When Darkness Falls - LOKI - Book One (Editing)

16. Monster ✓

     It was nearing midnight, but Athelia wasn't surprised to see Loki still awake - propped up by a pillow on his bed as his tired eyes scanned the pages of yet another Midgardian book. She wasn't sure if he had noticed her arrival, but she didn't seem to care either. She sat there in the darkened corner across the hall with the bottle of his spirits in her hand and the thought of breaking through to him on her mind. 

     Athelia knew it wasn't a perfect plan, but if the brennivin proved to do anything but give her the hiccups, it seemed to clear her mind and allow her to think about things in a way her fervent mind typically wouldn't - leaving her to realize that she would never get through to Loki by just demanding that he tell her what she wanted to know, or by forcing herself into his mind.

         She had to let him invite her in, and the only way that was going to happen was if she proved to be more than just someone who threatened to rip his throat out every single time they spoke to one another. And to start, she stood up and closed her eyes, only opening them when she was staring at him from within the walls of his cell. 

     "Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He asked her, not bothering to look up. 

      Athelia only shrugged and took a seat at his desk. "What are you reading?" She asked him, unable to decipher the scripted title penned across the cover. "Another Midgardian adventure?" 

       "Not quite," he said, slowly licking his finger before flipping the page. "You might like this one, though." Her eyes widened with intrigue. "It's about two young lovers who kill themselves simply because their families won't let them be together."

      Athelia's nose wrinkled at the thought of it. "Sounds more like a horror story." 

      "Precisely why I thought you would enjoy it." His thin lips slowly curled up on one side, and after realizing she wasn't going anywhere, he placed a slip of paper between the pages and set it on the night side. "So," he said, clapping his hands together as he sat up. "To what do I owe the pleasure." 

      She hadn't thought this part through. Quite honestly, she had half expected to have a dagger held to her throat by now, so instead of responding, she set the half-empty bottle of brennivin on his desk and smiled as another hiccup squeaked out of her. 

       Loki could do nothing but smirk at her. "You found the key?" 

     "No thanks to you," she said, twisting the cap off and extending her arm out, offering it to him. She had been done with it for a while now, as the effects only lasted a matter of minutes, and the short-lived freedom from her mind just wasn't worth the singing of her esophagus. "I figure it would do you more good than me."

     Loki stood from the bed and crossed the room, stopping short in front of her and taking the bottle from the desk. He held it to his nose and inhaled deeply, a memory playing on the corners of his lips. "I'm surprised you're still standing." 

      Athelia leaned back in his chair and watched as he screwed the cap back on. "Sadly, it didn't have the effect I had hoped it would," she said, disappointment apparent in her voice. "I suppose I am damned to a sober existence on this planet." 

       "Pity," he muttered, setting it back down. "However, will you survive such a privileged life?"

        Her head tilted, and she watched as he made his way back towards his bed, and an airy bit of laughter filled the room as he grabbed his book and returned to the position she had found him in. She watched him as he continued to ignore her presence. She waited, knowing he couldn't ignore her for much longer, and a smile grew as she noticed his green eyes scanning the same passage over and over again.