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Sylvie had never been fond of children. She didn't quite dislike them, either, and anyone who laid a hand on a child would soon become well-acquainted with her dagger.
If anything, she simply didn't understand them. She'd barely had a chance to be a child herself, so her comprehension of what it was like to be youthful and carefree was somewhat stunted.
So when she found that Loki had become well-acquainted with Kid Loki, she was unsure what to make of it.
At times, the child would stand much closer to Loki than the other variants. The way he incessantly lingered by Loki's side reminded Sylvie of an overly-attached puppy.
The feeling appeared to be mutual, too, to Sylvie's surprise. Loki would beam with pride when the young variant eagerly showed him the magic he'd learned, even if it was far from impressive.
He would sometimes tap on Loki’s shoulder while the oldest variant was speaking, and gesture for him to lean downwards, whispering something into his ear that would make him chuckle. Sylvie could only imagine how many inside jokes the two had spun together in the span of... however long they'd been trapped in the void.
Before they knew it, Loki had begun carrying Kid Loki upon his shoulders as they trekked through the barren wasteland.
"You're a little big to have someone carrying you around, aren't you?" Sylvie remarked. "Or are your legs broken?"
"Worry about yourself! He's my noble steed!" the child declared.
"No need to be jealous, Sylvie," Loki remarked. He added in a lower voice, "Really, I don't mind at all. He's light as a feather."
"I heard that." The kid's gaze loomed downwards. "Do not speak such lies about me -- I am dense as steel."
"Right, right, forgive me, my liege." Loki chuckled to himself. He let out a "yowch!" as Kid Loki tugged on his "reins", also known as his hair.
Sylvie simply scoffed and shook her head.
The thick, smoky clouds of Alioth were fast-approaching.
Maybe his heart was still heavy from saying goodbye to Mobius. Maybe part of him selfishly wished that Kid Loki (and his reptilian friend, even though Loki hadn't grown quite as fond of him yet) had chosen to come along. Or maybe it was simply his rational fear of the massive, sentient cloud of chaos swarming just over the horizon.
No matter the cause, something wasn't sitting right with him, and the thought of facing Alioth filled him with a sense of dread that he wasn't quite ready to parse.
"I do trust you, Sylvie, but this plan is -"
"Don't even finish that sentence, Mx. 'We're Going To Kill It' Laufeyson.”
"Yes, but I am willing to acknowledge that my plan was not any better," Loki admitted.
"It was worse, actually."
"We have established this. My point is, there is no surefire plan to overcome Alioth." Loki said.
"I know," Sylvie began, "But there is a good one, and that's enchanting it."
"But is it worth -"
"Wait!"
The two of them glanced back; just over the horizon was Kid Loki, with Gator Loki trotting close behind.
"I..." the kid struggled to catch his breath as he reached Sylvie and Loki, grabbing the latter’s shirt sleeve. "I don't want to stay behind. This may be my kingdom, but..." He trailed off, trying to think of some excuse for why he suddenly wanted to come along, yet not willing to admit just how attached he'd gotten to Loki.
Loki smiled warmly. "But what is a king without his noble steed?"
Kid Loki's face lit right up. "Yes! You get it!" he exclaimed, climbing up onto Loki's back. Like a switch had been flipped, the mere presence of this child had filled Loki with a burst of confidence.
Sylvie felt a slight flutter in her chest. She was far from maternal, but something about Loki being so tender and loving towards this child filled her with butterflies.
Sylvie felt something nudge her leg. Gator Loki was staring up at her expectantly.
"Uh, what do you want from me?" Sylvie asked.
"He wants to ride on your shoulders." Kid Loki said.
Rolling her eyes, Sylvie leaned down and let the gator crawl up her arms. He nested comfortably across her shoulders like a boa, and Sylvie couldn't help but smile. "You're lighter than I thought you'd be," she remarked to herself.
Gator Loki growled.
"Dense as steel." Kid Loki translated.
And with that, the four Lokis rode into battle.