There will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you... Adia isn't the only one with a 'what if' whispering in the back of her head. Loki isn't lying, for once, when he says that he had plans for when they finally, inevitably encountered Thanos. Some of them included his own violent death, for a greater purpose, which is its own kind of madness because even the gods don't really return from death, do they? But that's Loki for you, determined to claim control of the uncontrollable. That's what trickery is for: when you're the underdog, you fight dirty.
What his plans did not account for, is this. A Nexus, not an afterlife. Sure, the chances that he merited Valhalla were approximately zero, but there are other landing spots. Perhaps he's not even dead, but only left here in waiting for Thanos' pleasure. The idea chills him to the core--and that's impressive, given how cool his core was to begin with.
He gives a small, tight smile at Adia's reassurance. He's not about to trust the Nexus for his own safety, but nor is he prepared to argue that they're all doomed. He is down, but not out. There are secrets to the universe left to ferret out, and if he can use them in his favor, he will.
He starts slightly when Thor speaks and gives him a look of blended confusion and mild wonder. He may as well have been echoing Loki's thoughts just then, for all that they are so very different and walking wildly divergent paths. There is, at least, a sliver of brotherhood that binds them still.
"There is much I can say, and much that I should not. The universe exacts a price from those who learn too much, Thor, and you--" He taps his own right eye as if to remind Thor of what he's lost. "You have made but a single payment. What are you willing to risk? What are you prepared to do?"
He can't tell him everything he knows; it would take too long. And he's not convinced Thor's idea of preparations won't just make the whole situation worse. There are still a few details that might be worth passing along to this alternate of his brother. Loki has very little loyalty left in him, but such as there is--wispy little threads, easily bent and snapped but not yet destroyed--is bound to Thor and to the preservation of Asgard. Besides, he's got nothing left to lose.
no subject
What his plans did not account for, is this. A Nexus, not an afterlife. Sure, the chances that he merited Valhalla were approximately zero, but there are other landing spots. Perhaps he's not even dead, but only left here in waiting for Thanos' pleasure. The idea chills him to the core--and that's impressive, given how cool his core was to begin with.
He gives a small, tight smile at Adia's reassurance. He's not about to trust the Nexus for his own safety, but nor is he prepared to argue that they're all doomed. He is down, but not out. There are secrets to the universe left to ferret out, and if he can use them in his favor, he will.
He starts slightly when Thor speaks and gives him a look of blended confusion and mild wonder. He may as well have been echoing Loki's thoughts just then, for all that they are so very different and walking wildly divergent paths. There is, at least, a sliver of brotherhood that binds them still.
"There is much I can say, and much that I should not. The universe exacts a price from those who learn too much, Thor, and you--" He taps his own right eye as if to remind Thor of what he's lost. "You have made but a single payment. What are you willing to risk? What are you prepared to do?"
He can't tell him everything he knows; it would take too long. And he's not convinced Thor's idea of preparations won't just make the whole situation worse. There are still a few details that might be worth passing along to this alternate of his brother. Loki has very little loyalty left in him, but such as there is--wispy little threads, easily bent and snapped but not yet destroyed--is bound to Thor and to the preservation of Asgard. Besides, he's got nothing left to lose.