Variations

The Variant: Field Trips & Study Sessions

"Okay, so maybe putting a Variant in a theatre to watch the entirety of her 'future' self go through trauma after trauma is a bad idea. Lesson learned," says Mobius to Ravonna. He and Hilda have been called to a meeting in her spacious and meticulously decorated office.

"But we needed her to have all the information," Hilda insists. "If we want her help catching this Variant, then we need her to have full knowledge of her relationship with Loki on the Sacred Timeline, which she now has."

Sighing, Ravonna sits back into her chair, a hand running over her face. "You traumatized an Avenger Variant."

"Only a little?" says Mobius, though more as a question than an answer. "Listen, Ravonna, we're on top of this, okay? She's got the information now. She just needs a bit of time to process it all. Like you said, even though she's a Variant, she's an Avenger Variant. Eventually, she'll see that the greater good is at stake and that will whip her back into shape."

~~~
A crumpled piece of paper hits Loki in the side of the head.

"If you could stop throwing paper at me, that would be wonderful," says Loki from behind a desk. Sigyn sits across from him, reading a TVA manual.

Throwing another ball of paper at him without looking up from her reading, Sigyn replies with a simple, "No."

"Oh, I'm sorry, lovely adoring wife whom I sacrifice my entire life for needlessly, stop it, or I'll stab you with this pencil," threatens Loki, holding up a yellow number two pencil. Sigyn's eyes dart up to his, almost daring him to do it.

Luckily for the pencil, Mobius enters, breaking the tension. "Nice to see that I don't have to worry about the two of you running off in the sunset together," he teases. "Hilda wants to see you in her office," he says to Sigyn.

Nodding, Sigyn gets out of her chair and walks off towards Hilda's office, having already figured out the route from the library to there.

Hilda is sitting behind her desk when Sigyn enters and she closes a case file as she notices her Variant walk in. "Sigyn, hi, I wanted to ask your opinion on something."

Sigyn narrows her eyes. "Are you going to show me everyone I love dying again? Because that was a nice touch."

The agent's eyes flash with guilt. "No."

"Then I'll consider it," says Sigyn coyly. Although clearly trying to act like it, Sigyn's demeanour is different than before. Her sass, her bark, just doesn't have as much bite or venom as it did before. And her eyes, they don't light up with a mischievous glint anymore. Even her gait has lost the bounce and verve it once had. It's as if she's been mellowed out. "What's your question?"

"I wanted to ask you if you thought you were ready to come out into the field with us."

"You're asking me that? Don't I have to do everything you say?"

"Listen, I know we haven't necessarily gotten off on the right foot, but the only way I'm going to find this Variant is if we work together. Think of it as partners. And me giving you this choice is my way of saying ...I'm sorry."

Sigyn considers the woman's words for a moment. "Where is it? Oh, sorry, I mean, when is it?"

Hilda looks at Sigyn with confusion. "I just said you don't have to go if you don't want to, really it's fine if—" Hilda catches sight of the look Sigyn is giving her and changes her tune, seeing that the Variant is clearly interested. "1985. A renaissance faire in Wisconsin."

"I'm in. On one condition."

~~~~~~~~

Just as the debrief is about to end, Sigyn, wearing a white and dark green dress renaissance dress, and Hilda walk into the room. "So, what did we miss?"