Loki and Ingrid 23 (sorry for lack of activity-I was in a car accident and shit, TS rant IS COMING)

Green and Blue

“And where is this job?” Loki eyes her suspiciously, reaching under his sleeve.

          “Titan. Now come, brother. We have a lot of work to do.” Lydvor smirks and turns back towards her ship, “C’mon.”

          “Not so fast,” Loki grabs her, spinning her around and pointing a knife straight at her throat, “I know what you’re up to.”

          Lydvor’s arm shoots straight at Loki, pushing the knife away and her hand clenches around his throat, “I’m not having it.”

          Loki casts a spell underhand and gets his knife back, fuming, “You are to use me as bait? What does Thanos want with you anyway?”         

          Lyd backs up, panting, “I’m sorry—I need the bounty…”

          “Bounty? You were to turn me over to him? At what cost?”

          “You don’t understand,” Lyd grabs one of her guns, “I’m just going to tranquilize you now—”

          “Excuse me, Lydvor?” She whirls around towards me, shocked to hear me address her directly. “I need you to stop right there.”

          “What do you want?”

          “I need to talk to you. Alone.”

          “Are you crazy?” Loki and Lydvor say at the same time.

          “Yes. Now stop messing around. I need to talk to you.”

          “Fine,” says Lyd, tossing her pipe aside, “But I’m on a deadline.”

---

“Lyd?” I ask, leaning against the edge of the cave that is our shelter, “Do you have any idea who Thanos is?”

          “No. And I don’t care. I just wanna be paid.”

          “What for? That you would turn your own brother over—”

          “If you can’t tell, he’s not my brother, and we don’t get along.”

          “Fine. But do you want to hear what Thanos and his daughters do to their victims?”

          “Actually, it’s not on him directly. We’re going through this one chick called Aura, I think? Anyway, I gotta go.”

          “Is this why you asked Loki to come here?”

          “Nope, just got the job, it’s a last-minute decision, but you don’t understand. I need the money.”

          “What for, Lydvor?”

          “Things. Things Asgardians like you wouldn’t understand. None of your business. Why am I even talking to you?”

          “Look, I’m sorry. But if you must, I’ll go instead. I can’t let anything else happen to Loki.”

          “Dude, I have a job.”

          “Really, why do you need the money?”

          “None of your business! I’m leaving!”

          “No, wait! I’m sorry, Lydvor. But Thanos does unspeakable things to his victims. Loki and I have dealt with him before—it is a fate worse than death, a pain beyond words, and Loki will not—cannot give up the locations of the six infinity stones, which I will not disclose for your safety—but you can’t do that to him…please?”

          “I’m sorry—it’s just that I promised—”

          “Who?”      

          “I promised a girl—my best friend—it was a long time ago—that I would return for her on Sakaar—no one ever leaves that place, but I must find a way for her to escape…and I need to bribe the Grandmaster for her release?”

          “I’m sorry. You still can’t have Loki.”

          “I know—I don’t want to—It’s just—”

          “Thank you, now I’m going to send you back to your other planet of Zephenare, as soon as possible.”

          “Loki!” Lydvor is enraged, “You were spying on me?”

          “I can pay you when we return to Asgard—I am sorry about your friend.”

          “Not so fast!” I hear a voice behind us, “You aren’t going anywhere until you tell me what Aura wants.” A beautiful woman, with green skin, magenta hair, and a slim figure is approaching now, reveals herself, pointing a giant gun straight at us. “Put your hands up. Now.”

          “I am the king—”

          “Don’t care. Now talk or I’ll use this?”

          “Who are you? And how do you know Aura? Is she alive?” Asks Loki.

          “You bet she is. And that’s exactly the problem. Thanos is the least danger to me—I can go against him, since I was always the favorite.”

          “What? Are you another? Because I won’t hesitate to kill you.”         

          “It’s mutual. And yes, I am Thanos’ third daughter, unfortunately. I never had to deal with what Nebula and Nova had to deal with—when I won a fight he would—he would replace a part of them with machinery. Aura is another problem all together—Nebula isn’t so bad…and Nova…she is my baby sister, even with her deeds I would never…well anyway—”

          “When did you last see Nova?” Loki asks quietly.

          “We did all go our separate ways, for better or for worse,” replies the girl, “It has been a long time. I am Gamora, by the way.”

          “Hello, Gamora. I am Loki, God of Mischief, King of Asgard, this is Ingrid, my betrothed, and this is my sister, Lydvor.”  

          Lyd grunts and turns back.

          “You are Jotun, are you not? How did you come to be king of Asgard?”

          “It’s a long story really, but there are more pressing matters at hand.”

          “What do you need? If you know anything about Aura, I’ll need to talk to you.”

          “I was going to turn him over to Aura,” begins Lydvor, “But Ingrid talked me out of it. And besides, I need the money. It’s not what you think!”

          “Yeah sure, Frost Giant—”

          “Yeah? What race are you?”     

          “Truly, I don’t—”

          “Then don’t judge me. Asgardians are just as bad, if not worse.”

          Loki speaks now, “I beg to differ…”

          “Stop.” I watch all of them, knowing what is to happen. After a long silence, Loki begins again, “There is something I need to tell you, Gamora.”

          “Why would you need to tell me anything? I don’t know you! And I’m thinking of shooting you.”

          “And you probably will, after I bring you this news. We—Ingrid and I—had dealings with Nova once—not long ago, actually. And a year before. She was working closely with Thanos and did unspeakable things to us—”

          “I know. I know she has done wrong. But I can still bring her back.”

          “No, Gamora.”

          “What?”

          “Nova is dead. Killed by Thanos when she refused to obey him. I suppose he learned with you. I tried to save her, but—”

          “Wait, you were there? You killed her, didn’t you!” Gamora flies at Loki in a rage, getting ready to shoot her gun.

          “Stop! Please! You don’t even know me! I am truly sorry.”

          “Tell me,” whispers Gamora, sitting down on a nearby log, “Tell me everything.”

          He begins with Thor and the destroyer, his father, his first interaction with Thanos, Midgard, the stones, and finally, Svartelheim and Nova. “Nova or Aura—one of them, had the room rigged to not allow for the use of magic—probably to prevent my escape—but I was unable to conjure my magic to save her—Thanos had the metal arm rigged—it acted of its own accord to her own actions. I understood her; I was her. And I may have convinced her to resist. I am truly sorry.” Loki bows his head.

Gamora turns to me, now. “Ingrid? You were there? Is he telling the truth?”

          I nod. “He speaks the truth. I saw everything. There was nothing I could do.”

          “Then it wasn’t your fault, Loki,” says Gamora, stiffly, “I would like to go…I have to—”       

          “He destroyed the planet Nova as well,” I tell her.

          “Planet Gamora is still prospering,” she sighs, “If only I could stop Thanos—that wretched monster!” Gamora bolts up from where she is sitting and goes to a nearby tree and begins kicking it vehemently, screaming in rage.

          “You were stolen from your home?” asks Loki, suddenly approaching from behind, “Thanos is not your real father. Don’t ever believe that he is.” I want to remind Loki that Odin is his father, but I know that now is not a good time. “Do you remember your parents? Because I had it bad on both ends. Abandoned as an infant here on Jotunheim, taken by Odin and raised Asgardian, lied to my entire life, filled with false promises of kinghood. But at least I always had my mother,” he says, wistfully, “It’s my fault that she—”

          Gamora turns away from the tree without responding, and sits on the log again, her head in her hands.

          “I’m sorry,” whispers Loki, “Did I make it worse?”         

          “Of course not. And it’s not your fault about your mother. You take too much credit.”          

          “Ingrid, I am sorry I dragged you out here. Are you cold?”

          “A little, I say, pulling my furs tighter, “But there isn’t much for me on Asgard these days.”

          “You should enjoy it while you have it.”

          “What?”

          “Nevermind, Ingrid.” He goes back to the camp, sitting down in the snow and tending to the fire.

          Gamora looks up suddenly, “Aren’t you cold?”

          “No. This is my homeland. My species is used to it. Resisting cold is simply an evolutionary trait.”

          “That’s why I don’t live here. I wasn’t prepared for it. For any of this, really.”

          “I’m sorry. I just thought you should know. I have had the truth hidden from me before and it—”

          “It’s for the best that I know,” sighs Gamora, “Not that it matters anyway. But Thanos must die.”

          “I agree with you. But there’s nothing I can do about it right now. It’s really a miracle I held out as long as I did in my weakened state…I was anxious about the fate of the kingdom, and I had not been eating or sleeping well. But I refused to give into him, no matter how long…”          

          “I know. It’s tough. I’m not blaming you for anything. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Trust me, I get it.”

          “I did what he wanted though—tried to get the stones—I made a deal that no harm come to Ingrid…but he had me…he was in my head and wouldn’t let go—he lied to me about Thor, Ingrid, everyone!”  

          “Trust me, I don’t need to know how evil Thanos is, I get it.”

          “No, I am saying I did bad things on Midgard. Even before Thanos.”

          “Hey.” Gamora grabs her gun, “The galaxy’s a rough place. You wanna know how many people I’ve killed with this thing?”

          “Yes.”

          “No, you don’t. Even I have los count.”

          “Nothing on the blood on my hands.”

          “Don’t count on it. I’m still the most badass girl in the galaxy, like it or not.”

          “Ahem,” says Lydvor speaking up suddenly.

          “I would have to go with Lady Sif myself,” I add, sitting beside Gamora. “Nova was a good fighter. I’m sorry.” I reach out my hand to Gamora and she takes it, tentatively at first, then tighter. Loki begins to reach for her other hand, but Lydvor cuts in. “Not so fast, brother. This is a girl’s party.”

          “Ow!” says Gamora, fighting Lydvor’s grip, “Frost Giant!”

          “Me too!”

          “Loki, it’s not a girl’s party,” I say, reaching my other hand.

          “It absolutely is,” says Loki, shapeshifting into Lady Sif.

          “What?” Lyd drops Gamora’s hand as her mouth falls open. “That’s not how it works! You can’t just be a girl!”

          “Who’s to judge him? Or her? Or whatever?” Gamora sighs, “You know the friend I was telling you about…”

          “Okay, I wouldn’t want to concern our guests, says Loki, transforming back into himself.

          He sits back down and takes my other hand again, and I’m honestly relived it’s not illusion Sif. But I have to ask. “Do you like that, Loki? Or are you just messing around?”

          “Do I like what? Being Sif? Very enlightening.”

          “No, I mean…”

          “Being a girl? Also enlightening.”

          “No, but I mean do you like it? Beyond educational purposes?”

          “Yes, of course. Although it would be a horrible permanent state…no offense of course.”

          “None taken,” I laugh, but immediately sober up, remembering Gamora still holding onto Lydvor and I.

          “She’ll be okay,” says Loki, “Make her some tea?”

          “I don’t drink tea,” begins Gamora, “And I’m not a baby—!”

          “Alright. Sister.”

          “What what? I’m not your—or is this just like some ‘soul sister’ shit here?”

          “He wasn’t talking to you, dork,” says Lyd, angrily, “I’m his—”

          “Right, I never would have guessed? I mean you’re blue and he—”     

          “Ahem!” Lydvor takes Loki’s hand, completing the circle, as he turns a pleasing shade of royal blue.

          “Oh,” says Gamora, “Now I see it. But perhaps I shouldn’t be judging. After all, I am green.”