“I — ” Summer started, them closed her mouth and began again. “D’you have a plan? I wouldn’t even know where to look. I’m not minded to go haring off into the wild blue yonder without at least some shape of a plan. Even for you.” That last held a slight edge.
She paced to the side of the rainbow bridge, glancing down and down. “It’s a bit out of character for you, isn’t it, being worried for someone else’s safety? Or perhaps I’m just insurance, your wild card, as it were.”
“I will be entirely honest with you, Summer. I ask you to join me more out of my own need than concern for your safety.” That was only mostly true. ”As it were, I don’t think I am acquainted with anyone more fit to assist me. You have great power, do you realize that?” He was well aware of the power of talking someone up.
“Oh, sure,” she said wryly. “Butter me up. I hope you remember saying that when the convulsions take me in the middle of things.” Summer looked out at the stars all around. “Are you okay to do this? Go back into that? I can’t hold him off and hold you together at the same time.”
But even as she was double-checking, she was also calling her battle armour, knowing she couldn’t live with herself if she let him go out there alone.
“I do not need anyone to hold me together,” he snapped, a bit too roughly. ”I only know that…I cannot hope to win this battle alone, and…” he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to admit this, so the words spilled out quickly, before he could think better of it. “There is no one else willing to help me.”
It was a strange thing, how alone one could feel when you spoke the words out loud.
“Summer, my plan is this: you will pull his emotions from him, confuse him. I will take his powers. Only then can I hope to cast more powerful magic than he could conjure. And I know just the thing to finish him with. Will you fight with me?”
He held out the device, already humming softly, charging.
Summer snugged one of the buckles on her chestplate a little tighter. “I’m probably the only person in the world who would trust you right now.” She shook her head a little, already-loosened hair rippling. “I must be insane. Yes, I’ll fight with you, Loki. You’ll owe me a favour, after.” Assuming we don’t get killed, she thought, a little grimly.
Laying a hand on the device he was holding out to her, she nodded. “Let’s go.”