Despite his nakedness and her guilt, the sexual tension in the room was in the degrees of minus. Her eyes became fixated on a pink scar, fresh but healing, where her sword had punctured his abdomen a couple of days previous. Balder grabbed at a mixture of clothing and armour about his room as he dressed, pausing to give her a curious look over his shoulder before startling the midgardian into action; her hands finding belts and ties to fasten protective coverings in place. His shoulders were back, his stride confident and empowered with purpose as he left his room fitting his sword in place. Karian Motter, was almost left behind, still unsure what was occurring and whether she needed to actually be at the happening or something. It was probably a good idea to stick with the guy everyone was accusing her of having killed if just to prove she really had not after all.

Scuttling after the warrior as he made his appearance on the guards outside his door, shocking the pair into a scattering confusion followed by welcoming sounds, the curly haired woman kept to her probably not ex's wake with the guards somehow merrily caught up in hers. The palace was still more or less empty, the thrum of battle and burning roaring ever closer as they marched towards it like a squadron of reinforcements. As she watched the back of him, something seemed ever more off about the man she had known so intimately; brown hair seeming golder? A hallucination maybe, it was rather a hallucinating sort of day after all or whatever.

Balder slammed open the main doors to the palace, not letting their heavy and bulky mass deter the rather nice stride he had built up, allowing them to crash against the outside wall with a bombastic boom. Nonetheless, the guards holding line, the mob of angry civilians engaging in ruckusing in fighting were not disturbed from their activities by the magnificent entrance. The noble warrior paused at the height of the steps above the chaos, fire red reflecting off his armour as the wind greeted him with the tussle of his cloak.

"ASGARD!" Balder cried out to the masses, his sword held aloft as a bright white seemed to radiate out of him like a calling beacon. "Hear me!"

Kari squeaked at the sudden outburst, palms glued to her eyelids to block out the light burning her eyes. A deafening silence washed out in a great wave across the asgardians, warriors paused mid-strike to dumbly stare towards the light and its call. When had she sunk to her knees? Well this was embarrassing but at least that flash of light had caused a series of coloured shapes to spin violently in her vision so as not to see all of asgard looking up to see her kneeling before her sort of ex like a wanton slave. Not that they were thankfully paying her any mind when Balder was beaming so radiantly, literally, and not being, you know, dead or whatever.

"Balder?" Odin was the first to shake himself from reverie. "You have returned to asgard in its time of need, as a true son of asgard!"

"Always." Balder finally lowered his sword, greeting his approaching king with a warriors bow.

"YOU SEE!" Odin's tone swiftly whipped from ecstatic relief to 'I told you so' admonishing. "AS I, THE ALL FATHER, YOUR KING, HAVE TOLD! OUR NOBLE BALDER IS STILL AMONG US AND NOT SLAIN AT THE HANDS OF A MERE MORTAL CHILD!" Well that stung, and yet Kari was in no mood to bite. "RAGNAROK WILL WAIT FOR ANOTHER DAY! NOW GO, TEND TO YOUR HOMES AND LET THESE WOUNDS MEND FOR THE END OF SUMMER TIDINGS ARE UPON US AND ALL WELCOME IN THE ALL FATHERS HALL!"

Well that certainly had the asgardians up in arms for another reason other than hitting each other with axes. A great chorus erupted among the bloodied crowd, cheers filling the streets more deafening than the racket of battle had managed earlier. Of course they'd all be so happy after a good fight and promise of a party; Kari groaned at all the heady aroma of blood, sweat and impending festivities massaging her nostrils before the sharp glare ole one-eye gave her made her side-step behind the noble warriors back for safety. Yeah, this was so not going to be any good; for anyone involved.

"Balder!" An ethereal feminine voice joined them, Frigga, having parted the building crowd of guards to reach them with all the elegance of a queen in full armour; leaving, Kari, to wander since when had the other woman been more than a healing gardener. "You are well?"

"Aye, my queen." Balder smiled brightly with a bow to the woman.

"Come, let I and the other healers ascertain the truth in this."

"Do not fuss over him as if he were a child." Odin cut in, blocking his queens path from reaching the previously injured warrior.

"All-"

"Frayed nerves still pit so many when friend has fought friend." He cut words asunder to deliver a whispered warning. "Let him stroll among the people and solidify so recently won a peace. Or should you prefer more blood is spilled?"

"I shall take a drink with my brothers and then return so you may ply me with your healing arts, my queen." The noble warrior defused the situation with another dashing smile.

"If you are in strength to." Frigga, was obviously annoyed but hid it well.

"I am."

"Come, let us away from weeping women folk and toast your rise from the dead." The all father began dragging the purple clad warrior away towards the crowd below them all eager to bump shoulders with their missing comrade. "Bring barrels of ale from the cellars. We must celebrate!"

A cheer rose among the crowd at the promise of drink, the king and Balder disappearing somewhere out of sight among so many. Karian Motter, sighed with relief at things having turned out so well; even if she was still to locate her grandfather. He would be among the crowd, he had to be, drinking and no doubt chasing skirts. Maybe if she got to one of the balconies above, a higher vantage, she could spot him within the masses. A hand on her shoulder soon squelched that idea, however.

"I must speak with you." Frigga plied her with gentle persuasion to follow her back into the palace.

"I, uh... yes." She stumbled after the queen and her equally armoured ladies trailing around her like a prison guard to keep the midgardian from running. "I wasn't trying to kill him, you know." Her confession was met with the dull thud of boots on marble floor. "You know, I er, really should go and look for granddad..."

"After words, dear." The queen finally answered as they turned a corridor and headed into one of the royal suites.

The curly haired woman visibly grimaced at the impending questions, ladies in waiting closing the doors behind her as the queen moved to stand on a pedestal, arms spread awaiting her servants to begin disarming her. Kari fidgeted on the spot a moment, trying to keep her eyes from watching the undressing before sucking in a deep breath with the rise of her shoulders. What had she to be afraid of, really? Balder was fine, he did not even seem to be that mad with her and really this was technically all his fault, right? Or Karnillas? Okay, maybe a little hers too and you could never discount Loki; even if she was not sure what exactly the mischief maker had actually done, he had probably done something. This was all stupid anyway. Stupid Balder, stupid blood thirsty asgardians, stupid Karnilla, stupid Loki, stupid curses.

"The last I saw of our Balder, he was a shadow of a man on the cusp of death." Frigga finally began her address; startling the midgardian from her mental gymnastics. "Very unlike a warrior, laying in the dirt giving up the fight, but then the next he is as a memory of a man I have not seen in so long." The queen stepped down from her pedestal, no longer warrioress but returned to her flowing attire. "Can you explain these events, dear?"

"Um." Kari shrugged, not sure how much of the sordid details the queen of asgard really wanted to know. "How far back do you want me to, uh, go or whatever?"
"The beginning will suffice."
"Pretty sure I wasn't actually there at the beginning but, ya know." She sucked in a new deep breath, her lip getting a mulling over to help figure out the stories begin. "So, er, Karnilla kinda cursed Balder, something about Nanna and the only way out was a kiss but the kissing was being blocked by some magic shield so Balder let Karnilla poof the magic shield and he like, wasn't expecting it to poof so quickly and we got into an argument, which he started," She paused to roll her eyes with an added 'tut'. "Because he's all hung up on SO many ex's and somehow I'm the whore, and I told him not to talk that crap at me and he drew his sword so I drew mine and it all went kinda weird and he got stabbed."

"I see." Frigga circled back around from a side board with a drink in hand. "And Balder's recovery?"

"Oh, I kissed him and he was okay or something." Kari shrugged with the only answer she had to offer.

"Truly?" The queen was smirking to herself, swishing gracefully towards a window for a better view of the world below. "I will have many spells to weave once more, it would seem."

"Right." The midgardian bit her lip as she eyed the door and followed that progression with a glance towards ladies in waiting undressing to normal palace clothing much like their queen. "So, am I in trouble or can I go and look for granddad now?"

"Ragnorak would have to come to pass if you were not so, dear." Frigga chuckled with the shake of her head before gesturing her captive towards the door. "But you may go and search for your kin."

"Yeah, thanks." She did not wait for a second opinion on that answer, even if the queen was being weird, and darted towards the exit.

Right, well, least the queen was all right with her; maybe that would keep Odin at bay for a while, though probably not. The guards and palace dwellers seemed to be so caught up in an excuse to celebrate even they were ignoring her jogging through the corridors back to Fandral's rooms. Maybe he was home, looking for her, or maybe not. Karian Motter, sighed woefully as she slunk into her home, the fire cold, the kittens snoozing together like fluffy balls without a care in the world on a chair. She paused to mindlessly scritch behind the pairs ears before a sound caught her attention. Frowning, the midgardian strolled across to her bedroom, the door slightly ajar when it really should have still been locked on the inside. No doubt the current occupant had lock picked with some expertise.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Blue eyes glared, arms folded sternly, at amused green orbs.

"Your taste in music really is rather... limited." Loki stood from his seat on the bed in one swift motion, depositing her ipod on the mattress with a dissatisfied eyebrow raise. "But not unexpected in your case."

"Uh huh, sure." She rolled her eyes at the somehow expected, unexpected visit. "What do you want now?"

"I heard tell the noble bore had arisen from the dead as once some prophet of midgard." The disgraced prince splayed his arms as is mocking a man on a cross. "I take it your ministrations were just the cure for a cowardice heart."

"I did not fuck him."

"I am sure nobody is accusing your body of being of such high calibre it can raise the dead, Motter."

"So..." The curly haired woman leaned her back against the arch of the doorway, huffing a strand of hair from her eyes with a little rebuttal of her own reaching her tongue. "I heard some really interesting stories about you the other day, ya know."

"And must I-"

"There's like, twelve, uh, ladies at a brothel in town you've apparently told you want to be your queen and whatever."

"Yes?" The mischief maker queried serenely. "Did you truly think you were the only one, Motter? How utterly gullible."

"Nah. I always knew you were lying I'm just wondering..." She kicked away from the door frame, letting her body slink ever closer to her target before dipping her tone down into a conspiratory whisper. "Why are you so insecure you gotta do this shit to every girl you meet?"

"A prince must amuse himself somehow." Loki chuckled, fussing his dark hair back neatly. "Speaking of princes; now you have freed yours of his dilemma will you find that which you love intact or as ashes?"

"Whatever, Loki."

"No good deed is without its price, Motter." He skimmed her arm with a single digit, like a butler testing a surface for dust before she bristled away. "You would do well to remember that in the future. So as not to repeat the same mistake over and over. Though, I forget whom I speak to."

"Oh my god." Kari rolled her eyes as she moved back towards the door. "I'm not in the mood, I need to find granddad."

"I have tasks far beyond keeping you."

"Yeah, like plotting or whatever."

"Indeed."

"Hey!" She turned towards his direction just in time to catch the prince snatching up her ipod once more. "You can't just ta-" She stuttered to a stop as Loki elaborately snapped his fingers and disappeared with her property. "Oh my god, are you being serious right now? LOKI!"