Jam.
Aaernia Folkvarsdotter slipped into the royal stables. She had been looking for Loki for several hours, and couldn't think of any place else to check.
"Have you seen Prince Loki?" she asked a stable hand.
"No, Lady Aaernia," the boy replied.
Nia bit her lip. Where could Loki be. Today was her last in Asgard for this visit, and she wanted to see her closest friend at least once. She sighed, and returned to Loki's chambers. She knocked, waited, and then opened the door, all patience lost. She glanced at the chair by the window and growled.
"Good morning, Aaernia," Loki said coolly, not looking up from his book.
"Good morning yourself." Nia snatched the book from Loki's fingers and turned it upside down. "What are you reading that's so interesting you have to ignore me on my last day here." She read the title−upside down. "Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. The name doesn't ring a bell."
Loki took the book back. "That's because he's a Midgardian."
Nia raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So how'd you get a hold of this book?"
"One of the merchants picked it up a few years ago."
"I see."
Loki set the book aside and stood up. "I'm yours for the rest of the day, Lady Aaernia."
Nia glared at him. "Don't you dare start that up again, Loki."
Loki grinned. "Of course not."
Aaernia rolled her eyes and climbed out a window. "Come on. I want to avoid Thor for as long as possible."
Nia inched along a small ledge and then swung to a lower one. Loki followed, a bit more carefully, hoping neither of them slipped. He never liked the idea of climbing about the outer castle walls, but since it was what it took to keep up with Aaernia, he did it. As they neared the ground he began wondering which window Nia was going to climb in through. But Nia had no intention of returning inside. She reached the lowest ledge, still fifteen feet up, and leapt. She hit the ground rolling and finished on her feet.
Loki swallowed hard. He wasn't entirely accustomed to such acrobatics. Nia had spent her childhood leaping between and from trees. She knew what she was doing, but Loki... He took a deep breath, and jumped. Doing a similar roll to Nia's, he finished on his back. At least he'd managed to avoid any scrapes and bruises.
"Let's not do that again," Loki said, getting to his feet.
"Think fast." Nia charged Loki. At the last moment she realized her mistake and quickly attempted to change her stance, but it was too late. She careened through the projection and fell. Loki−the real Loki−caught her.
"You still fall for that?"
Nia yanked herself out of Loki's arms, but she couldn't help smiling. "I didn't expect you to think that fast." Suddenly there was a monstrous roar. "Uh oh, I think Thor's found his little, uh, present."
Thor roared again, this time uttering an intelligible word. "LOKI!"
Loki's eyes grew wide in panic and he grabbed Aaernia. "What did you do?!"
"It was just a bit of jam on his hammer. I didn't expect him to react so badly. I mean, you've seen the way he eats."
The palace doors burst open revealing and enraged Thor, Mjolnir in hand. He glared at Loki, who surreptitiously pointed at Aaernia.
"Run," Nia said.
"Good idea," Loki replied.
They made a dash for it, Thor hot on their tails.
"If he catches us, you die first," Loki said.