A Matter of Heart

Intrigued hadn't exactly been the word Loki would have used to describe his response in his idiot brother's report on the Infinity Stones. With one all the way out here, far outside the Nine Realms, and therefore, his immediate reach via some secret pathway or other, annoyed would have ben the more appropriate term. Not that he'd let it show on Odin's face, though.

This would take planning. A lot of planning. Well, not so much planning as finding the right opportunity. If he could do this right, he'd have more than one Stone to present to his employer when the time came. But if he did it wrong, if he miscalculated even one detail... Loki shuddered to think what the Titan would do to him. The Other's threat still crept up on the back of his mind from time to time, sending cold shivers down his spine. He had to do this, if only to protect his own skin, as he was rather attatched to it.

The thought had formed the instant his brother had told him about the Orb and it's location. Two Stones when he'd only been contracted to retrieve one might ease Thanos's anger at him for his failure and Loki might walk away with his life. It was foolproof. There was just the matter of the Stone's current keepers. Getting there was no problem, it was the rest of the plan that had him concerned. None of the Einherjar could suspect a thing or he'd be detained. So when enough of them were in the Hall that he felt confident they could handle it, he put the plan into action.

Faking the Odinsleep was easy enough, as he'd seen it enough times growing up, as was allowing the Einherjar to have him brought to Odin's bedchamber. Once he was left alone, he shifted his disguise to one of them, left through the window and slipped to the treasure room where the Tessaract was kept. This was a risky part of the plan, but if he had to get anyone out of his way, it was untraceable. It might lose him the Cube in the process, but hopefully it wouldn't. He relieved the guard on duty and snuck in, carefully retrieving the Cube. Shielding himself from Heimdall's gaze, he made his way to the closest secret passage to Vanaheim, disguising himself as a vagabond trader seeking passage to the Xandarian marketplace.

Once there, it was just a matter of finding someone who could give him the information he needed. He didn't have to wait long, as he'd been in the marketplace not five minutes when he saw a small furry being. Thor had mentioned someone of the creature's description as his contact. What luck. Loki kept his distance as he followed him, still in his trader disguise, the Tessaract tucked safely in a patched bag hanging from his shoulder.

Loki knew the only way the plan would work was if he allowed himself to be seen. He'd have preferred to do this away from a lot of witnesses, but on this planet, that wouldn't be likely. He figured looking as run down as he did would be more than enough to get him noticed. If not, he'd have to improvise. As he passed by a fruit stand, he snagged an exotic-looking purple thing he didn't know the name of and tossed an Asgardian gold piece on the table.

"The hell is this?" the woman running the stand yelled after him as he walked away. Loki stopped and rolled his eyes. Had they never seen Asgardian money out this far?

"Money," he shot back. "Gold. You know what gold is, right?" Gods, he hated dealing with these people already.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the creature looking at him. A small smirk crossed Loki's lips before he realized his disguise had worn off. His energy must be getting too low for him to keep it up. Oh well, it worked in his favor. Unless the raccoon ran off, like it looked like he was going to do. That simply couldn't be allowed to happen. Loki was quick, but he he didn't know if he'd be able to keep up. With his energy too low to maintain even a simple disguise, he wasn't sure he wanted to test it by using any more magic. He had to find another way to keep the furball right where Loki wanted him.

"Take the gold or leave it, I don't care," he told the fruit lady, "I don't know what you take in this backwater part of the galaxy, but gold is all I carry." His eyes gleamed as he turned the fruit over in his hands before he started towards his target. He had his plan. It had been far too long since he'd put his silver tongue to work and now seemed as good a time as any.

"B...backwater!?" the lady shrieked after him, but Loki paid her no mind, dropping the fruit into the bag, making sure it was open just enough that the soft blue glow of the Cube shown out of it, glittering against his golden armor before closing the bag. Surrounded by witnesses as he was, Loki had to be extremely careful, especially with an Infinity Stone on him. An Infinity Stone he absolutely could not lose under any circumstances.

No sudden movements, nothing to arouse suspicion. He wasn't sure if anyone out this way knew about his reputation, but all the same. This had to be handled delicately. Putting on his best innocent look, Loki looked around a bit before his eyes settled once more on the raccoon.

"Hello," he said, making his voice sound as friendly as he could, hoping this worked. It had been too long since he'd lied in his own voice and a sliver of doubt crept into his mind. Maybe he was too rusty. Maybe he'd be made. Maybe this wasn't going to work. Loki shook those thoughts away and continued. "I'm afraid I'm terribly lost. I wonder if perhaps you'd be willing to help." Though he'd lost the trader-look and stood in his coat and minimal armor, he was still disheveled from the years spent holding up his disguise on Asgard and the long flight here. He desperately hoped his lack of upkeep on his appearance helped him look non-threatening.

Non-threatening was good. Ideal, even. The doubts crept back in, reminding him that the last time he'd had an 'ideal' situation, it had blown up in his face in truly spectacular fashion. It was why he was in this position in the first place.

Seeing the weapon, Loki raised his hands, showing them to be empty, though he was reasonably sure he was fast enough to get to his dagger if he had to. He really hoped it wouldn't come to that. Not here. It seemed he'd underestimated the beast. That was not a mistake he'd be repeating.

He faltered a bit at the name. Gamora.

That was a name he'd not heard in a few years, and decidedly not one he'd expected to hear now. So, she'd warned someone about him. Loki didn't have to wonder why. "Whatever she told you about me, her information is quite outdated," he lied. Sort of. While it was true that he still owed Thanos a debt, his reasons for repaying it were his own, and it was certainly not out of a sense of shared goals with the Titan.

He'd realized much too late that he'd been manipulated by Thanos and his treacherous little ally, but by the time he had, it was too late to back out. Too late to turn around, to betray him. And after the Other's threat, he wouldn't dare try. Best to just pay his debt (and then some) and be done with it until he could exact revenge for being used in such a way.

Still with his hands raised, Loki took a tentative step forward. He wasn't sure how serious the threat of the weapon was, but the dark shadows in the back of his mind suggested he was about to find out if he wasn't careful. "While it is true that she and I were...acquainted, I've broken ties with our..." he paused, as if looking for the right words, "mutual associate. I nearly died attempting to escape him." That much was as close to the truth as Loki was willing to get. This wasn't going nearly as smoothly as he'd hoped, and now the Trickster was faltering again, trying desperately to recover.

"I come bearing a gift to prove my intentions, if you require to see it before offering me aid. I have an associate who spoke to me very highly of you and that is why I seek your help instead of calling on another."

Flattery had gotten him most everywhere so far, and he had every reason to think it would do the same here. Whether it would work or not was anyone's guess.

Gods, this was hard.

It wasn't often that Loki's silver tongue failed him, but it seemed that was exactly what was happening here, and it frustrated him to no end. Was he losing his touch? Was the God of Lies becoming unable to lie convincingly? Or, perhaps, for whatever reason, the Norns were conspiring against him and his good fortune thus far was changing?

He opened his mouth to answer the raccoon, but the warning shot cut him off and what he'd wanted to say became something else, and his temper flared, forcing nearly all sense of decorum from him.

"You should watch where you're aiming that, or I'll use your hide to replace these," he snarled, lowering his hands, since that tactic clearly hadn't worked. "You should also have more respect when you speak to royalty." One hand went for his dagger, closing around the hilt behind his back, but not yet pulling the blade from its sheath, keeping the dagger concealed under his coat.

"I don't recall saying that my gift of good will was for you," he continued, forcing some calm back into his voice. "I merely offered to let you see it to prove that I speak the truth. But if you refuse to aid me in my time of need, I am sure I can handsomely pay anyone else to do so."

Loki was running out of tactics. Feigned innocence, flattery, and now the King of Asgard was reduced to offering bribes? Clearly he'd have to have a word with the Norns about his changing luck when he returned to his own realm. If his energy wasn't on the wane, he'd have had no second thoughts about flinging a disk of magical energy at the gun, purely to disarm, and kidnapping its wielder.

Though after losing his temper and issuing a threat, he'd consider himself lucky if there was any other options available to him aside from summoning what energy he had left to do exactly that. Loki would have to resort to kidnapping anyway to get what he wanted, but he would have preferred to do it without causing a scene, and the gunfire had certainly drawn more eyes and attention than Loki had counted on.

The weight of the Tessaract in the patched bag at his side gave him another option if things got any more out of hand. It would be easy for someone with his aim to just throw it... Throw it and watch a miniature bifrost take care of the problem for him. He'd already attracted enough attention as it was, enough that getting out of this with minimal witnesses wasn't an option anymore. Keeping the one hand on his dagger, he moved the other one slowly to the bag's opening, releasing the shimmering blue glow once more. He'd have to be careful handling it to avoid being transported as well. Loki didn't like the idea of letting go of his dagger hilt, but it was either that or use his remaining energy to try to glamor himself a glove and that was just a waste of magic.

Wait and see what happens he told himself. Don't want to do anything unnecessary. Potentially losing the Tessaract is a last resort measure only. The light of the Cube shining out of the bag and dancing on his armor nearly undid his resolve. Nearly.

Oh this was too easy.

Silently, Loki thanked the Norns that the trigger-happy raccoon had taken an interest in the glow. Perhaps he wouldn't have to have words with them after all, except to thank them in person. If he could find them. Though, the mention of the raccoon's companions gave him pause, as he did not know where they were at present and didn't think anyone would tell him when this confrontation was all said and done. One problem at a time, he supposed. He'd deal with the others later, especially if Gamora was involved. If he ever saw her face again, it would be too soon.

Smirking, Loki released the hilt of his dagger and took hold of the bottom of the bag, holding the fabric around the Tessaract and slid the strap from his shoulder, keeping his eyes, glittering darkly with mischief, focused on his adversary. It didn't take much to inject a carefree note or two into his voice as he answered.

"This? This is the proof I spoke of." Slowly, he shifted the fabric around the cube to reveal it, being careful not to touch it directly. "The jewel of Asgard's treasure. I had thought to give it to this world's military force as a token of Asgard's good will in the hopes they would aid us in a coming crisis, but if you insist that I deal with you instead, then as you wish..." Loki shrugged as he trailed off.

Too easy. Pity it couldn't always be this way. His eyes flickered to the Cube, turning it slowly, letting the light reflect off its edges and corners, somehow enhancing the glow. Loki could feel its warmth through the fraying fabric of the bag, feel it pulse with untold energy. A similar energy to what he had felt controlling him, that had come rushing back to overpower his fear and guilt not so long ago. There was a darker shade of green in his eyes as he focused back on his target.

Gods, now that he had it out and it was glowing in his hand, calling to him for its power to be used, it was harder to resist the temptation to throw it and be done with it. And, should he lose it, Asgard would recover it again and his ruse would come to an end.

It was a risk he'd have to take.

The temptation was overwhelming now. All he had to do was throw it. Throw it, wait to see if it remained behind while the raccoon was sent off to Gods knew where, and retreat until he could come up with a plan to deal with the others.

"You want it? Take it," Loki smiled wickedly as he took aim and tossed the Tessaract into an arc calculated to bring it right within the creature's reach.

All that was left was to wait.

There he went again, mentioning his companions.

It seemed to Loki like he was either dangling more victims in front of him, or threatening him somehow. There's more of us than there are of you. Given the raccoon's attitude, he supposed it was a threat. Or an attempt at one. If it was even that at all. It was entirely possible he was reading too much into it, seeing a threat where there was none.

Enough plans blow up in someone's face, it was bound to happen, he guessed. Jumping at shadows. It did give him an idea though. And the way it was looking, he'd need it. Remarkably, his opponent had knocked the Cube aside. Loki had thought for sure he'd have caught the thing and his problem would be transported through space in a nice little light show and a scorchmark on the pavement.

As the raccoon snatched a blanket from the stall, Loki's hand went for his throwing knives. In one fluid motion, three small and sharp blades cut through the air between them, lodging themselves in the support beam of the stall. It was Loki's own version of a warning shot.

"I don't think you want to do that," he told his adversary, starting toward him, one hand pulling his dagger from the sheath at his back, the light glinting off the blade as he brought it forth. "I didn't have to aim for the post, you know." His fingers flexed on the hilt of his dagger, shifting his grip as he stopped a couple of feet away. "Few more inches to the side, and you'd be a hat. Or a pair of boots. Perhaps a stole if done right."

Loki's lips twisted into a wolfish grin. The furball had brought this on himself. His voice was edged with malice when he spoke again, and his dangerous tone together with the blade in his hand spoke volumes about Loki's current mood. His patience had run its course.

He was done playing games.

"These companions you keep going on about... Perhaps when I'm through here, I'll track them down. I'm sure Gamora will make it worth my time, but the others..." he paused for effect, "well, let's just say that for someone of my skill, dealing with them won't be too much effort. If you want to keep me away from them, as you're trying so hard to do now, surely you'll do anything, won't you?"

Loki's expression remained unchanged through the creature's reply. It made no difference to him what the furball desired or didn't. He also had no intention of staying away from the others, as they stood between him and his prize.

The prize that might earn him his freedom.

Loki would die before he allowed that to be taken from him.

He'd already risked everything taking the Cube from Asgard in the first place. And if he didn't make it back to Asgard to retake his disguise, things would go very wrong, especially if the Allfather's absence from his bed was noticed. Faking the Odinsleep had seemed like a good idea at the time, as it would buy him the time necessary to complete this little quest. Or so he'd thought.

Now, with his magic at an all-time low and the persistent raccoon and his friends standing between him and the Orb, he wasn't so sure.

One eyebrow arched elegantly as his green eyes flickered toward a sudden glow of blue at the creature's foot. Well, that was an unexpected development, and not exactly an unwelcome one at that.

Perhaps he wouldn't have to resort to further violence after all.

"No matter. Being skinned and turned into an accessory is the least of your concerns right now, just as your friends are the least of mine." Loki shrugged indifferently and busied himself with retrieving his throwing knife from the ground. He'd get the others when the blast range was clear. Which would probably be fairly soon, if the increasing shimmer of the Tessaract was anything to go by. Of course, he had no idea of knowing how soon 'soon' would be.

"Oh, and before you go, good luck. Depending on where you end up, you'll need it." With those words, Loki stepped back, resheathing his dagger and the knife behind his back.