Chapter Text
Julianna Redbridge observed the activities of the Loki commune with avid interest. She had worked with Marianne Lally, the owner of the house, at the diner for a while, and they’d become friends. Her new occupation as a delivery person for Congo, the huge internet company, brought her past the house several times a week. Marianne’s husband, a former prince, had escaped some organization, the TVA, with a device called a TempPad that allowed him to jump around timelines and dimensions. On his days off from work, Loki used the TempPad to search for his friend, a former agent of the TVA, Mobius M. Mobius. As he traveled, he found other variants of himself, some of whom he’d encountered in the Void, who wanted to help defeat Kang the Conqueror, a villain from another world, intent on domination wherever he went. Loki brought the variants home like stray puppies. Finally, he achieved success-he found his well-loved friend. Sometimes a visit came from a variant Thor, usually as King of Asgard, occasionally as a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. One of the King Thor variants begged the collective to take in his Queen, Jane, their children, and his sister-in-law, Annalise. This relative turned out to be variant President Loki’s estranged wife. The place was full to bursting! Julianna had been invited over for dinners and barbeques. The few times her schedule had allowed a visit, the sheer chaos had fascinated her. Two of the Lokis- the TVA version and the Presidential version, looked like identical twins, but the rest were vastly different from one another. Dark skin, light skin, black hair, red hair, blue eyes, green eyes, brown eyes, it was all there. One Loki was clearly much older than the others. Another was a child, though no one treated him as such. She still remembered the Loki who originally came to Earth as having blue skin with crimson eyes. The “twins” and a couple of other Lokis were quite attractive, but she’d thought the azure being was strikingly beautiful with his textured skin and muscled body. He’d been Asgardian Prince Thor’s equal in that regard. Julianna wished she could have met him. She giggled to herself as she pulled the next few packages to be delivered to the front of her car. That guy could step on her without ever noticing she was alive. He was easily ten feet tall, if not more. Besides, he was a party boy, obviously still young for whatever age he was. Comparable to a human teenager or college student. She didn’t have the time or patience for that. She’d raised her daughter, though the girl still lived with her. Melissa was in her twenties, working a full-time job and going to night school. Even she hadn’t been impressed by the antics of a bunch of aliens throwing a kegger. But sporadically, that giant showed up in Julianna’s dreams.
A few weeks passed, uneventfully, until a text came from Marianne. She and Annalise were frantically trying to keep the Lokis supplied with food, papers, pencils, whatever they needed. Could she come, or Melissa, or both to help? Melissa had class, but Julianna promised to be there after work. She arrived to find the two ladies practically pulling their hair out. The eight Lokis were outside in the garden, being the only place large enough to hold them all. An intense strategy session was underway. Some of their appetites were increased, other craved drink, still others forgot they could conjure items they dropped or tossed in a moment of argument. And argument, threats, along with fisticuffs and daggers were flying furiously. Lokis weren’t known for stress mitigation. Julianna had heard nothing as she walked from her car, but just a step inside the door, and her ears were assaulted by the cacophony. In addition, Queen Jane was upstairs, keeping her children out of the way, so food and materials for entertainment had to go to the next floor. Marianne and Julianna, experienced in lunch and dinner rushes as servers, fell into a routine of carrying everything to and fro, while cooking fell to Annalise. They all cleaned as they went. When a light lull fell, Julianna asked what had prompted the panic.
Marianne explained. “Do you remember the Loki that came with a Thor to party across the globe?” Julianna nodded. “He’s back and he’s in D.C.!” The U.S. capital city was only fifty miles or so from Fairmont. “He is alone at the moment, but no one know why he has come. Since he is our world’s Loki, they fear that he may be searching for them to mark this as his territory, so to speak. Or worse, he might believe they are a threat to Jotunheim, his home planet, or Asgard, Thor’s home planet. If it’s the latter, Thor could show up, too, but looking for war, instead of a rave. The Lokis want to have a plan to meet him to reassure him that they mean no harm but make him aware that Kang the Conqueror will invade at some point. As you see and hear, they all have different ideas, and they all believe their individual plan is the best.” The woman rolled her eyes. “At least this squabble is over something important. Often, they can become belligerent over who takes the next shower, citing how much power they’ve had in the past.”
Annalise snorted. “My Loki arguably had the status of a king when he won his Presidential election, but since he never got to serve, he’s yet to convince the others of that. Most of them are intelligent at least, but there are a couple I’d consider downright stupid. They’re going to have to break in another hour or so once Jane puts her children down for the night. I’m sure it will start all over again tomorrow.”
“But do the neighbors not complain about the noise?” asked Julianna.
“No,” replied Marianne. “They’ve muffled the sound outside the confines of the house’s lot.” The lull faded. The ladies were run off their feet again, but as predicted, Jane marched out at nine pm, declaring it was time to wrap up their meeting. Though they protested and grumbled, every Loki began to clean up the backyard and quieten down. As Thor’s wife, Jane carried clout.
When Julianna returned home, her body was exhausted. Her mind, though, was firing on all cylinders. She ran over and over the information she’d been given. She imagined scenarios for what consequences could be for her town, her country, the world. But the thought she kept assiduously trying to push aside would resurface relentlessly- would she finally meet the Frost Giant this time?
The Lokis finished their plan of action a week later. As luck would have it, Jotun Loki decided to visit further afield from Washington D.C., heading into Virginia. A conglomerate of green made its way north to intercept the giant. Those left behind worked, fidgeted, and bit their nails in agitation. Marianne got a few texts from TVA Loki. They knew every step Jotun Loki took from the twenty-four-hour news channels they watched or news radio stations which they kept tuned in. At approximately two ‘o clock Lokis converged on Mt. Vernon, home to first American President George Washington. As a recognized prince and god, Loki of Jotunheim was taken on a private tour of the grounds. He was too tall to go inside, though he did look in the top windows. Older Loki, TVA Loki, Bicycle Helmet Loki- all dressed as average Americans- and Mobius, in his customary brown suit, milled around the property. When it appeared that the quarry would be leaving, Mobius ambled into his path. The giant’s toes barely touched him, but the former TVA analyst flopped to the ground like a pro basketballer.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the big man exclaimed. “Please let me help you up.” Loki kneeled down and offered a finger to Mobius.
“I’m not hurt, just embarrassed,” Mobius replied, dusting himself off.
“I do apologize.”
“Apology accepted,” replied the analyst. “I’ve never met a god before, especially one so tall. It is an honor. Do I call you Your Majesty?”
“Just Loki is fine. And you are?”
“Oh, my name is Mobius. So kind of you to chat with a nobody like me.”
“I enjoy meeting Midgardians. I am here to learn about the unfamiliar cultures and countries you have here. Every exchange teaches me more about you mortals,” the giant assured him.
“Hey, my friends and I are eating dinner before leaving the city tonight.” Mobius injected friendliness into his voice and schooled his features into an earnest expression. “Why don’t you come us? I heard you came down here from D.C. We’ve been staying there. We could meet up at a park where you can stretch out and we’ll bring food and drinks. Can you eat the food here?”
“Yes, I can.” The Jotun’s scarlet eyes lit with excitement. “I’d like that. Will you tell me all about Midgard and the customs here?”
“Midgard?”
“Earth. That’s what you call it, I believe? Just the sort of thing with which I need help.”
“Sure thing! It will be fun. I’m glad we bumped into each other. The guys’ll be stoked that we’ll be hanging out with Prince Loki. We all remember the last time you visited Earth!” Although the last part was a little fib, since they were from another Earth, Mobius’s genuine excitement burst forth. He and Loki arranged a time and parted in different directions.
TVA Loki took in Mobius’s animated face as he returned. “You got the letter to him, then?”
“Better!” enthused Mobius.
“Better?”
“Yes! We’re going on a picnic with him this evening. We can show him how friendly we are and just talk to him,” Mobius was pleased with himself, and the direction things were going.
“Mobius, what do you think he’ll do when he finds out we are all named Loki?” the TVA alien gestured to their other companions, currently sans bicycle helmet and horns.
“We can tell him it’s a popular name because he’s a god. You guys all love being reminded that you are gods, right?”
“We are gods,” grunted Bicycle Loki. “No shame in demanding our due.”
With a roll of his eyes, TVA Loki started off toward the parking area. “We’d better do some planning and shopping.”
Mobius bought enough food for an army- which might take the edge off of Prince Loki’s appetite. The quartet from Virginia found a picnic area in Rock Creek Park near the amphitheater and tennis center. Mobius texted Jotun Loki the location and he was there in around thirty minutes. The TVA agent introduced the frost giant to his compatriots. Of course, the big man was thrilled to meet others named Loki, supposedly in his honor. They ate and drank. Once mostly sated, Older Loki apologized for the deception, then explained who they truly were and why they’d wanted to meet him. Though he’d had quite a different upbringing from these other Lokis, the Jotun variant was still considered the God of Mischief in this world. It was one of the reasons he and Thor were such buddies- they loved carousing and pranks. Some of Loki’s mischievous nature had rubbed off on the god from Asgard. He had no issues with the story of their names, quickly recognizing the need for the falsehood. He also caught onto the diplomatic implications of the mission of these other versions after reading through the letter Older Loki handed over. Since the giant could not be accommodated in a Midgardian hotel, he was to return to Jotunheim, but promised to meet the men in Fairmont. The group finished off the food and departed amiably.
The last few days had been a flurry of activity. If Jotun Loki was to be an ally, it behooved the rest of the Lokis to make him welcome, starting with accommodations. Resources were pooled amongst them to rent a shipping container, which was hauled to the diner parking lot. The owner had balked a bit until the word “prince” was mentioned. He was thrilled to make a concession for royalty, even if it was alien. Every effort was made to make the huge storage locker a comfortable place of rest. They’d stuffed it three layers deep in mattresses, covered each mattress that could be seen in complementary colors, covered the whole with four and a half yards of jersey, and completed the bed with a coverlet made of four and half yards of green damask. Older Loki insisted that every Loki loved green and gold. The walls, therefore, were painted in a soothing shade of gold. A thick, black rug covered the floor. A lean-to in Marianne’s backyard and the garden hose would have to suffice for a shower.
The Frost Giant set tongues to wagging when he landed in Fairmont. The unavoidable paparazzi and journalists followed close on his heels. The Loki group was unprepared for this development, though TVA and President Lokis claimed they’d brought it up in the big strategy meeting. The last thing they needed was Fairmont kicking them out for being literal aliens and/or advertising their presence to any Kang variants who might somehow intercept any media. For a day or two, the big man strolled around town with Mobius, while the Lokis, their mates, and Julianna thought through the problem.
Julianna suggested that they feed a story to the media of the “group home,” as the town residents referred to Marianne’s house. But they’d present it a as a conventional boarding house for folks who required a little extra help in society, without defining what kind of help they gave. Since every Loki variant was at least a little eccentric, no one would question this. To keep up such a large household, it had become necessary for each Loki, except the Kid, to take a job on Midgard to help with finances. Employers, when inevitably interviewed, would certainly attest to their oddness and living arrangements. Marianne, Annalise, Jane, and Mobius would be the Group Home administrators and claim no information could be given on their clients under privacy laws. The Lokis were understandably affronted at the suggestion that they were crazy, but Kid Loki, their leader of sorts, got them calmed and on board with the plan. Julianna still sometimes forgot that the child was, in truth, the oldest of them all. She had trouble getting her mind around the fact, chalking it up to the weirdness of the place they disparagingly referred to as the Void.
Julianna’s strategy was put into place. No Loki gave an interview with the press, under peer pressure from the others. Oh, they squabbled plenty amongst themselves, hurling insults and threats liberally. The only two of sincere concern were Boastful Loki and President Loki. The dark-skinned braggart was held in check by Older Loki, whose magic was the most advanced. The Almost-Chief Executive of the U.S.A. complied to keep his wife, Annalise, happy. They were still working through their marital issues. After a couple of weeks, the journalists began to decamp. They’d interviewed all the townspeople they could. Fairmont was convinced “those boys” were a bit funny. Sometimes they even claimed to be gods! But they mostly did decent work as employees, and they were pretty smart. No one associated with the supervised residential facility would speak to them. Even Jotun Loki showed a savvy handling when he simply claimed to be on Earth for a vacation that was more relaxing than the last time he visited.
When the shipping container rental was set to expire, attention was diverted from Kang the Conqueror to Frost Giant lodgings. The prince didn’t mind the humbleness of his abode, but Mobius explained that finances were tight. The big man felt a bit guilty that he hadn’t guessed the situation. He’s opened a local bank account, having units transferred from Jotunheim to Virginia, and converted into U.S. currency. He insisted on reimbursing the funds used to procure the portable storage holder. He then apologized for the omission of the fact that he could shapeshift, including making himself shorter. He determined to stay in a tent in Marianne’s backyard until a suitable house could be rented. All the other Lokis were taken aback, not having realized that changing form was a universal Loki trait. They understood that this ability should be kept to themselves, as its most effective use was in battle as a surprise tactic.
Marianne contacted Julianna to ask if she happened to have noticed any homes up for sale or rent during her deliveries. Julianna affirmed that she had. Being located in the Appalachian Mountains, there were often folks looking for rentals for vacations. Surely there was an owner who would appreciate a longer term with guaranteed income. She promised to make a list to drop by, though it would take a few days. With Independence Day coming up, the schedule at work was becoming hectic as people ordered patriotic accoutrements from Congo. The company’s rock bottom prices had run the local shops that had traditionally carried items like Uncle Sam hats and bunting in red, white, and blue, out of business. Even the tourists had items sent to their accommodations. Julianna was getting home later each night, eating leftovers of casseroles she’d made and frozen and falling into bed. She wouldn’t even have a full day off on the national holiday. Marianne pitied her friend. Waitressing was no picnic, reliant on tips given on a customer’s whim or mood. No benefits were even worse. Julianna had needed the insurance benefits Congo offered when her daughter entered college. Melissa paid for her own books and other expenses, but Julianna paid tuition. Marianne had considered joining the retail/logistics/delivery company herself, until she saw what Julianna’s life had become. The owners of the restaurant were an aging couple who’d come to Fairmont to retire. They had extra income from wise investments over the years and loved their new community and its people. They did their best to keep staff enough to allow everyone one day off each week. They also kept shifts as close to eight hours as possible. On the odd occasion, they might request a twelve hour, but those were few and far between. But the payroll meant they couldn’t offer health insurance, though Marianne hoped her luck would hold on good health. She appreciated that her schedule allowed her a life. She demanded that Julianna come by in the next few days, list or not, for a meal that wasn’t microwaved. The house was always quiet after the royal Asgardian children went to bed. Just for an hour or two before bed was all Marianne asked for to support her friend.
Two days later, Julianna pulled her car into Marianne’s driveway at nine fifteen pm. Her body ached, her head ached, her stomach ached, and she needed a bathroom desperately, having not gone but a couple of times that day. She got in the door, waved to her friend, and headed down the hallway to use the facilities. Feeling relieved, she washed her hands and headed to the kitchen. Marianne, Annalise, and Jane chatted a bit, filling Julianna in on the latest strategies the boys were planning. The pot roast and vegetables were delicious, easing the gnawing sensation of her stomach. The headache resolved when she was fully rehydrated. After the meal was complete, the ladies filed out to the backyard to join the men. Julianna was formally introduced to the Prince of Jotunheim. He drew himself up to his full height of twelve feet. She stood barely above his knees at five feet tall. He then shrank down before her eyes to roughly match the other Lokis. She was still significantly shorter than he.
He gave a courtly bow. “I am pleased to meet you, My Lady,” His Highness purred. Having heard the somewhat smarmy greeting before, most of the company just rolled their eyes, while Kid Loki silently mimicked gagging and Redhead Loki appeared completely disgusted.
Julianna was nonplussed. She remembered her wish to meet this particular variant with regret. Jane had described him as “over the top,” which was saying something with President Loki and Glamshades Loki there. News reports from his last trip to Earth had painted him and Thor as a couple of flamboyant playboys. Now Julianna heard the proof of it herself. Disappointment flooded through her. She dropped an awkward curtsy. “It’s nice to meet you, too” she murmured. Drawing her eyes away from the beautiful, yet vacuous god, she fumbled in her pocket to pull out a sheet of paper. “Here is a list of available houses in the area. I’m sure there are more, but this will get you started.”
“Thank you so much,” said the Frost Giant in his ingratiating tone. She scurried across the courtyard to sink onto an outdoor sofa next to Marianne.