She's a lonely woman who's spent most of her life alone, scared and scaring people in equal measure. A smile and a friendly conversation are like a feast to her starving soul. But that doesn't make her less observant. A lifetime in the background's made her good at picking up on these things. There's no rush for him to respond when she's done; there's no sense of impatience. She's not afraid of the quiet. And when he does speak, she listens.
"Let me tell you a story." It sounds innocent, but the way she says it, this is serious business. With an elbow on the bar and her chin in her hand, she's taking her time with this. Picking her words with care.
"Where I came from, gods are real. Some of them anyway. Maybe all of them. The Greek, the Egyptian, gods you and I have never heard of... and the Norse. Oh, the Asgardians, they're trouble. Especially Loki. He was the god of mischief, the master magician, the storyteller, and trickster. These are not virtues, in Asgard; he couldn't fight with his fists the way his brother Thor could, and the other Asgardians didn't respect his abilities. He grew bitter. Who could blame him? They were cruel and he was lonely. Eventually, his bitterness turned to evil, and he became destructive. He wanted to kill his brother and all the warriors who'd taunted him, he wanted to destroy Midgard--Earth--because it was a place his brother loved. He would have done just about anything.
"Until, one day, he realized that if he allowed the world to end, he'd never be able to redeem himself. There'd be nobody left to see his victory and no one would ever love him. So he allowed himself to die and be reborn as an innocent child. A new god of mischief. But the Asgardians didn't always see that this child, who had his name and the face they remembered from their own youth, wasn't the same. He was supposed to have a chance to be someone new, someone better, but... he never really got it.
"And he allowed himself to die again, to be replaced, secretly, with the third version of Loki. The god of lies. He pretended he was still the innocent child, he played his part, doing more or less what he was told until it didn't suit his purposes anymore. He found his way to Earth, made a friend, and had a real chance at change. Maybe he could have, if he'd been honest... but his past and his future caught up with him."
She pauses here and wishes she hadn't finished her drink. This is hard, even when she's trying to keep herself out of it. "So, you see the pattern. Another rebirth, another Loki. God of stories, now. Who knows what's next? But he's going to keep trying. Because that's what you do. You keep trying. No matter how you started out, you can change."
This is about 5 years of comics condensed. It could be longer. :P
"Let me tell you a story." It sounds innocent, but the way she says it, this is serious business. With an elbow on the bar and her chin in her hand, she's taking her time with this. Picking her words with care.
"Where I came from, gods are real. Some of them anyway. Maybe all of them. The Greek, the Egyptian, gods you and I have never heard of... and the Norse. Oh, the Asgardians, they're trouble. Especially Loki. He was the god of mischief, the master magician, the storyteller, and trickster. These are not virtues, in Asgard; he couldn't fight with his fists the way his brother Thor could, and the other Asgardians didn't respect his abilities. He grew bitter. Who could blame him? They were cruel and he was lonely. Eventually, his bitterness turned to evil, and he became destructive. He wanted to kill his brother and all the warriors who'd taunted him, he wanted to destroy Midgard--Earth--because it was a place his brother loved. He would have done just about anything.
"Until, one day, he realized that if he allowed the world to end, he'd never be able to redeem himself. There'd be nobody left to see his victory and no one would ever love him. So he allowed himself to die and be reborn as an innocent child. A new god of mischief. But the Asgardians didn't always see that this child, who had his name and the face they remembered from their own youth, wasn't the same. He was supposed to have a chance to be someone new, someone better, but... he never really got it.
"And he allowed himself to die again, to be replaced, secretly, with the third version of Loki. The god of lies. He pretended he was still the innocent child, he played his part, doing more or less what he was told until it didn't suit his purposes anymore. He found his way to Earth, made a friend, and had a real chance at change. Maybe he could have, if he'd been honest... but his past and his future caught up with him."
She pauses here and wishes she hadn't finished her drink. This is hard, even when she's trying to keep herself out of it. "So, you see the pattern. Another rebirth, another Loki. God of stories, now. Who knows what's next? But he's going to keep trying. Because that's what you do. You keep trying. No matter how you started out, you can change."