This post here was written entirely by Loki,
but I am here to introduce it because he's not too fond of those and this post
has been a work on progress for a while, so I just took this over for him. This
post is the first of three in a... mini-series, if you will. During the summer,
She's family went on a very special vacation on only a few selected dolls could
go. I bet you can already guess from the author that Loki was one of them, but
how he got to go in the first place is an interesting story that had to be
told. I finally got him to finish working on it so it could be published in
October. Better late than never, right?
***
July 6th, 2018.
Summer was
well on its way and Independence Day had come and gone. Ever since She found
out about the Code of Dolls last month, She was allowing us more and more
freedoms during the day. As long as we were out of sight of the other humans,
her mother and father especially, there were virtually no limits to what we
could do. Idina fashioned swimsuit tops for Anna, Elsa, and Anelle, hoping one
day for a doll-sized pool party. Benny and Napoleon set off a miniature
fireworks party, with handheld sparklers and matches instead of the usual
overhead pyrotechnics displays. The Funkos were still on the search for real
estate, somewhere away from the rest of us where they could communicate on
their own, but otherwise, they were incorporating well with She's other dolls.
And speaking of other dolls, She's newest and most unexpected addition to the
doll family, a fellow named Arthur Dent, was still getting used to the place.
It seemed for a while that was how things were going to be and how they were
always going to be. Not that I minded it whatsoever. I'm the sort of person who
relishes in routine. But eventually, things must come to an end, and they did,
whenever we noticed She folding and stuffing clothes into a paisley-printed
duffel bag shortly after the fourth of July.
She did her
best to distract us, never once explaining as to why such a thing was being
done, but we knew that we had to find out. Olaf took the liberty of searching
She's luggage tags, which wasn't ideal since he cannot read.
"What
me to help, Olaf?" Elsa suggested. We were all waiting eagerly upon our
new home, the white shelf She had sanded and painted herself. It was an
admirable job for someone with absolutely zero experience in that realm.
"No,
no, wait. I got this. Let's see... hm. That could be a plane
ticket. So She has to be going somewhere far... you don't think She's riding a
plane to college, do you?"
My hopes
dropped. Last month She had said She'd be living home to go to school, but a
lot could change from one month to the next. Was such a thing possible?
Olaf
laughed. "No, She can't be doing that every day! It says here on the
ticket... Cal-oh. I don't know."
"Just
take a guess, Olaf." Said Elsa.
"Okay.
Okay. Um..." Olaf squinted at the paper, then pressed his hands to both sides of his puffy face and gasped. “She’s
family is going to Caliofrotnia!”
I snorted in my throat rather unexpectedly to both myself and
the others. “Actually, it’s pronounced-“ I began, before suppressed laughter
made me unable to finish.
“What?” Elsa asked.
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Caliofrotnia is fine.”
“Why Caliofrotnia?” Said Moana. “It sounds funny to me. “What do they have
there?”
“What do they have there?!” Magneto repeated, incredulously. “What haven’t they
got there is the real question. Mountains, ocean, forests, cities, boardwalks,
food, parks, museums... it’s exhausting.”
“Magneto? You’ve been there before?” Elsa said.
“Yes, once. A very long time ago with my second owner. He used me to mark his
luggage. And that was the last time.” He replied, more quietly than before.
“Wait a minute, did you say ocean?” Moana’s eyes lit up. “I’ve never seen the
real sea. I’ve got to go there!”
“Hold on,” Elphaba whispered logically. “She’s probably fully packed at this
point. There’s got to be no chance that any of us get to go.”
“Oh, Elphie, you’re such a party pooper! Keep your hopes high. You never know
what might happen. We could always ask She if we could come along and maybe She
can make some adjustments.” Nessa had latched in immediately to the idea of
getting more involved in our human’s life after She discovered our secret, but
Elphie still was skeptical.
Just at the
right moment She slunk through her doorway and closed the door behind her.
"Woah, hey, y'all are talkative. What's up?"
"You're
going to Caliofrotnia!"
"Wha...
oh. You mean California?"
"Yeah,"
Olaf replied bashfully. "That's the one."
"Don't
be embarrassed. I think Caliofrotnia sounds a lot better," She grinned and
patted Olaf on the head. "And I'll be in Caliofrotnia for a whole
week."
"That's an awfully long time," Nessa remarked. "You won't be
wanting to take any of us along, would you?"
She let a
gust of air escape her mouth. "I don't know, Nessa. If I lost any one of
you I would be heartbroken. You know that."
"We
won't get lost. Promise."
"Well,
even if you didn't, I can't take all of you with me! My travel bag is already
set out to be full, and my carry-on's not exactly an ideal place to be."
"We
really want to go!" Moana begged, her hands clasped together as if in
prayer. "We'll be good wherever you put us."
Suddenly I
caught a spark of something in She's eye. She looked up at the fourth quadrant
of the shelf, to where I stood with the PSA. Her eyes wandered over to Thor,
and the spark changed from just an idea to something mischievous.
"You
know what? I'll see what I can do. There might be a way I can take just a few
of you. I'll create contest, and whoever wins gets to go. I'll be right back."
She left the
room, and we all began speculating on what sort of contest it would be.
"You
don't think it will be some sort of sports contest, will it? Because I really
don't like sports." Olaf worried. Moana and Steve locked eyes, knowing
full well that if it were to be a sports contest, they would win in a
heartbeat.
"I
don't think so. It would have to be a fair contest." Elsa explained.
"But we really don't know what She has in mind."
Anna added.
"Let's hope eet iz something simple, like pick a number
from a hat." Idina said.
"Let's
hope the contest is optional!" Arthur puffed.
"What?
You don't even want to try to go?" Olaf asked. The notion was unheard of.
"Oh,
no. I'm quite the homebody. I'll avoid any sort of travel unless the world is
about to end. And even then..." Arthur rolled his eyes and looked
overwhelmed. "Even then it will take a lot of convincing. At least four
bitters."
Olaf, having no clue as to what a "bitter" was, kept talking.
"What if I don't win? Everybody will be having fun without me. But what if
I do win? And you don't?" He was talking about his fiancee.
"If you
win and I do not, go without me," Idina said. "I do not mind being
alone for a week."
Thor, who
was perpetually standing beside me with dental wax beneath his bad foot for
balance, courtesy of She, stuck out his legs to sit down with a clunk.
"How long have they been together, do you reckon?" He asked.
"Olaf
and Idina?" I gave up and sat down, too. This could be a while. "They
met on Christmas Day of 2014. They have likely been dating since the beginning
of the following year."
"That's
nice. They make a good couple," Thor began. "You know, Loki, I've
noticed that smaller one with the red pigtails has been noticing you as of
late."
"Oh,
that's Nessarose. She's always been that way." Besides, she had eyes for
Vision now, and I had mine for She.
"If
your friend Nessarose has been that way for so long, why haven't you conversed
with her? Planned an outing or something of the sort?"
I laughed
bitterly and quietly. "Because I do not feel the same way for her as you
think she does for me. Nessarose likes Vision now."
"Does
she?" Asked Thor. "'Tis a fitting bond. I can see it now... yes.
Except for Vision is an android, and none of us are quite sure if he is capable
of love."
"If
he's a doll, he's got a magnet. Only 1% of them don't, I've heard."
"And
how does your magnet, brother?"
"What
are you, a love expert?"
"Sometimes
I like to think of myself as well versed in romance, yes," Thor tried
looking me straight in the eye, and the power radiating from his stare was like
lightning. He still expected an answer from me. "Well?"
"My
magnet's broken," I whispered. "I've not developed feelings for any
doll."
"'Well,
'tis possible you may never meet your magnet-mate, brother. Many do not."
I drew my lips to the inside of my mouth. That was all true, but I was unsure
whether or not to tell Thor I believed the whole magnet-mates thing to be
phony. I even had to force myself to say that every doll had a magnet within
them. No human manufacturer would go to such lengths to place a magnet
inside every doll they made and place a polar opposite of that same magnet
within another doll, not necessarily a doll of that same variety. No human
manufacturer would go to such lengths unless they were sure these dolls were
alive and desired companionship. And maybe that wasn't so far of a stretch now
after She had reacted so well to having to Code of Dolls broken for her. Each
day I was starting to doubt my previously held beliefs about love and dolls
more and more. But if I loved a human, did that meant my magnet was broken, or
had I not been given a magnet at all?
"I
think you already know this. Do not make me say it again."
"Say
what?"
"Don't
be stupid, Thor. You know where my love lies."
"Is it
with Wanda? I seem to think she fancies you."
"Wanda?
What? No. We're close, but just friends." I glance over at Wanda, who was
practicing her magic with Hawkeye. She was like me, and her powers would only
be triggered when experiencing strong emotions, and right now it was joy.
Ghostly auras the color of cotton candy encased her arms in magic, and her eyes
lit up with sheer pleasure as she stole Hawkeye's quiver from his back and
twisted it around this way and that. She had these special sort of eyes, a true
and vivid green. While the Anna dolls were dark or somewhat turquoise, hers
were bright and often mesmerizing. In certain lights, She's eyes would often look
this way, too, but grayer. Only Wanda's eyes were so unique.
"Loki?"
Thor called me back to reality, and his eyebrows were raised in skepticism.
"Just
friends," I repeated. "Come on, Thor. Don't make me say it. She could
be back any minute."
"She?
Is it She?"
"Shh!
Okay, yes, it is. Now you know."
Thor could
incredibly happy, but I wasn't sure if he was happy with himself or for me.
"This is excellent! I figured that was so all along. One must not be so
frequent with the compliments, eh, brother?"
"What have I said about you calling me brother?" I groaned, trying to
shake my hair into my face, hoping in vain that it might cover the blush on my
cheeks.
"Yes,
but when have I ever listened to you?" Thor patted my shoulder, which felt
like a weight. "Here's what I think. You win a spot in this contest, and
you get sent to the realm of Caliofrotnia with She. It is the perfect
opportunity to get to know her better! And perhaps even win her heart."
"Human
hearts cannot be won the same as contests," I reminded Thor sadly.
"They are fickle, yet not so easily changed. Besides, how could a doll and
a human ever be together?"
Thor was
caught in my defense. "Well, urm... I'm not too certain on that one. But
it is worth a shot, is it not? Tell you what. I swear to you that I will not
participate in this contest, whatever it is. I wouldn't want someone as dashing
as myself to come in the way between you and your lady of interest."
"Gee,
thanks." I said, although I was not grateful.
"Shush,
brother! She returns."
"I'm
baaacccckkk," She said right on cue in a creepy voice. "I brought
something to be a part of the contest. And just so you know... I can take four
of you with me... no more, no less. That's the rule."
"Then who
will you decide to take?" Olaf asked.
She looked
mischievous. I shouldn't be worried, but I barely knew our human until
recently. She could be an enormous trickster- one that delights in deceptions
and diversions. "I have here a certain object in my pocket. I'm going to
put it on the dresser. Whoever is able to lift it may go."
"That's
it?"
"Yep,"
She affirmed, but something in her voice told us not to assume until we'd seen
said object. Continuing on with that sly smirk, She slunk over to the dresser,
where all of us could see, plain as day, the object revealed when She opened
her fist and set it down.
It was
heavy-sounding, prism-shaped, and had a long handle of the same pewter
material, with a brown leather strap wrapped around the end in a loop.
"Mjolnir." Thor whispered in dread.
"Whoever
is able to lift it may go." She repeated.
Nobody else
could recognize it, or maybe if they could, they didn't realize what this
meant. I was stunned. "But that's Mjolnir! Thor's hammer!"
My heart sunk,
likely along with everyone else except Thor. Thor's hammer was meant to be
impossible to pick up unless you were Thor himself... or at the very least,
worthy to wield such mythic power. We were all doomed, and She knew it.
"I know
what it is," She started to walk away slowly, out of her room and into the
hallway, but still looking behind her shoulder, smug at our shock. "I'll
leave you to it, I know you'll play fair. Just tell me who was able to lift it.
You have a half an hour."
The door was
closed, and we were left to deal with the impossible challenge before us.
Anna, willing
to establish some sort of order before chaos broke out, suggested we go in a
line, starting with the one standing closest to the hammer.
Which was me.
I started
backing away from Mjolnir like it it had a disease. "No, no, I shouldn't.
I already know I'm not going to be worthy. I'm a villain."
"Your character is
a villain," Anna reminded me. "You are not."
"Thanks,
but..." I still wasn't liking this. "I'll go later. Let the others
have a chance first."
Elsa gave me a
pitying look. She knew I loved She. Elsa knew it would mean the world to be to
go on a vacation with She. She probably hoped I would at least give myself a
chance to be one of the chosen four.
Anelle was the
second closest to the hammer. She wrapped her hands around the handle, twisted
her wrists through the leather loop, and threw her back out in vain attempt to
lift Mjolnir off the dresser, but to no avail. She sighed and pushed her hair
away in frustration.
"Guess my
arms are as weak as my legs." She smiled meekly.
Kristoff
patted her shoulder. "Let me handle this. I'm an ice harvester, aren't I?
We're supposed to be strong. I'll win ya a place, Anelle."
"No, no, you should be doing this for yourself."
"Relax,
mkay? I'll do what I want. And if I want you to go on that trip, then... that's
what I want."
But Kristoff
wasn't successful either, no matter how many irritated grunts he made. He was
being so obnoxious that Sven even started to imitate him with similar reindeer
noises.
"Mkay,
buddy. I'll stop," Kristoff was out of breath and finally accepting
defeat. "Sorry, Anelle."
Sven grunted
again and tossed his antlers.
"What?
I'm done, okay? Stop mocking me. Geez."
"I think
he wants a go at the hammer!" Elsa giggled.
Sven tried
pushing it with his antlers, tried gripping it with his mouth, but he got
nothing out of it, nothing but most likely a gross metallic taste. Benny and
Napoleon, being soldiers, were confident in their abilities, but Mjolnir didn't
budge an inch. Dorothy and Bell's attempts were both well-fought but weak, and
Magneto could barely raise his arms high enough to reach Mjolnir. It looked
like this impossible challenge might really be impossible.
"Olav,
you next," Idina ordered, pushing her husband-to-be forward. "I vant
to see somebody win. Othervise eet iz boring."
Olaf wasn't so
sure he could lift it, but there was always some hope to be found in the
optimistic snowman. He laughed nervously and stepped forward. "Okay, okay!
I normally don't like competitions but this one is fun, right?" He looked
around at the rest of us, and most of our facial expressions were less than
agreeable. Olaf shrugged and bent down to grab the hammer.
And it came up
easily in his hands.
Idina was
ecstatic. She clapped her hands with glee. "Way to go, Olav! Now you get
to go to Caliofrotnia!" But then her attitude changed. "... without
me..."
"But you
didn't try the hammer, Idina! Come on, I believe in you!"
"Dat's
nice of you to say. But I am a lady. I do not do heavy lifting."
"But...
our wedding..." Olaf tried desperately.
"Will commence right after you come back. Don't vorry about it."
Idina said, although she looked uncertain herself. Her wedding to Olaf was all
she was able to talk about most days, and a summer ceremony meant a lot to her.
Once She got back from California, it would only be a matter of time before She
went off to college, and fall would arrive soon after.
"Okay,"
Olaf hugged his fiancee. "I can't believe I'm going to Caliofrotnia!"
Anna smiled,
albeit impatiently. She was watching the ticking clock for sure. Only one doll
had managed to wedge their way into a four-person group, and we had wasted more
minutes than she would have liked. "Moana, why not you next?"
Moana jumped
up immediately. She'd been impatiently rocking back and forth on her heels
since the contest was even mentioned. "I'm ready! I've got to see that
ocean!"
Moana
attempted all the best tactics. She was clearly physically strong, and mentally
powerful enough, but apparently just not worthy enough. She tried over and
over, spanning a good two or three minutes of time, although it felt longer.
Eventually, Moana had to give up when her hands slipped on the final pull and
she fell backwards. I had never seen her look more devastated. It made me
wonder if this contest was fair at all, when She could have chosen the one we
all knew wanted to see California the most.
Anna tsked.
"Sorry, Moana. How about the Marvel bunch goes next?"
"Like
Steve?" Elsa suggested, staring up at her own fiance.
The soldier
politely declined with a shake of the head. "No, not me. I'd rather stay
here with Elsa."
"What?
Why?"
"I've no
need for travel. I've already found my whenever. With you."
Clearly Elsa
and Steve also had their own wedding in mind. The California trip could throw
everything off the rails of our plans.
"Aww,"
said Anna. "Anyone else, then?"
"I shall
also decline," Thor spoke up, winking my way. "I already know my
worth."
"Excuse
me, but what the hell? This is a once in a lifetime chance, and nobody's going
to take it? Rhodey, come here." Tony said, flying down from the shelf and
beckoning for War Machine to follow in suit.
"Are we gonna do that thing we did in Age of Ultron?" Rhodey asked.
"You bet
we are, buddy. California, here we come."
With the two
of them together, lifting Mjolnir should not have been a problem. But going
solo or as a team, neither Tony nor Rhodey were worthy enough.
Chris failed.
Hawkeye
failed.
Wanda, even
with the aid of magic, still failed.
"It's not
much use, is it?" Vision observed. "Well, regardless, I'll give it a
go."
Nessa's eyes
grew wide when Vision floated down from the shelf and picked up Mjolnir with
one hand. He didn't boast about it verbally or physically. Instead, he regarded
the instance thoughtfully.
"I
suppose that makes sense. Vision was also worthy in the films. Wonderful
craftsmanship for a keychain."
"Nessarose
is next!" Elphaba cried, raising her hand excitedly, with the other
pointing to her sister.
Nessa tried to
catch Vision's eye, then mine, and succeeded. I bowed my hand away out of
respect for her emotions. For once, she wasn't eager to try something new.
Elphie didn't care. She pulled Nessa off her feet and walked behind her, slowly
towards the spot where the hammer laid.
"Elphie,
what are you doing?" Nessa squeaked. Her attempts to escape were in vain.
"Helping
you out!" Elphie's ice-blue eyes concentrated on Nessa's cyan ones. It
didn't take a genius to figure out what the unspoken words were. This
is your chance to get to know Vision better. And in California, no less! That's
got to be romantic. So you're going to try to lift that hammer or I'll never
let you live this down.
"Just try
it," Elphie urged, pushing Nessa into Mjolnir. "No regrets."
"Sure,"
Nessa rolled her eyes and wound her little arms around the handle. It was
almost laughable in a way to assume that anyone as small as Nessa could do
this. "Elphie, you're crazy. I'm not gonna get it. I'm never gonna get it.
See? See?"
"Um, Nessa, do you see?" Her sister asked, her mouth
covered in shock.
Nessa turned
her head to the hammer, only to see it off the ground, held aloft by her tiny
hands.
"Oh my
gosh!" Nessa dropped Mjolnir with a clunk. "I'm worthy? I'm worthy!
How? Why? Oh my gosh, nevermind! I'm going to California!"
"Congratulations."
Elphaba grinned.
"Now
you try!" Nessa squealed.
"Me?
No," Elphaba shook her head and winked at Nessa. "Not me."
"Okay.
The Funkos? How about you guys?" Anna asked. Blake, Heimdall, and Iron Man
signed in their language amongst themselves before Blake shook his head. They
weren't ones to leave the house if they could help it.
"Arthur?"
The newest doll laughed ironically.
"That's a no, then... anyone else?"
"Loki's the only one left." Said Elsa.
My nerves spiked.
"What about Westley?" Rhodey cut in.
"Yeah. Westley." Moana remembered. She was
comforting herself by cuddling Pua and HeiHei.
"He's outside," said Elsa. "Besides, he
wouldn't want to go. Loki's last."
Anna pursed her lips, but said nothing related to
Westley.
"Come, on, brother!" Thor practically shoved me
forward with a tap of his hand on my back. I lurched into a standing position
and found myself confronting the hammer. "It has to be you! She wanted
four, and we've only got three thus far!"
That's true, I thought. But
that doesn't mean that will help me.
Suddenly there was a rap on the door, and it opened.
"Time's up. Who are my champions?" She asked, looking eagerly around
at both the shelf and the dresser, then her eyes fell on me, and she leaned
against the doorframe, her arms folded. No interruptions.
I avoided her
gaze and coiled my fingers around the end of the handle. The metal was cool to
the touch, and the leather strap soft against my wrist was soft and textured.
It felt almost... natural. I doubt I will ever know the reason why.
Then I pulled
back my arm.
And the hammer
lifted.
I couldn't
look, but the gasps from the other dolls let me know what I had done.
Was Mjolnir really in my hands?
Was I worthy?
I was completely dazzled, obviously.
I risked an upwards glance and saw She, the
corners of her eyes crinkled in a proud grin. The realization struck me that
this was reality, and now I would be heading off on a week-long California trip
with She.
All other reactions tuned in like increasing the
volume on a television, getting louder and peppier with each new comment from
someone else.
Wanda and Thor were the first to greet me. Thor
with a hug, of course, and Wanda with a fist bump.
"Nice job, dude. I knew you had it in you.
Just don't have too much fun in California, okay?"
"I won't." I told her, still reeling.
"Oh, but you must!" Thor cried.
"'Tis a once-in-a-lifetime chance for humans and dolls alike! Right,
She?"
She entered her room and collected Mjolnir, and I
knew that we would likely never see it again. "That depends, Thor. But the
four of you are very lucky, considering I wasn't going to take anybody anyways.
Speaking of, who won?"
Olaf roped Nessa, Vision and I together
unwillingly. "Me, Nessa, Vision, and Loki!"
"Perfect," She gushed, leaning down
until her face was aligned with the surface of the dresser where the four of us
stood. "Let me walk you through how everything's going to go."
The other dolls who had failed or declined the
opportunity to the vacation left us to it as She gave us the complete run-down
of the vacation by her bag on the bedroom floor. She explained each day's plan,
the various modes of transportation, and the importance of safety. Especially
not letting anyone get lost along the way.
"...And an airplane ride will bookend the trip. Now I
want you to know th-"“What’s an airplane?” Olaf
interrupted.
“It’s like a big metal bird in the sky,” She stretched out her arms and began
dipping and rising in the same motion as an airplane’s wings. “And a hundred
people can ride on one every day.”
“Is it safe?”
“It’s extremely safe,” She nodded. “Statistically one of the best ways to
travel. No worry of pedestrians walking about in front of you, and no cars
beside you or behind you. No birds, either, no. Not way up there. The sky’s
completely clear. And the views are spectacular on clear days. Come on, Olaf.
You’ve been on one before. In 2014.”
“Right! I almost forgot,” Olaf laughed. “How else did I get here from
Disneyworld?”
Contrary to Olaf, I hadn’t forgotten a detail. On that day, Olaf and Elsa,
still tagged and boxed up respectively, had gone in She’s duffel for the trip.
Only I had the experience of riding along with her in She’s carry on bag. Every
now and then, on the way back home from the flight, She would reach in and give
me a little squeeze to make sure I was still in there. It was more than what
was necessary, but it is because of that experience that I really latched on to
She. She was the first one who cared.
"Loki, Nessa, and Vision- you'll be riding on my purse
so I can have you on hand at all times. Olaf, unfortunately you’ll have to go
in the duffel bag,” She unzipped her bag and peeled back a beach towel to
reveal a cozy, empty spot just right for Olaf.
The two of them bantered back and forth about Olaf's fear of
the dark before he eventually surrendered and settled in. This didn't concern
me, and while I would typically stay anywhere She was, but the fact that I was
going to spend an entire week in her purse, as physically close to her as
possible, I was starting to feel overwhelmed. I sneaked away from the group,
only catching Nessa's attention, but she was too busy trying to find a chance
to speak to Vision to follow me.
I liked it better that way.
Meanwhile everybody was getting back to their regular
routines of the day, either dwelling on the results of the contest or
attempting to move on and forget it entirely. Only Wanda seemed lost on what to
do, so I went to her for advice.
"What's up, oh-worthy-one?" She joked.
I wasn't in the mood. "Do I deserve this, Wanda?"
She raised an eyebrow at me. "You're not
thinking of going back on this now, are you?"
"No," I sighed. "I want to go.
Really I do. But..."
"But?"
"But this is a new thing for me. I've never
been so close to- I've never been out of house, nevermind so far away from it-
for so long. And there are plenty of other dolls I know should have gone in my
place. I-"
"So you know you're worthy, you just don't
feel worthy of being worthy," Wanda flipped her hair across her shoulder
and patted a spot on the edge of the dresser where she sat, signaling me to get
next to her. "Interesting."
I nodded and settled in next to her. We both
watched She and the champions of the contest from afar in the silence.
Then, out of the
blue, Wanda says my name. “Loki?”
“Yes?”
“I’ve been meaning to
ask you his since I met you, but I guess I didn’t have the guts to last
week...”
“Okay?” I don’t know why
I suddenly felt nervous.
“...But when we first
met you, why did you introduce yourself as Prince Loki of Jotunheim?
Aren’t you from Asgard?”
I was tongue-tied. My
character never saw either place as a true home, at least not until the more
recent films.
“...It’s written on
my card.”
“Your card?” Wanda
scoffed. “There's your problem! Don’t believe anything your card says. Unless
it’s about your powers, I can guarantee that at least half of it is outdated or
not applicable.”
“And you know this
how?”
Wanda stood, held out
her arms, and spun around in a ta-da moment. “Look at me. Do you think I follow
the ‘rules’ of my card? The only thing it’s useful for is learning your
abilities. Aside from that, character traits, status, and origin are all
futile. In fact, once the humans put away our cards and eventually forget them,
give it maybe two or three days, I’m going to get mine and toss it out with
next Monday’s garbage.” She coolly plucked a piece of lint from her jacket and
flicked it away, most likely envisioning it as her card. She was most
definitely nothing like the neurotic, introverted Wanda I had learned about
from the movies.
“Don’t you think
that’s a little risky?”
Wanda shrugged one
shoulder and smiled with only one side of her face. “So what? I like a little
risk. Besides, my card says I’m in love with Vision. Can you believe that? I
could never imagine the two of us other. He’s just too...” Wanda shifted her
hands back and forth during the pauses to express words that wouldn’t come.
“And I’m too... well, you get it. I just can’t have that romance thing around
any more, not with that information on the back. It’s too awkward. For the both
of us.”
“I see.” I
replied.
"So don't worry
about it, dude. If you're worthy, you're worthy! You are not your card."
I guess I could try
to see it that way. But my mind is not so easily changed. It would take some
time. And the way Wanda saw it, this California trip was exactly what I needed.
"Thanks, Wanda."
"No problem, dude," Wanda socked me on
the shoulder in a friendly way, and less painful than Thor would have. She
offered me her hands and I let her pull me up. "Anytime you need me, you
tell me, okay? Now let's go celebrate with the PSA. Thor won't stop talking
about your victories."
I rolled my eyes. Of course he was.
"Alright."
And we walked together in the search of the other
Avengers, leaving She and the California trip behind.
At least for a little while.
-Loki
