Nakitakunaruno, Dakishimetainoni

Chapter Five

"Remind me why I'm here again?" a skeptical Heimdall asked in his usual tone (irritated, that is). Having nothing else to turn his gaze to, he contemplated the moustache that was sloppily scribbled on the face of a pretty-looking brown-haired girl smiling out of a poster.

"Because," Skadi's voice emanated matter-of-factly from behind the whitewashed door, "I need another person's opinion while here, and that other person's opinion may as well be a man's. Plus, I asked you to. So." the girl ended her thought with a conjunction, something that Heimdall was sure violated most if not all basic rules of grammar. He crossed his arms and scowled, turning his attention from the poster to a crack in the ceiling. Watching paint dry would have been a riot compared to this. The wannabe pop music that echoed in the (almost) vacant room assailed his ears with more vigor than he'd anticipated, the repertoire of hip-hop and Hannah Montana regular torture.

"Could you go any slower?" Heimdall asked sarcastically, thinking it rather ridiculous that Skadi could possibly drag this out for so very long.

"Why yes I could Heimdall, and unless you want me to, I'd suggest not pestering me." Skadi scowled in a similar manner as Heimdall, but of course she wasn't aware of that. She spitefully pulled the sleeves of her dress on extra-slowly. If Skadi had honestly wanted someone to help her pick out clothes for her new wardrobe, she would have taken Freyr, since he was more fashion-conscious than Heimdall at the very least. But she had an ulterior motive to her actions this time. Not that that wasn't how it usually ended up.

"Okay," she spoke, studying herself in the full-length mirror before her. It looked halfway decent, but not as good as she'd hoped. She didn't like the hem of it… For reasons she herself couldn't quite place. But she'd learned long ago not to question her woman's intuition.

She swung the door open and spun around for added effect, causing the yellow sun dress to flare out around her thighs. What? Wasn't that what you were supposed to do when you tried on a dress?

"So?" Skadi paused but didn't wait long for a response, as she turned to face the mirror instead and speculate herself some more. "I guess I like the color, but I don't know if it looks that good on me. Maybe I have more of a spring skin tone and this is a little too bold. And there's something wrong with the hem."

"…Why does it even matter what you look like?"

"What do you mean?" Skadi asked, still looking at herself in the mirror.

"I mean, you're in a child's body, anyway. It's not like you could look--" Heimdall suddenly seemed to think the path he was walking treacherous, as he stopped himself mid-sentence, but Skadi was too quick for him to come up with an alternate statement.

"Not like I could look what?" She watched him icily through the reflection of the mirror.

"…Bad," he spoke hesitantly. "Kids look fine in any clothes." For a second he was under the impression that he'd saved himself, but that notion was quickly shot down.

"That wasn't what you were going to say."

"Yes, it was."

"No it wasn't."

"This is stupid--"

"Don't you move from that seat until we're done," Skadi ordered, slamming the door as she stormed back into the dressing cubicle. Heimdall was sorely tempted to leave while she was changing, but didn't. She was probably listening intently for sounds of movement.

"So Heimdall," Skadi addressed him again from behind the door. He said nothing. "I've been told that your last attempts at getting rid of Loki were utter failures."

"…"

"And I'd always regarded you so highly as a tactical mastermind. Hmm?"

"…What's your point?" Heimdall asked bitterly, his words sharp.

"Nooothing. Just clarifying."

Just when Heimdall had thought she couldn't possibly find another way to piss him off, Skadi found a way. She was good at that.

"So what's your next plan of action?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Becaauuse…" Skadi swung the door open and stepped out (obviously changing back into her old clothes was much faster than changing into a new dress, Heimdall noted with irritation), "From what I've heard, you need a little help."

"I don't need anyone's help, especially not yours," he told her caustically, scowling. She smiled, much to his chagrin.

"Aw Heimdall, it's okay. Because I'm gonna help you anyway," she replied saccharinely, patting his head. He jerked back with a glare that could have wilted daisies. She smiled with a grin that could have had the daisies digging their own graves.

"A full day!" Skadi announced, walking triumphantly from the store with more energy than Heimdall would have ever thought possible. At least she hadn't made him carry the bags.

…Yet.

"Yes, I now have a satisfactory wardrobe and all the bathroom amenities a lady could need!" Skadi swung the bags flamboyantly as the two walked along the sidewalk, causing passers-by to either cast curious glances or move quickly out of her way. Or both.

"…Hey."

"Call me by my name, Heimdall, or I shall be forced to address you differently as well."

"How are you paying for this, again?"

Skadi's enthusiasm almost stopped dead for a moment, but it geared back up again just as fast. "Don't you worry about that Heimdall, it's taken care of."

"No, I am worrying about it. Where did you get the money for this?" he demanded to know, raising his voice slightly.

"Do we have to go to that tone already? You start out so nice!" Skadi said sarcastically, making sure to not raise her own voice. Suddenly she gasped at something she saw ahead and quickly shoved herself and Heimdall into the nearby shadows of an alleyway.

"What--"

"Shh!" She clasped a hand over his mouth and pointed with her other hand out to the sidewalk, releasing him as he saw what she did.

They stood in silence there, both watching as intently as predators upon their prey. Because who should be out on this lovely fall evening other than the infamous "Detective Loki" of the Enjaku Detective Agency? Of course he was accompanied by his three little groupies, Fenrir and that Midgardsormr and… some kind of botched attempt at a summons. Some stupid little shikigami. Humph. Skadi highly doubted that thing's usefulness, but then, what she'd been told did indicate that it could come in useful. Maybe she should get one herself. But a cuter one.

"Look at him," she whispered, partially to Heimdall but mostly to herself. "He's just begging for it. That bastard…"

Her curse surprised Heimdall, as he hadn't known her to speak in what she regarded as 'vulgar terms' before now.

"Why does he get to be so happy? After what he did to me…" Skadi seemed, to Heimdall, to be voicing his thoughts as they stood there, watching Loki resentfully. Eventually the auburn-haired god passed, and the two relaxed wherein they didn't know they were tense. Suddenly, too, Heimdall became all too aware of the proximity, or lack thereof, between himself and Skadi after she'd dragged him over to the alleyway. They both stepped back at the same time, giving each other a fair amount of space and frowning stubbornly as if offended by the other's presence.

"Let's go," Heimdall huffed, leaving in a hurry. Skadi followed, for once quiet in her own thoughts. Heimdall was thankful for that.