The feast was a grand success. The celebration went on well into the night, with gods and goddesses alike enjoying food and drink, some in excess. Balder danced the night away, making more rotations around the dancefloor than he could ever hope to count. Thor eventually joined in the fun as well, getting roped into a drinking contest with Tyr. Naturally, the contest ended in a brawl, drawing the attention of nearly everyone in the hall. Gods and goddesses gathered around to watch the fight, Balder shaking his head at his brother's antics. It was a rare occasion to see the emotionless god let loose, but when it happened, it was always a sight for the ages.

Among the shenanigans, one god in particular remained passive in the merriment. Loki, god of fire and mischief, remained solitary; watching the events unfold from a spot towards the back of the hall. After Yuna had fled the scene, he found himself oddly distracted. Images of the past few days dominated his thoughts. Yuna's nervous expression. Runa's discolored paws. Balder's pale fingers dusted in pink. The pieces were insignificant on their own but put together, they painted a perfect picture.

If you're that eager, you should come with me.

He had the words to Runa that night in his cottage, just before covering her hilariously with pink powder. The same powder that had covered every inch of her body from her ears to her paws. Yuna had arrived at the feast, doing little more than watching him from different corners of the room. Her hands had been covered with pink dust as well. That dust had rubbed on Balder's hand when he held it. All of the evidence pointed in one very obvious direction, although he was a little surprised to admit it.

He came to his conclusion with a determined grin, resolving himself to find their furry friend. He was absolutely certain that they were one in the same. Loki just had to prove it. After committing to doing so, the mischievous god decided to have some fun of his own in the meantime. He wasn't going to be finding her that night, so he figured he may as well enjoy himself for the rest of the evening.

Thus, Loki amused himself at the expense of other attendees. After turning half of the partygoer's tongues purple, startling a multitude of goddesses, and covering Hodr in neon green confetti, Loki finally fled the scene. While he had been nearly in tears, laughing at the unfortunate victims, the rest of the gods didn't share in his amusement. Sensing the rising tension in the atmosphere, the god of fire beat a hasty retreat. As he wandered through the city streets on his way home, he glanced upward at the moon. It was full tonight.

Smiling up at the large white orb, he couldn't help but wonder if Yuna was out there, looking up at the same night sky.

. . .

Loki spent the next two days trying to locate the goddess, now determined to speak with her and confirm his suspicions. He had all of the evidence. He was just missing a suspect. His searches were uneventful and his howling call did no help to summon her. Once again, she had disappeared. Giving up for the time being, he decided to instead go about his business. At this point, Loki had learned that the best way to find Runa was not to look for her at all.

Sure enough, his opportunity came days later in the form of a chance meeting. Returning home, hare in hand, Loki caught sight of movement within the trees. Considering that nothing came charging after him in the seconds that followed, he knew who the culprit must be. Unsurprisingly, it seemed that she was following him once again. A pastime that the hidden goddess seemed to particularly enjoy.

For a few moments, the god indulged her, strolling along as though he hadn't noticed a thing. Soft rustling in the trees alerted him that she was still watching him. Loki had to give her credit. She truly was a talented predator. She had mastered the art of timing her footsteps with the breeze, masking her movements with the billowing of the leaves. Unfortunately, Runa hadn't accounted for one thing. Loki was a god of mischief. He had mastered the art of stealth as well.

A few more steps along the trail gave him the opening he needed. Entering a small clearing, Loki drifted slightly to the left, moving closer to the tree line to draw her into a better position. He followed the sound of her footfalls, smiling as she timed a step with his own snapping across a twig. Damn, she was good. But not good enough. After one more step, he spun full circle and bolted towards the bushes, directly for her location.

Startled, Yuna burst from the trees, darting across the clearing to escape. It was the first time the wolf had ever run from him, removing any doubt that he may have had towards her identity. Now, Loki was absolutely sure. He chased after her, calling out before she could vanish back into the woods. Using her true name, he halted her in her tracks with the element of surprise. "Yuna!"

Her momentary pause was all the reaction he needed. It was her.

The wolf slowed to a stop, ceasing her flight. Following their encounter at the feast, Yuna had been avoiding him. After her initial attempt to meet him had gone slightly awry, the goddess had been nervous to make another one. Now, it seemed she would have no choice. Somehow, Loki had figured out the truth. Any further efforts towards disguise would no longer help her. The sound of crunching snow behind her grew louder as the other god approached. She allowed it, letting him reach her.

"So, we meet again… Yuna."

She lowered her head, resigning herself to whatever fate may befall her. For better or for worse, it was time to meet him, once more, as herself. In a small burst of snowy light, she shifted, returning to her original form. Her silver hair cascaded down her back, fluttering gently in the wind. The familiar white dress wrapped around her body, with pale skin so light it nearly matched the fabric itself. It fluttered around her as she turned, looking up at him with nervous eyes. "You figured it out."

Loki smiled stepping forward to stand before her just as he had in the palace halls. "I will admit, you had us all fooled. You were very thorough." She tensed slightly as he took her hand in his and lifted it closer to eye level to emphasize. "Just not thorough enough." Manipulating her hand, he gently parted her fingers, revealing the remnants of Loki's joke powder stained between the digits.

"Hah…" Yuna lowered her head, color rising to her pale cheeks as she took note of her folly. The powder. Of course. She had been careless. On the night of the ball when Balder took her hand, it must have rubbed off on his skin. After leaving Loki's cottage, the goddess had tried her best to cleanse her body of the stubborn coloring. It seemed that she had missed a few spots, unintentionally revealing herself.

Having made his point, he let her hand fall, smirking victoriously at the embarrassed goddess. "Yuna, Yuna, Yuna… you've been untruthful." He taunted, smile growing wider as she looked away.

"I didn't lie."

"A lie by omission is still a lie, dear goddess."

"I omitted nothing. I never spoke."

Loki paused, lifting an eyebrow at her witty retort. As the god of mischief, he often took pride in his ability to dance circles around his opponents, both physically and mentally. It was extremely uncommon to find someone that could match him in a game of wits, and even rarer for someone to best him. It seemed that this goddess was willing to challenge him, despite her timid demeanor. And that thought… excited him. Deciding to drop the topic for the time being, he instead shifted gears. "What brought you to the Yuletide feast, hmm?"

"…You invited me." She muttered, citing his ramblings of a few nights prior.

Loki's lips pulled into a grin. It was true. By technicality, he had certainly invited her that evening to join him. Although at the time, he was unaware of her identity. He hadn't expected his canine companion to be a fellow god, let alone for her to actually follow him to the event. Of course, Loki wasn't bothered by the situation. No, in fact, he found it highly amusing. "So you've been following us around for all this time, a goddess in disguise."

"Wolves are inconspicuous here." She responded. Another point that he couldn't really argue.

"But why be inconspicuous, hmm? Hiding a secret perhaps…?" Loki purred, slowly leaning towards her.

Yuna backed away, averting her eyes from the intrusive god. "I hide nothing."

Loki didn't believe her for a second. Surely, there had to be a reason why she would go to so much trouble. Hiding her tracks, masking her aura, doing anything and everything possible to appear as nothing more than a forest creature. At least, at first. No. This woman was up to something. He just needed to figure out what.

The goddess slowly followed him with her eyes, standing perfectly still as he paced back and forth in front of her. He regarded her carefully, eyes drifting slowly up and down her form as if searching for something. Loki took note of every detail from her clothing to her physical traits, picking everything apart to find the piece that didn't fit.

Her skin was deathly pale, and her golden eyes signified her status as a goddess. She was comparatively small, far thinner than the average women of his realm. Her movements were graceful and regal, even down to her even trot in wolf form. And she was unsure of herself, lacking the bold and often brash nature of the Norse residents. No. She was too sensitive. Too delicate. And her voice…

Her voice.

Like a ton of bricks, it finally hit him. Yuna's speech patterns were a bit unusual. She spoke his tongue, certainly well enough to blend in… but her pronunciation of various words were slightly off. On rare occasions, some were almost entirely incorrect. Yuna was right. Up until now, she had never actually spoken to him. And in the end, that was what gave her away. Her accent was her tell.

"…You're not from Asgard, are you?"

Her body went rigid, confirming that he had hit his mark. So, that was why she hid herself. Yuna was an outsider. A goddess of another realm come to reside in Asgard for reasons unknown… and somehow, that revelation made him surprisingly happy. It seemed that she truly was a mystery for him to unravel. She became more fascinating with each passing moment.

"Interesting… well then, now that we're free of interruptions, I believe a more official introduction is in order… Runa." She twitched slightly at the use of her wolfen name. "Let's try again, shall we? I am Loki, god of fire."

"Hello, Loki. I am Yuna… goddess of winter." She responded, her own introduction far less dramatic than his own. Hers was quiet and cautious, almost as though she were trying to hide it. Or perhaps she was bothered by it. Fascinating.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Yuna."

"Likewise."

"Now, what is a goddess of winter doing so far away from home?"

"If you must know, I was simply passing through."

Loki's smile grew. "Hmm… well, that makes this a pretty long pause, wouldn't you say? You realize the goal of passing through somewhere is to… pass through?"

A tired sigh was his initial response, much like those he had come to expect from her as Runa. "Yes Loki, I am well aware of that. I simply decided to stay… I like it here." Her voice lowered, the last sentence quieting into a nervous mumble.

Silence hung in the air following her admission. That hadn't been the response he was expecting from her. For a few moments, he regarded her with scrutiny, trying to detect any form of dishonesty. It was such an innocent, simple reason that it almost seemed absurd. Of course, that was in Loki's opinion. Thinking about it, the idea of a winter goddess enjoying a land of permanent ice wasn't exactly surprising. Even still, it struck him as odd. Surely she had duties to take care of, humans to govern, followers to watch over.

Or perhaps not. Maybe that was why she was here.

Whatever her reason, Loki decided that he was going to make it his own personal mission to find out. The god of fire didn't like being uninformed and he was very curious to find out what could cause a goddess to flee her home. Deciding that she was relatively harmless, he placed a hand on his hip and shot her an amused smile. "Well, if that is the case, I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay here… Yuna."