"May as well," Avery said, grinning a bit and sitting down on the bench for a moment. "Loki, I'm not sure you've met my partner, Kerry."

Loki nodded to Kerry. "I have seen you but we have not been formally introduced."

"Didn't realize it was necessary," Kerry said, stretching out a bit.

"Kerry is primarily a linguistic specialist," Avery commented.

"Indeed?" Loki asked, now studying Kerry curiously.

Kerry shrugged. "I know a few languages," she said modestly. "I like to study them in my spare time. They're fun."

"I see," Loki said. "I had thought that perhaps you had some sort of variant of Allspeak. I take it that is not the case?"

"Not exactly. I have to be able to study a language first, although I seem to pick them up very quickly." Kerry shrugged. "There are still some languages I've never heard, though."

"Oh?" Loki asked, now looking mildly interested.

Kerry grinned a bit. "I'm fluent in most popular languages, but I haven't had much exposure to languages like Polish and Norwegian and such."

Loki grinned slightly at that.

"Well, perhaps you're in luck, then," he said. "As I happen to be fluent in some of those languages myself."

"Oh?" Now it was Kerry's turn to look interested. She always loved new languages.

Loki smirked a bit and said something in his first language, making sure to speak slowly enough that she could hear individual words.

"I find myself bored," he repeated, this time in English. "Perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement."

Kerry looked absolutely fascinated. "Please," she said. "I haven't been able to practice languages since I started with the team, I would love to have a new one to learn."

"I suppose I could teach you," Loki said, studying her for a moment. It would alleviate the boredom and get him out of his room regularly, at least. And that was worth it.

Kerry grinned broadly. "I would very much appreciate that," she said. Hey, she didn't mind keeping an eye on him for a few hours every week, it could be fun.

"Then we have a deal," Loki said, nodding. He could put up with the glorified babysitting if it meant getting out of his solitary confinement.

"Excellent." Kerry grinned. Oh, this was going to be fun. Absolutely fantastic.

Avery just rolled her eyes a bit. Of course Kerry was pleased with that; Avery didn't expect anything different. Kerry enjoyed languages like normal people enjoyed popular TV shows.

A few weeks later, Kerry was still learning old Norse, but she was learning quickly, and having fun doing so. Loki was out of his room almost every day, between language lessons and talking to Avery about magic, and even teaching her a thing or two.

So life was much improved for him.

But for Tony, well, he had never liked Loki much, and he found that he didn't like Avery spending a lot of time with the trickster.

Clint definitely disliked that Kerry was spending so much time with Loki (which was an interesting and highly avoidable feeling in and of itself) and had taken to commiserating with Tony over it.

Avery, on the other hand, was having just as much fun as Kerry. Learning new magic was fascinating, and Loki definitely knew his stuff, even if he didn't have most of his power.

Tony scowled at a screen. He had several of them set up, and most of them were work and Science, but this one was the two girls in the gym with Loki. Again. For like the tenth time this week. He kind of wanted to throw something at the screen.

Clint could definitely understand Tony's frustration.

"I don't get it," he said. "Why would anyone want to spend time with him after everything he's done to us? I should shoot him in the face, he at least deserves that..."

Tony grumbled. "They're having fun, they should not be having fun, he is a murdering douchebag of doucheyness and he's whacked. They should not be having fun. This makes no sense."

"I can still shoot him in the face, offer is totally open," Clint said. "Totally wouldn't mind doing that."

"You'd get in trouble for it," Tony said, although he clearly didn't mind the thought of Loki being shot in the face either. "I still think we should drop him off the tower."

"Not as satisfying," Clint replied. He shook his head. "How are they so comfortable around him? Avery, yeah, she said she was part alien, but Kerry?"