Loki laughed quietly. "Yes, I think you're right at that. If nothing else, I imagine if... supernatural powers were no longer locked down, a great many things would become easier." He stared at her for a long time as if trying to calculate what he should say, weighing the options, deciding how much he trusted Soma. Well, she already knew more about him than almost anyone else but Rita, so there would be little harm in admitting to that particular thing since it might become useful.

"I am not just a scholar," he finally said, the words soft and measured. "I am also a... magician. I apologize for being deceptive about this before, but I am accustomed to it being... a matter for discomfort to those around me and hadn't quite wrapped my mind around the fact that it isn't here. Please forgive me." His lips twisted wryly. "Though it is of little consequence at the moment, since my magic is completely inaccessible for now. But perhaps it will prove of use at a later date."

He looked at the sketch again. "I found out what I am," he said quietly. Loki cleared his throat. "At any rate, she was always far more my... brother's friend than mine." He couldn't quite disguise the bitterness in his voice when he said the word brother.