Revelation

Loki read and re-read the article until the information registered. Thanos had been killed, an enormous relief for her, but before that, his plan had come to fruition. Immediately, her thoughts turned to Asgard. There were so few of them left after Ragnarok and the initial contact with the titan, did Asgard, as a people, still exist at all? She raked her eyes over the obituary list, relieved again not to find Thor's name, but perplexed to find her own.

'But…why? How would the humans even know what transpired?'

She turned to Sophia for answers and knew immediately she'd tripped into a sensitive subject.

"Do you have a reason Loki shouldn't be on the list?" she responded stiffly.

"Shall I recount the events of New York?"

"Shall I recount the report Thor gave to pass on to the people of Earth?" she retorted.

"By all means," Loki almost sneered.

'Brother, what did you do?'

Sophia sighed heavily. Loki could tell she'd had this argument many a time before.

"Even Thor knew his brother was a bastard for what happened in New York, but Loki did try to save us from Thanos, just like everyone else that died. He knew what Thanos wanted to do, and he gave his life trying to stop it. Not just for his own people, but for all of us."

Loki chuckled sardonically.

"I think you give him too much credit."

"Maybe, but that's what Thor told us, so that's the story, and I'm inclined to trust what he said. Loki's the God of Mischief, right? Same way Thor is the God of Thunder? Isn't it worth something that he went into a fight he knew he couldn't win? Where he knew he would die, but he fought anyway? Even in the old stories from the Prose Edda, Loki acted now and then in the interest of the greater good. Is it so unbelievable that the Loki we know might do the same?"

Loki stared at the vehicle in front of them, conflicted. Sophia continued.

"Don't misunderstand. No one has forgotten New York. But credit where credit is due."

Another tense beat of silence passed.

"What if the truth is something different?" Loki ventured. "One of which even Thor is not aware?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if Loki survived, and knew he would? His disappearance could be little more than a ruse."

"If that's the case, then it is on him, not us," Sophia said firmly. "We can only go by what we know. …Why don't we talk about something else?"

But nothing came to mind. Loki was lost in her thoughts. She couldn't understand Thor's reasoning for spinning such a tale, though it was perfectly within his nature to do so. The only good she could find in any of this was that her oath of fealty to Thanos had been negated with his death. She was no longer shackled to the beast that had rescued her from the abyss so many years before. Thanos, Thor, Asgard, the humans; Loki thumbed her temple. This was all becoming too much. She reclined her seat and attempted a nap to escape the blasted sentiment that threatened to pull tears from her eyes.

'Fool. Fool of a brother. …I hope you are well.'

Loki woke sometime later to Sophia's gentle shaking.

"Lani, we're here. Come on."

She roused slowly and unfurled from the vehicle. Sophia's was a modest one-story home, much like the others around it. Loki supposed one might call the neighborhood 'nice' judging by its well-kept state. She followed Sophia inside and took a seat at the small dining table while the other woman bustled around in another room for a time. From where Loki sat, there was nothing exceptional of note.

"Lani!"

Loki followed the voice to a hall, then into a bedroom where Sophia was smoothing a duvet over a bed. The room was furnished with a bedside table, matching bookshelves, and a desk with human technology strewn across.

"This will be your room for now. I use it as an office sometimes, so I apologize for the other furniture."

"It will serve me well. Thank you again."

Sophia nodded. "I'll pull together some resources you can use to figure out your situation. Make yourself comfortable."

Loki closed the door once Sophia left and sighed. Finally, she could have some privacy. She examined the contents of the room more closely, curious about this mortal woman. On the desk sat a dormant access terminal. Piled neatly beside it, a stack of print outs. Quick reference notes, building diagrams, a task list with hand-written comments; Sophia appeared to be well-organized in her work.

On the bookshelves sat a variety of items. Trinkets Loki did not recognize the purposes of, folders and books about technology, a small work diary, and a couple of framed still images. In one, a younger Sophia stood proudly beside a similar-looking young man who beamed with a baby in his arms. In the other, Sophia and the man sat poised with what Loki presumed were their parents.

'Foolish to leave such things lying about. It would take no time at all for someone like myself to learn all they needed to know about you, Sophia.'

Loki tutted. She returned to the desk and rooted about a bit more. In one of the draws, she found another thick binder. She flicked it open on the desk and glanced through the contents. More diagrams, but most concerning for Loki was the 'Stark Industries' emblem stamped at the top corner of each page. She tensed.

'Does Sophia work for Stark? Potentially problematic, though, if I play my part well, I have nothing to fear.'

As Loki turned to examine the rest of the room, she flicked her hand out of habit to summon a dagger to toy with. Nothing appeared. Loki froze and stared at her empty hand. She tried again. Nothing. Once more. Nothing, not even the warm tingle of magic struggling to respond.

'No… It cannot be. My magic, my seidr!'

Loki tried again. Nothing. She snapped her fingers. Nothing. She plucked one of the trinkets from the bookshelf and tried to tuck it away into a dimensional pocket. It remained in her hand.

'No!'

She put the trinket aside and stared at her hands as she attempted to change form. Not a single fiber stirred, let alone shifted.

'What? No! NO! Wait, no. Calm. Be calm. I awoke only yesterday. I've spent myself before. I but need time to recover. There is no cause for concern yet.'

Somehow, Loki knew that was not the case, but refused to believe anything else. She licked her lips nervously and quickly righted the items she'd displaced. She needed a distraction.

***

Sophia left Lani to herself for a while so she could adjust. She was odd, but not so strange as to make Sophia suspicious; yet. While she waited, Sophia compiled contact information for the local services she suspected Lani would need. The battered women's home, the missing family registry, a few other small things. By the time Lani reappeared, Sophia was confident she had enough information to find somewhere safe Lani could go.

"Ah, hello. All settled?"

"As well as I can be at present. But I fear I must be a further burden." She held a hand to her stomach. "When do you eat next?"

Sophia kicked herself and made for the kitchen.

"I am so, so sorry. It completely slipped my mind. I don't often have company, you see. Please, sit, I'll scrounge something up. Is there something you'd like?"

Lani smiled forgivingly. "Whatever you have to offer will do."

Sophia fretted through her pantry and fridge. Leftovers, cans of meat, basic pasta and sauce, nothing she thought would suit what she suspected was Lani's superior palate.

"On second thought, why don't we go out. Would that be alright?"

Lani nodded. "That would be fine, though…"

"Don't worry, my treat."

Lani beamed gratefully and Sophia felt the heat rise in her cheeks.

'She really is quite pretty.'