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Carol's attempt to infiltrate Kai's stronghold ran into the smallest of snags. About twenty-five pounds of ferocious killer hound. The dog barks its fool head off right up until he's faced with the reality of Carol, then he hides under the couch and whines. A kind word is all it takes to turn him friendly, and a tidbit is all it takes to win his adoration. Some loyalty.
Eventually, Kai heads up the stairs, his English accent audible in the hallway as he says to someone, "So eventually I sprung the lock on the handcuffs and pulled a runner, and that's why I can't go back to that donut shop anymore." He goes to unlock his door, finds it unlocked.
*
Loki is drifting along with Kai, listening intently to Kai's tale of…criminal activity with some bemusement. "How long before you can return, though? Surely the proprietor will get old, and die, and then you can, once again, get powder all over your face." he chuckles low, breathy. He doesn't deserve to be this happy.
*
Carol, for her part, is wearing a black suit jacket, white shirt, black slacks and shoes, and looks like a rather too-professional businesswoman. Well, except for the shades which she's wearing indoors. It's an effect that just screams "GOVERNMENT AGENT" which is what she's going for, even as she gave the poor dog a few treats and some kind words.
She was looking around the living room, but upon hearing the doorknob turn, she moves out of immediate view, wanting to apparently surprise Kai a bit, as well as whoever he might be with.
*
"Mary's Doughnuts is better anyway," Kai says. "I might go back in time, but these places don't last very long. Ten, twenty years if you're lucky." He turns the knob and comes in, figuring he must have forgotten to lock it when he left for work. He's dressed in his waiter's uniform sans apron, with the bow tie untied and the top button of his shirt undone.
The traitor of a dog comes barking at the door and wiggling with how hard his tail wags. Kai's home! Kai! Kai! Kai! Loki! Loki! He's an excitable creature who doesn't know Loki has threatened to kill him. Kai kneels to give the dog a belly scritch. Then he stretches and says, "I'm thinking bacon for dinner. I think we have a packet left." He's clueless, though the dog starts toward Carol to check up on his new best friend.
*
Loki will continue to threaten the dog for all of its short life, but…it is his way of displaying affection for the winsome creature. "The bacon needs to be /with/ something else…" the godling insists as he enters behind Kai, distracted by watching the other man in the familiar setting. A glance around the apartment gives few clues to the inhabitants, truly, because Kai keeps letting OTHER people stay here, so…its impossible to get a read on the personality or motives of the person who owns the place. "Kai, did you not lock this? What was the point of getting you a locking door if you do not lock it…" he fusses and twists the knob a few times with his thin lips pressed together before swinging it shut.
*
Carol ahems softly, "That would be /my/ doing, actually." And there she is, Government Agent with a Ponytail, standing in the room as she looks down and smiles at the barking dog. Then she looks over at Kai, and particularly Loki, her smile fading sharply at the sight of the latter, "So, did you have anything to say before I bring you in for breaking out someone out of custody who is, at best, very mentally unstable. Oh, and threatening to murder dozens of government agents in the process." That's mostly directed to Loki, though Kai doesn't escape her attention either. On the bright side, at least she hasn't drawn any sort of weapon yet, like most agents might have.
*
Kai is about to express to Loki a few things: a) bacon with a side of bacon is having bacon with something, b) no killing the dog, and c) it's probable he forgot to lock the door. But then there's Carol, and he whips around quickly, and his lava lamp quivers on the shelf as the water inside it strains and sloshes around. It stands down as he squares his shoulders, lifting his chin.
The dog wags his tail as he looks up at Carol, who might have a treat. Kai's expression goes from alarmed and outraged to disappointed. "Kevin," he says, "come on, mate." And he was almost going to defend the dog's life! Then, to Carol, he says, "It's my fault."
*
Loki looks Carol up and down, thoughtfully. First, he's trying to see if he knows who she is. If she's come after him, then, she can't be useless. But, nothing sparks to mind. He holds up a hand, "Perhapssss if he had been able to leave a /note/ to friends and family, before he was /imprisoned/ and tormented…then…there would have been nothing to fret about. I saw a cage."
*
Carol looks at Loki, "Perhaps, if you hadn't threatened to murder everyone in that building, we might have been able to make an arrangement. Do you have /any/ idea how dangerous he truly is?" She takes a step towards the two, absently pulling a dog treat out and giving it to the pup as she keeps her attention focused on Kai and Loki, "This can either end easy, or it can end /really/ easy. So I'm going to ask this once, nicely. Where is he?"
*
Kai gives the dog another Look when Kevin snaps up the treat and wags, utterly failing to read the room. "I wish I knew," Kai says. "I brought my dog to the site of yesterday's shooting and, er, explosions, hoping to catch his trail, but you've met Kevin. He's useless." To the dog, he says, "No offense." As the dog snaps down the treat of the enemy. "Miss… whoever you are? I saw him just a couple days ago. He was coming back to you. Maybe that's where he's trying to go."
*
Loki is not so diplomatic as Kai. In fact, he's definitely more…needling. "I refuse. I obviously found him once, but…I do not think he did this. Less than twelve hours before, he was helping a wizard, myself and Kai…and /countless innocent people/ defeat a horror from another dimension." His posture shifts to put himself standing more sideways to Carol instead of head on. "We have no idea of knowing who you are with, either. Perhaps you are Russian. He was concerned about Russians."
*
The agent eyes Loki, then simply pulls out a badge and ID, "Agent Danvers, of the Strategic Hazard International Espionage Law-enforcement Division. You broke Bucky out when we were attempting the very delicate process of getting the Winter Soldier /out/ of his head." She glances between the pair, "I don't know if you're quite aware of how dangerous he is, but we're trying to repair that. Without causing him any permanent harm." She puts her badge/ID away, then looks at Kai, "We aren't the enemy here, and we want to get him back to a place where he's not a danger to himself or others."
*
"The second time we met, I came home to a gun pointed in my face. He passed out and I took his weapons away. When he woke up, he scruffed me like a cat and dragged me around this place, nearly broke my neck, and threatened to kill me til I gave him back his guns, then he threw me down like I weighed no more than a rag doll and left out the window." He folds his arms and regards Carol warily. Now she's officially a member of the establishment. "I'm not an easy man to subdue let alone hurt, Miss Danvers. I've got a fair idea." When she says she's not the enemy, he looks uncertain. "He was on his way back to you," he says. "He's probably scared right now, riddled with guilt. I… I'm sorry, Miss Danvers." He sidles closer to Loki, of all the people to seek comfort from. "I was scared for him, worried, and my friend isn't from around here. He was only trying to make me feel better."
*
Loki thought he was going to be the one in trouble here, but the way he turns a look on Kai turns the tables. "What?" His dark brows jump together. "You….you…you did not tell me that. Kai! You were letting a madman into your apartment?! What…what is Kevin? Is Kevin a monster too? Does he change form into some great beast with tentacles? Noooo…" he lifts his chin. "It is I who is the next monster you have collected. Is it not?" He lifts one finger and waves it in the air some.
*
The agent glances between Kai and Loki, and then she shakes her head, "I only want to know where Bucky could be. Despite the idiotic decisions of your colleague here, Kai, our interest is getting Bucky back before anyone gets hurt."
*
Kai's eyes widen as he stares at Loki. "I— that's not true! You're not a monster, not to me. Never to me." As for Kevin, he's not sprouting tentacles so much as rolling around on his back, snorting and snerfing. Kai shoots Carol a helpless look. "Sorry, this is a really bad time to be having a spat, just…" To Loki, he says, "You're not a monster. You're my— my very good friend."
That said, he tells Carol, "I want him to get back to you, too. Whatever I find out, I'll tell you, but it's because he wants to go back. I'd rather he be in your hands than anyone else's. Look, I bet you already know this, but he didn't set all those bombs. There's no way. All he did was shoot two people and they survived. Which I know is a big deal! But not like two hundred dead levels of big."
*
Loki continues to be unhelpful to the investigation, though he's not trying to kill her or anything. He's also never addressed all those people he threatened. He leaves his arms at his sides, free, but not threatening. "As Kai said, I am certain he is hiding out of fear of being shot on sight."
*
Agent Danvers nods towards Kai, "I understand. And we're trying to get to the bottom of things here. But if you find Bucky, here's my direct line." She gives Kai a business card then, and makes to leave…
Until Loki makes his commentary. Then her expression hardens a bit, and she moves with speed that barely appears human, and her fist suddenly connects right into Loki's nose with an amazing amount of force. For a human, anyway. And she says, "If you hadn't broken him out, he wouldn't have to be hiding NOW. And if you ever threaten an agent again, you better run very far and very fast. Got it?" With that, she turns away from Loki, moving towards the door as she makes her way out of the apartment.
*
Kai takes the card and stammers, "Thank you." He's working with an agent, within the system? Damn it, Bucky had better appreciate the lengths Kai will go to for him. "If he comes by, I'll tell him to stay put and give you a call," he says. But then she steps over to Loki and hits him, and just like that, Kai is himself again. "Police brutality!" He rushes over to Loki to see if he's okay. "This is my fault," he says. "It's my fault, all my fault." Because surely Loki is incapable of being wrong.
*
Loki is surprised the woman hit him, and more surprised that she hit him so hard. His eyes widen and he is jostled back and couple of steps. But then he's struggling with Kai a bit, the cute elf getting in the way of his retaliation. "You touch me again and you will /witness/ my threatening an agent." He puts his hand to his nose.
*
The agent glances over her shoulder as she stands in the door, "Oh, you thought that was a threat?" She smiles at Loki, "What I gave you was a guarantee. Don't push your luck, or you'll find the House always wins." Though when she sees Kai fuss over Loki, she sighs a bit, "Your boyfriend needs to learn a bit of responsibility for his actions, kid. But believe me when I say, you want /me/ catching Bucky, and not some of these other folks." She pauses, then adds, "Oh, and it's not police brutality if you're not a cop." With that, she shuts the door behind her, letting the two be alone with their thoughts.
*