Chapter 3: Journey
Issac was already loading the car when Sariel and Loki exited the house. The two's robes fluttered behind them with the change of air pressure. A storm was coming. Loki looked at Sariel. He was uneasy. Thunder made his skin crawl. It was a reminder of Thor's looming power. Loki turned to say goodbye to his home. He'd built this life with his friend, and now they were leaving it together. With a nod, Loki acknowledged Issac.
"Is everything in order Issac?" Sariel asked.
Issac nodded. "I'll be managing the estate during your absences. Should you require anything, please contact me."
Sariel smiled in approval. "Great job, man," he praised Issac. Sariel was impressed with his staff. In such a short time they'd managed to accommodate their absence without any problems or stress. Issac lifted a few bags into the truck of the car. "What would you like me to tell everyone while you're gone," Issac asked.
Loki slipped into the passenger side of the car. He carefully folded his robes inside the vehicle. "Hurry, we've got a long drive ahead of us," Loki pressed. The god was impatient. Their journey ahead was going to be much longer than driving to the Canada. There was a place nestled in cliffs to the north where the veil between realms was thin enough Loki could slip them through. If they were luckily they'd land straight into the frost giant world. If they weren't so luck, it'd be worse.
The wind shifted. Sariel's red hair flew in his face. "Issac, we're just going on a business trip in Russia. We'll be back." The fallen wasn't so sure they'd be returning home. Loki hadn't even told Sariel where they were headed yet. He had no idea how to cross between realms. Sariel grabbed the keys from Issac, and gave him a quick hug. "Safe travels, Sir," Issac said.
Sariel looked back at the house before sitting in the driver's side seat. He'd always insisted they drove, and not flew. It was hard for Sariel to use planes. It felt unnatural to him. "Ready?" Sariel asked Loki, looking into his green eyes. Sariel felt for a moment he was sitting by a lover. The intimacy between the two never transcended careful nurturing, but the desire still hung between.
"Yes," Loki responded. "We can only go so far by car, you know?" Loki asked. The last half of their journey would have to be on foot. Sariel nodded, and started the car.
"Do you have a hair tie?" Sariel asked Loki.
"Yeah," he answered, and handed Sariel a piece of lace. The fallen pulled back his long curly red hair in a bun a top of his head.
"Thank you," he smiled. Sariel put the car in drive, buckled up.
"So, ahh, where to?" The red head asked almost laughing. He could hardly believe he'd entrusted Loki with so much of the details as to not ask until now where they were headed. Sariel was normally more of a control freak than that. Loki had never cared for plans. His desire was always to go with the wind, to float with chaos. Until recently Loki had always been so whimsical. The hope of returning to Asgard visibly weighed on him.
Loki pulled out his phone. "Let me check."
Sariel laughed. "You don't know where we're headed?"
The god huffed. "It's north," he muttered.
Sariel through his head back in laughter. "I'll just head that direction then," he cackled.
Loki pulled his phone closer to his face. "Don't make fun of me," he growled. Sariel looked over his shoulder to check the lanes of traffic to pull out of the driveway. "God of mischief, I would never make fun of you," Sariel said sarcastically.
"So, what's the big picture in this?" Sariel asked. Loki, staring intently at his phone groaned back, "We're going to slip through the veil, and descend the world tree to Jötunheimr. It will be dangerous, and only the first step of our journey."
Sariel fiddled with the temperature controls in the car. "Okay, but how are we going to slip through?"
"Turn left here," Loki inserted. "Magic, that's how."
Sariel turned the car. "I know that, smartass, but do you have enough power to do that?"
"Probably." Loki answered.
"Probably?" Sariel growled. "We're not driving hundreds of miles, and risking our lives for a probably." The fallen resisted the temptation to turn around. He wanted to stop everything right there. Being drug across the world for a gambler's bet wasn't in the cards for Sariel. He believed in getting things done, not gambling.
Loki handed Sariel his phone for directions. "I haven't used that much magic for awhile. My power has been fading, but I don't know what other way. The bifrost will not move me without my crown. This is our only option. I have to try," he sighed. Loki reached for Sariel. He pushed a feeling of calmness toward the man, allowing it to overtake him.
"Are you using magic on me, Loki," Sariel asked.
"Only to help you relax," Loki responded.
"Okay," Sariel responded. His heartbeat began to slow, and the worry began to drip away. "That's not fair that you can do that."
"I will be able to do so much more when I regain my full power," Loki said.
"I know," Sariel responded.
The two sat in silence for many hours. The road seemed to blur by. When the rain started to pour down, and the sun began to set, Loki began to stir.
"We should stop for the night," he said softly.
Without a word, Sariel pulled of the road. He pulled into the closest hotel they happened on. "Stay here, I'll get us rooms."
Loki looked down at his hands. "Is it okay if we just book one room? I don't know what it is about this storm, but I don't want to be alone." The god looked small and afraid. Thunder always made him uneasy, but this was different. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to run away.
"Yeah, sure," Sariel accepted Loki's request.
The two walked into the hotel lobby. Sitting at the desk was a muscular women. She looked up and down at Loki and Sariel. "Welcome to Beowulf Inn, do you have a reservation?" She asked. Sariel stepped in front of Loki. "No, do you have any vacancies? We've just passing through."
The front desk worker tapped on the keyboard on her computer. "Just one room?" She asked, staring at the two men. "Just one," Sariel answered.
"Okay," the worker blushed.
Loki walked off while Sariel finished the transaction. His hair was on end. Something was very wrong. He hadn't felt this small since he was a child. It took so much energy to hold the glimmer that hid his blue skin and red eyes. Loki hated that he had to fight it.
Sariel returned with the hotel key, and began to walk with Loki toward the elevator bank. They were silent. The tension between them was palpable. They waited for the elevator, and entered the first one that opened. It was empty.
"I ahh," Loki began.
He was cut off by hands pushing him against the elevator's wall. "Shut up, I should of kissed you ages ago," Sariel growled, holding Loki against the wall with his body. With a primal desire, Sariel ferociously kissed Loki. His lips where cold. He tasted of mint. Loki melted into the kiss. He didn't know what took over him, but it was like a fire was inside his stomach. Loki couldn't remember the last time he'd been touched in such a way. He kissed Sariel back, pulling his hips tight against his. Loki kissed Sariel with such passion he forgot to breath.
"Ehem," someone coughed.
Loki turned bright red. The two were so engrossed in each other, they forgot to select their floor. Standing in front of the doors was the front desk worker. "Do you need help finding your room, Gentleman?" she asked. Sariel and Loki began to nervously laugh. "Ahh, I think I've got it Ma'am," Sariel nervously responded. He pressed the two for the second floor, and watch the face of the unmoved worker disappear.
"I'm so sorry," Sariel said. He rubbed grabbed his elbow, and looked up at the man he'd just practically attacked. "I don't know what came over me. You seemed so anxious, and I, I didn't think. I wanted to help," Sariel admitted.
Loki warmly smiled at the fallen. "I didn't know you felt that way toward me," he said.
"Of course I have feelings for you. I've spent everyday with you for three hundred years, Loki. You're my companion. I just- I was afraid I'd loose you if I ever," Sariel muttered. He was ashamed. All this time, and he'd longed to touch Loki, to feel Loki.
The elevator arrived at their floor. The two stepped out, feet apart for each other. "We should talk about this more later," Loki said.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone