When Lana came to it, she felt an absence of any fear, and that itself should have scared her. The fact that she woke up in an unknown place, injured, cold, tied up, even though she didn't remember that happening, and alone -

Someone coughed slightly. Not alone, she realised slowly.

Okay, okay, think it over, you can do this, Lana, she told herself; pretend to be unconscious until they leave? Try to fight back? No, she wouldn't be able to win a fight against anyone there, so rema-

"You can open your eyes, mortal," a bored voice drew out. Unsure if she was imagining things, Lana slowly opened one eye first, then the other.

Loki was sitting not far from her, about two meters to her right, in a chair that looked almost as uncomfortable as the floor she was lying on.

"Loki," she stated coldly.

"Lana. I got your name from the human. The one who's your friend," he added helpfully.

"My friend stabbed me, I don't know how close I'd say we are right now," Lana scoffed, slowly sitting up only to grimace her face in pain.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he told plainly.

"Well, I wouldn't go around stabbing people if I were you, but why don't we each just stay to our own business?" Lana offered, leaning herself against a wall.

"I did not stab you," Loki said offendedly, leaning forward in his chair.

"No, your idiotic minions did, you absolute waste of oxygen!" Lana said angrily.

"I did not tell them to do that. Perhaps you angered them?" he suggested pleasantly.

"What? How?!"

"By being annoying, I assume," Loki replied, as if stating an obvious fact.

"I wasn't being annoying! You ordered him to find out what I knew!"

"Yes, but - oh, I see what happened," he realised calmly, crossing his legs.

"Must be nice. I can't see much, given this killer black eye!" Lana hissed, pointing to the eye that was as well as sewn shot.

"They must have assumed torture, given that that is what I would usually do. What an unfortunate string of events," he added, looking at his fingernails.

"An unfortunate string of events?!" Lana challenged angrily; "I was stabbed and it's your fault!"

"Lana, darling, it was an accident. A simple misunderstanding. There truly is no one to blame here," he told her knowingly.

"Really? Because I sure as hell blame you!" Lana told him.

"I can understand why, even if I do not agree with you," Loki told calmly; "Let me at least heal you, as an apology."

"Heal me?" Lana asked carefully.

"I am not a healer, so do overbear with my poor skills. Should you want an illusion I'd be much better fit to handle it," he told her as he stood up from his chair, folding his sleeves slightly up.

"I don't have much of a choice, I'm tied up," Lana told, making him laugh slightly as he kneeled next to her.

"I do suppose you make a fair point, mortal," he admitted before his face turned into a concentrated one. His hands started emitting a glow which fell onto her stomach, where the wound was. It hadn't been hurting at all before, but it almost felt warm now, as if he was using a heat pad.

"What did you mean when you said you'd usually torture people?" Lana asked quietly, looking at his hands over her body.

"Darling, I do believe you answered your own question there," Loki calmly pointed out to her, still focusing on his work.

"I meant," Lana corrected; "Why not torture me?"

"Because I do not want to," Loki told.

"You want to torture the other people, though?"

"This is as much healing as I can manage today," Loki told, removing his hands and standing up; "We will continue tomorrow.

"Thank you for healing me," Lana told, looking down at her stomach before looking up at Loki; "Fuck you for keeping me another day."

"You're being fairly rude for someone who was dying from a stab wound not long ago and was only saved thanks to me," Loki said offendedly.

"I was also only dying because of you!" Lana shot back; "Wait, I was dying?"

"When I came in here you were not far from death. I healed you enough for you to wake up so I could talk to you," he explained, pulling his sleeves down again; "I'll admit, even for me it was fairly hard work. I was unsure if it could be done."

"Yet you expect me to thank you," Lana commented unhappily.

"Enjoy your night, mortal," Loki said, heading towards the door.

"Wait!" she called out, once again entirely uncertain if she was keeping herself alive or the opposite.

"Yes, darling?"

"I just... I mean, you're a total dick, but even you must have your reasons, and you did heal me. So, well, thanks, I suppose," she said awkwardly.

"I should have you killed for talking to me in such a way," Loki warned her.

"That'd be a waste of all your hard work," Lana pointed out, almost smiling.

"You should rest - I will send your friend with some food later. Have him call me should you need anything," Loki offered, sounding as if he was talking to a houseguest instead of a prisoner.