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[rebuildyourruins]

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[rebuildyourruins]

[Thor's eye narrows slightly and he stops leaning against the desk, standing properly once more. His reply is terser than before.]

It's what I'm saying because right now that's what it is.

[A risk, a danger. He presses his lips together as he takes it all into account, all those ever-present concerns coming to hand as easily as a dog that keeps hounding at his feet.]

You know the Statesman can't travel indefinitely. Changing course at this point comes with its own dangers.

[dothelokimotion]

That planet is a danger now. Why did you even leave that stone on that creature? Who knows what it'll call upon?

[rebuildyourruins]

I trust Vision with it. And his keeping the stone was far better than allowing it to be used by Ultron, which is what was going to happen until I intervened.

[Thor doubts the stone could be removed from Vision without killing the man. It was the stone that effectively brought him to life, after all.]

[dothelokimotion]

That thing doesn't even know what it has.

And I'd point out that you trusted the same fools who made Ultron to begin with.

[rebuildyourruins]

[Right, time to snap back.]

And I would point out that you brought the Mind Stone to Earth in the first place, Loki!

[dothelokimotion]

[ He bristles. ]

If you think it was that simple, Thor, then you knew nothing then and you know nothing now.

[rebuildyourruins]

Then tell me. [Thor steps forward, not quite in Loki's space yet but so very close to it.] You keep saying it will draw something to Earth, that it's going to call something.

[dothelokimotion]

[ For a moment, Loki's expression wavers, uncertainty and fear slipping through before it hardens. ]

I've told you enough. The Tessaract called. Now this thing will do the same.

[rebuildyourruins]

[It doesn't go unnoticed. Thor sets his jaw because there's something here Loki's not saying, as ever, and he can only guess at what that might be. It's an unwelcome feeling so soon after their last disagreement, with far more at stake.

He doesn't let up.]

Loki, if you know of a threat then you should tell me what it is.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki snorts, bitter, his fingers tightening over his elbows. ]

So you can do what, exactly? Tell all your trusted friends? Like that thing?

[rebuildyourruins]

Yes - [It's a given, it's obvious to Thor that this should be done] - because having a warning is better than being caught unawares.

[He uncrosses his arms, taking a breath to keep from retorting over Loki's continuing derision over Vision.]

But more than that, so I can know what it is you're warning me about.

[Years have passed since Thor's visit to the Norn cave. It's branded in his mind but no amount of searching and questioning across the universe lead him any closer to answers. Now Asgard and Earth might be on the line if whatever's moving these forces closes in on them. And Loki has been one of those forces.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki snaps, blunt and fed up. ]

I already gave my warning. Do not leave those stones on Earth or it will suffer for it. Mortals cannot wield those stones effectively enough to fight back.

You are the king of Asgard, not Earth.

[rebuildyourruins]

[Thor's expression darkens, and there's a long moment of silence that threatens to break like glass.]

Yes, I am. And as king I seek advice from those around me.

[Not for the first time, he wishes Heimdall was here to offer his own counsel.

Thor turns around and walks back to his desk. Planting both hands on it, he exhales roughly, staring into the grain of the wood. Katara's words from a few weeks ago linger at the back of his memory. "When what you're doing doesn't work, try something else." So too does the misty illusion of a ship empty of people, abandoned and dim.

Without turning around he speaks again, wearier than before.]

You know those dangers better than most. I wish you'd say more, but that's your choice to make. [Thor curls one finger under his hand, digging a nail into the wood.] You say not to settle on Earth: what do you propose as an alternative?

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki blinks, visibly surprised at the turn of conversation. He had half expected Thor to dismiss him. After all, what worth does Loki's words hold compared to the "Avengers"? Loki watches him warily, not sure what to make of this turn. ]

We have time. I can make the most of it compiling what I remember of our star charts. I will find us an alternative.

[ Briefly, he hesitates, feeling a little guilty. ]

. . . The Mind Stone was never mine. And I have debts to pay.

[rebuildyourruins]

[Though Thor doesn't see it, the startled silence says enough. He pulls over one of the notebooks on his desk, flipping open a random page that he knows is full of supply notes. Alternatives are hard to come by if a ship is running on empty. It's not clear to Thor yet whether avoiding Earth is a good idea regardless of the danger of the stones. He has to make do with the information he has.

Thor raises his head when Loki talks of debts, frowning at the wall before he turns around to face his brother once more. He wasn't expecting to hear anything more about Loki's use of the stone, given how intractable he had already been.]

The stone, and the army - you got them from the same place?

[Or person. More likely to claim a debt, he thinks.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki scowls, looking away. ]

I did.

[rebuildyourruins]

[And Loki lost them both. Thor doubts that the army was just sitting around without a commander when Loki happened across them. Armies belong to nations, or people. Those things aren't given up lightly.]

Was it in the Void?

[dothelokimotion]

[ He stiffens briefly. It's one thing when he casually mentions it and it is another when other people do it. The Void is difficult to explain and Loki tends to turn away from it or turn it into a joke. ]

Where else? It's not as though I keep armies and infinity stones in my pocket.

[rebuildyourruins]

I don't know where else, Loki, that's why I asked.

[dothelokimotion]

I didn't have anything. No family, no name, nothing. No one was coming for me.

So I made do.

[rebuildyourruins]

[Thor's jaw tightens and even though he's said this before, even though he knows saying it again changes nothing--]

We thought you dead. The instant I found out otherwise... [Well, they both know what happened next. Frustration still boils under his skin but he ignores it to focus on what Loki is saying instead.] So you made do and now you have debts to pay.

[dothelokimotion]

I didn't deliver.

[ And it's best to leave out the part where he'll die for it. ]

They don't take kindly to that.

[rebuildyourruins]

[What a mess. And yet it slots into place, a missing piece that Thor hadn't known the shape of until now. He had suspected from the first he'd found Loki again on Earth that something wasn't right, that someone else was involved in all of this. It doesn't absolve what Loki did, only more firmly sketches out the why.

It also sets Thor on edge against any future attempts by this person to collect on his brother. Right or wrong, he's not about that.]

I don't doubt it. [He taps a finger against his arm, connecting it all back to what's been said.] I also have no intention of it being paid.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Loki stares, lips parted. ]

Thor . . .

[rebuildyourruins]

[Thor shakes his head.]

That's how it is.