For Asgard!

Throughout the entirety of Loki wrapping his fingers around hers Sif stared down at their hands, disbelief and endearment entwining as their fingers did. It was an unexpected development, though more so was the fact that she was making no movement to pull away from this contact. Loki was not the type to revel in physical displays of affection, not likely to scoop you up into a one-armed hug as Thor was known to do, and before now the best she had gotten out of him had been a gentle pat on the back. Sif herself was not the type to display her affections in a physical way, though she did display everything else that way. With this turn of events she found herself thrown between familiarity and the complete unknown, realizing then that it was exactly that mixture which characterized how she had always seen him.

When Sif finally spoke her voice was much softer than it had been in a while, certainly in any interaction she had had with Loki. "I believe in you, beyond the monsters lurking in your past and in your future." Though it was not herself Sif was truly concerned for. Loki's self-destruction left a trail that went for a good while before his final fall, and she wanted neither of those things to happen. Still, an apology, a display of consideration for her feelings - it was more than she had truly expected. And so, she smiled faintly, nodding in acceptance.

With certainty, Loki promised that his absence would not be permanent. However Sif wondered just how much control he would truly have. She remembered Thor's description of him, sickly and mind-addled while trying to rule over Midgard, smiles replaced by cruel grimaces of pain. Above all, pain. "See that you do. I know not for certain what you shall find but I can guess at the pain. If thinking of me - of us - aids you in not succumbing to it, keep that image." She squeezed his hand, leaning closer to him without noticing. "Normally I am not fond of promising any man - anyone - that I will wait for them. But then," She snickered. "I have naught but time, waiting for anything will not mean my wasting it. And we have this place. So I will not forget your promise, and I will not forget you."