We'll Meet Again
Jolene had led a fairly normal life for the past 12 years. She got a job as a relatively well-paying job as a journalist, especially with her uncanny ability to speak multiple languages, she made friends, got her own place. It was almost enough to distract from the fact that she had no memory of the family she must've had at one point, nothing to link her to her past other than a few items she'd had on her when she'd been found. For 12 years, life had been going well.
Until Germany, anyway.
But that was two years ago, and in that time, she had worked hard to just leave it all behind her. It was easier that way, just focusing on work and living her life without constantly thinking about the madman that had caused chaos from the moment he had stepped into that room. It was easier to move on without remembering the horrified screams of everyone around her as they ran to get out of the building, nearly trampling her in the process. But not one day passed that she didn't thank her lucky stars that she'd been held up in Germany during the attack on New York.
Now she was in her apartment, listening to music from the 1940s on her phone while she waited on her stew to be finished. She leaned on the counter in her kitchen, looking over the beautiful green fan with golden embroidery that had the name 'Sigyn' stitched into the fabric on the end piece for what must've been the thousandth time now, brushing her thumb over the name. For 12 years, she had never gone anywhere without this fan, always keeping it close to her. And even when she feared that she'd lost it, on the subway or walking through Times Square, it somehow always reappeared near her.
She had always wondered where it came from, why it held so much unknown meaning to her to the point where she'd gladly let some robber take her money just so she could keep it. At some point, she'd simply come to the conclusion that it had been her mother's, that perhaps it was a gift passed down from her. But that didn't quite sound right in her head, she wasn't sure why. But no matter the case, it was the only thing she had that linked her to some unknown past, that reassured her she must've had someone who cared at least once in her life.
"We'll meet again
Don't know where, don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day..."
She smiled a little at the song, beginning to sway her hops and sing along. Despite how old the song was by now, it always gave her hope that one day, she'd find her family, find out where she truly belonged.
"Keep smiling through, just like you always do
Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away"
Jolene held the fan against her chest as she gave a little spin, smiling hopefully. She just had to keep her chin up and have faith that one day, her past would come knocking on her door.
But then she heard a noise that made her stop and pause her music. It was a weird shuffling sound. She put the fan down on the counter and peered out of the kitchen into the living room to see what that noise was, when her eyes landed on a beautiful falcon that had somehow flown in through her slightly open window. "Oh...! Hello, there...!"
Her eyes lit up as the falcon hopped closer, and was quite curious to find it had green eyes. Funny, she didn't think they had green eyes. Maybe it was a rare trait...!
She pushed her excitement down to slowly move over to the fridge to grab some meat, not wanting to scare the bird away. "Are you hungry, sweetheart?"
The bird shuffled back a bit, and before she could try and toss it some meat, a green light began to swirl around it.
She stumbled back in alarm, gawking at the swirling green that invaded her kitchen. "Oh, my--!"
The falcon's form quickly began to change, growing larger, its feathers retracting and its body taking the shape of a human man. And within moments, she was staring at a regally-dressed man with raven black hair and a sharp face. He took in a deep breath and opened his bright green eyes. They stared at each other for several moments, before he suddenly rushed forward, pretty much yanking her into a tight hug.
"Sigyn...! I can't believe it!"
She flinched, but otherwise couldn't really react, still blinking in utter shock and disbelief. What on earth just happened??
He soon pulled back, a beaming smile on his face as his hands rested on her shoulders. "What are you doing here?? We thought you were dead for so long...!"
She just stared at him for a few moments, opening and closing her mouth like a fish trying to form proper words. "I-I’m Sorry... d-do I... know you...??"
She was pretty sure she would have remembered a guy who can shape-shift into a bird.
He blinked at her, looking surprised and confused. "Y... Yes, it's me, Loki. We were raised together. Don't you remember me?"
Jolene's body was tense, her face no doubt showing how confused and unsure she felt. She swallowed but slowly shook her head, suddenly understanding what the problem was. "Sir... I don’t remember anything beyond 12 years ago..."
Jolene watched his face grow pale, and then fall with despair. "O-Oh, I see... well, what do you remember...?"
She slowly shrugged, unsure why she was telling this to a stranger anything, but he looked so heartbroken that she wasn’t the one he was looking for... she felt like he deserved an answer. "The first thing I remember is waking up in a hospital..."
He furrowed his brow a little, his face painted with slight desperation. "Did you... have anything on you? Anything at all?"
She pressed her lips together. "Well, I have..." She hurried back to the kitchen, then came back with her closed fan in her hand. "I have this..."
He stared at it with wide green eyes as he very gingerly took it in his hand. "I gave this to you..." he murmured, looking back at her. "It was your favorite."
She stared at him, then down at the fan. "But... then why did you put my mother’s name in it?"
He blinked at her. "You think Sigyn is your mother's name?"
She shrugged slowly. "I mean... most likely? My name is Jolene."
He looked kind of horrified and he started pacing around, holding the fan close to him. "That- that doesn't make any sense, Sigyn wouldn't- unless we-? No way, I'm certain we never went that far... and she'd never abandon a child anyway... And no child is this similar to just one parent..."
She cluelessly watched him pace around, until he finally stopped and took a deep breath, visibly calming before he extended his hand to her.
"Can I see your hand, please?"
She gave him a confused look but complied and offered her hand, which he took in his own surprisingly gentle grasp. She watched as he took a breath and closed his eyes, the same green light from earlier swirling around her wrist and up her forearm to her elbow. It kind of tickled, and oddly enough, it felt... really familiar. She felt a sort of tugging sensation on her arm like someone was trying to pull it up before a soft blue light seemed to seep out of her skin, swirling weakly around the green before vanishing.
Loki opened his eyes, bright green eyes full of emotion as they seemed to become glossy. "It's you...! Sigyn...!"
She blinked quickly at him. "I-I..."
"I know it seems crazy, but surely you've noticed that you never seem to age, right?" Loki asked.
She was very quiet at that and he knew by the look in her eyes that she had wondered that.
"You came from the same place Thor and I did." he told her. "A realm called Asgard. Everyone there lives for thousands of years."
Her eyes were wide on him. "Then... why am I here...?"
He winced a little. "A... creature attacked us when we were alone. I thought it killed you, but... you somehow ended up here, with no memory, and not even Heimdall could find you."
She felt like she really needed to sit down, her mind reeling. Thankfully, Loki seemed to somehow read her mind and guided her over to her couch.
She had to breathe for a second, trying to make it all come together in her mind. "But then... how are you here? If no one could find me?"
He smiled sheepishly. "I may or may not have snuck into Stark's tower to try and find you."
She blinked. “How did you—“ then she looked at him a little closer, and she swore she recognized him from... somewhere. Then her eyes widened a bit. "Germany."
It all came flooding back to her. Terrifyingly manic blue eyes, a sadistic grin, a glowing blue cane that no doubt shattered the jaw the poor security guard that got in his way...
His face pinched in a shameful way and he slowly nodded. "Yes... I was... the one who caused all that chaos... But believe me when l say... I certainly didn't want to."
She looked him over for any sign of deceit, but she lingered on his eyes... She thought they had been blue... but no... Green suited him much better... it felt right. And they didn't strike fear into her like those blue eyes had. "I thought your eyes were... blue..."
He winced a little."That, ah... that was the scepter's influence..."
She found that she believed him. Green. They were supposed to be green... She knew this man from somewhere... before Germany. But what he said couldn’t be true...! Could it? It sounded insane! But then again, there had been aliens and gods running around earth lately... And he did just turn from a falcon to a man within seconds. Maybe it wasn’t so impossible...
She took a deep breath. "This is... wow..."
"I know it's a lot to take in." he said, still holding her hand softly in his own.
She looked at their hands, unable to resist the sudden flush she felt in her face. She didn’t really know why, it just sort of... happened. "It’s... certainly not what I was expecting today..."
He had to laugh softly, and she somehow knew it was a very rare kind of laugh that made a smile form on her face. "Oh, I'm certain."
She had to giggle a little, then blushed a bit. Oh, where were her manners? "A-Are you hungry? Can I get you something?"
"Er... well, I am a little hungry." he admitted sheepishly.
Jolene had to giggle softly at his slightly flushed cheeks before she got up and went back to the stew she had been making. "It’s just about done." She told him as she checked it, then looked down at herself and her face became bright, rosy pink. "Oh my gods, Uh...! I’ll be right back!"
She ran off to change into something better than pajamas, barely managing to catch him blinking at her in confusion. She was quick to get changed into something actually presentable, then hurried out to him.
"Sorry, Sorry, I’m back!" And she rushed to the stew and poured some into two bowls before she went back to him. "Here you go...!"
He gave a light chuckle as took the bowl she handed to him. "Thank you, Songbird."
She blushed a bit. "Songbird?"
His pale face flushed and he sheepishly rubbed the side of his neck. "Er, I... always called you that."
She blushed softly. "You did?"
He nodded slowly, slowly beginning to eat the stew she'd given him, probably to keep from embarrassing himself more.
She blushed softly and tucked her hair back. "Oh, I, Uh... never had someone call me that before..." she admitted before she mercifully changed the subject. "Is the stew alright?"
He hummed pleasantly and gave her a smile. "It's very good."
She beamed. "Really? I've been working on it, but it finally tastes just right!"
"It's perfect." He chuckled. "You were always a better cook than me."
She had to laugh softly at the idea, sitting down next to him. "Somehow, I believe that...!" She teased gently
Her eyes wandered over him as they ate. He was quite regal, to say the least. His clothes, the way he sat, even the way he ate. He must be a prince where he's from. A prince... She felt comfortable with the idea, somehow. "Are...are you a prince...?"
"The youngest prince of Asgard, at your service." He gave her a playful smile. "Technically king now, but only because of a few tricks on my end."
Jolene's face heated up with embarrassment. "O-Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were—!"
He had to laugh, waving his hand to calm her down. "I'm not going to ask you to bow or anything, don't worry. You were always my equal."
She blinked curiously. "I was?"
He nodded. "More than Thor ever was." he told her.
She blushed softly. "I couldn’t have been that grand..."
He chuckled. "If you wanted, I could... bring you back to Asgard, show you everything you've forgotten, perhaps jog your memory somehow." He glanced around. "Though... I'm sure you're still reeling, and you'd be more comfortable here on earth. As awful as this place is."
She reeled a bit at his statement. "Excuse me?" she asked, feeling somewhat offended.
"This place is so... backward, compared to Asgard." Loki sneered, glaring at his bowl and idly pushing the stew around. "So full of humans that are too busy squabbling for power and yet are somehow important enough to have Thor as their protector."
She had been getting ready to scold him, despite the fact that she herself wasn't human, but he sounded... strangely bitter, not ignorant or even like he felt that he was superior to everyone here. But before she could question him about it, he seemed to realize it first and cleared his throat.
"S-Sorry." He rubbed the side of his neck. "I'm sure earth means a lot to you, having been here for... centuries. Even I don't see why they're so appealing to you."
She pursed her lips a bit. "Well... I don’t remember ‘centuries’..." she shook it off and gave him a gentle smile, "but I do remember that earth is still full of beautiful things and beautiful people..."
"Is it?" he asked curiously.
She smiled a bit more. "Of course it is...! I’d show you, but I don’t exactly have the money for it."
"Need I remind you I have magic?" As if to prove a point, he seemed to open a pocket and pull out a small dagger. "Who needs money when you have the Bifrost?"
She blinked quickly at him. "Bifrost?"
"It's a rainbow bridge that can transport us anywhere."
She just kinda stared at him.
"What?"
"...Do you have any idea how crazy you sound right now?"
"I flew in as a falcon into your kitchen."
"I know!" She exclaimed softly, running fingers through her hair. "This is so wild...!" But it was also so incredibly exciting. "Well, if we can go anywhere without money, would you like to go with me? Exploring earth?" She smiled.
He smiled back at her, and even though as far as she knew she'd just met him, she realized that she very much liked his smile. She wanted to see it more often. "I'd love to."
She smiled excitedly. "So... What would you like to see first?"
He looked down at himself. "Perhaps we should start with earth's fashion sense first, these may draw a little too much attention."
She looked over him curiously. Yeah, unless he was going to a Comic Convention, he wouldn't blend in very well. "Hmm, good point...! I wonder what style you’d prefer."
He shrugged obliviously. "I quite liked the suits I saw, but I doubt I can wear that all the time."
"Ooh, yeah, I think chic would suit you...!" she said thoughtfully, putting a finger to her cheek as she tried to imagine him in different types of popular clothing.
"What in the world is 'chic'?"
She burst out laughing at his utterly confused face and patted his back. They clearly had a long way to go, but honestly, it was fine by her.