The cloth was soaking with soapy water when she dropped on the dark tiled floor, scrubbing back and forth on the balcony. If her shoulders were now aching, she could have appreciated the view. This room in the palace overlooked half of the city but her fingers were wrinkly from cleaning all the floor of this tower. Her mother said it was punishment for hanging out with the half-water nymph again and for getting pushed of the branch. Her mother had almost slapped her when she heard it and though Thor had only intended to boast of his heroism, he had said all the wrong things.
She heard laughter echoing in the hallway, getting louder with the stomping from someone running. She dropped the cloth back into the bucket of water and sighed. The noise around her stopped. She caught a glimpse of five heads popping up from behind a door. She turned to face them.
"What?", she sneered at them.
They exchanged a quick look. Thor took a step forward, "it's not our fault you got in trouble, baby bird"
"No, it is your big mouth's fault."
"How was I supposed to know that you were meeting a water nymph?"
"Maybe you should open those big ears of yours instead of your mouth."
"Hey", Thor clapped his hands on his ears. "My ears are not that big!"
"Really? You could have fooled me. I thought that was how you could fly."
Soria put her hands up her ears, mimicking the movement of wings, as she jumped around in circles, "Look at me I am Thor. The only thing bigger than my ears is my mouth, which I can't shut up!"
Fandral and Loki suppressed their snicker.
"You can't talk to me like that!"
"Oh go tattle to your mother, you little tattletale. That's all you can do anyways!"
"Shut up."
"You shut up, but then again if you knew how, I wouldn't be here."
Thor took a step forward with a mean look but Loki ran in front of him, "Brother, don't. She is just mad. It is not personal. Let's go play by the fountain and you can fence with Fandral with the sculpture's swords."
Something lit up in Thor's eyes. Fandral, Volstagg, Sif and Thor ran down the stairs. Loki released a deep breath.
Soria stared at him but said nothing until he looked at her. "You ought not to upset him like that. He doesn't always think his actions through. He could have hurt you, you know."
She looked down embarrassed.
"I am sorry we got you in trouble the other day."
"It's not your fault."
"Is there really a water nymph in those trees?"
"She is half a water nymph."
"And she pushed you?"
Soria nodded.
"Why are you friends with her?"
"Well, she doesn't always think her actions through either. She forgets that she can hurt me"
"Are you still friends with her?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen her since. Usually, we talk about these things and become friends again. I know she wouldn't do it again."
"Do you want me to talk to her?"
"Would you do that?"
Loki smiled, "I will bring her some food too."