Alex felt cool stone on her cheek as the world above her spun. A tall woman looked down on her.
"Space shifting can make one feel quite ill the first few times," the woman said. Alex suddenly remembered the woman was Loki in disguise. "Last time, you were unconscious." Alex moaned as she attempted to sit up. "This is the marketplace. I myself have been here only a few times. Everything is provided for us in the palace. I had no need to frequent this place."
Alex peered out of the alleyway into a bustling marketplace stretching a few streets down. Tall, beautiful Asgardians were milling about at different stalls and vendors. The delicious smell of cooking meat wafted through the air as the sounds of laughter and conversation filled the area. The golden palace stood towering just beyond the other side of the marketplace, casting a shadow over the entire area. Alex took it all in for a moment before her eyes fell on three women as they passed close by.
"There's no way I can pass as Asgardian," Alex worried to Loki. "I'm tiny compared to all of these people. Is it just genetics that makes everyone at least six feet tall?" She huffed, slightly envious of their regality.
"Yes, I see that now," Loki observed. "Hunch your shoulders just a bit to hide your breasts. You can pass as a child and I your mother."
"This is so weird," Alex whispered under her breath, blushing, as Loki led her into the controlled chaos.
They walked briskly through the crowd, no one seeming to notice either of them. The smell of the meat became almost overwhelming as they paused for Alex to admire some spectacular blue and purple jewels clearly not found on her home planet.
"What is that smell?" she finally asked? "It smells fantastic."
"Most likely wild boar," Loki replied. "Follow me." They zigged and zagged through the crowd until they were at the meat vendor.
The meat sizzled over an open flame and Alex's mouth watered.
"Do you have money?" she asked Loki. He laughed an odd feminine snicker.
"Watch this," he whispered before turning to the vendor.
"Would you like some, my lady?" the vendor asked. Loki nodded and batted his eyelashes. The vendor prepared a plate and handed it to Loki, but before he could ask for any form of currency, Loki made a very subtle motion with his hand behind his back. A tiny green spark ignited for a split second and the vendor simply smiled and said "Thank you for your business, my lady." Loki and Alex simply walked away.
"What just happened?" Alex asked.
"The power of manipulation," Loki answered smugly as he delicately placed a piece of meat into his mouth.
"Wait, we just stole this," Alex whispered.
"Hush!" Loki ordered as they were still pushing through a thick crowd of people. Loki pulled Alex into an alleyway with just enough space to stand still and eat. Alex noticed a group of children a few steps further into the alleyway playing some kind of game, but they had all stopped for a moment staring at them.
"Hey," Alex whispered to Loki. "What's up with this picture?" She darted her eyes to the children and then turned to face the crowd while Loki turned to face the children.
"Hmm," Loki replied. "Perhaps they recognize me from the palace. I do pay a visit occasionally in this form. Watch this." Alex turned back to watch the children as Loki flicked his wrist and the stick the children were using as a baseball bat, she guessed, fell limp in the child's hands.
"Snake!" the child screamed and they all ran away and around the corner. Loki, clearly pleased with himself, laughed a bit before returning to the boar.
"That was mean," Alex scolded.
"Oh, just a bit of fun."
Suddenly, a woman pushed her way into the alleyway grabbing Loki by his wrist and pulling him further into the alley. Alex followed quickly behind.
"What in Odin's name are you doing here?" the woman asked.
"Eating," Loki replied smugly shoving another bite between his full, feminine lips. "I must admit, I did not expect to see you here, Njia."
"You are acting carelessly," the woman named Njia scolded again slowly, tauntingly. "I saw you having your fun with the meat vendor, and I saw what you did to those children." She moved closer, almost whispering in his ear. "While clever and amusing, someone could have recognized those illusions." Her speech was slow and slurred. She pressed her body into his and ran her fingers over the braids in his long hair.
"Calm yourself, woman," Loki ordered becoming more serious. He pushed his womanly shoulders back and stood about an inch taller, all manner of joking aside. "Alexandra wanted to see the city."
Njia turned to face Alex. Njia's cold blue eyes worked her over from head to toe and back, making Alex extremely uncomfortable.
"So this is her," Njia stated moving her attention away from Loki. She sauntered over and walked a circle around Alex, looking her up and down again. "A bit small, Loki. When you said she was young, I did not think you meant she was a child."
"I'm not a child!" Alex replied defensively. "I'm 18."
"Njia, return to the palace before you find yourself in more trouble than you can handle," Loki ordered.
"Why?" she asked with ferocity. "So I can wait for you to drop in whenever you please and then leave just as quickly?"
"Are you drunk, Njia?" Loki asked as the smell of mead on her breath hit him.
"And what if I am? You no longer care for my wellbeing. What happened to the love we used to make? You simply pop in, ask about the ring, and leave me alone. You do not even touch me anymore."
Loki snapped. He threw the meat to the ground and pinned Njia to the brick wall behind her with his womanly arm across her neck. "How is this for touching you?" he asked. Njia simply smiled up at him.
"You were always rough with me, but I like it," she slurred. "Tell me. Do you feel the men's gaze over your body when you walk by?" she squeaked out from under the pressure on her windpipe. "I wonder what Thor would think if he saw you like this?"
Loki pushed even harder into her throat for a moment before letting her go. She slid to the ground at his feet laughing.
"Do you remember when you would come into my room at night all those years ago? You weren't quite so rough back then, but I think I like this side of you better, Loki," Njia taunted.
Loki turned to Alex. "We're leaving." He grabbed Alex and pulled her further into a dark shadow of the alleyway.
"Leaving so soon, Loki?" Njia called after them, but they were gone in a green flash.