those 'old gods' came from. That's pretty amazing."

While Natasha's smile hinted not one bit at her motive, he could tell that she was clearly baiting him with the compliment. Once again, Loki had to fight against the urge to gloat. He struggled not to laugh in her face and tell her that her world was a pitiful, backwater planet. That their 'advanced technology' was laughably pathetic.

So you little apes made it to the moon all on your own, he thought to himself. And yet you cannot create enough energy and food to sustain yourself without ruining your own world in the process. Pathetic!

"Hey now," Natasha pouted slightly, giving him an innocent look. "Don't tell me that you're scared of little ol' me?"

She could pull off the 'innocent lady' look quite well. Loki knew better. This 'innocent' had killed plenty of people over the years, likely by exploiting their more vulnerable sides. Honestly, it's what he'd do. Soften a person up by playing the inoffensive, harmless role and then stab them in the back when they were no longer wary.

Loki closed his eyes and took a slow breath. He had to say something to the woman. Staying quiet right now would only look more suspicious. The best thing to do was to turn the conversation away from him and back on her. He opened his eyes, making sure to keep up the act of being nervous.