2015.03.01 - Home Sweet Home Pt. 2

Loki was tucked in on the sofa, where he fell asleep last night. Without his powers, he can't heal, and he feels exhausted. He should probably get up and go take a shower, but he is much too stiff, so he just stays on the sofa, back turned toward the back of it, tucked under a comfy blanket, snoozing away with a plush kangaroo clutched in his arms.

For all things concerned Bruce has stayed and is watching over Loki. Sitting in one of the chairs he is rather asleep himself his feet resting on the coffee table and his head back on the chair snoring a little bit with a newspaper across his lap. Of course there is a bowl of water and a washcloth over the side of it. These of course were to be sure Loki's wounds and a bag of partly melted ice that was once on a bruise.

Kitty Pryde is heading back to the apartment in somewhat dampened spirits. She came over to help Nicky look for Loki when she heard he'd gone missing, but their early morning search yielded a whole lot of nothing. Even so she smiles at Nicky, trying to keep her in high spirits. "He's got to be around somewhere, don't worry, we'll find him."

Nicky on the other hand hadn't even been at home the last 18 hours. No, she hadn't been out on a party, neither had she been having a fun time. No, she had been out there looking for Loki. Pretty tired from walking and riding subways and walking for miles to try to find her friend, she eventually dragged herself up the stairs towards Lois flat. At least she hadn't been alone on the search, and as she was still pretty down, she had invited Kitty to come up for some breakfast and maybe just... be there when she would have to cry... Unlocking the door, she muttered a weak "I'm home". Her Jacket ended on the floor, just like her shoes, while she nopdded to Kitty. "Somewhere..."

Kitty Pryde trudges in, and being far less familiar with the place, she looks around absently while Nicky is heading over to discard her jacket. So it's Kitty who blinks first in astonishment and says, "Nicky.." the shoes go next to the jacket and Kitty says more insistantly, "Nicky..!" and if Nicky starts to trudge off to the kitchen without ever looking in the living room Kitty gently takes her by the arms and turns her to face the couch. "Nicky, look!"

As someone spoke from the living room, Nicky stopped to give a peek into it, but it was just boooring doc Banner. "It's ok Mr. Banner... I'm not hungry..." she muttered, not noticing the mostly sleeping Loki on the sofa. With weary eyes she did take a hold upon the doorframe, keeping herself upright with its support. "Ohh... Kitty, that's just Dr. Bruce Banner..." A moment she seems to doze off, then Kitty drags her practically to the sofa and she opens the mouth in surprise, just a moment before she squeals with delight and PLOPP! gets covered up in a tan cloud all of sudden. As it vanishes, the arm-long plushie fennec fox appeared in her stead, the arms almost outstretched to a hug... if she wouldn't lay on the ground.

Rolling back over, Loki opens his eyes a bit to see the plushie next to the sofa. "Nicky?" He asks, dreamily, reaching his fingertips out toward her. "What is happening?' He doesn't have a lot to say or do at the moment.

"Yeah its just me." Bruce says lightly with a sigh though watching as the pair approach Loki. "its ok, Loki. Its just Nicky and.. her friend."

Kitty Pryde, since she was holding onto Nicky when she changed, gently sets the reaching plushie down on Loki, letting out a relieved sigh that Loki is safe and sound after all and Nicky is here to see it. She smiles over to Bruce then, and offers her hand. "Kitty Pryde. Nice to meet you, Doctor Banner, I gotta admit, if I ever figured to meet you in person, didn't think it'd be here. Did you find him..?"

Nicky Steiff just... Plushied out a moment ago, but as Kitty placed her at Loki's reach, she tried her best to get her nose brushed against Loki and her arms at least partly wrapped around one of his. How much she had missed these cuddles...

"Pleasure to meet you." Bruce says towards Kitty, "I am one of three that did. He wasn't pulled into another dimension really, it was a mask actually. Loki is free but his powers are still trapped inside of it. He is a bit scuffed up as you see, the powers of the mask turned him kind of dark." no he won't mention it was him as Hulk that knocked it out of him.

Kitty Pryde shakes Bruce's hand warmly if he doesn't object, nodding.. "Thanks, anyhow. Nicky's been looking for him all night and then some." she glances with a small smile towards the two clinging friends. She does wonder with a small frown, "What do you mean, dark? Is this mask like.. some sort of hostile entity trying to hurt him?"

The handshake is returned, "It was causing him to hurt others. He didn't know what he was doing though." Bruce explains, "I don't know the whole story about it. When I got there a child was wearing it and Loki was able to get out. I.. helped get the mask off the child whom is fine. Loki wad trying to kill a couple of others so I.. Banged him up a little. Then the mask took his power. Another guy has the mask currently."

Loki lazily puts the kangaroo on the floor an picks up Nicky intead. "You found me. Where were we? I idn't mean to try and kill anyone, it just...happened."

Kitty Pryde frowns.. "Someone took it?" she says, worried.. but then thinks of a possible explanation. "Someone who can get his powers back, right..? A friend?" she says hopefully.

"Actually he was given the mask. Someone that can be trusted." Bruce says looking at Loki, "I know and its alright. Just sorry.. That I hurt you."

Nicky was not an inanimate object... she was an animated inanimate object. She didn't really listened to the people behind her, while she dug her nose into the neckline of Loki's shirt. She wasn't able to smell in this form, but it was the feeling to be close that mattered.

Loki wraps his arms around the plushie, listening. "I am not angry with you. You did what was necessary to keep others safe. I feel completely wiped out without my powers. It's like my body is made of Asgardian lead. Kitty Pryde relaxes some at Bruce's assurance. "Okay, good. Who is it? Maybe some friends of mine could help.. I don't know a lot about magic, but if some...mask monster is trying to use Loki.." she glances back to the pair of weary teens.

"Moon Knight." Bruce says, "He has the mask." looking at Loki, "You need anything? hirsty? Hungry?"

Kitty huhs.. "I don't know much about him." she looks to Loki and Nicky too, also willing to take care of them if they need it.

Nicky Steiff stoped her try to bury her nose in Loki's shirt as she heatd the word mask again and again and then looked at the others, making a sad face. SHE had given him the mask, after they found it. She even had toyed around with it...

"I am a little hungry but I don't really feel like eating. Moon Knight has been following me around. I don't know how much I trust him. But, if you don't mind, may I have some water?"

"Sure." Bruce disappars into the kitchen and comes back out with a glass of water. Sitting on the arm of the couch he helps him to sit up and drink if needed.

Kitty Pryde sees Bruce going for the water, so she stays behind, still a bit ill at ease. "Following you? So..you weren't the one who gave him this mask thing, then?"

Nicky Steiff was still there at Loki's neckline, but when the other two left the room, she tried to climb upon his neck to slide down along his back, seemingly hugging his back, but she did need some time to concentrate to get back human. But she did manage... PLOPP! And the next moment Nicky was back cuddling Loki from behind, her head over his shoulder. "I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry that I gave you the mask."

Loki about jumps out of his skin, looking back at Nicky. "It's not your fault. Who would have known my adult self would have created such a thing?" When Bruce helps him up to take a drink, he nods his thanks. "I don't really know how the passing of the mask worked. I could only see out when it was in use."

Bruce sets the glass aside, "Things happen that we can't explain. No need to blame yourself, Nicky." he says to her. "At least we got Loki out of it. We will figure out the rest or someone will I am sure."

Kitty Pryde nods, patting Nicky's shoulder. "Hey, he's right. Whatever it is, I'm sure we can find someone who can figure it out." she smiles. Though she gets thoughtful. "..Actually, if you're okay here with Dr. Banner, I might go see some friends of mine? See if anyone has some ideas?"

Nicky nodded, but kept Loki all in her arms, her head on his shoulder. "You're not going to jump back into that mask ever, will you?" she asked, as if that was the worst she could think off. "If they can help, sure..."

"I will do what I can to avoid it." Loki says, reaching up to pat one of Nicky's hands. , relaxing against the sofa. "I feel like I should go to Moon Knight. Or invite him here. I am uncertain."

Kitty Pryde is already heading for the door, "Doesn't hurt to ask!" she answers Nicky.. though she turns to say to Loki, "Do you know where to find this Moon Knight? I could drop off a message.. but you look like you could use some more rest, and I know Nicky's beat."

"I can watch them." Bruce tells Kitty and looks at Loki, "Right now you need to rest. Best to just keep you away from that mask."

Nicky Steiff nodded on Bruce's concern "Yes... rest... Let's have a nap... I can really need the..." Yawning she had to pause her sentence a moment. "sleep..." she eventually said, dozing off with the last word, cuddled against Loki.

"I have no idea where to find him. The past several days have been a rather large blur as you can probably imagine." When Nicky dozes off against him, Loki tries not to look tired as well. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I have the feeling it is going to be something rather large."

Kitty Pryde nods, sobered by Loki's reply, though reassured Bruce is there to watch them. "Well..then I'd better hurry up and see what I can fine. If I hear anything, I'll call! You guys take care." and with that she heads out.

Sitting back down bruce watches as Kitty leaves. "Just thnk positive, Loki, Things will work out for the best."

Meanwhile, outside, it turns out there's already a figure watching the goings-on in the apartment.. though looking somewhat different than his usual. Similar enough though to be recognized.. and still apparently spying on Loki.

Meanwhile, outside, it turns out there's already a figure watching the goings-on in the apartment.. though looking somewhat different than his usual. Similar enough though to be recognized.. and still apparently spying on Loki.

Loki is in Lois Lane's apartment, resting on the couch with Nicky snoozing behind him. Bruce sits nearby, the only source of protection for the two teenagers at the moment since Kitty has departed. A plushie kangaroo sits on the floor just in front of Loki.

Bruce is reading the newspaper while Loki rests with Nicky. Indeed he is there to protect them and that might be better if he doesn't end up having to Hulk out.

And Zach is on the rooftop. He was actually in the area to see Loki, and possibly Lois Lane -- never hurts to do some interaction with prominent media figures when one manages one's own celebrity. But a certain familiar, if slightly different somehow, figure turned him to divert his trajectory. "You're creeping on Loki *again*? Is this some kind of fetish?"

Moon Knight does look different.. there's a greenish cast to his costume, and some weird armored flourishes that vaguely defy physics and generally make him look about as practical as a World of Warcraft character. His cloak is even floating a little bit, and his eyes glow green instead of white under his hood. He turns when Zach shows up.. and ohs. "You again. No, I am waiting for the right time to confront him."

"Yes, me again. And you again. And now that we've got that settled, why don't you actually just *talk* to him?" Zach sighs, resting one hand on his hip and gesturing illustratively with the other. "It really doesn't ingratiate you to a person if you sit on rooftops and stare at them all the time. In fact, it's really creepy. Nice improvements to the costume, though. All that white couldn't be easy to clean."

Moon Knight hesitates. "..That's why I need to find Loki." he says flatly, glancing to the window again.

Zach looks Moon Knight over once. "...you need to find Loki because he made your costume less awful? Where are the roses? Or did you bring him like a mug or something, 'World's Greatest Costume Rescue'? I don't exactly see a lot of places to hide things in your outfit, though. I mean unless you're bringing him a summer sausage and some cocoa mix."

Moon Knight just sighs. "Are you going to leave?" he just asks.. he seems..almost fidgety compared to the infuriating, unflinching calm he radiated the last time they met. All those good lines and that's his only response? What a stick in the mud.

"Of course I'm not going to leave. Are you high?" Zach looks down to where the other heroic type was looking. Well, that must be Loki's apartment. Or more accurately Lois Lane's. "I mean, if it would make you feel better, I can accompany you inside and you can pretend like we just happened to run into each other. If you want me to actually hold your hand though I'm going to have to ask you for fifty now and fifty later."

Moon Knight says a bit dryly, "I'd give you twice that now to leave, but if you're not going to then I guess I'm out of time."

Zach gives perhaps the most insincere smile that has ever been smiled in the history of human expression. It lasts only an instant; it's gloriously artificial, and then it's gone. "That's one way of putting it. Do you have some sort of...I don't know...social anxiety? Maybe you could get something for it. Have you tried chamomile?" Figuring they're just going to go down to enter through the door anyway, he snaps his fingers and intones, "Tropelet." Hopefully nothing in the magic affecting Moon Knight will disrupt their destination, but then it's at least a short distance only.

Moon Knight snorts. "I wasn't made for being 'social'. he retorts-- and then in the space of a blink, finds they've traveled to the door. One might suspect Moon Knight, from how he's behaved so far, (and how Zach has behaved) to accuse Zach of sending them far away, but he doesn't. His head snaps around to peer at the door as if he were trying to look right through it. He sighs.. "So be it, then." he says, and opens the door. If it's locked, he opens it anyways, at the expense of said lock.

"What were you made for? Physique pictorials?" Zach rings up to get buzzed in. One of them, at least, was expected, so it shouldn't be a problem. Even if he is kind of smuggling in someone completely *un*expected. "I'm only arguably made for socializing, but maybe you should let me help you a little bit with that. Honestly, you've got to have *something* there."

Moon Knight answers, "I do, but now's not the time. This takes priority.." if Zach successfully gets them in, at least Moon Knight refrains from breaking any doors.

Zach holds up a finger. "On the contrary! Now is *exactly* the time. If you're going to talk to Loki about something like...well, like your clothes," he gestures to the costume, "you really need to be able to talk to him and get something out of it. I mean...Loki's a god, and you know, mage here, maybe you'd benefit from a more..." The young magician trails off, thoughtfully, walking to the elevator and pressing the call button. "Just more."

Moon Knight 's expression is hidden except for the glowing slashes of eyes, but even from that he doesn't look impressed. He rides the elivator up, still glancing, one can only assume, directly at wherever Loki is through the ceiling and walls. "You don't know what you're talking about. He would be of no use at all here. This is something that is my right to resolve."

Zach gives Moon Knight an even look as they ride slowly up. About halfway there, he flicks his tongue over his lips to moisten then, and then he breaks the silence to speak. "What in the lizard jesus is that even supposed to mean?"

Moon Knight makes an impatient noise. "Just...don't worry about it. Let's go." when the elevator opens, he heads right to Lois' apartment as if drawn on a string, and Zach probably only has a narrow window to do something about making them known before the task will by default fall to Moon Knight.

Loki lifts his head, squinting groggily. "Someone is coming..." He then flops his head back down. "Blast, it is that magician and the man stalking me. How lovely." He feigns a miserable groan and pulls the blanket over his head. Maybe they won't see him if they come in

Zach slips before Moon Knight and presses the bell. "Zachary Zatara, at your service!" He calls, although then he sort of thinks twice because he's in an apartment building. He isn't exactly unknown. Hopefully this won't lead to a lot more attention than he had intended, but then if Lois Lane lives here, he probably isn't going to get any interest that she hasn't already had. "Let me handle this," he hisses over his shoulder to Moon Knight.

Moon Knight gives Zach a flatly impassive look, which isn't the most reassuring in terms of agreement... but he does wait perhaps ten seconds to see if the door is answered without taking action.

Loki hears the visitors outside and sighs. "Come in..." Lois isn't home at the moment, leaving the tired god to rest on the sofa. "Who is it, anyway?"

"...Zachary Zatara." The magician figures it probably just escaped Loki the first time. From what he'd heard, the godling was really in a less-than-enviable state. So he tries the door and, whether he has to use a little magic to pop the lock or not, steps in. "I brought, uh, that guy that was creeping on us from the rooftop. Apparently he has something to talk to you about, so I thought I'd come along to make sure he didn't try anything stupid. Turns out he's really socially awkward! Who knew."

Moon Knight, for his part, strides into the room purposefully, green gaze flaring from the dark depths of his cowl, and locked unswervingly on Loki. His cape swirls with almost menacing eddies of green smoke, and he reaches for the truncheon at his side, and the knives on his belt. "Loki of Asguard, I have come for you." he says with almost an almost ritualistic, measured weight.

"No, no..." Loki says, weakly sitting up and trying to get himself up off the couch, stumbling. "You're not taking me anywhere. Why did you bring him here? He wants to take me away." He lifts a hand to try and cast some magic, but there's nothing. "What do you want??"

"It's all right. No, there's something different about him." Zach just steps in front of Moon Knight, between him and Loki. "Apparently you gave his costume a makeover, I don't know. If he tries anything, I'll just randomly fling him somewhere in the city. Or Gotham." He makes a face. "Nobody likes Gotham."

Moon Knight normally really doesn't care what Zach says or misunderstands, but not this time. This is Important. He gestures at the magician, a green band of energy twisting into existence to fasten around Zachary's mouth and stop those pesky spells, then gestures sharply the other way to fling Zach back and pin him to the wall. If that all works, then he draws those weapons, which warp and stretch into fantastical if utterly ridiculous shapes full of green carbachons and crescent motifs, though also with very wicked points on the knife especially.. and takes a step to stand directly before Loki. "No.. I'm not here to take you anywhere."

Loki backs up a bit, still trying to cast magic that isn't there. He feels his back bump against the wall and looks at Moon Knight with fear in his eyes. "What are you planning to do?" he asks, reaching for anything he can get his hands on, which happens to be a ficus, and flings it at Moon Knight. It's something!

Oh, that was low. That was low! By the time Zach actually gets his wits back about him, he's certainly in enough of a snit to be awfully mercenary about the whole thing. He's completely silent of course, for a time; not like he could speak, with all that going on. But there's one thing that Moon Knight and his old-fashioned approach may have overlooked: nimble fingers and a quick mind, and always a plan B. There's a fairly stiff computer-generated voice, but pleasant enough, a mature feminine voice. It says "Eriomra ekirts ym eof," as if it were insisting that someone please keep quiet in the library. Sure enough, an armoire flies about like the ficus, right at Moon Knight. Maybe it'll be enough to get him distracted so that Zach can get free.

The ficus breaks against Moon Knight's chest, dumping dirt and leaves on the floor without apparent affect. The Armoire would be another matter...except despite not being able to see it flying at him from the side, Moon Knight abruptly ducks, pressing both his weapons to the floor and kneeling before Loki. The armoire flies over his bowed head, and he says earnestly, "What would you have me do, my god?"

"Wh...what? Oh...I-I-I would have you put your weapons away and release Zachary. Would you do that for me? And if you have to attack someone, don't attack Zachary, attack me. Now, I want you to take six steps forward and...catch me." He runs himself out of energy and swoons.

Zach's ready for a fight, although he's not going to press the matter if Moon Knight isn't going to actually *attack* Loki. Once he's got himself free and the armoire's set down from its 'ready' hovering position, he mumbles a little spell to repot the ficus before it becomes seriously injured by all of this. Wouldn't want Lois to come home to a plant disaster, and at the very least Zach is extremely good with inanimate objects. "Oh for the love of...well. Loki, apparently."

Moon Knight lets whatever hold he might still have on Zach go as soon as it's said, the energy holding him to the wall and stopping his words vanishing in an instant. He starts to put away his weapons.. but then drops them to the floor, where the clatter and return to their normal forms, forgotten in his haste to catch the collapsing Loki. He actually looks the god over at this point and says with a frown, "He's hurt."

Loki frowns from the floor. "Thanks." He sighs, starting to pull himself along toward the sofa again. He feels totally wiped out wihtout his magic. "I'm not badly hurt, just no energy. What are you two doing here anyway?"

"Figured that out all by ourselves, did we?" Zach sets the ficus down on the floor, in its new-but-resembling-the-old pot. Lois will probably notice that. Next he puts the armoire back where it was. Alarming amount of dust behind it, but then it's not like it's easy to get behind those huge pieces of furniture. "I wanted to stop by and check on you," he answers Loki. "I heard there was something going on, you know the rumor mill. The Oblivion's full of them. Oh! And..." Putting a smile on his face, he extends one arm with a flourish of the wrist, then motions with the other hand, speaking truly nonsense words, but probably masking some of his own special back-words in them. With a grandiose gesture, he's suddenly holding a box of chocolates, fancy-looking ones, that he holds out to Loki. "Here! Everyone loves chocolate. Thought it might make you feel better."

Moon Knight helps Loki to the sofa carefully. Once he's safely deposited, the avatar goes to retrieve his weapons while Zach is busy magicing up some very fine candies. "Your power's gone?" he replaces the knife and truncheon, then looks at his own hands. "..That's why this is happening. You're free, but you're not whole." he realizes.

"Loki nods his thanks when he's helped to the couch, laying back down after taking the chocolates from Zachary. "You are too kind. You did not need to bring me a gift. And you are correct, I am not whole. It feels very strange."

Zach finally starts to seem to take things more seriously now, looking between the other two. It's rare for him to take much of anything seriously -- evidently -- but the gears begin to turn in his head. "So...somehow the Green Ghost or whatever his name is, has your magic? Was this one of those situations where you fell down some stairs or something and there was a switcheroo?"

Moon Knight answers, "Moon Knight. ..And Loki was trapped in a vessel. He's free, but his powers apparently are not."

"The adult version of myself created a cursed object. I happened to get too close to it and it drew me inside rather than just having it affect me as it did others. So it kept draining my magic since he was no longer here, and his magic pool would undoubtedly be much larger. I was freed from it, but my magic remained inside."

"Your name is really Moon Knight?" Zach becomes instantly amused. It's not even a disparaging sort of amusement, it's more like a 'that is so cute, like a basket of kittens' sort of amusement. "That's *adorable*. Did you come up with that?" A moment later though, he calms himself down for the moment. For the moment. He'll let himself be entertained by Moon Knight's naming choices later. "So...Loki's magic went to Moon Knight. So...okay, let's just think about this. Um. Hm. Well, I'm up for trying to get it back. My magic's not very good with complex living beings...but this is magic, not a person. Maybe I could pull it off? I'm willing to try."

Moon Knight isn't used to people reacting to his name quite that way. He answers, "..No, I was given it..." he tenses up that fidgeting starting up again, though he shakes it off. "Do you approve?" he asks Loki instead, when Zach talks about trying to reassign the magic Moon Knight's currently affected by.

Though it might sound like he's asking Loki if he likes his name too, who knows?

Loki has to snicker a little, but nods. "You may try." He says, standing up and straightening his tattered tunic. "I am uncertain if it will work, but I will do my best!"

"We shouldn't do it right here and now." Zach ends up deciding. "I mean...I'm pretty much the best guy I know in terms of inanimate objects, so there's the possibility I could put the power *into* something that you could use. Or maybe make a magical item to give you a boost for a little while, until we can get it fixed? But there'll have to be preparations to try anything like this. I don't want to make this worse."

Loki sits back down, curling his legs beneath him. "I wouldn't want to risk such a thing within Lois' home. Moon Knight, why are you different? I thought you hated me before."

Moon Knight struggles for a response, but says, "My purpose is to serve my god.. and so whatever it is I can do to best serve your interests in this world, I will."

It reminds Zach of the man's name, and he starts grinning again. "Moon Knight. That's *so* adorable. I just...I can't even begin to say how cute that is. I mean, the name. The complete lack of any personal motivation other than what you're given is, not gonna lie, *kinda* creepy and *profoundly* sad, though."

"So if I told you to dress up as a rabbit you would do it?" Loki asks with a raised eyebrow, looking to Zachary then back to Moon Knight.

Moon Knight 's head tilts? "If you deemed it best, why would I not?" Well, considering what he apparently wears normally-- Though then his form flickers, and he looks for just a moment like some sort of Norman Rockwell painting in a care worn coat with a large wool cap tinted green pulled down over his eyes as he laments, "Just please don't pull us all into this.. oh, we're gonna be in so much trouble later.." the clothing distorts, becoming a uniform dusty green in the style of a noir detective with a low pulled hat and a trenchoat with a popped collar, even his skin is monochrome. "You're worried about something like that? I'm looking at this as a vacation, rabbit-suits or no, and whatever happens later, happens." before it all warps back into the costume and cowl... "I'm sorry, please ignore that. Whatever you will, of course."

Zach raises his brows and gives a sort of smirk and tilt of his head, as if to say 'why not?' to Loki. He watches as the whole thing seems to change so easily. "You know, somewhere deep within you is someone with a fashion sense. I see that now. Maybe you should stop locking them in the cupboard?"

"How do I fix whatever is wrong with you? Do you want me to fix it?" He stands up one more time and takes a few steps forward. "If needed, I can try to use my projective telepathy to help...I don't know what you want or do not want."

Moon Knight notes dryly to Zack, "We all have our times and places." though his cowled head shakes a bit in confusion to Loki's question..? "I am what I need to be to be useful. Help with what?" he pauses. "With the others? Do you not.. want them?"

"He's not telling you he doesn't want them," Zach helpfully adds, a sort of translation between Loki and a brick wall. "He's asking you what *you* want. Surely you must have *some* desires of your own. You're not just some goofy puppet, that would just be sad."

"Of course I have desires. But he is just a mortal. I cannot ask anything of him because it would not be something he can obtain. But if you must serve me, you may get me a glass of water."

Moon Knight nods, and goes to get the requested glass of water, a glowy-floaty jagged armored cowled guy in Lois' kitchen. Yup. He's still confused by Loki's question, and what he meant by it, and Zach's attempts to interpret just get a dismissive grunt. "I am hearing that nonsense far too often lately." he ssays to the magician. To Loki he says seriously, "I may be mortal, but I can be effective." offering the glass. "What do -you- want?"

"Not you," Zach waves a hand at Loki. "I know *you* have desires. I'm talking about *this* guy." He motions to Moon Knight. And then Moon Knight does it *again*! "Stop that! It's not only sad, it's childish! You're a grown-ass man, you can't just rely on someone else to tell you what to do and why to do it and how to live your life! You may think it's some sort of dedication or deference, but it's just a pain in the ass...what god has the time and inclination to have to tell his adherents what to do at every moment of the day?"

Loki huffs, taking the water and sitting back down. "Thank you." He one again curls his legs up beneath him and sighs. "I want to go back to my own time, to my own Thor, to my own parents. I don't want to be here with a brother that hates me."

Moon Knight levels that cold green glare at Zach again. "I am perfectly capable of operating on my own.. I'm used to not receiving instruction for months at a time, and would handle far longer. But I need to know what is expected of me." he says sternly.. then quiets to listen to Loki. "...He hates you because he doubts you.. is that correct?"

Zach rolls his eyes. "Right, I'm sure you can function completely independently. Why, I've already seen the breathtaking scope of your self-motivation, to creep on people from rooftops. I can only imagine you're equally top-of-the-line at heavy-breathing phonecalls and those notes you piece together from letters cut out of magazines."

“Yes, but don't hurt him or anything. Why are you like this, suddenly? You were following me before. What has changed?" He looks to Zachary and sighs. "Stop being an instigator."

Moon Knight 's form ripples again though it doesn't get a chance to solidify before the, "Oh, for the love of--" is broken off with a clipped, "I am very capable." he looks back to Loki. "..I don't know. I just know that you're my god now. And I need to know what you want done in this world."

Zach shrugs his shoulders. "I'm *hardly* an instigator. It's just, well...your magic, like most all of us, seems to have made some questionable life choices and I'm just trying to find out exactly how bad this whole situation is before I stick in up to the elbows."