Author's Noting... Chapter 4. In which Krishna acts like a sarcastic little punk.I think you'll like this new chapter quite a bit. If you're anything like me, that is. Because I love this chapter. A lot. It's long, too! That's pretty good. Don't be afraid to send a review, I love feedback. And the second I get some extra time, I'm going to respond to each review.

Floss every day!

EVERY DAY! xD

NORMAL POV

If Loki had to choose a room that most of the palace stayed away from, it would be the library. Because, after all, a group of war heads wouldn't be particularly fond of reading. Unless of course the book was about war. And after skimming through a massive chunk of books on the huge shelves, Loki realized that about half of them were war related.

Go figure.

So now he was forced to scale the ladder and search the uppermost shelves for something that would assist him. That's where he found himself – standing high above the floor on the top rung of the ladder, running his fingers over the many old books. When he couldn't find what he was looking for, he would push the ladder over a way and continue the search.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of looking over the many different 'H' books ("Really, how many can there be?"), Loki found exactly what he was looking for.

Because if the Asgard palace library didn't have it, no one did.

He sighed, adjusting his position to sit down on the top rung. He cracked open the cover of "Hindu Mythology – First Volume" and flicked through the unused pages. Until he ran across the single figure he was looking for.

Sadguru – The Messenger of Karma - Also referred to as KrishnaLan (meaning little Krishna), this unholy figure finds joy in the suffering of others. Usually in female form –

Loki paused. "Usually…?"

KrishnaLan will find any undesirable way to bend her victim's Karma against them in large amounts. Originally meant to be a seeker of good and a fair judge, KrishnaLan was appointed by the Gods to be the medium that Karma travels through to the mortals. From the beginning of this holy ordinance, KrishnaLan rebelled from the Gods and turned to a way of evil seeking. While she is supposed to help deliver good Karma, she usually holds back and instead waits for a time when she can deliver the opposite.

After being in a rebellion for so long, KrishnaLan turned back to the Gods in a way to gain back her immortality.

Until the Gods choose a mission for her to earn such back, she will continue to be a bringer of bad Karma. It is only when –

Loki snapped to look away from the book as the grand door to the library opened. He

had nearly forgotten that he was up on the ladder, and the height made him momentarily dizzy. Sif entered in through the arch, closing the door behind her. A sneer slowly worked its way up Loki's nose.

It took her a moment to make eye contact with him, but when she did, the sneer spread to her own face as well. Loki snapped the book closed with a practiced flick of his wrist, tucked it under his arm, and began climbing down the ladder. Sif stepped forward into the beaming evening light filtering through the grand windows, a book grasped in her thin hands. She eyed the book underneath Loki's arm with civility as he transferred it to his hands.

"Lady Sif." Loki's cold greeting, accompanied by a stiff bow, was only on the case of required politeness.

She returned it with a nod of her own head. "Odinson."

Once the formalities were out of the way, Loki continued toward the door, hoping to make a clean exit without being bothered again by her. And certainly, the last thing he wanted was for her to bring up his last failed duel. She did confront him before he was able to leave, but with –

"Loki, I haven't seen you in the library before. Though I would have assumed a person of your nature to read quite a bit."

Loki turned around to look at her, one of his hands already on the doorhandle and the want of escape fresh on his mind. "I usually prefer to read from my own personal collection. These libraries have nothing of my interest." He kept his head up.

"It seems as if you've found something to capture your interest this time, however." Sif's eyes darted once again to the book, and Loki moved his hand to obstruct the title. "And an interesting choice it seems."

"I'll have you believe that it is only for light reading."

"Then I suppose I must believe it."

Loki bowed again, keeping his eyes locked on Sif, and then he slipped out the door with sleek elegance.

xXxXx

Upon returning to his chambers, Loki closed the book tentatively and slid it onto the small table by the wall. His eyes slowly shifted to the golden bowl of fruit. Yet another piece was missing, creating an even larger dent in the display. He sighed, put one hand to his temple, and then turned around to face his room. Nothing shifted. Nothing moved. So Loki took the initiative.

"I know you're there, woman." The statement came just a little more than half-heartedly. "Only a select group of people can sneak up on me and you and not one of them."

But the room remained silent and unshifting, making Loki very uncomfortable.

"I wasn't trying to sneak up on you." Loki actually sighed in relief when Krishna's voice came from the bathroom. At least he wasn't going crazy.

Yet.

"By the way," Krish walked into the main room, holding her hair back as she clipped it up. "Your tub his huge. Have you ever noticed that? I legitimately think you could fit a freaking whale in that thing."

"I have no time for your impertinence, girl." Loki sneered, gathering back his composure and using it to fix his posture.

"Oh really?" Krishna paused, staring up at him and then looking around the room. "I don't see you doing anything else. Except being a jacka-"

"Listen, female." Loki stopped Krishna before she could cuss at him all the way.

"Woman, girl, female." Krish held up a finger for each name. "You know, that's funny. I thought I told you my name yesterday. I don't call you 'man, boy, male' so cut it out."

"Fair enough." Loki rubbed one of his tired eyes with the back of his hand. "Tell me the reason you are here again, wo... uh... Krish."

"You expected me to sneak up on you. But I'm about to do something you don't see coming. Even after I tell you exactly what I'm going to do." A sheen of mischievous glimmer reflected in her eyes as she slowly approached Loki.

"And that would be...?"

"I'm going to shank you with this..." Krishna held up a thin, silver dagger with beautiful white detailing all across the bottom. "In three seconds." Loki raised one eyebrow. "Right there." Krishna reached out and touched the soft, unprotected spot right below Loki's ribcage.

He didn't flinch at all. He kept calm, standing straight, feet poised, and eyeing the dagger with humor dancing in his eyes. It was Krishna's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"One." She started, watching Loki carefully for any hint of giving up. But he stayed collect in his puddle of disbelief.

"Two." Loki didn't move. In fact, a devilish little smile worked its way over his mouth. He was perfectly convinced that she wasn't going to make well on her threat. Krish gave a considerable pause, nudging him with her eyes, giving him one last chance to redeem himself.

"Alright, three." And in one fluid motion, Krishna plunged the dagger into Loki's flesh. He gasped and doubled back, but she only drove it farther in, ripping the fragile tendons and nerves in the way of the blade. The white hot pain radiated from Loki's sternum, and he could feel the pressure of something unwanted in his chest cavity.

Krish let go of the handle, leaving Loki to take a few steps back. He coughed, gripping onto the handle but not working up the nerve to pull it out. Krishna, (surprise, surprise), was laughing hysterically.

"I believe a stranger just stabbed you in the ribs, Loki. But, to be fair, I did warn you." And then she lapsed into another bout of laughter. "That's point one for team Krishna and point zero for team Loki!"

The god was still struggling to gain back his normal breathing, realizing that the weapon was probably inserted into his diaphragm.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you pimp a Norse god." Krishna took a deep bow. "Ah-thank you."

"Krishna," Loki breathed softly. His eyes made up for the anger that his voice couldn't manage. She stood upright again. Her face was more serious now as she approached him.

"Stop being so cocky." Krishna snuck into Loki's space, pushing him gently in the chest. Loki instinctively cringed as her nimble little fingers wrapped around the dagger's handle. "When you get threatened, you take that threat as being serious. And poof. You've avoided something." She yanked the dagger out of Loki's abdomen, making him grunt from the recesses of his chest.

As Loki gripped onto his wound and healed himself, Krishna held the dagger up in the reflects of the setting sun. The remnants of Loki's blood shimmered in the dulling light. It was bluish blood, some of it dripping down the blade and snaking its way to Krishna's fingers, congregating in black droplets. The blood slowly oxidized back to red, and for one deceptively long moment, Krishna wanted to bottle it up and run away with it. She hummed, taking in the chemistry of the composition before wiping the most of it off on her pants.

"Humility..." Loki was back to normal, and it pissed Krish off with how quickly he could snap back. He leaned to sit down on his palatial bed. "Is not one of my best qualities."

"I'm not telling you to be humble." (And then as a side thought, she tossed the dagger next to him on the bed with "Here, you keep that. Souvenir.") "I'm telling you to be smarter. Keep your pride guarded. And when you're sure the victory belongs to you, THEN show off a little. If you spend all your energy worrying about how good you look, you won't have time to focus on avoiding the punch coming toward your face."

"Or the blade toward my sternum."

Krishna winked. "Exactly."

"So you think your act of stabbing me, even in its simplicity, can force me to learn and adapt a lesson in training combat?" Loki squinted up at her, his voice soaking in an almost disgust. A disgust that Krishna couldn't quite place- whether it was for her or her techniques.

"It's worked so far."

"Which only forces me to wonder what other painful things you'll have me endure in the name of knowledge." Loki felt over his clothing to see how much was stained in blood. "Forgive me if I am not overly keen on your methods."

"Maybe you should start being ready for them."

"Pray tell what I should be preparing for next?" Loki asked. "If you'll be so gracious as to allow me the advantage."

"Being impaled." Krishna said simply. Her words left a smear of panic on Loki's face. She let it settle into his subconscious, eat away ever so slightly at his nerves, and then eased him with, "Nah, I'm just kidding." A pause. "Kind of." She gazed off into Asgard, crossing her hands behind her back. Loki stayed focused on the shadow her slender body was casting on the floor of his chamber room.

"I should have reported you by now. Let the proper authorities drag you down to the dungeons." It was almost a half threat that came from him, but it phased Krishna in no way. She remained poised and unmoved.

"But you won't." She suddenly said. Hers wasn't a threat at all. It was something she obviously believed to know. By the way she held her words alone, Loki almost started to believe it himself.

"Why is that?"

She turned her head to look at him, making the rays of the ever-sinking sun reflect from the sheen of her black hair. Her greenish eyes locked with Loki's. "You can answer that question for yourself, I think." She turned away, and when the stare was broken Loki felt like he had been released from the grasp that her eyes held on him. "Besides, I'm not that far in your head yet. But I'll get there."

There was a long gap in the conversation. Mostly because Loki didn't know how to properly respond to someone who just confidently stated that they would work their way into his head. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that thinking about it only let her in, and the more he thought about that... He finally decided to just numb his thoughts and let them settle in place.

"You should get some sleep. I know you don't need to, but you could use it." Krish was satisfied to see Loki yawn. Being shanked must have been an excruciating adrenaline rush for him, and now that it was over, he was starting to crash. "That'll give me the opportunity to impale you in your sleep."

He snapped his head up.

Only to see Krishna laughing to herself and jumping off the balcony.

She was an absolute psychopath. Completely. Undeniably. After all, she just stabbed Loki below his lungs moments before. Only to turn around and threaten very convincingly to do something similar to a less desirable part of his body.

Psychopath.

And Loki couldn't decide if he found that carnivorously attractive...

Or absolutely terrifying.