LOVE IS A DAGGER | Loki Laufeyson

03. The Variant [P1]

   Loki took his hands out of his pockets, looking down at the jacket, before turning around and catching a glimpse of the word 'VARIANT' in orange capitals on the back. He turned back around, eyes narrowed.

   "Very subtle. Well done."

   Týr smirked and leant closer to Loki, whispering in an amused tone, "Yea, that's why I stole one of Mobius' jackets instead."

   "I don't want anybody out there to forget what you are." B-15 stated.

   "Oh, your only hope of capturing a murderer?"

   "No. A cosmic mistake."

   "Oh, you're always such a delight, aren't you?" Týr said with a mocking smile.

   "That's enough." Mobius interrupted. He was well aware of what could happen when Týr's emotions got the better of him.

   "Lovely." Loki said at the same time.

   "Here's the deal. When we get out on the branch, we're not just looking for a Time Criminal, we're looking for a Loki. A variation of this guy." Mobius pointed at Loki, then projecting a small hologram displaying various Loki's. "A type we should all be very familiar with, because the TVA has pruned a lotta these guys, almost more than any other Variant."

   The hologram flipped through different Loki Variants, some seeming similar to the one standing in the room with them, others wildly different.

   "And no two are alike." Mobius continued, "Slight differences in appearances, or not so slight. Different powers, although powers generally include shape-shifting, illusion-projection, and my favourite-"

   "Duplication-casting." Loki corrected.

   "Illusion-projection."

   "You're both saying the same thing." Týr muttered, earning a small glare from Loki, which he just responded to by grinning.

   "No, they're two completely different powers, actually." Loki clarified, glancing between Týr and Mobius.

   "How?"

   "Illusion-projection involves depicting a detailed image from outside oneself, which is perceptible in the external world, whereas duplication-casting entails recreating an exact facsimile of one's own body in its present circumstance, which acts as a true holographic mirror of its molecular structure." Loki explained, turning to Týr and smirking, "But, uh, you already knew that."

   Týr just smiled.

   "Okay, take a breath. Noted." Mobius directed, taking down the hologram projection, "We're gonna break into two teams, including myself, Týr and Professor Loki."

   "Oo~ 'Professor', that's fancy." The shorter Variant teased, quietly.

   "Why?" One of the Minutemen asked.

   "Because whoever this Variant is, we haven't been able to find him."

   "So you brought in the experts." Týr finished, smiling innocently at the glare he got from B-15.

   "That's us." Loki gestured between Týr and himself.

   Mobius looked between the two, groaning at the matching smirks, "God, now there's two of em'."

-

   Loki followed Týr and Mobius into some sort of locker-room, glancing around at the Minutemen readying their weapons.

   "Do I get a weapon?" He asked.

   "Nah."

   "Well, I'll have my magic back. Is no one concerned about that?"