Re: Shadows of the Heart [ R ]

[The Wolverine]

Thor felt shot down as his brother did not share his same enthusiasm with his thoughts. He shrugged and continued his drunken gait after Loki. "To the palace," he said quietly, shaking his head. "We must do this again, brother. It was fun," he smiled, catching up to walk beside the smaller male. In his drunken state, Thor asked,"Have you ever thought of using your magic for good?"

[Greed]

Loki nodded a bit at Thor's comment. Yes, to the palace. He was ready to be there. He was actually quite ready for sleep, as well, which somewhat surprised him, seeing as he hadn't at all been tired when he'd left the bar. Perhaps it was finally being out of that noisy atmosphere. Maybe it'd just taken a few minutes to catch up to him, for now he was definitely ready for sleep for the night. Loki frowned at what his brother said, "I'm not so sure, brother. It's not that I dislike drinking with kin, it's more that I don't appreciate loud, noisy places with many people constantly invading my personal space...it makes my skin crawl." Loki shuddered, "But I would not object to drinking with you again sometime." Loki fell into silence as the two of them walked, looking up at his taller sibling when he asked if he considered using his magic for good. "Your definition of good and my definition of good are two different things, Thor. You see what I do as bad for the kingdom, I see what I do as good for the kingdom, only in the long run. You'll understand soon enough."

[The Wolverine]

Thor listened with half the attention he was using at the moment. "I suppose I will," he said mindlessly as they approached the palace courtyard. "Home," he mumbled to himself, stumbling through the gates and into the palace that was lit with soft-glowing torches. Their shadows disfigured by the flames' constant dance. Thor wished his brother a goodnight and headed to his room, stumbling quite a few times on the stairs before bursting into his room. He closed the door gently and fell into his large bed, leaving his clothes and boots on. The god fell asleep almost instantly, his brother's words echoing in his head. "You'll understand soon enough."

[Greed]

(Random: I really love how you ended your post. Like a lot.)

Oh, indeed, brother, you will, Loki thought with an unexpected thrill. He wasn't even sure if Thor was processing what he was saying, but it wasn't his problem. Thor would learn his intentions soon enough...and perhaps the two of them would drink in the palace next time. Preferably somewhere secluded where not many wandered around...where they could talk with each other without worrying about...interruption. Maybe it wasn't Thor worrying about that, but Loki did. It was time to put his plan into motion and slowly start revving the gears that were sitting idly by, waiting anxiously to finally be used. When they reached the palace, Loki nodded and left his brother's company, heading to his own room. He slipped off his overcoat and his boots, and other unnecessary articles of clothing before ghosting his fingers of the tesseract-containing scepter. A beautiful weapon, he thought, withdrawing his hand and sliding into bed, content to wait another night before the next day.

. - Next Morning - .

When Loki awoke, the sun was already streaming through the window whose curtains he had not closed the night before. The covers were half strewn off of him, one leg exposed to the cool air of his room, the rest of his body underneath the warm covers. After a moment of not moving, simply staring up at the ceiling, he sat up straight, yawning and stretching before throwing his legs over the bed, and, like every morning, standing up and letting his usual Asgardian wear materialize over him. A blue twinkle shone brightly in his eye and he looked over, the sun hitting the tesseract core of the scepter perfectly. Most definitely a work of art. But before any true piece of art could be revealed, he had to go talk to the person who would help reveal it, and that just happened to be Thor. He wasn't at all sure if his brother was awake yet, or in any mood to talk, seeing how drunk his brother had been the night before, but it was worth something. Fully clothed, Loki walked out of his bedchambers, nodding his head at a nearby guard and heading the distance from his room to his brother's to see if he could set another drinking 'date' for his brother and himself, or perhaps he'd forgo the idea of drinking and simply use his magic...for 'good.' For his own good, of course. After reaching Thor's bedroom, he held one arm behind his back and knocked, the other hand dropping soon after and clasping with the other behind his back while he waited to see if he'd get a response or not.

[The Wolverine]

Thor woke up with a pounding headache and his gut was killing him. After his 'restful,' alcohol induced sleep, he rolled out of his bed, tangled in sheets and blankets and falling to the floor as his boots got trapped. The god let out a grunt and kicked off the leather shoes and pulled the sheets off, throwing them back on the bed quite aware at how mad the maids would be when they saw the mess in his room. After relieving himself, Thor washed up, stripped his soiled clothes from the night before, and changed into his more casual 'armor'. He slipped his boots back on and examined himself in the mirro, hearing a knock at the door. He waltzed over and pulled open the large, wooden door revealing his brother. "Good morning, Loki. I hope you are rested," Thor said.

[Greed]

Loki scuffed his boot against the floor as he held his hands behind his back, looking down at his feet with disinterest while he waited for the door to be opened. He didn't hear much on the other side of the door, but then again, he wasn't really listening for anything. He looked up when the wooden door opened, back wisps of hair that had fallen into his face moving back over his shoulder when he moved his head. "Good morning," Loki said in response, giving his brother a curt nod. "I am, quite well. I actually came to see if you were in need of anything. Considering the amount of mead you drank last night I decided to come and see if you were in need of any assistance." Loki smiled a little, "I can always make a potion or something of the like if you need it."

[The Wolverine]

Thor smiled, rolling his shoulders. "No thank you, boyher, but thanks for the concern. I am just in need of breakfast," he responded sincerely. "Would you care to join me for a meal?" He asked, stepping out into the hall and shutting the door behind him. Looking up and down the passage, he turned his eyes back onto his brother awaiting the answer. In truth, he didn't want to bother Loki with going to the trouble to make any potions even though his headache stated otherwise.

[Greed]

"Really, it wouldn't be a problem. Besides, I haven't made a potion in a while and it'd be a good use to brush up," Loki said, but didn't change his tone. He wasn't going to come off as needy. But the answer he gave him was in no use changeable, and he had Plan B if that potion plan didn't work. Problem being if Plan B didn't work then it was back to the drawing board for him, but he had the strangest feeling that Plan B was going to work. He might even go a bit flamboyant on it... but very discreetly. Loki pondered the question, moving out of the way when Thor exited the bedroom and asked him if he wanted to join him for breakfast. In truth, Loki could use a little something, having not eaten anything the night before. Loki nodded, "Yes, I suppose I'll join you," he said, with another stale smile and a nod.

[The Wolverine]

Thor smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Then lets go," he said, adding a while later,"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I do have a killer headache." He looked down at his boots as he walked, slightly disappointed in himself for sinking so much as he did last night. He'd have to order a large breakfast, wishing that there was bacon on Asgard. Thor had learned that bacon was basically a delicacy and it tasted heavenly.

[Greed]

Loki nodded, falling into step beside his brother, walking just a little behind him due to the differences in their strides. It was something he'd learned to just accept, even though in his mind he'd always felt one step behind Thor no matter what context it was put into. It was unfortunate and annoying, but he'd get used to it one day...and hopefully that one day would be a lot sooner than he thought. Loki kept his arms behind his back, hands clasped tightly together, although he was comfortable in the position as they walked. When Thor spoke again, Loki looked up at his brother and nodded with a smile, full of hidden intentions that he wasn't quite sure Thor would notice, or be able to read, even if he did. "It isn't a problem," Loki replied, "I'll just excuse myself from breakfast a bit before you finish so I can head to my bedchambers and create it. You can stop by after breakfast and I will have it ready for you," Loki said as he turned back and watched the hallway, glancing at guards here and there. Hmm, good. You've made this a lot easier on me, Thor. I appreciate that.

[The Wolverine]

Thor nodded obliviously, sleeping his pace as he noticed his brother lacking behind slightly. "It sinuses like a plan, thank you, Loki," he said, tipping his head in thanks. As they reached the dining hall, Thor waved a hand at two servants who scurried off to the kitchen. "I hope you'll actaully eat something more than you normally do, Loki. You look like a stick."

[Greed]

"It is not a problem. It is as much a benefit for me as it is for you," Loki said, somewhat offhandedly. It wasn't entirely a lie that he could use the practice on potion-making, but the certain one he had in mind he had down pat, and he really didn't need any practicing it at all. He was a mischievous man and therefore he'd had plenty of reasons to use it. However, the after-effect of the potion would help Thor's headache go away, at the very least. So it'd be like nothing ever happened. Loki looked at his brother a slight smirk, "Brother, my stomach is nowhere near the size of yours, the amount I eat is enough to make me full."

[The Wolverine]

Thor took a seat at the long table, examine his hands briefly. "Oh, I sometimes forget that. My stomach is like an endless abyss," he said, chuckling slightly at his own words.

[Greed]

Loki made his way around the table to sit across from his brother, giving Thor the, perhaps, satisfaction of a quiet chuckle. "Yes, I know, I have lived with you all my life. It appears sometimes you outmatch me in everything." Loki smirked, and although the words were spoken lightheartedly they were like daggers on the inside, but he brushed it off. Patience was key here, and he wouldn't need to be patient much longer.

~~~

When Loki had finished what he wanted, he excused himself from the table while Thor finished his breakfast, heading to his room to prepare the potion to cure Thor's headache. As soon as he entered his room he got to work on it, opening a cabinet on the right side of his bed, pushed snugly against the wall and taking out a few materials. A leather pouch of a golden-colored powder and a vial of a blood-red liquid, along with the two another empty vial. He carried them to the table that sat conveniently right beside his potion cabinet, which he sealed with magic after he'd gotten his ingredients. He put the powder off to the side for a moment, taking the red liquid and pouring a generous amount into the empty vial, grabbing some herbs that were already laid out on the table (no use in hiding the herbs; they were bountiful enough and he didn't mind if someone took them) and crushing them between his index and thumb, sprinkling them into the vial. The vial misted over as the leaves fizzled in the water and died down. Content with his work, he took a whiff of the potion that was now a darker shade of red than it had been before. Pleased with his work, Loki set the tube on a small rack and opened up the leather pouch. Sleeping powder. Incredibly powerful stuff, it was, and it was one he used quite often despite its rarity. When you are a prince of Asgard, however, even not being the heir, it was easier to come by these things than say, if you were a normal citizen. Making sure to keep an arm's length away from the vial, he took a pinch of the powder and dropped it in the vial, the vial foaming and spitting, a cloud of smoke puffing out from it before dying down. And knowing his brother was larger than most, he added another pinch for extra measure, wafting the smoke away from his face again before nodding, content with his work. Good. Now all he had to do was wait for Thor to come and drink it, and he would be all set. Plan A finished. Part Two ready to be set into motion.

[The Wolverine]

Thor watched as Loki excused himself, still content with stuffing food into his mouth. The god was quite indulged in the large breakfast that had been provided, knowing he would force himself to eat all that was left untouched so the servants wouldn't have too much of a mess to clean up. Thor took a sip of cider that was in a goblet to his right, savouring the coolness of the drink in his mouth. After, he managed to fit most of the meal into his belly, the god wiped his mouth fee of crumbs and excused himself. He was all too really for Loki's potion as his headache had returned after his breakfast. He tapped on the door to his brothwr's quarters with his knuckles, returning his hand by his side.

[Greed]

Loki had began to stare out the window at nothing in particular, hands clasped in front of him while he contemplated what exactly was going to happen next. He'd put away all of his materials so only the vial that had now settled to a color resembling red wine was out. It would taste somewhat like red wine, as well, only...mintier. Affects of the herb. When he heard someone knocking on his door he turned from his place by the window and made his way leisurely to the door before opening it, not needing to think twice about it was going to be. "Thor, come in," Loki said as he stood aside, closing the door behind him and heading back over to the table. "Take a seat on the side of the bed, would you? Potions that deal with healing anything in the brain, or the like, tend to make people dizzy when they first ingest it, so it'd be best if you're sitting down while you drink it. Otherwise, it should work quite quickly," Loki said, grabbing the vial and waiting for his brother to take a seat before handing it to him, "I'm sure you can down it in one go," Loki said as somewhat of a playful challenge.

[The Wolverine]

Thor took a small step back when Loki opened the door. Upon command, he entered his room and sat down on Loki's already-made bed, putting him to shame. "I can handle dizziness, brother quite well as you probably learned last night," he said stubbornly, still remaining on the edge. He took the vial from Loki, eyeing it for a second before raising it in a sort of a cheer. He downed it to prove Loki's petty challenge, suddenly feeling the effects.

[Greed]

Loki smirked a little bit, "Potions are not like mead, Thor, so do not treat them as such," Loki warned, shaking his index finger at his brother as if to say 'Don't be foolish.' He watched as the potion started to take its effects, keeping his face emotionless while he waited for them to fully kick in. He knew the amount of sleeping powder used would keep Thor out for at least an hour, but that was really all he needed. As soon as Thor was out, Loki would start living up to his name as the god of mischief, liars...perhaps even evil. Depends on how you'd like to label him. When the full effects finally kicked in, Loki stood there for another second, half expecting Thor to rise again. He slipped the vial from Thor's fingers and placed it back on the rack, glancing Thor over for a second before nodding with an evil grin. Being himself...well, he had perks. Without so much as a second thought, Loki moved a little bit away from Thor, concentrating on changing. Not just his clothes, no, but this time, everything. Everything from his toes to the top of his head; from his height to his weight; to the color of his eyes and the color of his hair...until he was an exact replica of the man who was on his bed. However, it was unfortunate that even though Loki could make himself look like people, he didn't get their abilities. It wasn't going to be much of a hindrance to him, though, seeing as he'd already planned everything out. Loki headed over to where the tesseract-containing scepter was, waving his hand over it and watching it materialized into what looked to be Thor's hammer. Loki picked it up almost hesitantly, as if the changed scepter would follow the same rules as the actual hammer, even though he knew that was completely ridiculous. After, Loki put the hammer by his side and took one more look over his shoulder. He had less than an hour before he'd use up the energy he was using to keep this facade. Animals were one thing, but replicating humans tended to take a lot more energy and concentration.

Loki headed out of the door, closing it behind him and, just for extra measure, sealed the lock with magic, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no guards had seen. Confident they had not, he strolled down the hallway until he found one. "Loki says he is sleeping," Loki said, doing his best to keep a straight face. He was not at all used to Thor's voice coming from his lips. "He asks that no one disturbs him until he wakes; going out last night to the mead hall has made him a bit weary." Loki flashed a smile at the guard when he nodded before heading out. Next thing on the list was to leave Asgard, which is exactly what he did. He didn't want to waste his time, but looking like Thor and having his build for the time being made his strides longer, so reaching the palace doors and making his way down the Bifrost had taken less time than it would've if Loki had been walking in his own body. He really ought to considering being Thor more often... He snorted at the thought. As if. When he reached the Bifrost he lifted his hand in wave to the guard, "To Midgard," he instructed, standing inside the golden dome and waiting to materialize on the land he so 'loved.' As soon as he arrived, Loki took in a deep breath. Ah. The middle of nowhere.

Not where he wanted to be. He needed to be somewhere with tons of people around him; a place where people could get police to quickly and cameras to shoot everything that was happening before it was over. Loki didn't have time to stop and play, so it was vital that he found a perfect spot. But he hadn't come to Midgard unprepared, of course. That'd be an insult to his intelligence and highly unlike himself. With a look around, Loki examined his surroundings through Thor's eyes. If only he inherited the emotions of the people he changed into...then, perhaps, he would be able to see what Thor saw in Midgard...but no, being Loki, that was hardly possible. But Loki was pressed for time so he quite worrying about simple little things like that and started out for civilization. That's where he needed to be, and he needed to get there relatively fast.

~~~

Loki was relieved it hadn't taken as long as he'd expected to get somewhere where the people buzzed around likes bees. It took a lot of his self-control to keep from striking out at them whenever they bumped into him in a hurry to get to wherever they thought was important to get to. Eventually, Loki made his way out to the middle of the street, stopping and looking around, ignoring a car that came screeching to a halt to avoid hitting him. He also ignored the uncomfortable sound of metal crunching into metal as the car behind the first one rammed into it. Loki gave it a sideways glance but nothing more. He did seem to have everyone's attention now, which he didn't mind. And these people knew their Avengers. He could see the looks on their faces and watched them as they turned to whisper things to one another. They knew Thor, did they not? Their savior - the one who had kept them from destruction, along with the others of course, at the hands of Loki. And those who seemed to recognize him had their faces lit up in admiration. It angered Loki to no end. How could people love Thor so much? He simply couldn't understand. And all the while, he'd seemed to cause a standstill, nobody moving, everyone simply staring. I am Thor, Loki mocked in his head, 'Protector' of Midgard. With that thought, he took 'Mjolnir' into his hand and raised it, pointing it at the nearest car who was stopped, the driver a young woman looking at him with curiosity... until a blue light shot from the middle of Mjolnir, sending the car flying backwards. Loki let out a laugh as everything remained silent for a split second longer before chaos broke lose.

People screamed; mothers grabbed their children and ran for safety; others simply ran for their lives, away from the man who'd previously protected them and was now coming in all his hostile splendor. But of course, one car and one woman was not enough for his plan to work. Loki focused his attention on cars parked on the sides of the roads, walking down the line and one by one sending them blasting through the sidewalk, crashing into whatever unfortunate thing or person just happened to be in their way. And it didn't take long for Loki to start hearing the sirens. He closed his eyes and let out a pleased hum, one arm extending as if to soak up invisible applause. However, the sounds of people still screaming and rushing to safety were going to have to be enough...and in all reality they were. The moment a police car got to close, Loki spun around, the fake Mjolnir spouting blue light and sending one police car rolling into the one behind it, creating a sort of domino effects. Vehicles were flaming on the sides of the road. Collateral damage was large; much larger than Loki thought he'd be able to accomplish in the time he had. There were plenty of Midgardian bodies trapped lifelessly under cars, or simply laying limp on the sidewalk, unfortunate victims of the scepter's power. But as soon as the helicopters came, Loki began to be a bit more careful. He couldn't have videos showing blue light coming from Mjolnir, because that would be a dead give away. No, instead, he started moving from car to car, bringing the 'hammer' into contact with them and sending them flying, but being extra careful not to let a single shred of the tesseract's power to show.

Unfortunately, he felt his strength dwindling the more damage he caused, and he knew that whomever was broadcasting the news had gotten enough footage of Thor, Protector of Midgard, rampaging through it and killing dozens of people. Loki began to head back, lagging slightly and his breathing starting to be labored. He had to battle his way around some police cars, ignoring bullets that whizzed past him, until he managed to eliminate the opposition in his way and head back from where he'd come from, zooming back up with a whoosh of air into the golden dome. He could tell there was sweat on his brow, but when asked about it he just said he'd overexerted himself and was going back inside.

Loki had barely made it through the door of his chambers when he fell to the floor, breathing incredibly labored and sweat dripping down from his brow to his neck. He stayed on the floor until he trusted his legs to support him. Even then, when he stood, he felt shaky, and he had an inkling he probably looked paler than he ought to have. However, the good news was he'd completed his mission... There was no doubt in his mind that Odin would catch word of Thor's misdoings by nightfall, or by latest the afternoon tomorrow, and he was perfectly content to wait for either. After quickly washing his face and managing to chew up an herb to help him with his fatigue of sorts, he put on an extremely worried face and walked over to where his brother, was gently slapping his fingers against Thor's cheek to get him to wake, "Thor? Thor, are you alright? Can you hear me?" He asked, allowing the fake concern to seep through his words and nearly drown it. But what could he say? He was the master liar...and this was his trade.

[The Wolverine]

Thor passed out, slumping over Loki's bed. Completely unaware of anything going on around him. He heard nothing as his brother replicated himself to look like the blonde male, or when Loki left. His mind wandered, popping random memories into his head and different scenarios ran through his mind as he 'slept'. About an hour later, Thor felt small pricks of feeling in his face as Loki slapped his cheeks lightly to wake him. Thor fully woke upon hearing the worry in his brother's voice. He made his words form and asked,"What happened? Did I do something?" His own voice laced with concern as he sat up.

[Greed]

Loki let out a soft sigh when Thor spoke and sat up. He took a seat on the bed beside his brother, taking in a sharp breath when his world spun momentarily. He hadnt at all calculated the after-effects to what he'd done. That probably would've been best, but it was unchangeable now. Loki looked over at his brother, worried eyes studying his beither's face, "Not that I know of," Loki said quietly. "You passed out after you took the potion for a minute or two, but when you woke you were fine. Looked fine. Said your ailments were gone, and you left." Loki knit his eyebrows together in concern, "I... You just came in here a minute ago while I was resting and mumbled something before you passed out on the edge of the bed." Loki pressed a hand to Thor's forehead, "Are you alright now? Does your head hurt still?" Loki questioned, moving his hand back to his side.

[The Wolverine]

Thor swatted Loki's hand away gently. "I'm fine , brother. And stop fretting," he said. "It's quite unbecoming of you." He stood up cautiously and nodded to himself. "See? I'm fine. It must have been your potion that had me pass out. Was that one of the side effects?"

[Greed]

Loki put his hands in his pockets and nodded a little bit. He smirked at what Thor said, however. He had no doubt it was unbecoming. He wasn't one to fret like a mother hen very often to begin with. Loki eyed his brother cautiously as he got to his feet. "Well, yes, but an hour later? That's not likely. Unless..." Loki paused and looked over Thor, as if trying to determine something. Coming up empty handed, Loki continued, "The only thing I can think of that would do that to you would be if you did something that wore you out. You know, like an intense physical activity. After having a headache and taking a potion, that would do it. Did you go do something rash when you left?"

[The Wolverine]

Thor shook his head and started to pace, confused about what Loki was talking about. "No, I-I don't remember," he said hesitantly. He ran a hand over his forehead. "If I'd done something physical, you'd think I would be sweating," he muttered.

[Greed]

Loki frowned, as if concerned, and shook his head, although immediately after regretted doing so. He had a pounding headache from what he'd done, but as long as he was careful and played his cards wisely - which would be no problem for him - he had no need to worry. Loki nodded a bit at what Thor said. His brother did have a point there. Loki had had to wash his face off before attempting to wake his brother for pretty much the same reason. "Yes, I suppose that would be so," Loki said, giving a slight shrug, "But otherwise I don't know what could've caused it. It's not like a potion to work twice unless it's being continually pumped through the bloodstream, and like I said, an intense physical activity would do just that." Loki sighed, "So if that's not the case, I don't know what is. I'm sorry it happened though, brother. You seemed fine."

[The Wolverine]

"Yes, it's quite unfortunate," Thor nodded, more or less talking to himself. What could I have done to exert myself that much to pass out? He thought, stopping his pacing. Looking at his brother, he frowned slightly. "I guess this is something that must just come to eventually," he sighed, heading to the door. "If anyone asks, Loki, I'm going for a walk." Thor exited the living quarters of his brother and walked down the corridor in thought, bumping into a guard and apologising.

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