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A couple of days before the Roxxcart Mall disaster.
After Mobius de-stressed from his ruined salad, he decided to listen to Loki's salt and pepper theory. While Ravonna wasn't exactly keen on letting Mobius and Loki (particularly Loki) go roaming around the timeline, Mobius decided that Loki would don the Time Collar for this outing. Hearing this from Mobius a few minutes later, Loki was irritated.
"I am not a dog to be leashed! I can handle myself without you puppeteers tightening my strings." In any case, Loki did concede for the sake of the mission; if he really even had much choice in the matter.
Loki tugged at the collar with two fingers, miffed at its mere existence.
"Come on Loki. If we stall much longer Ravonna'll prune me." Once they stepped through the time door, the smell of asphalt hit them. Despite the oncoming, horrible storm that was to come, the sky now was clear, crisp. It was a bit too warm for either of their tastes.
"If you want," Loki says earnestly, "I could check the perimeter... while you," he gestures inside, "survey the interior."
Mobius laughs, "So you can scamper off to god knows where?" He shakes his head and motions for Loki to follow him inside the mall.
The AC blasts them, temporarily stirring their hair.
Having never been inside a mall, or a supermarket of any kind, Loki follows Mobius through the store. After walking through the first aisle (of many), Loki sighs. "On Asgard, the people had markets in the streets and within their homes. Is that not easier than this bumbling corporate muck?" Mobius looks to Loki, not taking long before continuing his inspection of the environment. "With all the flaws of humanity, giant stores are the most appealing."
For the next few aisles Loki comments on the failings of Midgardians, Asgard, and whatever else inspires him to interrupt Mobius's focused train of thought.
"What might a man like you find interesting?" Loki turns into Mobius's path, seeking another answer.
Mobius sighs, "Loki, we have a mission to do. If the variant really is hiding here, it wouldn't hurt to get a jump on them, their plan."
"The variant isn't here."
Mobius watches Loki.
Loki looks at him pointedly. "If the variant were here, we'd already have been attacked. Mauled in some way I assume." A beat. "In my opinion, we came here too early. My theory, obviously true, would pertain to the time closest to the apocalypse. One hour before the foretold end, one human couldn't change the course of action, but a week, possibly. The variant is likely using the window closest to the natural disaster to cover their tracks."
"Hm." Mobius nods, getting the sense he's right, again. His posture softens slightly, more at ease with the idea the variant isn't nearby.
"Pie, skis." He says, answering Loki's question from before, trying to match Loki's earlier cadence of grapes and nuts.
Loki's eyebrows lift, confused. "Skis?"
"Jet Skis." Mobius picks up a magazine off a shelf close to the windows and points to the cover. Mobius taps the magazine on Loki's shoulder and motions for him to follow. Satisfied with Mobius's decision to leave the horrid store, Loki goes with him.