Sylvie has experienced many unexpected things throughout her life. She was abducted by and escaped from the organization that dictates the flow of time when she was just a child, after all. Life hasn't exactly been predictable. Usually, these surprises don't really surprise her.
But Mobius's outburst? That surprised her.
She doesn't know him very well, all things considered. He's been nothing but a nameless, faceless figure hunting her for centuries, and only within the last week or so has she actually met him. And when she looks past the whole TVA thing, she really does like him, and she really does feel like she knows him, as much as one can know someone they only met a matter of days ago.
Clearly, she doesn't know him as well as she'd thought she did, though, because she did not see this coming. He's always so calm and collected – always so optimistic, even when driving a busted-up car through the Void at the end of time itself while trying to escape a giant man-eating cloud monster, a situation that is very hard to be optimistic about. And maybe that's the problem is that much of what she knows about him, she learned from their time in that car together. He was calm and collected then; that doesn't mean he always is.
Loki tries to follow him, but Sylvie stays put. She's not convinced she'll be even half as helpful as Loki will be in calming him down. They don't know each other well enough for that. But, to her surprise, she is exactly as helpful as Loki is – which is to say, not at all.
As Mobius walks away, Loki remains frozen, watching him go without another word. Sylvie gives him a minute or so to come back, and when he doesn't, she walks up to him, parking herself by his side just as Mobius slips out of view.
"Well," she says. "That was unexpected."
Loki sighs. "I didn't mean to..."
Sylvie pats him on the back sympathetically. "I know."
"I've never seen him like this," Loki says. "He's supposed to be the calm, level-headed one. He was supposed to be the one person I couldn't piss off. He wasn't supposed to..."
"I know," Sylvie says again. It's an odd kind of comfort to know that this surprised him, too.
Loki takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Now what do we do?"
"Not watch the fireworks, probably," Sylvie says. It's the least they can do.
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Loki asks.
Sylvie shakes her head. "If it means that much to Mobius, we can skip it tonight."
Loki gives her a small smile. "Maybe we can do it tomorrow night," he says. "We can ask Mobius in the morning."
Sylvie raises her brows, a frown on her face that she can't hide, but she doesn't say anything.
Loki furrows his brows. "What?"
"What do you mean, what?"
"What is it? You look like you're upset – and I've already upset one of my friends today; I don't want to upset the other."
Sylvie shakes her head. "It's nothing," she says, but then she says it anyway because it's going to bother her all night if she doesn't. "I just don't think it's fair that we're expected to take orders from Mobius."
Loki frowns. "They're not orders. He's just..."
"He's just pitching a fit because we wouldn't listen to him," she finishes for him. "I don't know if that's much better."
"But I don't think he's trying to give us orders," Loki says.
"I don't think he knows what he's doing," Sylvie says. "He's just so used to the TVA where he gets to dictate people's lives."
"I don't think that's true," Loki protests.
"I know you don't," Sylvie says. She didn't expect him to. He's so oblivious, he's already talking about asking him permission to see Frigga tomorrow. He's a fool – but then, that's usually one of the things she likes about him. He's a fool, but he's her favorite fool.
Loki scoffs. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"How long have you known him?" Sylvie asks.
"I don't know; time works differently in the TVA."
Sylvie rolls her eyes. "Not long," she answers for him. "You've known him probably a week – just long enough for him to save you from your unfortunate doom, bribe you into being his friend with the promise of freedom, and then run away together."
"I think you're underselling our friendship a bit," Loki remarks.
"No, I know that you're friends," Sylvie says. "I've seen you together. I know that you care about each other. But you've only known him a matter of days. I've known him – known of him – for centuries. He'd been hunting me down for centuries, and who knows how long he was working for the TVA before that? This is what he does. He's given a path for people to follow, and he expects them to follow it. You cannot expect that to change overnight."
Loki's frown only deepens. "I thought you liked Mobius."
"I do like him," Sylvie says. She doesn't know him all that well, but she really does like him. "And I believe that deep down, he is a good person, but he's also from the TVA. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. You certainly can't expect them to learn them this fast."
Loki folds his arms over his chest, lowering his head and letting out a deep sigh. Sylvie cocks an eyebrow. What is this supposed to mean? What is he thinking? What is he not saying?
Finally, Loki raises his gaze to meet hers and just says, "The garden."
Sylvie stares at him.
"I've never shown you the garden," he says. "That's what we should do tonight."
He's obviously just trying to get out of this conversation. A part of her feels she shouldn't let him. It's unfair. It sets a dangerous precedent – that they never need to talk; that they can shove these things aside and ignore them when they don't want to talk their way through them.
But the garden does sound nice, so...
She gives him a small smile. "I'd like that," she says. Just this once. He can cut their conversation short just this one time.
He gives her a small smile in return. "Come with me." He gestures for her to follow, then heads back the way they came.
Sylvie doesn't hesitate to follow him. She's never been big into gardens. She's stolen food from plenty of them, but she's never stuck around long enough in the same place to really pay them any mind beyond searching for something that looks edible. This will either be a nice change where she can learn to enjoy the view, or a very boring field trip she'll only pretend to enjoy for Loki's sake.
It's quiet as they walk, and Sylvie can't tell if it's because of their fight with Mobius, because of what she said about Mobius, or just because there's nothing to talk about. She hopes it's the last one. She definitely hopes it's not the second one. She doesn't want to be the reason he's upset.
After a minute or two of this, she decides to do something very out-of-character and very difficult for her: talk about feelings. "Mobius really likes you," she tells him. "Everything is going to be fine in the morning."
Loki forces a smile that Sylvie is not dumb enough to believe. "I know that.''
"You can apologize, he can apologize, and everything will go back to normal," she adds. "Like it never even happened."
"I know," he says again.
Sylvie frowns. "Then what are you upset about?" she asks, and she almost feels like she's whining, which is ridiculous because she doesn't whine. "Everything is going to be fine."
"I know that," Loki says yet again. "But it's not fine now."
"But it's going to be fine tomorrow," she says. "Isn't that good enough? What's the point in letting it bother you all night when you're both going to move on in the morning?"
Loki frowns, but reluctantly, he nods. "I suppose..." He sighs. "I just... I feel awful. I didn't mean to start a fight."
Sylvie sighs, too. "Loki." She rests a hand on his shoulder, gently coaxing him to stop walking.
Loki looks down at her, and she can see the sorrow in his eyes, the guilt. She hates that. None of this is his fault. He has nothing to be guilty for. Why doesn't he see that?
"Everything's going to be fine," she assures him, her voice gentle but firm. "Mobius wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over this. You already know that you'll make up in the morning, so stop worrying so much."
Loki sighs. "Alright." He nods reluctantly. "To the garden?"
Ordinarily, Sylvie wouldn't do this, but for a chance at cheering him up, she's willing to be a little cheesey. She holds out her hand, a rather dramatic movement – fit for a princess, she'd say, though she hardly considers herself one. "To the garden."
That gets a small smile out of him. He takes her hand in his, and together, they're off to the garden.
She's not sure what to expect from the garden, really. She's not sure where it is. She's not sure how big it will be. She's not sure what kind of plants it will grow. She has absolutely no concept of what she's walking into.
Which is why she finds herself stopping beneath the garden's arched doorway, looking around in awe. This isn't like a big farm or a small row of flowers. This is gorgeous. The garden is huge, extending well beyond her sights, and it is covered in dozens of different flowers, a rainbow of nature right before her eyes.
Loki chuckles beside her, and if she'd been any less captivated by the sights, she might have been embarrassed by her fascination with the flowers that surround her.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he remarks.
Sylvie opens her mouth to speak, but she doesn't know what to say. How could she possibly put into words what's going through her mind right now?
"Do you want to sit?" Loki asks her.
She just shakes her head. How could she sit when they're in a place as beautiful as this? No, she wants to explore every inch of it; take in every little sight.
She steps into the garden, and Loki follows by her side, their hands still clasped together, fingers gently intertwined. He could let go at any moment, but he doesn't. He lets her drag him around, looking at every corner of the garden that he must be all too familiar with.
"I've never seen anything like this," she breathes. A garden just for the sake of gardening? A garden this intricate just for the sake of intricacies? She can hardly fathom it.
"No?" Loki asks. "They didn't have gardens like these in apocalypses?"
Sylvie just shakes her head, looking around with wide eyes. She's truly, genuinely never seen anything like this. She doesn't even know what to say.
"Are you hungry?" Loki asks. "There's some fruit not too far from here – strawberries and the like."
Sylvie nods silently. She's not hungry, really, but the idea of eating in the midst of a garden like this? It's too good to pass up. It's not even about the food; it's about the feeling, living off the land in such a beautiful place.
So Loki leads her further into the garden, and Sylvie looks around all the while, trying to take in everything at once. She can't believe she used to live here. She can't believe her home is this beautiful.
She'd only taken Loki's hand to be cheesey and hopefully cheer him up a little. She certainly hadn't done it because she wanted to hold his hand. But when he drops her hand, it's... sad. She doesn't want to let go. And it's stupid and she knows it's stupid, but also... he was warm. Now her hand feels cold. She doesn't like that.
Loki crouches down and begins rifling through a bush, searching and searching for something edible. She stays where she is, watching him in silence. Should she offer to help? Or will she just end up overcrowding him?
Fortunately, Loki stands up after a minute, a collection of strawberries held in his hand. He holds them out to her, a soft smile on his face. "Take your pick."
Sylvie looks over the strawberries in his hand, and she carefully selects the two best-looking ones. Is it selfish? Probably. Does she care? Not really. Loki's had his whole life to eat the best-looking strawberries in the garden. He can give them up just this once.
Loki takes one of the remaining strawberries and raises it up. "Cheers."
Sylvie smiles in spite of herself. He's so ridiculous. She raises one of her own strawberries and hits it against his. "Cheers."
And with that, they both take a bite.
She feels herself melt at the taste. She has had a fair number of strawberries in her time. She's stolen a lot of food from a lot of gardens (and people grow strawberries on a shocking number of planets). But this strawberry? This strawberry might be the most amazing fruit she's ever eaten in her life.
Loki chuckles quietly and takes another bite, then tosses the top aside. Sylvie doesn't dare rush hers the way he does. She doesn't know how many strawberries are in this garden or how quickly they grow. She certainly isn't going to waste the two she has.
She savors her bite of her berry while it lasts, then takes another bite, eyes fluttering closed as she enjoys every moment of it. Is this what it's like to be royalty? She didn't know what she was missing.
Again, Loki laughs quietly, and when she opens her eyes, she finds his eyes on her, watching her with a fond smile. Her cheeks flush with embarrassment, and she lowers her gaze to the berry in her hand.
"They're good, aren't they?" Loki asks.
"Mm." She nods. "Amazing."
Loki just smiles. "Do you want to sit?"
She furrows her brows. "Sit where?" On the ground? She wouldn't exactly hate sitting on the ground. She's certainly done it before. But it feels like a strange thing to offer.
"Here." Loki gestures for her to follow him, and she doesn't hesitate to do it.
It's only a short while later that they arrive at a gorgeous fountain. It's built of stone, a delicate white coloring to it that the beautifully clear water only accentuates. Loki sits down on the edge of it, and Sylvie sits down beside him.
She eats the last little bit of her strawberry and drops the top on the ground. It feels wrong to just leave it there. She's never really cared about littering. Jumping between apocalypses the way she has for so long, it's hard to see a problem with littering in a world that will soon be gone. But this garden is so beautiful. She doesn't want to taint it with her garbage.
As though reading her mind, Loki says, "An animal will get it. They're good about only eating the scraps."
She looks up at him with her brows raised. "How do you keep the animals away from the fruit?"
"I don't know," Loki admits. "I suspect there's some sort of enchantment involved, but I've yet to hear anybody admit they're behind it."
"Could it be the Allmother?" Sylvie asks.
"If I had to point a finger at somebody, it would certainly be her," Loki says, "but she continues to deny it."
Sylvie huffs a laugh. "You've asked her?"
"Oh, many times," Loki says. "Not since I've returned, though. Perhaps her answer will be different the hundredth time she's asked the question."
Sylvie cracks a smile. He's just so... him.
Loki takes a bite out of another strawberry, then tosses the top aside. He easily could have gotten a few more little bites out of it – there was definitely some red left around the edges. But then, there's no reason to, is there? There's no reason they have to eat every single scrap of food. It's not as though they're going to run out. They're in Asgard. They're royalty. They can have anything, everything. It's all right at their fingertips.
She lets out a long breath, looking around with a soft smile as she takes it all in – the garden, the realm, the company; all of it. Everything is so new to her. It's scary, a little bit. She's not used to this. She's always had to fight for everything she had. She's never had friends. She's never had help. She's never had a community like this.
"I think I'll get used to this," she muses aloud. She takes a big bite of her strawberry, filling her mouth with as much as she can fit and tosses aside the rest. It feels wrong, throwing it away, but... it feels right, too. It's weird, but it's a nice weird; a weird she looks forward to understanding.
"Yeah?" Loki looks down at her, a smile on his own lips. "I think you will, too. It may take time, but..."
"But it will be worth it," she finishes for him. "For this." She gestures around to the beauty that surrounds them – and not just the garden; not just the stars in the sky. Everything here is so beautiful. She may not understand it, but she wants to. And one day, she will.
She looks up at him, and he looks right back down at her, that same little smile on his lips that makes her heart soar. Their faces are so close together, they're so close together, and for a moment, she feels like she's back in the Void, snuggled up beneath their tablecloth blanket while they let the rest of the world fade away.
She slowly, carefully leans against him, watching for any sign that he doesn't like this, that he wants her to stop, that what happened in the Void stays in the Void, but instead, he puts an arm around her, gently holding her against him, and she relaxes a little.
It's a little ridiculous, she'll admit, to think he'd hate this as though they weren't just snuggled up together by the lake the night before, but then, they had a reason to last night, just as they had a reason to in the Void. They could always blame it on the cold – the blanket isn't big enough for them to sit further apart, they could claim; they had to do it.
They don't have that now. They can't pretend they're doing this for convenience. They're doing it just to do it, to be near each other, and they can't hide that now.
And as she looks up at him, at his sparkling blue-green eyes shimmering in the starlight, she decides that this is exactly what she needed.