"You can't be serious!"

"I could not be more serious."

Nari and Thoth glared furiously at one another, each covered in feathers, and neither willing to back down. As had become the norm over the past week, two students had found themselves once again engaged in another battle of tricks. It was a day just like any other and would have remained that way if not for an unintended mishap.

On this day, one of Loki's pranks had finally gone awry, and it had done so with disastrous results. Following her typical pathway to her afterschool activities, Nari made her way from the classroom and down the familiar hall to the library. After so many sessions, Anubis had effectively become an unofficial member of the music club and it became customary for Nari to collect him prior to their session. Unfortunately, on this day, Anubis had chosen to meet his clubmate instead, heading her off and sending them back the way she came. With the older Kusanagi gone, there left only one target to become the victim of Loki's trap entering the library: the library's master himself.

Understandably, Thoth was furious.

That was how the three of them had ended up in their current situation, Nari and Loki sitting in an empty classroom with the god of knowledge. Now covered in feathers and glitter, Thoth had decided that he had had enough of their pranking and stuck both of them there in for punishment. A phenomenon he had learned through his reading called 'detention.'

"But this isn't even my fault!"

"It is your nonsense that has led to this lunacy."

"My nonsense?" Nari pointed an accusatory finger to her side, calling out the culprit. "He started it!"

"It doesn't matter. I am finishing it." Thoth turned and stormed his way toward the classroom door, placing a hand on the knob. "You will remain in here until you have resolved your differences."

"Thoth, you can't just —"

The Egyptian god paid her no mind. Exiting the room, he disappeared, slamming the door behind him. At the telltale sound of a click, Nari leapt to her feet. Crossing the distance, she jiggled the knob and confirmed her suspicions. It was just as she feared. They were locked in. "Ugh, damn it!"

From his chair, Loki snickered and shook his head. "Silly puppy. That enchantment is magical. You're not opening the door."

"Then, you open it, dumbass."

Again, he shook his head. "I can't. My limiter has dampened our powers. I can't open the door any more than you can. Looks like we're stuck here until we make nice." His lips curled into a mischievous smile. "So, go on, puppy. Be nice to me."

"Nice?!" Nari's temper flared. Stomping back across the room, she rounded on the fire god. "It's your fault we're even in this situation! Why the hell would you set off a trap on birdbrain?!"

"I didn't. I set up a trap for you. It's not my fault you never showed up."

"Never showed…" Nari's voice grew quiet, her mind piecing everything together. "Wait, have you been following me? Memorizing my schedule? What is the matter with you, do you have nothing better to do?"

"Not really. Not since you colored my hair."

"Well, I wouldn't have colored your hair if you didn't cover me with paint!"

"This war could have ended days ago. You could have admitted defeat, but nooo, that would be too simple. If you weren't so stubborn, I wouldn't have had to get so creative!"

"And if you weren't such an insufferable pain in the ass, I wouldn't have to fight back!"

After going back and forth for 15 minutes, it was clear to them that they weren't getting anywhere fast. The only thing continued interaction it would do was ensure they never left the room ever again. Finally, Loki relented, frowning, and stalking away to a chair in the corner. Nari followed his example, taking a seat on the opposite end of the room.

With nothing else to say to one another, they were left with nothing but the sound of the wall clock, ticking away up above them. Nari's fingers drummed along the desk, her nails clacking rhythmically against the wooden surface. The sound was reminiscent of the one he'd heard during the ocean trip. This time, there was no instrument to produce the sound. But he recognized the timing of the taps, nonetheless. Listening to the percussive tune send his mind drifting back. Her careful strokes and her carefree expression while performing.

The words were out of Loki's mouth before he had a chance to stop them. "It was nice, you know?"

His voice snapped her out of her daydreaming, drawing her back to the present. Her fingers came to a stop. "Huh? What was nice?"

"Your music. I liked it. It was pretty good."

"You… like my music? What —" Her eyes widened slightly. "Wait… were you listening? During the ocean trip?" A silent nod was her answer. That was all it took for her jaw to nearly hit the floor. A compliment? From Loki? Surely, cows and pigs must be flying somewhere as well. "I… uh… I mean… thanks, I guess."

"I have to say I'm surprised. I hadn't expected that kind of talent from you, puppy."

And there it was. She wasn't surprised. Instead, she scoffed and fired back, "That makes two of us." The fire god lifted an eyebrow at her confession, earning a tired sigh. When she spoke again, her tone was less venomous. "I mean… I know you said you're the god of tricks, but I hadn't expected you to be so innovative. The ingenuity of some of your traps is impressive."

Slowly, Loki spun around in his chair, turning to face the woman completely. He couldn't help feeling a swell of pride at the sound of her genuine praise. Receiving anything short of an insult from her was difficult enough. Receiving something nice was nearly reason for celebration. Feeling slightly less tense than before, he returned the gesture. "Well, I didn't expect to find such a worthy opponent. Thanks to you, these last few days, school has actually been… fun."

"Fun? This is fun for you?" Nari repeated his motions, turning to face him with a look of confusion.

"Of course, puppy. Sure, you frustrate me, but you can't deny our little battle has been amusing."

"Speak for yourself. I find nothing amusing about it."

The sound of her voice confused him. Over their time together in the Academy of the Gods, Loki had become accustomed to the tones of her speech. Most often, it was some form of anger or irritation. Occasionally joy when she spoke to her sister. Cordial, sometimes even friendly when she spoke to Dionysus. But this was a ring he hadn't yet heard. She sounded really upset. Almost sad. His suspicions were confirmed when she lifted her eyes, meeting his gaze with her own despondent one.

"Loki… is there a reason that you keep targeting me specifically?"

"Eh? Of course, puppy. Because it's fun!" He answered her question as though it should have been obvious. On some level, it was. But as she began to deflate before him like an airless balloon, his smile faded. She clearly wasn't sharing in his mirth.

"Seriously, I don't get it. Honestly, Loki, what the hell did I ever do to you?"

Loki's frown deepened at the look on her face, so lost, so dejected. It was then that he began to finally realize. "…Does it really bother you that much?"

Nari scoffed, shaking her head incredulously at the question. She sounded agitated. But her eyes told a different tale. "I mean, yeah, kind of." When the other student said nothing else, she slowly continued. "It's just… I deal with this sort of shit on a daily basis back home. The mudslinging and the cruel jokes… I've been dealing with it since I was a little kid. When I got brought here, I guess I just hoped things would be different. I was looking forward to a bit of respite, you know? To, for once, just be free of…"

As Nari spoke, Loki's expression began to soften. It didn't seem that she was willing to move forward with her explanation. But from the look on her face, she didn't need to. It was a look that so often mirrored his own. Pain. Sadness. Hurt. Loki was no stranger to isolation, mistreatment, and ostracization. It made up his entire childhood. Yet it had never occurred to him that she might have suffered the same. That there was more to the goddess than her witty retorts and fiery attitude. That there was something more behind her angry mask.

In the following moments, Nari felt her heart leap into her throat. Her mind paused, eyes widening with astonishment as he lowered his head in genuine remorse.

"…I'm sorry."

For a few moments, she simply watched him in total silence. His voice had sounded so small; it felt as though he had really meant it… and he did.

While it was true that the god of fire thrived on other people's misfortune, he generally did so because it was the only way to garner their attention. Even negative interaction was better than being completely ignored. But he had never wanted to do any serious damage. He hadn't meant to hurt her… and he had hurt her. He could tell.

"I… um…" Nari wasn't sure what to say. The thought crossed her mind more than once that something was wrong with her ears. But in the end, she accepted that he had spoken honestly. There was no punchline. No takebacks, no jabs, no smart-alecky afterthought. Just a genuine, sincere apology. Finally, she sighed. "It's alright, I guess. It's not like you know anything about me or anything."

"No, I don't… but I do know how it feels." Slowly, Loki rose to his feet, stepping his way across the room toward the other student. He stopped short of approaching her all the way. He wanted to give her space. Give her the option to refuse. "I… I won't do it anymore, okay?" A few moments after he spoke the words, he amended them. "I'll try not to do it anymore. You know?"

Nari watched him, her eyes following him as he drew closer. Mirroring his movement, she stood and approached him as well. She couldn't deny that she was apprehensive to believe him. Loki was the god of mischief, after all. He had reminded her of such many times before. But there was something about the way he spoke to her…

Meeting him in the middle, she lifted her head to match his gaze. "It's… look, I get it. You're a god of troublemaking. It's in your blood."

Loki's body tensed slightly at her words. 'In your blood.' It was something he hated to hear. A reminder of what he was.

"I'm not going to tell you to stop being who you are. Trust me… I know how that feels. Just… lay off a little, alright? Can you do that? Please?"

His body relaxed. An inward sigh of relief escaped him. It was almost comforting. She wasn't trying to change him. She wasn't asking him to be anything other than what he was. She was accepting him. As best she could. Nodding his head, he smirked. "Alright, puppy, you win. I'll back off… for now."

"Thank you."

The sound of a quiet click startled them from the side of the room, drawing their attention to the classroom door. With a quiet creak, the door slowly slid open, its enchantment gone. They were free.

When Loki looked back at her he felt his heart skip a beat. For the first time since their meeting, she gave him a genuine smile.

. . .

Fingers pressed softly against the keys of the piano in the music room, filling the empty walls with music. After her run-in with Loki, Nari had gone her own way, leaving the fire god to do the same. As they had been locked in the classroom for the better half of the day, it was evening when she finally emerged. But after running to the cafeteria for a light snack, Nari found that she couldn't relax. She couldn't get their earlier conversation out of her head. His apologetic expression, his voice, his face.

So, with no other idea of what to do, she retreated to the one place she always did when she was overwhelmed.

Her music was interrupted by a quiet gasp sounding from the doorway. Yui stood entranced by the open door; her eyes were wide with wonder. She looked completely enthralled but nervous, as though she was unsure of whether or not to continue forward. With a gentle grin, Nari waved her over, inviting her inside and putting an end to her inner turmoil. When she reached her sister, she slowly sat beside her on the bench, a smile rising to her face. "Wow, Nari… I haven't heard you play that song in years."

"It has been a while, hasn't it…?" Nari smiled, gently running her fingers soundlessly over the keys.

"You used to play it all the time when we were younger. I was surprised when it never showed up on any of your albums."

Her sister laughed. A soft, bitter sound. "It's funny… this song was actually supposed to be my debut. Ironic, isn't it? "

"Really? I never knew that… What happened?"

"I never wrote any lyrics for it. I mean, I started, but… I never finished."

"Why not?"

'He wouldn't allow me to.' "I don't know. Life just got in the way."

"Oh." Silence fell between them. Yui drummed absentmindedly on the keys, pressing down on a few and making a low hum. There were many questions she wanted to ask but knew it would be unwise. Her sister didn't seem to be in any state to have such a conversation. She needed support, not interrogation. If only she was certain how.

Then, as though struck with sudden inspiration, she jolted. "Wait, so… why are you playing it now?"

Nari blinked. It was an interesting question, one that she hadn't given much thought. She wasn't sure what had sparked her sudden motivation. Only that she had felt a compelling need to play that song. "Not sure. I just… got inspired."

"You should finish it!"

"What?"

"The song. You should finish it. Since you're…" A wanted suspect. "… on sabbatical at the moment, you have time. It's not like we have much else to do during our downtime here. Why not?"

"…" Nari only nodded, unsure of what else to do. Her sister's pause didn't escape her notice. She didn't need to question what she had meant to say. Yui wasn't stupid, and she had access to the outside world. Any person with a TV or an internet connection would have heard the news. Deciding to let it go, she relented. "Yeah… maybe you're right."

Yui gave her a wide smile. Within moments, Nari returned it. The pair enjoyed their comfortable silence for a few minutes, the younger sister toying with the keys. Finally, she broke the silence with a playful grin. "So… want to show me what you've gotten so far?"

At that, Nari laughed. "Sure." With nothing further, she began to play.