(closed) tell me you've never loved me, tell me it was just a lie

[ikols]

who: loki and billy
what: escapades
when: llllate because NERDING OUT HAS NO CURFEW and neither does thievery
where: sanctum sanctorum
warnings: tba

[ With the sleeves of his shirt smoking and hair singed, a burn stripes down one side of Loki's face from temple to jaw as he barges into the Sanctum at ass o'clock, stripping off his coat to stamp on the blackened parts. Shit. The shadowthread will need reworking. That's going to be time-consuming. His hot vest makes a loud clatter when he dumps the too-warm scalemaille in haste, climbing the stairs as he makes his way toward a working bathroom (not the acid one). By the time he passes multiple doors and makes it to his destination, his eye is stinging and Loki drops to his knees by the sink, elbows hooked over the edge.

When he isn't so dazed he stands and peers into the mirror at the mess several would-be Hel Hounds have made of him, their breath particularly nostalgic from a bird's-eye perspective but never so close up. They weren't purebreds, of course, some moon-twisted Silent Hill remake of Thori, more like split-mouthed hyenas than anything ...

He's glad those jaws never took purchase. He would have totally shredded his coat, never mind his arm.

Making more noise than usual as he goes about washing his wound, disorientated, the godling yelps and curses without any volume control because either Sam is around visiting Stephen and will come by to help or Loki is home alone while the sorcerer is off with his squeeze on a horrendously normal date. Blood drips red onto ceramic, a sheen of blue caught in it when the electric lights shine a certain way.

Above all, Loki sincerely hopes there is some ice cream left in the unchained fridge. ]

Comments

[ikols]

I usually hang around the Perimeter Guard offices, that was where Anthony was stationed ... Jason, Angela, and Thor work there, too. Gramarye is interesting, that's where the other Laufeyson works.

[ Hm. He doesn't get out much in the city, thinking about it. ]

It's easier to head out into the jungle and entertain myself.

[wiccant]

I talked to him. The other Loki. He's a lot more prickly than you.

( a few quick steps forward, hand gripping onto loki's and pulling him back a bit so he can catch up and walk next to him instead of the few steps behind pace he was keeping. )

To the jungle?

[ikols]

He's just in that first stage of being alive where he hasn't died yet and thinks he's right all the time, don't mind that. He's not evil.

[ He slides Billy a Look. ]

I told you, I'm not taking you out there yet. Not without a team present or some sort of official mission where other eyes are keeping watch on you so that some Starship Troopers bug can't eat you.

[wiccant]

Oh man, a Loki who always thinks he's right, how am I ever going to deal with that. ( him being evil's going a bit too far--billy's met the loki before he was this loki, knows enough.

billy swings their hands between them, purses his lips. )

I'm not going to get eaten. I mean unless we somehow summon a giant bear, but. ( they're a team of two. sure, they're lacking the usual muscle of the young avengers. doesn't mean they can't handle it. ) Gramarye?

[ikols]

Sass.

[ Bugs are worse than bears, wow. Elbowing him as they walk, he shrugs and heads for Gramarye. ]

The institute for magical know-how, it's boring but we can head over there if you want to snoop.

[wiccant]

My tutor's been slacking lately. I figured I could use all the help I could get.

( shoving his elbow right back into loki, thanks. but it's with a smile on his lips. )

[ikols]

[ So rude! ]

You want to ask the other guy to tutor you, be my guest. He dates Steve Rogers, so you know he's got a few more screws loose than me ... maybe he'll turn you into a shield as a gift for his boo! Have fun.

[wiccant]

( he could counter with something about loki's relationship with tony stark but that's overly cruel and so not the point. )

I wasn't going to ask the other Loki. I can barely handle you. I don't want more than one you.

[ikols]

Good.

[ Billy is only allowed to fuss on one Loki and frankly that is The Law. ]

He knows not to overstep his bounds with you, no fear.

[ May have told his twin to BE NICER to Billy. Huff. ]

[wiccant]

( cute. he swings loki's arm between them once more, before releasing his hand to instead wrap his arm around the other's own, much as loki had earlier. )

God or not, neither of you really scare me.

( what's loki gonna do, really. )

I figured I could check on what information they have though. I don't need another Loki's help when I've got you around, do I?

[ikols]

[ Don't ask what Loki would do, they don't even know themselves. ]

No, you don't. But it really isn't interesting, so don't blame me if you die from boredom. I know where all the vending machines are in that building, at least. [ His gaze veers to the skies, with wintry clouds scudding above, then locks onto some stray drones veering woosily overhead with packages clutched in their claws.

His smile is slanted, a beast apart in comparison from the tenderness he usually directs at Billy. ]

Look at that, a lost flock. I wonder where they think they're going ...

[wiccant]

( benefits to having a god around: mostly this. loki's been overly attentive since he arrived, but billy can't say he minds it at all; it's nice to have a loki he can call on and actually expect things out of. )

I wanted to go to the jungle, but you said it was off limits, so-- ( ah. his head tilts up to follow the of the other's gaze, watching the drones overhead. loki's expression speaks for itself, but he still opens his mouth to ask anyway: )

Want to follow them?

[ikols]

I want to catch them.

[ Like a fox eyeing up some nice fat hens, ripe for the plucking. ]

Drones have been delivering things to odd places lately, one brought me a teapot. [ Which he kept ... for Stephen, if anyone asks. ] I think we should follow them, yes! They look a little wobbly, it's our duty to make sure they don't drop on anyone.

[wiccant]

I don't see why not.

( he really doubts following around some drones and seeing what they've got is going to hurt anyone. so billy disentangles his arm from loki, soft blue shimmering around him and changing the shape of his clothes until he's wearing the galaxy costume, hood drawn up over his hair. )

Stealthy? Or would they even care?

[ikols]

They may still be alarmed, aside from their faulty targeting those are likely fully-operational bots.

[ Hurting people isn't the point; it's the beneficial theft that Loki is planning on which buoys his mood. Taking his cue from Billy, a green-limned light scours his casual clothes to put him in his horned armour and he rubs his gloved hands together. ]

You want to go into the jungle, so let's consider this a training exercise. Your objective is to take one of those parcels without any of the drones screenshotting your face on their cameras. Up for it?

[wiccant]

( that sounds easy. almost too easy. he pulls the hood lower over his face, shading a good half of it under red and holds his hands out in front of him for a moment, pauses to think. )

Ground rules? Because I can just. . wish it into my hands, probably. Or go invisible and fly up there and take it. Just to make sure we're both on the same page: if it has a name on it or any indication of who it belongs to, we're bringing it to it's rightful owner.

( swiping someone else's stuff isn't very heroic. )

[ikols]

I'll protect them from you and your wishing, no fear.

[ As his hands raise to the sky, he casts a spell to negate any outside force, other than physical touch, from separating the goods from their respective drones. It's quite nasty and will send magical feedback if anything of an outside sorcerous force gets involved, like an electrical shock. Enough to frizz up a pretty fringe. ]

And of course, I promise we'll totally deliver the package to its rightful owner.

[ Wow, would Loki lie to you? Don't answer that. ]

[wiccant]

( wow, rude. what if he wanted to use his magic on them? all his plans are ruined now. or they would have been. that leaves out willing the box into his arms, but that's--about all it leaves out. billy can still make himself invisible and fly up there, right? )

And the contents. ( don't get smart with him. a few whispered, repeated words of iwanttobeinvisibleiwanttobeinvisible and billy's form goes. transparent, the flickers of blue around where he stood becoming the only visible part of him to the naked eye. his hands keep that same blue spark as he takes off into the sky after the drones, stops just under one and lets the spell fade away from his hands just in case as he grips onto the package being held by the drone and.

yanks it out of it's grip. )

[ikols]

[ ... Some of the contents, sure. No one has specified which. Hah.

Loki watches from the ground, enjoying being a spectator. As the invisible witch yanks the package free, the drone spins around in the air and locks onto the heat signature of its aggressor while its lense opens, others hovering around in midair to do the same.

Laughing from the ground, Loki calls up, ]

I think they can still see you!

[wiccant]

( this is what he gets for listening to loki and trying to play thief against some drones, isn't it. they turn towards him as he yanks the package free, and there's a startled sound that passes his lips that billy can't quite stop.

he whispers low, trying not to let his voice be caught by drones but loud enough that he can hear himself as that same blue shimmers around him, teleports him just a few steps behind where loki stands, package still in hand. billy uses loki's height to hide himself as he undoes the invisibility spell, tucks the package securely under the cape.

mutters low: ) It worked just fine when I was sneaking around the Avengers!

[ikols]

Invisibility all depends upon the eyes you're evading. Tech is tricky, I always assume it will see me sooner or later, one way or another.

[ Chuckling, he ruffles Billy's hair and keeps him out of sight of the drones, looming in. ]

Shall I have a go?

[wiccant]

You just want to show off. ( now he has to fix his hair, thanks. billy combs fingers through dark strands, brushes it back over so it's not sticking up in weird places even if he can't entirely fix it like this. )

Go for it. ( billy already fulfilled his part of it. although he's not quite sure why they're stealing packages from drones with bad targeting systems, he supposes there's no harm to it as long as they return what they take. )

[ikols]

You're being taught a lesson and all you can do is complain. What a moody little thief you make! Don't look directly at me while I'm up there, okay?

[ Loki teleports into the sky, Seven-League boots glittering with green soles as he heads over the clouds toward the drones. When he hoots a Hello there! he crosses the gauntlets that Tony created, a blend of magitech, and a bright light flares up to burn the camera lenses; it's a shield, technically, but Loki only activates it to blind the drones, not buffet them. Light itself isn't barred from reaching them since they operate on it. Loopholes!

Then he trots underneath the spinning drones and, one by one, snatches their packages by hand. He reappears near Billy on the ground, showing off as predicted by juggling his prizes.

In the sky, the drones bonk against each other. ]

Ta-daaaa!

[wiccant]

I'm not a thief.

( contradicts what they're currently up to, but it's not technically stealing. it's liberating. he'd call loki out on cheating, but--this wasn't a competition to start with. and when he comes back down, billy can't help the smile that spreads across his lips. his free hand extends out, offering to take one of the packages from loki to better distribute their. . ah, loot. )

And that's so cheating. You said no spells against them, I didn't come with any gear! ( also, those poor drones. he'd try and lend them a hand except loki protected them from his magic. so instead he raises a brow, looks between the drones and loki himself. ) You're going to fix them, right?

[ikols]

I didn't use a spell, I activated one nearby and they were affected by the light. I never said you couldn't touch them with that, your hands weren't your only option.

[ Tricksy hobbitses!! He hands over a box, already picking at the corner of another as he glances at the drones. ]

One of the Starks will attend to them, I'm sure. I'm not a technician, Billy.