Cassidy sat in the library. It had been a week since the feast which meant it had been a week since she had last been able to corner Loki. She was glad they had decided to establish a weekly private meal with the royal family. She was due to meet back with Navire in an hour so they could prepare for it. This meant either way she would see Loki but if she could bump into him beforehand well that was just luck; or in her case, very good planning. She was looking over histories of the realms. It was all rather dull to her but she knew it was necessary to at least keep up appearances and if she learned nothing then it wouldn't look good. She was just glad that the historians were unavailable. If they had met with her they would drone on and on with their dismal stories. She was glad to just be alone today. The guards only stood at the door and others rarely came to this library. The one person she hoped to see was rumored to make his rounds sometime in the late afternoon and she had been waiting for a while now.
She wandered around the high shelves aimlessly. Her first month in the palace had been busy. She was setting up meetings and arranging visits to her home realm. She was working closely with her loyal court back home to keep up with everything. They would contact her if an emergency arose but things had been peaceful on their realm. According to her sources her people were waiting to see what she would do next. It seemed no one had doubted her speech and if they did they were simply willing to wait and see how things turned out. They all seemed to realize they needed a new treaty or form of negotiation to thrive. Only if those fell apart would they allow a new war to be fought. Her people had grown tired of the bloodshed and lived in relative peace, forced terrified peace but peace, and she would be sure to change that. The remainder of her time that wasn't taken up by queenly duties was spent seeking out Loki in random placed and memorizing the few patterns he did keep. It was a difficult task as he rarely left his rooms and most times she could only see him in the library or hallway in passing.
She sighed as she returned to shuffle more papers around the desk she had commandeered. She would stay patient and stick to her plan. He would show up eventually. The times she had passed him while on her way to a lesson or meeting she had waved, winked, or tripped to try and catch his attention. It seemed futile; he appeared ignorant to her existence.
Time ticked by and she soon began to gather her things, she could not be late to the dinner. As she was leaving she turned in time to see him. Loki strode into the library, looking like he was on a mission. It wasn't a stretch; he did know exactly where he was going. She hurriedly stepped out in front of him. Loki skidded to a halt looking slightly surprised. He glanced around as Cassidy stared up at him in awe.
"I'm sorry miss. I did not mean to get in your way." He said steadily as he stepped to the side.
"Oh no! Not at all!" Cassidy said sidestepping to get in front of him yet again. "It is my fault once again. I am so clumsy. I do apologize I was just leaving!" she rearranged things in her hands allowing some papers to spill to the floor.
Loki nearly rolled his eyes. This Cassidy girl was becoming troublesome. He could not fathom what she could gain by pestering him so much. It was even worse now that his parents had invited her to stay at the castle. Although now that he had even more freedom he was undeniably using that to his advantage. The less he dealt with her and her uncle the better. Still, their being guests he could not be rude to her and risk his newly found freedoms. He breathed deeply as he bent over to assist in the fallen papers recovery.
"Oh," the girl breathed lightly, "Thank you, I am sorry! It's so good you are always here to help me. I don't know what I would do." She laughed at her own joke.
Loki just smiled slightly and responded, "I guess you would have to pick these up yourself in that case." He handed her the papers still holding his coy grin in place. "I hear you are our guest for dinner. I will see you there." He added as he walked around her toward the back of the library ignoring her shocked and slightly offended face. A face Loki could tell was real. He smiled to himself in satisfaction. She may fool the rest of his family but she could not fool him. There was still something amiss about her and Loki was determined to keep his distance.
Dinner had been just as dreadful as he had guessed. Cassidy giggled too much at nothing and Odin had kept his eye on Loki. Thor, feeling the tension had become awkward trying to make small talk. This had somehow lead Lord Navire into a conversation about sword play and hunting where both parties felt they were superior and began discussing a competition of sorts. Odin had called the idea rubbish but Frigga was determined to make the meal a success putting an end to the conversation by saying there was a yearly hunt that perhaps everyone could participate in. She then skillfully changed the subject to the weather and the gardens to begin involving Cassidy again which only lead to more giggling and Loki having to endure it all.
He collapsed on his bed, the night had been exhausting and he had hardly spoken a full sentence. He would need to get some rest now as his meeting with Ashera was landing in the middle of the night. Night meetings were nice for him as he could sneak out without a problem. He drifted off with a smile on his face knowing he would soon see his friend.
Ashera left work and headed home. If she was following along properly it would be a night visit this time. Moving to her room she changed quickly into something comfy and maneuverable because she never did know what Loki was planning. Last time she had gotten there he had bombarded her with copies and told her she had to choose which was real. It had taken some time but because they had gone over this sort of thing before it was just another test he had begun to use in order for her to practice. She grabbed a small bag with a flashlight and a change of clothes and waited in her living room. She went over all the lessons so far in her mind. She had recently learned a very convenient spell that allowed her to transform with clothes, saving her from most of her embarrassment. Granted she was not very good at it and was only able to place simple spandex shorts and a tank top on her for now, it got the job done so she tried not to complain. Loki insisted once she was more used to it she would be able to conjure different outfits. She had been practicing transformations on the fly and could almost pull off a few combat moves within moments of her change. Things were going well. Loki had even begun to teach her elemental magic. Their telepathy was a work in progress. She felt embarrassed that she couldn't catch on faster but Loki always encouraged her. She smiled to herself as she thought of him. He was at ease when teaching her. Like nothing could faze him, even her being not quite human. It was nice having him around, it made her feel normal. She smiled knowing they would soon see each other. She ran her thumb over the spyglass mirror Loki had given her. They tended to use it before opening the portal to ensure it was safe as well as give warning that their meeting was soon.
She moved about her kitchen lost in thought. As she passed her sink a stray ladle from the night before caught on her shirt causing a chain reaction of falling dishes. Ashera turned to catch them as they shattered on the floor. Shards of glass and porcelain flew across the room. One particularly large and jagged piece flew up catching Ashera's inner arm as she tried to contain the mess. It sliced through her skin diagonally allowing a thin red line to suddenly pour blood all over her floor turning her kitchen into a crime scene.
"Crap!" Ashera cursed grabbing her arm to try and lessen the bleeding. She backed away from the room, her flustered demeanor only rising knowing she had to do something about this before Loki showed up. Trying to asses her situation properly she took another step back tripping over the threshold of the kitchen to the living room. As she fell back still clutching her arm she braced for the impact already knowing this wouldn't end well.
Instead of the hard floor she felt her decent stop abruptly halfway and she was suddenly scooped up in a cool embrace. One arm supported her shoulders while the other had her at the knees. Looking up she saw none other than Loki. He grimaced down at her as he carried her briskly to her bathroom.
"You needn't be so reckless." He stated blandly. "Our meetings are not THAT dull."
This made the girl smile despite herself, as he set her down on the tubs edge. He placed his hand over her arm as he had her paw on their first encounter. The light green glow shimmered beneath his palm and she could feel her arm warm with the healing process.
"Now that I know how careless you can be, I will be adding healing to our tasks."
The girl stretched her arm touching where the cut had been moments ago. Loki quickly stopped her by wrapping his cool fingers around her wrist. He brought her hand over to him observing it quickly before lightly caressing her hand with his glowing fingertips. Ashera winced forgetting about the other small cuts that had already begun to heal.
"There." Loki stated blandly. "Did you happen to get any other wounds I am unaware of?"
Ashera shook her head.
"Good. No doubt it would have healed quickly enough on its own but I'd prefer my pupil to not be bleeding everywhere." He scowled slightly at the thought.
"I do heal quicker than normal people." Ashera said softly, "It's a small perk of being a monster I guess."
Loki gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes, "Stop your nonsense." He commanded. "I cannot be off realm long or Heimdall will figure me out. Let us get this cleaned up quickly yes?"
Ashera could only nod her head in agreement and rose shakily to her feet. She was no longer hurt but the ordeal left her feeling anxious and embarrassed. She remembered who she really was and she shouldn't have needed Loki's help. She was too complacent and had messed up. She couldn't mess up, not again. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a broom. Loki rolled his eyes again and used magic to clean the mess from the floor. He looked over to Ashera who was staring at the now clean floor, something was off. Her hair was covering her face as she had her head tilted down. Her arms hung loosely at her sides and her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. Was this really because she had dropped something on the floor?
"Ashera," Loki coaxed slightly, snapping her out of her trance, "Shall we?" He reached out his hand to her.
She nodded again and took it hesitantly taking a shaky step towards him. He brought them safely to their training field. The quiet night only stirred by crickets and the sound of the river running nearby. It was peaceful. Ashera took a deep breath feeling her anxiety lessen. Loki stood by her side, watching carefully. He could sense something was wrong and it bothered him to see her unease. His hand still rested in hers so he gave it a slight squeeze to alert her to his presence. She seemed surprised for a moment looking to their hands then up to him; her eyes gleaming in the starlight. She gave a weak smile before letting go.
"I'm sorry Loki." She admitted sheepishly. "I just felt so helpless." She looked away. "I'm not used to needing anyone. I'm also not used to anyone being around. I know I'm not normal so, I just felt stupid. I put myself into that situation because I wasn't paying enough attention. I know better and I'm sorry it was a burden to you."
Loki shook his head as he let a small grin grace his features. "Here," he gestured, "let us sit for a moment."
Ashera obliged and sat next to Loki who was easing himself towards the ground, his back against the boulder. Once seated, Loki reached over to take her hand again in his. Her eyes widened slightly as they came up to meet his. He smiled softly before averting his gaze to the stars.
"You know, someone recently told me something about being more understanding and giving people chances." His eyes darted over to the girl who was still looking at him. A small smile crossed her lips as she too turned to look into the night sky. "I believe it could apply to oneself as well. Although, if I have learned anything from this particular person, I believe it is that we need to realize," he paused a moment to take a breath, "no one has to be alone."
Loki felt the brush of hair against his neck and then the light pressure of Ashera's head resting against his shoulder. A wave of pleasure filled his heart. He moved his fingers to intertwine them with hers and they sat in silence for some time simply enjoying the calm night.
They watched the sky change and the stars fade. The spots where their skin touched burned with their mingled heat. Loki had never felt such peace or such devotion. It frightened him that he could have such feelings. But the overwhelming nature of the feelings had him addicted. He was selfish, he could admit that, and never wanted to let these feelings go, nor did he want to let Ashera go.
After a few hours they both shifted. Ashera had nearly fallen asleep on the Prince and cleared her throat as she released his hand to shake out the sleep from her limbs and head. Loki reluctantly stood and stretched himself.
"Thank you." He said with a slight bow toward her, "for indulging me." He looked up with a grin that Ashera returned easily.
"Thank you as well," Ashera said curtseying back, "For your help." She smiled kindly, "Also, it was very nice to just relax for a moment."
"Don't get used to it" He answered with a wink.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"Now then, how would you like to go over a few things before you go?"
Ashera woke the next morning in her bed wondering if the night before with Loki had been a dream. It was so different from other encounters and she was wondering if she had imagined it all. There was no proof at all that anything had transpired. She didn't have a scar, her kitchen was clean, and she couldn't sense him anywhere. This unexpectedly put her in a sour mood. She felt as though the more time they spent together the more she wanted to be around him, but he couldn't possibly feel the same. Her chest ached at the thought and she had to take a shallow breath to control the pain. Why did he make her feel this way? She felt so free around him, so natural. Ashera bit her lower lip. She was a creature and he was a god. He was the trickster God; so why did she feel so at ease with him? "If there is one thing I would like you to believe of me, it is that I will never lie to you." His words rang in her head as she struggled with her emotions. That's right he may be trustworthy but his feelings were a different matter. She could be making things up completely, she could not assume how he felt and wouldn't torture herself with false hope and imaginings. The only thing she could do was try to act normal. She sighed as she looked at her hand, the one that had been cradled in Loki's touch all night. She was just overreacting to a simple thing. He did not feel anything for her. He was just trying to relate to her, to help her grow, to teach her as he had been doing this whole time. Besides she was part human, part something unholy. That combination would never be good enough for a God. She shook her head and got up to start her day. She would be seeing him again soon enough. She just had to control her unruly emotions and get through each day. She had to keep herself in check before another story of hers ended in pain.
