POV Loki
Life was quiet.
Organizing human papers relaxed him. It was a bit like the old days when he helped to organize books in the palace library. People didn't like working with documents, and Loki had already have some debts of gratitude for reports that other policemen had to write. Most of them reminded him of Thor. Their blood called for battle, for action, for saving someone.
He feels strange among the police. He knows his manners are too sophisticated, but he cannot abandons it. Manners have become part of his mask, he could eventually get rid of manners if the situation requires it, but he doesn't want to. Manners are like normal and resemble Asgard. Asgard was cruel. However, Loki knew worse places than Asgard.
He fell into the cold abyss of the Void.
No color.
No dawn.
No life.
No death.
Thanos's purple hand on his neck, burns on his face, blood on his teeth and blue in his eyes.
There are worse places than Asgard.
He was a monster in borrowed skin, but this skin and all the manners and skills associated with it are better than blue skin and its sensitivity to heat. Fortunately, he improved the Odin spell. It will never change again. His hand will never be blue again. He will never be exposed to heat torture again.
Life among policemen is interesting. Loki has always liked to learn and learn new knowledge. Their life is simple but of great importance. They are heroes. They protect people and take revenge for the killed innocents. It's strange that Loki could work among them without suspicion. He could always hide his monstrous nature, but Asgard saw her anyway. There was distrust in every eyes of Fath... Odin, Thor, Three Warriors, Sif, Heimdall, even the palace servants did not respect him. Why didn't Midgardians see his monstrous nature? Were they so primitive? But their achievements contradict this. They do not pay attention? They don't care? Each hypothesis seemed more absurd to him. Midgardians have always been peculiar. Maybe that was why Odin had left them alone and was not interested in them.
Loki remembered asking Odin to be able to deal with diplomatic relations with Midgard. It was the first time he had done this after the tesseract had fallen into human hands. Fortunately, Captain Rogers dealt with the threat quickly, and the waters of Midgard safely hid the tesseract. Odin did not agree. The second time he tried was Heimdall reported that the Kree had violated Midgard. Odin did not agree. The third time, Loki appeared on Midgard with a scepter in his hand and killed the innocent.
Loki quickly sorts the papers and finds that Lieutenant Columbo is watching him again. Quite an interesting man. Very intelligent, perceptive and inconspicuous. Frank Columbo made pride of his inconspicuousness. His opponents don't expect the lieutenant to never give up and will always catch them. Losing was unnatural for him. Just like for Thor.
The lieutenant was quite peculiar to him. He was constantly using some tricky conversation and was constantly watching. He certainly didn't know any of Loki's secrets. So what could he want? Maybe he can sensed the monster in him. Eventually, he arrested many cold-blooded murderers. He can recognize them for sure. And Loki is one too. So the lieutenant's interest is based on his intuition, not facts. He won't find out truth.
Loki has files with the murder of the famous musician's wife and wondered when TVA would tell him to come back. He knows that his current mission does not match his competences at all. TVA wants to use it for something else. They want his power. However, they are still afraid of him and do not trust him. They don't know how to control him.
He remembers his words to Odin that he is a relic.
It is true. He is a stolen relic from Jotunheim that is used by everyone. Odin, Thor and his friends, Thanos, and now TVA.
Only one person loved him.
He remembers her gentle arms wrapped around him, moments after he killed Laufey. She was his mother.
She lied to him and did not protect him from Odin. If he had returned to Asgard, she would have agreed to any of Odin's sentences and would not have protested. Though a small part of him wants to believe that it would save him from Odin's wrath, but he has learned.
He remembers how free he felt when he touched the tesseract, only to find a powerless in the TVA' s elevator shortly thereafter. There is no hope for monsters.
Frigga is his mother. She is imperfect and full of defects and manipulations. However, he really loves her and he knew she loved him too. He was never blind to her flaws. He had seen them since he was a child. Only recently did he find out why Frigga was such a passive wife and Queen of Asgard. Why had she let Odin destroy the brotherhood between him and Thor. Why was she always silent when Odin favored Thor.
Frigga never wanted to marry Odin. She was beautiful, young, and raised in the loving home of her aunts who was witches.
Odin forced her to marry. Loki has wondered more than once how Odin broke it. How he destroyed her spirit so that she would have to hide everything from him and manipulate him. Of course, his mother was smart and had managed to get Odin into her opinion many times, but there was fear of him in her eyes. Maybe that's why she kept saying he always had a purpose and all that nonsense. He knew she wanted him to be given the throne, not Thor. However, she never told Odin that.
Suddenly, thoughts of his mother vanish as he sees Lieutenant Columbo approaching him. Loki prepares to fight. He can do it. He has been spinning lies and manipulations for centuries. He can handle it.
"Lieutenant, how can I help you?" he asked politely.
"My wife asked me to invite you and Sergeant Wilson to dinner tomorrow. It's a really special occasion, she won a new washing machine in the lottery and she is very happy. She wants to show off to everyone," the lieutenant said kindly.
Loki looked for lies, manipulation and dislike in him. However, he found nothing, and that worried him. The lieutenant always used his courtesy against opponents. However, he never compromised his wife's safety. He talked about her, accepted gifts for her (he carefully examined them whether they were safe for her), but never invited the murderer to his home. This fact confused Loki a lot. If Lieutenant Columbo doesn't see him as a threat, why is he being kind to him?
Relic, of course.
The lieutenant probably wants to use him somehow. Loki is even happy to help him. After all, he had been helping Thor and his friends for centuries.
Loki was hated but everyone knew how useful he was. That's why Odin kept him on Asgard in the form of his son, that's why Thanos didn't kill him, and that's why TVA allowed him to walk in this time instead of locking him in their cells. He was a useful tool.
Loki felt relieved. He was always a relic, a tool to be used. It's a familiar feeling. He wouldn't have to lie and deceive the lieutenant that he was not a murderer.
The lieutenant wants to use him. He doesn't suspect him. It's a relief.
"I would love to come at the invitation of Mrs. Columbo. I've always wanted to meet this special woman," Loki smiled sincerely. Helping the lieutenant will be a pleasure.
"Yes, she wanted to meet you too. I told her about you," replied the lieutenant.
Loki replaced his mask and said goodbye to the lieutenant.
He was scared. What did the lieutenant see in him? Just a slightly abnormal sergeant, or maybe something more (a cruel monster).
One thing's for sure, dinner at the lieutenant's house will give him answers.