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Chapter Text

How was this possible? An escape from the goddess of death Hela could not go so much wrong. Loki was only remebering that he and his brother Thor were supposed to be beamed up to Asgard by the Bifrost, but did not know that Hela would probably follow them. Loki tried to fend her off during the transport, throwing his daggers at her, but these were simply warded off as if they were nothing more than toothpicks. The Aesir told Thor in a commanding tone that he should do something before a knife in higher speed suddenly bounced off his armor. Once again the god looked down at Hela, who again threw a knife at him with such force that it actually sufficed that he was thrown on the beam of the Bifrost. For a few moments Loki was thrown at high speed through the dark universe, a very old fear rose in him. The fall of the rainbow bridge in Asgard, this long, seemingly endless case, with the certainty of having to die if a miracle does not happen. And then, of all people, he fell into Thanos’s arms … And that extreme fear rose in Loki’s mind, which slowly turned to panic. Where would he land? Would he survive?

Until he briefly fainted during the fall.

A bright light appeared in the sky of the next planet where Loki fell. It was night, which made it easier for the light to be seen. A scream came over the now awake Loki before he landed on hard ground, a painful sound came over the god. Only cautiously The royal managed to bounce to his new surroundings. Where the hell was he? This world seemed completely alien to him, nothing that, to his knowledge, reminds of a realm of the Yggdrasil tree. There were mountains in the distance … but they were not mountains of landscapes, but more of scrap and rubbish. Before Loki, however, was a palace-like large building, at the top of it are three heads to see, which were probably built from the same metal scrap. What was this place? A Probable Undiscovered Tenth World Beyond the Yggdrasils? And where was Thor? Where had he landed? Did he ever land here and had Hela caught him as well? Loki could not honestly deal with questions … he needed help and answers. In a crouch, Loki inspected the entrance to the building: no guards. But the god does not want to be exposed to danger. Green piercing eyes inspect the appearance of random passing people who appear to be wearing more fabric on their bodies, partially obscuring faces.

With his magic Loki slipped with a mirage in another form, after all, not to attract attention with the crowd. A dark green robe covers his body with a wide hood, his face wrapped in a sort of dark glasses. Who knows who Loki might know, it’s safer to run blind. Which could work first. He was sure he would get some answers in the building when he met the right person. He never trusted the common mass. Even though his gait is very noticeable, as he was almost running, Loki crossed the people and sneaked into the entrance, taking special care not to be discovered. He had to find some kind of guard to know what they would look like before his now-low energy and power was spent using some kind of magic. He is too exhausted for that too. Deeper Loki sneaked into the monstrous estate, leaving behind the first steps behind him. But it is so overwhelmingly silent that it was too suspicious.

But after some time Loki heard voices in the distance, two, if his senses are not mistaken. Would his remaining powers be enough to do both? Loki pulled two daggers out of a secret, hidden bag of his illusion as he hid behind a wall gap and stalked the voices, dropping his welding goggles and green eyes threw themselves aggressively into the still empty hallway. But then suddenly

Click.

The sound of a loaded weapon was heard in front of him, and Loki looked at the sound in alarm.

“Down with the daggers!” commanded a dominant male voice.

Loki raised his hands, trying to make an innocent face and grinned. “Can not we clarify the situation first?”

But before the other man can answer, the god threw one of his daggers and landed a perfect hit against the neck of the attacker, who then fell to the ground.

“I’ll take this to myself if you do not mind.” and leaned down to grab the weapon and possibly the armor, but unfortunately luck was not on his side again. This time it was two clicks and with a deep sigh and grin Loki stood up slowly, dropping the gun. These were the two people Loki was trying to ambush, but they saw the short confrontation and stood with their weapons in front of Loki, aiming for his head.

“You never really take anything with humor …” were the only words of God before he was roughly grabbed by the arms and led away. Fortunately, he remained in his illusion. Maybe this was less dangerous.

“Keep your mouth shut! We’ll see how big your mouth is when the Grandmaster is going to execute you, and he has not been allowed to kill anyone for a long time. “ The grandmaster? The name actually said something to him but only very weakly. Well, maybe this Grandmaster was able to enlighten Loki where he was. After all, he was a prince from Asgard, a god and thus an important personality. So Loki took it very calmly and still grinned under his disguise and let himself be led calmly. 

Even while Loki was being led away, his broad grin could not escape. Was it perhaps more of an unconscious reaction of his mind not to get into some kind of panic again? It would not be the first time that the God’s too healthy self-assurance had brought him into much bigger trouble. But without much ado, the Aesir let himself be led down the hallways, albeit in a more brutal way, when the god would rule out the harsh grip of this slightly stronger woman. Through his thick glasses, it was almost impossible to look around with his eyes, because Loki would have liked to look at the corridors to remember them and the way they are built, if he had the opportunity to flee in the later moments. It took several minutes before the prince was led to a slightly larger door. They went up a few floors, making Loki very sure they were almost at the top of the building. Jumping out of the window could be risky with his faint residual magic, which would not be enough to turn the mischief God into any kind of bird if the situation got too dangerous.

However, Loki shouldn’t meet trouble halfway. He is sure that nothing would happen to him, after all he is a God, more important a God from Asgard. In Loki’s long life he already lived there was NO realm that hadn’t known Asgard or the Gods Like Odin and Thor as well. So the trickster is sure as soon as he reveals himself and explains who he his he would go away with no harm… at least he highly hopes so.

The luxurious palace was quiet- too quiet for the Grandmaster’s liking. It was night on Sakaar. He wasn’t tired and after rolling around in his ridiculously large bed, he decided to walk around his home. The lights were turned off, which meant that the only lights came from outside, different shades of bright colours from the portals in the sky. He sat down on his big chair and then turned around, facing out the window. En Dwi Gast eyed the tall buildings in different colours, red, yellow, blue and orange. Further away, hidden in darkness he saw the large piles of trash and space fallout. 

He sighed out of boredom. There was still a while until he could see his champion in the arena again. Just the thought of his games filled him with excitement. Something told him that the next game would be truly interesting. 

Suddenly the silence was broken by heavy footsteps, from three or four people. They were approaching the Grandmaster and he smiled, happy to have some company. The huge door was opened by one of the bodyguards and The trickster was more or less pushed inside, before the door closed again with a bang and most likely also locked. As the Grandmaster turned around slowly, just to be dramatic, he saw two of his guards who looked very angry, his bodyguard Topaz who was dressed in her black and yellow suit and then a fourth person. Loki’s disguised eyes first look around the room until his attention is focused on the person sitting at the end of the room on a rather imposing chair that turned and presented a man. He looked quite older, a tanned skin compared to Loki’s very pale skin and quite a lot of makeup on his face. Eyeliner darken his eyes, a bright blue stroke runs over the lower lip and chin of the man. Legendously, this stroke on the lip reminds Loki of someone … Yet the blackhaired did not say a word.The person was being led up to the silverhaired man and he assumed it was another lost one. 

The Grandmaster noticed a deep green robe but something about the appearance was off. Oddly, he couldn’t tell what, exactly. The aura around the person nearly spoke to him. Was it a magical person? Was is a new contestant? Who knew.

‘‘We found him trying to hide. He was armed and he attacked one of the guards with a dagger. I believe that’s enough for a death penalty’‘ Topaz was the one to spill out what had happened. She sounded like she was ready to give Grandmaster the meltstick and see this person die a gruesome death. After all, it had been a while since they had killed someone and they were both control freaks. They enjoyed the power over others. 

Loki’s eyes turned away as he heard the strong voice of the woman, who still held him by his arms and told the man what the God had done before and even recommended the death penalty.

“Oh, come on woman, I was first threatened with a gun, I just resisted - Ah!” Loki yelped in pain as the grip of this woman unwrapped his arms even more, pushing them closer to the royal’s back so that there shortly was a pop of a bone to hear. Loki scowled at her with a slight death look. “You miserable defamation of a woman.” the sorcerer murmured between his teeth in his nordic mother language so the other ones in this room wouldn’t understand what he just said. 

But the Grandmaster wasn’t ready to kill this person just yet. For some reason, he was intrigued. ‘’Wait a little, will you? I want to see him a bit better’’ The Grandmaster admitted and stood up, too interested to stay in his fancy seat. He walked down a few steps and headed closer to the man in the green robe. Loki's eyes followed the movements of the other male, who approached the god with a stern but also inquisitive gaze. He narrowed his eyes and tried to see a face- without luck. ‘’Look at me’’ He demanded sharply to Loki, ordering him to look up to him, which the god did. A grin overcame the Prince. 

‘‘Do you want the meltstick?’‘ Topaz asked with a smirk, causing the other guards to change looks. The lost one evidently didn’t know what the meltstick was but he probably put the pieces together as they spoke about death. ‘‘No..no.. this one is hiding. Is this..an illusion?’‘ Grandmaster wondered as he thought about the strange presence again. In his long lifetime, he had run into a lot of shape-shifters, some were better than others. This one seemed like a good one which awoke a curious flame in the millions of years old man. A smile crossed Loki's lips as the Elder who slowly but surely felt Loki hiding behind a mirage asked him this question.“You seem to be more intelligent than your employees." he said in a condescending voice, but he wanted to confirm the man’s ask. 

 A green-golden light enveloped Loki’s illusion before the god presented himself in his true form. He wore his traditional green-and-black armor with golden patterns in some places, but his normally perfectly combed hair was slightly eroded from the fall and his black curls hung a little on his face. His now clear green eyes were literally popping up to the older, colorfully dressed man. "My name is Loki, Prince and a god from Asgard.”Loki introduced himself in a slightly darker voice. “Granted .. my first impression was somehow .. dirty .. I went through some hardships and ended involuntarily up here. Are you the so-called Grandmaster?" his voice sounded less curious but more mocking. "I would certainly answer some questions, if not just my arms would getting  broken right now.” He stared back at the woman with a scowl, his eyes literally telling her to let him go.

The curiosity seemed to just grow as Loki spoke with a raspy, almost pleasing voice. The Grandmaster was happy that he could tell he used magic, some powerful magic as well. He couldn’t help but to wonder what else this man was capable of. The man’s true form was sumptuous; his black hair was complimenting his pale skin and the green eyes could kill if they were directed at a person just right. Overall this Asgardian’s presence was interesting to the Grandmaster. Then he saw his strong arms that were held harshly, pulled back so much it looked painful. 

"Let him go!" The Grandmaster demanded harshly, eyeing the guards through narrowed eyes. They didn’t dare to disobey so they let go of the so called prince. Topaz, who was ready to kill didn’t enjoy this demand but she had no say in it. The woman rolled her eyes and kept a stern look on her face. As Loki was freed, the old man turned around, walking back to his chair where he sat down, crossing his legs.

His brown eyes checked out Loki, head to toe. Although he was wearing heavy, green clothing, it was obvious that the slim man was strong. Maybe he could be a fighter? The Grandmaster wasn’t sure what to do with this man yet. ‘’I want to speak with him alone, so you may leave’’ He informed the guards and even Topaz. The guards walked away immediately but Topaz stayed for a few seconds, glancing at Loki angrily before heading towards the doors

 Loki sighed in relief as his arms were released, rubbing his shoulders in pain. The god stretched a bit and there was even a small cracking sound from bones, which popped back to the right place. “My respect, you have very .. sensible bodyguards.” he mumbled but meant the total opposite. At some point, Loki would take revenge on her as soon as he got out of this room. His verdant stare followed the nearly silent floating steps of the older man, cocking a brow in curiousity what he might have to say next. After all, the man saved him from the brutal grip of this insane lady. So he should better listen.

‘‘Yes, I am the Grandmaster’‘ He answered the God’s question, smiling as well. He did hear the mocking tone in his voice but it didn’t bother the old man too much. Throughout his very long existence, he had met all kinds of people, rude and kind, dangerous and innocent, harsh and polite. Loki seemed like a mixture of many.

‘‘Welcome to Sakaar, prince. As you’re here, you are under my command. The lost ones here are usually found by scrappers, so consider yourself..lucky’‘ He began to explain some things to Loki, beginning with himself and Sakaar. The Grandmaster traced his fingers on the silky material of his robe, being quiet for a while just for the fun of it. Silence was deadly, allowing many questions to pop into one’s mind. 

“First of all…” The trickster began to speak after the Grandmaster introduced himself and also explained in which realm the God now landed before. “Thank you for telling her to let go of me. Second, and I’m nearly sorry to say this, but I am under nobody’s command. As much as I am grateful for everything you did before, I react quite sentimental if someone gives me orders.” The god dared to take some small steps further, ignoring the danger he might go into when ke kept on ignoring the orders of the Grandmaster.

“As I already said, I’m a prince. I am an heir to the throne from Asgard. A royal successor to Odin the All-Father. A God. I should not even be here. “ the prince continued with his sharp silver tongue. “I would have managed without your help. However, I wanted to see a more importantlife form that could explain to me this .. devastated planet. I was reluctantly brought here, I did not even know that this planet exists. ” His gaze darkened a bit the closer Loki came closer to the Grandmaster. “How come that an elder of the universe came here? The place is too unworthy of you. That’s right, I know what you are. I recognize this stroke on the lip everywhere. You’re a god of the gods, so you’re wasting your time here?” All these questions, but the trickster doesn’t quite demand an answer to them since they are just there to provoke the other man. 

As Loki began to grow somewhat angry and sassy, the Grandmaster couldn’t help but to smile at his words. Every now and then he even chuckled, probably annoying the God who so eagerly tried to make En change his mind about his stay. Sure, some of Loki’s words didn’t tickle the Grandmaster too much and he did want to argue with this God, son of Odin, or whatever he claimed to be. As Loki mentioned that he knew what the Grandmaster was, he felt glad. At least this lost one wasn’t dumb. 

"Tell me..Tell me more about yourself. Are you a fighter?"  the Elder proposed an important question, now waiting for an answer with joy. So far he liked Loki although he had attacked a guard. But could he blame him? All lost ones were confused and the Grandmaster was convinced the God was just as confused as the many others.

Chapter Text

As soon as the two men were the only ones in the room, a brief uncomfortable silence returned, the steps of the god stopping a few feet away from the Grandmaster sitting in his chair. Then he heard a question, a rather strange question and Loki narrowed his eyes , more out of confusion.

”A fighter?” the aesir repeats with a small puff of his nose. “I would consider myself as a surviver.” he started to explain. “I had to go through life-threatening situations, would almost get several times to death. The death seems hard for a god. No, I’m not a fighter, but I know how to defend myself for a long time. I have my magic, my illusions, spells. If I was not able to use them, we would not have the honor to talk.” the god’s baritone remained surprisingly calm while Loki told his little life story before he crossed his arms and looked at the Grandmaster.

“Why do you want to know that? Do you want to fight with me? Should I fight against your guards? If you want to kill me, either do it yourself or just let me go. I would even like this option a lot better.”

‘‘I’m here to rule people and of course, to arrange my games’‘ En allowed Loki to know, speaking of his game very proudly. ‘‘I don’t want to fight you’’ En let him know. ‘‘All the lost ones are often found by my scrappers, which is why I asked you whether you’re a fighter or not. I make them fight each other to death. It’s, it’s fascinating, really’‘ He told Loki some more, watching the expressions of the rather handsome man. 

‘‘In fact, the next Contest Of Champions is only a few weeks away’‘ The Grandmaster added, excited to see his new champion the Hulk battle again.

As he thought about Loki’s answer, he knew he wouldn’t put him in the arena. But he didn’t want to melt this God either. Loki was too interesting to let go and too powerful to be killed. His death would be a shame. The Grandmaster even saw him as a treasure, a real God. Maybe he could keep him around for a while and see what this Loki could do? The thoughts made the corners of his lips curve into a small smile and he hummed something underneath his breath. The small humming sound though caused Loki to narrow his eyebrows, wondering what he might have planned.

The God took notice of this smile the more Loki tried to explain himself and this situation even with this huge amount of sass, but soon enough noticed that this smile is meant to provoke him. The Grandmaster seriously doesn’t seem to know for quite sure who the Aesir was an what an actually important person he is.. or at least the rest of his family. But this could have been explained since the older man lives on a planet beyond the realms of the Yggdrasil and he doesn’t know every living being in the universe because he is focused on his own life and doings. Otherwise it also would be that En Dwi wasn’t simply interested or impressed and judges every living being on his same level.

Sure, Eldes of the Universe can be proclaimed as a kind of God, they exist longer than today’s planets, they have very extraordinary power but this Grandmaster kind of claims himself as the king of this planet. sure, Elders sure can have a certain realm to stay if Loki takes the examble of an other Elder, the Collector. He rules over a certain part of unknown land in the middle of the universe, but not ruling a whole planet. All that Loki could conclude is that this man is weird on a rather powerful way… 

The aesir’s attention rose notwithstanding as he heard the word ‘games’, verdant eyes laid down to the older man. “You let them fight each other to death… and you find this fascinating?” Loki asked more in a quite murmur. Sure, The blackhaired had done things as well in the past that weren’t quite nice, after all he killed over 80 people in three days, he stole on man’s eyeball on the most cruelest way possible. It was to this moment though where the god has no real chance to fight against it, he had a deal with the titan Thanos plus the presence of the Tesseract kind of played with his mind… but Loki never had shown regret and to be honest with himself, he still doesn’t to this day. Loki doesn’t find no arousal pleasure with killing but rarely it really feels good. But the God stayed first silent about it, keeping on looking at the Grandmaster with crossed arms. 

‘’Yes, I do find it fascinating. It’s- It’s incredible to see two so desperate to survive that they duel a stranger with all their strength’’ The Grandmaster reputed rather calmly. Truth be told, he had always been interested in all sorts of games- ever since he could remember. It had excited him and given En a sense of purpose. So he devoted a lot of his time -not that it would mean much since he would live so long- to arrange these games. The Grandmaster had built loads and loads of buildings, some sort of a kingdom on Sakaar, an amazing arena just to get some quality entertainment. 

Suddenly, En stood up and walked up to Loki once again. Without any warning, the Grandmaster grabbed the god's jaw, noticing how soft his skin was under his touch.  When the Grandmaster suddely began to leave his chair and walked straight towards Loki, it caused the god to take a surprised step back, eyes now expressing light insecurity the closer En came, then a sudden weak yelp overcame him as the fingers of the Grandmaster grabbed Loki’s jar, leaving him with a slight flinch. . Yes, EN Dwi held him a little hard but not to purposely hurt him, so Loki wouldn’t pull away. 

The god noticed that it was nearly impossible to let go and green eyes now stare at this man in slight wrath. He feels like someone is examining him as a kind of slave, but as soon as the touch reached him there came something over Loki… it was this immense aura of this man. Even if the mischief God knew that it would be very unwise to underestimate any kind of Elders with their powers, he more has the urge to fight this one. Even if this fight would end soon with this so called melting stick… even a God can not resist such a kind of weapon.

He had no chance… He knew that the question if Loki wants to leave was meant more in a dangerous way and honestly… it also sounded like he wanted to send Loki to his personal doom to the outside world. He doesn’t know this planet, he doesnt know how to come back. That’s why he needed help but now the prince is stuck here.  He held him a little hard but not to purposely hurt him, so Loki wouldn’t pull away. Yes, the Grandmaster was aware that the other's hands were free and the magical creature could do anything. But he shouldn’t underestimate En either.

‘‘You’re dressed too darkly. Sakaar is full of bright colours..’‘ En muttered and then let go, eyeing Loki’s clothes. They suited Loki well but he wanted to see the man in brighter colours. ‘‘And do you..do you really want to go? ‘‘ Grandmaster asked Loki and looked at the God’s face. He was probably very confused but this was also an important question.

He knew that the question if Loki wants to leave was meant more in a dangerous way and honestly… it also sounded like he wanted to send Loki to his personal doom to the outside world. He doesn’t know this planet, he doesnt know how to come back. That’s why he needed help but now the prince is stuck here.

Loki slapped the Grandmasters palm away from his jaw, rubbing along the part where he touched him before he listened on what the other might have to say next. As he made a remark of Loki’s clothing and the god slapped his hand away, En Dwi wasn’t too surprised. He acted as if it didn’t bother him one bit as he put his hands behind his back and took a deep breath, partly because he was tired. Loki looked like he expected something; an angry yell, a slap back, a punishment. Yes, En tended to punish creatures for small wrongdoings against him but he wasn’t in the mood to ruin such a good opportunity of fun for barely nothing. What kind of an elder would he be if he couldn’t handle a light slap on the hand?

“You know like me I can’t go back. I was expecting actual help.. you now force me to an ultimatum.” The blackhaired spoke with a light growl in his voice before sighing very deeply. “I suppose I have to stay then,, But I won’t change my armor yet. I can’t use any more magic to change anything on myself. To your very luck…” Loki spoke as he meant that he couldn’t use magic to use some spells on En Dwi Gast. What else could he loose unless his pride. If he goes outside again these creatures sure would take notice of this invader and.. do whatever they might want to do with him. This really has to  mean something if the God prefers to stay here with this weird old man.

“Yes.. I stay.” 

Chapter Text

It may not have been a good idea to disagree with the Grandmaster, with his strange predilection for watching people die. Loki was overjoyed when it came to one of his archenemies. The god simply could not really enjoy listening to it, and was silent. And to be honest, the god had expected more of a reaction when he knocked off En’s hand, even if that was a normal reaction from him, if not a reflex.

He simply did not like to be touched unasked, especially by a stranger who also touched him very roughly. It also had something to do with manners, but Loki quickly realized that a title of nobility did not bring him far HERE. For the Grandmaster seemed too uninformed or uninterested. It was bad enough that Loki gave a moment of weakness and showed an obvious reaction of uncertainty. En Dwi could use this as an advantage and mentally punished Loki several times for this mistake. 

"Fine, it’s too late to get dressed for a new day anyway" En muttered, still deep in his thoughts as he tried desperately to figure out what he would do to Loki, where he would put him and how to make sure this God wouldn’t escape Sakaar just yet. The Grandmaster knew that the god was planning an escape. Neither of them were stupid and anyone in their right mind would plan their escape on Sakaar. 

Even if he secretly had something planned, Loki knew that he must not spearhead the situation. He has no magic to defend himself, he is exhausted and to his evil in a kind of predicament.

 ‘As much as you want to avoid a dangerous situation.. stop these wrongdoings or you will loose this hand that you just used!” The trickster warned himself in his mind. But then Loki looked at the other man in surprise, his eyebrows rising. For real? Not more? Only the talk about the outfit is now the important topic? Good .. better than a punishment. Loki really can not use that and endure it. His eyes looked down at his armor, noticing a few unsightly scratches in the green leather, probably from the unsightly case before. He would like to change the outfit but unfortunately there is no possibility at the moment.

His eyes, however, slowly rose as he heard the murmuring voice of the Grandmaster and looked at him with expectation. Whatever he planned, The god would defend himself if he was put in a kind of cell. He could say one of his risky phrases, but the risk is just too big right now.

"What should I do to you?" He thought out loud and met Loki’s astonishingly pretty eyes. They were catching onto the dim light in the room and standing out easily. 

En fell silent as his mind tried to think of a solution for the night. Would he put Loki in the dungeons? Would he put him into a guest room? Or would he demand guards to watch him? Or perhaps they wouldn’t catch sleep and this issue could be dated to the next night. Then Loki made a decision to stay which filled the Grandmaster with unexpected joy, plastering a smile onto his face painted with a blue stripe. 

Loki saw him smile … From serious joy. No sneaky or wrong smile. And this confused th aesir a bit.

He walked to Loki’s side, then pacing slowly behind the Trickster, circling around him mysteriously. He examined the Aesir at the same time, curious to see how Loki would react to this. Yes. En had noticed Loki’s insecurity as he had looked at him closely earlier. A lot of signs pointed to a dark past, which could be interesting to learn about if a time like that would ever come. 

When En Dwi circled the god as if he were some kind of statue or work of art Loki growled a bit. He hates to be stared at and throws a warning glance over his shoulder to look at the Grandmaster. Again a sign of weakness … insecurity and vulnerability.

"Come with me, prince. I’ll show you around" the Grandmaster suddenly said, getting ready to walk out of this dark room and hopefully think of a solution while walking around. He was also curious to see if Loki meant what he was saying or if he’d run off the second those doors opened. The Grandmaster knew better than many how people could lie and how fast one could change their behaviour. 

He’d have to be cautious.

When the older man spoke again and offered a tour the warning face went out in a flash of the blackhaired. A tour ..? Was that a trap? Or did this strange guy really mean that? Green eyes followed his footsteps as Loki turned to face him and saw the door as he realized the Grandmaster was about to leave his chambers. “No tricks …” the god warned with a sigh as he hurried towards the much taller man and left the room with him. It was clear to Loki that En Dwi thought he was fleeing. Even if the Aesir clearly thought this, he can not leave here. No magic, no sense of direction in this world. The creatures outside would kill him. “What do you want to show me?”

Both men soon left the Grandmaster’s large room and Loki followed the older man smoothly, but with great caution. He does not know this person and does not know what he is capable of except his strange liking for psycho games like before. 

The Grandmaster walked down the long hall, holding his hands behind his back as he walked. He could hear Loki hurrying to follow him, which made the old man smile. He was glad that the newcomer decided to come after. The god also noticed that En Dwi was intent on speeding up his pace and Loki was almost forced to run after him with a dark glance. Even though the Aesir was a joker himself, he could not handle any kind of fun at the moment.

He was exhausted enough, hoping inwardly that he would get some kind of bed to rest. Shortly thereafter, both men sauntered slightly slower while grandmaster Loki showed some dormitories. The hallway was dim and there were tall doors on the sides, all of them which were closed. At this time, it was quiet and most guards were outside, guarding the main entrance. It was mostly just the two of them in the long corridor. 

"To the left there’s a..there’s a room I originally made for my brother. I thought he’d like to visit Sakaar someday and sharing a room with him would be horrible.." En let Loki know, something that probably didn’t matter at all. He didn’t know what to do yet so telling the young man some useless stories were better than nothing. 

“You’re blessed with a brother, huh?” Loki remarked as the other spoke of another family member. “I didn’t knew you and the Collector were related? Or that Elders overall have family.” But honestly the trickster should have known this. Both carry the same mark on the lower lip even if En Dwi seemed to overpaint his own one in blue. Also both must share an incredibly high age.

The blackhaired didn’t quite understand though why the Grandmaster is mentioning all this about a room for his Brother or other guest rooms while they’re still walking… perhaps it was too obvious how tired Loki was and the other man wants to torture the royal on this way.

"I have plenty of rooms here." He muttered then, glancing at the shut doors. En knew this place like the back of his hand. Yet he struggled to think of a room for Loki. By now, he was quite sure he wouldn’t put him in the dungeons with the fighters. The palace was the only place Loki could be in, since it was guarded. Could he trust Loki enough tho? Suddenly an idea popped into the elder’s mind which put a smile on his face.

"Tell me, Loki, why should I spare you?"

When En turned around towards the mischief God there was no moment of reaction and Loki bumped against the taller male, staring at him in surprise. “Pardon…?” Loki asked in confusion. 

The Grandmaster had noticed how tired Loki seemed as they bumped into each other, luckily, not too harshly. 

He turned around to face the Trickster who was right behind him, almost bumping into him at the same time. En was feeling playful so he used this situation for good. "Why shouldn’t I just..get a chair, put you in it and send you off to the arena?" En kept adding questions to the big pile of them. Yes, it was probably less fun to Loki who probably didn’t know that the Grandmaster was just having fun. En learned a lot of others by simple questions and gestures. Touching Loki’s jaw had been one of those moments. 

"I’m sure a pretty handsome creature like you would be highly appreciated down there" En teased the God in front of him, also complimenting his ridiculously good looks. There was no denying that Loki lived up to his status as a God. Now En waited patiently for whatever the answer could be. He wouldn’t actually throw Loki there. But maybe his answer could help him figure something out. So far this lost one had been interesting and the Grandmaster couldn’t help but to feel intrigued of him. Something was different in this one..

Verdant eyes kept their intense stare into the other’s pair when Loki saw this shining again in the Grandmaster's eyes. Joy. This can’t be a serious question though but the mischief god wanted to answer it nevertheless.

“Answer this to me, En Dwi Gast.” Loki started to speak again with crossed arms. “I will not fall on my knees, kissing your feet and beg for my life. So tell me…why do you spare me? I can’t imagine you grew such a huge likeness to me within this short time.” This time the God wouldn’t allow himself a moment of weakness and shot back. “You think I’m ’handsome’? Well why don’t you bring this handsome face down there? Because you can’t.. I’m starting to become interesting for you.”

But then a sigh left the God that nearly sounded like a yawn.. a repressed one. “You know I’m not quite in the mood as well to argue the whole time and… having a live presentation of doors. What else was your reason you brought me here huh? Continue teasing me?” He asked but this time with a less sassy voice but with the demand for answers.

The Asgardian seemed angry and as he began to speak, the Grandmaster realized he was right. He smiled as Loki began throwing a mild tantrum in the halls, filling the silence with angry questions and even a yawn. As the new one burst out a few sentences, En could even hear how tired Loki was. It made him wonder what had happened before he landed on Sakaar.

En soon noticed that he wasn’t only angry. Loki was a creature powerful enough to do much worse if he wanted to. So he had to be at least a bit interested of Sakaar. He wouldn’t just confront En with words. So this situation amused the elder a lot.

"Well, I must say if you weren’t as likable as you are, I wouldn’t have had any trouble throwing you away.." En answered smoothly, not showing any signs of shyness or nervousness; because he wasn’t like that. The Grandmaster enjoyed moments such as these, where he could just be himself.

“I’m quite aware of this...” Loki huffed at the first spoken words of the grandmaster, rubbing his own eyes tiredly. “No one is fond of me so it doesn’t impress or scare me at all that you think about to get rid of me.” the god growled but quiter this time. He should not engage in heated discussions when he is very exhausted, as tiredness irritates the god even more.

 “If you seriously think I’m likeable then you’re truly insane.” Loki doesn’t even care about the smooth tone the Grandmaster spoke since he heard worse things already from Odin, also experienced the worst. This so called threat of the Grandmaster would sound like a gift compared to this what else happened in Loki’s life. 

The Grandmaster heard that by each word, the Trickster grew more tired. It was good since it meant he couldn’t focus well either, if Loki would decide to fight. But En Dwi was convinced Loki was actually ready to sleep now. As he heard that only the insane found him likable, En laughed. ‘’Well maybe I am’’ The man alleged calmly, then walking straight towards his own master bedroom. 

‘‘Besides, I think that..that, that you’re quite jolly. You remind me of something..’‘ The Grandmaster got lost in his thoughts as he spoke. Loki did remind him of something but at the same time, he was completely different than most lost ones. 

"And no, I’m not going to tease you. I’m quite tired myself." En admitted and then took a deep breath, staring at one of the doors which led to his bedroom. Beside it was another room, one that could probably fit to Loki. It was close so he could hear if anything happened. After all, if they got some rest, tomorrow could be an interesting day. He could order Topaz to guard the prince but did En trust Topaz not to kill him off?

The mention that En himself was quite tired made Loki’s eyes pinch in a kind of expectation as to what should happen to him and where to send him. It would be advisable for the already irritated temperament of the god that he gets his calm as soon as possible before his weary anger continues to strike. Loki said nothing, gesturing nothing, only his green tired eyes were on the other man’s face, expectantly.

"Can I trust you?" En asked Loki, looking deep into his eyes. He was still thinking about the two very obvious options: he’d either give Loki a guestroom or let Loki sleep on his rather luxurious couch in his master bedroom. En touched his face softly and hummed as the was thinking, making different facial expressions every once in a while. He was being slow on purpose, again. It gave each moment more drama. 

The sudden question about the subject trust made the trickster speechless for a while, opened his mouth to say something but nothing came yet. “Nobody does..” and averted his stare from the older man suddenly, a stirn expression covered the god’s face, ignoring the other’s noises or facial expressions. 

"Let’s do this the fun way. A or B?" the Grandmaster asked with a warm smile, allowing Loki to unknowingly pick his fate for the night. Once again he stroke the prince with a confusing question, probably making the question seem more serious than it actually was.

 Loki confused the question that he had to choose between A and B, with the knowledge that Grandmaster will probably benefit from both decisions. “Just send me anywhere you want, my decision would come to your benefit isn’t it? You don’t trust me and would not take me anywhere else without your supervision. A wise decision, I would not even trust myself. ” and his verdant stare returned back to look closely at the older male with a more serious expression but in highest surprise his voice had been.. softer.

 “And in all honesty.. I’m too tired to care where you put me. Have your own fun for doing so and amuse yourself. I’m honestly quite the jester myself but now I would slit someone’s throat if they would just ask me how I’m doing today. Because you know what? I’m not doing good. So for the norns sake, put me anywhere. As long as I can have my rest. A or B, I don’t care.” the god murmured once again, rubbing his face with a deep sigh. All this sudden sentimental talk is so strange for him as well since it happens right in front of a stranger. This normally would just happen if Loki would be tipsy…

Loki had lost his temper, almost. But the Grandmaster didn’t care about picking a letter, he just wanted to sleep- which was very obvious now. Loki’s small outburst didn’t surprise En Dwi at all. He had made people angrier during his very long existence.

‘‘Okay, okay, just don’t explode’‘ En teased without considering his choice of words. 

'I won’t explode’ growled Loki in his thoughts, rising his head once more as soon as En Dwi would open the giant doors that might reveal his very own private chambers for sleeping. He ignored it as he opened the doors, revealing a beautiful bedroom with a bed in the middle, covered in golden sheets and big, soft pillows. It had a fireplace, big mirrors by one wall and at the opposite of the bed was a red couch with cushions and a fur blanket. He looked at it for a while and then shrugged, figuring it was better than the dungeons.

Loki remained calm for the rest of the time, silent and his expression remained frozen. The god could not indulge in the words of the Grandmaster right now, let alone continue to respond to them. He is very irritable, more even of more and more approaching fatigue and total exhaustion. Loki’s senses were clouded, his optics blurred, and his thoughts longed for nothing but sleep and rest. But the words of the elder man made the god curious nonetheless.

To whom did Loki remind the Grandmaster? Or what? At the moment, Loki did not want to indulge his anger, especially because this anger had no real reason or valid reason. He did not answer, at nothing, and averted his eyes. Silently the Aesir followed the older man, ran after him and refrained from yawning. Whatever would happen right now, he just could hope that the Grandmaster would at least decreases his urge to tease. 

‘‘I hope you like couches’‘ En turned to face the tired prince as he pointed at the couch. ‘‘At least I can keep my eyes on you in here’‘ En remarked and shut the doors, locking them just in case. He was not in the mood to let anyone in or out for a while. The big doors were awfully loud as well so it was better to keep them locked. Now it was only the two of them, both tired from different reasons. A short silence seemed to fall between them and the Grandmaster began to think again. He couldn’t help but to wonder why Loki’s day had been so bad he could ‘slit someone’s throat’. He figured it was better to ask him about it tomorrow but his curiosity got the best of him so he took a shot, fully knowing Loki could and possibly would get mad, or madder since he wasn’t happy either.

The quite large room represents the definition of detente: And Loki couldn’t help but awe in admiration. He first was even hesitant to enter and follow the other male to go inside as green eyes took in the whole new environment. The orange-red fire of the fireplace create a relaxing contrasts to the colors of the giant golden bed and the red couch in the room, mixed with the rest of some blue colors as well. It even looked more amazing to add the fact that it’s dark outside and this darkness adds an even more delicious environment. Even if Loki doesn’t want to admit it, this place here looks heavenly comfortable. Plus this room was pleasantly warm and Loki loves every warm place his always cold skin could crave.

The following words of the other man led the royal back to reality and Loki snaps back, hesitantly entering the room with little steps before he would hear the doors being locked. Clever..

“Keeping your eyes on me? In case my weakened body spontanously decides to jump out of a window?” the god remarked tiredly. “Quite a lovely place you have here.. apart from this junk I’ve seen before. It really is an catch for the eye.” and while speaking these words it astonished the aesir that an actual meant compliment would soon leave his lips.

The Grandmaster felt a little bit eased as they were finally settled in the bedroom. The sound of the rattling flames was calming and the warm air in the room made everything even better. Then Loki complimented the room which was surprising and En couldn’t hold back a smile. ‘’ It is, isn’t it? ‘’ He breathed out and looked around the room. 

The his verdant stare went to the giant red couch and approached it slowly, but doesn’t sit down yet, instead letting his hand brush over the material, even touching the fur blanket. “At least something that reminds of home..” the blackhaired murmured to himself sighing. It took him some time to overcome himself to finally having a seat to the couch who felt just as comfortable as a bed, which was surprising for the God, plus the fur and cushions make this even better. Still it would be odd to find his rest if the Grandmaster would sleep just some meters away from him… 

En Dwi Gast listened to Loki murmuring something about home. He was curious of this man’s life but it was way too late to have a good chit chat. It’s not that time mattered anyway since Loki looked oh so exhausted.

 "Why is your day so bad,hm?" The Grandmaster asked and kept his eyes on Loki. He felt almost sad for this black haired creature. En wasn’t sure why but he did. Loki looked exhausted- to say at least. Whether Loki would reveal something or not, it was quite obvious this day had been long for him and he would probably sleep for hours. With a sigh, he sat down on his bed, this time feeling actually tired. Earlier he had just rolled around which had been annoying. ‘‘Just please don’t slice my throat, that wouldn’t be much fun’‘ En was quick to slip out another sentence, hopefully lighting up the mood or then just making things worse. Nevertheless, he was cautious. He might’ve seemed like an innocent old man but few knew how strong he really was. Maybe a little wrestling could be fun? 

“I won’t slice your throat.. Elders are immortal, that would be nonsense.” Loki mentioned after some time to respond to the other man’s question with a deep breath. “As if you wouldn’t know.. as if it ever was my intension to land here. At least you don’t put me anywhere else. Pardon me, I become melodramatic when I’m tired. I just supposed to do be anywhere else. But.. perhaps it’s good not to be there. I never wanted to be involved into this theme anyway.” the Loki tilted his head, rolling it along the backseat of the couch to look at the Grandmaster. 

‘‘ It’s alright, I understand. Life, uh.. finds a way to become difficult at times ‘’ The Grandmaster mumbled back to Loki rather deeply, remembering a few deep occasions in his life. They were unpleasant for everyone quite obviously. But he rarely pondered of them, mostly because the time gaps of those events were so long. 

“Let’s hope I don’t need to keep an eye on you instead to kill me in my sleep. Or your brutal bodyguard lady.” then a very very weak first smile overcame the exhausted sorcerer.

"Don’t you worry about Topaz, she seems cold and harsh- well she is, but she wouldn’t kill you without my permission." En Dwi let the Trickster know but he wasn’t sure whether that was comforting at all or not at all. Suddenly, a yawn escaped his mouth and he cleared his throat. The blue stripe of his lip was faded but he would do his daily routine in the morning. The flames were rather gentle so he didn’t bother to kill the fire. It had never spread anywhere so he relied on it to behave this night as well. 

 “It would be impolite for not thanking you.. even if I sense you still don’t trust me at all. So.. thank you, En Dwi Gast.. that you also haven’t killed me at our first encounter.” 

As Loki thanked the elder, he felt glad. En wasn’t sure whether it was his tiredness that made him smile so much or Loki’s words but he didn’t mind. "Well, it would be a shame to kill you off so quickly. You’re a powerful creature, Loki, I can tell. I can’t help but to.., but to be intrigued, you know?" The Grandmaster was very honest with his reply as he now got underneath his warm, silky blankets. He was very comfortable at the moment he could probably just fall asleep in seconds.

"Perhaps some company wouldn’t be such a bad thing either. But it’s getting late and I see you’re worn out. Please rest for the night." En Dwi finally decided they should get done with the night. He was almost surprised Loki still kept his pretty eyes open. "Tomorrow will be a new, interesting day ..." He added quickly and leaned against his pillows, allowing his body to relax fully. He didn’t worry too much of Loki, mostly because the Trickster seemed like the one thing he desired was sleep. "Good night ."

 Loki watched in the safe distance the two men still had how the Grandmaster slowly retreated to his almost majestic bed and lay down to prepare to sleep, while the god sat on the huge comfortable couch and the other man has Bern still watched for a while. Intrigued..? Was this the other man’s true opinion, or was it just a word of flattery so Loki responded less angrily? But the god did not want to question this or go further into the topic and remained silent. What should happen to him greatly? He was not thrown into a detention cell, he was not sent outside again, and above all, he was not killed. The thanks were meant to be serious, even if Loki gave it only meekly.

Maybe the older man thought big of him in that short time, maybe it was a trap and Loki should not make friends with him too fast. Do not trust anyone who acts too kindly on you and exudes a powerful presence. It still went through a feeling of discomfort and caution to the god, especially since he was now in the private quarters of the elders and should sleep here too. Although he was more or less assured that nothing would happen to him as soon as he slept, Loki could not help but consider the situation very pessimistic.

But the Grandmaster was right and the prince should really go to sleep now. He nodded to himself to agree, a faint green light envelops his body and his armor dissolves’ and the god now sat on the couch in his simple dark green robe, his sleeping clothes. Although Loki was weakened by the magic, this little change was really not a difficult task. He could have just undressed to change into robe, but he did not want to expose himself to En Dwi.

“Ay.. Good night.” the blackhaired male murmured quitely.

His eyes went away from En Dwi Gast, who was now lying in his bed, asleep, and now saw the smaller warm flames of the fire burning in the fireplace. What should Loki do .. Where was Thor and what would have happened to him? Was he seriously worried about the well-being of his idiotic brother? Maybe it was better not to be involved with this topic. Hela is not his problem. And even though he built his own little home in Asgard and the people finally found a liking for Loki, which was built by lying, the divine realm had meanwhile become somewhat unimportant, especially after Thor revealed his lies. Loki would first have to find out what exactly this place is, who exactly the Grandmaster was and how his general behavior was. In his seriousness the old man was almost .. quirky and lively.

The god crept to the other end of the couch, so he wasfacing and sensing warmth of the fire, creating a feeling of well-being on his camouflaged cold Jotun skin before he took the fluffy fur blanket and covered himself with it, his head rested on one of the soft pillows. Some last thoughts ran through the prince’s mind before exhaustion and fatigue finally seized him and he fell in a deep sleep.