A/N: Thanks again to all my reviewers! This chapter is for you, and my work mate Vicki, who gave me the idea for the plot development. Read and review, please! :)
Teleporting to Tønsberg took no time at all, and by early evening Loki and I were standing upon a hill looking down at the small town, nestled against a forest. It was a quaint settlement, with old buildings and spires rising above the rooftops, and little piers sticking out into the darkening sea. Loki nudged me towards the forest, communicating that we should avoid contacting the townsfolk at this time.
We wound around the hills, keeping an eye on the town as old-fashioned oil lamps flickered to life with electricity, brightening the oncoming dusk. Somewhere in this town was our answer – or someone who could tell us where it was. Someone who would unwittingly turn the Earth over to the tall, confident man at my side. A shiver ran down my spine in excitement as I followed Loki into the shadowed trees.
The world would be ours.
We found a cottage not dissimilar to the last place we stayed. Smaller, even. Slight living area shared with the kitchen, a bathroom and one bedroom. Thankfully it at least had a double bed. Collapsing on the bed, I dropped my bag, and looked up at Loki.
"Tomorrow we will begin the search." He said, also placing his bag on the side of the bed. "Someone in this mortal town must know the old stories, and where the relic might be kept." He stretched, and snuck a sidelong glance at me, sitting cross-legged in the centre of the bed.
"So we rest tonight?" I questioned lightly, ignoring his glance.
"Do not feign innocence, sweetie, it does not suit you." He stood at the foot of the bed. "Tonight we do rest, however, I do not seem to be tired yet."
I stretched back, smirking back at the god at the foot of the bed. "That's a shame. I was thinking of getting an early night. If you don't want to sleep yet, you can go entertain yourself elsewhere." I made a shooing motion, enjoying the look of chagrin on his face.
A growl sounded deep in his throat, and my ankle was grabbed. Before I could grab the headboard for balance, I was yanked, stifling a giggle, towards the foot of the bed; legs split to circle his body. His hand fisted in my hair and he pulled my head back to look up at him. He bent down so that his mouth was near my ear.
"Do not feign innocence my pet. We both know the truth. Your token resistance will not be tolerated tonight. I will have you." He whispered, breath hot against my exposed throat. The heat rushed down, settling in the pit of my stomach. I could feel his heat to match my own, growing against my chest. He released me, and I crawled back on the bed, shedding clothes as I went. Before he could follow, I was already bared before him, reaching for him.
I woke the next morning to the warm spring sunlight streaming through the window, pouring onto the bed like honey. I stretched, feeling the sheets ripple across my bare skin. I rolled to see Loki sleeping next to me, eyes fluttering as he woke. Soft with sleepiness, his green eyes met my own, a spark of mischievousness already visible in them.
"Good morning." I murmured.
"Good morning my dear." His hand slid under the sheet to my hip, pulling me tight against him, his lips pressing against mine.
An hour later I stretched again, eyeing the door adjoining to the bathroom. Loki waved me towards it, trademark smirk upon his face.
"Ladies first." He grinned slowly, eyes roaming my form as I slipped out of bed. "Take your time my sweet."
I sashayed over to wear my bag lay on the floor, discarded the night before, fishing some clothes and toiletries out of it, taking my time bent over it, aware of his eyes on my behind. Slowly, I straightened up, throwing a smirk over my shoulder at the figure stretched upon the bed before heading to the bathroom. Gone was the embarrassment of the first times, replaced by confidence. We were going to succeed, find the artefact today and begin the domination of the world. Success was close; I could taste it.
I took my time in the shower, making sure I was presentable for questioning townsfolk. When I was presentable, the bedroom was empty, our bags sitting on the made bed. I quickly turned a laugh into a cough as Loki walked through the door, now – sadly – fully dressed. Even if he magicked the cottage clean again, I doubt he'd want it mentioned. From the room behind him wafted the smell of breakfast, which he waved me towards, sliding around me into the bathroom I just vacated.
Shortly afterwards we were walking through the forest, following a little used trail. Soon, our convenient empty cottages would be filled as summer was less than a month away and their residents would soon be using them. In silence, each mulling over our own thoughts, we walked, pine needles crunching underfoot. The spires of Tønsberg became visible first, replacing the tall trees, the path underfoot becoming cobbled, then paved as we moved into the town centre. Loki slowed, and tugged me to a stop in a small alcove between shops, cast into shadow.
"Where might we find such information as we need?" he questioned me.
I started to shrug, then paused. "The library might be a good place to start. They usually hold information on local history. If not, then we could ask around about the old stories, pass ourselves off as reporters if anyone questions us."
"Reporters?" Loki looked puzzled.
"Reporters question people for stories, so it wouldn't be too out of the ordinary. As for asking about ancient artefacts, we could put an alien spin on it, say the story would sell now because of the attack on New York."
Loki nodded slowly, then smiled wryly. "You might be best to do most of the talking, my sweet."
I nodded once, before grabbing his hand and pulling him back onto the street. I loosened my grasp once the sunlight washed over us, but he didn't drop my hand. A small smile spread across my face as I stopped a short man in a suit, asking for directions to the library.
The library wasn't far from the city centre, a backlit sign proclaiming it as the building we were looking for. The door slid silently, revealing a subdued atmosphere, a couple of elderly people tottering around loosely packed shelves. An ancient computer sat upon a desk, supervised by a plump woman who had glasses perched on the end of her nose, tapping away at the keyboard.
"Can I help you?" She peered up at us, her eyes glossing over me, and moving directly to Loki, focusing on the tall handsome man of the party. Meanwhile he was looking disinterestedly around the room.
"Yes," I began, and the librarian scowled as she turned to me "I, uh, we're looking for books on folklore, mostly the local stories."
She gave me the section number and waved me in its direction, eyes trailing wistfully after Loki. Once out of her sight, I stifled a giggle. Loki looked down his nose at me, steering me in the direction of the books.
"Your humour in this situation is not appreciated." He said coolly, as I dissolved into another fit of giggles.
"Maybe you should be the one interrogating the locals." I laughed. "I'm sure ladies like her would happily overlook the world domination part of your plans, for a shot."
He looked at me with distaste, turning and picking up a book from the shelf. Still smirking, I did the same, and we both settled down to read the folklore of Tønsberg.