2012-07-27 The Man With the Daisies

An unknown enters the front door, and presses the call button. Beautiful, and sharply dressed (exactly like the outfit on the cover of this month's GQ), Loki looks around the glass room with an amused expression. His bright green eyes sparkle with hidden mirth, and his long hair is pulled back into a pony tail. He's carrying a vase full of daises.

"Excuse me...I'm looking for the blue eyed, red headed mortal female who is inside. Bring her to me. Tell her its the man with the daisies."

He takes a moment to adjust his collar and leans against the glass to wait.

Beth is up in the Fish Tank on the second floor, taking a report from agents in Syria, when she hears that there's someone waiting with flowers. It's not unusual for her to get apology-flowers from Alexander--she usually gives them away--but then she hears that they're daisies. Alexander sends roses.

"Brief me later," she says to the duty officer before she goes shooting out and down the stairs. She sprints across the floor to open the door for Loki before he decides to let himself in with a bang.

"Well," she says, slightly breathlessly. She steps back and gestures for Loki to come in. "This is... unexpected."

Loki half bows before he steps inside. "You are not an easy mortal to track down." he says, grinning and offering the flowers. "For you. My apology for our little...confrotation. Completely normal, I assure you. The flower shop receipt is in the gift card."

"I'm not...interrupting anything?" he says, smiling smoothly again.

"Thank you." Beth takes the flowers with a smile, though her eyes are wary. "They're lovely. Yes, you're interrupting, but since you were kind enough to come in by the door, I'm happy to leave my task to someone else for now. Is there something I can do for you?"

Loki smirks softly and runs his hands down the lapels of his sports coat before speaking. "I would like to hire you." he says with a smile. Well...he smiles at practically everything, but this one seems reserved for the woman herself. "It is quite rare that a mortal impresses me, and I think I need someone like you to help me....adjust."

"I see." Bethany takes a moment to think on this, weighing the potential for disaster depending on how she reacts. The sum comes up balanced on all sides so she goes with good manners and good business. "Why don't you come to my office and we can discuss it?" she offers, beckoning for Loki to follow her to the stairs. "This is not an agreement," she adds. "Simply an opportunity for you to explain what you need. I'm willing to listen."

"Of course. All I am asking is chance to discuss details." Loki remarks, following Bethany. "To put a blunt edge on it, I need a liason to help me adjust to the mortal realm, keep some of my affairs in order, and make sure that I stay out of trouble." He adds that last part with a wink. "I'm here for some very specific purposes and would like to...whats the mortal expression.....make my mark?" Beth shows him up the stairs and to a modest and cluttered office. Resource books cover a long, low file cabinet against one wall as the bookcases in the room are full, maps are tacked up to most available vertical surfaces. A weapons locker stands in one corner by the door, a stand in the other corner holds a selection of garment bags. A pair of go-bags are on the floor.

Beth puts the flowers into a water pitcher standing on her desk. "Your brother and I crossed paths again the other day. He's convinced me to take you both at face value, so I'm going to do that. That would make you even more dangerous than I first calculated." Bethany gestures for him to sit in one of the leather chairs in front of her desk. "So, can you elaborate on your purposes?"

Loki pauses a moment to examine the weapons locker with a curious expression on his face before he turns and takes the offered chair. He crosses one leg over the other, showing just a touch of whimsey as his emerald green socks show above his wingtips, on an otherwise somber outfit. "My brother." Loki sighs, shaking his head. "Why don't we start with names. Unless you prefer me finding you magically and calling you mortal. I am Loki Laufeyson, the Asgardian God of Mischief and Evil. And please, don't read too far into that. The vikings left me with a rather...poor...reputation."

"And here I thought you'd found me in the phone book." Beth gives him a flash of a smile. "You'd know my name, then. I'm Bethany Cabe, director of the American office of Cabe-McPherson Security." She offers him her hand. "I'm willing to accept that you may have been misrepresented to some degree. You're not the first Evil Overlord type I've worked with, though usually I get hired to get their kids to school."

Loki leans forward and reaches past the offered hand to grab the woman's wrist to shake hands. Very oldschool. "Then you are not opposed to working with those with...shall we say, less than noble intentions?" he asks, leaning back and putting one leg up on his knee again in a relaxed pose. "That depends on what I'm being asked to do." Bethany perches on the edge of her desk, bumping her heels lightly against the front panel. She's remarkably relaxed compared to the other day--it's just her and Loki, which would make most people more nervous. Not her. She's the only one in danger, a situation with which she's quite comfortable. "I'm not interested in helping you in some particular cause but I might be able to help you personally, if it falls within the purview of my business."

"Well then, let me spell my goals out and you can tell me if you can assist or not." he says, smiling mischeviously. He counts the items off with his fingers as he speaks. "First, I'm going kill my brother, to assume his place in the line of succession. I hope to keep his beautiful fiance for myself, but I don't forsee that occuring without some heavy brainwashing. And if I do that...whats the point." He says that so casually that it might almost be a joke, but he continues regardless. "Second, I intend to use Midgard...um, earth, forgive me. I intend to use earth to gather an army and launch an attack on Asgard, to assume my place on the throne once I've killed my father. And from there, the other 7 of the nine realms that are not already under my control."

"Do interrupt me if you have any questions." he smirks. "Where you come in, is simple. I no longer know mi..earth, as I once did. You mortals are strange to me, and many of you will no doubt attempt to stop me. I need someone to help me stay unnoticed. To...intergrate with mortal society and take over things in such a way that you mortals will serve me willingly, without needing to expend great amounts of power to do so."

"I'm not going to help you take over the world. Or even America. That's not my line of work." Bethany crosses her arms and rolls her eyes at him. "Why would you want to do that, anyway? Do you know how boring being King of the World would be? It seems completely contrary to your best interests."

Loki actually looks curious. "How else do you propose I increase my own power while dismantling my enemies? Start a business?" he asks, again making a light joke. "Power is essentially what I'm after. I care little for the fate of earth, but need the resources she offers."

"I'm not going to help you do that. Or kill your brother--I'd be much obliged if you two would take your squabble off my planet. I like my planet where it is, and not in the middle of someone else's war. And brainwashing your future spouse is wrong." Bethany isn't angry, just pragmatic. "You can't have real love without consent. It'd be a sham and you'd hate it. The thrill of winning would wear off. Even if you won Asgard, what would you do with it? Sit on it? You'd end up as some intergalactic policeman in order to hold onto it all. You'd be the one making rules. Enforcing them. Do you want that?"

"Asgard does contain a great deal of magic just ripe for the taking. I could care less about the realm itself. I was intending to drain it dry anyway. But you intrigue me Bethany Cabe. Tell me what your idea of power is." Loki asks, steepling his fingers together as he peers intently at the woman.

"There are many different forms of power, so it's hard to say. I completely agree that you'd be incredibly strong if you controlled a realm like the Asgard of legend," Bethany says slowly. "Probably terrifying. I expect you could even make people love you in spite of themselves. That's not the kind of power I'd want. I really don't want a lot of any kind of power, personally, not the kind that comes from outside myself. I know who I want to be and that doesn't include paying the cost that would come with gaining that power. I certainly don't want to have power over people. I see first hand the results of struggle for that kind of power and I don't want any part of it. I just want my free will and my health and a chance to make people safer in the world. I'm sure that's very boring."

Loki shakes his head softly. "Not boring at all." he says, leaning forward. "But ultimately what your saying is, that I should be happy with what I can do myself, and not 'overreach' as it were. Interesting. I hear the voice of experience talking there." he says, eyes twinkling.

"But I do want to kill my brother. For so many more reasons that just power. It's a rather long story. The rest...will all sort of fall into place as it where, with that one event."

"I understand wanting revenge. I can even respect it," Bethany says gently. "That's something I've seen before as well, especially when it comes to kin killing kin. Some pains are so deep it can seem that nothing but blood will heal them." That much, she understands, at least on human terms.

"People who need power are often coming from a time of powerlessness. I can't fix that. I can't tell you how to feel, even if I think what you want isn't right, for you or for anyone else. If you're as old as I think you are, your pain and anger comes from a well so deep I have nothing to compare it to, so I won't insult you by saying I know how you feel or patronize you by telling you to find some other way. I will say that I won't help you hurt my people, though. I have to draw that line."

"You misunderstand my intentions, my dear." Loki whispers, lowering his arms to grasp either side of the chair and placing both feet on the floor. With his back straight, he makes that simple leather chair look like a throne. "I seek to hire you for exactly opposite reason. You have what few other mortals I've encountered do. Courage, which some mortals seem to have an abundance bordering on stupidity of, but temperance as well."

The god leans back again, still smiling smoothly. "I seek someone who can curb my over enthusiasm. Who isn't afraid to tell me that something I say is idiotic, or not in line with my goals. Someone, who can in short, see that the realm of earth survives my taking what I need. I'm not asking for help in taking over the world my dear. I am perfectly capable of doing that myself. I'm asking for someone to help the world with the transition. My...mortal adviser as it were."

"Before I answer, one way or another, why do you care if Earth or anyone in it survives?" Bethany leans back on her hands, studying him. She accepts, for working purposes, that he can kill her without much effort, and worse. She's worked under those conditions before.

"That is a simple answer. Eternity is no fun, with nothing to...occupy...my time." Loki answers. "Once my enemies have been dealt with, well...Lets just say that once I have all the toys I want, I will still need a sandbox to play with them in."

"I thought it was something like that." Bethany nods, still turning this over in her head. No, she doesn't want to help Loki take over the world on any level but, realistically, she can't stop him if he has the power of a god or some kind of superior mutant being. That's simply not her place in the world. "Is there anything you love? Not covet or possess. Love. Cherish. A thing you find precious, that touches your heart and moves you to keep it from harm?"

Loki's smile actually reaches his eyes as he leans forward a little. "What a carefully worded way to ask for my weaknesses. I'm impressed. Yes, Bethany Cabe. There are things that I love. Things that I wish for with all my heart. Even a few things beyond myself." he jokes softly.

"I don't care about your weaknesses. I'm sure you can compensate for them sufficiently." Bethany laughs at him, but it's not mocking. Almost affectionate. "No. I only wanted to know if we had anything in common. That is the one thing that I find I have in common with everyone I've worked with, that and fear. Even the fearless fear if they love, as you've just proven." She gets off the desk and wanders over to the small window, putting her back to him without a second thought.

"No, you can't hire me," she says at last. "But I do work on my own behalf from time to time. I accept no payment in those cases. If you want to speak to me again about your plans, your concerns, I'll see you. Not here, of course. But I do want to see you again. So long as you behave," she adds, looking over her shoulder.

Loki rises smoothly, and reaches out to set a small green crystal on the woman's desk. "I don't have one of these cell phones yet. I"m not entirely sure how to obtain one. Grasp this crystal in your hand and speak my name, and it will allow you to speak with me, no matter the time or distance. I find that I have rather enjoyed this conversation, Bethany Cabe. I look forward to the next one. Dinner perhaps, one evening?"

The man's eyes light up again as he truly smiles once more and half bows. "Until then." he says.

And then is...just gone. A few dust motes in a shaft of sunlight mark where he was standing a moment before. The crystal, a hunk of uncut jade roughly 3 inches in diameter, glints softly.