I've got my gym shorts and my flippy floppies

[bornagoddess]

It was a beautiful day. A beautiful, outdoors-worthy kind of day. And it was completely due to the fact that Sif was once again a woman. She hadn't gone to find one of her new female friends for clothes yet, or gone back home to get her own gear, and so Sif was sporting the same diminutive training garb Natasha had lent her weeks ago. However, this time she had paired the clothes with some peculiar shoewear, platforms that held onto the feet by a simple strap between your big toe and the rest - the lady at the shop had called them 'flip flops'. Egged on by her so casual attire, Sif had gone outside instead of heading for the training room, to walk the grounds and catch some sunlight.

With this wonderful day it was even fitting that her clothes exposed some of her midriff and calves. Her hair was flowing uncharacteristically lose behind her back and Sif more glided than walked through the grass. Really it was all relief. While she had enjoyed herself as a man Sif had began to wonder if she would never go back to who she really was, who she felt like. Even despite the embarrassment of having had her pants drop in front of strangers, and her top cover very little of her breasts, Sif had not felt so good in weeks. And, apparently, it was a feeling meant to last.

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[thelostprince]

"That is what I mean," Loki said, his voice soft and mild, as if the sunlight had melted it slightly. "I am glad you find more affection for me. That suggests my own behaviour is to blame, unless you have suddenly become much less stubborn than usual."

In reality, Loki's cares about others' opinions of him were starting to become much more fluid. Some days he found he cared very much; others he couldn't give a damn, and it also depended on the person. Thor's opinion of him, for example, was flunctuating so violently along Loki's list of priorities he had almost done away with it alltogether. Sif upset him less, annoyed him less. Loki felt more readily able to hang onto her, for the time being. As for the world at large, Loki have given up being concerned with its viewpoint of him alltogether.

As to the thought he was changing for the better, well. He supposed that wasn't such a big surprise, nor something he was wary of. Loki had been unhappy as he was on Asgard, and that was as good an indication as any that he could not remain in stasis, he needed to move forward. He was settling into it again, which served as a warning. He didn't think he was done yet.

[bornagoddess]

The softness in Loki's voice did not go unnoticed, or unappreciated. Sif had always been partial to the huskier, more mellow quality of it, working so well with Loki's silver tongue. She knew it to be a dangerous combination but then her wits had never left her enough for her to be unable to appreciate it with objectivity. "I don't bear more love for you when you aren't causing serious harm, Loki. Rather, I find it difficult to love you at all when you are. It has nothing to do with stubbornness."

And it wasn't that simple either. There was a whole amalgamation of feelings before Sif could ever let go of whatever kind of affection she felt for Loki. That she was finding it so hard to let go was only proof of that. "So, yes. I suppose your behavior is key."

[thelostprince]

"Serious harm," Loki repeated, thoughtfully. "I wonder what kind of serious harm I do. We come from a culture of war and I admit I've always found some difficulty in making the distinction over what it is we should and shouldn't do, in our worlds and in others. That is, I see now that I find difficulty in it. All of the harm my brother has caused over the years, always smoothed over, no matter how brutal it might have been. I wonder what it is I do, that mine is serious, and his is not."

He looked over at her, a wondering look on his face. He wasn't sure it really mattered, and whatever it was that Sif might have to say on the subject, well, he wasn't sure he could entirely trust it anyway. "I suppose I will find out," he said. "Sooner or later." And he would see, as well, if that would cost him her regard.

[bornagoddess]

"Well, perhaps I can help you understand: Trapping your brother on Midgard under false pretenses is harmful. A little less playful mischief, a little more cruelty disguised as the good of all. Lying, deceiving, manipulating those who love you is not quite the festival fun sort either. Levelling an entire town with the Destroyer - I almost died then by the way, I was fully prepared to - is another harmful thing. Wanting to destroy an entire realm, even if it is Jotunheim, is one of the things which I think perhaps you should not do. I don't know, it somehow does not quite sit well with me. And before you ask oh what about Thor I know. He was a fool for trying the first time, and he paid the price." Sif sat up, legs folded one beneath the other, turned entirely to Loki. "Destroying the one method of transportation we have between realms which ensures the protection of them - also not a great thing. Shocking, I know, but it leads to invasions by groups we cease to be able to keep in check. As for the 'distinction': there is war, and then there is genocide. In war both parties agree to it, or at least have some knowledge that it is to happen. Those involved know and are trained for what is to unfold. In genocide, one party lays waste to everything and everyone, innocents upon innocents, while the other party has no hope of even defending itself - due to surprise, poor preparedness or simply because they did not do anything to cause such a thing." She could go on, but she had a feeling it would all fall on deaf ears.

"Your brother has been a horse's arse more times than I have had my hair braided. But whereas his actions stemmed from hubris and foolishness, you knew exactly what you were doing. Did you not? One of the downfalls of being the smartest, most collected person in the room is that you're expected to be so for the duration. As for what we do, we do not attack, we defend. I do, at least. So does your brother - now more than before, I'll admit - but it is what we stand for. It is what I stand for. And as I recall we were talking about my feelings in response to your actions, were we not? I know you can be better than that, if you just let go. You needn't go back to Asgard, you needn't think about us at all. Do what it is you want, find a path, but don't taint yourself further. Don't harm innocents. It's that simple."

There he went again, talking of it as if it was a done deal. An inevitability. Sif had thought, hoped, she might have gotten through to him. But when so little time later he spoke like this, she began wondering if she ever could. "Yes." She replied bitterly. Sif turned away from him, returning to a horizontal position with her slightly moistened eyes to the sky. "I suppose you will."

[thelostprince]

The look Loki gave her, of utter startlement, was real. He hadn't been digging; he hadn't expected Sif to suddenly lambast him with his crimes. It was not that Loki would deny what he had done, of course; he was not ashamed, and to make him feel ashamed would be to cast doubt on all of the feelings that had made him act out in the first place. He had done what he had out of desperation, and loneliness, and need. He would not discount those feelings.

But she was wrong, at that most basic accusation. "I never meant to trap Thor on Midgard," he said. "I only meant to get him into trouble, for father to see his hubris and stop him from occupying the throne. Can you imagine that? What crimes Thor might have been compelled to do had he been allowed to rule? He was never meant to reach Jotunheim. He was never meant to reach Heimdall. We are all guilty in letting him get that far. Myself moreso than others, yes, but it is our guilt. Heimdall should not have let us pass; I was supposed to fail in talking our way through. You'll notice that I did, yet we continued on anyway. And I never expected father's reaction to be so stern."

He leaned closer to her, and there was a flicker of anger in his eyes, but he did not mean to threaten her in any way. He was, simply, suddenly overcome. Her accusations had torn that delicate wrapping which was his composure, and now everything was spilling out while he tried to contain it. "Thor ruined the bridge," he said. "Not I. We are all guilty. I was merely expressing my confusion in telling the difference between Thor's failure to kill frost giants, and my success in that endeavour. And not that you would understand, Sif, but none of my decisions once I ascended the throne were calm or collected and I know that now. My parents lied to me my entire life, my father was incapacitated, and I had accidentally gotten my brother banished forever. I'm sorry you got in the way of it. But I had ordered you not to. In the stubborn way of my family, I had been unable to see an alternative. My path seemed laid out before my feet. And I was angry with you. You wanted me to bring my brother back, to have him usurp my position. You wanted as always to give him the easy way out."

He knew he could not argue her for righteousness - not when he was not even sure of all he had done, all that he would do. And she would not agree with him in any case, he knew that. And slinging his own accusations at her would either fall on deaf ears, or would accomplish nothing, yet he had done it anyway. He reached out and placed his hand on hers, her skin warmed from the sunlight. "My dear Sif," he said, his voice softer, lower, even apologetic. "How worked up you make me. Please." He wasn't sure what he was asking her for, but he wished it.

[bornagoddess]

Sif listened to Loki with a set jaw, the most intense though impartial of expressions upon her face. But it was shortlived. "I know, Loki, but it backfired so monumentally! What kind of arse lets an enemy of old into the vault?! I know the Allfather wasn't going to listen to you if you spoke up, but..." She sighed, a hand on her forehead. "What were we supposed to do? I did remind him that it was forbidden and we all said it was a bad idea but he never listened! And I wasn't going to let you all charge in there without me, if something happened to any of you, what friend would I be? I don't know why Heimdall let us pass other than his own curiosity - which, if not for your meddling wouldn't have been stirred in the first place, might I add. At the end of it all the truth of the matter is, you did keep him there. You were not the reason he was cast out, but you were the reason he remained so. And perhaps next time express your confusion with a little less intention to kill, because I promise you at that time I doubt Thor believed you were anything but truthful in your intention to obliterate the entire realm."

Loki's flash of anger did nothing to intimidate Sif, whose intensity matched his inch for inch. "Not that I would understand?" She scoffed. "I only moments ago voiced my support for you, said you might not make a bad king at all, do you think I have not known for some time that you were not at you best then? Do you simply think I have not noticed every single time you have chilled our drinks with but a touch? Do you think I did not overhear, I did not guess, do you think I would sit here and try to rekindle our friendship if I did not think for a second that perhaps your anger was justified?" She leaned in further. "I do not support you idly, not merely for your pretty face or your way with words. I know what I am about, Loki. I know. Can't you see that what we did, what I did, while more openly for Thor's sake was also for yours?! I was never as sorry as when I had to defy you, but nothing gets between me and what I deem right. Not an entire army, not either of Odin's sons. The throne, at the time, was not my concern. Justice was. You two were. And if you truly did not mean for Thor to be banished then I would have hoped you'd see by now that all I wanted was to bring my friend home where we could all resolve the matter. For the both of you, Loki."

The sudden change in demeanour coupled with the touch of his hand startled Sif, whose face scrunched up in confusion for a moment. She drew a breath as an attempt to curb what emotions ran wild after this brief yet intense argument. The hand under Loki's turned, and she wrapped her fingers tightly around his. "I- I am afraid, Loki. I have seen you lost, I have lost you before. More than once. To be here now and not try to stop that from happening again would be a sin." She looked away. "And yet I am failing miserably."

[thelostprince]

Loki raised his free hand, waving it slightly, as if he could wave away all of their words, which were settling around them, piling up. The way she clutched at his hand was almost painful, but he returned the gesture, because for a moment he was so confused he could think of nothing else to do. But it was a good decision, he thought, a moment later. The right one.

"I don't wish to upset you," he said. "And believe me, when I want to upset someone, I am hell-bent on accomplishing it. I am clumsy around you, though. If you want to tell me my follies, then I will listen. But you've no obligation to discuss them if you would prefer not to. I can see it only upsets you."

"You are the only person really trying, and I appreciate it," he said. "You must understand, though, I know very little of my future. If our positions were reversed, I would try to understand how painful it would be for you, to know that everyone else knows your future, and yet I would only feed you small tidbits, and work away at your past because I understand it's relevance to your future, while you do not. You are not failing. I ask for your patience but I will not ask for your trust. I do not think anyone is willing to give me that, these days.

"Your blame hurts, though. I do not need you to list out that which I already know. You must let me come to my own conclusions about things. That's all I was trying to say earlier."

[bornagoddess]

"I am no shrinking violet, Loki, we have both lived long enough not to let serious matters upset us. Or not to let it get in the way." This was not about her. Not entirely. Sif shook her head, looking down at their hands. It was difficult, it was all a mess. Sif did not know whether to fully disclose Loki's future as she had lived it, or leave it off entirely. She did not know whether to simply cherish him while she could, or try to make it not such a finite amount of time. And when she heard him plead after a fashion that she try to understand, that she was hurting him, Sif felt ashamed. Her voice was faint, throatier than usual. "I do not wish to pour salt on your wounds, that is not what this is about."

She finally looked up at him, a pleading look on her face. "I understand, and I am sorry for making it more difficult. But I can't...I don't know what I should and should not say, I only know I cannot pretend nothing happened, Loki. I cannot pretend three years did not go by and that in those three years a decade's worth of events did not take place. Life-changing events. So I tried to give you my view of things, as you said perhaps your past weaves into your future." She loosened the grip around his hand, not removing her hand completely from his. "I apologize. I am sorry for reiterating what I am sure others have been more than forthcoming about. Repeatedly. Though I had to try, the best way I knew how. From the second I realized you were real I got it into my head that I had to try. I am scared your conclusions will always be bitter. Always lead you further away into revenge, madness, isolation. I spoke to Thor, he believes as I do that there is hope. Perhaps your fate is not sealed despite what we have seen and lived."

There was a wetness in her eyes again, the kind that never quite formed tears, and Sif id her best to look dignified while it manifested itself as she was looking Loki squarely in the face. It was the stark and final acceptance of a realization that had been lurking in the back of her mind a while now. As Loki said, and as Thor had said earlier, he had to be the one to make up his own mind. Sif could not presume to lead him towards a more agreeable path by sheer force of will, or indeed any other type of force. "I am truly done with this subject, I swear to you. You will not hear any more pleading from me. I shall remain your friend, as good a friend as I can, and make up for the times when I simply wasn't that. And when you do choose to meet your destiny, at least we won't part ways abruptly. Will we?"

In the back of her mind, some part of Sif was screaming, wanting to grab him by the head and repeat Why won't you understand you will be dead to me long before you are dead at all and that a tiny part of me dies with you? until he understood. But things were never, ever that simple. Nor was it to simply admit out loud how much she truly cared. It wasn't just a friend she might be losing, it was a whole separate notion, most of it fantasized, where they could have been more than that to each other and happy for it. It never left the recesses of Sif's mind, and never would, but it would become decrepit and half-dead like everything else. Not a fond memory that never came to pass, but a bitter, hurtful one.

[thelostprince]

"No," Loki said, offering her a faint smile. "I find shrinking violet to be the worst possible description of you."

He looked down at their hands, his slightly paler than hers, and carefully wrapped his fingers around hers. Her palms were calloused and rough, so distinctly her. It struck him that he was touching her in a way they certainly werent used to, and even in the throes of emotion he realized how strange it was, and yet she seemed fine with it, she wasn't pulling away from him. Sif, who always seemed so strong and separate, untouchable. He was holding her hand. "Perhaps I can be thankful that your vision of the future allows you, in some stretch, to forgive me my sins," he said. "I have done badly to you in the past, and I apologise for it. I won't do it again."

Her offer of friendship was so tangible; it seemed more real to him than Thor's pleading as his brother. Perhaps because when Loki spoke he felt that Sif listened, while Thor shut him down, accused him of manipulation or anything like it. It was difficult. He knew Sif disagreed with him, but at least she heard him. Odd, how simply acknowledging him meant more than validating him.

"It may be abrupt, but not permanent," he said. "For the companionship you've shown me, I promise that at least. I will keep you in my thoughts when the path proves rough, and maybe I will be the better for it. Better for you, and my mother, and all of my companions." Because, Loki knew, that was something he had managed to create, in the Nexus - a strange network, a collection of people he may not have otherwise engaged with, who he found himself thinking about, who were climbing slowly in importance. And the way she was looking at him, now, compelled him to do right by her, at least. He found it difficult, now, when people appealed to a humanity he had hoped he had let go of, falling from the Bifrost. It let itself known, violently, and all the old ideas of honour and valour which, truly, he did hold dear, came back out of the darkness. "And maybe when I come back I will have a different future to tell you. How is that for a promise?"

[bornagoddess]

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."

[thelostprince]

Promises from Loki often had the substance of ash; holding perfect form, but easily swept away. Still, while he was a liar he was not wholly dishonourable. In his desperation it was easy to ignore honour, that was true; but with so many people bombarding him with stories and feelings and lives it was easy to see, as well, how emotional he was, and how his emotions manipulated his mind. He was not a cold and calculated person, as he wished to be, and as was the image he often projected. He was burning with feeling, and it was a fire that he could often succumb to. The revelation of his birth had knocked him farther from control than he would have expected.

So when he told Sif he would think of her arguments - and thus, everyone else's - he did mean it. He didn't know what the future held and how it would sway him, but perhaps he would still be able to hold onto that. He gave Sif's hand a final squeeze and then let his fingers slip from hers, but slowly. If he left the Nexus, he would certainly return to it, if it was in his power. He could only hope that when he did so, his companions would still be there, waiting for him. Or they might have moved on. Time was so fickle and he had yet to discover the intricacies of its flow in the hotel.

He tipped his head to the side. "The pain?" he asked. That was certainly not something anyone had mentioned before. "You're doing it again, Sif. Feeding me bits and pieces." Still his voice was mild, thoughtful. "You may wait if you wish. But I daresay, don't let your concern of my future distract you from your own. I'm sure you have much more ahead of you, just like the rest of us. Maybe I can be a part of it in a way that doesn't upset you."

[bornagoddess]

It was a struggle to let Loki's hand go, but Sif managed without letting it show. This may well be the last time they were affectionate with each other, and now the time had come for her to make peace with it, and enjoy what time they had left before Loki truly succumbed to what she already suspected was there: a need to move on, to avert complacency. Caught again doing what she had vowed not to, Sif cursed under her breath. It was difficult to know when to stop, what not to say. And even more so was not truly knowing what had happened to Loki, only the outcome. "Forgive me. I did mention you become alone, bitter, out of reach, did I not? I imagine that is painful. I truly know not what transpires, only that you associate with unsavoury types and that they may have a hand in twisting you. There is suspicion that you are unhealthy - of mind as well as body. So be careful. Think of us. You may not have had so in my timeline, but in yours you have something to come back to. I hope it is still there when you need it."

A smile came over her features and Sif waved a had in dismissal. "I am not putting myself on hold, Loki, fear not. There is peace in Asgard, now. Escaped prisoners have all but a few returned to their cells and I don't think we are for war any time soon. At least I hope not. As much as I revel in it, like any soldier I only want for peace after all this time. But I do hope you are correct. This place has been a gift that I intend not to squander, and I have time to enjoy it." Thinking back to Lorelei's words, always thnking back to them these days, Sif snickered humourlessly. "You have caught me at a very odd time in my life, Loki. I've begun questioning my place in the world as it were. The order of things as I established it. Amusing, is it not?"

[thelostprince]

She was very politely trying to tell him that there was madness ahead, and he looked at her for a moment, because while he had been made aware of that, through Thor, he hadn't truly considered it. But to have a second voice add to that meant it was something he had to take into account. Of course, maybe everyone was mistaken; genius, after all, could often be mistaken for insanity. But genius and insanity could often exist along and feed of of one another, as well.

"Well, I'm glad you're not about to pander to my male vanity and give me a long and exhaustive account of how you will wait for me here, pining away in the halls," he said, teasingly. "As for your questioning, maybe that's the point of the hotel. It forces one to consider life and all that comes with it. Perhaps that is why it revealed itself to you when it did."

While they were no longer touching, really, they were still close; they had canted themselves towards one another during their discourse, and he noticed now that he was close enough to smell what had to be a mixture of her skin, whatever she washed her hair with, and just the faintest tint of sweat. Her eyelashes were not just dark and smudged, as they appeared at a respectful distance, but an artful array of lashes. He was reminded, suddenly, of something she had said, which he had ignored at the moment in favour of everything else.

"Do you really think I have a pretty face?" he asked, teasingly, with a sly grin.

[bornagoddess]

The mere exercise of imagining herself in tears, disheveled and pining through the halls of the hotel brought Sif close to actual tears - of laughter, mind you. The nerves were to blame by such an effusive reaction, to be sure, but all the same the giggling took a while to subside. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Sif shook her head. "Somehow I doubt you would find that pleasant. I like to think your fondness for me, however little, is somewhat attached to who I truly am." And who she truly was, was the opposite of someone who pined. Why even now it was easy to pine for Thor, whom she had seen only hours before, witnessing upclose how his mind was thoroughly wrapped up in Jane Foster and his love for her. And it was easy to pine for Loki when he left to meet a destiny Sif could only fear however little she knew of it. "You mean it has a reason for pulling us here when it does? That is less scientific than Jemma Simmons - or indeed Jane Foster - will like, I'd wager."

Their closeness had not gone unnoticed by Sif, and it was why her head was turned slightly to the side, eyes never quite hitting anywhere on Loki's face once the more intense bit of their conversation had ended and she had caught herself. She did not remember having been this close to him in all their lives, this able to see every little detail of his face. Sif noticed how much younger it looked now than the last time she had seen him, despite so little time passing. It was remarkable how there was so much more light as well. And upon realizing this, Sif found herself observing Loki in earnest despite her face being turned away. His question broke what spell she felt herself under, and, mouth coming open in something of a disbelieving grin, Sif snickered.

"Thank the Allfather your priorities are still intact, Loki, else you would have asked that sooner." She finally turned her face fully to him, locking eyes with his. Her grin had gone from disbelief to a slyness only slightly less accomplished than his. "Why do you care what I think of your face?"

[thelostprince]

"Perhaps," Loki allowed. He had met Simmons only once, and Foster, well. He tried to keep his interaction with her low, though he sometimes failed at that. She irritated him in more than a few ways.

He could only imagine how Midgardian scientists might view his opinion on the matter, but they were so solidly based in their own visions he didn't think they could grasp the almost sensitive nature of the universe, the way it could move and react to those who occupied it. Relics had personalities, and focused magic could behave, reacting to thousands upon thousands of external stimuli. Could their destinies be something so chilling as a weave of particles, triggering a chain of reactions that ended with a wormhole? An interesting prospect.

"Why," he said, girlishly, placing his hand against his cheek in a coy maidenly way, as if he could not bear her admiring scrutiny. "Because you have such good taste, Lady Sif."

[bornagoddess]

Despite Sif's curiosity on the nature of this place, and unsatisfied as it went still, she was not going to be the one losing time and sleep over it simply because she had no real skill to do so and come up with anything concrete from the effort. She knew little of science and magic, even less in practical terms, and her meddling in it sounded like an exercise in frustration. On that she deferred to the scientists from all realms - and the sorcerers too.

Watching Loki's whole performance caused Sif to widen her eyes, a distinct look of disbelief upon them as well as her open mouth. Very soon the corners of her lips were curving up of their own volition and Sif had closed her eyes, shaking her head. "If you blush I shall advise you to take up farce as your career and be done with it." She said, a palm coming to lay against her forehead. She looked at Loki again, still amused, and rolled her eyes before replying, "I told you you're quite appealing if one likes that sort of thing."

[thelostprince]

"I don't think I have enough blood to muster up a blush," Loki said, starting to grin as well. "More's the pity." Despite that suggestion, though, it was already understood by many that farce was Loki's main occupation. It was understandable, but certainly not entirely true. Loki could be trustworthy; it was just harder to see when he was.

"You have told me that, yes, but the term 'pretty face' certainly wasn't in use by then," he pointed out. "I don't think it's ever been in use before you pulled it up. Unless Ruby said it to me once, very fast; that's her type of terminology." He tipped his head to the side, eyebrows raised. "Perhaps she's rubbing off on you."

[bornagoddess]

"I am sure if you were truly committed you could make yourself blush with magic." Sif grumbled in jest. She wasn't sure of any of that, in truth, but it seemed like the kind of thing magic could take care of.

Here they now were dissecting the terms in which certain expressions had been used by her, and while Loki spoke Sif rolled her eyes and set her jaw, but her heart wasn't truly in it. She chuckled in dismissal of his suggestion. "Oh I doubt it. Perhaps it was said to make a point in a situation of exasperation on my part." She said, wide eyed as though it had been the obvious meaning behind it. With an amused smile Sif leaned in closer, voice purposefully becoming huskier. "Or perhaps you do have a pretty face after all, and I can no longer hide that I think so."

[thelostprince]

"I guess I'm not committed, then," Loki replied, smirking. Truly, he didn't think Sif would take much after Ruby at all - then again, she might. Away from the austerity of Asgard, he thought Sif might benefit from that, and not just because Ruby was a woman and Loki knew very well Sif didn't have many of those as friends. Loki himself had benefitted, he felt, from many of his interactions in the hotel. Possibly for worse - there was no way in knowing just yet - but hopefully for the better. Sif seemed more inclined to speak with him, at any rate.

When her voice dropped in tone a few levels, he gave her a look, his mouth twitching in a smile. It was a nice sound, of course, but he wasn't entirely certain Sif ought to go around speaking like that. It would probably get her the wrong sort of attention. "Ah, now you're being cruel," he said. "A trait I never thought to associate with you."

[bornagoddess]

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?"

[thelostprince]

When she kept going with it, Loki had to admit he found it entertaining, though he shook his head. "You know how some animals have sharper hearing than us, and may take note of a particular sound that drives them to distraction?" he asked, his grin wide and teasing. "Your voice like that is a torment for men. Perhaps I'm wrong, and you've spent too much time around Lorelei, not Ruby."

Though naturally, if there was someone Sif was unlike, it was Lorelei. Loki couldn't say he was particularly fond of her, himself. If he was feeling cruel, though - which he was not - he would have suggested Sif had tried those talents out on Thor awhile back, and she might have gotten somewhere. But she wouldn't take it well. Actually, she might punch him. "Perhaps you spoke like that accidentally around Fandral, when first you met," he suggested, instead. "But that would be thinking too highly of him."

[bornagoddess]

Sif had to admit - but wouldn't - that she was not following this comparison to animals, and wondered if he was comparing himself to an animal with sharper hearing or herself to a particularly distracting sound. Amusement washed over her face at the comparison nonetheless, and she was about to say something when Loki equated her own little jest to Lorelei's personal brand of manipulative sorcery. Sif's face fell into a deep frown then. She had never forgotten how Lorelei had taken her love away from her, even if it had been centuries ago, and it was a wound threatening to reopen now that she had fought the sorceress not so long ago. "You know that is not something I like to toy with. I am not manipulating you or making you lose your mind, I was merely joking."

Attempting to put the thoughts of Lorelei behind her, Sif tried for a smile at the mention of Fandral's misguided advances. "I do not recall how we met, but I remember well the first time he attempted his baser tricks on my person. I think he was purposefully egged on by one of you." She said, giving him a pointed look. "I had been minding my own business at the time, he was inebriated, and he attempted to speak suggestively in my ear while wrapping an arm tightly around my waist. I ended up headbutting him. And my voice had nothing to do with any of it."

[thelostprince]

The smile he was giving her softened a bit, when he sensed he had struck a nerve. He was well aware that normally he would not care, especially with their other friends present; with just her, though, he knew he had to make sure he didn't land too strong of a sting. "I know," he said. "I was joking as well. You are most unlike her. I think I have more in common with her than you do."

"If I egged him on, it was only because I wanted to see him fail," he said, regarding Fandral. The memory made him laugh; at least he had never had the foolishness to bother Sif in such a way. Though maybe that was because, after awhile, Sif had ceased to be just any woman he found lovely to look at, and had become someone much more focused than that. Which was a shame; his hesitance was likely what kept the distance between them going for so long. "It was a dream come true, and a most impressive headbutt."

[bornagoddess]

Sif had not been expecting anything alike admittance of bad taste on Loki's part, so it was a pleasant surprise when it did come. While at the moment, as he was now, Sif couldn't quite see where Loki was similar to Lorelei other than the obvious sorcery, she thought back - or forward? - to the sceptre he had wielded and pointed at men's hearts to make them do his bidding. It was eerily similar, then, to Lorelei's own power; only he needed a weapon as vessel where she did not. The notion only contributed to upsetting Sif further, and she looked away while inhaling sharply. "I suppose you do."

Seeing Loki laugh at long gone times forced a smile into Sif's face, albeit a tight one. "What if he hadn't, then? What if I had succumbed to his advances like many do?" She asked, amused by the scenario. It wasn't that Fandral was not a pleasant sort to look at, it was that him and his admirers did a great job to never, ever let you forget it. And while Sif appreciated straightforwardness she did not like things to be shoved down her throat at every chance. Nevermind the fact that she viewed the Three as her equals and had worked very hard to have them view her as such, and so she had never entertained any such thoughts about any of them. They were her comrades, brothers in arms. When you spent so much time with someone as they did with each other certain charms tended to get lost forever. "I know. I left his nose bleeding and he would not speak to me for a week on account of the shame and for ruining his doublet. I told him if he had stopped when I first stated he should none of that would have happened."

[thelostprince]

Loki was a far different creature from Lorelei - that he knew of, anyway. Sif's agreement made him wonder if this was another one of those instances where she was referring to something in the future that he didn't know about, or if she was simply thinking of the penchant for sorcery they both shared. He didn't know and he did not care to press for details. He was done with that part of their conversation, unless she wanted to tell him something specific to warn him away. And he didn't think she would.

"What do you mean, what if he hadn't?" Loki asked. "Some battles are lost before they are ever fought, and it is a fool's journey to start them. In no way would you have fallen for his advances, and I had an inkling of that then, and knowledge of that now. So I don't see the point in entertaining some impossible fantasy situation where you suddenly transform from Lady Sif into someone else entirely." He tipped his head to the side, expression teasing. "If he didn't know how to get blood out of his more expensive clothes before then, he certainly does now. I don't think he had the courage to give it to a washerwoman."