Loki had grown used to the bird's presence. It was now an odd sight to find him without either the phoenix or the robin on his shoulder. She (and there was little doubt the bird was female) would listen to people sing and once she heard it all the way through once, copied the music precisely. Sometimes her trilling was something they had never heard before, but was rather catchy.

Finally Loki came up with a name for her bird form. Twilight. Her feathers were all the colors of the rainbow, which on Earth was like the sun setting or rising on any given day with the multitude of colors that coalesced into a glorious banner. The girl-turned-phoenix liked her new nickname, since it was by far more flattering than anything the magical communities would have given her.

If her songs seemed a little more brighter, well, the people of Asgard weren't going to comment.

Loki sat in his corner of the library and didn't pay any note to the fact that Twilight was singing again. Her phoenix song was actually quite soothing, more than he would have believed. Unlike everyone else, he could hear her words along with the song's rhythm.

"The dancing snowflakes are fragments of stars

Reaching out towards the heavens

I can feel my wishes as they come and go

Everything is now in monochrome

The white breath spilling softly from my lips

Is shaped like words I want to convey

It must be the warmth that's making the sky grow faintly lighter

Our wings are drenched in shared sorrow

Turning pure white as they overlap

And becoming a gentle courage for the future we passed to each other

The beating of my heart as I wait for the dawn of an unknown world

A new tomorrow that begins as I depart with the first rays of light

The dancing snowflakes are fragments of stars

Reaching out towards the heavens

I can feel my wishes as they come and go

Everything is now in monochrome."

(The song that plays right before the mecha fight in Star Driver.)

Loki looked up from his book.

"Interesting song."

'I heard it from something I saw on Earth. Malfoy never cared what I did so long as he didn't have to see me. The filth should have known better than to attempt to force himself on me with his mother nearby.'

"I still don't understand why his own mother turned against him."

'Blacks follow a very good rule. If someone is stronger than you and isn't a complete idiot, then become allies with them...or kill them if possible. Narcissa knew I was the head of the Black, and as a blood member of the family she was blood bound to uphold my honor. Even if it meant turning against her own son. According to her, Draco was far too much like his father to be a proper Black anyway.'

"A pity I never got a chance to deal with this Draco. He sounds like the kind of person I would enjoy...playing...with."

Twilight's amused trill got his attention.

'You did kill him. Hel used one of your missed staff blasts to cause a piece of skyscraper to turn him into a mess on the road. It was because of your attack that I was freed from that nightmare.'

"And yet you won't let me see what you really look like," complained Loki.

'I am still regaining my full strength. It takes at least three months for a human to return to proper weight after deliberately starving themselves for over a year. However, you will be the first to see what I truly look like.'

"I look forward to that. Know any other songs?"

'Hmm...I do have one with you specifically in mind.'

Twilight took a breath before trilling in a rather unique beat.

"Walking along the animal path

Roaring with the lions and tigers

Paradise lying far across a sky dyed red

To a youth wandering imprisoned in loneliness

Are weakness and hatred shapeless enemies?

Oh Father, I am still...

Learning who I am

As I pursue backs I no longer see

Of elder brothers who have gone before me

In the night I spend lost

The morning star beckons me

This will not end in my death

I long for my dream

My faith in you sustains my life

In the windswept wilderness

Living with the butterflies and flowers

Blooming together in a mirage of eternal spring

If my purity of spirit seems muddled

And my body filthy

Please believe in the finery within my heart

Oh mother, I will show no tears...

The vanish like...

The dew in the grass beneath my feet."

(Ending to Code Geass:Lelouch of the Rebellion.)

Loki's breath caught at the words. He could see why she immediately thought of him whenever she sang that song. It fit him far too well.

Unknown to the two, Odin could hear the words as well as Loki could. He knew very well the girl was the new Mistress of Death, Hel's Avatar in the mortal realm.

Under normal circumstances he would have kicked her out and onto the bifrost when he found out what she was. However a few things stayed his hand.

Her relationship with Loki, while odd, did work wonders for his temperament. He had yet to slip back into familiar patterns of hidden resentment towards his family. Her singing soothed his spirit in ways Odin hadn't thought possible.

She had yet to do anything to draw attention to herself, aside from acting as the resident song bird, to Thor's annoyance. However only those who suffered from frequent hangovers from overindulging in their drink hated her singing.

She was the unwanted child. Her blood kin wanted nothing to do with her heritage, her gift. Her only allies abandoned her once the task they forced upon her was done. The only ones she could trust were those who needed a champion. The girl had saved their miserable race and they had betrayed her when all she wanted was to be left in peace.

The girl known as Robin Black had come to Asgard in search of sanctuary and freedom from bindings unjustly placed on her. The fact that the only way to break nearly all of them was through a union with someone who possessed a magical core to either rival or eclipsed her own was never told to her.

He could see what Hel's plan was for the girl. In order for Robin to become what she was meant to be, she had to be freed. And since Hel wasn't a cruel goddess, she sent her avatar to Loki, the only one she could be reasonably assured would never betray the girl and could possibly come to love her.

Twilight was curious as to why Odin wanted her to sing for him. Still, she had nothing against the All-Father, so she sang her heart out.

It wasn't until she went retrieve her favorite apple that she nearly had a heart attack.

"I know what you are child. So long as you never show reason to throw you out, you may walk amongst us freely," he told her quietly. With all the clapping and the fact she was partially obscuring Odin, no one was aware he had said anything at all.

Still, with his permission, now she had few reasons not to show Loki what she truly looked like. She had been in bird form for nearly three long months.

Her hair had long since grown back to past her neck, which meant she needed to take a brush through it. She had no idea what the state of the dress she had been given was, or how clean she would be once she returned to being human.

If there was one thing she wanted, it was to be presentable to Loki when she showed him the truth.

Hel's voice led her to a room which no one used that had a bath. The wing was all but empty, and very few servants ever came that far in. today, it was completely barren of life.

Once she transformed, she heated up the water as hot as she could handle it, and disrobed. The first thing she did was wash her hair thoroughly. It had once been her mark of pride, to have long flowing crimson hair that was the color of flames. After being forced to be Draco's 'wife', she had allowed it to become as dirty as it had been while she lived with her 'Aunt'.

As far as she was concerned, she was never Draco's wife. She had never been asked for her agreement to the terms, and she had never given it. As such the marriage was a bigger farce than the Ministry's idea of equality for muggleborns.

Once she did that, she scrubbed her skin until it was bright pink, a thin cake of dirt coming off. While she had bathed in the waterfalls, it didn't clean her as well as soap and a good hard scrub could. It just took the edge off.

After insuring she was clean from tip to toe, she reached for a brush and attacked her hair with a fervor. Soon the tangled mess became like silk in her hands.

She looked for some clothes, only to discover, once again Hel had provided for her. This time her dress was something like the women she had seen around Asgard wear. Her sandals were something Sif would wear on her days off. The belt was a simple embroidered piece of leather.

All in all she looked like she belonged in Asgard and wouldn't draw suspicion on first glance, but not so much that it wasn't obvious she had power and knew how to use it properly. She wore that like Loki did his transformation ability.

Around her shoulders was the cloak that had been left to her by her father's family. The clasp had the Resurrection stone inside the traditional symbol for the Master of Death, a circle with a triangle and a thin line from the top of the triangle to the bottom. Loki already knew who she was, so there was no real reason to hide it from him.

In her hand was a staff, the full sized form of the Elder Wand. It reached just to her head and had a bit of a point at the top.

She debated whether to put her hair in a simple ponytail, but decided against it. It had been so long since her hair had fallen loosely around her neck that she wanted to savor it.

Now that she was properly clean and dressed, she transformed into her phoenix form and noted that the feathers were brighter than they had been in a long time. She flew off to find Loki.

Loki was in his room. And because of something the Warrior's Three had said about the fact he preferred a bird's company to others had annoyed him greatly, his wing was practically empty of life. Not even the servants wanted to deal with him at the moment.

Twilight appeared beside him, and he noted immediately that her feathers were much, much cleaner than usual. Not to mention smoother around the red areas.

"Did you take a bath or did someone finally invent a brush for you to use while looking like a bird?" he asked snarkily.

'Keep acting that way and I will make you wait to see what I look like as a human,' she replied with cheek.

Loki sat up.

"So you finally worked up the nerve to show me?"

'Actually Odin finally saw fit to inform me I was free to walk around as I please, so long as I don't do anything you would do to piss everyone off,' she clarified.

"So that's why he asked you to sing for him."

'Do you want to see my real form or not?'

"I've waited for three months. Let's see it then."

Twilight had no doubt he wanted to know if she was disfigured or not so he could mock her. He was in for a rude shock.

She shifted back into human form...and enjoyed his look of absolute shock at her appearance. She didn't look disfigured at all. A bit thin, but like she had told him before she had been recovering from a forced fast in order to keep her 'husband' from considering touching her.

He reached up to touch her crimson red hair in disbelief.

"I don't understand. If you looked this beautiful then why did you feel the need to hide?"

"And draw attention from Odin, or worse Thor? No thank you. I just wanted to be sure I was allowed to walk around before anyone knew what I really was."

"Considering the fact you are Hel's Avatar, that was probably a wise move. Well then, my Lady, would you do me the honor of one upping my brother when he brings Jane here?"

"It would be my pleasure, Loki," said Robin grinning. She liked Loki, if for no other reason than he had such amusing ideas.

Thor had left earlier that morning to locate Jane Foster and bring her to Asgard in hoped that Odin would approve of her. He knew Odin liked the woman already for getting Thor's head out of his ass, but it was a formality more than anything.

Robin hid under her cloak while Thor came to the throne room with Jane holding onto the horse for dear life. She was doing very well for someone who had never ridden a horse before.

Robin was waiting for Thor to introduce Jane to Odin. Once she had been given clearance to come to Asgard as she wished, Robin appeared beside Loki's side.

Loki was enjoying the look of shock and disbelief from the Warrior's Three and Thor. In a battle of appearance and looks, Robin beat Jane with ease.

Jane was a modern woman who lived on mass produced junk food and fried fats. Even the vegetables and fruits she ate had dressing on it. Her clothes were clearly given to her by one of the maids to appear presentable in Asgard and she wore it well it enough, but it was clear she wasn't used to them.

Robin was a maiden who wore clothes that fit, and she wore them with pride. Her hair was smooth like silk that ran down her neck onto her back in waves. Her regal look combined with little to no fat and a good amount of real muscle made her look like a fighter worthy of Sif's standards. She wore her hair in an elegant braid (Loki made her swear not to mention he was the one who pinned it up) that went around her head. Her emerald green eyes held a commanding presence that Jane's simply didn't. The silver cloak around her neck fitting with the ruby red stone gave her a mysterious look with magic backing her every move.

All in all, Robin was an Empress to Jane's Scholar. There was simply no comparison.

Loki watched with barely hidden glee as Robin swiftly turned into Twilight and sang a tune of welcome to Jane Foster. She even permitted the mortal woman to pet her regal plumage, which was something even Thor wasn't allowed to do. A quick glare to the demi-god was all that was required to keep his hands off.

During the party, Robin stayed near either Loki or Jane. The woman was relieved to see a fellow human there to chat with, and Robin showed real interest in her research. Loki looked positively giddy for having showing up his brother in a way even Odin couldn't fault him for.

The fact was that even Thor couldn't complain, since Twilight had never shown her human form until now, and she had the good grace to at least wait until Jane had been granted permission into Asgard to draw attention away from the obviously nervous woman. The fact Jane didn't hold it against Robin for taking everyone's eyes off her and the rather expensive clothes that she had never worn before and barely suited also meant Thor couldn't take it out on his brother. Not that he would.

There was also the fact that Jane was out of her league with the Asgard people, and the formerly British magus was a sight for sore eyes. At least with Robin she could hold her own and have an intelligent conversation with someone who didn't find her research 'cute' or 'quaint'.