Time seemed to pass faster on Asgard in Alexia's opinion, or that is how it felt at least; though that could have been helped in part by every day had a monotony to it; rise, wash, eat, train, eat, train, wash, eat, read, sleep, repeat.

Loki had been forbidden from leaving his rooms for his having accidentally caused Odin to resemble a tarred chicken for half an hour, having chosen to use a mixture impervious to water based solutions due to Alexia's abilities. However, since Alexia had started the pranks, she thought it was only fair that she go to the library in his stead to retrieve whatever he wanted for the duration of his punishment.

"Are you really as much of a bookworm as you appear, I mean, in the time I have been here, you have eaten your way through what seems to be about a thousand books." She commented one evening as Loki took three books he had requested from her. "They are not small either, how long will they take you to read?"

"About a day each, they are substantially bigger than most others. And, it is closer to twelve hundred, for the record, by the way. As for my incessant reading, it is not like I have much of a choice, what else am I to do? I am not permitted my magic, which was something I always spent vast amounts of my time perfecting, and I cannot even train physically."

"What can you not train?" She asked, cocking her head slightly.

"I…"

"I mean, were those instructions giving to you specifically?"

"No."

"Then why not?"

Loki frowned. "Well you take up one arena alone, and the other ones are crowded with those that have come to gawp at you."

"You'd think they'd have stopped that by now," Alexia grumbled, hating that though time was passing, people were still not getting bored of watching her train if anything, people seemed to be becoming more intrigued by her as her power grew.

"You still have not grasped the power of your celebrity, have you?" Loki chuckled.

Alexia made a pained, yet sarcastic noise. "I never wanted the spotlight; I hated having to present projects in school. I mean, I didn't even take the course I really wanted in college because it required public speaking."

"Then it is somewhat unfortunate for you then that you are so fascinating to so many."

"No shit." Alexia shook her head. "Enjoy your books." She turned to leave.

"I hear Odin is pleased with your progress," Loki added.

"Because of course, that is what is most important here." Alexia rolled her eyes, turning to face him again. "I didn't care about impressing my father, why would I care for one minute to impress yours?"

"That is a question for said idiot, not me, I could never impress him, and so I ceased trying."

"Maybe you should have gone on a serious steroid regime, trained like a mad man and bleached your hair blonde." She suggested sarcastically.

Loki chuckled bitterly. "Perhaps that would have helped." Alexia shrugged. "Dare I ask, are you going to start harnessing fire soon, that will be one way to clearing the training grounds post haste, I know I will be fleeing to the nearest vast water source when the day arrives." Loki queried.

"Shut up. No, apparently that is still years away. It's too volatile and I am too weak." There was a coldness in her voice when she was referencing herself as being weak.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but did you not cause rain to not fall yesterday, but remain suspended until you brought it to agricultural land outside the city?" Alexia nodded. "I would not refer to anyone with such strength as being weak."

"Well according to Diarmaid, my merely being Midgardian will always be reason for me to be referred to as weak." There a moment of hurt on her face before she schooled it into indifference once more.

Though Loki saw it, he said nothing with regards it. "I will inform you when I want more books, though this will not continue for much longer."

"Seeing as you made Odin look like Big Bird, I would not be so sure." Alexia sniggered. "When are you off house arrest?"

"Whenever he sees fit."

"I cannot believe you are over a thousand years old and being grounded; that's hilarious."

"It is your doing, may I remind you."

"Yeah, sure, blame me; you should know by now that there is more than me going into my rooms, same as anyone else here. You should know your limits. For a God of Mischief, you can be somewhat amateur."

Loki raised a brow. "You think yourself a match for me?"

"Well, it is one-nil at present, you can't argue that."

"You are playing with fire Lexi."

"Good think I am the element wielder then, isn't it?" she smirked. "Besides, what are you going to do about it from here, send a maid to my rooms to mess my sheets?" she dismissed.

"You were not so confident on Midgard," Loki commented.

"I was unhappy there." She shrugged.

"And now?" Alexia froze for a second, something Loki noted. "It hurts not feeling like you belong, and as much as you tell yourself it does not irk you, it does, and the more you try and convince yourself to the contrary, the more you focus on it, and the more it hurts," Loki stated solemnly.

Alexia swallowed hard. Loki had struck her thoughts exactly. "You know where I am if you need another book okay?" she gave a pathetic grimace of a smile before walking away.

For the first time in years, Loki felt empathy for another, knowing how it was to be an outcast. Loki looked at the books in his hands and went back into his rooms with a sigh. He had noted that of late, alexia was becoming more and more moody; one minute she would be jestful, and the next, morose, withdrawing more and more to her rooms each day when not training. Concerned, he turned to his hand servant and requested for Diarmaid to be brought to his rooms to speak with him. Soon after, the hand servant returned, with the elf in tow.

"You wished to speak with me Your Highness; I assume it is to do with the Wielder." The elf stated as he sat opposite the prince.

"You assume correctly," Loki answered, watching as the elf assessed him. "How is she fairing?"

"You know yourself that she fairs well; I have seen you observing from afar, she is strengthening."

"But?"

The elf cocked his head slightly and a slight grin came to his lips. "So astute, you are every bit your mother's son."

"Clearly a learnt trait," Loki replied bitterly, not wanting to get off point. "So what of Alexia?"

"Her mind is becoming more detached from her tasks. If anything, I feel some days as though she would be indifferent if several tonnes of the earth she is working with crushed her."

"Do you know why?" Loki asked, concerned to see the elf had made a similar assessment to his own.

"Of that, I am unsure."

"She seemed quite angered by your referencing her mortality."

"Midgardians do not have a long lifespan, there is no denying that." the elf shrugged. "She is not able to have the luxury of time to take much for herself, she has too much to learn, she will be the equivalent of my age to her species and still not have learnt everything."

"Life is all about learning, when a day goes by and you do not learn anything, you are no longer truly alive," Loki responded.

"Those are very wise words you speak Prince Loki."

"I cannot take credit for them, for they were not originally mine, but Frigga's."

"I always admire that woman's wisdom," Diarmaid stated fondly.

"You and Odin are mentioning her mortality and species with notable frequency, there is little doubting that that is a factor in this."

"We have noted it, but in thought as to how to ensure her potential."

"But you have mentioned it, have you not?" Loki repeated.

"Yes, we have, it is difficult not to, considering the significance of such."

"Please desist from making such references, especially in front of her."

"Prince?"

"She is too scattered emotionally as a result, which can only lead to issues. I have witnessed first hand her sporadic outbursts when she was far weaker, now such outbursts would be significantly more treacherous for not only her but the realm." Loki explained.

"I understand." The elf nodded. "Though it is a concern."

"For none as much as her, I dare say Odin is sickened it is a Midgardian that is in possession of such gifts."

"You seem somewhat gleeful at such a thought as him being put out." The elf noted.

"Anything that irks him pleases me." Loki snarked back.

"It is no wonder you both have not altered your relationship with one another when neither of you will move past an event from over a decade ago." Diarmaid shook his head. "You think with time you would have moved passed it."

"I was blamed for something I had no part in; I will never acknowledge the punishment and comments made solely because I better suited the role of perpetrator," Loki growled.

"Sometimes it is imperative to be the bigger being Your Highness."

"Perhaps, but why take the fall for something you did not do either?"

"It is strange how one event can change everything so drastically. Had Thor admitted his fault…"

"I would not have been blamed, that farce of a coronation would not have almost occurred, I would still be blissfully unaware of who sired me and my mother would still be here," Loki growled angrily.

"And Alexia Phillipdottir would have died on Midgard the day she was discovered by her father's allies, for without Thor's casting out, your falling from the Bifrost and the subsequent issues with Midgard, she would not have your assistance," Diarmaid explained.

"I am not sure she is too grateful for her lot of late. I feel as though she feels that would have been a more favourable fate of late."

"You think there is great reason for concern with her current state, don't you?"

Loki sighed as he thought of the look in Alexia's face when he spoke with her earlier. "I do."