Stepping out of the lift onto the floor of his room, Lucifer began experiencing a peculiar sensation. His returned cosmic sense was cautioning him.
 As he approached his hotel door, the feeling intensified. Hesitating for a moment before swiping the key card, he was surprised to find the lights already on. 
With measured steps, Lucifer moved further into the room.
Voices reached his ears, and as he drew nearer, he realized that the TV was also on. Standing at the entrance of the living room, he was shocked to see a man sprawled on the sofa, laughing uproariously at something on Nickelodeon. 
With a burst of supernatural speed, Lucifer stood before the man. The guy let out a yell of surprise, but before he could react, he found himself dangling mid-air.
Lucifer tightened his hold on Loki, his eyes burning like flames. The trickster god struggled against the devil's iron grip, attempting to speak but finding himself unable to utter a single word. Lucifer's anger simmered beneath the surface as he recalled the past encounter when Loki had deceived him into handing over the scepter, only to disappear without fulfilling his end of the bargain.
"Tell me why I should not end you right here?" Lucifer's voice was cold, and the room seemed to grow darker with his displeasure. Loki gasped for breath, his attempts to break free futile against the supernatural strength.
In the tense silence, Loki's eyes pleaded for mercy, his arrogance momentarily replaced by genuine fear. However, his opponent wasn't forgiving, especially when someone played him for a fool. Just as the pressure seemed unbearable, Lucifer released his grip, causing Loki to crash onto the couch, gasping for air.
Still catching his breath, Loki managed a cheeky laugh. "Well, aren't you a fiery host? Though I must say, the last time we danced, I got the better end of the deal, didn't I?" He chuckled, trying to regain his composure. Lucifer remained silent, his eyes narrowing at Loki's attempt to make light of the situation.
He circled the trickster god like a predator eyeing its prey. "You find this amusing, do you?" Lucifer's tone was sharp, his eyes still fixed on his target, watching for a sign of a trick. None came. Loki, sprawled on the couch, propped himself up on one elbow, a defiant glint in his eyes.
"Come on, Lucifer, can't you appreciate a good trick? I thought I should drop by to say thank you for saving my life," Loki's charisma hadn't waned, despite the precarious situation he found himself in.
Lucifer leaned in, his face inches from Loki's, a devilish smile playing on his lips. "Tricks, Loki, are only entertaining when they're not played on me." He straightened up, pacing the room as he continued to assess the situation. Suddenly, Lucifer turned to face Loki, a realization dawning on him.
"Now that you are here, care to enlighten me on where you hid the scepter?" A shade of uncertainty passed over Loki's face, but he quickly composed himself. "Why the sudden interest in the scepter?" Loki questioned, attempting to divert the conversation.
"For a god of mischief, you're not very good at hiding your misfortunes. Did you at least see the people who attacked and robbed you?" Lucifer answered as he headed for the wine bottle on a table further in the room.
"How do you know?" Loki retorted, taken aback. A sly glint danced in Lucifer's eyes. "Well, Loki, it doesn't take Einstein's IQ to figure it out. You wouldn't willingly part with it, would you? And since I sensed you and the scepter in different locations, I knew you'd been robbed."
Caught in his own web of deceit, Loki struggled to maintain composure. Lucifer, enjoying the upper hand, continued to press, "Now, the question is, who dared to cross paths with the God of Mischief and lived to tell the tale?"
Loki hesitated for a while but then seemed to have reached a decision. "Well, it happened so fast that I barely saw anything... but they were humans... and spoke, I think Russian... yes, it's Russian... I was trying to identify the language using your TV before you showed up."
Lucifer raised a brow. "Asgardians deciphering languages from Earthly channels now, are we?" However, Lucifer's curiosity was piqued. "Anything else... no uniform or anything?" Loki was deep in concentration, trying to recall. Suddenly, he rose.
"Well, there was something; it was a tattoo on the arm of the guy who yanked the scepter out of my grasp before I passed out. It looked like a skeleton of an octopus." Lucifer, skeptical, pulled out his smartphone. "Are you sure?" Loki nodded, and Lucifer quickly typed a prompt on his phone browser. After a few seconds, he presented Loki with a series of images, but Loki shook his head.
A few minutes later, Lucifer whistled in enthusiasm as he showed Loki another image. 
"That's it! Exactly like the guy's tattoo!" Loki exclaimed. Lucifer, looking at the image, corrected him. "This is not a skeleton of an octopus, fool; this is a human skeleton with six octopus tentacles," Lucifer said admonishingly. "And guess what the juicy part is? It belongs to an organization called HYDRA."
After a period of more research and stretched discussions, Lucifer let out a long yawn. Standing up, he headed for the door. "Well, at this point, it sucks to be you. Off you go; you have delayed my long-overdue shower," he said, opening the door to let Loki out. Loki sighed and stood up. "All right." But just as he reached the door, Lucifer seemed to recall something.
"Wait...before you leave, care to tell me how you accessed my room?" 
"Oh, that..., human locks are nothing compared to Asgardian magic," Loki said. "A little trick here, a little illusion there, and poof! The door opens." Lucifer raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Well, off you go."
"By the way, Lucifer, have you joined the so-called Earth's mightiest heroes like my brother?" Loki asked as he was pushed out of the door. "I am not some puppet to be used in dirty human politics," Lucifer scoffed, the very idea beneath him. Loki, with a mischievous glint in his eye, went on, "But imagine the fun we could have, dear Lucifer, you and I, a match made in... somewhere."
Lucifer's expression turned stern. "I have no interest in being your sidekick either. Now, vanish before I actually consider phoning your brother to come and collect you." "Well, goodnight to you, Lucifer," Loki bowed mockingly and commenced his departure. 
And if you ever sneak into my room again, you'll receive a one-way first-class ticket to actual hell," Lucifer yelled after him.
 "Oh, the horrors!" The god of mischief gasped before he vanished into the night