Oh he was cruel, god of mischief, she was sure it had been he who shrunk all of her knickers. Kari grimaced as she filtered through a drawer filled with children sized underwear and finally gave up looking for a wearable pair. She'd have to go commando until something could be sorted out – did asgardian women even wear underwear?

All in all, this latest trick probably was closer to her fault than his. She should have let it go after the cockroach incident but he had been so rude about his mother and that just didn't sit well with her. It had taken her a few days to finally convince Prue to help her, directing her towards the prince's rooms and standing guard as she snuck about within. He had looked particularly furious at breakfast the next day with his luscious golden hair – bleach worked quite well on gods and mortals. How he had figured out it was her doing she knew not but the air stank of treachery.

Now the choice was left to her, retaliate or drop it before things got serious. He was playing with her now, she knew that much but things could turn ugly very quickly if the stories the other staff had told her were true. Whatever, she had the next couple of days off, plenty of time to plot her next move.

Going for a wander about the palace, to stretch her legs out, Kari stopped in the garden for a sniff of flowers. Frigga wasn't about today, or at least for the time being but the garden had certainly been tended to recently. She wondered how the queen managed to keep the place looking so attractive at all times. It seemed like there was never a time when the garden wasn't filled with perfect blooms.

Sitting on the bench, beneath a tree, she took out her iPod to listen to a little music. The way her jeans dug into her naked nether-regions made her continually fidget as she sort out a more comfortable way to sit and with that brought up mental imagery of Loki in her room sifting through her underwear. She couldn't help but laugh at the thought; it was creepy, weird but hilarious all in the same instance. What if he'd even stopped to try a lacey number on?

There was a noise barely audible over her headphones, accompanied by a shadow looming over her and an aura of irritation. Kari quit fidgeting; tugging her headphones from her ears and looked up at the green-eyed prince of asgard. How had he known she was thinking about him?

"I asked you a question." His eyes were narrowed, hair black again but the telltale signs of the occasional blond strand still meshed in like highlights. "Where is the queen?"

"Frigga? I don't know." She shrugged.

"How dare you be so familiar." Oh, he was definitely still fuming about the blond locks. "You are aware this is the queen's, personal," he made sure to take his time pronouncing that word, "gardens. It is not a place for the likes of you to come and go as you please."

"Frigga doesn't mind." She rolled her eyes at him, and then yelped as a hand flew across her face knocking her down to her knees.

Kari stared up at him, shocked and held her reddened cheek trying to remember to breathe. He hit her, he actually hit her, was that even allowed? She really didn't like the way he was looking down at her, like scum, a piece of unwanted gum stuck to his boot.

"Go." His voice was low and dangerous, controlled but hinting at a layer of something a kin to mercy.

She got up, unsure of what to say, if there was even anything too say. All she could think about was getting away from him, the pain she was feeling and the utmost desire not to cry in front of him. Something told her, he'd probably like that last bit on some level.

She made her way back to the servant's quarters, dazed, confused and shaking like a leaf. Upon entering her room Griffin looked up from his mid-morning bath and gave a welcoming 'meow' that she couldn't hear. Her ears buzzed with static, her heart thumping loudly as the tears began to roll down her cheeks. She sunk onto the floor, not even having left the door and finally came to the realization there was no way of ever winning a game against Loki.

_

Having felt sorry for herself enough for one day, Kari finally left her room and slinked into the kitchens with a trailing feline friend. She was hungry and lunchtime had been over for a while. Upon entering she noted Prue wiping down some platters in a corner and soon caught the red-haired woman's eyes. She was frowned at, and then the other woman looked deeply troubled and rushed over to the pale looking midgardian.

"Who did that?" Prue was very cross, grabbing Kari's chin and turning her head to the side to get a better look at the hand shaped bruising.

"It's nothing." Kari lied, shaking out of her grip and immediately started to look uncomfortable.

Prue's eyes narrowed but finally relented to the other woman's vow of silence. There was no point in pushing against stubbornness and expecting to win.

"Come with me. We shall put a steak on it." She dragged her across the kitchen, forcing Kari to sit on the edge of a table while she retrieved some raw meat. "This would be better if you came right away. There will be a mark for a few days now."

"Hmmm." Kari looked away apologetically and cringed, as the meat was draped across her cheek. At least it was cool and strangely soothing. "Prue?"

"Yes?"

"Are there places I'm not supposed to go in the palace?"

"Of course." The redhead nodded.

"Like where?"

"You do not know?" Prue frowned then shook her head with a 'tut'. "Of course you do not. Well, the library, the throne room, the observation room, the royal gardens, the training yard, the guards q-"

"Ok, ok, I get it. Nowhere but the servants quarters." She sighed as Prue flipped the steak on her face as if she were a McDonalds grill. "Where exactly am I supposed to go to relax and have some fun then?"

"Outside the palace? The city is full of entertainment."

"I… I can go outside?"

"You are no prisoner, girl." Prue huffed; how could she be so stupid?

After a late lunch, and almost an hour of facing a steak, Kari left the palace for a look around the outside world. The main city was rather busy and terrifying, she didn't know what most of the shops she saw were even selling. Everyone seemed to be a foot or more taller than her, which made for unpleasantness as she kept being bumped into. After a few hours of getting lost and knocked off her feet she finally gave up and walked back towards the palace dusting herself down all the way. Next time she should probably ask Prue or someone else, not that she really knew anyone else, to go with her.

Climbing up the stone steps towards home, she suddenly paused as she neared the entrance to the Bifrost Bridge. There was someone else she kind of sort of knew, she realized and began walking across the dangerous rainbow road. It was beautiful out here, space, stars, and nebulas all above and below her at once. All the other times she had come across the bridge had been in times of stress and she hadn't gotten a proper view of it all before but now…

"Why have you come?" Heimdall, not even looking at her, asked in his deep rumbling voice.

"Just… you know… to say hi." She smiled awkwardly, her lower lip getting a good chewing as he said nothing. "It's really nice out here. Pretty view." She tried again but he just continued to stand there like a statue staring out into space. "You out here on your own all the time? Must be kind of lonely."

"It is my duty." He responded, perhaps in the hope she would give up and go away.

Kari nodded several times, he really wasn't giving away much but maybe it was just a lack of practice thing? She followed his line of sight, looking towards a cluster of lights between two swirls of colour and etched forward to squint at them better. An arm suddenly pressed against her chest, blocking her from taking a further step as she realized – upon looking down – she had been about to step off the side of the bridge.

"Oh…" She hopped back a couple of paces. "I'm guessing falling off the side isn't a good idea then?"

"No."

"Well…uh, thanks for the catch." She chuckled, still as awkward as ever and went right back to chewing her lip. "You don't talk much do you?"

He said nothing; she wasn't really surprised by the fact but had been perhaps a little hopeful. With a questioning look she came closer again, admiring the gold nature of his armor and wondered if it was the real thing. It must be horrendously heavy and he incredibly strong. As she worked her way from his boots to his helmet Kari came to another new realization about her sort of friend – he had very pretty eyes.

"Have your eyes always been that colour?" She asked, this time he turned to look at her giving her a better look and with it a sudden rush of heat to her treacherous cheeks.

"You should return. Fandral looks for you." He spoke the words in his usual monotonous tone then returned to gaze out at the universe.

"I uh…uh…" She trailed off lamely deciding it would be better to just leave now dismissed.