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Post by Loki Odinsson on May 29, 2015 14:07:43 GMT -5
"Teja-"
He dropped it and caught her up in an almost painfully tight embrace.
He was shaking.
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Post by Teja on May 29, 2015 14:18:43 GMT -5
She was instantly aware of it, and of, suddenly, the painfully numerous crowd pressing in and calling for explanations, the people shouting in the background, the people who did not care about Lukas Ashton but were frightened of the real life supervillain who had just murdered a man in front of them all, and could have hurt any one of them, of the clone army that had attacked Luthor and others. It was a delicate situation to be around so many people when their high energy was due to something positive, but she felt instinctively on the verge of screaming tears at this.
As Loki let her down again, though did not release his tight grip on her, her eyes sought his green ones in distress.
"Loki..." she began.
Then an opportunistic voice too near to do anything but make her flinch and rub her injured ear against her shoulder uncomfortably shouted, "'Loki'? Mr. Ashton? Is this an alter-ego... or the man behind the mask? Do you care to comment?"
Of course it wasn't surprising that Roth had been at the Met Gala... but Teja was at least astute enough to see, from his own pallor and the way his hair was damp now from sweat, that he was at least bravely putting duty before his fears in throwing himself so quickly at them. She realized the photographers who had come to the event hoping to photograph extravagant costumes on celebrities were taking advantage of this as well, and held Loki more tightly, wanting to disappear.
Roth wasn't a fool, though. He'd spoken to Ashton before, and had a good grasp on him - a shrewder man than he came off as being.
"The city would like to know, now that they have a new superhero."
Teja was reacting so poorly to the high energy of the room that she did not correctly identify it. Though everyone had been terrified, the spectacle of seeing an armoured god take on the monster and win had produced a different response than fear. It was elation.
That post-Manhattan sense of longing they had tried to take advantage of in their mayoral campaign had finally found them, now that they were no longer looking for it.
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Post by Loki Odinsson on May 29, 2015 14:25:55 GMT -5
Loki abruptly looked away from Teja, blinking.
"I'm sorry, a new what-"
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Post by Graf von Krolock on May 29, 2015 14:31:32 GMT -5
"You heard him, lad," Krolock interjected jovially, moving toward the front himself but without coming all the way up. "A great number of us owe you our lives after tonight!"
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Post by Loki Odinsson on May 29, 2015 14:34:27 GMT -5
Loki stared at him for a moment, mouth trying to form an adequate response in counter to his burgeoning grin.
"Well- I didn't evacuate anyone," he began coolly, forcing as much haughty detachment into his voice as he could manage at the moment. "That was-"
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Post by Graf von Krolock on May 29, 2015 14:43:33 GMT -5
Krolock very solemnly bowed. Behind him, his son looked blank and confused, and then made a sudden face of understanding and did as well.
Slowly, slowly, this rippled through the crowd, as more and more onlookers took this as a signal of appropriate response. Those who didn't bow nodded their heads with some reservation- barely visible between two smaller people, little Meg Giry gave a wary curtsey- but the general effect of deference and awe sparked from person to person until it had spread into the dim reaches of 82nd St before them.
As Krolock straightened up again, he gave a joyful-sounding bellow of "Loki of Asgard!"
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Post by Herbert von Krolock on May 29, 2015 14:46:17 GMT -5
Herbert watched his father for a further cue, and finding none he glanced around himself and started applauding.
"Yes- oh, goodness, yes. Did you hear that, everyone? LO-KI! LO-KI!"
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Post by Loki Odinsson on May 29, 2015 14:59:33 GMT -5
The chant began to spread, grew louder and louder, and the reporters' voices grew louder in turn.
Loki laughed without quite realizing it. He wasn't hiding his smile any longer. He looked down, beaming, at Teja-
-but she didn't look excited at all. She looked terrified.
He hesitated before the chanting crowd, and realized what he had to do.
He held up a hand.
"Silence!"
To his shock, they stopped.
Loki had to take another moment to steady himself. He straightened back his shoulders, lifted his chin.
"Your gratitude is noted. I am..."
Another unbidden half-laugh.
"Truly humbled by it. I promise you all that I will answer any questions you may have... at a later date."
There was no instantly identifiable reaction to this one, so he swallowed and continued, "Until then, I ask only for your patience and privacy. Thank you."
He held up his arms in a kind of beatitude and seemed almost to inhale their chanting as it began again, then reached to pick Teja up again and walk out through the crowd.
They tried to touch his cloak, his armor. He wrapped the former around Teja to gently shield her from their supplicating hands, and whispered,
"You're safe now. I love you."
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Post by Teja on May 29, 2015 15:01:51 GMT -5
She put her own trembling arms over his shoulders.
"Can't we just go out like - you know, can we just disappear? Please?"
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Post by Loki Odinsson on May 29, 2015 15:04:41 GMT -5
He took one last wide-eyed look at the crowd behind him, and then nodded.
"Let's go home."
Another step, and they were gone.
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Post by Steve Rogers on May 29, 2015 16:23:45 GMT -5
"Loki?" Steve turned to Superman and furrowed his brow "Loki?
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Post by Clark Kent on May 29, 2015 16:24:31 GMT -5
Clark hovered a bit off the ground to see above the crowd as the man disappeared "Norse trickster god" he almost mumbled "if I'm not mistaken."
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Post by Steve Rogers on May 29, 2015 16:55:36 GMT -5
"You're not" Steve felt a tightness in his head like a headache, but he didn't remember the last time he had one of those "mistaken that is. I can't say that we're wrong either because I've been in contact with Thor."
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Post by Lex Luthor on May 29, 2015 17:35:08 GMT -5
Outside the tent Lex was fuming, he's pushed away the nurses to see what was going on.
They were praising him, they were treating him like a god, like they'd treated Superman before. Superman who hovered slightly above the crowd, watching Loki with the same eyes that he'd watched him: Mistrust.
He felt sick though he couldn't be sure if it was from the disgust or internal injuries.
He could work this he had to work this, he grabbed his phone from his pocket and voice dialed Regina "They're taking me to the hospital, news conference when I get there." There was a yes sir from the other line but no questions, he hung up and went back in to the tent.
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Post by Alex Regan on May 31, 2015 2:00:07 GMT -5
Alex had to shut his eyes. This should have been the fun kind of thing, life-changing, godlike beings all over the place, chanting, love and charisma, uplifted. In reality it was just -- chaotic, and embarrassing. The act of lowering his head was practically involuntary in response to it; opening his eyes and peering past Herbert, over the little blonde girl, to see the two of them gone was a tremendous relief in the clamor.
Talk about full of shit, boss. New York's greatest hero.
"What a guy. Let me tell you, he really did it, holy shit -- Herbert, you can stop, he's fucked off. Herbert, stop."
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