Misfits

Ahrima was losing control over Taryn. He had planned to keep her power limited, but her strength had accelerated past the point of limitations, no matter what he tried. She had succeeded in causing the ground to shake under Asgard's feet, reaching a surprising distance. Anyone that saw Ahrima after Taryn's feat would have noticed the fear and worry in his forest green eyes. Odin had accepted the fact that there was nothing Ahrima could have done to keep her from growing any stronger, and had begun preparing for the worst. All that could be done now was attempt to keep her mind in tact for as long as possible, but there was no telling how successful that would be.
Taryn started noticing that strange force in the back of her mind more often. It poked and prodded its way to her attention, sometimes with more determination than others. It wanted something, but the girl couldn't place what it was. She kept her concerns to herself, however. It was no threat to her, as far as she knew. As well as the sudden prominence of that force, she began to realize that the looks were growing harsher. The whispers were louder. She felt smaller under the stares, and more vulnerable with each insult in her her direction. She convinced herself she wasn't getting angry. With each wave of anger provoked, she simply buried it and told herself she was better than that. She would just keep going about her business as if nothing had happened.

"Loki, you cannot fool me. I see the affection you have for Taryn in your eyes whenever you are with her," Thor said with a teasing smirk in his brother's direction. He was leaning against a bookshelf in Loki's bed chamber, and for the past few minutes had been badgering Loki for information about his relationship with Taryn.
"Is it not enough for you to simply accept that she is a good friend?" Loki asked in exasperation, turning to face the large, blonde god.
"Is it not enough to tell the truth?" Thor countered. Loki cast Thor an irritated glare, only causing Thor's smirk to widen. "You are a talented liar, brother, but your heart betrays you. Even you are susceptible to love," he added, pushing himself off of the bookshelf. Loki scoffed at the word.
"Love? Love makes one vulnerable. Just look what it did to you. What it did to Romanoff. Although she denied it, I knew her love for Barton existed. It will be her downfall. It will be your downfall. It weakens all who are affected by it. Do not assume I love her. I do not," Loki said, anger building in his voice. Anger was his only protection. Thor sighed.
"And what of love for your family?" the God of Thunder asked solemnly. He knew the answer already, but he wanted to try. Three years of imprisonment had not affected the bitterness his brother felt. Loki was quiet for a moment, jaw clenched.
"I have no family," Loki answered, voice low, staring Thor intently in the eye.
"Loki, you know that is not true."
"Oh, I know very well what the truth is, Thor. I was a tool, nothing more. I was tolerated, not loved. I was betrayed and lied to. You are too stupid to see that I never was a part of your family," Loki explained, voice dripping with the anger Thor knew was pain.
"You are family to me. If you will not accept our parents love, accept mine. You are my brother. You cannot tell me that after everything we did as children, and as we grew, you do not think the same. You are blinded by anger. I do not wish to see it consume you again," Thor said, worry and desperation in his voice. He left Loki to himself only to happen upon Taryn later. A grin rose to his lips. He had begun to see her as somewhat of a younger sister to him throughout the time she had spent in Asgard.
"Taryn, I have not seen you since you shook the ground. You look tired," he said warmly. She looked up at him and smiled with the same warmth.
"I couldn't fall asleep last night. And when I did, I couldn't stay asleep for long," she said with a shrug. "Happens to everyone though," she added casually.
"Does something worry you?" he asked. She shook her head.
"No. Well... No."
"You sound uncertain. Do not be afraid to tell me of the things that concern you," Thor said.
"Well. I don't know what it is exactly," she started, giving up on keeping her secret. "It sounds weird, but it's in my head. Like, there's this piece of my mind that I guess I never noticed before. I think it had something to do with me causing that earthquake the other day. I kind of just blacked out, and next thing I know, my dad was hanging off the edge of a really big crack in the ground and whatever it is in the back of my mind was... happy. Satisfied. I have no idea what's going on. My dad won't tell me anything. I'm confused and I don't know what to do," she said, fiddling with her fingers as anxiety wormed its way through her body. Thor's brows furrowed in concern.
"Have you told anyone else of this?" he asked. She shook her head. "Taryn, you may want to consider it. Talk to my father, he may be able to give you some information that Ahrima is not. Even here, this mental activity is not normal. I do not mean to alarm you, I simply ask you to seek help before something worse happens," he said. Taryn simply returned a nod, brows knitted together in worry. Thor pulled her into a hug, surprisingly gentle for his size. "You are strong, Taryn. You will be okay," he said, voice optimistic.

Taryn took Thor's advice and went to Odin. She told the Allfather everything she told Thor, and waited anxiously for a response.
"Young Taryn, it is nothing of great concern. A sudden outburst of such strength may often cause your mind to go blank. The energy required for such a feat is great, it simply means you pushed yourself nearly past your limits, nothing more. All you need to do is rest. Do not worry yourself," Odin explained.
"But what about the other part? Whatever's in my head. What is that?" Taryn asked.
"Nothing more than the result of over exerting yourself. You are not ill. You have nothing to be concerned about. You will feel better after you sleep," he said. She thanked Odin and left, retreating to her room. There was something off about Odin's explanation. Something was missing. He was keeping something from her, just as Ahrima was. Taryn was too tired to dwell on the thought, and fell into an uneasy sleep.