What the hell am I doing? Darcy frowned at herself as she stood cowering behind Dr. Banner and Jane.
This was the last place in the world Darcy expected to be – standing at the bottom of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s holding room, looking up once again at the God of Mischief. Truth be told, she didn’t even have to be there. But when Dr. Banner required Jane’s assistance, Darcy immediately found herself volunteering to tag along and help out – much to Jane’s surprise.
Really, she couldn’t help it. The curiosity bug had bitten, and now Darcy couldn’t fight back the itch. She wanted to get a closer look at the detained deity they had on board. After all, everyone else had contact with him, except she and Jane up to that point. However, if anyone had a choice in the matter, they wouldn’t even be in there at all. Thor, in particular, had concerns for their safety. But in consideration of Jane’s expertise, all concerns were momentarily put to the wayside in an effort to help with the task at hand.
For her part, Darcy initially couldn’t figure why anyone should worry – especially since they had placed Loki in a stronghold that could withstand practically anything. Even Director Fury and Dr. Banner had assured them of that fact.
But it was easier said than done. As Thor had noted to the team, anything was possible with Loki. And for a moment, Darcy couldn’t help but carry that fearful thought in the back of her mind, as she stood partially hidden behind both doctors.
Within minutes, though, the worries melted away as she settled down and peered up at Loki. He stood there, his hands folded neatly behind his back, looking away from them in a quietly pensive, non-menacing way. In fact, if she didn’t know better, she thought he even looked uneasy and unsure of himself – kind of a pathetic sight.
Immediately, Darcy shook her head at this train of thought. All things considered, she knew she shouldn’t feel one ounce of pity for him. After all, Loki wasn’t some poor, caged animal. He was a being with a wicked bag of tricks, and he had been put inside that enclosure for a good reason. But Darcy couldn’t help but remember that cryptic smile – the one he had given her a day ago, prior to his confinement. It was neither the gentlest nor the kindest smile she had ever received, but it was…interesting, to say the least. It was still the smile of a trickster, though – at least, that’s what Jane would say.
As if zoning in on her thoughts, Loki suddenly turned to look down in their direction. For a moment, he eyed both Jane and Dr. Banner closely and somewhat threateningly before allowing his eyes to fall on Darcy. He paused and slowly nodded at her, with the corners of his mouth twitching upward in interest and amusement. But his attention was diverted from her when the doors on the upper level opened and two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents came out onto the landing, in the company of Thor.
Prior to this moment, Darcy didn’t think it was possible for anyone to exhibit so many emotions in just a matter of minutes. But from all appearances, it seemed that Loki was a gamut of feeling when it came to Thor and anything related to Asgard. Even from the lower level, she could still decipher fragments of their conversation: Asgard…Odin…Frigga…family…myeu-myeu – wait, no – Mjolnir…betrayal…forgiveness…
At first, the God of Mischief appeared to have the upper-hand, practically sneering with pride and over-confidence as Thor stood stone-faced in front of him. But with each passing word, Loki grew increasingly irritated and agitated with his brother. They were going back and forth on various points, but their conversation had come to a moot point. They made no progress on the situation, and it was apparent on Thor’s face that it pained him to walk away from his younger brother without any kind of resolution.
As Jane excused herself to talk to Thor and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Darcy found herself looking up towards Loki once again. As he turned away to face the other side of the cell, she noted the emotions reflected on his face – indignance, anger, resentment, frustration…
…and sadness? Raising her eyebrows, Darcy leaned against the pillar on her left and attempted to tiptoe a little to get a better look at the trickster’s expression. With his hand fisted against the glass, he was evidently mesmerized by private thoughts – of what exactly, she couldn’t be sure – but she could clearly see they were burdening his mind. Leaning his weight more fully against the glass, he finally shut his eyes heavily and gave in to the weight of them, apparently unaware that he still had an audience down below.
Darcy continued to watch him thoughtfully until Dr. Banner broke her out of her reverie with a question regarding Jane’s calculations. Stepping away from her vantage point of Loki, she attempted to clear him from her thoughts as she settled back down to work.
But now, that unexpected moment of vulnerability was permanently imbedded in her mind.
And somehow, it made her want to know the God of Mischief even more.
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