The Misadventures of Loki and Strange

Chapter 21

The two young adults stared up at the older man like delinquents caught by their principle and on the verge of the worst telling off of their life, not aided by Strange looking as though he were ready to snap at any given moment.

The afternoon had been long and he was ready to get this over with, though the lingering thought of still being stuck with Loki didn't make him feel much comfort in that.

"Now that I have your attention," Strange said, acting the vigilant adult and resisting the urge to add an eyeroll in with the statement, "do you agree to answering my question promptly?"

Carmen glanced to Davis, swallowing thickly before nodding and turning back to Strange, looking more resolute than the young man.

"Fine, if it'll get us out of here."

"I'm not the one who would keep you trapped here, you're lucky he's busy."

"Just ask us already so we can get the hell out of here," Davis squeaked.

Strange shot him a look that had the boy clamping his mouth closed and taking a step back, the moment lingering uncomfortably long before the sorcerer let out a long sigh.

"I need to know where you keep the body."

"Body?" Carmen grimaced in disgust.

"Yes, Alice."

"Oh, her shell."

"Her shell..." Strange repeated, sounding defeated.

"Yeah, I mean body sounds really gross so we call the vacant body the shell."

He had no reaction beyond staring blankly, his eyes flicking between the two before he let out a long sigh.

"Okay, so where do you keep her 'shell'?"

Carmen gave Davis a look over her shoulder, him looking less than pleased while she shrugged and turned back to Strange.

"In the back of the car, of course."

"So, outside?"

"Yep."

"Completely unguarded."

"Well yeah," Davis finally spoke up, stepping forward, "we're practically in the middle of nowhere and people will just think she's napping if they came across the car."

"We went back and forth for a while," Carmen picked up, putting her hands on her hips, "but we figured that a locked car with the window down would be the best place to keep anyone playing the spirit out of the way."

Strange momentarily gaped then let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I can't even begin to express how painful my brain has just become," he mumbled before gathering himself. "Okay, so we shall go to the car, retrieve her body and put her soul back inside before death gets her."

"Death? I think you're being a littl-"

"Magician!"

Carmen floundered as her sentence was cut off and then the three, in a perfect unison, turned their attention towards the stairs to watch as Loki desperately dragged a stumbling Paul down the first flight to come to a stop at the top of the main set.

"We have a problem," he said, looking between Carmen and Davis before meeting Strange's eye. "They're back."

"Already?"

"Yes, I've sealed them in the master bedroom but I doubt it'll hold them back for long and I seriously doubt that they're feeling cordial enough to comply after we ditched them in another dimension."

"Which was your idea."

"I know, but why would you listen to me?"

Strange shot him a look of pure irritation and Loki had to supress a smile of amusement, his lips pressed together tightly as he descended the stairs with Paul on his heel.

Loki had barely stepped off the last step before a crash and the splintering of wood shattered the silence coming from upstairs.

Paul launched himself towards Carmen and Davis while Loki and Strange towards the top left of the stairs, watching as a darkness started to seep into view.

"Oh, they're pissed," Loki mumbled, catching Strange off guard in a peculiar moment that almost had him laughing at the absurdity.

"What the hell is that?" Davis cried, gawping up at the seeping black mist as Paul clung onto Carmen's arm, just barely stopping him from stumbling over.

"It's Death," Strange replied in a monotone.

"Are you being dramatic?" Carmen asked.

"No, that's his thing," he said, indicating with his head towards Loki.

"Oh my god," she mumbled, her only response as she stared towards the seeping black.

Strange stepped up to Loki's side, keeping his eyes trained on the Reaper's mist as he flexed his fingers, preparing his own magic.

"I'm going to open a portal," he started, side eyeing the God for a second, "it'll take you into the field where they have their car parked, Alice is inside."

"Great," Loki nodded, taking out the device, "and I have her sealed in here, I know how to work it now so it should be a quick fix."

"Will they disappear once you've returned her?"

"Truthfully? I don't know."

Strange stared at him then sighed, turning towards the wall where to doors once were as he focused on opening up the aforementioned portal.

"I wish you have taken to your nature and lied instead."

Loki shrugged with a 'oh well' smile and then turned himself, making his way to the young adults and extending his arms, waving at them as though he were herding school children.

"Come along, through the orange swirl."

Loki instantly knew that they were ready to protest, so reached out a hand to shove Davis's shoulder to make him spin around before giving the centre of his back another push, Carmen and Paul watching and taking a hint that this strange person wasn't going to keep being ran around with their antics.

With a shared look of resignation, the three made their way towards the portal with Loki following closely behind them.

As they disappeared one by one, Loki half turned to Strange.

"Don't die," he said after a moment, "I don't wish to deal with these pests all by myself."

Then, with a twitch of a smirk at the corner of his lips, Loki stepped through and the portal closed, leaving Strange alone with everyone's maker.