The week that followed was an eventful one.

With Yuna's mind set, she spent her energy working in the shadows to put her plan into motion. With Loki's insatiable curiosity and Balder's naïve nature, the goddess was faced with quite a challenge. The god of fire and mischief was far too perceptive to work around without taking notice, and once he suspected foul play, he would be on her trail like a bloodhound. As such, she couldn't risk letting his air-headed friend getting wind of her surprise either. Balder, while well-meaning, was easily manipulated. It wouldn't take long for Loki to schmooze answers out of him.

This left her with only one option. The largest and the quietest of the three gods: Thor. He was too resistant to fall victim to Loki's social engineering, and he was generally aloof enough that neither one would question him. The fact that he spent a great deal of time hunting in the forest only further served to work to her advantage. It allowed the perfect cover for her, allowing her to not only have some fun, but gather information and trade ideas on Loki's celebration.

It had been during one of these hunts, that the pair had gotten a little carried away. Uncertain of which foods he would prefer, Yuna had decided to try and sample all of them in a ploy to tease the answers out of him without being too direct. Unfortunately, this had led to a bit of a surplus, leaving them with not only too much food to try, but too much to utilize in general. With no other choice, the pair decided to share their spoils with the other two gods in order to complete her original objective, and put their mountain of meat to use.

The result…

"Mn…"

A contented sigh escaped the winter goddess in a pleasant hum. Her eyelids slid closed, and her lips curled in a contented smile. Juices from the finely roasted meat pooled in her mouth, transporting the winter goddess into her own personal heaven. She had eaten many a meal in her years, but none had ever compared to something like this.

"Is it good?" Loki asked with a smug look on his face.

Yuna couldn't muster the energy to argue, instead opting for completely transparency. "It's magnificent." The words felt inadequate leaving her mouth. They didn't even begin to describe the sensation. It was as though every bite set off a wave of pleasure in her brain, leaving the goddess in a state of endless euphoria.

Thor smirked across from her, a look of amusement growing on his face. He watched her nearly inhale her meal, bearing a frightening resemblance to the god sitting next to her. He had never thought he would see the day he met another god who loved barbecue as much as Balder did. Of course, he had never met another god that loved meat in general as much as his carnivorous brother. It wasn't surprising considering the fact that she often spent her time posing as a wolf. He just hadn't expected those dietary habits to follow her into her original form.

Beside her, Balder chuckled. His throat bobbed as he swallowed a mouthful, his lips pulling upward as he watched her do the same. "You enjoy barbecue, Yuna?"

"Of course, she does." Loki interjected before the goddess could answer. What animal doesn't?"

His jab went unanswered. Yuna was far too preoccupied with her meal to bother with his backhanded comments. Normally, she would have fired back with a quip of her own, or at the very least, retaliated to rile him up in some other way. Today, she couldn't find the will to do so. She was in far too good of a mood.

Shaking his head, Balder tried with a different question, curiosity slowly getting the better of him. "Have you never eaten barbecue before?"

Yuna shook her head. "Never. I spent most of my life in solitude or living with the forest creatures. I occasionally participated in celebratory events with the other gods, but I've never tasted something like this."

"Yes, Loki has quite the talent for culinary arts."

The god in question swelled with pride at Balder's praise, reveling in his victory as two of his friends enjoyed his cooking. His ego lifted slightly further as Yuna seconded Balder's opinion with a compliment of her own.

"It certainly looks that way. I have to say, I am rather impressed. I never would have guessed."

"Hmm? Are you surprised my skills?" He couldn't help but feel a small twinge of irritation when she emphatically nodded her head.

"Do you do this sort of thing often?" She asked, moving on to another helping of rabbit.

Loki shrugged. "More or less. Balder here could eat half of the forest population if you let him, so I tend to get a lot of practice."

Yuna nodded her head, taking note of Balder's appetite. As she watched him gulp down a hunk of venison, she couldn't help but feel slightly confused. It was odd to her to see the god of light, one often surrounded by all living things, inhale what was once of those very same creatures without remorse. It was a strange duality that she would never be able to fully understand. Of course, Balder's love of protein did raise another question. Her eyes drifted back to the fire god, who was also partaking of his meal, albeit far less aggressively. Perhaps now was her chance, while he was feeling inflated and relatively distracted.

"And what about you, Loki?"

"Eh?"

"I think it's obvious at this point that you make a variety of meats for Balder… but what about yourself? Would you count yourself amongst our ilk?"

The other god paused for a moment, giving her question some serious thought. Few had ever bothered to ask question him on his preferences, and her inquiry caught him off guard. "I do enjoy meat as much as any Asgardian, but certainly not on the level of you or Balder. I wouldn't say it's my favorite, but I don't dislike it."

A typical, non-helpful, Loki answer. Yuna restrained and outward sigh, taking another bite of her barbecue. Time to switch strategies. "Would you say you're more of a fruit or vegetable person?"

Loki shrugged. "I enjoy them as well, but not so much that I'd go out of my way."

Another unhelpful answer. Growing mildly irritated, Yuna decided to try another approach. Dancing around the question wasn't likely to get her anywhere. If she wanted a straight answer, she was going to have to be more direct. "So, what exactly do you like?"

"Food."

At this point, the goddess felt an overwhelming urge to huck a snowball at him. There was no way he wasn't doing this on purpose. Why did he always have to be so difficult? "What kind of food? If you could have anything you wanted, what would it be?"

"Candy."

"…" Yuna gave him a long, hard stare, her own food temporarily forgotten. It wasn't entirely clear whether or not he was being serious or not, and with Loki, one could never be too certain. "…Candy?"

At his nod, the goddess nearly sighed. Of course, that would be his answer. He carried literal basketfuls of the stuff nearly everywhere he went. Half of them were generally decoys and some other form of traps, but that was beside the point. Her mind drifted for a slight moment, wondering how exactly he managed to tell them own apart, but she quickly recovered her focus. Looking desperately at Thor, Yuna received only a nod from the other god.

"Loki has quite the sweet tooth. He always has." Balder commented, helping himself to some caribou.

"Is that so..." Yuna muttered. This was helpful information… but still not enough. She needed to find a way to pull more information out of him, lest she be left with a singular option of filling his house with licorice. As she watched him swipe a small piece from Thor's plate, she got an idea. "I suppose it isn't that surprising."

"Hmm?" Thor lifted an eyebrow, noticing her shift in demeanor. He knew that tone of voice. She was taunting him.

"I used to enjoy candy too, when I was a child."

Loki twitched. Yuna watched the gears turn for a few seconds, waiting for her implications to sink in. When they did, she smiled. He took the bait.

"Eh?! You've got a lot of nerve, puppy. See if I make you food ever again."

"You can't eat nothing but candy, Loki."

"I eat more than candy. I just like sweet foods!" He whined, glaring daggers at the snickering goddess.

Yuna said nothing more. Instead, she simply smiled. Finally, she had gotten her answer. Now, she knew what to do. Reaching downward, she blinked at the sound of utensil on glass. It seemed that she had finished her rabbit without realizing.

Loki, naturally, jumped on the opportunity. "Ha! Serves you right. And you can't have any more of my cooking." He challenged, all but sticking his tongue out in triumph.

The goddess frowned. While she had successfully gotten her answers through her prodding, it had come at the cost of her food. She wasn't happy about it, but what else was there to be done? Resigning herself, she shrugged and accepted her punishment. A small price to pay for what she had in store…

… or so she thought.

"Here, Yuna. You can have some of mine."

Two startled pairs of eyes snapped to the side, watching as Balder offered her a slap of the boar he was now working on. Yuna stared for a moment, a bit taken aback at his generosity. Thor and Loki nearly gaped at him, the latter looking ready to fall out of his chair. Balder was offering to share his meat? He didn't know what to make of it.

Instead, he watched as the goddess smiled and accepted his offer with a bashful smile. He wasn't sure which part bothered him more. The fact that Balder was clearly growing increasingly fond of their new resident… or the fact that she seemed to be enjoying it. The familiar twinge of jealously began to manifest itself once more, as he recalled the two of them the previous week, hand in hand near the forest's edge.

At first, he had decided to brush off the feeling, forcing down the unwelcome emotions at the s. After all, Balder was always a kind soul, and Yuna, while stubborn, was a timid goddess. Timid to everyone besides him, that is. He had simply assumed his oblivious friend was expressing gratitude or some other form of platonic affection, and the other simply too polite to pull away from him.

Now, he was beginning to think otherwise as he watched the two on the other side of the table, exchanging meats and sharing laughs. Perhaps, there really was something blossoming between the two gods, something far deeper than friendship. It wouldn't exactly be unusual, considering Balder's history of being… Balder. He was the god of light, and all who encountered him fell at his feet. It would have been even stranger if she hadn't started growing attached to him, based off of his track record.

But Yuna had been different. She had displayed caution and uncertainty, unaffected by the other god's magnetic field. It had been Loki that she had come to, and Balder she ha shied away from him. Him that she had spent her evenings with, howling to the moon and enjoying late-night meads by the fire. Him, that she had first revealed herself to, following him around the ballroom of the All-Father's palace. And it wasn't until this moment that Loki realized… that had made him happy.

Growing tired of watching the pair, the god of fire excused himself from the group, citing his desire to get out of the cold. He ignored Yuna's reasonable comment about a god of fire evading the chill and instead made his way inside. They were nearly done their cook-out anyway, and Loki needed to distance himself a bit to clear his head. He didn't know why the thought of the other two growing closer bothered him so much… but he hoped that some time away from the both of them would help him answer that question.

. . .

The barbecue went on for a couple of hours following Loki's departure. During that time, Yuna had grown worried, and attempted to excuse herself to go and check on him. Her plan had been thwarted by Balder, who advised her not to bother the other god if he wanted to be left alone. As a god of fire, his temper could often match his affinity, and it was best to let him return in his own time. Following his advice, Yuna had remained with the other two until well into the afternoon.

By the time Loki cooled off, the festivities had ended. After cleaning up, the brothers had returned to the city, leaving no evidence of their feast behind. Yuna, the one he found himself looking for, was nowhere to be found. With nothing to do and all of his friends moved on, the god decided to instead take a walk through the forest. It was nearly evening, and the sun was slowly vanishing over the horizon. The tweeting birds were growing silent, replaced by the hooting of snow owls as day shifted into night.

He wasn't sure how long he wandered through the darkening forest, nor why. It wasn't like him to be doing so in the first place, often staying inside during this time of night. For a brief moment, he wondered if some part of him was hoping to find Yuna, but he quickly pushed the thoughts aside. Not only was the idea foolish in itself, but he knew better than anyone that one didn't simply find the winter goddess. She had to come to them. With that thought in mind, Loki slowed on the forest path. Seeing no further point in continuing his stroll, he turned to make his way back to his home.

That was when he heard it.

A gentle melody reached his ears, whispering through the trees. It was a voice, so beautiful, it nearly made his heart skip. He had never heard such a thing in his time in Asgard, and it didn't take long for his curiosity to overwhelm him. Following the notes through the brush, he quickly found himself wandering into a familiar clearing. And sitting on a tree stump near the center was the source of it, a figure that he recognized very well.

Loki found himself stunned by the sight. The winter goddess was a sight to behold in her element, sharing her music with the night, surrounded by falling snow. He had never expected for her to have such a lovely voice, but it really shouldn't have surprised him. Her animal was the wolf, after all, a creature that spent its nights howling at the moon above. And what was a howl but a evening song?

His footsteps drew her attention, halting her melody and turning her attention towards him. "Loki! What are you doing out here this time of night?"

"I could ask you the same question." He replied, strolling further into the clearing.

The goddess laughed, a pleasant sound to his ears. "The same thing I always do at this time of night. Although, my voice is usually a bit different…"

"Different, yeah, but still nice."

"…You like my voice?" Yuna asked, a little surprised at his unexpected compliment.

Loki quickly backpedaled, realizing that he had said a bit more than he intended. "What was that anyway? Song from home?"

She nodded, lifting a brow at his violent shift. "Yes. It is a song of my season. I sing it often, although not many have heard it besides Demani and Haru."

"…Who?"

"Demani and Haru. The goddesses of autumn and spring. Because of our season's proximity, I tended to interact more with them than others."

"Makes sense." Loki shrugged, stopping beside her. The two remained in comfortable silence for a few moments, each looking silently up at the rising moon. He couldn't help but notice the way the moonbeams hit her face, alighting her fair skin with an ethereal glow. Gods in Asgard were often light of complexion, due to their everlasting winter, but Yuna was on a different level entirely. It was almost haunting, the way her skin matched with her silver hair. It was even more surprising how much Loki enjoyed the sight of her, easily more fascinating than any goddess he had ever encountered during his lifetime.

Not that that had been very many.

Even still, he enjoyed looking at her. She was beautiful in phantasmal way, looking even more enrapturing surrounded by her season. It wasn't until she spoke to him that he realized he had been watching her, staring for a moment too long.

"…Loki?"

"The moon is full tonight." He deflected, halting her before she could get a chance to ponder too much. His misdirection worked, it seemed, as she smiled and turned her head back to the sky.

"Yes… yes, it is."