i've come to burn your kingdom down

     ❛   you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, halfling.   ❜

Despite the circumstances, the intimacy of their closeness and Sauron’s gentle touches, his hiatus seemingly ended, Loki’s face was set into a hardened line, expression largely stoic and body language even moreso. If he had opinions on this matter, deeper opinions than what he was verbally admitting, it did not show. It was difficult to ascertain how he felt in that moment anyhow considering how long it had been since their last interaction. And with the factors Sauron had just mentioned, it was possible he was reacting now in a way he wouldn’t have if they had been reunited sooner. 

“I really can’t stand you sometimes,” he remarked in a light tone, gaze turned to study the other’s face carefully. Some things never change, though, as he had said. “Why’d you come back? Out of curiosity, not to chase you off.”

     the former admirable one was not a physical being. at least, not in essence. the majority of him lie outwards, in the metaphysical, twitching and twirling about. through this, he’s able to pick up on any strong feelings that reverberate, but, he finds he doesn’t really need this sixth sense to tell that loki is stalled, tense beneath his fingers. what was he to tell him? pensive, his outwards expression becomes... bitter. he’d almost fallen, yet again. it had taken time and patience to once more gain his strength. in that time, he’d been unable to traverse as he pleased.

     how many times would he do this? how many times would he keep pressing, stretching his boundaries, burning where he didn’t belong? but he already knew the answer... always and forever. he was too far past to turn back now. so very little genuine good was left in him, the rest all curled and curdled and turned to ash. he was an ugly thing now, sour. he simply hid it well.