[October 2012]
Packing up his things again after having settled in his apartment was heartbreaking for him. It was the first time he managed to gain some sense of independence and self-sufficiency living on Midgard. While he was content to know he’d be moving in with his friend, Sigyn, it was still hard to let this go. But he had no choice, having been sick too long and having no means to pay for his apartment. And even if he could afford it, he knew this place was not safe because Thanos had found him here.
He sighed as he folded his clothes. Too many times he could recall having to do this. Every other week or few weeks, this was a ritual for him, one reluctantly so. But maybe… maybe he wouldn’t have to do this again for a long time, he hoped. Maybe living with Sigyn will be more stable than living on his own.
At least those were false hopes he gave himself. He knew he’d never be safe. He knew he couldn’t stay in one place too long. Eventually his enemies would find him again. Something would happen again. Maybe another near-death experience or another encounter with the violet-skinned titan, Thanos.
He paused from folding clothes when he noticed a tear hit the back of his hand. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t even realize his vision had gotten blurry. He lifted his hand and wiped his tears away then chose to distance himself from the suitcase open on his bed. He walked over to the dresser and opened a drawer, looking at the various contents. Only a month he’d been there and yet there was already some signs of disorganization. He shifted some of the drawer contents, little bottles of herbs, a few of his prized daggers, some socks and belt buckles. He started pulling out the socks, one pair at a time, then noticed something that had been hiding underneath all those pairs of socks. He set the socks down on the opposite end of the drawer as he picked up what caught his eye with his free hand. It was a metal picture frame and the photo framed in it gave him a smile.
He knew that no one would understand why Loki had a photo of an old mortal female and a couple of her cats, one cradled in her arm while the other perched in her lap. Or perhaps they would think he kept such a photo for the fact that there were cats in it, since his affections toward them was no surprise.
But no.
It was the woman who was the significant aspect of this photo. His mind briefly wandered to a few months before… Some time in February this year, perhaps? He couldn’t quite recall as dates did not particularly matter to Loki. But he remembered. He remembered how bad things were for him, lying and tricking passers-by with magic, stealing from them, just to get some food. He had no one and nothing then. He saw this woman walking home with her groceries. As hungry as he was, Loki intended to take something from her, the fact that the mortal was a frail old soul meant nothing to him. He approached her from behind and snatched an item from her bag before she even noticed him. Then he said, “Ma’am, you dropped this.”
It was funny how fast his plans changed. When she turned to face him, he changed his mind about stealing her wallet. Instead he offered to help her take her groceries home. He would never understand why, why this woman was nice to him when he felt he didn’t deserve it. If she knew what he was planning to do, would she still offer him a night’s stay in her home? It was the first time he slept on a bed in this realm and it was very comfortable. Of course, perhaps even the couch would have been just as nice considering how often he slept in alleys and on park benches.
The fact remained that this was the first mortal who treated Loki with kindness. She clearly knew he was homeless, how he never could figure out. Yet, instead of simply thanking him for helping with her groceries home, she invited him to stay for tea.
How manipulative, he thought to himself as his thumb ran down the side of the picture. Despite all the drifting he’d done in the past several months, this was one thing he kept a hold of. He didn’t want to forget her face, the face of a mortal who was kind where it was not deserved.
liefullyloki 