Ziggy & Diane | Beautiful Girl, 2014 (x) (x)

(2x06 - The Mombasa Cartel)

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All hands on deck! (closed)

ladylxki:

“Have you ever known me to fail you?” Were her last words before Loki left earshot. Angie has known herself to fail a thousand times over, but she wouldn’t admit that out loud, especially not to Loki.

The truth was never easy, Angelina knew that, but it stung that much more when it was the truth of Loki being her only friend. Acquaintance? Companion in mutual isolation? She wasn’t really sure. And really; what did Loki know of Angelina’s isolation?

“At least I can stay on a planet with my own species, rather than escaping to another world that hates me.”

It’s a retort that comes quickly off her tongue, and maybe it’s a bit uncalled for. She always brings up Loki’s foreignness when she has no other reply. Maybe it’s rude, maybe its bite is a bit dull by now, but she doesn’t want to have to deal with the truths Loki always manages to point out. Pointing out a few sore truths of her own can’t hurt her.

She waited impatiently -as she does everything- for an answer to her questions, but she said nothing else when Loki’s only confirmation of having heard her words was a brief hum in reply. Not only was Loki saying absolutely horribly rude things and avoiding telling Angelina important facts, but she was completely ignoring Angelina’s questions as well?

“What the hell?” On the list of things Angelina needed to work on; impatience, self-isolation, and frustration were at the top. She narrowed her eyes at her annoying companion, unwilling to say more when her words were clearly not being listened to. Now that she looked, Loki’s complexion did look a bit off; she had never seen Loki be ill, but there’s a first time for everything.

She was distracted again by the further sealing of the glass. It still looked untrustworthy, but with her mutation there to hold it together she didn’t think it would break. Loki’s presence did have its perks; her ability to seal glass together being one of them. Angie would leave ‘friendship’ out of that list for now.

The platform dipped in the air a little when Loki stepped on it, as the alien was much heavier than Angie had expected. She considered remarking on it, but decided that their presently strenuous relationship should not be stretched beyond its limits. In an effort to be civil -she was still aware of Loki’s oddly distant behavior and sickly complexion- all she said was a quiet “Sorry.” as she readjusted the platform to hold better.

She let a short breath out of her nose in lieu of laughing outright at Loki’s statement. Would Loki even be able to “end” her after such a fall? Her wandering mind remembered watching the footage of the fight in New York, how Loki and the Avengers seemed to be a gods among mortals. Loki might not be bluffing after all, Angie decided. With that she began to raise the platform up, slowly at first and then faster as her confidence grew.

Scottie Thompson in The Blacklist

Season 2

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NCIS S13-8 “Saviors”

I Believe You Liar (closed)

ladylxki

Barely fifteen minutes have passed, but Angelina is already bored out of her mind. She tried laughing with Rori and Baldr, but it is too hard for three to converse side-by-side at a banquet table, and she grew impatient with the effort. By the time a solid form actually fills the vacant seat next to her she is so grateful for another person to talk to that she doesn’t even mind that it is someone to whom she has never before spoken an informal word. 

The first dish is brought out just as Angelina works up the courage to turn an say something to Princess Loki, but the slightest curl of the princess’ lips makes her pause and turn back to her own plate. It is then that she remembers Thor’s words that her sister often quotes. “She doesn’t try to be a lady, and she doesn’t try to be a warrior either,” Lex says whenever the princess is mentioned. “She doesn’t try to be anything, just sits in the library all day reading her books.” 

So rather than attemting conversation with the broody and unpleasant princess (who appears to be smiling quite placidly, in her nest of blue cloth, ribbons, and the hairstyle that is only familiar to Angelina on her mother) Angelina lifts her spoon to her food. It’s a vegetable dish, one of her favorite Asgardian meals, but she has no appetite for it, and after another five minutes of pushing her turnips around the bowl, she can’t stand it anymore. She pastes on her brightest smile and -without any sort of mental preparation- turns to face Loki. 

“Greetings!” She says, “I am Angelina, of Alfheim.” 

Potatoes

     { Truly, the mortal is too stupid for her own good.

          The goddess might have pitied her, were she            anyone but herself, but alas, all she feels now            is a strong sense of disdain, who does this fool            of a mortal think she is? }

               ”Perhaps you should focus less time                 on thinking then, seeing as it is hardly                 a talent of yours.”

     { Her left hand is directed at the ground before          Angelina, glowing faintly in preparation of the          upcoming summoning ritual. It is as if her hand          is casting a shadow, growing larger and larger          until it begins to take the form of the stack of          wooden logs that was located behind the forest          cottage only moments ago, along with an axe. } 

             ”I’ve told you what it is that I expect               of you. The sooner you finish the               task, the sooner I will return you to               your own place of dwelling.”

She should have known, she realizes, that Loki is not one to give in so easily. She should have known that this would not have worked out in her favor. She should have known, but she didn't, and now she is paying the price for it. 

"You know what? Why don't you just stop talking, then, I'm sure everything would be better if you just shut up." She snaps, feeling more bothered because of the fact that she thought that annoying Loki would actually get her what she wants. 

She watches the magic with wide eyes, a bolt of fear shooting up her spine as she sees the axe. There is a bit of relief when she notices the logs near to the axe, but that relief is short-lived. She does not want to chop logs for two hours. 

She can also just not do what is asked of her. Loki can hardly keep her there forever. It's not like she would force Angelina to live in the woods just because she wouldn't chop a pile of logs. Right? 

Hoping against hope that Loki is reasonable enough to realize this, Angelina shrugs and sits down against the base of a nearby tree, at the same time wondering why she can't just give up her pride and chop some wood. 

"Whatever, Loki." 

All hands on deck! (closed)

"Then do introduce them to me once we return to the present. I would love to meet them," Loki snapped back, irritation growing as her attempts to summon water continued to fail. She’d had her ability to teleport taken from her before, by greyfaces and the like, and her ability to wield any kind of magic in general, but back then the impact had not been as great as it was now. Trapped on a foreign coast in the past. If she had not been so annoyed, the irony of it all might have amused her. She also might have countered Angelina’s statement with a lie, of course she does not hate everyone, Angelina, where did you get that idea from? And a lie it would be, for did she not cease to care for anyone other than herself after her fall?

Instead, she played along, still absently attempting to summon anything. “They have everything to do with my anger. You already mentioned my hatred towards any person in general, would that not make mankind the cause of my anger as well? If only you knew how frustrating your species can be…” Rum, the bar on the 27th floor of Stark’s tower, nothing. A water bottle from SHIELD’s cafeteria on the fifth floor, nothing. But then, a ribbon to tie into her hair to keep it out of her face, and within seconds it was resting on her hand.

Odd.

With skilled hands she tied her hair up into a bun, immediately feeling slightly less like dying right on the spot, but the confusion remained, if not increased. Her assumption would be that someone had managed to limit her summoning rituals to non-edible items only, but that should not be possible. It would be something to worry about later though, because her annoying mortal companion finally proved to be more useful than Loki had initially thought.

"That depends on your ability to hold it still." But she turned her gaze towards the glass anyway, eyes losing focus as she tried to recall the exact workings of the spell. When that failed, she attempted to summon the book which, to her great surprise, found its way towards her hands within seconds. "Brotinn gler… Innsigla saman…" As soon as she found the correct page, her muttering could no longer be considered old Norse, accent thickening as she proceeded to read the ancient runes out loud, left hand moving and fingers flexing in order to properly direct the spell towards the strange glass platform.

Less than a minute later, she stopped talking, eyes focusing on the glass platform to see if her good work had paid off. Not quite unlike the previous time, she found herself somewhat disappointed. One could clearly see that the hovering object had not originally been intended to be used as a very primitive transportation unit. Some shards had blended together quite well, but others, not as much. The pieces of sea glass in particular had barely allowed themselves to be melted into anything other than similar pieces of sea glass. But for now, it would have to suffice.

"Will this be able to hold both of us?" Loki purposefully refrained from responding to the question regarding Amora. Another mutant, would they be able to hurt Angelina Cromwell? Probably. Still, she felt little desire to admit that the same applied to the two sorceresses.

"I said 'I had plenty of better friends.' Had, as in past tense, I assumed you would understand that means that I'm no longer friends with them." Angelina spoke sharply, feeling bitter as she always felt whenever she thought of people she'd left behind because of her mutation. She wondered briefly what her old friends would think of her bizarre friendship with Loki. She was almost entirely sure that her brother Rory would enjoy trading insults with the annoying goddess, as soon as he got over the fact that his sister was friends with said goddess. The thought brought a small smile to her lips.

The smile did not last long, however, as Angelina was thoroughly pissed off. Loki -as usual- was being entirely ridiculous, and now that she had ceased the melting of sand into glass, the air of companionship she had felt from working together for once had dissipated completely. 

"How could an entire species be guilty of frustrating you?" She burst out, struggling to remember to hold the glass platform up, lest it fall back to the beach below and shatter into another million pieces. Not that it would be too hard to regather. "You've probably met less than one percent of the people on this planet, how has the other ninety-nine percent done anything to annoy you?"

She watched Loki tie her hair up and was distracted by the trivial idea that maybe she should tie back her own hair. She ultimately decided against it, however, as her hair was protecting the skin of her neck from the blistering heat of the sun. 

Pulled back to the situation at hand by Loki's bland remark, Angelina turned her attention back to the glass platform that she was still holding aloft. She shuddered when she felt the glass begin to move together. Listening to Loki's unintelligible muttering made the hair on her neck stand up, not to mention that feeling something else controlling the glass that was usually hers was a feeling that she was not at all comfortable with. 

"Alright," she said when the spell seemed to be complete, "it's a little...fragile, but it'll manage." She was sure that Loki knew exactly what she meant by that. It would have been obvious, even if neither of them had powers. The glass platform just looked unstable. 

"Yes," she answered the question that was asked, which was more than Loki could say for herself. The fact that the goddess didn't even bother to reply to that question was disturbing at the worst, and downright frightening at best. She ignored it, though, resolving to ask again once they made it to the top of the cliffs. She pulled the glass platform closer to where Loki was standing and gestured for her to step on it. "Ladies first."

Why worry about money when most of the money she has is stolen anyway? The mortals ought to make it more of a challenge, the ease with which she takes their wallets almost offending to both the mortals and to her as a criminal. Perhaps, one of these days, she will find herself an occupation she actually enjoys, instead of the poorly-paying job she has now; maid in the hotel that she is currently enjoying breakfast in. When not working, her name is Catherine Northwicke, a wealthy businesswoman who stays at the Plaza during an extended business trip.

Other times, however, when she is not wearing this elegant disguise, she works as a maid called Lana Richards, cleaning the rooms of a man sitting only three tables away from her. It might seem cliche to refer to him as her target, but truth be told, that is exactly what he is. Every now and then her gaze strays to his table, ears focusing to pick up what he says. The next evening she will strike, and take her leave as well, so she ought to enjoy her last breakfast here, no?

"I believe I’d prefer the icy mint tea. Could you bring me some honey with that? As for accompaniments, which kinds of fruit do you serve?"

Fifteen more minutes. Angelina tells herself, although in truth, it will most likely be at least forty five minutes before she can leave. Usually she helps wash a few dishes after her waitressing shift is over, just to remain in the manager's good graces, and sometimes she is even asked to bring meals to individual hotel rooms because -for some reason- they are incredibly understaffed on room service employees. She doesn't mind, though, many of the lazier patrons of the hotel prefer to have their meals brought up to them, and none of them are short on money. The tips are always worth it. She'll be doing the same thing later this evening, to get in as many hours work as she can before she takes a three day holiday, something that Angelina has been looking forward to for months. 

Fifteen more minutes. She does not dare sigh, but on the inside she laments the fifteen minutes she has to wait. A regular customer, Angelina reminds herself, and customers do not deserve to be kept waiting. 

"Icy mint, great," she doesn't write it down, it's in her mind with the french toast, "it depends on what's in season, but usually they're berries, probably blueberries and cherries, mostly." She doesn't actually remember which berries are in season, which is probably obvious, but at the moment she also doesn't care. Berries are berries. She has to get to the kitchen, and then back to the next table. She hopes this slightly daunting woman doesn't mind. 

     ”I’ll have the brioche French toast.          Tell me, dear, which type of tea             would you recommend?”

Even though the Palm Court is famed for it’s selection of teas, Angelina does not like to drink tea in the morning, that is what coffee is for, so she doesn’t really have much of an idea on which teas are good with which breakfast foods. The next person who wants her opinion will get a completely different answer from what she is about to tell this customer, anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. Angelina’s “favorites” change every time she is asked. Sometimes, when she is not feeling particularly helpful, she will simply apologize and pretend that she doesn’t like tea, and thus, she has no recommendations to give and she is so very sorry for the inconvenience. She has considered saying that to this woman here, who eats alone -even though no one comes to the Palm Court alone, it’s too expensive- but the way the woman carries herself is enough to tell Angelina that it is best to give her an actual answer. She must be a good server and earn her pay, so she considers the selection of teas that she has memorized and then answers as helpfully as she can.  “It depends on what type of tea you prefer. My personal favorite is the icy mint tea, but the Tie Guan Yin Imperial is almost as good.”

She hopes the woman will choose quickly, so that she can put the orders in and get on to the next table. Her shift is almost up, and she wants to go home. And while Angelina secretly prides herself that here, in a popular tourist attraction in the center of New York City, she barely thinks of glass at all, she is busy asking questions, courteous and polite; a good server. “Can I interest you in an accompaniment with your French toast? Some fresh fruit, perhaps, a Greek yogurt, or a New York bagel?”

Ævin Endar

 And that is probably the last argument she expected to hear in this context. There is no denying to any of it either. She has done everything Angelina accused her of, and in all honesty, she does not regret what she’s done. How can chaos be wrong, when it feels so good? It’s one of the arguments she justifies her desires to frighten and destroy with, along with her firm beliefs that chaos is necessary to define order. Still, the way Angelina speaks of it stings, past the point where she she could defend herself and then shrug it off.

Chaos is the essence of her being; it is what she believes she was destined for, to provide Thor and other heroes with enough obstacles on their paths to prove their worth. Every hero needs a villain to fight, so why not her? She possesses skills and abilities strong enough to counter theirs, and as to her personality, does her complete lack of care for anyone other than herself not make her perfect for the part?

Green light sparks off of her fingertips, magic crackling around them as her body already prepares for battle, to set fire to Angelina’s apartment and watch as it burns, or to blast a bolt of energy towards the walls in order to bring down the entire building, after which Loki would be the only one capable of climbing out of the debris herself. And there it is, the flaw within her, the flaw in her mind that keeps her from doing what she, the horrible villain, should be doing.

She’s infuriated, but she does not want to kill Angelina Cromwell.

     ”Then by all means find someone else capable of       understanding how it feels to struggle with powers       that others could only dream to possess. Do let me       know when, if ever, you’ve found said person.”

It almost feel wrong not to destroy anything, to do nothing to increase the impact of the insults, all but hissed at Angelina in a low voice. The goddess turns around at last, slamming the door behind her and finally releasing some of the power gathered at her hands. The moment the door closes itself, the windows in Angelina’s apartment all shatter to pieces.

She wants to tell Loki that she doesn't need anyone, because she doesn't, but when the time comes to say the words, she finds that she has no voice for them. She doesn't notice the magic that gathers around Loki's hands, because she doesn't want to look at the evidence of her failed friendship. She cannot even find it within her to watch Loki leave. She watches Loki's feet turn and walk away from her, and she is staring at the floor when the door is opened and slammed shut. The shattering of the windows surprises her so much that she gasps aloud. She has never felt glass break through someone else's power. It makes her feel even worse, and she subconsciously puts the pieces of the windows into their proper shape. But she can't seal them back together. Loki is gone, she reminds herself, because she pretends the solitude is what she needs. Loki is gone at last.

"I don't need anyone." She finally says it, now that there is no one there to hear. The silence emphasizes what the words mean to her. She truly doesn't need anyone. And when has she ever? She has spent most of her life alone, she doesn't think it's so bad if that is how she will spend the rest of it.

She will wait another hour, she decides -hopefully Loki will be long gone by then- and then she will pack her things and leave for good. She won't take much with her -a few changes of clothes, her money, her favorite glass figurines to keep in her pockets, and the bag of M&Ms that is sitting in her cupboard. She won't need much else, she has lived with less, and with less she will probably live again. She's used to it, though. It's what her life has been, and it keeps her safe, mostly. Except for the few times when people somehow saw her for what she is. Hopefully now there will be no such people, because she will make sure that there is no one who might think to save her. No one.

Potatoes

[ And for what is probably the thousandth time,          Loki finds herself wondering what could possibly          be going through Angelina’s petty mortal brain.          Initially, the girl’s grin causes Loki’s expression          to darken even further, but as she extends her          hand, she forces it back her face back into a          more neutral expression. ]

            “Such a pity.”

[ The moment her hand is taken, Loki’s lips curl           into a devious smile as her other hand reaches           for Angelina’s wrist, holding it far more tightly than           necessary. Soon enough the two are enveloped by           darkness, but when it clears they still have not           reached Angelina’s apartment, nor are they in the           forest cottage any longer. When Loki shoves the           mortal away from her, she cannot help but laugh.           No one treats her the way Angelina tried. ]

            “Tell me, Asni, did you really think               insulting me and damaging my               belongings would make me any               more willing to do what you ask?”

[ With a flick of her wrist she summons her favorite          black cloak, and walks towards a nearby tree with it.          Depending on Angelina’s degree of cooperation,          she might have to stay for hours, and while the cold          does not really bother her, she does have pretenses          to keep up. ]

For all that she doesn't trust people, Angelina is certainly not lacking in trust, especially when it comes to people whom it might be wise to distrust. She is usually skeptical when Loki offers something -either she is skeptical or she says "no" outright- but she also trusts the goddess of trickery, so it comes as a shock to her when her wrist is seized so tightly, Loki's fingers digging into her skin hard enough to hurt. She wonders if there might even be bruises there after a few minutes.

She stumbles when Loki pushes her away, trying to recover from the discomfort of teleportation at the same time. It's not the first time she's been shoved after teleporting somewhere, and it's not the first time she has fallen, either, but it is the first time that she falls onto dirt and pine needles when she is expecting the hardwood floor of her apartment. When she stands up and brushes the dirt off of her hands, Angelina is no longer grinning, and she does not like what is said to her, not one bit.

"What the fuck, Loki? No, I thought that maybe you would realize that there was no reason to keep me prisoner in your house. Where are we?"

She moves away from Loki, taking note of the dark cloak that has appeared out of nowhere. As much as she currently despises Loki, she desperately hopes that she won't be left alone in a dark forest, so she silently resigns herself to attempt to try not to annoy the alien sorceress any more than she already has. Plan=failed.

Potatoes

     [ Slowly, Loki’s expression becomes more and more murderous. She should kill Angelina, the darker part of her mind insists. She’s killed for less, so surely she cannot leave this insolent mortal alive, no? It would be easy, she could even do it blindfolded with her hands bound, if she wanted to. So what’s stopping her? ]

          “You do not even regret it, do you?”

     [ She carefully puts the book onto a different stack, to be returned to where it belongs later. Perhaps she will purchase bookshelves to put them onto, just in case she ever brings a mortal to her house again. Because no matter how much she hates Angelina sometimes, most of her doesn’t want to kill the woman, and she justifies that by insisting to herself that if she kills Angelina, she would need to find someone else to annoy, and that it would be a complete waste of her time, considering the fact that she already knows exactly how to irritate Angelina Cromwell, and the fact that it would take quite some time to learn the annoyances of another mortal. She doesn’t like Angelina. They aren’t friends. She only spends time with the girl because there’s no one else for her to bother. Or at least that’s what she tries to tell herself, the one person whom she can never convince with her lies. ]

          “Well, then do take my hand, if you so desperately            want to leave. I care not.”

She almost reconsiders her actions when Loki's gaze darkens so much so that the sorceress actually looks frightening. But 'almost' is such a weak word, and Angelina still has hope that making Loki angry will get her to bring the mutant home. So she grins at Loki, instead of looking away because of the intimidation she feels in the face of the alien's anger.

"Not one bit."

And finally -finally!- her work at being annoying has paid off. She didn't try very hard, and she certainly isn't experienced in trying to be annoying, but apparently she doesn't have to try very hard...only in Loki's company will Angelina ever consider that a good thing. Her grin widens, and she takes the sorceress' hand.

"Took you long enough. Did you really have to try to make me do chores if you don't care whether or not I stay?"

Ævin Endar

       ”Then why else would you flee without telling        me where you’re going? It may have escaped        your notice but I am not stupid.”

[ In a way it’s just like that one time on Asgard, when     Odin told her what she was, to which Loki responded     by screaming and yelling and insulting and accusing     without paying any attention to whether or not the     other was listening, let alone to their feelings, until     it was too late. Of course, Angelina shan’t collapse     and fall into the Odinsleep, but even if she would, Loki     would not notice until it had already happened. ]

       ”Oh, of course, you just want to hide away         and waste the rest of your pointless existence         by sulking and wallowing in self pity because oh, what a sad creature you are, with the         entire universe against you. Has it ever         occurred to you that it might be entirely your         own fault? I bet you would not even have any         friends even if you were not a mutant.”

[ She should not have said that. Hours, days or perhaps     even weeks from now, she will regret the harsh words     that spill from her mouth like water, after she’s calmed     from the anger and sorrow and betrayal that followed     Angelina’s plans and accusations. ]

       ”And why would you even think that!? I could march          into SHIELD’s headquarters this instant and tell          them exactly who you are and what you are.          I could have them standing here within minutes          to chain you and have you dragged into their          cells but I haven’t, and do you know why?          YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE MY FRIEND.”

She's not looking at Loki, stubbornly keeping her face pressed to her knees. She doesn't want to listen to what's being said, but she knows she should. If she didn't it would mean that she's running away from her problems one more time, and that's all she does. She only ever runs away.

Loki is speaking truth, anyway, and Angelina knows it. When has the sorceress ever really lied to her? Loki is right, and Angie is wrong, and it has always been that way. When they were in that alley, all those months ago, what did Angelina do but run and close her eyes and wish she were someone else? Loki was the one who used nothing but her own abilities to get rid of the men and do something good. Angelina doesn't want to hear it, but Loki is right. 

She hates it. She hates her circumstances, she hates her mutation, she hates her tendency to hide, she hates her life. 

"Sure!" She explodes, glaring at Loki from the floor. "Sure, you haven't told SHIELD where I am, but you might as well have put a huge sign directing everyone to me saying 'DANGEROUS PERSON LIVES HERE.' You destroyed the market I go to, you steal zoo animals and bring them to my apartment, and you destroyed all of the windows at the hotel where I work! So sorry that I think that having you around is a little dangerous for me! Sorry that I didn't fit your friendship mold because I'm not someone who likes to break the law for fun! And I'm sorry that I'm unhappy and I don't have magic to fix everything for me! And I thought you were going to leave. Go away."