A Gods Favor

An Event

Two weeks. Two absolutely terrible, miserable, hopeless weeks passed on Sakaar and every day Elora questioned how much longer she could take. The worst days were when she was subjected to the circus the Grandmaster put on to indulge his fancies. People followed him around like sycophants, laughing and praising his greatness but from the looks they passed between them when he and his henchmen weren't looking she knew it was all an act. Each action a calculated move to remain in the tyrant's good graces. And no one was better at it than Loki. A fact that only made her confinement on the planet even worse as the Grandmaster grew fonder of the trickster and sought out his, and therefore hers since Loki rarely let her out of his sight when she was forced to leave their room, company.

Her nights were not exactly better but at least then she could have solace. Curled up on the small sofa, face buried in a pillow, she was able to let out silent tears of anger and worry for her friends. Loki had insisted she take the overly large bed but she'd refused on the grounds he'd never known anything less than grand to sleep in and she, in her many years of travel and on battlefields had grown used to smaller cots. In reality the vast emptiness of the bed only reminded her of how alone she felt.

-

It took all of Loki's control not to tap his foot anxiously in the Grandmaster's presence. He'd been summoned early that morning to join the leader on the commodore for a very exclusive soiree. While he'd been ecstatic to gain access to the ship, and the ability to steal the codes to the ship bay, he did not enjoy leaving Elora alone and it was getting harder and harder to keep her with him. At this point he could barely convince her to rise and eat once a day. When she'd finally snapped out of the strange trance he'd found her in in the bath she'd explained that she'd been trying to reach Yrsa but that her mind felt like it had been being tossed about like a ship in a storm. After that she'd raged and cried as he held her until she fell asleep. He'd thought it may have been a turning point, that them being stuck together, the only familiar thing to each other on a strange world, would open her up to him. But the next morning he'd found her curled up on the sofa and she barely spoke to anyone unless they were in public. It had only gotten worse as the weeks went by. She had no hope left in her eyes and even though he'd been building a plan to get them out of here since the moment she'd arrived on Sakaar he couldn't bring himself to tell her until he was sure it would work. He didn't want to fail her.

"Lokiiiii," the Grandmaster sidled up to him with a weaselly smile and two drinks in hand. "So lovely of you to join us today."

"Of course, Grandmaster. It's an honor to be included in such an exclusive group.

"Yes, yes, it's always such a pleasure when you're around and uh." The Grandmaster made a show of scanning the room and Loki had to bite his tongue to keep his face from sneering at what he knew was coming next. "Where is that darling little paramour of yours?"

Elora did not enjoy leaving their room and frankly Loki was happier for it. While he would prefer to keep an eye on her whenever possible he liked knowing she was tucked away and out of sight of the Grandmasters guests that had begun to show an interest in the dark-haired mystery. Even the Grandmaster himself had started to question why she didn't come around more and that made Loki very cautious. The faster he could steal a ship and get them out of here the better.

He put on a placating smile. "Unwell, I'm afraid."

The Grandmaster tisked. "You know for a healer she seems to be under the weather an awful lot."

Loki's head ticked to the side. "Unfortunately, her many gifts can sometimes be a curse as well. She just needs a bit more time to acclimate to the energies of Sakaar."

"You know what I think would do her a load of good?" The Grandmaster's eyes went alight with excitement and Loki knew he wouldn't like what was coming next. "Letting loose! Every time I see her she's wound so tight. And you know what I'm having a little something in my quarters tomorrow night," he held a hand to his mouth and leaned in as if telling a secret though he did not lower his voice. "Have to keep the people entertained since we haven't had a contender to go up against my champion. Bring her along, have a few drinks, laugh, talk, partake in the mingling."

The Grandmaster winked at the last part and Loki felt his blood boil. "I'll be sure to mention it and see if she feels up to joining."

The Grandmaster smiled saccharinely. "It's not a request," the man began to back away and rejoin the other revelers. "I'll have some outfits sent over to you guys, it's a real fancy event."