Sigyn was on her way out of the palace before she allowed herself to even think about what had just happened. How he had known that she had purposely refused to look her best, she didn't know; but that wasn't the part of the conversation her mind kept drifting to.

'I knew I picked you for a reason.' What reason was that? All she'd done back there was shout at him demand an explanation for his actions; why would anyone that that was directed at view it as a good thing? Everyone else usually avoided Sigyn's temper, but it only seemed to amuse Loki, which, in itself, she found odd.

This situation was just becoming too ridiculously irritating for Sigyn's liking. Her mind was replaying things over and over again as she struggled to understand reasons and motives that Loki just wouldn't reveal to her. Maybe the best option would be to just see what happens, she decided. Let him play his games with me, just don't over-think things. Don't let him get to you, she ordered herself as she passed the guards she seemed to be seeing rather a lot lately.

"Have a good time?" the more pleasant guard asked.

Sigyn couldn't help but reply sarcastically, "The greatest."

But she paused just after she'd passed them, a question hanging on her lips. The friendly one looked at her in wait.

"What are your names, by the way?"

The ill-tempered guard answered first this time, "Why?"

"Because if this carries on then I can predict we're going to see a lot more of each other."

"I am Njal, and my grumpy companion here is Halvar," the friendlier guard replied with a broad smile.

"Thank you; nice to finally be introduced... I'll probably see you again the next time I need to yell at his highness."

With that, Sigyn walked away, hearing Njal's laughter echo behind her. She knew that it was nearing nightfall when she left the palace, and by the time that she arrived home, dark was setting in and the moon was rising.

As soon as she walked through the door home, her sisters were on her in an instant, asking her where she had disappeared off to, though they must have been able to guess. Amidst their questions, she tried to dismiss them and told them to be quiet, but that only intrigued their adolescent minds further it seemed.

"Oooo, sounds like someone's been out with a certain prince," Lifa teased.

"I was not out with him."

"But you were with him," Dagný put in.

"Well I was technically with him-"

"I knew it!"

"Told you so, didn't I?"

"But I only went to the palace to yell at him."

The twins froze, staring at the older sister in mild shock.

"You yelled at him?"

"You yelled at the prince?"

Sigyn tried to answer, but her sisters continued, stopping her from saying a word.

"Why would you do that?"

"Is she mad?"

"Are you mad?"

"Will you two just hold your tongues for a second?" Sigyn shouted, simply to break through the barrier of their voices.

"Oooo, sounds like it's not just Loki that's getting the moody side of her today," Dagný giggled.

But Sigyn knew how to deal with her sisters. She'd spent long enough living with them to understand the proper way to deal with them when they behaved like this. Her best bet was to deprive them of what they wanted most, and, in this case, it was information that she had.

Rolling her eyes, Sigyn replied, "Right. That's it. You two just lost any claim you had to an answer. It's your own fault."

And she marched upstairs, attempting to leave the younger girls behind. They followed behind her though, a childish effort at getting her to change her mind. She paused in her doorway, her fingers playing on the edge of the wooden door.

"Oh, but Sigyn!" they started to plead, but she interrupted them.

"No. And you two had better learn to ask a question and then be silent whilst you wait for a reply- otherwise you'll never get one."

And, with that, Sigyn slammed the door between them and locked herself into her room. That'll teach them, she thought, but in her heart she knew that it would do nothing of the sort. They would just carry on as they always did, content to just find another way to get information.

Sigyn had intended to throw herself onto her bed in frustration after that. She had also intended to scream into a pillow just to let out her irritation. Why were her sisters so frustrating? Why was Loki so frustrating? She turned from the door when she heard her sisters move off, only to be confronted with something she had never expected to see in her room. An elephant in the room, as the Midgardian saying went.

She couldn't stop the scream that came out of her by instinct, just as she couldn't stop herself from falling abruptly back against her door. She slid to the floor, her back pressed against the hard wood of the locked door. In the semi-darkness, she could only see what the moon's light illuminated of the Trickster God. But she could see that half of his face disappeared into shadows, the other half shining with triumph and amusement.

"What did that door ever do to you?" he asked.

Sigyn was still trying to control her breathing, which had become heavy because of the shock he'd given her. She watched as he waved a hand and flames appeared, illuminating the candles on her bedside table to give them better light. She stared at him for a long moment.

"I hate you," she said between breaths.

He crouched in front of her, leaning his elbows on his knees as he looked at her. She didn't know if she was imagining it or not, but she could have sworn she'd seen the faintest glint of an apology in his eyes. Or maybe it was pain... Or maybe just the darkness.

"Hate is a strong word, little Sigyn."

He took hold of her hand in his and kissed her knuckles softly. He didn't drop her hand afterward, as she'd thought he might though. She just looked at him unblinkingly for what felt like the longest time. This could not continue. And when her breathing was finally back to normal, she tried to tell that to him.

"I know that you're the God of Mischief and you enjoy your tricks-"

"Enjoy might be too mild a statement," he put in.

"Well yes, perhaps- but my point is, could you not keep scaring me like this? One of these days I'm going to get hurt."

But as soon as she'd said that, Sigyn watched as his amused expression became suddenly serious.

"Nothing I do will ever cause you physical damage. Know that."

She stared at him blankly. He actually seemed to be serious for once... Who knew that he could be? The moment was gone soon enough though, when his expression quickly became that smirk that she was starting to recognise so well.

"I suppose I could stop scaring you... but I'd miss that shocked expression on your face too much. The one where your mouth forms that surprised little 'O' shape... And I'd miss that moment of confusion that always follows."

She stared at him, bemused. She didn't even realise that she did that, let alone that he noticed that she did.

"Yes, that one," he grinned.

It took Sigyn a minute to collect her thoughts after that, but when she did, she realised something and couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner. Why was he in her room?

"Why are you in my room?" she asked immediately, the question coming off quite bluntly.

Loki tilted his head to the side as he replied, "After you left I realised I forgot something."

"You forgot something. What's that then?"

"The second of our agreed kisses."

"Second?" Sigyn blinked.

He smirked.

"You didn't think those that I gave were part of the five of our bargain, did you?"

She frowned. She had wondered about that briefly.

"I didn't ask and you didn't give."

"But..." Sigyn stopped herself before she dug a hole that she couldn't get out of.

He was right, she knew. Loki giving kisses hadn't been any part of their bargain- only his asking for them had been.

"So... So you came to my home, to my bedroom... for a kiss?" she asked uncertainly.

The God of Mischief and Lies nodded once.

"Just... all that way; just for a kiss?"

"Nothing more, nothing less," he answered.

She narrowed her eyes at him, not sure whether to believe him or not. Then she remembered what she'd told herself earlier; Don't over-think it.

"I don't understand you," Sigyn admitted finally.

"I never mentioned anything about you having to understand me," Loki replied quietly.

At that, she leant forward, still sat on the floor, and kissed him. Just as last time, the kiss was not fierce, but almost comfortable, and Sigyn couldn't help but be at ease as she kissed Loki. This time, she allowed her eyes to close as she got carried away with the terms of their bargain.

She was acutely aware of Loki's thumb stroking over the back of the hand he still held, creating a soft and rhythmic circle that she almost wouldn't have noticed. And again, it was Loki that pulled away first. Though, this time, Sigyn realised that she hadn't quite wanted him to.

"I'd say that was worth the journey, wouldn't you?" he murmured, his face still only inches from hers.

Sigyn said nothing in reply. She couldn't think what to say. But just as she opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, Loki was gone. She blinked, staring at the vacant space where he had been crouched just seconds ago. She didn't know how he did that, but she didn't like it.

What have I gotten myself into? she wondered as she looked blankly around at her now-empty room.