章節 19: Diversion
It wasn't until Loki had settled at his desk again, smiling quietly to himself, that he realized Arianna had actually called him by name for the first time earlier. Part of her attempts to keep her distance, he supposed. Still. It didn't change the fact that Arianna was completely dependent on him.
And with her now just on the other side of the wall, he had no doubts that she could pull any trickery off now. But by now he was starting to think that she wasn't the deceiver he had first imagined her to be. That was him projecting, he supposed with a chuckle. She may have a clever tongue, but her actions weren't exactly...well-thought-out.
But for now, he needed to research. This energy absorption she had...if he could figure out how it worked, isolate each function, and adjust the costs...perhaps it was something he could use. Her "skinspells" were messy, surely the lock wasn't much better. Despite its apparent complexity, he was sure that it would pale in comparison to true Asgardian seidr.
Hearing a soft peal of sound from the wall, he started a little from his thoughts. Right. She sang. He stood with a sigh, intending to tell her to quiet...but after a moment of thought - and listening - he decided it wasn't worth the effort. Perhaps later.
But his research got him nowhere. Again. By now he was sure he had read through every single related book at least twice, and it was leading him nowhere. Whatever magic this woman had, it was completely unheard of in Asgard, or any of the Nine Realms for that matter.
Loki would have to pay Arianna another visit.
This time, she didn't jump when he appeared inside, although her shoulders did stiffen slightly.
Arianna gave him a sunny smile. "Good evening, your Highness. Come for a diversion, have you?"
"A diversion?" he chuckled. 'Do you have a plan to entertain me?"
"I could, if I weren't stuck in here all day," she replied. "Although it has been a long time since I worked as a performer."
"Oh?" He raised his eyebrow. "And what kind of performer were you, exactly?"
"Not the kind you're thinking," she replied wryly. "Although, you'd be surprised how difficult it was to convey to patrons that I didn't offer that kind of side service."
"Hmmm." Loki settled into his chair. "Did that plan always succeed?"
"No." Her face was serious, but then she broke into a grin. "But I healed them the next day."
Loki broke into laughter. "I suppose it wasn't that serious, then," he chuckled. "You're lucky."
But Arianna shook her head. "I broke one's arm and knocked out the other's knee." She added with a sigh, "Healing that knee, though, that was awful."
"...Really?" Despite himself, Loki felt a grin spread across his face. "I would have just left them that way."
"They came to my tent the very next day, not knowing my actual side business was a healer," she explained. "And I never turn away someone in need. Well. Almost never."
"Oh? That doesn't sound very upright of you," he replied, but his interest was growing.
Despite her small smile, he could see the hardness in her eyes he'd seen before, in the council chamber. "Tolerating everyone on the basis of 'being good' only allows the worst kinds of people to do their work more easily." Her voice rang especially sour on the words "being good."
"Hmmm." Loki agreed, of course - more than she knew - but he was curious to see how far she went. "And yet here you've been the picture of honour."
Arianna raised her eyebrows at him. "Is that what you call it? Surely you know it's just me being clever enough not to get myself in trouble."
"You have gotten yourself in trouble," he corrected. "I'm just a forgiving man."
This time, it was Arianna's turn to laugh. "Oh, really? You expect me to believe that? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you have been flexible with our misunderstandings, but you don't strike me as the type who forgets and moves on."
Loki leaned in. "Misunderstandings? Is that really all they were?"
She sighed, exasperated. "Aren't you tired of testing me?"
"No." He felt a grin spread across his face. "You're still far too suspicious."
"Right," she replied wryly. "And it has nothing to do with how bored you are."
He just kept smiling at her. Up close, he could see that she still had dark circles under her eyes. Despite her apparent energy, she was stretched thin.
Arianna's expression turned serious. "I have a proposition for you."
Loki raised his eyebrows, leaning back. "You speak as if you're not the one in the cage."
She continued, ignoring his words. "If I teach you how my magic works, can you give me more and more degrees of freedom? I'm not asking to be released. I just...I want to go outside…" She wasn't trying to hide her desperation anymore. Or rather, it was too strong to hide. Not that she was trying to. Loki didn't respond, at first, just watching her distress. Every part of her was begging him, not just her eyes. She was hunched forward, expression pleading, looking small and powerless. And he no longer believed that was an act. Arianna was honest to a fault, rather like someone else he knew…
"Please, Loki. I have nothing else to offer. And you have nothing to lose."
"So you do remember my name," he smirked. "But do you think that using it will help you?"
"Yes," she replied seriously, and for a moment he was taken aback. She gave him a small wry smile. "Did you expect me not to admit it? Honesty is the best policy here, is it not?"
"It isn't particularly wise," Loki replied, despite himself. Shouldn't he be encouraging this?
"Maybe not to you," she replied seriously. Arianna's hazel eyes had never looked so intense. "But this is how I do things." She cracked a smile. "You may enjoy obfuscation, prince, but I do not."
"Hmm." He couldn't help but to smile in response. "Very well. I suppose I can give you something in return for your cooperation."
Her shoulders relaxed as she gave him a relieved smile. "Thank you." After a moment, she added, "I suppose I would just get in trouble if I hugged you. Oh well."
"Uhh, what?" he stammered, simultaneously cursing himself internally for sounding so undignified
Arianna just chuckled. "I express myself best through touch, so it's my first instinct," she explained. "Actually," she realized, "Don't you know that already? After that day?" She tilted her head with a small smile, but her eyes were lonely.
That warm, soft feeling was back in his chest, somehow more uncomfortable than before. It took Loki a moment to recover. "Well," he began, not as smoothly as he would have liked, "don't get used to it."
"Trust me." Arianna's gaze was serious again. "I won't."
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