Arm stinging but now properly cleaned, Kari went to the kitchens to grab a late dinner. Only leftovers were now available, the dining hall having cleaned out an hour before hand but it did not really matter – she would have eaten anything with how ravenous she was feeling. Her body was still tingling slightly, fingers itching to have a scratch but she knew better than to give in to that craving at the moment. The place was pretty quiet, a handful of kitchen staff milling around prepping for tomorrow morning. Even Prue was away, off having some alone time with Egill somewhere and most likely gawking at one another in the moonlight.
It was a sickening thought that made her stomach spin as she pushed her empty plate away. People being happy having found someone to love and here she was like the loser she felt without prospects. Really, would anyone in Asgard even think twice about a serious relationship with a mostly human girl anyway? Kari groaned in utter misery prone annoyance at the thought and stood making her way back to her room. It was not worth thinking about.
As soon as she was under covers, however, that string of thought soon returned with a bothersome curiosity. At least if she could not have anyone, nobody could stop her from dreaming about it. She laughed out loud at her musing, rolling onto her side as Griffin joined her on the bed. Good dreams were soon to come though also confusing dreams. Various men appeared, some asgardian but mostly human men all with the same strange green eyes. She had obviously been thinking too much about Loki before falling asleep, or perhaps it was because he was always capturing her eyes like a predator. Creepy snake.
When her alarm finally went off she was already awake as she had been for most of the night. Her skin was clammy, covers thrown and twisted all over and off the bed. She had been restless, waking up every other hour with the burn of green flashing in front of her eyes. For once, actually having to wake up felt like a relief than continuing to try and sleep.
Kari yawned, stretching idly as she rolled her hips to alleviate the Griffin shaped burden from snoozing on her. He felt heavier; probably having eaten far too much from the treats his fan-girls fed him. If he was not such an active rat catcher, her feline friend would most likely of been incredibly obese by this point.
Stumbling out of bed, the drop to the ground having been further than she recalled, Kari pattered across the cold floor pulling her baggy nightshirt over her head. It had gotten stretched over night and slightly damp as she tossed it to the side and frowned at her chest of draws. They looked bigger for some reason, though that was probably the sleep deprivation talking.
Shrugging off the worry, she flicked through the draws looking for fresh clothing to wear for the day. Everything seemed a lot looser as she pulled on random pieces of clothing. It was not until she tried to put on a bra that she suddenly realized something was really wrong.
"Where are my boobs?" She asked her bra accusingly then squeaked as she heard her own voice. "Oh my god why do I sound like…"
Kari blinked several times, looking down at her body and clothing. She desperately reached forward, throwing on a green tunic that was now like a knee length baggy dress. Skittering over to the mirror, having to hold her leggings up, she stared at her reflection and instantly paled. This was not right. Who was this person? Wait, she kind of remembered those chubby cheeks from a distant memory.
"Holy fucking shit balls!" Kari squealed in a much younger voice.
She looked about ten maybe twelve at a push, or at least what she recalled her appearance to be at those ages. She was starting to panic, hyperventilating a little as she kept running her eyes up and down the length of her reflection. How had this happened? Oh god, Loki and his stupid blue stuff. Is this what it did? She had to find him and quickly before anybody else saw this – she would never be able to live down all the patronizing 'aren't you cute' statements.
Running down the corridor, having paused in her room briefly to adjust her leggings by tying a knot in the waist to hold them up and putting on a previously tight t-shirt, she careened towards the library looking for the god of mischief. He was not there however, nor was he in his rooms when she knocked very loudly on them. She could not go to the dining hall to check, it would be crowded with hungry breakfast eaters. Who else could she go to for help? Her grandfather maybe, if he was even back from his trip.
Making her way as rapidly and unseen as possible, Kari came to Fandral's rooms not even bothering to knock as she entered and ran barefoot into the bedroom. She could hardly believe her luck when she found him comatose and still clutching a bottle of wine in bed. So happy to see him, she hardly even paid any mind to the naked woman sprawled out over his equally bare chest and immediately began prodding him in the cheek.
"Granddad!" Kari poked him hard, making his head lull from one side to the other between snores. "Granddad, wake up!"
"Urgh…" Fandral groaned at all the noise and poking breaching his hangover like a fresh ragnorok.
"Granddad!" She tried again, this time holding his nose until he spluttered awake unable to breathe.
"What? Where is the trouble?" Fandral looked around wildly, the woman on his chest groaning unenthusiastically and rolling onto her side. "My sword?"
"Granddad!" Kari stamped her foot until he was staring at her if a little misty eyed.
"Who are you?" He was groggy, unable to focus fully on the little girl with curly brown hair just like Francesca's and blue eyes like his.
"Kari, it's Kari."
Fandral continued to stare for a moment longer until his gaze panned to the right and noted the empty bottle of wine in his hand. He snorted, amused for a moment before rolling over and snuggling up to his lady friend's warmth.
"Granddad! Don't go back to sleep!"
"Who is that?" A female voice, muffled by the pillow partially glued to her face, queried.
"Worry not, it is just a wine induced hallucination." Fandral replied moments before snoring again.
She could not believe this. Her grandfather thought she was a hallucination and just went right back to sleep when she really needed him. Blast it, what was the point? Someone else, who could she go to next? Frigga maybe, she would probably be in her garden.
Kari dashed out of her grandfathers rooms again, everything felt so much further away now she was small and her limbs too long not to trip up on occasionally. Tears would not quit bubbling up, dampening her eyes as she panted along the corridors and blurred her vision making it equally difficult to gage where exactly she was. Everything looked too big, too different and too confusing. Where did this corridor lead again?
Turning down another corridor, she wiped tears away on the back of her hand only to distract herself from the great hulking obstruction directly in her path. She collided with something hard, rebounding off its surface and landing awkwardly on the floor.
"Woah there little one! Where do you think you are going in such a hurry?" Thor chuckled down at the child before frowning and growing quiet.
Big blue eyes looked up at him through a sniffle of tears, awfully familiar brown curls messily distributed around a rounded face and that nose…
"Fandralkin?" The god of thunder raised an eyebrow at his own reasoning skills.
"Thor!" Kari squealed, delighted someone had not assumed she was a hallucination and holding her arms up for him to take.
He obliged her gesture, pulling the miniature version of his friend's granddaughter upwards until lifted against his chest. She squealed at first, not having expected to be picked up like a child and clung to his shoulders for balance. He was holding her as if she weighed half a loaf of bread, laughing all the while at the mystery of the situation.
"What has happened, Fandralkin?"
"I don't know!" Kari pouted, mulling it over in her head as best she could. "I think it's Loki's fault. He gave me this stuff to drink yesterday and it made my arm all itchy and then I went to bed but when I woke up I looked like this! So then I tried to find Loki but I couldn't see him anywhere and then I went to granddad but he called me a hawucination."
"Hawucination?" Thor chuckled at her obvious embarrassment.
"Hal-lu-ci-na-tion!" She overly pronounced back with a scowl. "This is sewious Thor! Stop laughing it's not funny!"
"I apologise, truly, but I had not pictured you thusly before." The god of thunder twirled her around suddenly making her squeal and cling for dear life. "I apologise again, I could not help myself." He tried desperately to swallow down his giddy amusement at her pouting. "Come, we shall find my brother, he is no doubt in the hall dining."
"No, I can't go there! People will see me!"
"I am with you, Fandralkin, be not afraid." He began continuing his walk towards the dining hall.
"But… But… at least put me down! I can walk you know!" Kari whined, struggling against his arms until finally put down.
Everything was much too big now, even Thor as she hardly came past his waist when standing to her full height. Kari chewed on her lip nervously, reaching out a hand and holding tight on his. He chuckled at her action, giving her a reassuring squeeze as they entered the hall. She was hiding as much of herself as she could behind his arm as heads turned to look up at them. They were probably wandering who she was and why was Thor with her but as long as they were only thinking and not knowing then she could at least maintain her dignity somewhat.
As they reached the higher-ups table, Kari stood on her tiptoes trying to see Loki over the mounds of food blocking half her view of the table. He was not here either but Frigga and Odin were.
"Mother, have you seen Loki?" Thor was frowning too, surveying the entire room as if the trickster might be hiding somewhere out of view.
"No, dear, why a-" Frigga paused, taking in the sight of the awkward child attached to her eldest son. "Kari?" She went wide-eyed at the realization, the girl in question squeaking and hiding behind Thor's leg much to his amusement. "Thor, what is this?"
"Loki's doing mother." Thor shrugged as if it were a common event as his mother peered between them with a huff of exasperation.
"Is that Fandral's kin?" Odin was now looming over at them, having put down his mug at hearing his youngest son's name being mentioned.
"Aye, father." Thor tried to coax his charge out from behind him but she was clinging steadfast so as not to see the increasingly petrifying king of Asgard – now bigger, uglier and scarier than ever. "She tells a tale of Loki giving her some strange concoction to drink and then waking as a child this day."
"Loki." Frigga sighed.
"Tell me child, did this concoction taste of apples and have a golden glow about it?" Odin was trying on his best calm fatherly voice, aware of how intimidated the smaller being was feeling.
"No." Kari sounded as small as she felt. "It was blue and kind of like cough syrup."
"I see." The king sounded thoughtful, yet perplexed in the same instance – perhaps sending the god of mischief to an alchemist was not the greatest of his plans. "I know of nothing with such a description that may change another so completely into a child."
"I will have to speak with my brother then." The god of thunder grinned at his sibling's latest trickery – things were never dull when Loki was around.
"You must find him first." Frigga stood, coming to the side of her eldest in order to reach the youngster hiding under his cloak. "Come my dear, we shall find you other clothes in the mean time." She offered her hand, Kari hesitating a moment before snatching at it and trailing after the queen.