[ chapter ten ] what makes loki loki

THEY RETURNED BACK TO THE PUB, as the witches ended up properly decorating the place for a welcome party with many creatures demanding money from Loki to pay their bills.

The dim place was suddenly decorated with many vibrant garlands, celebrating Loki's iconic green shades. Some of them had tiny golden details — illustrations that represented Loki's life too accurately. 

His birth and childhood were entangled with snakes and his happiest moments were spent with his older brother. One of the banners captured a scene where his mother, Frigga, taught him magic as his father was attempting to explain to Thor how to use strength in a fight.

Loki's eyes became water as those moments struck him, making him emotional out of nowhere as he finally realized that these were the memories that he should appreciate the most. Although it didn't seem like that, he was really close with Thor at that time and seeing on the TVA's screen that one day they reunited, there was hope. 

Now the hope was gone as following banners revealed his tragic death attempting to save an unknown woman that was supposed to mean everything to him, yet he didn't know a single thing about her. 

Loki eventually looked away as many of those unwanted emotions made him appear distressed.

After all, he was at the party, and most importantly he was one of the main centers of attention. He wanted to introduce himself to others. Just as soon as he opened his mouth to make a flirtatious joke, Agatha Harkness interrupted him with a toast.

"We're so happy to welcome another Lokis to our community!" She expressed ironically as a few of the other Loki variants stood there with their eyes widened. 

Agatha raised her glass, followed by many, except Nicholas as he got confused, not hearing his name.

Above all he raised the apple juice box as well, managing to create a crooked smile on his lips.

Loki drank the whole drink because he was already thirsty from watching others dancing. It was so tiring, how they still had the energy to function properly. He exhaled loudly, excited as those who celebrated their arrival.

"Just for the record, I am the superior Loki," He said with a wide smile on his lips.

"And I am not even a Loki," Nicholas mumbled as he joined him with an explanation as well. He stated the information very shyly and quietly that everyone was surprised only by the reaction of the god. Again his eyes came across a man that was standing far away from them, deadly staring right at him.

One in the crowd couldn't take it anymore and spat out the drink because it started burning in his mouth. The man in front of him screamed as the unknown liquor splashed all over his back.

Agatha Harkness started to laugh once again, these little reactions made a huge impact on those that were around them. Everyone started to laugh with her as if it was their duty, being forced to have the time of their lives.

"Why are you laughing?" Loki asked, peeking at Nicholas to see if he was laughing with them. The clear poker face calmed him down.

"It's an inside joke," Agatha shrugged, taking one of the drinks of others and finishing it instead. "Well, sort of," the glass disappeared in her hand.

"Every Loki that comes here says the same thing so it doesn't surprise us anymore," she explained as she folded her arms on her chest.

"Has superior Loki been here before?"

"Well. . ."

"Then you have no other choice than to accept me as the superior Loki," he declared, making a pose that should've represented his supremacy. He used his magic to generate a greenish glow outlining his body to indicate his greatness. Sparks of fireworks ascended behind his back with an invisible choir singing a high note.

Nick flinched as a pair of sparks almost hit him in the eye, how close he was to the radiating illuminations.

"About that," Agatha's nose scrunched, trying to figure out how to say it, making a weird gesture with her hands, eventually giving up.

"You can try to convince us," she shrugged again. Just as she said that tones of an unknown melody started playing.

Have you ever seen so many Lokis?
If you haven't noticed,
this place is entirely filled with them

Loki pointed at the group of Loki variants that were shrouded in the corners of the pub, doing their best not to outshine the moment of the newest Loki.

"Clearly," Agatha uttered.

There is only one superior Loki
among entire Lokis
and he's standing there

He pointed in the distance and when everyone made a glance in that direction. They got to see him relocating to that specific place with him waving back, with a wide grin on his lips.

"Boring!" Agatha exhaled loudly and headed for the exit of the pub but someone stopped her.

Yeah you should now
my hypnosis is not a hocus pocus

Loki crept her way back to the bar with his hands raised as if trying to hypnotize her. 

no one does it like me
this is how the true Loki needs to be

Her eyes widened as she hit the counter. That affected the reality as a green cloud engulfed her and teleported her into a dark alley. When Agatha looked behind her shoulder, she observed a house whose windows were lit in green with a spotlight showcasing a large poster on the building. The poster was very distinct — it had Loki's face with a text spelling 'Loki the Great' wearing a crown and holding a scepter.

There's only one Loki

He came out of the door and slammed the door. Unfortunately, the poster fell right onto his head. The heavy poster buried him when some sort of earthquake hit the town. 

the king of mystify

Nevertheless, it was just a gigantic Loki stepping on the house and then a tunnel of light shone on him from the heavens.

There's no one else above me
What makes Loki Loki
when they are burdened with a purpose to die

On the clouds was sitting another copy of the same Loki dressed in white holding a framed proof that he's certified Loki, pointing directly at it with a wink. The scene exploded with green mosaics, turning around him like a kaleidoscope.

I'm Loki, I'm Loki, I'm Loki, let's make a compromise
I'm Loki, I'm Loki, I'm Loki, and the other lies

He posed as another green diffuse of glistening dust changed their location. Every New Salem's Loki stood in the line in the square, patiently waiting for someone to move, excited to attend Superior's Loki talent show.

I can hypnotize only with my eyes
vote for me, you can't despise

President Loki stuck the sticker of his campaign onto Nicholas' forehead as he was sitting with Agatha and Superior Loki in the jury.

you are a god of mischief so it's not a surprise

The judges sang bored, trying to find the right scorecard to rate his talent. He received surprisingly 0 points.

A Gemini, I walk disguised,
when danger approaches me
you can't see me, even any human eye

Classic Loki was bouncing to the rhythm of the song, telling his story of how he faked his death in front of Thanos, tip-toeing to safety, and then he disappeared.

you are a god of mischief so it's not a surprise

Nicholas gave him a 10 because he really liked the showcase of Classic Loki's talent. Suddenly a green flash transformed his card. Everyone started laughing, when he peeped on the card there was written 'I got Loki'd!'.

Yeah you need to know
You can't compare Lokis to me,
am I right Nicky?

Superior Loki squeezed him so tightly that he forgot to breathe. The sticker fell from his head. 

"What does that have to do with me?" Nicholas said strangled.

Let me show you what really Loki needs to be like

There's only one Loki
the king of mystify

There's no one else above me
I'm the Loki of Lokis
the others are burdened with the purpose to die

He blew into his hands from which dust flew and as it descended he was sitting on a throne, surrounded by his variants who started to worship him as Nicholas was feeding him with grapes a little withdrawn

I'm the god of lies

One of the variants raised his hand to ask a question: "Why are you so amazing?"

that is where many years of practice applies

"What makes you superior?" another asked.

There's no one else above me
I'm the Loki of Lokis
and I am here to rule with style

Superior Loki was relaxing once his work was done. He closed his eyes for a moment but he got startled as the grapes fell right into his lap. He was so ready to scold Nicholas, however, a woman-like figure wearing a long fur coat and the long white dress got his attention as it was slowly walking in his direction.

I  love when the other Lokis think that they are number one
as they didn't even build the mischief enterprise

She threw a business card at him.

"What?!" Superior Loki blurted out as he picked it from the ground.

You better drop the crown, mock-king
I'm the only Lady Loki in this magic Salem town

It wasn't a surprise that those ones who were bowing to the Superior Loki were enchanted by her grace and beauty. Her headpiece was unique just like her as there was a pure white baby's breath crawling around it.

Yeah you should know
There is no superior Loki

We're all variants, so stop mocking
You are just another copy-cat devotee

Suddenly she appeared right in front of him and blew a dandelion in his face. The scene fell apart like shards of glass, having Lady Loki spinning on the blooming meadow with colorful flower petals drifting in the wind as the other Lokis were staring at her from afar.

There's no superior Loki
those who mystify

You are not above me

I know what makes Loki Loki
we are the ones burdened with the purpose to die

Lady Loki's eyes flashed with emerald green color and then a bolt of lightning struck behind her which made everyone run to the safety of their houses, making the perfect transition for another scene. They stared at each other for a minute, hesitating to speak. Just as soon as the background flickered in the rainbow, they started dancing together on a levitating platform.

We're Lokis, we're Lokis, we're Lokis, that's who we are
We're Lokis, we're Lokis, we're Lokis, that's who we are

A green glow helped them descend back to the ground. Their chests were rising rapidly, copying the throb of their hearts from the dance moves. In fact, it was one of those occasions, when Loki danced and not only his daggers that were shifting in the mid of the air. His gaze remained attached to another variant of himself.

She did it, and he was so proud of her as she embraced something that he hid inside of him was ashamed of for the longest time.

"So she's a Loki too?" Loki questioned Agatha who only smirked at his query.

"You should've said that earlier," he added with a proud smile, walking towards her, to finally introduce himself.

"I'm happy to finally meet you, M'lady," he beamed, taking her hand and clutching it tightly.

"I SWEAR! THERE'S SO MUCH YOU NEED TO TELL ME," Loki expressed as his smile was the definition of pure happiness. He was following Lady Loki for the past thirty minutes, trying to demand some answers from her experiences. There were too many questions he wanted to ask before he was out of time, if truth be told, he couldn't know that.

Lady Loki exhaled loudly as she started losing her temper over her variant running after her, attempting to get lost. She was grateful that he was so happy for her, but also she wanted to be alone and when she finally dissipated, he was there so much faster, making her realize that her moves were too predictable, same as this place is cursed.

"When did that happen?" Loki questioned, indirectly pointing at her transition, trying to understand what exactly occurred when she suddenly felt comfortable this way.

He remembered this face, her face, as a matter of fact, too well. He switched to it from time to time when his dysphoria struck as he got to see his boring garments in which he had to attend those balls when all he wanted was to feel pretty.

"After Frigga's death," she responded as the sorrow hit her voice. Now he regretted that he demanded an answer to such a question. He was so excited that he forgot some of the things that could come from trauma.

"That was the first time I wasn't afraid to accept my feminine side," she continued as she finally conjured a smile on her slightly pink lips and sat down on a bench, picking a flower from the ground.

"Although the others are still giving me weird looks. I don't care. The only thing that matters is that she was the only one who loved me for being me," she said quietly, tearing a few of the petals.

"Truly," he exhaled as he sat right next to her, a bit withdrawn, to give her a deserved space because he respected her with all of his heart. He scanned her oddities, the way she was so gentle when she picked up a dandelion.

"I still remember the day she told me that I looked pretty in the—"

"In that sparkly dress?" Her eyes lit up.

"Yes, yes! Exactly! And then she accidentally spilled a potion of clairvoyance on it. That was so unfortunate but I was also grateful, I couldn't hear a single thing from Odin's speech, luckily, he didn't find out cause that thing was boring anyway."

"Same," Lady Loki chuckled, gazing at the dandelion's fluff.

They both exhaled at the same time which was even funnier as they connected through long-lost memory that was suddenly recalled back.

"So what's the fuss about the enterprise, huh?"

"Well, It's not a big deal."

"Oh come on! You own a school for tricksters! That's insane!" Loki exaggerated as the business card that was given to him appeared in his hand.

"Co-own," she corrected him.

"It was Thor's idea. We wanted to do something in the honor of Frigga. Firstly I thought he wanted to make another garden but he came up with the idea of creating a place where we will teach Frigga's magic."

Loki's eyes widened with flashes of hope as he got to know that they eventually got along. Also, it was quite shocking when he wasn't all into mockery and tricks.

"Woah!" Loki expressed delight as he didn't expect that. "Really? I wouldn't even think of that. Maybe like ten percent but that's it."

"Don't get me started on that, I was surprised too," Lady Loki took a glimpse at him. "And after that everything went wrong, so," she shrugged.

"TVA?"

She nodded.

"I'm so sorry about that... They indeed ruin every good moment. For example, I took a tesseract, from the ground, and no one was looking for it - guess someone was - but that's not the point. I took it and relocated myself somewhere far away from New York and they found me like a second after that," Loki complained. He found his story so frustrating to even think about.

"Tell me about it," she sighed.

"I was with my friend shoplifting and then boom, two agents caught us, well only me. They then explained to me that they were looking for me this whole time since I figured out how tessering could work in practice and they obviously didn't like that," she explained to him.

"What friend?"

What interested Loki was a lot more than supposed time traveling through the wrinkles of space. He blinked several times to express the attention that Lady Loki got instantly as she stated this information.

This town somehow wanted to embrace and remember the story of his future self, why he so badly wanted to be the Superior Loki among all of them. He wondered if it was the same person he was now thinking about.

"I haven't seen her since I got here," She frowned immediately.

"Well, I was just curious. You don't have to answer me," Loki shrugged, gazing in the distance, having the silence fall on them after this long conversation.

"But I would definitely appreciate it if you'd tell me at least her name. My life was supposed to be destined around a particular person and if I knew this would happen, I would never take the tesseract, even if I had more of those opportunities to change my fate for a bit," he declared with a subtle smile embed on his lips as he thought of the unexplored moments of his life screening in the Time Variance Authority.