Mobius never thought he'd say it, but being pruned isn't too bad.

He had no idea that there was a Void at the end of time, nor did he know that he'd inadvertently sent numerous people here throughout the... years? ... he'd been working for the TVA. He feels bad for them. He's sure most of them have died, and it must have been a gruesome death. This Alioth creature sounds horrible. He considers himself fortunate not to have seen it yet.

He also considers himself fortunate to have met these other Lokis. He's not sure he remembers any of them, though both Classic Loki and Kid Loki's stories sound familiar. He may have read about them in the mountains of paperwork he's gone through for this case. Boastful Loki, he's not so sure about, but that may be because he's not sure what his story is. He's obviously lying through his teeth, and everyone knows it, not that it's going to stop him.

But the alligator.

What the hell is up with that?

Mobius looks over at Kid Loki, lounging on his Christmas-themed throne with a juice box in his hand. "Are you sure he's a Loki?"

"Of course!" Kid Loki says.

"He is green, isn't he?" Classic Loki adds.

"I don't know; he could be lying," Mobius muses. He looks down at the alligator, lying contently in his little kiddie pool. "Playing the long con."

TVA Loki rolls his eyes. "Mobius."

"Of course," Mobius continues, "that just makes him more likely to be a Loki." He nods approvingly. "Always the game within the game with you guys -- which I respect."

TVA Loki lolls his head back, exasperated. "Mobius, can you focus?"

"Not really, no," Mobius says. "I mean, there is an alligator sitting just a few feet away from me! How cool is that?"

Lokigator grunts at that, and Mobius chuckles to himself. He's so cute. If he is a Loki, he's easily one of Mobius's top five favorites. He'd even go as far as to say top three -- though that would put him firmly in the bronze medalist category. The first two spots are already full, with one of the two sitting right in front of him.

"We need to find Sylvie!" TVA Loki says.

"Okay, great!" Mobius says. "Let's do that. Quick, where do we start?" He gives Loki a few moments to answer, and when he's predictably silent, he says, "Exactly! We don't know! So can I please talk to the alligator?"

Loki rolls his eyes so hard that he rolls his entire head with it. "You're useless," he mutters.

"Yeah, I kinda am," Mobius says. "I don't know what's going on. This isn't my field anymore, Loki; it's yours. You're always doing crazy stuff like overthrowing the overarching dictators of everything. I just sit at my desk and do paperwork." There's a lot more to his job than that, but sometimes, that's how it feels. It's certainly nothing like this.

TVA Loki sighs. "I know; I'm sorry," he says. "You can..." He gestures lazily to the kiddie pool. "You can talk to the alligator."

Mobius frowns. Well, now he doesn't want to talk to the alligator. Now he wants to make Loki feel better. "What do you want to do now?" he asks. "It's your call."

"I want to..." Loki runs a hand through his hair, clearly growing restless. "I want to... I don't know. I want to do something. I don't want to just sit here."

"Then tell us what to do," Mobius says.

Kid Loki scoffs. "Nobody tells me what to do."

Mobius looks over at him and nods. "You're absolutely right. I'm sorry, your highness." He loves this kid. He's so cute. He's in the middle of the TVA's trash heap and he's trying to play king to a bunch of older hims. It's adorable. To TVA Loki, he says, "You can tell me what to do."

Loki spreads his arms helplessly. "I don't know."

There's a loud banging on the little metal door separating the Lokis' hideout from the outside world. Mobius immediately looks to Kid Loki for an answer. He's in charge; if anyone would know, it would be him. When the kid's reaction is to pull out his blade, Mobius can pretty much tell this is not good.

The door opens, and down falls a pile of Lokis. Mobius recognizes one of the three that stumble in -- he saw him pruned once, a long time ago. He never spoke to the guy and he really doesn't know the first thing about him, but he'd like to think he's a decent guy. If he's not, the rest of them are in trouble.

As those three Lokis clamber to their feet, more Lokis descend the ladder. TVA Loki immediately rushes to Mobius's side and pushes him back, putting an arm out in front of him protectively. It's cute. Most Lokis are cute, he's realized, once you get to know them. It's a pity that was never really allowed on the Sacred Timeline. He would have liked to see more of that.

Mobius glances over at Classic Loki, who's already preparing himself for a battle. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said Lokis survive, huh?"

Classic Loki looks unamused by that.

"Well, well, well," a familiar voice drawls. "Would you look what we have here?"

This could be any number of Variants, but it sounds a lot like the Loki of the Sacred Timeline, and probably around the same age as TVA Loki. He's not one of the ones that looks, sounds, and acts completely different. It's so exciting! This has always been his favorite brand of Variant -- the ones just a little different than the Sacred Timeline wanted; so close to perfection but just wrong enough that the Timeline had to spit them out.

"Loki," Kid Loki hisses, like he's not also a Loki.

"You have this whole beautiful home..." the new Loki Variant begins. His feet reach the floor, and he slowly turns around, reveling in the drama of the situation in that way Lokis love to do. He spreads his arms, a smirk on his lips. "And you didn't invite us?"

Mobius furrows his brows. Is that...? He gently lowers TVA Loki's arm from in front of him and steps forward, eyeing this new Variant closely. He's got the green vest; he's got the horned headpiece that provides no actual coverage; he's got the campaign button... "Loki?" Could it really be him?

President Loki's confident smile falters. He slowly lowers his arms to his side. "Mobius?"

Mobius scoffs, a grin growing on his face. "Oh my god, it's really you!"

Mobius runs up to him and throws his arms around him. President Loki hugs him back, so excited that he lifts the analyst off the ground. Mobius wraps his legs around Loki's, and Loki grabs his thighs and hoists him up so Mobius's legs clings to his hips instead. His eyes flutter closed, reveling in this feeling of Loki's lips on his. Oh, he's missed this.

President Loki bites his bottom lip, his teeth sinking in deep, and Mobius lets out a content hum. That's going to hurt in a minute. He can already tell. And he couldn't care less.

"M'kay." Mobius pulls his head back, angling his face towards the ceiling so Loki can't pull him into another kiss — because he knows the little snake would do that even if he knew Mobius was trying, rather reluctantly, to stop him. "Breather."

President Loki shakes his head condescendingly. "You mortals and your desperation to breathe. Do you even know how weak you are?"

Mobius cracks a smile. "It's been mentioned once or twice." Or a few thousand times, from his mouth alone.

Mobius unwraps his feet from Loki's waist, and Loki gently puts him down on the ground. He looks up at the god, beaming. "I thought I lost you! It's been so long, I can't believe you're still here!"

"Of course I am," President Loki says. "And I am thriving!" He turns on his heel as he gestures to the Lokis surrounding him on all sides. "I have an army, entirely of mes, all mine to command."

Mobius chuckles. "I see that," he says. It's not going to last long. They're all Lokis. They're doubtlessly going to turn on him eventually, once he stops being useful to them. "I also have an army of Lokis, but I'm theirs to command because I have no idea what I'm doing."

President Loki pauses, letting those words sink in. He furrows his brows. "Yes, what are you doing here?" With a smirk, he adds, "Did the inferior Loki prune you, too?"

"No, actually, Ravonna did," Mobius tells him. He's surprisingly indifferent to that. It hurt for a few minutes, but he's a little too preoccupied with the whole "he's a Variant and the TVA is probably evil" thing to dwell on her betrayal.

President Loki snorts. "Oh, that is delicious."

Mobius rolls his eyes good-naturedly. "You're gonna do this?"

In a mocking falsetto, he says, "'Don't trust Loki, Mobius!' 'He's evil, Mobius!' 'He'll stab you in the back, Mobius!'"

"Yeah, yeah," Mobius says, interrupting him before he can say something too stupid. "'Who's stabbing you in the back now,' or wherever you're going with this. Point taken."

"I would have killed her for you," President Loki tells him. "I would have burnt that whole mindless bureaucracy to the ground for your honor — and for your freedom. It could have been us against the world."

"Good," Mobius says. "Because that's the —" He cuts himself off with a frown. "Is my lip bleeding?" It really stings right now. How hard did Loki bite him?

"Allow me to check," President Loki purrs. He pulls Mobius in by the tie, and his head tilts back involuntarily. Loki takes that opening for what it is, and he licks Mobius's lip with agonizing slowness, savoring every moment. He presses their foreheads together and hums thoughtfully. "Yes, it was definitely bleeding."

Mobius chuckles. He licks his lip, and if there was any blood, it seems Loki got it all. It still stings, but he assumes it will go away soon.

"This is disgusting," TVA Loki mutters from behind him.

Oh, right.

He's here with the other Lokis.

He forgot about that.

Mobius turns around to face his new Loki friends. "Have you all met?" He's not sure quite what the Loki dynamic is here in the Void. Judging by their expressions, it's not great.

"We have," President Loki drawls. He drapes an arm over Mobius's shoulders, and Mobius leans into him instinctively.

"They're rats," Kid Loki growls. "The whole lot of 'em."

Mobius's eyebrows shoot up at that. "Oh, okay, good. You hate each other. That's..." He nods slowly. "That's great." Fuckin' Lokis, man.

"They don't occupy my mind enough for me to hate them," President Loki tells him. "They are minor nuisances at best; stuffy and lifeless at worst. Consider yourself lucky I've come to steal you away."

TVA Loki crosses his arms, an eyebrow raised, and while he truly embodies the concept of annoyed perfectly, he doesn't try to argue with that. It's nice that he's picking his battles, but it does kind of hurt that the Loki he's been friends with through all of this isn't willing to fight to keep him — or even just say that he wants to.

"Or," Mobius says, and he's a little hesitant to breach the subject because he knows how Lokis operate and it's not by burying hatchets, "we could all try to work together?"

"That will never happen," Classic Loki says immediately.

"We would never work with them," Kid Loki spits.

President Loki clicks his tongue. "I hate to agree with the baby, but I would never work with them, either."

"Oh, come on," Mobius says. "You're all Lokis. You all hate the TVA. Why don't we all take it down together?"

President Loki furrows his brows. "Take it down?"

"Yeah, take it down," Mobius says. "Burn it to the ground, just like you always wanted."

"Mm," he hums. "I like that." He grabs Mobius's tie and pulls him close, their faces only inches from each other's. "I like that a lot."

"I knew you would," Mobius murmurs.

TVA Loki makes a dramatic show of clearing his throat, ruining the moment. Mobius turns around to look at him. President Loki wraps his arms around him from behind, resting his head on Mobius's shoulder. Mobius tries not to think about how much he must be slouching right now to be able to do that. It can't be comfortable.

"What is happening right now?" TVA Loki asks. "How do you know him?"

"Right, sorry," Mobius says awkwardly. Damn President Loki and his distractions. "We worked together for a while. He was the only other Loki the TVA ever consulted with, and he was completely useless in every way."

"Well," President Loki murmurs, "not every way." He presses his lips against Mobius's neck in what he expects to be just a quick kiss, but Loki's teeth sink into his skin and he shudders at the feeling.

"What are you, a vampire?" Mobius asks teasingly. "What's with all the biting today?"

President Loki pulls back just the slightest bit, not quite touching his neck anymore but close enough that Mobius can feel his breath. "What can I say? I missed you."

"So, what, you have to mark your territory?"

"Of course," President Loki says. "It seems I have some competition."

Mobius chuckles and gently removes Loki's arms from his waist so he can look at him. "He's not competition, Loki. He's my friend, and he's my partner in the most platonic way possible."

"Mm, for now." President Loki muses. "Eventually, he'll decide he wants more – if he hasn't already. Anybody would."

TVA Loki rolls his eyes. "No, actually, what I want is to pluck my own eyeballs out, but thank you for that."

Mobius sighs. "Look, I'm sorry about him," he says. "He can be really clingy."

"What can I say?" President Loki murmurs, snaking his arm around Mobius' waist. "I don't like to share."

Mobius shakes his head to himself. Onto more important matters. "You know, guys," he says, making a point to look around at all the Lokis – even the mostly unimportant ones President Loki has been leading around. "I really think we should try working together and maybe–"

"No," Kid Loki says immediately.

"Sorry, babes," President Loki adds. "If it's teamwork you're after, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong Variants."

Mobius groans. "Why not?" This should be an easy decision! They're all stuck in this barren wasteland because the TVA threw them here! What kind of Loki doesn't want revenge when they're wronged like that?

"Because I don't trust them," Kid Loki hisses, glaring at the president.

"Seriously?" Mobius scoffs. "But you trust your little posse? I mean, look at you!" He gestures to them all. "There's, what, five Lokis over here? Statistically speaking, one of you has to be planning a betrayal right now."

"That is ridiculous!" Classic Loki says, and he actually sounds offended by that, which really wasn't Mobius's intention.

"They already have," President Loki tells him. "He did." He points at Boastful Loki, and the other four Lokis in the group look back at him. "He sold his little friends out for the promise of an army and a throne that I have no intention of giving up."

Kid Loki swings his blade up, the tip resting on Boastful Loki's throat. "You did what?"

"Woah, okay, put the sword down!" Mobius says quickly.

"No!" Kid Loki says firmly. "If he betrayed us, he has to pay the price!"

"Yeah, okay, fine," Mobius says. He won't get anywhere by denying him that. He walks over to them, and Kid Loki doesn't waver. Boastful Loki remains frozen, but his eyes follow Mobius's every move. "Let him pay a less deadly price."

"There is no less deadly price," Kid Loki snaps. "He risked our lives, and for that, I'll take his."

"He was probably scared," Mobius says patiently. "The Void is a scary place. You could die at any moment. You've got Alioth; you've got whole buildings falling out of the sky; you've got each other because you're all super stubborn. And this is all you have: just this little hole in the ground to hide in. That's scary. I mean, not being in control of anything? That's terrifying. It sounds to me like he was just desperate to feel like he was in control for once. Can you really blame him?"

Kid Loki's gaze never leaves Boastful Loki's face, and his resolve doesn't waver. "Is he right?"

"He is," Boastful Loki says cautiously, "but I take it all back. I would gladly forfeit that throne to stay with Mobius and you."

Mobius bites back a laugh. God, how do people not think Lokis are adorable?

"What good does that do us now?" Kid Loki growls. "You've lead the other Lokis to our home, and we've doubtlessly lost Mobius to them --"

"You didn't," Mobius interrupts him. Does he really think Mobius is just going to up and leave? Just like that? He wouldn't just abandon his new friends like that. "Your highness..." Mobius reaches over and clasps the blade of his sword in his hand. He tugs on it very gently, fully aware that it could leave a nasty cut if done improperly, but, fortunately, Kid Loki's grip loosens enough that Mobius can carefully take the sword out of his hand. "You're my friend. So is he."

TVA Loki snorts. "Yeah, 'friend.'"

Mobius ignores that. "And I would really like to stay friends with you both. I think we could all make a very good team."

"Then you're a fool," Kid Loki tells him.

Mobius sighs. "Loki --"

President Loki cuts in with a condescending, "You used to be much better at this."

Mobius looks over his shoulder at him. "Well, I haven't had a lot of practice since you got pruned." It's hard to work on calming down Lokis when there are no Lokis to calm down.

TVA Loki sighs. "Just go, Mobius," he says. "If you see Sylvie, send her our way."

Mobius's heart sinks. "What?" But that was why he wanted them to work together! He could deal with leaving the others behind, but TVA Loki is his best friend. He's here for this Loki. He's here because of this Loki, too. Why would he...?

"You're never going to get them to get along," Loki says. "You'll have to choose a side, and you obviously have a favorite."

"That's not true," Mobius says.

"Really?" Loki says sarcastically. "Because I've never gotten a hello kiss."

"Ooh," President Loki says condescendingly, "you're really missing out on a lot, then."

Mobius ignores that. He's gotten very good at ignoring President Loki's little side remarks. "Loki, we're in this together. We're going to take down the TVA together. That was the plan."

"Plans change," TVA Loki says. "It was nice working with you while it lasted, but I think it's time you take your leave."

Mobius shakes his head. "No," he says. "No, Loki, this isn't over."

"It seems to me that it is."

"It's not," Mobius says. "Because I would love to stay with Loki – my Loki; the one I've known the longest. But he's not going to take down the TVA. You are. And I want to be there when you do."

Loki's lips part in surprise. His voice is quiet, barely a whisper when he says, "What?"

President Loki echoes that same "What?" in a much louder, less delicate manner.

Mobius keeps his gaze on TVA Loki. "You're not the first Loki to want to tear the TVA apart, but you're the first one I've believed could do it. But I don't think you can do it alone. So I want to come with me. I want to help you get back to Sylvie, and I want to watch the two of you do what others have only dreamed of."

Loki offers him a soft smile. "Okay," he says. "Then we'll do it together."

"Excuse you," President Loki says indignantly. He cuts between them, pushing Mobius back behind him while he glares at the Loki in front of him. "Who do you think you are?"

"Well, from context clues alone," TVA Loki says, "I would guess 'the superior Loki.'"

Mobius sighs. Great. That didn't take long to get to his head. Maybe that's his fault. He'd thought that by reminding Loki that "the Variant" (so, Sylvie) was superior, maybe TVA Loki wouldn't make the same mistakes President Loki did and get himself killed fighting her. It seems that "superior/inferior" thing kind of backfired on him.

President Loki chuckles dryly. "Oh, now that I don't believe for a moment."

"Guys," Mobius says, exasperated.

He's promptly ignored.

"What gives you the right to swoop in and steal my love from my arms?" President Loki demands.

"He does, it seems," TVA Loki says with a smirk.

"Guys!" Mobius says again, louder this time. He tries to step between them, but they both push him away, attention locked in their shared glare.

"You must be new here," President Loki remarks. "Allow me to teach you your first lesson about the Void." He conjures a dagger in his hand, pressing its tip to the other god's throat. "Everything can be solved with a blade."

"Allow me to teach you a lesson," TVA Loki says. "One I learned from a new friend of mine." He throws his hands forward, nearly making contact with President Loki's chest, but the ball of green energy that shoots of out them hits him first, throwing him across the room. The other Lokis quickly step out of the way. "Magic trumps knives every time."

Mobius balls his hands into fists. "Guys!" he yells. "Will you stop?"

TVA Loki crosses his arms and turns to look at him. President Loki grits his teeth, but when he climbs to his feet, his gaze also stays on Mobius's face.

"You guys are literally children!" Mobius says, exasperated. "Listen to me. Right now, my first priority is taking down the TVA. And I think you..." He gives TVA Loki a pointed look. "Can do it. But I think you..." He turns his attention to President Loki. "Could help."

TVA Loki glances at President Loki warily, and President Loki returns his look with a glare. Mobius pretends not to notice.

"I think all of you..." Mobius looks around the room, but his gaze lingers on Classic, Kid, and Boastful Loki. "I think all of you could help. I don't think you can have too big a team on this, but we'd have to be a team. So if you guys could put away your murderous tendencies for one minute, I think we could do this. Together." He plasters on an awkward smile. "If you want to give it a chance."

TVA Loki and President Loki lock eyes again, but neither of them speak, just waiting for the other to react. That staring contest could probably go on for a while, so Mobius glances at the other Lokis that TVA Loki had befriended within moments of arriving here. Kid Loki and Classic Loki share a look, silently asking each other how the other feels.

It's Boastful Loki who speaks first. "If the invitation is open to all, I would accept it."

Mobius offers him a smile, and Boastful Loki returns the gesture.

The next to speak is Kid Loki, though his response is prefaced with an eye roll. "You are lucky we like you, Mobius," Kid Loki says. "You can count us in."

"And we like you, too, of course," Classic Loki adds, directing that towards TVA Loki.

TVA Loki rolls his eyes. "Thanks," he says sarcastically.

Mobius fights the urge to laugh. He gives the two Lokis – err, three Lokis, including the alligator – an appreciative nod.

TVA Loki and President Loki resume their glaring match, much to Mobius' dismay. He completely understands this from President Loki. He's always been the domineering type. It should come as no surprise that this is no different. But he'd really expected better from TVA Loki. He obviously likes to be in charge, but he's had no problem following Mobius around or Sylvie or Kid Loki. He really can't stand down with President Loki for two minutes until they can get this sorted out?

TVA Loki is probably easier to break, but it's President Loki's opinion that matters more, so he sets his sights after the latter. He's never been very good at manipulation, but after studying Lokis for so long, he'd like to think he can manage it this one time.

He walks up to the god, a small, sad smile on his lips. Gently, he cups President Loki's cheek in his hand, and Loki covers Mobius's hand with his own. It's a soft movement, and that's how Mobius knows it's working. He's never this careful with him. It's strange, but it's something that he feels he can use.

"So this is goodbye, then," Mobius says quietly.

"Only if you make it," President Loki murmurs.

"I'm not," Mobius tells him. "I asked you to come. I don't want to lose you again, Loki, but I have to go. You know that."

President Loki sighs and leans his head forward, pressing his forehead against Mobius's. "You really are going to leave, aren't you?"

"I have to."

President Loki gently removes Mobius's hand from his cheek, interlacing their fingers as he brings it down to their side. "I hate you sometimes."

Mobius huffs a laugh before he can stop himself. "What?"

President Loki presses a kiss to his lips, too quickly for Mobius to reciprocate, before he drops Mobius's hand and takes a small step away. He turns his attention to TVA Loki, his annoyance clear on his face. "Did you teach him to do that or did he pick it up himself?"

TVA Loki stares at him blankly. "I beg your pardon?"

"He must have picked it up himself, then," President Loki remarks. "You are not bright enough to have taught him that kind of emotional manipulation."

TVA Loki scoffs. "Excuse you–"

"I hope you have a plan," President Loki interrupts. "I do not enjoy teamwork, and I certainly do not want to work under the obviously inferior version of myself. If you haven't even the barest scraps of a plan, I may have to usurp your throne and create one myself."

TVA Loki shakes his head to himself and glances at Mobius. "And what was his Nexus event?" he asks sarcastically. "His overbearing arrogance?"

Mobius chuckles. "Oh, this is going to be fun, isn't it?"