“You're welcome.” The voice is the personification of charm, charisma, subtle plots and poison in wine. Loki stands alone in the Hall of Hel, the only light a sickly cold one streaming in from a small window. He spreads his hands as if bestowing a blessing.
Thor approaches cautiously. He's done terrible magic to get here, alive in the land of the dead. You never know what traps Hela might have set.
“Mm? For what, exactly?” He edges closer, eyeing the dark corners. He should be thrilled to see his brother. But with a greeting so enigmatic like that? He's here for the army. He didn't think he'd see Loki again. Has he hardened his heart that much?
“The Avengers.” Loki drops any pretenses and adopts the most annoyed-sibling voice he can. It's so obvious, screams his tone. “Without me, you would have never met your mortal friends. Think of it. No invasion of Midgard, no Avengers. No one to fight Thanos...Thor."
Thor squints. How... “You knew all along?” His face reveals betrayal. That look is to be expected when talking to Loki.
“Possession works two ways,” says Loki, who looks a little downcast at his own words. Thor feels a sympathetic pang, and is reminded of their time spent as children when his brother found himself with an injury grievous enough to cause tears. Such things were to be expected in beings who lived so long. Thor did everything he could to cheer him up while he recovered, but some pain wasn't meant to, didn't' want to, be shared. Presently, Thor is ill at ease and chases the memory out of his thoughts.
Loki continues. “I saw his plan. He would have come to Midgard without my 'help', he was set on the Tesseract. You underestimate me once again.” And there's that disappointed tone, the one he uses-used, on Thor when he was being dense. It's still so mocking even in death.
“But you-” Thor pauses, reconsiders his harsh words “Weren't exactly friendly with me then. It doesn't make sense.”
“Doesn't it? All I wanted was to rule Asgard. Midgard was a good starting point, so I thought, before that violet oaf decided to interfere and have a little fun. He wasn't going to attack so brazenly, not with Odin still on the throne... So he used me.” His words are bitter. Thor can't imagine what it must be like, to be made a puppet when you're the one who's usually the puppeteer. But at last it makes sense now. Looks like Loki found a way to play that role after all.
“Revenge,” says Thor, a smirk playing on his lips.
Loki smiles back, he gets it. “The Avengers aren't Earth's. They're mine.”
The triumphal feeling in Thor's chest fades quickly. “But there's no way you plotted that far in advance! Loki, you're smart, you really are but-” He makes a face. “--that's impossible.”
“No, it was simply Plan B. A little further down the alphabet, admittedly, but I always have a plan. Have a little faith brother, you're worse than my cultists. Thanos' weakness is arrogance. He hits hard and has a plan, not plans. Not finesse.” He glories in himself for a moment, beaming in the grim light.
Thor isn't exactly pleased as the revaluation unfolds. “But our people, the ship. I can let you get away with so much, Loki.” He shakes his head and looks like he's about to slam Stormbreaker into the black wood of the table.
“Oh, what are you going to do! Kill me again?”
The two are face to face, Thor an inch taller but giving it a lot more by way of sheer muscle. They're going to argue like children, death be hanged.
“You think I liked doing that?” Loki snarls at him.
“You didn't have to bring the Tessaract!”
"Let me finish."
"You didn't have to do that, of all the things! People are dead!"
“On the contrary, I did.” He takes a step back out of Thor's weak shadow, his face hard. “I needed the Avengers again. Not for myself this time. If anyone can kill Thanos, it's you. All of you. But I'm banking on you to hurt him the most.” Loki turns slightly, as if to hide his face, an unsaid 'for me' dying on his breath. “It had to be done. Asgard was the only family I had. I wasn't king for long but I was no tyrant. I loved our people despite their feelings towards me. I learned that from you, you know.”
Thor feels like he's kicked a wolf cub. He blinks. “Loki,” he starts in apologetic tones, knowing 'sorry' isn't going to bring anyone back. What's done is done. Loki is right. Norn's bless him, he might have just saved them all.
Loki waves the budding apology off. “You'll join us sooner or later. It's the true end of the gods. The true Ragnarok this time around.”
Thor tries not to visibly shudder. Loki glances at him, catching the weariness in his posture. Hel must have truly broken out onto the other side for him to look so defeated.
Thor sounds defeated as well. “Well, let's kill the false god first. Then we'll see.” Cocky as always.
“Take the Einherjar with you,” Loki says, gesturing to the outer courtyard. The undead army, the reason Thor came. “My gift. Thanos may claim he's the God of Death, but he has nothing on our sister.”
Loki smiles and it's contagious. Here at the end of the world, the two brothers can share that.
"Thank you," says Thor.