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[Lockheed frowns and folds his arms. You need a better reason to come into the X-Mansion, missy. Cause he's being the door keeper at the moment.]

Yeh do. Why are yeh here?

Edited 2014-02-16 19:05 (UTC)

It isn't wise to sneak up on a relaxing god of sorcery with a twitchy trigger finger. Permission, then, isn't so much required as a decent courtesy that keeps your skin from being flayed by accident. [Despite the comment, he is happy to see the long-absent assassin.]

I don't know that I'd use the word permission, as such.

I think I'll take my chances if only because you'll flay me whether I'm careful or not should you decide it's a good idea. [She arched an eyebrow at him before breaking into a smile.] However I'm pleased to find my skin still attached at this particular time. I will try and remember to wear a bell for future encounters.

Then what shall we call it? Courtesy? Pre-warning?

See that you do. [He said sternly but that only lasted two seconds before he too broke into a smile. It was slight, as his tended to be, but it was unmistakably present.]

Little from column A, little from column B?

[She even indulged him in a little curtsy as if she were abiding his orders and title. The smile remained even as she took a step closer.] What have you done without me around to test your patience?

Ah, well, you have earned the courtesy. And as a friend you should probably have the pre-warning. I apologise for having misjudged the situation, Coulson.

What I do every day of the week: scheme and plot. [He shrugged almost casually, a trait he undoubtedly had picked up from life on Midgard. He kept his place as she stepped forward, eying her with a bit of an amused gleam in his eye, perhaps as if waiting. For what, who could really guess.] Would you expect any different?

No, not at all. I think I'd be disappointed if that had changed in any way. It's far too much fun watching your mind at work. [As long as it was not working any kind of dangerous scheme in her direction, or making her days any longer cleaning up after him. Another step forward and she raised a hand to tuck a red curl behind her ear.] You seem taller. Or perhaps I've been around too many lesser mortals.

I suspect the latter. [He said in a sudden deadpan, his face going stoic as he said it. Height shouldn't have been an issue as he had plenty of it--but with certain knowledge came a certain... bitterness towards a particular genetic defect that he apparently had.

The god took a small breath and let it out, and in that time became composed and forcefully relaxed.] Unless, of course, you have shrunken a bit. Do mortals do that after a time? What a pity...

[Natasha blinked at the sudden change in him but what else should she have expected? She had unintentionally touched a nerve. Her tongue flicked against her bottom lip as she tried to work out whether she should continue or not with her current mission - it was nothing serious, it was strictly something for herself. In order for it to work he had to keep his good humour.] As do I. Better I keep the company of gods. Or at least one.

[Her eyebrows went up before she started to laugh quietly.] Actually, yes. With age we do tend to get shorter but I haven't reached that stage of my life. You don't need to mourn the loss of inches just yet.

What pitiful little creatures... [Loki took a step closer to Natasha and reached out a hand to lightly caress her cheek with a fingertip.] Gone in but an instant and not even very sturdy nor beautiful for an entire lifetime. It would surely break the heart... of anyone who had one.

And it would surely leave us maudilin if we were to ever dwell on such things. Those that do, well, I'm sure by now you may have seen photographs of the surgical results. I prefer not to focus on how fleeting my existence may be. [Natasha stilled as he touched her cheek before reaching out to tug on the front of his jacket.] I have missed you.

[Loki responded by giving into the slight tug.] Your absence was noticed. It has been rather less exciting around here due to it...

There's a confession I didn't expect. I apologise for the absence but it was a necessary evil. [She looked up at him as she finally closed the distance between them completely.] Do you feel like indulging me for a brief moment?

[He cocked his head to the side as a curious bird might.] Perhaps.

[Her lips pulled to the side and for a second it looked as if the Black Widow might actually be embarrassed about what she was about to ask.] Lift me up?

[His lips twisted into a somewhat wryly amused smirk. Then, without a word, he placed his hands on her hips and lifted her easily into the air. His height, he guessed as her want, and kept her there.]

[Natasha couldn't hold back the grin as he did as she asked. As she felt her feet leave the ground behind and he held her seemingly without effort. Her hands touched his wrists before shifting down to his forearms, fingers curling as she held on. She stretched forward and let her forehead rest against his.] Thank you, Loki.

[And with that she brought her legs up against her chest before rolling forward so that she was upside down. It was like she was a child and he her jungle gym.]

Everyone makes misjudgments from time to time. I won't hold it against you.

At least I admit to them. I mean, I was the one who said Stark shouldn't be part of the Avengers Initiative and look how that turned out.

[He closed his eyes as she rested against him, surprisingly content in that position, but they snapped open again as she shifted and startled him. He didn't flinch but the move was unexpected. He watched, partially fascinated and yet partially annoyed. Either way he was curious and so he left her continue.]

Stark is a... pretty abnormal case in most circumstances.

[Natasha hadn't indulged her ballerina training for some time. Few men could keep up with her. Though perhaps she needed to amend that to few mortals. She switched between the graceful moves of a ballerina to the lithe movements of a gymnast and soon she returned to the starting to position as she faced Loki again and let her forehead come back to rest against his. A hand shifted to his cheek as her fingers stroked it soothingly.] No one else understands and maybe you don't entirely, but there is a restlessness in both of us that cannot be ignored. Just like there is a yearning to be still and quiet. We are constantly at odds with ourselves. And sometimes each other. [She smirked slightly.] Yet you of all beings bring me to balance. I don't think I will ever get used to that.

Point taken. And while I stand by my psychological assessment, I will admit he is a valuable part of the team. But this - really was a bad call.

[He nods.]

So you learn from it and don't make it again. Thankfully, it didn't result in anything unfixable.

Naturally I'll assist in correcting the damage. [She finally sat down in the chair across from him.] I wasn't trying to increase your work load. I know you have different responsibilities now.

Marginally different, at least, yes. Same goal, at the root of it.

[He shifted his weight from one foot to the other in a tell that perhaps she'd hit too close to home and he was slightly uncomfortable. Other than that though, he did not show any signs of being distressed by her actions or words.

After a moment, he closed his eyes again.] Perhaps it isn't meant to ever be 'gotten used' to as such. I do not think that is for either of us.

[Not them, but the understanding, the ease or comfort of such knowledge and emotional stability. But did they really need to understand it to take advantage of it? Well, Loki certainly hoped not.]

No, probably not. [She switched from stroking his cheek to running her fingers through his hair. Letting the dark locks slide between her digits before she pressed a kiss to his brow and pulled back to analyse him once more.

She had long ago come to the same conclusion. She didn't need to understand it in order to take advantage. Explaining this to her teammates was a challenge she wasn't yet ready for.

Natasha only had to know that for her own sanity this was important. It was one of the few times she truly followed her gut without question.] I do appreciate you indulging me, Trickster.

It is simply selfishness. [And he wouldn't pretend otherwise. If there was the barest hint of honest care in his heart for this mortal it wouldn't be said aloud. It probably wasn't even known to him that he had genuine feelings of such.

Instead, he merely let her get away with things that no other could dare to hope to get away with and complained only on occasion and to a lesser degree. It wasn't an equal relationship, nor a very beneficial one... but it worked. Somehow.

And maybe it wasn't even all that bad. If one didn't look too closely.]

It's not the same without you around for guidance.

Mine or yours? [She laughed a little before tapping his wrists to signal she was ready to be set back down if that's what he wanted.] I realise my own selfishness does play a large role in this requests.

But you know you can ask the same of me. [At least to a degree. There were few things she would probably deny him but they would soon both find out if he ever crossed a line with something he asked of her. Until then she simply prodded and pressed at her own boundaries, trying to work out the limitations in what he would allow her to get away with.

As dysfuntional a union as it was, it did work and she had little to complain about.]

Hmm~. [He made the sound out of amusement at her insight. It wasn't just him taking advantage of their dysfunctional relationship as it were.

His eyes opened slowly and he examined her a bit before he eventually did move to set her back down on the ground. He didn't, however, remove his hands from where they rested on her hips.]

I do rather like taking what I want when I want it.

[She made no move away from him, nor did she try and remove his hands from her hips. She was more than willing to let let them stay there. Her own hands came to rest on his arms, lightly curling her fingers as she smiled up at him.]

I'm sure you do. I suppose that's part of the allure. Never knowing when you might want to take something. Never getting a warning.

I would say that the degree to which any of you ever really needed me personally is probably being overstated a bit.

Don't sell yourself short, Coulson. Who else was ever going to help me keep Barton in line? And we both know neither of us followed orders unless we knew you needed us to.

You got the job done. When it comes down to it, that's what matters.

And you're always going to be far too modest to accept a compliment.

Well, isn't it nice that I'm not breaking tradition, then?

Yes, I suppose it is. That way there isn't cause for two of us to feel blindsided.

Nice to have that settled, then.

Agreed. Now that I've caused you momentary panic... you can go back to business.

And here I thought it was merely an old proverb at its epitome. Keep your friends close... but instead you seem to have a genuine allure of chaos. Is that wise, my dear?