Trailing fingers back and forth across her lips, Kari was lost in a bit of a daydream just thinking about what had happened the afternoon before. Her mouth still tingled from the kiss awkwardly begun but eagerly embraced there after. A bit of a make-out session with Balder the brave had certainly been nice, however, a certain set of mixed recollections had oddly disrupted the moment.

When the kiss had deepened, cheeks flushed and heated, braver hands beginning to roam, why had she been unable to stop thinking? Every thought like a ping-pong match between what was occurring and a detail analysis of how it compared to another's kiss. Loki had definitely tasted better, gave it a dominating fierceness that made her skin prickle at just the remembrance. Balder was softer, tender and reassuring without ever imposing anything further. It was the difference between safe and dangerous. She did not need dangerous. No, but she certainly liked it in an infuriating manner.

"Fuck!" She spun in a circle, kicking her leg out at knee length blades of grass scoring very little damage.

"Kari!"

"What?" she whirled around again, annoyed at being shouted at by midget asgardians only to watch a ball whiz past her right cheek.

"Ever since you got old-"

"Shut up Dagur!" Kari yelled back, flinging the ball she had now collected right at the little nuisance despite his position on the rounder's field being the incorrect one to send to.

"Make me witch!" Dagur was up for a showdown but deterred by the other children starting to get irate at the pair fighting instead of playing again. "Let us just kick her from the team, Garthar?"

"Kari play's this game better than you, Dagur." Garthar shrugged off the request much to a pair of swooning girls giggles; he was really starting to become the pre-teen ladies man on the fields.

"That is only because she taught us how to play." Dagur groaned, throwing the ball back to the pitcher for the next round of play. "Stop daydreaming and catch, Kari!"

"If you stop bothering me, Dagur." Kari stuck her tongue out at the young boy making him grimace in disgust.

Now, what had she been thinking about again before rudely interrupted by flying balls and Dagur? Right, Balder and kissing yesterday.

"Here you are. I should have thought you learning in the library but it seems I was mistaken and children's games now your point of study. I must say, despite its lower intellectual merit you even manage unsuccessfully at this endeavor. An impressive achievement of failure."

"Hello Loki." Kari rolled her eyes at the looming god of mischief now bothering her.

"Kari!" An angry boy shrilled as the ball whizzed past her cheek yet again.

"It was not my fault this time!" She huffed, jogging to retrieve the ball further along the field where it had landed. "Loki distracted me!"

"Loki?" Dagur was smirking, in a manner evocative of Loki in a plotting mood, and folded his arms revving up for another round of childish arguments. "Your imaginary friend?"

"What? He's standing right here!" She pointed out the shrugging prince looking thoughtful and quizzical about his apparent invisibility.

"There is no one standing there, Kari." Even Garthar was starting to worry about her sanity now.

"The old witch has gone mad." Dagur laughed.

"I swear Dagur I am going to turn you into a toad and leave you like that forever!"

"Will not! I bet you cannot even do that! Besides, my mother wou-"

"Be very happy never to have to deal with your bloated whining face anymore."

Oh it was on now, Dagur looked about ready to rip her hair out and use it as eye lashes. It would have been a fun little brawl, with both their natural strengths about equal, if not for Garthar running between them like a well-practiced referee.

"If Kari says Loki is standing there, then he is standing there." Garthar declared, pushing Dagur back a step whilst Kari up turned her nose at the boy with her thumb. "I believe her."

"Thanks Garthar." She gave him a pat on the shoulder as Loki appeared besides them startling her for a moment.

"Only reason you believe her, Garthar, is because you like kissing her."

"Have you really been kissing a minor?" Loki raised an eyebrow, tilting his head from side to side to survey the dirty blonde twelve year old she was suspected of possibly molesting.

"What? No! It was one time and he surprised me!" Kari flailed around, cheeks red from the accusation. "When I was eleven!"

"What?" Garthar was frowning up at her now.

"It's true!" Dagur crowed, receiving multiple 'oohs' from the rest of the children. "I knew it!"

"Yes, it is true, I am going to marry her but that does not change the fact you are wrong, Dagur."

"Marriage?" Oh Loki loved this, his grin was as big as Dagur's, which momentarily distracted her to think whether or not she had ever actually met Dagur's father before.

"Oh god… why me?" She palmed her face, massaging her temples briefly before crouching a little to be on the same eye line as her intended. "Garthar…" She paused for a deep breath, the boy staring at her proud and intently. "Look, I don't know where you got this engagement idea from but…"

"You do not want to be really, really, really good friends anymore?" He answered with a steady voice.

"No I… uh… Sweetie, I'm way too old for you."

"But I gave you my word." He was resolute.

"The old witch is eating Garthar's heart." Dagur cackled, sticking his face in between the two to have a good gawp.

"Seriously Dagur just…" She huffed, angry and aggravated conjuring a spell and flinging it at the now scarpering boy. "Oh… that wasn't supposed to… Hehehe."

"Ah!" Dagur tripped then began feeling up his clothes that had somehow turned to wax. "My clothes are breaking?"

"Garthar?" Kari turned back to the boy, finding him missing and stood to get a better viewing vantage. "Garthar!" She spotted him, running off up the hill through the grass and made to go after only to be pulled back by a firm grip on her arm. "Hey let go of me!"

"Leave him, he will be over you by evening meal." The god of mischief sighed, dragging her much to the remaining children's confusion as it appeared she was faking her own kidnapping via invisible man. "And I see you are quite in need of further tutorage. Was that abomination supposed to be a transfiguration enchantment?

"Leave off, not as if you've been helpful for a long time what with your girlfriend. Oh right I forgot, your ex-girlfriend that ran off with Thor." She suddenly found her self unceremoniously dropped. "Ow."

"Has he now?" Loki was possibly annoyed, hungry or plotting; all three expressions looked the same to her from the ground. "Library, now, Karian Motter."

"Yes, sir." She gave him a mock salute and got back to her feet as he disappeared. "I need to learn to do that."

With a shake of her head, Kari began the walk back to the palace enjoying the sunshine along the way. It was going to be a rough time around Loki and Thor until they resolved this matter between them and on that note she slowed her pace further to draw out the length of her journey. The less time spent in the library around moody old Loki the better.

The walk also gave her a chance to think further on her rudely interrupted daydreaming. Now that she had actually seen Loki, after his brief but peaceful absence, the entire worrying about his kissing skills compared with Balder seemed ridiculous. She hated him. Next time, there would be no resistance or holding back if Balder wanted to make-out some more; though he seemed more interested in being less smoochy and more courting if she had heard his speech yesterday rightly. When would she ever get laid?