She'd held out for a while so far, which would have been fascinating if it wasn't so annoying.
Loki knew that he could have just tortured her into screaming submission, or cracked her mind like an egg and taken all the information he needed. But that...wouldn't have been effective, in the long term. He might need her presence, he might need her as an agent. More to the point, it would have been a waste. Claudia Donovan had a mind of enviable brilliance, something even he could admit was a work of art. He would break it if it became necessary, of course...but Loki didn't want it to become necessary. Far more effective if he just reshaped it a little.
She was little more than his pet, right now. Right down to the collar he'd magically fixed on her, right down to the way he was slowly training her not to bite. But she could have been so much more, as he didn't hesitate to remind her. He tempted her with secrets even the Warehouse didn't know, and sights that even its endless wonders couldn't match. If she surrendered before his patience ran out, they were promises he might even keep. Life could be better than this, if she just gave in. If she stopped being so unreasonable.
And he broke her down slowly, starting small and working his way deeper. Training her to accept his presence, perhaps even to welcome it after prolonged isolation in a windowless, featureless suite. He fed her, or she went hungry. She slept when he said so. Perhaps most importantly, he had been at work from the beginning slowly breaking down her sense of personal space, with carefully calculated intrusions and touches - signs that were undeniably possessive, invasive, but fleeting, the better to allow them to quickly seem normal so that he could press the point just a bit further.
Slowly but surely, Loki worked to make himself the center of her world, the only thing in her world. The only one who cared about her, and who wasn't afraid to show it when she was acting rationally. Honestly, Loki had never understood what she was so afraid of. He wanted her mostly as she was, after all. Just...a little more pliant. Obedient. His.
But it was a process that went both ways, in a way. She'd become such a carefully controlled project that his fascination with her took on more than a bit of obsession, and one day, Loki found himself driven on to test his progress.
Leaving her alone for a particularly long time was a minor torment, but he did, only sending in food twice a day to make sure she was kept alive. Once he gauged that she was going sufficiently stir-crazy from isolation, however, Loki let himself in while she slept. He moved soundlessly through the room to settle himself down on the edge of her bed, reaching out to lightly stroke her cheek.
This works great! Sorry for the delay. :)
Loki knew that he could have just tortured her into screaming submission, or cracked her mind like an egg and taken all the information he needed. But that...wouldn't have been effective, in the long term. He might need her presence, he might need her as an agent. More to the point, it would have been a waste. Claudia Donovan had a mind of enviable brilliance, something even he could admit was a work of art. He would break it if it became necessary, of course...but Loki didn't want it to become necessary. Far more effective if he just reshaped it a little.
She was little more than his pet, right now. Right down to the collar he'd magically fixed on her, right down to the way he was slowly training her not to bite. But she could have been so much more, as he didn't hesitate to remind her. He tempted her with secrets even the Warehouse didn't know, and sights that even its endless wonders couldn't match. If she surrendered before his patience ran out, they were promises he might even keep. Life could be better than this, if she just gave in. If she stopped being so unreasonable.
And he broke her down slowly, starting small and working his way deeper. Training her to accept his presence, perhaps even to welcome it after prolonged isolation in a windowless, featureless suite. He fed her, or she went hungry. She slept when he said so. Perhaps most importantly, he had been at work from the beginning slowly breaking down her sense of personal space, with carefully calculated intrusions and touches - signs that were undeniably possessive, invasive, but fleeting, the better to allow them to quickly seem normal so that he could press the point just a bit further.
Slowly but surely, Loki worked to make himself the center of her world, the only thing in her world. The only one who cared about her, and who wasn't afraid to show it when she was acting rationally. Honestly, Loki had never understood what she was so afraid of. He wanted her mostly as she was, after all. Just...a little more pliant. Obedient. His.
But it was a process that went both ways, in a way. She'd become such a carefully controlled project that his fascination with her took on more than a bit of obsession, and one day, Loki found himself driven on to test his progress.
Leaving her alone for a particularly long time was a minor torment, but he did, only sending in food twice a day to make sure she was kept alive. Once he gauged that she was going sufficiently stir-crazy from isolation, however, Loki let himself in while she slept. He moved soundlessly through the room to settle himself down on the edge of her bed, reaching out to lightly stroke her cheek.
"Claudia? Wake up, pet."