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[trickor]

for outstandingbalance

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[trickor]

She's greeted by the coppery scent of blood, rich and sweet and undeniably fresh. "Put it away," he hisses, eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you expected me to hand over, really, but you can't expect to be the only one here who is sensitive to such things."

[outstandingbalance]

She caps it again immediately, giving him a flat look. Other than him, who should she be expecting? She didn't argue, though. "You seemed to find it safe enough before."

[trickor]

"It's different when in the wine," he points out. "Surely you noticed that much. It's easier to resist when even slightly diluted."

[outstandingbalance]

She might have noticed, but even in wine, it had been so difficult for her to resist.

"You expected me not to check?" she says instead. It's not as though she has a reason to trust him.

[trickor]

"What else might it have been? An explosive?" Loki rolls his eyes, clearly derisive.

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha doesn't rise to the snide tone. "Probably not that," she says evenly. It only made sense to check anything Loki offered her. On the other hand, she worries that she opened it to be sure it really was blood because she was hungry and needed to be sure.

What if it had clouded her judgment? "Only one way to be sure."

[trickor]

Loki gives her a long look, propping his chin elegantly on the heel of one hand as he swirls his wineglass with the other. "Tell me, Lady Romanoff. How many of your type do you suppose are in this city?"

[outstandingbalance]

"I couldn't say. It's not as though we can take a census." She glances out around the restaurant. "It's a big city though. At least a few."

[trickor]

"A few," he parrots. "How did you come about this...affliction? If I might ask?"

[outstandingbalance]

"In a lab," she tells him flatly. "Because Russia was trying to build a better killer."

He couldn't be surprised.

[trickor]

He isn't, though the answer is disappointingly mundane. "Ah," he says, flat.

[outstandingbalance]

She's not sure what he'd have hoped for.

"You'll have to forgive me if I don't exactly know the ropes."

[trickor]

"For what, exactly?"

He's curious as to what she thinks he wants.

[outstandingbalance]

"You seem to expect me to know something about being... whatever I am. I don't."

[trickor]

"How long has it been?" he then has to ask. How long could she have gone being what she is without knowing anything about it? The lore, the legends, the lies and the truths?

[outstandingbalance]

"That depends how you count it," she says flatly. "It started a long time ago, but... it was dormant until recently."

[trickor]

"Oh?" That's interesting. Very interesting. "I wasn't aware mortals had that sort of capability, to manipulate your condition thus. Especially considering your...line of work?"

How much blood she must be constantly coming into contact with...

[outstandingbalance]

"My line of work is a big part of why they had to find a way to suppress it." Her job is a lot more complicated these days, though this isn't the only reason why.

[trickor]

"Fascinating."

It is. He'd be interested in examining her blood.

[outstandingbalance]

"I might use the word inconvenient. Obviously it didn't last forever."

Natasha finally takes a cracker and some of the brie, though she has no enthusiasm for it. At some point, her lack of interest in food is going to become suspicious though.

[trickor]

"Obviously. Nothing does." Loki laughs quietly, shaking his head. "Inconvenient."

[outstandingbalance]

"Very inconvenient."

[trickor]

"I'm sure," and if his voice dips low, teasing, well.

Well.

[outstandingbalance]

"This amuses you." Maybe that was why he invited her here in the first place. It wasn't as though he didn't already know she was a killer, though.

[trickor]

"You fascinate me," he corrects, still smiling. "Is that so bad?"