"The details are sensitive. I don't think you've even told her we're here. If she wants us to go away, we will."

There's a long silence.

"If she's legitimately in the middle of something and you can't tell her yet let me know because otherwise I'm not gonna wait around," Loki calls.

"She's, uh, thinking."

"Cool, thanks!"

"Are they always like this?"

"Yes, it's annoying. Lúthien's nice though."

"And capable of handling star battles?"

"I don't actually know how useful she'll be because I'm more used to the other kind but it's worth asking as long as nothing urgent is about."

"Seems reasonable."

"Plus I bet she'll be very excited about princess visitors once she's done deciding whether we're - oh, uh - Excuse me, would it help if we swore we don't work for the Enemy, because we can do that!"

"Go ahead."

"I don't know who these people consider their enemy."

"Evil god. He likes torture a whole fuck of a lot. I swear that I do not and have never worked for the Enemy!"

"I swear that I do not and have never worked for anyone involved in torture, though we cooperated with the CIA once to arrest an arms dealer and I let their agent fly one of my remotely piloted airships!"

"You could say 'Melkor', that's his name. Or 'Morgoth' or 'Gorthaur' or 'Moringotto'. Lotta names."

"I am pretty sure the CIA agent's name was Everett!"

"The exact words matter - oh, well, they don't, because you're a human - she's a human," Loki apologizes to the forcefield. "But if you weren't a human, if you were one of Melkor's agents disguised as one, then you would literally not be able to say 'I swear I don't and have never worked for Melkor', see?"

"I swear I don't and have never worked for Melkor," Shuri says agreeably. 

There's a pause. 

There is a princess. 

"What's the CIA?"

"It is an American organization that tortures people."

"What is an American?"

"A person who lives in America, which is a country in my world."

Loki giggles softly.

"Why did you let him fly your remotely piloted airships?"