Texting #8: Goblets

Tower Universe - Short

One morning, Gwen heads over to the common area kitchen. Usually, someone is up and has made a pot of coffee by now.

Sure enough, there is a full pot keeping warm, but no one is around. Gwen opens the cabinet for a mug and instead finds golden goblets. She takes one out to inspect it. She laughs as she turns it over in her hands. It's beautiful, of course, and coiled around the stem is a golden snake with green jeweled eyes.

Gwen pulls out her phone and snaps a photo of herself holding the goblet and sends it off to Loki.

Text from Gwen: "Someone replaced all the coffee mugs with these. You wouldn't know anything about it, would you?"

Loki looks at the picture message, a smirk forming on his face. Of course, he knows exactly about those cups in the common room. He can just picture Gwen's expression upon seeing them—the confusion and annoyance mixed with her little laugh. 

Text from Loki: "Perhaps someone simply has better taste than you."

She turns the cup over in her hand. Why not drink from a goblet?

Text from Gwen: "Yes, nothing says tasteful like a golden snake goblet. Are these safe for hot beverages?"

Loki rolls his eyes at her sarcasm.

Text from Loki: "They're enchanted, you little smart ass." 

How can she just laugh at everything? He's used to making people cry, for Norns' sake.

Text from Loki: "Of course, they're perfectly safe for hot drinks. I may have also enchanted them to keep things warm."

Text from Gwen: "Good, because I need coffee."

Full pot. Clearly, no one was taking a chance with Loki's goblets. She fills the goblet with coffee and sends another picture.

Text from Gwen: "Cheers."

Loki laughs at the photo—the fancy golden goblet filled with coffee. He can just imagine her sitting at the table, sipping from it like royalty.

Text from Loki: "You look more regal than usual."

Gwen absolutely feels fancy sipping from a golden cup.

Text from Gwen: "Thank you. I will use the photo and your reply as arguments for being crowned queen of the tower."

Loki nearly laughs out loud at her response. The image of her as queen of that ridiculous team of superheroes is too much. 

Text from Loki: "I suppose I can get behind that. You'd make a rather good monarch. A messy, irritating monarch."

Text from Gwen: "I appreciate your support. And I wouldn't have to worry about being messy. When I'm queen, other people can clean up for me."

Loki rolls his eyes as he reads her response.

Text from Loki: "A truly enlightened ruler. Tell me, what shall be your first royal decree?"

He already knows it’ll be something ridiculous.

Gwen thinks for a moment before typing back.

Text from Gwen: "The first one would have to be that I get out of chores."

Loki can't resist a smirk. Of course, she would start with that. 

Text from Loki: "Truly ambitious, aren't you? Getting someone else to do your laundry is the best you can come up with for the first royal decree?"

Text from Gwen: "What would yours be if you were king of the tower? Remember, the position doesn't have ‌much power."

Loki smirks at her question, tapping his fingers against his phone, already knowing exactly what he’d do.

Text from Loki: "My first decree? Banning Stark from speaking before noon."

Then, because he can’t resist:

Text from Loki: "Second decree: mandatory naps for Thor."

She laughs out loud at his answer. 

Text from Gwen: "I want mandatory naps too. Who would be your second in command?"

Loki pauses, partly because he hasn't actually thought this far ahead, and partly because the answer is already obvious.

Text from Loki: "You, obviously. Who else would I trust to rule with a healthy dose of chaos?"

Text from Loki: "...Also, you’d probably overthrow me otherwise."

He knows her too well already.

Text from Gwen: "Who says I wouldn't overthrow you, anyway?"

Loki can almost hear her cheeky grin as he reads her response. There's something about her carefree, playful nature that he finds both baffling and utterly charming.

His own smirk returns as he types out his reply—more bold than intended, but what the hell, he thinks.

Text from Loki: "You like me too much to overthrow me, little mortal."

She won’t admit that to him, at least not now.

Text from Gwen: "Maybe that's what I want you to think. 😉"

She takes another photo of herself putting the golden goblet in the dishwasher, trying to rile him up by treating the beautiful cup as a normal dish.

Text from Gwen: "These are dishwasher safe, right?"

Loki groans dramatically, as if she's just committed a personal offense.  

"No," he types back sharply. "They are divine artifacts. You have no appreciation of the finer things." 

Text from Gwen: "Oh. Oops."

She wasn't actually going to run the goblet through the dishwasher; she only wanted to mess with him a little.

She is also one hundred percent taking one or two for her own apartment.

Text from Gwen: "Thanks for the fancy coffee cup, but maybe put the old ones back for the rest of the team?"

Loki rolls his eyes at her request, but he does send the original mugs back with a dramatic flick of his magic.

Text from Loki: "Fine, but I expect proper gratitude for my generosity."

He knows she stole at least one goblet. And honestly? He doesn't mind.

Text from Gwen: "Thank you, Loki. When I am queen, I will give you a medal."

Loki can't help but laugh at that response. This woman and her ridiculous games. It's been quite a while since anyone has managed to draw out his sense of humor. 

He shakes his head and replies, the sarcasm dripping from his text.  

Text from Loki: "You're very gracious, Your Highness."

Text from Gwen: “I know.”

And with that, Gwen goes to her greenhouse with a smile and her new stolen goblets.