Power of the Throne (Closed for Watching Cloud)

[scarlettnuit]

Dr. Ivy Wild looked intently at the supply closet door. Her lab was rather sparse, having just been hired by on the world’s foremost technological universities. She had never been to Bern before, so many things seemed strange to her, though none could compare to this.

She had spent many years of her life researching the possibilities of travel via worm holes. Her desire was to make it possible for people to live and work anywhere in the world, simply taking a worm hole to wherever they needed to go through some kind of transportation device. Many times she had been scolded by her mentor, stating that this was earth, not Star Trek.

But now she had reason to believe that she had made a break through. She had tested her portal device with several small cubes with gps inside. They had arrived in Africa, Vietnam, Mexico and Canada, only one device didn’t seem to come through, though she chalked it up to a device flaw. It was clear that her next step was to try and control the output of the portal.

------------

A small metal cube flashed in a darkened room as the sounds of footsteps echoed in the expansive hall. Nothing but the small flashing red light of the cube illuminated any of the feature in the room, features too faint to make out.

A hand reached out for the box to look at it more closely, illuminating Loki’s face brilliant flashes of red. He turned the box over to read the bottom:

Please return to Dr. Ivy Wild, Bern University

Loki waved his hand and brought up the lights. The golden throne room of Aasgard became illuminated and brought to life. Loki moved towards the throne and regarded the small item slightly puzzled. When Loki, disguised as Odin, secretly took the throne, Loki had closed all the portals that could possibly bring his troublesome brother home. He fought hard and steady and for now, his throne was secure. However, it would seem that this earthling had the potential to spoil his plans.

He stood and exited the hall. There was one last portal he had left open, one last bridge to the other worlds should things get too….complicated.

He ran his hand through his hair and put on his great helmet. There was no need to be coy with this woman. The more fear she felt the better. He would learn of her technology, and he would keep it for himself.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki, in his now-familiar guise as Odin, left instructions with Valdir, his chamberlain, to keep an eye on administrative matters while he took a couple days to meditate out in the wilderness. While deception came naturally to him, the duties of King of Asgard took more of his time than he really cared for. Delegation for the minutiae of day-to-day operations would have to be accelerated.

That bit out of the way, he slipped out of the city and into the secret places only he knew. The all-seeing Heimdall might know something of them, too, but Loki was always careful to magically obscure his location any time he availed himself of the paths to other worlds. The meddlesome friend of Thor had gone into hiding after Loki/Odin declared him a criminal following his “treasonous acts” in assisting Thor’s escape in the wake of the dark elf attack. Unfortunately, Heimdall had also taken his sword, the key to opening the Bifrost. Loki had planned to use the Bifrost in his future conquests. With that path blocked, he’d decided to consolidate power by blocking all other secret paths save one – the path to Earth where he needed to periodically renew the enchantment he’d laid upon Odin to keep the old man unaware of his true self.

Loki’s plan had proven fortuitous as now he had need of going to Earth much sooner than he’d anticipated. This Dr. Ivy Wild must have hit upon a technology similar to the Bifrost to have sent this little device to Asgard. That was a power he both wanted to keep for himself, with the Bifrost temporarily lost to him, and out of the hands of his enemies.

In the back of a dark cave, Loki found the spot – a weakness between worlds. He stepped through and found himself in an alleyway in London, England. It was chilly, gray, and misting. Truly, a miserable place. Had his conquest of Earth gone according to plan, his seat of power would have been as far from here as possible. With the wave of a hand, he changed his appearance from his armor to a charcoal gray business suit, trench coat, and loafers, befitting an anonymous businessman.

He left the alleyway and merged seamlessly into the bustling morning foot traffic. Procuring a phone was a simple matter of bumping into another man, seemingly on accident, and doing a bit of pick-pocketing. He took the guy’s wallet for good measure.

At a coffee shop down the street, he slipped into a booth and used the phone to do a bit of quick research on this Dr. Wild. The hits soon confirmed his suspicions – a brilliant young scientist with fields of study that would likely give her opportunity to explore wormholes. Another search of Bern University’s directory gave him an email address, but no phone number. No matter. He fired off a quick email:

You won’t believe where I found your fascinating little trinket. Could we meet this afternoon to discuss and return? -LL

Fifteen minutes later, he had a first-class airline ticket booked for Germany and was in a cab for Heathrow.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy sat on her chair and gazed out of the lab’s window and her mind drifted off into thought. At times, it helped her to figure out a problem to tumble over it in her mind mentally. She closed her sea green eyes as her mind mentally dissected her cubes and considered the faults in them and first steps of engineering a functional navigational system. After several moments of this mental visualization, she looked down at her notebook and started writing down some notes as well as sketching a potential design.

When her pen went dry she sighed and tossed it in the trash. She then removed a pen from her fiery mane, it’s waves and curls falling freely down her back, it’s restraint removed. She was starting to right a few more notes when she realized that she had an email.

She set her pen down and rolled her chair over to her laptop. She put in the various passwords and then read the email. Her heart immediately jumped with excitement as she learned that someone had found, what she had presumed, to be her missing cube. Without giving it much thought, her curiosity about the cube being foremost in her mind, she agreed to me “LL”. She gave him the address of a small restaurant and café named Einstein au Jardin, hoping that he too would enjoy the little jest.

Since she was meeting him in a few hours, she packed up and headed to her tiny apartment to get changed out of her daily scrubs. She took a quick shower and then dressed in a pair of slim fitting jeans with a few “artful” tears in them, and a long sleeved dark green chiffon blouse that draped beautifully on her.

She ran her fingers through her curse and applied make up sparingly, a neutral eyeshadow, mascara, and tinted lip balm that brought out the rosiness in her lips. She had always been too consumed by her curiosity and multiple projects to attempt to put anything more than this on, besides, it accentuated her porcelain skin, full lips, and green eyes perfectly.

She checked her watch and knew she was going to be late if she didn’t hurry herself up. She put on a pair of black ankle boots and then grabbed her purse, notebook, and pen and then was out the door.

When she arrived, they placed her outside so that she could appreciate the scenery and the lowering of the evening sun. She ordered a glass of red wine and waited for her mysterious visitor to arrive.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki didn't know quite how effective Earth's security apparatus was following his ill-fated invasion with an alien army. Surveillance was everywhere, though, and his own face would likely trigger an unwanted reaction. With a bit of illusion, he tweaked his face just enough to fool casual observation while still maintaining most of "him." The magic of "suggestion" got him through security and customs without documentation.

Bern was understated compared with Asgard, but the café Dr. Wild selected for their meeting was tasteful and invited him with delectable smells. It was bustling with business and it took him a few moments of surveying the crowd to find his target sitting alone at an outdoor table. He approached from behind.

"Dr. Wild?" Loki stepped up beside the table and waited for her to look up. The young scientist was strikingly attractive, fair of skin and red of hair. Her attire was both fetching and casual. What he'd expected to be nothing more than a quick business arrangement suddenly offered opportunities for more fun and games.

"I'm afraid your faculty portrait doesn't do you justice." He extended his hand to take hers and, if she seemed willing to yield, to place a soft kiss on the back of her fingers. "Lucius Laufey. A pleasure to meet you."

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy stood up when “Lucius” approached and extended her hand. “Such a pleasure to meet you Mr. Laufey!” she said, excited to find out where her little creation had gotten itself to.

“Would you care for some coffee?” she asked him as she flagged down a nearby waiter and ordered.

She then settled herself across the table at the man before her. He seemed no-descript, nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps it was this “ordinariness” that caused some kind of alarm to go off in her. It was tiny, far away, and she chalked it up to the anxiety of meeting someone for the first time.

“So, Mr. Laufey, where is it that my device ended up? I hope it didn’t cause too much of a bother.”

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki thanked her for the offer of coffee and settled in opposite. She looked a little unsettled, but seemed very eager to hear about her device.

"Lucius, please," he said. "And let's just say for the moment that it arrived somewhere very far away and in a rather sensitive place."

He smilied in a way to put her at ease. He didn't want her thinking he was here to charge her with anything.

"It appeared in mid air right in front of me and fell to the floor. Needless to say, that was...startling. After seeing your name on it and doing a little digging, I became very interested in just what you did to send it there."

Loki pulled the small cube seemingly from his coat pocket and set it on the table between them.

"Might I ask where you thought you were sending this cube and how?"

 

[scarlettnuit]

She gave him a small smile as he spoke, so far he seemed like a very charming man. As he went on about where her device had landed she grinned, wondering how it got there.

“I’ve been experimenting with magnetic and energy levels to see how far they can travel. Most I can even bring back. However, as you might have noticed, the direction in which these devices go has yet to be perfected. I had thought this one a dud when I couldn’t track it,” she told him.

She touched the cube just as Loki set it on the table and she felt a strange shock and force whip around them in a blur. When it stopped, she and Loki were on a marble floor, connected by the cube. She looked around the room and found the table, chairs, and coffee service they had been using only moments ago, scattered around the room. It was only when the commotion settled down the cube release it’s hold on their fingers and dropped to the floor.

Her head swam, and she felt dizzy and slowly sat up. Where could they possibly be. It was barely noon just a moment ago, yet outside the huge arches of the room, it was dark. She wondered if the cube had brought them back to where it had been found. She had been able to replicate known paths, the cubes more easily traveling to a place they had already been, but she had never thought it would transport anything or anyone with it.

“I’m hoping this is where you found it Mist…uh..Lucius,” she told him, her voice a bit weak. She started to try and stand with all the success of a newly born colt. She eventually managed it though.

“Are you ok?” she asked as she stumbled towards him in an attempt to give aid.

 

[WatchingCloud]

So, she hadn't intended to reach Asgard with her cube. Curious that it would arrive there, of all the places in the nine realms. Loki didn't like coincidences, but he was still very interested in the technology this lady was developing.

As he set the cube on the table, she reached for it. When her fingers brushed it, everything became a disorienting mess. The next thing he knew, he was sprawled upon the marble floors of the Great Hall in Asgard, along with most of their table from the restaurant. And, apparently, the good doctor who was trying to determine if he was okay. Sure, he felt like he'd just gone through the Bifrost with a massive hangover, but otherwise he was fine. If a mere human could survive that, why shouldn't a god?

"Yes, I'm fine," he said, sitting up and taking quick stock of the situation. It was night and the hall was empty, thankfully. Had he arrived during the day, out of disguise, there would have been far too many questions to answer.

He noted Dr. Wild's cube in her hand. Had she intended to do that? Unlikely, but he still needed to know more about how it worked. Clearly, it's ability to cross space in an instant was effective and repeatable.

His mind raced through his options and decided he needed to first get Dr. Wild out of sight. The fewer who knew she was here, the better. An idea came to him.

Loki stood and held Ivy until he was certain she could stand on her own. Clearly, she'd suffered from the transit as well. "Dr. Wild, can you trust me on something?"

He wove a tiny thread of magic her direction, a bit of suggestion to make her more agreeable. Good.

"I need you to wait here for just a minute. Whatever happens, stay calm and it'll be fine. Okay?"

Loki waited until he was confident she was hearing him clearly, then he let her go with a reassuring smile and hurried off down a side passage. As soon as he was out of sight, he used illusion to transform back to his Odin disguise. Moments later, he rounded a corner and found a pair of guards at their station. They both looked shocked to see him, but straightened up to attention.

"You two, with me," he said, imitating his adoptive father's stern demeanor. He turned toward the Great Hall, arriving from another direction than the one he'd left. "There's a disturbance in the Hall."

With the guards flanking him, "Odin" entered the Great Hall and approached the flustered human woman.

"It seems we have an unexpected guest," Loki said. He gave her a stern appraisal with his one good eye, then turned to one of the guards and spoke in a lower voice. "I'll want to speak with her, but not here. Take her to... Take her to Loki's old quarters. Make sure she's comfortable, but don't let her go anywhere else. I'll be up shortly."

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy looked around the room and saw that her laptop bag had made the transition as well since it had been hooked on her chair. When “Lucius” told her that he was well enough, she walked over and picked up her bag, gently putting it over her shoulder as she got her bearings. She then walked back towards the man, assuming she was a museum or place of antiquity, but never in her wildest dreams thinking that she was anywhere but Earth.

She was putting the cube into her bag when he asked her to trust him on something. Given her generally open nature it had never occurred to her to do anything but trust him.

“Of course,” she told him, returning his reassuring smile.

Her head was still reeling from the fact that she had just transported herself, and another person. Her mind was a clockwork of thoughts, theorems, and calculations of where they were and how this came to be here. However, her mind seemed to calm, for reasons unknown, and she watched him walk down the hall.

She turned her head up to the spectacular frescos of what seemed to be Viking lore. When she heard footsteps coming towards her, she started to speak on the beauty of the piece, only to turn her attention to the footsteps, causing her to lose her thoughts completely.

“Where…” she was in shock and this was all she could managed to get out as the great All Father towered over her. She closed her mouth and swallowed a few times and was trying to think of something, anything to say.

“Your…highness…” she spouted off awkwardly, followed but just as awkward a curtsy.

She heard Loki’s name and before she knew it she was being escorted through the hallways of Asgard. She knew very little about Thor, or his family, but she knew a little about Norse mythology and remembered plenty of the news broadcasts from the destruction of New York. The fear she felt seemed to be calmed by something, she chalked it up to being in shock, and went along with the guards.

Besides, Thor was a good guy, right? He and the Avengers hand captured Loki. She was sure he was in a prison somewhere, though that somewhere was completely unknown to her. Given that Odin had said that she was to be taken to Loki’s “old” quarters, he gave her some relief to know that the villain wasn’t going to come after her and try to kill her in the night.

She followed the guards and tried not to look like a complete idiot as her eyes took in the wonder and beauty of the Palace. It was all she could do to fight her overwhelming curiosity and be a good, albeit, unexpected, guest.

Before long they stopped in one of the hallways in front of two large gold painted doors. The guard opened one of the doors and motioned for her to enter. She was dwarfed by the sheer size of the room and when she turned to ask questions, she was told that she would be brought food and drink and that she was not to leave this room. She started to open her mouth to comment when the door was closed on her unceremoniously.

She sighed a bit in annoyance, but she was far too curious about everything to care much about being alone. She grinned mischievously as she realized that this would allow her to explore this large chamber without anyone inhibiting her.

She turned from the doors and took in the room. It was truly the room of a God. High arched ceilings held aloft by what appeared to be rich walnut columns. She took next to one, looking up at the beautiful capitals, carved in an intricate almost Corinthian design. The rest of the rooms walls seemed to be covered in the rich wood, but only three-quarters of the way. Above the wood were beautiful murals and paintings.

In front of her was a large marble pool set into the marble floor. She moved closer to inspect it, wondering if it was some kind of coy pond, only to find a pitcher and several bottles of ointments and what she assumed were soaps around it.

“A bathing pool…” she said softly to herself.

The room was almost in a T shape, the doors being at the bottom of the T and the bathing pool in the center. She moved to the left side, walking up the small flight of stairs to see a huge ornately carved canopy bed that would have made Louis XV jealous. She ran her hands over the fabric that was draped from the bed. It was the finest silk she had ever felt in her life. It felt gracefully down the columns of the bed, the bedspread in another heavenly material of the same gold tone graced the bed. It felt like something between silk and satin. She wondered if it was a material found only in Asgard. She looked around, as if someone might appear, and pulled a small pair of cuticle scissors out of her bag and pulled a tucked piece of the bedspread out, taking a tiny square sample to analyze later.

She tucked the blanket back in and walked down the small said of stairs, across the apex of the room and to the other side of the room. Here was an entertainment area with beautiful rich wood and leather furniture scattered about, all of which was illuminated by otherworldly, literally in this case, golden light. She walked over to the railing and wondered how a room that seemed completely open to the elements through these arches, still felt as if it were completely unaffected by the outside weather.

She moved back down to the center of the room and walked out on the balcony there. It was only when she crossed the balcony’s threshold that she felt the gentle breeze and warm Asgardian sun on her skin. It was there that she took in the wonder of Asgard in all it’s strange, unearthly beauty.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki still wasn't completely certain this Dr. Wild was what she appeared. Her technology certainly worked, even if it appeared to be a bit unpredictable. He thought it unlikely she was here under false pretenses, but he wanted to be sure. He also really wanted her technology, especially if it could be tuned to go anywhere the Bifrost could.

He saw to it the rest of the debris from the restaurant was removed, giving her a chance to settle herself. Then, with dawn rising, he went back up to his old room - it chafed at him to have to live in Odin's quarters to maintain his masquerade - and waved the guards aside. It took a minute to find Ivy out on the patio, surveying Asgard's majesty.

Still in the form of Odin, Loki went out onto the patio and enjoyed the view of Ivy from behind for a moment before making his presence known.

"Asgard is beautiful, is it not?" He walked up beside her at the railing and looked out for a moment before turning his attention back on her. "But guests who wish to see its splendor usually come invited, not appearing in the middle of my home unannounced. Who are you and by what means did you arrive?"

He was curious to see if she would mention anything about Loki/Lucius. And, since their previous conversation had been cut woefully short, he still wanted to know more about her device.

 

[scarlettnuit]

She jumped a little, having been so lost in thought that she hadn’t realized the great Odin had approached her. She readjusted her bag on her shoulder as she looked up at him feeling intimidated.

“Please forgive me Sir…your highness,” she stumbled, not knowing what one called the King of Gods, “I had not indeed to come here,” she began.

She told him of her cube and how she was studying teleportation. She started to get overly technical and then managed to stop herself as Mr. Lucius Laufey popped into her head.

“Actually, there was someone else with me, perhaps you know him? I think he went to get you, his name was Lucius…” her voice trailed off as she thought about Lucius’ last name again and then looked at Odin for a long time as the wheels seemed to fall into place for her about who Lucius might be.

“Typically, the cubes, when they randomly go off like this, return to a place they had previously been,” she explained though it she spoke more slowly as she backed a step or two away from Odin so that she could see his face a bit better.

“Actually,” She stopped point blank, “Is your adopted son imprisoned here? I think there may be a chance that he was the one who found this cube…. though admittedly they had never transported anything with them before,” she was trying to get her tumbling thoughts in order though it didn’t seem to be working very well.

“Forgive me, I am concerned that I may have accidentally let…your son,” she couldn’t bring herself to say his name for some reason, “back with me. He, well Lucius, had contacted me about the cube you see, and his name, well I hadn’t really thought about it until now, but his last name was Laufey. He was swept up in the transportation as well and I haven’t seen him since we, um, landed.”

She waited for a reaction, wondering she was about to be laughed at for being the stupid mortal she felt like at that moment. Of course they that that villain in hand! They were Gods, why right had SHE to question anything. She fidgeted a bit, wrapping both her hands around the strap of her laptop bag as if she were awaiting her sentence.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki was pleased when Ivy went off on the technical aspects of her cube, even if human science made little sense to him. He got the gist that she was both capable and eager to see her invention work. Obviously, it had the ability to cross the universe and do so reproducibly. It didn't seem much of a leap to assume she could figure out those last few details. No longer would he have to worry about finding Heimdall or his blasted sword to re-activate the Bifrost and get on with expanding his conquest.

What pulled him out of his scheming was Ivy asking about "his adopted son," and "was he imprisoned here?"

Of course the people of Earth wouldn't know about Loki's glorious sacrifice fighting the dark elves. The last they'd heard of him, Thor had been dragging him back to Asgard after the failed Chitauri invasion.

But she was smart enough to connect his Lucius persona with Loki, or at least suspect it. He had gotten a little cocky using his true father's name as his last. As disappointed with himself as he was, he was similarly impressed with her. A mind as attractive as her figure...

"Oh, my dear," Loki said, affecting his best "wise Odin" impression. "It certainly does smack of one of Loki's pranks. For all the trouble he caused, that one did have a knack for looking out for Asgard. He died, fighting side by side with Thor, in an effort to save the nine realms. Earth included."

Loki looked out across the city, as if deep in thought. "As for this Laufey...Lucius?...character, I'm not sure what to make of him. An old friend of Loki's, perhaps? I'll see about sorting it out. Worry yourself no longer on the matter."

He brought his one eye to bear on her and pursed his lips. "This device of yours that brought you here. Can it get you back to Earth?"

 

[scarlettnuit]

When Odin explained the battle and of Loki’s death, her face flushing red with embarrassment. Her fingers moved to cover her rosy lips for a moment as she tried to mentally put her foot out of her mouth.

“Oh, your highness, I’m so terribly sorry,” she said genuinely. While she was oblivious to the truth she found herself in, she thought the loss of losing a child, even one such as Loki, had to be painful for him. She shifted on her feet, feeling like a complete ass.

“I would like to thank you and your family for your sacrifice and sincerely apologize for my ignorance,” she added.

She was glad when he changed the subject and spoke about this Laufey person and then to the cube.

“Yes Sir. I would have do some work on it, given that this event is unprecedented, however, if you would be so kind as to allow me to work on it, I will do my best to get myself out of your proverbial hair. I had no intention to trespass or disrespect any international, er, I mean universal laws that may be in effect,” she added. While Odin seemed more like a kindly father figure, she knew her mythology and she certainly didn’t want to get on his bad side.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki was amused by the doctor's embarrassment over his "revelation" of Loki's "sacrifice." Deception and trickery were like breathing to him, even if mostly harmless and playful.

"I'm not trying to run you off, miss," Loki said. "Let's say, in the interests of Asgard's security, I am very keen to see you perfect your work and perhaps even share it with me. It clearly has value, but not without risks should it fall into the wrong hands. If you'd continue to work on it here, I can offer whatever resources you need.

"I would, however, prefer you stay discreet. Certain parties might not take kindly to your presence here. Just ask the guards for anything you need and I'll check in periodically."

Loki/Odin turned to leave, then hesitated. "I'm afraid I've been remiss in my duties as host. I never asked your name."

Following proper introductions, he promised to send someone to check on her needs and then bade her farewell and took his leave.

 

[scarlettnuit]

She listened in Odin while trying not to let the sheer awe of his presence be shown on her face. He was so tall, strong, and his voice was both gentle and firm. She nodded as he offered her resources and agreed to keep her work quiet so as not to upset anyone in the realm.

Despite all this, however, there was something that just didn’t feel right. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something felt off. She supposed it could be the fact that she was in an entirely different realm, that it was something that would pass eventually.

She had curtsied towards him when he moved to leave and looked up at him with her big green eyes as he asked her name.

“Forgive me your Highness, my name is Dr. Ivy Rose Wild. I fell that doctor is more formality than I deserve in comparison to yourself, so Ivy will do, if that is what you wish.”

She watched as he left and then turned around to look over the room that she assumed she would be staying in; Loki’s room. She wondered why she was put there, surely, they had less personal rooms for visitors, especially for one as insignificant as herself, but who was she to judge the Gods?

She moved to the lounge area and found a large ornately carved desk against one wall. If there was one thing was starting to assume about Loki, it was that he like beautiful craftsmanship, this desk being no less beautiful than the other pieces in the room.

She pulled out her laptop and turned it on in energy saving mode. She then poked around the desk until she found paper and quill of all things. She started to look for an ink pot, not that she was sure she would know how to use all this, but the pen seemed to fill itself, no inkpot required. With that figured out, she started copying down all the notes and calculations off of her laptop and onto paper, knowing that the battery would die eventually.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but she had managed to accumulate a large stack of papers containing her notes and formula. She set the quill down, a black smudge on her third finger from writing, and turned in the chair to stretch. She stood up and took a few steps when she thought she heard someone at the door.

“Hello?” she asked softly, not sure if her mind was playing tricks on her.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki left, notifying the guards he'd be sending a servant back up shortly. No one would question Odin's orders and fewer still would think anything of a servant performing menial tasks around the palace. So, demeaning or not, Loki liked disguising himself as underlings to better go unnoticed and gain the trust of others. It was an effective strategy for gathering honest intelligence.

He was pleased the doctor seemed inclined to stay and work on her technology. Keeping her happy was his next objective. He needed to know a bit more about her to ensure that happened, though, and she wasn't as likely to open up to Odin or even his Lucius personas.

Out of sight, he transformed from Odin into the body of Anja, a servant girl with whom he'd shared an intimate relationship several decades ago. She had long, honey-colored hair, lightly freckled skin, lovely curves, and a smile that could melt Jotenheim. To finish the look, Loki included a simple but elegant servant's dress complete with cleavage-displaying bodice. Disguise in place, he gathered up a fine dress for Ivy as well as another assortment of light breakfast foods.

Loki, all but ignored by the guards, knocked at the door of his quarters and waited until he heard her call out from the other side. He let himself in and closed the door softly behind him.

"Excuse me, m'lady," he said, curtseying before setting down the food on a table. He then crossed the room to show her the dress, suitable for an Asgardian woman of high birth.

"Odin said you might feel more comfortable in Asgardian attire while here," he said. "I can help you try it on. Or, if you'd prefer to bathe first, I can help with that as well. Whatever m'lady needs...or desires."

With that last, Loki affected his best innocent/not-so-innocent look. It was a look he'd long ago mastered from the best.

 

[scarlettnuit]

When Ivy looked over she saw a servant come into the room with a dress and food. The idea of having servants was a bit awkward to her middle class American senses, but the woman that walked through the doors was absolutely lovely.

Ivy got up from the desk and moved towards the food and started to pick at it. Everything was beyond delicious, though she wasn’t sure why she was surprised. When the dress was presented to her she stopped in her tracks. It was more beautiful than anything she had ever worn before, having little cause for formal attire, and she cleaned her hands before letting her fingers run over the silken fabric. It was teal in color, floor length of course, with sleeves that ended at her elbows, a sash that seemed to go over one of her shoulders. There was a deep V in the back that would have shown her back, if her hair had not been so long.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” she said softly and wondered, for a moment, at the kindness of the Asgardian king. “You must tell him of my gratitude,” she smiled at the girl.

When bathing was brought up, the thought made her muscles relax a bit. She had been through quite a lot in the last several hours, and the thought of a hot bath seemed heavenly.

“A bath would be lovely,” She said thankfully to the girl and then walked down to the bathing pool.

Unsure of how it worked, she went to touch the water, and to her surprise, it was suddenly hot and inviting. She smiled a bit and then slowly and gingerly started to undress.

“I’m not quite sure what you can do to help. What does one typically do here?” she asked as she stripped.

Once naked, the entirety of her creamy body was exposed to Loki. She had full breast with rosy pink nipples, well rounded hips and buttocks, and well-formed legs. She moved to step into the tub and gasped at bit at the heat. She slowly eased herself into it, her pale skin tinging pink against the heat.

Once in the pool she found a stone bench built into it and sat down. She leaned her head against the edge of the pool and moaned softly as she closed her eyes, the hot water soothing her muscles and nerves.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki, as Anja, watched on in admiration as Ivy undressed. He was a little surprised at her lack of modesty, knowing it was a condition with which humans were often afflicted. Her figure was incredible, curvy in all the right ways with skin one could feast upon with both eyes and tongue. He felt a stirring deep within, a physical desire that mirrored his building attraction to her intellect. Normally, he considered humans vastly inferior to Asgardians, but this one might be an exception. He would have to find out...

“I’m not quite sure what you can do to help. What does one typically do here?” she asked as she stripped.

Loki smiled as Ivy proceeded to enter the hot water. He unfastened the clasps on his dress and let it pool at his feet, revealing his borrowed female body. His skin was nearly as fair as Ivy's, though darkened slightly with a dusting of freckles. Breasts were full but smaller than Ivy's, and her curves were slightly less generous. Having enjoyed the body on its original owner more than a few times, Loki knew how Ivy would perceive him/her.

He slipped into the water, wading across the tub big enough to fit a small basketball team, and gathered up a pitcher along with scented soaps and oils from a discreet basket sitting along the edge. He turned to Ivy and slowly approached, smiling demurely.

"I can help in any way m'lady likes," he said. "Generally, guests are bathed by the servants. Your hair and skin are so beautiful. It would be my honor to tend to you."

Loki set the pitcher and other items on the edge beside Ivy, allowing his arm to brush against her shoulder subtly. He then took one step back he could face her properly.

"My name is Anja, by the way," Loki said, figuring it wouldn't hurt to adopt the proper owner of this body's name, since she had long since moved away from the palace.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy was rather surprised when Anja got into the pool with her. She hadn’t minded the other woman being in the room when she undressed, after all, Ivy had played field hockey in school and was used to undressing and bathing around other women. However, she hadn’t thought that Anja would remain, much less get into the pool with her.

Anja, was of course, beautiful. Ivy couldn’t help but notice it as the other woman slipped in the water. Of course, her sweet voice and warm smile helped to relax the initial tension she felt in having company during her bath.

When she offered to help, her mind immediately went back to history class and thought on medieval culture. She supposed it would be rude if she refused and she had no desire to upset the woman who was simply trying to do her job and be kind.

“Umm…ok. If you wouldn’t mind washing my hair, that would be quite nice actually,” she told Anja, quite happy to let someone else manage her thick mane for her.

She smiled back at Anja as she introduced herself in return, “I’m Ivy. Thank you for your help Anja,” she told the other woman and then turned her back to Anja so that her hair could be washed. She then felt at a loss about what to say or do, given the situation she was in. It took her a few moments to come up with some conversation.

“Anja, what do you know about the dark elves? Odin had mentioned it, but I’m obviously not well versed on the goings on of Asgard. Perhaps you could tell me a little about, well, I suppose everything. All I know is from legend and myth I read in school, and of course, the events that took place on Earth,” she said, the thought of not being on Earth still foreign too her.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki got Ivy to scoot forward on the bench and began by pouring pitchers of hot water over the human's long red locks. There was something entrancing about running one's fingers through a woman's hair, and he had no reservations about playing this part of his deception. He switched from water to a gently sudsing Asgardian concoction that smelled of exotic flowers with a hint of spice, allowing his fingers to work thoroughly down to the scalp. He wasn't shy about letting his borrowed body brush against hers as he worked his way around.

The dark elves? Loki knew Thor had beaten Malekith on Earth, but didn't know how significant those events had been on humanity. It had been somewhat isolated, not unlike his ill fated invasion into New York.

"Oh, not much," he said, playing the part of servant girl. "We thought they were long gone, stories told to children from the early times. Odin's father vanquished them, but apparently not all. They attacked Asgard before Earth, made a mess of things and killed Frigga, Odin's wife."

Loki still felt a pang of guilt for his part in how that came about.

"Thor and Loki worked together to end whatever plan the dark elves had. Something about destroying the entire universe, I believe. So brave, those two. I know Loki gets grief for his playful antics, but he sacrificed himself in the end for the greater good."

Loki's massaging of Ivy's scalp slowed, as if "she" was deep in thought.

"I miss him. Loki." He then leaned in close, his lips almost brushing Ivy's ear and whispered conspiratorially. "Don't tell anyone, but we were on and off lovers for a time. So much better in bed than his lout of a brother. I surely wasn't going to share that little tidbit with any of the other serving girls who swooned over Thor all the time."

As if absent mindedly reminiscing, Loki allowed a hand to drift down from Ivy's hair to her shoulder and down the arm until the back of his fingers grazed across the side of her breast.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Ivy moaned softly at both the delicious fragrances from the shampoo being worked through her hair and at Anja’s nimble fingers massaging her scalp. She relaxed a bit as her hair was washed and listened as Anja related the tale of what had taken place, of the attack of which Odin had told her upon her arrival.

At almost the same time that Anja paused in thought about Loki, Ivy paused in thought about Lucius and tried to recall what he looked like. Her memory of his face seemed fuzzy, but she supposed that was because their meeting was so very brief. She wondered where he had run off to, if he was ok or if he was perhaps some enemy of Asgard that she knew nothing about.

She was brought back from these thoughts as Anja spoke near her ear, her warm breath seemed to coax the delicate shell of her ear and made her shiver a bit. Ivy then blushed hotly as Anja confessed that she had once been lovers with the infamous Loki. To Ivy, it felt like a confidence that one would share with a friend, but she supposed it was just Anja’s nature. If her smile was the mark of her character, she was very warm and open.

When Anja’s arm brushed down Ivy’s arm and slightly upon her breast, Ivy inched away a little, feeling uncomfortable being touched there by someone she didn’t know. Part of her felt like she was a prude, but she also wasn’t used to being bathed by anyone.

“He is, well was, very handsome,” Ivy replied, wanting to continue the conversation so that Anja would not take offense by her move, “though I know very little about him. All I know is what the news stations on Earth reported of course, but I did admire his intelligence. Besides, I prefer tall dark and handsome men as opposed to blonde muscle heads,” she trailed off for a moment, feeling bad that she had basically insulted Odin’s other son, “Not that I don’t appreciate him saving my entire planet of course,” she said with a bit of a nervous laugh.

 

[WatchingCloud]

Loki all but preened at Ivy's compliments regarding his appearance and intellect. Even better, she talked down Thor. Truly, this was a brilliant and discriminating human worthy of his time and attention.

"Clearly you have good tastes, then, m'lady," he said. "Ivy."

Finished with her hair, he reached for the pitcher and again rinsed it out. He was in no hurry, enjoying the opportunity to take in her beauty.

"You are human, then? From Earth?" He reached for a liquid soap, scented in complimentary fashion to the shampoo, and began sudsing it between his hands. "I heard you looked like Asgardians. How did you come to be here?"

Already knowing the story, Loki used the distraction of conversation to continue washing Ivy, not bothering to ask if she wanted him to continue. He started with her neck and back, savoring the smooth feel of skin on skin as he worked her over in a massage-like fashion.

 

[scarlettnuit]

She didn’t know why, but she blushed when Anja complimented her taste in men. She supposed it was the fact that this woman had intimate knowledge of the person they were speaking about. She wondered if Anja was considered an ex or just a lover. Her mind started going off on it’s own wondering how such things worked her. Her wandering thoughts were interrupted by Anja’s next questions.

“Yes, I’m for Earth,” she began and then related the story of how she came to be there. She did her best to focus on telling the story so that she could enjoy the massage that Anja now gave her.

When she finished the story she sighed softly as she felt the tense muscles between her shoulder blade being kneaded and relaxed.

“If you keep that up I might make you stay in this pool forever Anja,” She teased the other woman and then gently moved away. She then took the same soap that Anja had been using and used it to soap her arms and breasts before standing up and letting her soapy hands run over her legs, and very briefly, her mound.

Where Anja had been slow and soothing, Ivy was methodical and finished quickly. She rinsed herself and then stood again, reaching for a large towel nearby. She then stepped out of the pool and wrapped the towel around her body. She then walked to where her new dress was hanging and smiled at it for a moment before she turned back to Anja.

“Would you mind helping me put this on? I want to make sure I wear it correctly,” She said, the morning light making her green eyes glow.

She wondered what time she had arrived here. It had been dark and she had started working immediately, as was her habit whenever something weighed on her mind. She wondered briefly if the concept of time here was the same as on Earth.

 

[WatchingCloud]

“If you keep that up I might make you stay in this pool forever Anja.”

Loki didn't mind the sound of that one bit. Well, maybe not forever, but he could find ways to pass a good long time with this woman.

"If you wish, m'lady," he said softly.

Ivy took the soap he'd been using and proceeded to wash the rest of herself. Disappointing in that she didn't let him explore further, but he consoled himself by enjoying the display. The shifting of Ivy's breasts under her hands, the subtle flexing of muscles with every move...

Loki followed Ivy out of the pool and did his best "servant" act to ensure Ivy's needs were met before retrieving a towel of his own and cinching it around his (borrowed) breasts.

“Would you mind helping me put this on? I want to make sure I wear it correctly."

"Of course, m'lady," Loki said, hastening to her side and taking up the garment. Thankfully, it was a simple affair. Some of the other Asgardian attire could be rather intricate and he might give up his ruse by being unable to properly dress the lady. Undressing...that was always easy.

He helped ease her into the teal dress, smoothing it down where necessary and occasionally where not. It fit her so well, it could have been tailored specifically for her figure. It gave her a regal elegance despite being somewhat restrained, and highlighted her curves to exceptional effect.

Loki stepped back and admired her. "Beautiful. Are you sure you're not Asgardian? You most certainly belong among us."

Loki gave her a moment in the spotlight before unwrapping his own towel to get dressed in his far more modest servants attire.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Anja helped Ivy dress and she couldn’t help but wonder at herself in the mirror. She had been wearing simple lab clothes for so long, that it had been some time since she had seen herself dressed up on any level.

The dress was stunning, and she ran her hand gently over the material, smoothing it in the front down as she looked at her reflection.

“This truly is a wonderful gift, I only hope I am able to return the favor,” She said, hoping her work would help the all father, that she would be able to figure what it was about this particular device that allowed it to take people with them when it traveled.

She turned to catch a glimpse of Anja dressing herself and sighed a bit. She truly was a beautiful woman, a woman that artists should capture in oils and pastels. She blushed a bit before turning her attention back to herself, not sure what to do with her wet hair, other than to let it dry.

“You have been so kind Anja, I only wish I had something to give you in return. Thank you so much for your help,” she offered genuinely with a warm smile.