Beauty and the Beast

Chapter 2

She turned to it confusion. She felt something, but wasn't quite sure what it was. It didn't feel like a person, but felt roughly person sized. "Loki?" she asked him, confused.

Loki smirked. "How did you know I was here?" he asked her with actual pride in his tone. It was rare for a Midgardian to be able to sense his illusions without being able to see them, especially as incorporeal as this one was.

"You're not really here," she pointed out. It was clear whatever this was, it was Loki shaped and sounded like Loki, but wasn't Loki.

He chuckled. "Very true, it is just an illusion, but you did not answer my question, little one," he reminded her warmly.

She pondered his original question and how to explain and Loki found that he appreciated that she would have a thoughtful answer for him. "I felt something. It was vaguely person shaped. Kinda like electricity? No..." she pondered how better to explain. "More like the static of old TVs..." Loki didn't know what that was, but he understood static plenty well, having grown up with a lightning god for an adopted brother. "Since you're the only other one in the tower at the moment, it was likely you up to something," Morgan added with a shrug. "Plus, you're the Trickster god, so if anyone is going to be up to something around here, it would be you" she teased.

Loki chuckled. "Impressive," he told her simply.

She tilted her head confused. "Impressive?" she asked, wondering why that would be impressive. It was a simple deduction.

"Not many can sense my magic or an illusion. The fact that a Midgardian can is intriguing," Loki told her, even more intrigued by the little Midgardian. She just kept surprising him and he wondered what she would surprise him with next.

She nodded. "Interesting. I don't know much about magic, not real magic anyway," she admitted, though she sounded interested. "Only what I've read in stories, and I'm sure all that information is wrong." She wisely didn't trust fiction to accurately portray how magic really worked.

Loki nodded. "I am not surprised. Most Midgardians are oblivious to the existence of real magic,"

"Most midgardians," she agreed, then smirked. "And I'm sure dad is annoyed that magic is real. He's a firm believer in science. Both are real," she replied matter of factly. Of course she would believe in magic. She lived with two of the gods of Asgard, plus Wanda, and knew Doctor Strange.

They made their way down to the lobby and Morgan greeted the delivery guy. Loki stood back and watched over her carefully, looking intimidating at the guy while Morgan signed his delivery slip and took the pizzas from him. She looked toward Loki's illusion, still able to feel its static feel. "I take it you're incorporeal in this form?" she asked after the pizza guy left.

Loki inclined his head, and then realized that she couldn't see him. "That is correct," he told her, intrigued by her astute observation.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

Annoying little chit stuck her tongue out at him!

"You just want to get out of carrying the pizzas upstairs," she teased him as she made sure she had a grip on the pizzas and made her way back to the elevator. Loki spluttered indignantly that he'd wanted no such thing, but went with her back upstairs. She set the pizzas on the coffee table when they'd arrived. "Well, they're here when you're ready to get food," she told him with a smile. Then looked curious. "If you were going to accompany me anyway, why send an illusion instead of coming yourself?"

Loki didn't know what to say to that. He didn't want to tell her his secret. He didn't want her to find out that he was a monster and trapped as such.