Rose found Loki some time later sitting alone on the grand staircase, the one she had discovered in the abandoned hallway on her first day. His head snapped up when he heard the soft patter of her footsteps. "Are you alright?" he sounded concerned.
She nodded and sat down on the step beside him. There was a moment of tense silence between them as Rose debated with herself about how to tell Loki what had happened.
"Rose…" he insisted, seeing all too well her attempt at evading whatever matter was on her mind. "What did Thor want with you?"
Taking a deep breath, she answered him slowly to judge his reaction. "He asked me to accompany him to the ball." She bit her lip and waited.
He merely blinked. "Of course he did."
This wasn't the response that Rose had expected. Or hoped for. "You don't seem very surprised."
"Why should I be? It is entirely what I would expect from my brother. I told you before; his two great loves are for battle and for women. Thor always did like to take the best for himself. He would never attend an event such as this without the company of the most beautiful woman on his arm for all to see." His words caught slightly in this throat as he fixed his eyes unwaveringly on the stairs below.
Rose gaped at him. Was that…a compliment? Did he really just call her beautiful? He had said it so smoothly, like it was common knowledge—a statement of fact. Did he even realize what he had said? She swallowed. "I told him no."
There was a sharp intake of breath and Loki's shoulders tensed. His eyes widened but did not look at her. "You did what."
"I said that it was very sweet of him to ask, but that I would have to decline."
"What did he say?"
"Nothing." She thought back on the scene. Thor had floundered for several minutes, taken aback by her refusal. Eventually, after finding nothing to say in response, he simply stalked out of the room. "He seemed a bit put out, actually."
At this Loki laughed sharply. "Thor has never been denied anything. No one has ever dared to."
"Well, I did. There's a first time for everything."
"Why?" he asked quietly. He was still avoiding her gaze, Rose noticed as he unconsciously rubbed his fingers aimlessly across his palm. "Why would you say no?"
Alright Rose—it's now or never. "Because I'd rather go with you."
Silence filled the corridor as Rose waited nervously for his response. The atmosphere had shifted between them, tension coiling tangibly in the air and standing Rose's nerves to attention. Very slowly, Loki turned his head to finally meet her gaze. His eyes were like shuttered windows that had suddenly been blown open. He rather looked like someone had just pulled a rug out from under him.
"You would turn down my brother's offer so that you could attend with me?" he rephrased carefully, making sure he understood her reasoning. She had never seen him so unintentionally unguarded.
She bit her lip again and nodded. "Yes. And I know you're going to ask me why, and I'm so sorry that you feel like you have to." She reached out for his fingers, which slowly curled around hers. "I know you think that Thor is better at you than everything, but it's not true. I have seen you do amazing things, Loki." The intensity with which he was staring into her eyes was almost enough to unravel her, but she had to finish what she started. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever been this bold. "I want you to be the one to escort me to this ball."
Loki's eyes lingered a moment longer on hers, then he gently brought her hand to his lips. "Then I should not disappoint you," he said softly.
