9103/To the Pain

To the Pain
Date of Scene:	07 September 2019
Location:	Sanctum Santorum - Third Floor
Synopsis:	Bucky finds a very injured Loki.
Cast of Characters:	Loki, Winter Soldier
Tinyplot:	Asgard's Requiem
Tinyplot2:	Infinity Stones

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Loki has posed:
The interior of the Sanctum has become twisted and strange. It's subtle, as if the life of the place has caved in somewhat, yet the structure still stands. Battered, although there is no physical damage. Perhaps it's the way dust lays on the bannister, or the way light seeps through some of the objects that should cast more shadow. The Sanctum is suffering.

Most all of the doors are flung open, as if a poltergeist came through and opened eveyrthing up wildly. The sanctum rooms are dark, the library almost pitch black.

The only sound comes a slow scraping from a room that used to be on the base floor, but now appears to be on the third: a solarium. A large round room, with a center globe-like pedastal, with a magical ceiling, rotating stars and planets and streaks of like pink energy blazing along it. There's an array of clutter in the room, as if it were swept up in the poltergeist attack as well.

Winter Soldier has posed:
He doesn't come here much, if he can help it. Loki gives him the creeps on so many levels, and he has a nice, warm, safe room in the Triskelion. But he does come by, now and again, feeling like a kid who's snuck into an empty church.

And now he's wandering, his dog at his side, seeking the source of that sound. Magic is beyond him, but curiosity is not. Lili the Shepherd's pressing against him, as if to reassure him, and his human hand is on the dog's ruff.

Loki has posed:
It is likely that Lili will pick up on it first-- that there's somebody inside the Solarium room of the sanctum. If she can sense injury, or trouble, that's part of it, as well: someone is in difficulty within the solarium.

Otherwise, the Sanctum is indeed like an empty church, or maybe a tomb.

Winter Soldier has posed:
She does indeed. That's part of her thing....and she manages to genuinely surprise Buck by leaving his side and ranging ahead. She paws at the door, looks imploringly at her human, then goes back to trying to nose her way in.

"I wish you could talk," he tells her, quietly. But he does approach the door, quietly, and lets them both in.

Loki has posed:
The solarium is a mess of objects. Chairs, pillars, books. It's like a lot of the rest of the sanctum collapsed into this room: or maybe a copy of the rest of the place. Magic isn't always logical.

The globe in the center of the room continues to slowly turn, with a beautiful and elegant blue light. It's otherworldy, and probably isn't earth.

Lili can find the occupant towards one side, immediate vision blocked by a flung door that's leaning against a cabinet. Beyond is something interesting: a somewhat ridiculous blob of exotic and expensive pillows (as if someone said 'CONJURE EXPENSIVE PILLOWS!' and there they were).

And a Loki. There is a Loki laying in them on his back, one arm out, the other resting on his chest, golden helmet nearby. At a distance, it may be hard to tell if he's conscious, or dead, or what.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Winter, that cold and calculating presence slumbering at the back of his brain, whispers that now is an excellent time to see if Asgardian flesh can stand up to several inches of blackened steel. But the rest of his sense bids him to actions less violent.

So Bucky creeps around the curve of the solarium, eyes darting to that shimmering globe. Then he's in range, and he kneels warily at the Asgardian's side. Lili's actually bold enough to rummage her way into the nest of pillows and nose at Loki's face, whining. "Hey," Bucky says, quietly. "Hey. You okay?"

Loki has posed:
With a growl, Loki moves the outflung hand to push the dog away from his face, and wince, drawing the limb in, with clear pain. The movement made long, slender wounds open along fingers and wrist; a weird, glowing blue-black ichor seeps from the gashes, unnaturally. It doesn't bleed like a liquid, more like a gas, but it has a scent of something unnatural and awful, like a magical pus.

Movement of the other hand shows there's some there, too. Loki rouses a little more, eyelids open to eyes having rolled skyward under them. His gaze drops down and steadies on Bucky, coming into focus quickly.

"Hmmmh," Loki grunts, as if irritated over being awakened. "Come to ask for another free Hawaiian vacation?" It's snark, but it's forced, Loki's heart isn't in it.

Winter Soldier has posed:
She comes to lie alongside Loki, protectively, tucking herself into the pillows. Like he might need her warmth. The sight of that blood...or its analogue... makes Buck grimace, teeth bared. "No," he says, simply. "Listen, you're bad hurt. What help do you need? I've got first aid stuff on my bike, but is there something in the Sanctum closer?"

He's utterly matter of fact. That he could betray the Trickster or just flee doesn't seem to have occured to him.

Loki has posed:
Loki's a little out of it. The snark was a cover, and a poor one, which just speaks to that Loki's not in great shape. "Be quiet for a moment," Loki snaps a little overly harshly. He draws his hands together in front of him, while still laying there. Heels of his hands touch together, and he brushes both palms as if he were washing his hands in an invisible faucet. The ichor floods out of both of them, causing Loki's jaw to tense, the veins in his face and neck to show very clearly.

Flecks of blue and black enter the white of Loki's eyes, and a bit of ichor, liquidy, comes from nose, as he evokes magic that, very clearly, is taking a lot of focus and tension, muscles are so tense as to shake.

Winter Soldier has posed:
A gesture to the Shepherd has her lying still, head on her paws. No disturbing the boss when he's doing magic. This isn't good at all, and instinct is screaming at him to get the hell away before an alien bursts out of Loki's chest, or something equally awful.

Yeah, someone in SHIELD wasn't thinking clearly when they decided to show Bucky that movie. He's probably the last man to be horrified into near tears by a scene everyone else knows. So he crouches silent, still kneeling at the rim of the nest of pillows.

Loki has posed:
All of the ichor suddenly floods out of Loki's wrist and fingers, from the sliced places, and collapses into a square, blue magical object. Like he's lobbing a baseball, Loki chucks it towards the globe in the room's middle; it flies across and flutters through the magical forcefield, to go into orbit around the planet there. The Tesseract is immediately a very funny square 'moon'.

"/You/ pull time and space apart," Loki says defensively, snippy. He's stopped leaking ichor; it's just blood now, from the slices and cuts. He is very clearly now just collapsed there in his pillow nest. "There's bandages in a hall closet next to the guest room," Loki gives, eyes shut.

Winter Soldier has posed:
A little Asgardian bitchery is way under his annoyance threshhold, happily. Another motion keeps Lili where she is, trying to snuggle up to the Trickster Prince, and Buck's scooting off to get the bandages. All the supplies he can find.

Then he's back, "I guess you guys are built enough like humans that the first aid I know'd be good?" he ventures. He really, really doesn't want to touch Loki...but he's game to help, anyway.

Loki has posed:
Being compared to a human is enough to rally Loki's willpower out of the nap he'd been having, to make him lifts his head and glower at Bucky some. It may be unclear why the glare is happening: could just be Loki doesn't like Bucky's uncertainty, makes him a less efficient minion. Loki's not going to be a fun patient, potentially. "It's simple, really. Pressure on wounds," he says, condescendingly.

Loki proceeds to start to force himself towards sitting up, probably on willpower alone. There's a haunting strength in his dark eyes, inhuman, maybe Asgardian. Maybe something else.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Really, who is a fun patient? Unless painkillers are involved. "Okay," he says. Being patronized doesn't seem to ruffle him, either. He's infuriatingly even-tempered, when he's not lost in fits of panicked rage. But then, he wrangled Steven Rogers on the battlefield for how long?

"Lie back," he says, brusquely. "I gotcha." He wasn't the Commandos' primary medic, but he's got enough training, enough memory, for it to kick in.

Loki has posed:
For a moment, it might appear that Loki was going to seize the bandages and do it himself.

But no: Loki's imperial, princely quality is more prominant, and he settles back with a royal arrogance, to allow Bucky to serve him. While he supervises narrowly. There's a small toss of head, to cause some dark hair to move back out of his face: as if that were important, not the bloody tears on his left cheek.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Even the metal hand is deft...and he's surprisingly gentle, as he cleans and bandages the wounds. What he does not do is any attempt at bedside manner, nor does he ask any questions. Only once he's done does he settle back on his heels, and summons Lili to him again with a flick of his human hand. She doesn't like being away from the one she's parsing as a wounded packmember, and she keeps giving Bucky searching looks, as if in search of a different cue.

The other thing he doesn't do is ask further questions - the strangeness of the blood, the Tesseract.....maybe that's Winter again, because pieces of equipment don't ask questions.

Loki has posed:
"Had you tried to harm me, it would not have ended well for you," Loki says perceptively, while laying back, with his eyes closed. It isn't so much a threat as a statement, a clarification. "I'll spare you the details." Because Loki is being kind and forgiving, seeing as Bucky did a decent job with bandages.

Loki rests where he is, though he's still somewhat propped up. He looks at Lili and mimics the flick gesture, curious. It's a perfect mimicry: that's sort of Loki's thing, and she's already wanting to comfort the injured packmember. Should she be allowed over, Loki will just brush a hand down her coat. He likes animals, there's no falsehood to it.

"What are you doing here?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
She doesn't respond immediately, but gives Buck another look for a clue. He gives it, and she comes over to cuddle up to him, again. Even licks his hand.

"Figured," says Barnes, laconic as ever. "Stopping by. Place looks like a wreck. What happened?" Now, maybe a few questions.

Loki has posed:
The lackluster agreement to Loki's statement goes over well with the injured god: he smirks a little but eases to sit back, more relaxed. And to stroke the dog's fur, then rest forearm on her. It's possibly weirdly dangerous: because Loki touching any living thing is often cause for alarm. But he doesn't do anything to the dog.

"Bring me some wine from the kitchen, and I'll tell you," Loki says, after a thoughtful pause. He'll reward the assistance.

Winter Soldier has posed:
He's always careful around Loki....especially to show as little reaction as possible. All too aware of what reactions it provokes when he flinches, even if nothing the Trickster has done remotely compares to what HYDRA did. So he doesn't try to summon Lili away...and she, all unconscious of it, just snuggles up contentedly.

Buck doesn't bridle at being made to play butler. Instead, he comes back with a bottle and glass, chosen more or less at random, settles back down kneeling comfortably on his heels.

Loki has posed:
"What, you don't want any?" Loki quips when he notices it's just the one glass. He doesn't suggest Bucky should pour it, beyond to clearly be waiting for something, and being handed an empty glass wouldn't make much sense, when he's reclined and injured as he is.

"I'm using the sanctum as a conduit," Loki begins. "It is, in fact, /perfect/ for such things, as it is designed for moderation of the magic here. It is not, however, designed to channel as much as I am demanding of it."

Winter Soldier has posed:
There's a mute shake of his head at that. He drinks with his friends, when he drinks at all. ....not that it's not almost always a waste, with his liver. He pours out a half glass full, hands it off. No pride, apparently.

"What are you doing with it?" Loki's too smart to really monologue and give things away....but he's curious enough to just ask.

Loki has posed:
Loki can appreciate a lack of pride, by appearances. "Changing the course of history," Loki says in his regal way, as if it were but a trifle. He coughs heavily, though. The cost of the trivial thing is high. He manages not to cough up any blood, and drinks the wine a little. Not much, he puts the glass aside. He feels like shit, and the wine isn't helping matters.

But maybe Loki appreciates talking a little while. Monologue isn't something he's immune to, his pride makes sure of that. "/Asgard/ rises again," Loki says, with a serene smile, eyes closing. It is, perhaps, one of the best smiles Bucky has witnessed from Loki. It wasn't bragging, or pompus, or sly. It's a shadow of someone that lost everything. He's going to go home.

Winter Soldier has posed:
That makes Buck's brow furrow, again. He's not supposed to have any sympathy for this guy....but it's almost, almost there. "You want somethin' else to eat or drink? Or help to a real bed? I can probably carry you."

Then, grudgingly, he says, "You miss it that bad, huh? I bet this place is pretty awful to you. We're small and grubby and nothing like the images I've seen."

Loki has posed:
The little window closes. Loki rolls his hand down and into Lili's furry ruff, looking at Bucky with a flatness to the gaze. There will be no carrying, the stare says, pretty clearly. The only one that gets to carry Loki is Thor, and even that can take a lot of convincing. "You may /assist/ me, but I am hardly that poorly off," Loki says.

"This place can be entertaining, but it is not .... enough."

The world just isn't /enough/ somehow.

Loki turns to pull his leg under him, and starts to push towards his feet, using one arm. Bloody spots show through the bandages on that arm, but Loki's not about to stop.

Winter Soldier has posed:
"Here," says Buck, brusquely. No respect for the body of royalty, apparently, for he's instantly in and with Loki's arm draped over his shoulder, the metal arm around his ribs - an Army style carry, meant to help a wounded man limp off the battlefield. He gives the Trickster a sidelong glance that's actually impatient. This is too reminiscent of Steve's nonsense.

Loki has posed:
Loki weighs more than he looks like he does, there's a compactness to his rail-thin physique and height. He's stronger than what is visually suggested, but the injury level means much of that just doesn't matter. He doesn't like being grabbed, but takes the pride hit: nobody is around to see him lean on a human. Except Lili, maybe.

Loki could use magic, but more magic use makes him feel like vomiting at the moment. He overdid it. Still worth it. He lets Bucky support him down the hall to his ridiculously opulent room in the master suite. It's just missing servants with palm fronds.

Winter Soldier has posed:
He's just got the one....and that one may very well resent anything to do with palm fronds. Buck's surpisingly gentle, moving with care, and resisting the temptation to just pick Loki up. Then he's setting the trickster down on the bed, gently....and god help him, even trying to take Loki's boots off.

Lili sits by the bed, looking on anxiously. And once Loki's reclined, jumps up on the bed without waiting on a command. There is, perhaps, a little schadenfreude in his expression at the thought of German Shepherd fur all over the fancy bedding.

Loki has posed:
Loki, unaware there's some desire to pick him up, doesn't comment about it. If he suspects, he's in enough pain from opening wounds from the movement to be distracted, hissing a quiet breath through locked teeth when he's transferred to the bed.

The boot removal gets an imperical sort of stare, but no resistance. Servant being a servant is entirely acceptable. Loki suppresses a grimace, and curls one hand into a hook of magical gesture, shifting his clothing out of the leather battle-garb, and into his more comfortable dark green linen version. He cleaned up his hair, too; that was necessary. It hurt to do, with the current open wounds and heavy exhaustion from the magical costs, but vanity and comfort is a big deal to Loki.

"Do you expect your favor is repaid, from doing this?" Loki asks.

Winter Soldier has posed:
He looks up from dealing with the second boot - and for an instant, there's real, cold anger there. Like Loki's finally struck him in the raw, where his pride is concerned. Nostrils flare and lips thin out, but he bites back whatever reply that sting had urged him to make, and his gaze drops back to the boot. All the reply the Loki gets in return is a gruff, "No."

Loki has posed:
"Ooh, you did not like me asking that, did you," Loki teases a little bit with an arch of brows, as if seeing some sort of reaction emotionally from Bucky was the goal. Goal completed.

"I agree, it /is/ a no," Loki answers. "But that does not mean I will not repay you, all the same," Loki says smoothly, his silver tongue coming into play. "Although some would consider it an honor to serve a god for a time." Loki shrugs just a little, settled now, lazily watching Bucky.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Dammit. And he'd been doing so well, thus far. He sets the boots aside, neatly. Old habit dies hard. "I'm not dumb enough to think you'd count it worthy as a favor," he says, back to that icy calm.

No proud snarl about how he doesn't want repayment. "You good?" he says, nodding at him, where he reclines on the opulent bedding.

Loki has posed:
Loki watches Bucky with that penetrating, knowing look that he often wears. Loki enjoys the study of people: anticipating them, getting under their skin, manipulating their actions and emotions. He gives Lili a pleasant pet, taking care of the bandage. His hands hurt, but being regal and pretending it's fine is more important.

"More that it means I won't torture you, just to improve my mood," Loki replies. So kind is Loki, really.

"I appreciate loyal help. Sit here a moment," Loki says, tone commanding.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Sit he does, without argument or demurral. Lili finally abandons Loki's side for his. First handler comes first, and she's nudging her head under his human hand. There's not much he does touch with the metal one, if he can help it.

Loki has posed:
The jade eyes of the snake of mischief himself contain magic of their own. Loki levels his gaze at Bucky, locking his eyes on the other man. There's a flare of dark pupils there. "I do all sorts of magic," Loki says, his tone a slippery, hypnotic one. "Mind magic is, perhaps, my best suite."

There's a press of magic, intent, and will, at Bucky's mind. Loki isn't hiding what he's doing. "I don't believe in /destroying/ memories or experiences. How would anyone ever learn?" Loki scoffs. "Compulsions are also so... dirty. No finesse."

There's a press of an attempt to mend some of those broken mental places, to evoke some relief---- and then Loki withdraws. He's tired, there's limits. He drops his head back and lets his eyes close.

But that was what Loki considered a reasonable gift to his new servant. A taste of what benefit Loki is capable of granting.

Winter Soldier has posed:
He yields, without resistance, in a way that should be utterly sickening to one with experience of mind magic. Like seeing a broken bone never reset properly. The blue eyes don't waver from green, but he's gone pale, sweat shining at brow and lip, and there's a tiny, airless sound from him.

Then Loki ceases, and Buck drops his head and wraps his arms around the dog. She turns as if she'd hug him back, laying her long jaw on his shoulder, as he buries his face in the fur of her neck. An oddly childish gesture, as he holds himself utterly still, barely breathing.

Loki has posed:
Loki smiles a little bit, but reclines, resting now, without any current need to pretend to be mightier than he is. Power comes in many forms.

"Stay or go, as you like," Loki says, generously. The illusion of choice: is there a choice, with the potential boon of staying so recent and apparent?