As the Once-ler locked eyes with him, Loki tilted his head slightly to the side, gaze cool. He sometimes wondered what mortals saw if they really looked - thousands of years of life? Power? A mirror that showed them how far removed they really were from each other?

It didn't really matter, either way. He stepped back as the mortal fell against the wall, a practice flick of his wrist transferring an oddly neat line of blood from his dagger onto the floor. The wound wasn't one intent to kill - and Loki was quite good at picking his targets - but it would certainly interfere with Soma and the boy continuing to move forward.

A slight gesture with his hand and he replaced himself with an illusion, vanishing simultaneously.

"You act as if I've a choice, dearest," the closest image to Soma said. "You probably ought to see to your friend," he observed a moment later. "He seems to be in a bad way."

Suddenly he grinned in a flash of teeth, an expression that utterly lacked humor. "Inevitability. You don't understand the true meaning of the word." Inevitable was being a monster growing up in a shadow.

He made no move to attack her, not yet. He wanted to see if she would continue on or turn back.