It was one thing to cherish somebody's company, which Sif did Ruby's, and another to be influenced by their behaviour. Not only was Sif not easily influenced, but she had not spent enough time with Ruby to adopt her mannerisms, of speech or otherwise. It was true, however, that she had bbeen in dire need of female friendships when she had arrived here, and both Ruby and Natasha had proven precious in that regard. Perhaps her generally pleasant disposition nowadays was something they had helped achieve.

Loki's look was exactly the reaction Sif had been looking for, and she was pleased to see it on his face. She was not sure whether he was being serious or not, but she hoped so, since she considered herself many things but cruel was not one of them. Without changing her tone other than giving it an ever so slight hint of amusement, Sif's eyes widened. "How, pray tell, am I being cruel?"