Chapter Eleven:
The Mind's Eye
Alayna rests her head on Loki's shoulder until she is all out of tears at which point he pulls a handkerchief from whatever dimension he keeps things. She finds herself overcome with a sense of embarrassment and the need to apologize once again. Her attempt to do so is met with a a scoff. "I think I am the one that needs to apologize. Again, I have upset you. It is becoming a bad habit." He actually scowls at himself for his behavior. Seeing the expression on his face Alayna cannot help but laugh. He looks at her as if she has gone mad. "I have caused you to cry and you find it funny?"
On the verge of hysteria she laughs even harder. "I am sorry Loki but the look on your face is just so..." She searches for a word that will not offend him and fails. "Adorable." Now it is his turn to be angry. He rises from the bench and walks closer to the river and quips. "I am glad you find me amusing!" Feeling like a heel she gets up and walks over to stand beside him, taking his hand. "You are right. I shouldn't have laughed. We do seem to be making a mess of it tonight." He looks down at her and squeezes her hand. "We are. What are we going to do about it?" She pretends to be unaffected by that tiny gesture. "We can always start over...again."
This time Loki laughs. "It seems we are both in uncharted waters." His comment reminds her. "I have a gift for you. I ordered you copies of my books. All six of them. You will be able to get your fill of bad pirate novels." Again, he laughs. "Are you telling me not to have high expectations?" She responds in all seriousness. "Yes. By the way, you asked me a question may I ask one of you?" He shakes his head at her bravery after all that just happened. "I think I owe you that much."
"Could you tell me about your magic? Is it something innate in you or is it something that you had to learn?" Suddenly his demeanor changes. She can tell the subject is dear to him as he becomes more animated with the question. "I started learning at an early age being taught by my mother, Frigga, who is a very powerful sorceress. But I was not just satisfied with her lessons. I would spend hours in the great library of Asgard reading every book on magic I could find, even some that were expressly forbidden to me." He smiles while remembering the creative ways he absconded with them when no one was looking. "To this day I must constantly study to keep up my craft." He drops her hand for a moment. "I will show you the first spell she taught me. It is a simple illusion."
Alayna watches as Loki cups his hand and speaks a few words she cannot understand. He blows slowly into his cupped hand and then opens it. Sitting on his palm is a small, child's toy. It is so lifelike she tries to touch it only to have it disappear in front of her eyes. A simple trick indeed but one that leaves her in awe. "That is truly amazing! How can you create something out of nothing?" He smiles at her genuine appreciation of his trick. "I am not exactly creating something out of nothing. Often I am changing energy from one form into another. Sometimes I am simply changing what a person's perspective." In a strangely affection gesture, he taps his finger in the middle of her forehead. "It is all about manipulating the mind's eye."
Alayna's breath catches at the feeling of his touch upon her skin and her natural instinct to run kicks in. Standing on her toes she gives him a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for the company Loki but I really must go now. " Backing away very carefully she nods before flying away, leaving him startled wondering what he might have done now.