Following their day off and the snowball fight — or the snowball slaughter as Takeru called it — the class began their work in earnest. Preparations for the festival were in full swing, students from every corner of the school were hard at work. Building stalls, painting signs, setting up a series of trees, and a massive stage; all just a few of the many activities taking place. On Nari's side, her work was a bit more convoluted as she had to balance her responsibilities with and around everyone else.

True to his words, Apollon did end up joining the music club, bringing their 'sentient member' count to three. Anubis didn't typically show when Apollon was around, and Nari couldn't practice her sets. This meant that she had to juggle her time between them, dancing with the Egyptian god on one day, singing with the Greek on another, and working by her lonesome in between. On unlucky days, she had to do multiple back-to-back, resulting in her working for nearly the entire day.

And this was all on top of trying to perfect the finer details of her performance including setlist, choreography, wardrobe, and artwork for the backdrops she would need for her ever-changing set. Thankfully, being a god of the arts, Dionysus was able to help her with the last part. It turned out that as well as a pervert and a vintner, he was also a talented artist. He helped her design beautiful still forms and backgrounds of the green fields of Mount Olympus, bringing their home to life. It was all done with the insistence that it was part of her 'project'. To craft her choreography, she got information from the library, study materials, and multiple seemingly unrelated conversations with Hades. She utilized the Greek doll students to fill any gaps in between. Apollon remained carefully out of the loop. He was simply not to be trusted.

With her work for the Greek pantheon nearly complete, she was looking to gather information on the Egyptians and finally, the Norse. As a — as far as she knew — native-born woman of Japanese descent, there was little she didn't know about her own culture. Thus, the second option she had assumed would be the hardest, as Anubis and Thoth were her only resources. Anubis, though he enjoyed her company, could be difficult to find, and Thoth was out of the question. So, she figured she would start with the easier of the two and save the worst for last. After all, working with the Norse in comparison would be far easier.

…But Nari was wrong. She was very, very wrong.

"I demand a rematch!"

"Absolutely not."

"Come on, Puppy! You owe me!"

"I don't owe you anything. Besides, I told you I don't have any more time for messing around. I have a show to prepare for."

"Yeah, but that's not for a little while, right?"

"That doesn't matter! Do you have any idea how much work goes into one of these performances?"

This had become the routine. Her goal had been to prepare her work for the Norse, but instead she would end up arguing, chasing the fire god around, and trying desperately to extract even the tiniest bit of accurate information. After being beaten into a frozen pulp, he was far more interested in hassling her than helping, insisting on another chance to get turned into a human-sized icicle.

For the sake of proving a point, Nari accepted his challenge at first. She had agreed to a quick skirmish on the school grounds before her practice sessions, and the two had gone head to head first thing in the morning to the same result. But apparently, two times wasn't enough for him, he wanted her to wipe the floor with him a third time.

"You're just going to get your ass kicked again. Why won't you give it up already?"

"Never! I refuse!"

"Loki, I don't have time for this. Just answer my questions, please," She tried her best to remain calm, holding her notebook in her hand while he danced around her. On the third rotation, she grew frustrated, flicking his nose and stopping him mid-stride. "Would you knock it off?"

The fire god huffed and turned, striding away, and forcing her to chase him around once more. "Hmph."

"You are such a child…" Nari muttered, following him down the hallway. "Damn it Loki, why can't you let this go already?"

He stubbornly continued forward, crossing his arms, and turning his nose up. "Because that would mean admitting defeat."

"So?" Nari scoffed. "What's the matter, Snowki, can't handle coming in second to a human — oof!" her taunt came to a brutal end, interrupted by a sudden impact. Loki came to an immediate stop, causing her to walk straight into the back of him. The woman rubbed her face, scowling at the back of his jacket in growing annoyance. "Really? Are you that immature?"

Loki didn't answer her. His attention was elsewhere, eyes narrowing at the sight in front of him. In the connecting corridor Balder was standing in front of Yui. They were hand in hand and, quite frankly, the younger didn't seem very enthusiastic about it.

"As the god of light, I subconsciously charm everyone around me. But you have not changed."

Nari sighed, stepping back from her classmate. She was about to start scolding him for ignoring her when she noticed his immediate change. Unlike his calm, playful posture from moments ago, it was now rigid and tense. It wasn't uncommon for his moods to change on a dime; it was something she had simply come to expect. They typically fluctuated between devious and lackadaisical, occasionally drifting into annoyance. But almost never into rage. That was exceedingly rare. Had her victory really bothered him that much?

Startled and confused, Nari slowly looped around him with a concerned look on her face. That concern only doubled when she saw his expression, staring unblinkingly into the other hallway. It wasn't like his typical anger. Not even his spat with Takeru had resulted in such a face. It was the most vicious glare she had ever seen on anyone, let alone him. It actually unsettled her how angry he looked. "L-Loki…? Are you okay? I wasn't trying to —"

"You see me for who I truly am." A soft voice reached her ears, smooth like silk, drifting from down the hall. Turning, she was surprised to see what her classmate was looking so intently at, another pair of students in the utterly deserted corridor. Strange, considering how far out of the way they had traveled. What on earth were they doing out here? "You're special. I feel comfortable by your side." Balder's words startled her, quickly drawing her attention downward to his hands gently gripping Yui's. Suddenly, Nari got the feeling they had unintentionally walked in on something intimate. "I wish I could stay here forever."

His final words resulted in a literal growl from the man beside her, startling her. It tore from him with such force that she actually took a step back, feeling genuinely threatened for the first time since they had met. The air between them was growing warm, heating up in a similar fashion to what she once saw before. It reminded her once again that Loki's power was dampened… not destroyed. He was a god of fire; a divine being with fearsome power. And apparently, he was becoming so angry, that it was seeping through his limiter. "Loki… What —"

"Hey, Puppy."

"Huh?"

When he spoke, his voice was a low rumble. He didn't look at her. His eyes remained fixated on the pair as they walked away, Balder leading Yui down the hall and around a corner. It was only when they disappeared from his line of sight that he spoke again. "Your sister… how much time has she been spending with Balder?"

"I… I don't know what you mean."

"Have they always been close?"

Loki was starting to worry her. She had never heard such a tone from him, not since his near fist fight with the god of the sea. Every syllable dripped with rage, as though he could literally burst into flame at any moment. And were it not for the shackle around his neck, she feared he actually would. "U-Um… not that I know of. I mean, they're both members of the student council, so they see each other at least once a day… She and I don't really talk about him much."

"I see."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Nari asked. Her question was double sided; on the one hand, she was asking out of genuine concern. Truth be told, she had never felt entirely comfortable around the god of light. Though he had never displayed anything short of kindness to either of them, there was always something about him that unsettled her. To see the two of them together like this in isolation, especially after his strange behavior as of late, was worrisome.

On the other hand, she was worried about Loki, who was so obviously bothered by the situation. She had noticed his increasing agitation in regard to the pair over the last few days, but she had tried not to give it too much thought. After all, Balder was one of Loki's closest friends from what she could tell. She assumed he was simply envious that he was paying attention to someone else for a change. But now, it seemed to be affecting him in an entirely different manner. As though the thought of Balder and Yui together made him sick to his stomach. What she wasn't sure of was why. Try as she might, she couldn't suppress the nagging feeling rising in her stomach. That his motivations may run deeper — more personal — than he was letting on. "Does that… bother you?"

Her question seemed to jar something in him, snapping him out of his seething stupor. Within less than a second, his scowl disappeared, replaced with a happy grin, though it felt extremely forced. "Never you mind it, Puppy! I was just curious, is all."

"Curious? Loki, you looked really —"

"I said, never mind it." His words shut her up immediately, not so much what he said but how he said it. He wasn't threatening her, but she could tell by his tone he was shutting her down. He wanted nothing more to do with the subject. "Anyway, you said you wanted my help with something?"

Just like that, he had done a 180. The fact that she had spent the better half of an hour chasing him around the school had suddenly eluded him. Now, he was apparently all ears. Anything to get off the subject of Balder and her sister. And Nari hated it. It made her heart ache. "…Yeah. I-I needed to ask you some questions about your homeland."

"My homeland…?"

"Yeah. It's for the performance, so I need to make sure everything is accurate as possible."

"I see. Will it take long?"

Nari blinked. "I… I don't know. Maybe a few hours? It depends on your cooperation, really. There's a lot of stuff to go over —"

"Then, I'll have to take a rain check."

"What? But you just said —"

"Don't worry, Puppy, I'll help you out later. There's something I need to take care of, and I totally forgot. Silly me."

"Loki —"

"See you soon!"

With that, the god of fire was gone, jogging down the hall and around the corner. Though she could no longer see his form, his heavy footsteps told her he had taken off at a sprint. A tired sigh was all she could muster. She didn't have any more energy for this. She was exhausted"…Guess it's off to the Egyptians after all…" she muttered, turning, and making her way down the opposite hall.

. . .

Loki ran down the hall as fast as his legs would carry him. He had to move quickly; the school was massive, and he didn't have any idea where they went. In the back of his mind, he felt genuinely guilty leaving Nari behind. His exit had been more than a little rude to her and she didn't deserve it. For her to come to him and not the others meant that she trusted him; and he was currently stomping on that trust by bailing on her.

But right now, he had an even bigger problem to deal with. One that simply couldn't wait. He vowed in his mind that he would have to make it up to her. Perhaps he would visit her again later in the night. Once he was sure the other two had been separated. The sound of Yui's frantic voice drew his attention, echoing from a nearby corridor. Turning, he bolted down the hall, following the noise. When the words grew audible, his face twisted into a dangerous glare.

"I'm not punishing you, Balder… I would never do that."

"Then, why did you suggest a method that would separate us?"

"Separate?"

"Forming groups based on mythology!"

"W-Wait, is that what this is about…?"

"Why, Yui… Why would you…"

"I-It really wasn't anything personal… I was just trying to make it easier for everyone to work together… I don't understand why it —"

"I want to always be by your side… I want to always look upon you!"

"Huh?!" When Loki slid to a stop, he found the two once more, staring face to face. Though he was no longer holding her hostage, the situation somehow seemed more dire than the last. Whereas before, the younger sister had worn a calm, gentle smile. Now, she looked alarmed and confused, stuttering her words, and trying to back away. "U-Um…"

"In my heart, I have counted every time you have smiled at me or spoken to me. Every time the sun illuminates your hair and makes it shine…"

"Balder…"

"That is why I want us to dine together, from now on."

"But —"

This was getting uncomfortable. Both for him and for her. He could see that Yui was visibly perturbed at this point. But she was softer than her older sister, she wasn't certain how to tell him no. To be honest, it was likely she was just intimidated; he had already dragged her halfway around the school. Loki couldn't entirely blame her. The god of light possessed unnatural physical strength even in his current form. It frightened even him sometimes. He couldn't imagine how she must feel as a human woman. Deciding it was time to intervene, Loki emerged and rushed forward, forcing the happiest expression he could onto his face.

"Now that that's decided —"

"P-Please wait!"

"Balder!"

The pair had barely taken three steps forward when their classmate appeared, sprinting toward them at full speed. As though he were a marathon runner and the two of them were the finishing line. He even treated them as such when he reached them, forcing himself between and all but shoving them apart. Yui sputtered in confusion, Balder staring at his friend now standing in the middle.

"Loki?"

"Balder, what are you doing? Where are you going?"

"Huh? I was going to dine with Yui —"

"You're going to the mess hall? What a coincidence! I was just on my way there as well!"

"W-Well… it was supposed to be just the two of us —"

"Nonsense! Two is better than one, and three is better than two!"

Balder scowled slightly at his friend, though in his eyes he could see uncertainty. He clearly didn't want to hurt Loki's feelings, but he had been trying to catch the younger sister alone for some time. He didn't want to waste the opportunity. Yui took a step back from them, eyeing the two very carefully. There was something about the look on Loki's face; his smile that seemed oddly ungenuine. It almost felt purposeful.

"Let me join you, it'll be fun!" Loki continued his rant, his words growing subtly more forceful as he nudged her further away. "Hmm? What do you think?" he asked, silver eyes staring pointedly at the younger woman; his expression didn't at all match his invitation. He was giving her an out. And he sincerely hoped she was smart enough to take it.

…She was.

"A-Actually, I'm not really all that hungry. I had a huge lunch earlier today, so —"

Balder attempted to get around Loki, offering an immediate counter. "That's alright. We don't have to eat anything. We could just take a walk together."

Yui swallowed, eyes widening slightly at his retort. He really wasn't giving up. But she wouldn't either. Not when Loki was clearly trying to help her. "Uh… N-No, that's okay. To be honest, I'm kind of worried about my sister. I haven't seen her all day and she's still recovering, so…"

Her eyes shifted between them, falling on Loki almost desperately, begging him to play along. Going with the story, he tapped his chin before clapping his hands together. "Oh! I actually saw Puppy a little while ago! Come to think of it, she looked a little pale…"

"Oh no, r-really?"

"Mm-hmm. You should probably go and check on her. Make sure she's alright."

His ploy couldn't have been more obvious — at least, as far as Yui was concerned. Nari was always pale; it wasn't unusual for her. More importantly, if Nari was truly feeling out of sorts, the likelihood was that Loki would have been with her, not following them down the hallway. Silently, she thanked the trickster god for paving her escape. "Oh… that's awful. Thank you for telling me. I'm going to go see her right away!"

Balder frowned, calling after her as she moved away. "But Yui —"

"Another time! Excuse me!" Yui turned and practically bolted, leaving the two alone in the hall. Balder watched her go, a look of disappointment washing over his features. He wasn't pleased about losing his time with her, but he knew how important her sister was to her. Not to mention the fact that he had seen the woman the other day wandering around the grounds, and she did appear a bit lacking in the pigment department. Sighing, he turned his attention back to Loki who was beaming at him with a triumphant grin.

Loki held out his hand. "Shall we?"

. . .

Later that night, Nari returned to her room. Her attempts to garner information from the Egyptians had gone just as expected. She couldn't find Anubis. The jackal god had run off somewhere, leaving Thoth alone in the library. Naturally, he was unamused to see her and bared his fangs the moment she stepped foot in his domain.

She tried multiple times to request assistance and was rejected with each and every one. Any question she asked was batted away with snarling insults and dismissive gestures. 'Figure it out for yourself.' 'You're in a library, look it up.' 'Are you incapable of finding your own information?' Any attempts at casual conversation; possibly trying to ease into the topic, were similarly shut down almost immediately. He barely let her get a word in. Ultimately, she ended up doing what she had figured she would, spending the rest of the day poring through countless books, taking notes, and doing her best to sketch any imagery to relay back to Dionysus at a later date.

By the time it was over, she was ready to collapse. Dealing with Thoth had drained her battery of any remaining energy, and she was so tired when she returned, she could barely stand. Her brain shut off the moment her head hit the pillow, turning off for the night so she could do it all again the following day.

If only her actual sleep could have been so restful.

Her body thrashed around beneath the covers, head whipping violently back and forth. Lost and alone in the realm of her dreams, she whimpered quietly into the silent night.

The wind howled, billowing around her. She could hear little more than the whistling in the air, see the stars above her head. It was beautiful yet fleeting. The image was fading, and so was she. Her body was in so much pain, and the angel of death stood far away from her, gazing at her with menacing eyes as her body lay on the ground. The only saving grace was her angel; the angel of light, watching over her. She could see the blurred outline of his face, his gentle hands holding her close to him, shielding her from the darkness. He was guiding her, once again, into the afterlife. To safety. To freedom.

Tears welled in her eyes, frustrated by her own powerlessness. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She couldn't breathe. All she could do was stare up at him until her world went dark, dragging her away into the endless abyss. The eternal night…

At least, that was what happened normally.

This time, her dream was slightly different. Rather than drift away into nothingness, her eyes slowly opened again. She could see him now, his image growing clearer with each passing second. She could make out his outline, a fluffy mop of hair, long trails framing his face. A pair of gentle eyes looking down at her, his arms rocking her back and forth. His worried expression, his mouth moving above her though she understood no words. Smiling, Nari slowly reached out to him, relieved to finally see his face. To put an image to the man that had saved her nearly countless times. The man she had been searching for, for so long. Her angel. Her love. Forcing her mouth to open, she spoke to him.

"I-It's you…"

"Come… y. Hey…"

"Huh?"

"…ri… e up."

Nari blinked her eyes once. Twice. With each movement the fog lifted, the image in front of her growing sharper until it was crystal clear. Long crimson hair and silver eyes like storm clouds. The man in her dreams was there with her. He was holding her. Watching her.

He was… real?

Wait a minute.

"Puppy?"

"What the —" Finally, her mind snapped to attention, body loosening as she returned to the land of the living. This wasn't a dream. She was wide awake in her room. The clouded mirror that had blocked her vision blinked away, running down her cheeks. And the man holding her was… "Loki?"

"Are you alright?"

"I… huh?!" Now, she was confused. It was the middle of the night… wasn't it? How long had she been asleep? How long had he been there? Why was she asking herself those questions instead of the man breaking and entering for the twentieth time? "What in the — What time is it? Why —"

"You were having a bad dream."

"I… Oh. O-Okay… yeah, I guess that explains it." Nari rubbed her eyes, sitting up and pushing away the sheets. It took only a moment of realization to have her shaking her head and retaliating, focusing back on the man at her bedside. "Wait a minute, no it doesn't! Loki, what are you doing in my room? Again?"

"I came to check on you. Wanted to make sure you were okay."

"What? Why?"

Loki rolled his eyes, sighing with exasperation. As though he were dealing with a petulant child. "Because Puppy… You've been having trouble sleeping, haven't you? I just wanted to make sure you could handle it. That you could… cope."

Nari stared at him, blinking into the darkness. '…Oh.' Finally, it started to make sense. She had suffered from night terrors since she was a little girl. Terrors that only worsened into her teens and even more into adulthood. Terrors that every day she remained in this world grew more and more vivid. That drove her to medicate and numb herself, even if only so she could get some much-needed sleep. That was how she had managed over the last few years. But Nari couldn't depend on the pills anymore. She didn't have them. She only had herself. And Loki knew that.

Suddenly, his presence was no longer an irritation, but one for which she was deeply grateful. "You came because… you were worried about me?"

He nodded. "Kitten told me about your nightmares."

"Oh… I see." So, that was why he came. Because her sister had sent him. Nari wasn't sure why that information disappointed her. It really shouldn't have; it had no right to. The fact that he was there at all was far more than he was obligated to do. She shoved the intrusive thoughts into the back of her mind in favor of more grateful ones. Even if her sister had been the one to request him, the fact that he had come warmed her heart. That for whatever the reason may be, he was concerned. And she wasn't alone. "…Thank you, Loki. And I'm sorry to interrupt your rest."

"Don't worry about it, I was up anyway." Loki gently pressed against her shoulder, encouraging her to return to her pillow. "Get some rest, Puppy."

"But I —"

"I'm not going anywhere," he reassured her.

"That's isn't the —"

"It's fine." Loki entertained no further protest. He had been planning to visit anyway, and at this point, he couldn't in good conscience leave her there, thrashing around alone in her bed. He knew that her days of dependence, of abusing medication were behind her, but the thought still frightened him. The look of her lifeless form on her bed when he snuck a peek into her room. The fear that when her eyes closed, they wouldn't open again.

He brushed a warm hand along the side of her arm, following a slow pathway up and down. The room eventually fell into silence, Nari's breathing starting to slow. Within minutes, she was out, only proving how tired she was. She had barely even had the energy to argue with him. Or so he thought. A few minutes after she had drifted off, he heard the sound of her mumbling voice reaching his ears once more.

"Lo… ki…"

Sighing, he rolled his eyes at her unwavering stubbornness. "Rest, Puppy," he commanded. Turning, he made to scold her for being so difficult. Then, he paused. Her lids were shut, her body still lying in the same position as it had a moment before.

"I can't… I need to… tell…"

She was fast asleep. Her body was unconscious but her mind, it seemed, couldn't rest, calling out to him even in her sleep. Or at least, whatever version of him existed in her dreams — a fact which made him far happier than it had any right to. He decided pointedly to leave it alone; whatever form of him it may be, her message wasn't for him. Yet he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that it somehow was. Straining his ears, he tried to make out her mutters, which had dwindled to indecipherable breaths. After a few moments of silence, he gave up. Whatever it was, if it was important, she could say to him when she was awake.

Brushing a strand of navy hair out of her face, he smiled down at her sleeping form. "Good night, Puppy."