entranceway | [Event Video] Be Prepared! For the Death of the Duchess!

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[Event Video] Be Prepared! For the Death of the Duchess!

[The video feed opens to Loki, once again, clad in his green and golden royal regalia. That ridiculously large horned helmet was polished impeccably! He was dressed to the nines and his ego was just spilling from his leather and metal robes.

He's grinning far too wide, showing all those pearly whites. Bright green eyes nearly glowing with vigour. Oh, this man had something important to say. Something very important. And somehow, his lips pull back to reveal even more teeth as he laughs at the camera. God of Madness? Why yes, he certainly fits that title today. Chaos. Insanity. Pandemonium...]

You are, all of you, beneath me! Is that not what you said? [No, wait, that's what HE said. But close enough. Why yes, he's addressing you, Duchess.] I know not who you are, but I am here to answer that challenge. Show yourself and we shall see who is beneath whom!

[If he looks a little crazy, well... he really is. Even the Avengers didn't see him this unhinged, because he's never been pushed this far. This man has an ego large enough as it is, but when the magic of Wonderland goads it--inflates it--agitates it further, he can easily fall to the madness of his own mind. Wonderland, this is a very, very dark mind to be unleashing on the residents. How fortunate, that he's suddenly trapped in a Disney movie.]

Be prepared, you snivelling sow! I shall find you! And when I do, you will answer to each and every one of us here! They may be mortals, but they... [He laughs lightly, humorously.] ...they can be quite useful. And they deserve their just dues, paid by none other than you, Duchess!

[And that's when the unhinged prince of Asgard begins to slip into song, completely with his own background music and shifting scenery as his magic swirls and seethes within him, giving physical representation of the state of his mind. His surrounds sink to inky blackness, painted with low-lying green mist, and poisonous fires erupting around him, casting him in more green lighting.]

I never thought mortals essential,
They're crude and unspeakably plain,
But maybe they've a glimmer of potential,
If allied to my vision and brain.

I know that your powers of retention,
Are as wet as a bilgesnipe's back side,
But thick as you are, pay attention!
My words are a matter of pride!

It's clear from your vacant expressions,
The lights are not all on upstairs,
But we're talking kings and successions,
Even you can't be caught unaware!

So prepare for the chance of a lifetime,
Be prepared for sensational news,
A shining new era,
Is tiptoeing nearer.

I know it sounds sordid,
But you'll be rewarded,
When at last I am given my dues,
And in justice deliciously squared,
Be prepared!

Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected,
To take certain duties on board,
The future is littered with prizes,
And though I'm the main addressee,
The point that I must emphasize is,
You won't get a THING without me!

So prepare for the coo of the century,
Be prepared for the murkiest scam,
Meticulous planning,
Tenacity spanning,
Decades of denial,
Is simply why I'll,
Be king undisputed,
Respected, saluted,
And seen for the wonder I am,
Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared,
Be prepared!

Yes, my teeth and ambitions are bared,
Be prepared!

[As he comes out of the song, the background of twisting smoke and fire settles into the inky blackness. Yes, to anyone actually watching this pretentious display... well. Likely, when he comes out of this temporary insanity due to overinflated ego (because, again, who thought it was a good idea to pump Loki's ego up on steroids?!) he will probably feel the strong desire to kill anyone who brings this up later. It's also quite possible he won't be showing his face around for a good long while.]

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[Adam's explanation of who he is and how he can do the things he can do is on the tip of his tongue but he stops when the helmet disappears. Sitting back a little, he really looks at Loki for several seconds.]

Well, you don't look so much like a bug now, least.

[His irritation is bubbling just beneath the surface but the boy keeps as tight of a cap as he can on it. He likes Loki. He doesn't want to fight with him.

But he's not about to pretend he's not far more powerful than the guy, either.]

And you might think you're a God but you've got limits to what you can do. I don't.

[There's a slightly smug smile on the boy's features that looks a little out of place, truth be told, but feels right in this particular moment.]

Y'know how you wanted to rule Earth an' all that stuff? Well, where I come from, that's what I was created to do. Take Earth, shape it how I wanted it, and then rule over it. It's my destiny.

[Nevermind that he doesn't want that particular destiny. That isn't important right now.]

[Oh, Loki is doing a far worse job keeping a lid on his broiling anger. Even this child is looking down on him! Just like Odin. Just like Thor and the rest. He will never be good enough and it infuriates him more than anything ever could. This anger has never been so hot. Even in his attempts to rid himself of Thor and destroy Jotunheim, he hadn't been this out of control. He was a crafty sort, planning ten moves ahead of his opponent's planned moves, working in the darkness, behind their backs.]

Limits? [His voice might be tight, yet sounds on the verge of wavering.] What do you know of my limits? [It's rhetorical.] I am a God!

[But as Adam's explanation sinks in, it cuts off his impending mini-rant bolstered by ego. Which was very fortunate, because it was a cry only Thor had heard. It wasn't about having Earth, it was about proving himself. But instead, he goes very quiet, eyeing the child with keen eyes. Assessing whether this could even be true. But then again, this child could see right through to the heart of what lies beneath illusion. His illusions. Even the glamour Odin placed over Loki. Frigid rage gives way to curiosity.]

Created? What are you?

Yeah. Limits. You make stuff that just looks like something else. I can make it into something else and even make it so it was always that way, if'n I want. People, places, things, anything you can think to do, I can do it.

[He puffs up a bit at that because really, why hasn't he appreciated that fact more before now? Clearly what he can do is brilliant and everyone should realize as much.

At the question about what he is, where Adam would normally hesitate to answer, this time his reply comes immediately. And for the very first time in his life, it's even said with pride.]

I'm the Antichrist, 'course. Lucifer's son, to be s'piffic.

[Cue Loki sobering up at that. His eyes narrow again, but this time it isn't in irritation. The figurative wheels are already spinning. He's processing all this information and sifting out what he can use to his advantage, of any of it.]

You mean to say you can bend reality? Alter it to your whim? [Colour him envious. Well, he's already the decorated in the colour associated with envy, but you get the point.] That kind of raw power... if indeed you do possess such, [And Adam's offer to change the glamour Odin set on him flashes back to memory.] why have you not simply bent the will of this world to submit to you?

[These words, "Antichrist" and "Lucifer" ring a few bells, but only in what he gleaned from minds on Earth. It would be back to the books later to learn their meanings.]

[Adam gives a slight shrug. Truthfully, he isn't sure right now why he isn't doing precisely that. Make Wonderland his just as Earth is meant to be his. He can do it. It would only take a few well-worded, strongly felt thoughts.]

Maybe I will. [Something in his mind rebels at the thought of using his abilities in such a way. It's a vague whisper, a gentle prodding that he really shouldn't do this. He ignores the voice but does take the time to reason out why he isn't doing it right this second.]

'Course, just cause I can do it don't mean I much want to run the place. 'Slike I told 'em back home. Runnin' stuff seems an awful lot like having to always clean up messes others make. Don't sound like all that much fun, to me.

That is part of ruling, yes. Cleaning up messes and keeping order. Taking care of menial tasks of running a land of beings with their own minds and free will. There will always be something tedious to fray your nerves.

I cannot imagine having that much power without the desire to use it. [That was more honest than he ever meant to be with anyone. Thor had been correct, it changes people.]

[Adam's look is a pointed one.]

Then maybe that's why you're not the one with the power.

[Best way to piss Loki off in a hurry? Insult his ability. Make him feel inferior. Make him feel eclipsed or shadowed by someone else. He's handling Adam's power to the best of his ability without letting it set him off, but this? Fire burns in his eyes at the insinuation.]

I have plenty of power! My illusions may be my favourite trick of my trade, but they are not my only skill. And by far, the least impressive in comparison.

[Under normal circumstances, Adam would probably do his best to assure Loki that yes, he's very formidable in his own right. Not only is it true but it would, possibly at least, keep this situation from spiraling out of control to the extent that Loki feels the desire to prove just how powerful he happens to be.

But these aren't normal circumstances and Adam is definitely not acting quite like himself. So instead of backtracking, he instead gives the guy an almost bored look.]

Sure, you got power. But [and his chest puffs up a bit at this] you don't got my level of power. Nobody here does.

[Oh, his pride screamed and seethed at the boy's words. What was worse than the words themselves and the assault they had on his pride? The fact that they were true and he despised it! Right now, he despised Adam. He felt overshadowed once again by an arrogant little blonde child with no grasp of what the real world was like! Just. Like. Thor. Naturally gifted, taking his powers for granted. He didn't have to work for what he had like Loki. It just came to him like a gift from the Gods. (Or devil as it were).

Loki was normally a calm, collected being who relied heavily on his intelligence and silver tongue where his power could not fill the gap. Right now? He was a raging ball of emotion that put him in a bad mental state. One that made planning ahead and thinking things through impossible.]

You certainly speak confidently for a child! You haven't an inkling of what power I possess!

[He despised his Jotun heritage, but it did provide him with some degree of power beyond what his Asgardian family knew. Again, with the not thinking part, it didn't matter how much power he had, it was nothing in comparison to Adam's. But try telling him that right now.]

I could bring this land to ruin if I so chose! You would unleash upon this land that kind of power? [Yes, it was a threat. However, probably a rather stupid one considering.]

[And there it is. Whatever has been keeping Adam in check - what small, modicum of self control he's been possessing, snaps and in an instant he changes.

He's still very much a blonde haired little boy but there's a clear darkness around him, an unending, all consuming aura of the sorts of things that nightmares come from. His blue eyes glow brightly as he narrows his eyes to veritable slits, his lips drawn down into a look of intense displeasure.

His words come out with an edge to them, clipped and dangerous, with a dark, booming undertone that clearly is not human.]

Maybe. I. Will.

[Adam leans a little closer, pinning Loki with a hardened look that peers directly inside of him. He speaks quieter now, a cruel smiling twisting his features.]

Or maybe I'll just deal with you. See how you like bein' human. Or a real bug, even. Then I could squish you and be done with it.

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