A Whole Bunch of Loki's

The Unloved - Part Three

"Thank you for coming."

Loki watched the man move towards the table, relishing in his hesitance and trying to keep his pleasure hidden.

"Thank you for inviting me, my prince."

"Please," he chuckled, waving a dismissive hand, "call me Loki."

"You sure that's okay?"

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't, now take a seat."

The man could tell that it wasn't a request, more of a demand from the God and so pulled out a chair and sat opposite him, trying his hardest to seem brave despite the fear that even a second of eye contact sent through him.

Loki didn't bother asking his name, he didn't feel that it was deserved for this monster to be acknowledged on such a personal level with a being of his status.

So, he let the silence linger as his fingers drummed on the arm of his comfortable chair, waiting.

"What is this about?" He finally asked, his gruff voice coming out more broken than he'd have liked.

"Simple," Loki shrugged, leaning back in his seat, "it's about your daughter."

The man's eyes finally connected with Loki's, it was then that he noticed that she shared his eye colour and he wondered if seeing them in the mirror brought back memories she wished to be rid of.

He also saw how his defenses went up instantly.

"What 'bout her?"

"Nothing negative, I can assure you," Loki smiled at him, "in fact I'd say she was one of the best workers we've had."

"As she should be, I raised her right good."

Loki stared at him and nodded slowly, trying to stop his face from contorting to express the bemusement he felt.

"Right, I'm sure you did."

The two men stared at each other for a while, the man too nervous to break the ice and Loki enjoying watching him stew in nervousness.

"Would you like a drink?"

The man flinched at his voice breaking the silence and took a long breath to compose himself, nodding slowly.

"Would be appreciated."

Loki dipped his head and summoned in a serving girl, who wheeled in a trolley with two cups of tea and a variety of cakes on top.

"I hope tea is okay, I feel it's best for meetings," Loki smiled, his eyes following the serving girl's movements as she set things down.

The man shrugged, his eyes roaming over the woman, who looked at him with a grimace and quickly turned the trolley around to leave, though not without shooting Loki an expected and pointed look as he laughed.

Loki waved his hand and smiled at her, "We shall discuss this later."

She rolled her eyes and walked out, practically stomping on the way.

"Wenches, they simply have no grace," he said, just loud enough for the girl to still catch it and grinning at the grumble that came from behind the door.

The man watched her move then turned away once the door closed, his eyebrow quirking a little as his lips pulled into a crooked smirk, though he failed to notice the green flash that came from behind the closed door just as it clicked shut.

"What did you want to say about my daughter?"

"Nothing particular, I just wished to know more about her, her family, her hobbies, her likes and dislikes."