Lyanne's stomach was growling ferociously. At first she thought she was going to transform again, startled by how loud her stomach was rumbling, but the realization she had not eaten for two days hit home.

"Loki, is there food on this planet?" she asked.

"Of course," he said with a strange smirk.

"I mean edible stuff. I don't want to die of dysentery or something."

"Dysentery?"

"Suffice it to say, it's very unpleasant.," she said, holding her growling stomach. "I don't know how you're not starving yet."

"As an Asgardian, I don't get as hungry as often."

"Thor kinda eats a lot."

"Because he enjoys it. Though when father had cast him to Earth as a mortal, I heard his appetite was voracious. I think now he just stuffs himself for the fun of it. I'm surprised he's not as fat as Volstagg at this point."

"Volstagg isn't that fat."

Loki shrugged, standing and dusting off his pants. He glanced around carefully, making sure no one was around while Lyanne stood up next to him.

"Stay here," he commanded, slinking off through the field towards a copse of scraggly trees. Lyanne drew her arms around herself and looked at her familiar surroundings once more. They had been here for several days; Loki had managed to find food for them up until two days prior, when he insisted they lay low. Lyanne did not question him. He had been having random bursts of anger and irritability, and while she originally thought it might be due to hunger, she slowly began to realize she hadn't heard his stomach growl once. Once she had considered it, he was almost always in a nasty mood; she had a bad tendency to repaint his portrait as sweet and loving since she had left with him, but deep down the knowledge of his true nature always resounded within her. I just need to get used to it, she thought. In her old life this behavior wouldn't have stood, but for Loki, Lyanne made the exception. He never struck her in anger or frustration; he had a sharp tongue and a nasty temper, but that was something easily dealt with. Growing up with fighting parents, Lyanne had learned to keep an even head during stressful situations most of the time. The best way to deal with Loki's rages and flare-ups was to be sweet, even-toned, and calm. Sometimes she would stroke his long hair back in an attempt to soothe him, or she would wrap her arms around his waist and place her head upon his chest. He seemed startled when she did this, as though unused to her touch, but he always relented and returned the embrace, calming down quickly.

Who says I'm not clever?

"I must insist I am far more clever," he said, returning with his arms full of fruit.

"You brilliant man," she said, holding out her hands expectantly.

"Look at you, the beggar," he said in mock admonishment.

"You'll hand me an apple if you want to keep both your lungs," she said, reaching for one. But something suddenly struck her - apples. "Where did you get these?" she asked slowly.

"Over in those trees," he said carefully.

Lyanne continued to think, slowly - why hadn't she noticed before? The first few days here Loki had been able to find meat, fruit, vegetables, roots - but they almost all had seemed familiar to her. Maybe she had been to preoccupied mentally at the time, but she had only just now realized Loki had always brought back the food prepared. He would take a long time to return with their meals, as though he had been preparing it himself before returning - the meat cooked, the fruits and such already chopped. This was the first time he had brought back something whole. Not to mention the water he had found - he would bring it back in a skein he had, but neither had gotten sick from any possible contaminants in it. It had obviously been filtered, somehow.

"Loki, what planet are we on, exactly?" she asked, looking into his icy blue eyes.

He took a huge mouthful of apple, muttering and shrugging. Lyanne had to laugh.

"You asshole! We're still on Earth, aren't we?"

Loki could not keep the grin off of his face and Lyanne shook her head with a smile.

"The best place to hide something is in plain sight, huh?" she said.

Loki nodded and took another bite of apple before handing her one. She tore into it voraciously, juice dripping down her chin and onto her filthy, ragged shirt. Loki swallowed his mouthful and kissed her bulging cheek.

"It certainly took you a troubling amount of time to discover that," he said. "I thought for sure you'd have found out the first day I brought back meat. But, as always, I give you too much credit."

Lyanne swallowed the apple in her mouth and pointed a finger at his chest.

"YOU," she said, "Are a terrible person. Why didn't you just tell me? And who, might I ask, are you stealing this food from? I'm assuming that's why we had to go two days without food - you got caught?"

"Actually, the apples are from the trees over there, but everything else came from a house not far from here. And no, I didn't get caught - not directly, anyway. The residents did notice their food missing, however, and I didn't want them nosing about. I'd have used the power of the gems to alter their minds, but doing that every time would be like shining a beacon in the face of our enemies."

"But we've already used them - you try to read my thoughts constantly - can everyone detect us, then?" she asked, a worried tone in her voice, her muscles tensing.

"Most likely, if we use them too frequently or for major things. My using them to hear what's on your mind is barely an effort, and won't be a noticeable display of power. As for now, sparing use and placing my barriers have kept us hidden."

Lyanne relaxed, though not completely.

"How far away are the people?" she asked.

"Not quite a mile."

"Where are we then?"

"I don't know the name of this place, but they speak our language. I could hear them arguing about the disappearance of their groceries."

Lyanne shook her head and leaned it against Loki's shoulder.

"I guess I'm lucky I'm with such a sly villain."

"I've already told you that," he said, pretending to be hurt.

"You know me, sometimes it takes me a while to catch on."

Loki nodded in deep agreement and she shoulder-checked him before giving him a kiss, then helped him to finish off the last of the apples he had brought. They ate the fruit quietly for a few minutes, pitching the cores away into the bushes. It's not really like it's littering, Lyanne thought. When their stomachs were full and they were satisfied, they laid back on the large rock they were using as a perch, staring at the clouds mindlessly. Lyanne was the first one to break the silence.

"Loki, I had a thought," she started.

"That's what that burning smell is, then," he jibed.

"Very funny," she muttered, turning over and putting a serious expression on her face. "You mentioned earlier about sneaking me into Asgard."

"Yes," he said slowly, sitting up and looking into her face. "Why?"

"Well," she continued, sitting up, too. "Why bother with Asgard, where Odin might discover us? Why not - since we're still on Earth - try to go back to SHIELD?"

Loki's face immediately darkened and he tensed, bringing his head down malevolently.

"Why are you so eager to go back?" he asked in a dangerously soft tone. Lyanne had to tread carefully.

"If Fury worked with Odin as closely as he claimed, do you think he might have had information about where the Soul Gems are being kept?"

"It's possible," he considered, relaxing the slightest bit. "But I am not sure Allfather would trust all of his information to one mortal."

"Well, he didn't. Fury didn't know immediately that that professor had the blue gem. But if he doesn't know where the others are, that's still an advantage for us, since he can't track them down - if he does know, we can collect the information."

"True," he said, brightening. "It certainly is possible he might know where even one more is."

"Yes," she breathed, glad they were on the same page.

"What do you suggest, then?" he asked.

Lyanne began to whisper her ideas in his ear. Loki smiled devilishly.