33) The Witch
"I need your Tempad." Wanda said.
"Yeah, of course. Where is Sylvie?" Loki asked, summoning his Tempad and handing it to the witch.
"I was told that she was in Asgard, but I don't know which year." Wanda explained.
"It's pointless searching if we don't know the date, we need to go back to the sanctum. They are in danger and we apparently have to save them. Hmm. Never thought I'd return to New York as a hero." Loki commented.
"No, we shouldn't go back to the sanctum." Wanda said quickly.
Loki gave a confused look.
"Uh.. because America is in danger and what if they follow us or something? Before I was taken, Strange told me to hide her so that's what I did." Wanda said.
Loki narrowed his eyes, then gave a slow nod.
"If you say so. If it were coming from anyone but you, I'd say no and do what I wanted. You're lucky you're you." Loki said, a small smile forming on his face.
Wanda smiled with a slight sigh.
"Yeah. I'm lucky." She chuckled.
"Then where too? We can't stay here, it's the first place they'll look." Loki stated, crossing his arms.
"Maybe we should stay? Figure out the team and learn their weaknesses? The Toad man is out but there's still the fire woman." Wanda suggested.
"And the fire man. I'm not sure what happened to the apparent Four." Loki added.
"Yeah them too."
"Perhaps we don't stay. Let's go somewhere quiet, try to lure their attention away from America, and figure out how to find Sylvie." Loki suggested.
Wanda paused, then nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. I know a place."
Wanda clicked the Tempad she was given and a TVA door spawned.
"How'd you learn to do that? Have you ever even casted a door?" Loki asked.
"Uh no. It looked pretty simple though." Wanda said with a small chuckle.
Loki gave a hum, then Wanda gestured for him to follow her and she went through the door.
They arrived inside of a place Loki didn't recognize. It wasn't Midgard, which begged the question of how did Wanda know of this place?
It was similar to earth, but not the same. It had different technology and different city views.
"What is this place?" Loki asked.
"It's a planet that Viz mentioned a few times. He and Thor went off world once for a mission and he went here. Then he showed me pictures and told me he wanted to take me here one day." Wanda explained.
"Viz? The robot?"
"Yeah."
"Ah. So where are we going?"
"He told me a cafe name. We can go there." Wanda said before taking his hand and leading him away.
Loki glanced at their hands before following along. Something felt off to him though.
"A cafe, huh? If I didn't know any better Maximoff, I'd say you were asking me on a date." Loki smirked.
Wanda scoffed.
"Please, you wish." She chuckled.
Yeah. Something was definitely a bit off.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the cafe. It was titled 'Café et Plus' or 'Coffee and More'. So creative.
Wanda walked in, having let go of Loki's hand a bit before. They walked inside. It was semi-crowded, but there were still a couple of tables opened.
Wanda walked to one near the center of the room and she sat down. Loki didn't understand why they were in such an open area, but a lot of the ones that were by the walls or in the back were taken.
"Are you alright?" Loki asked.
"What do you mean?" Wanda asked in reply.
"You seem off. Did something happen before we found one another?"
Wanda fell silent and she looked at the closed menu that sat in front of her.
"Kind of." She started.
Loki gave her a look that said 'explain please' and Wanda took a breath.
"There was another version of me there. She was all evil and stuff though. I guess it kind of freaked me out? Then she tried to throw me through a TVA door but I threw her in and I started looking for you. When I found you, you looked like you were in pain and I didn't like that." Wanda explained.
"Then you killed a man?" Loki asked, remembering how Wanda decapitated Toad.
"A bad man. I mean, the mutant tried to get you to join him and his evil team!"
They stared at one another for a moment before a slow smile cracked on Loki's lips.
"So you care about me then?" He asked.
"Yes? Of course I do. After all we've been together, why wouldn't I?" Wanda gave a small laugh.
Loki hummed.
"I think I'll go with a tea." He said.
"What?" Wanda asked, confused by the sudden change in topic.
"On the drinks portion of the menu. Tea."
"Oh! Oh that makes more sense." Wanda laughed. "I'll have a Cappuccino."
The two ordered the drinks and sat in silence for a bit. Wanda glanced up at Loki multiple times, focusing on his eyes which were faced downwards.
Her eyes glowed red as she attempted at going into his mind, and his head turned upwards, locking eyes with her. Red poured across her face and she looked back down, hoping he didn't realize what she was doing.
"Are you trying to read my mind?" He asked.
Welp that hope went nowhere.
"I wanted to see if your magic would react the same as Sylvies." Wanda said quickly. "Back on Proserpina, I attempted at reading her mind and she immediately noticed. I guess it works the same for you."
"Uh huh."
Wanda didn't look up to meet his eyes and she insisted stared down at her drink.
Then she felt a tap on her shoulder which made her look up and turn her head. A young boy with glasses had a grin on his face as he looked at her. He looked maybe 8?
"Are you a princess?" He asked.
Wanda stared at him for a moment, unsure what to say from the question.
"Yes." She nodded.
"I knew it! I read a graphic novel about a princess who wore a red outfit like yours, even the same crown! And she saved her kingdom from the evil overlord that was her father." The boy explained.
Wanda gave a small chuckle.
"Yes that's me." She nodded.
The boy looked at her in amazement before turning around and hurrying over to a table where a couple sat with another older female who looked like the boy's sister.
Wanda turned her head back to Loki.
"I forgot to change." She mumbled glancing down at her outfit.
"Yeah. I took off my armor already." He said.
Loki wore a simple grey suit with dark green undertones on it. Not casual but not superhero-y either.
"Why did you change to that in the first place?" Loki asked, sipping his tea.
"It was kind of instinct. After I took America to safety, I changed into this outfit since it makes me more comfortable with my magic. Makes me feel more powerful." She replied.
"That makes sense." Loki said.
Wanda felt like he knew something.
He knew she was lying. She'd never been good at it anyways.
Why he was holding off, she couldn't tell. He probably needed to know where the real Wanda was. He wouldn't get that information out of her.
Wanda took a sip of her drink and glanced at Loki again.
"Wanda, we've been through a lot, you said so yourself." Loki said, meeting her eyes.
"Yeah?"
"Then tell me the truth. Why are we actually here?" He asked.
Wanda sighed. Guess she needed better acting lessons. 'be yourself but in love with the Mischief God. Make him give me what's rightfully mine'.
"I needed to stall you. Steven and America can handle themselves for the time being, and I need something from you." She said, her innocent tone gone.
Loki nodded, sipping his tea.
"I have no concern for Steven and America, where is my Wanda?" He asked, his tone lower.
The Scarlet Witch smiled to herself.
"Come with me." She stated, standing.
She left the small coffee shop and Loki followed her out. As he made it out though, all he saw was a TVA door opened, no Wanda.
Great.
There were a few outcomes, but in all of those Loki could picture in his mind, he usually ended up somehow trapped and unable to get rid of this variant.
He summoned a dagger in hand and walked inside of the time door. He expected the room to be dark, similar to how it was earlier with Toad and the fire girl. It wasn't.
It actually caught him off guard at how bright it was. He was on a yellow planet in a small town, the sun shining very brightly.
Loki looked at the building in front of him and he sighed before walking to it.
It looked crumbly, and based on the red lingers of magic that floated around the rocks, his thought that this place could collapse at any moment was proved to be true. That made him feel so comfortable.
The variant of Wanda revealed herself and Loki held his dagger, staring at her. Red magic floated in her hand as she stared him back down.
"Where is my Wanda?" Loki repeated, circling the room, staying in front of the variant as she circled as well.
"Don't worry your pretty face, she's alright. Kang said I was allowed to do what I wished with her, as long as I got what he needed from you. And I'm not a murderer. Well.. I wouldn't murder myself."
"Then where is she?"
"I'm honestly not sure. I was given a Tempad and I sent her to a random location. I'm sure I picked a fine one though."
"What?"
"Oh relax, I'm just teasing."
Loki glared at the witch.
"No I'm not. If she's truly as strong as people keep claiming she is, then she'll be alright. As for you, where are Kang's gauntlets?"
"How should I know?"
"Your variant was the one who took it. She's had contact with you in the past and it wouldn't be such a stretch to say you got it from her."
"Sylvie?"
"Sure."
"I haven't seen her in ages."
"You Lokis and your lies." The witch giggled.
"What would the point of giving you the gauntlet be? Would you not just kill me immediately after?" Loki asked.
"I have no reason to. Besides, who's gonna save poor Wanda if you're dead, hmm?"
Loki ran at her, dagger ready to strike, and like he predicted, red magic caught him and froze him mid run. It threw him back and he caught himself before he could hit the wall.
"What have you done with her?" Loki asked, not using his polite, prince voice like he had been.
"I may have lied a bit. She's not alright. I sent her to a nice blizzard. It occured here, many decades back. I'll go ahead and tell you, mortals don't survive well in the freezing cold. She might be dead before you find her." The Scarlet Witch said, her voice sounding like she enjoyed the idea of her variant suffering.
"I'm going to kill you, then I'm going to kill your pathetic master." Loki stated through gritted teeth.
"Kill Kang?" The Scarlet Witch laughed. "Love, that's nonsense. Even if you managed to, another version of him would pop right up and take over. You'd be stuck in the same position, only this time the man wouldn't be looking for his gauntlet."
"Fine. You're right. I have the gauntlet. If I give it to you, will you take me to the place you brought the other Wanda?"
The evil Wanda variant tilted her head, walking towards Loki.
"Deal." She agreed, an innocent smile forming on her face.
Loki hesitated, then revealed his hands. Green magic formed in his hand, but instead of forming a gauntlet, a nice new dagger appeared.
Loki had quicker reflexes than the variant, and before she could process the moment, Loki's dagger was through her heart and ripping through her chest as he dragged the weapon downwards. He needed to make sure this imposter was dead.
The woman screamed in pain and Loki swallowed back his emotions, seeing the face of the woman he'd grown to admire in the phase of dying.
He saw the Tempad in a pocket in her outfit. He grabbed it and pulled the dagger out of Wanda's chest.
"Loki?"
She put on innocent eyes as she fell down, blood spurring out of her chest, her last moments acting to make Loki feel guilty.
Loki looked away, unable to see the sight before him. He let out a shaky breath and stepped around the variant as she bled out on the floor.
He tapped away on the Tempad and looked at the history on the Time Doors. The most previous was the one to this room, then the one that took them to the cafe, then there was one before that was a planet name he didn't recognize. This place guessingly. He clicked that one and a time door opened, allowing him to walk through to find his Wanda.
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Wanda was cold. Very cold.
She must've been sent to an apocalypse like place. This was clearly a town but it was deserted. She tried to summon a coat on herself, but when she did she felt a burning sensation on her hands and she let out a hiss of pain.
That other variant did something to her.
She was still in a regular Tshirt. It was thin and short sleeves. Not a good thing to be wearing right now. At least she had on sweats.
She looked up where the door had opened. Maybe if she wished hard enough, Loki would magically spawn there too.
He didn't.
Snow began falling and wind picked up, and she was out in the open. So she began looking for a place that would hold cover. She attempted at using magic multiple times, each time getting a new burn on her hands. They had blisters on them now. On the bright side, with each burn, it got less painful.
"Loki!" She shouted, hoping that somewhere, somehow he could hear her. "I need your help, please!" She called.
She walked into a building that looked like the largest there. It was crumbly, but it should stand for a while.
Wanda's shoes and socks were soaked from the snow that she was stepping over. She couldn't feel her feet.
The cold air around made her made her face freeze. There were holes and cracks in the walls of the building, and wind rushed in, making Wanda shiver.
She tried to stay standing, knowing if she sat then her pants would get soaked and that wouldn't help her case. She leaned against the wall, but it was nearly as cold as the ground so she shot back to a standing position.
"Loki!"
Her voice strained, she just wanted him to know she was here. Her other variant could've harmed him, and she wanted to kill her for it. Wanda wished she could've done more rather than just be hung up like a doll, but now she was stuck here.
She attempted at using her powers to cast a shield. It burned and made her wince in pain, but she managed to hold it for a minute, then she had to stop.
She put her hands into the snow, which was a bad idea but her hands felt like they were on fire. Now they burned still, but in a 'so cold it's hot' sort of way.
A heavy wave of wind passed by and the building shook. Wanda nearly fell over, and many stones and bricks that made up the home fell over.
Wanda gave a heavy breath and she moved to the other side of the building, each step taking more energy than the other.
By the time she reached the other side, her arms were freezing and her feet felt like they were going to fall off.
"Loki.." Her voice fell, her vocal cords unable to shout again. "I'm sorry."
Then she collapsed in the snow.
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My favorite quote of this chapter: "If I didn't know any better Maximoff, I'd say you were asking me on a date."
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