Four days.

It had been four days since Loki had encountered her; the woman who was very quickly becoming an object of immense interest. Nari Kusanagi. One who, despite her snappy attitude, he couldn't help but find himself attracted to — if attraction was even the proper word to use. Perhaps fascination was a more apt term, as her existence brought him a feeling of insatiable curiosity more than anything else. He was infatuated with her in the way that one grew infatuated with a difficult puzzle. Something that he was desperate to examine and figure out. She was a like a rare creature, something to be observed, but otherwise left alone. Not that he had done a very good job of that second part. In fact, his most recent actions had been the complete opposite, drawing him closer to her than he had ever been since their arrival in the magical garden.

Even still, he couldn't bring himself to regret his decision, despite the unfortunate side effects. Side effects that were currently driving him up a wall. The way that she invaded his thoughts lately made him wonder if her capability was similar to his own. Could it be that she was blessed with the power of suggestion? Perhaps a powerful hypnosis, or some sort of aura. It wouldn't be the first time he had heard of such a thing; rumor had it there was a Greek goddess of immeasurable beauty who enamored nearly all around her. And if the way Dionysus behaved around her were any indication, then Loki wasn't the only one captured under her spell. Maybe it would do him some good to do a little research on her; to figure out the true nature of her power. Yes, that seemed a fitting option. He could go to the library and look up a mythological text on the Japanese goddess of...

...what exactly?

It hadn't occurred to him until that very moment that Loki didn't have a single clue. He had never bothered to ask where her power lie and she had never offered the information. Interesting. Perhaps that should be his next mission. To figure out exactly who and what it was that he was up against.

"Loki."

The sound of his clubmate's curious tone interrupted his thought process, reminding him of what he was supposed to be doing in the first place. "Hmm?"

"You were thinking."

"But of course! I was merely contemplating what we should do for the going-home club!" He recovered quickly, directing the conversation into a more jovial direction. The god of thunder was frustratingly perceptive when he wanted to be, and if he wasn't careful, he would open himself up to a line of questioning that would lead him down a path he had no interest in traversing. As an alternative, he twirled a lock of crimson hair around his finger and skipped around his taller classmate. "Hmm... Tell me, Thor, what do you think we should do for club today?"

"You are the club president. You determine our activities."

Loki sighed. Of course, he had nothing productive to add. Despite his own goal being nothing more than to redirect the conversation, in his mind he had somehow convinced himself that his classmate may actually have some useful input. "Well, I'm running out of ideas, you know?"

A half-truth, not entirely a lie. Over the past couple of hours, the pair had been wandering aimlessly around the school grounds and in doing so, had observed the other students going about their own hobbies throughout the afternoon. And, for the most part, it had been arguably uneventful. The softball tennis club was still overrun by shrieking students, each trying with desperation to catch even a glance from their brilliant blonde-haired lord and savior. Naturally, they hadn't stuck around very long. Loki had little interest in listening to their chattering, and after the previous incident, he was a little apprehensive to go anywhere near a tennis racket.

Everything following that sector of their journey was equally dull; they spent it slowly looping around the courtyard before heading back inside the building. They watched students running in circles around a large track for reasons he couldn't decipher. They had seen others wandering back and forth with gardening supplies, seemingly offering their assistance to the god of wine. All boring and uninteresting. In fact, the highlight of their trip was watching the younger Kusanagi sibling getting bonked on the head by a tennis ball — twice — before being sprayed from head to toe with freezing-cold hose water. All mishaps of her own making, of course, which left Loki with little sympathy for the woman. Despite the cloud of bad luck that seemed to surround the eldest Greek god, Yui seemed absolutely determined to be around him, consequences be damned. Which, naturally, the god of fire found hilarious. But at this point, they had run out of things to observe.

"Perhaps we should end it here. We are passing this hallway for the second time."

And apparently, they were now wandering in circles.

"Huh?" Loki blinked, giving Thor a look of confusion before taking in his surroundings. Upon doing so, he realized his classmate was right. Lost in thought, he had led them twice down the familiar corridor passing by the dance studio. The room was empty, as he had previously discovered, yet somehow in his mindless meandering, his body had found itself there yet again outside its walls. How frustrating. Shaking his head, Loki finally gave in. Maybe Thor was right. It was time to bring their activities to an end. It wasn't like they were accomplishing anything ambling up and down the same hall. "Eh... yes, maybe we should." Striking a ridiculous pose, Loki put on his brightest smile. "Then, as club president, I say we finish our extracurriculars and pick this up tomorrow!"

His declaration was met with a blank stare. Then, a sigh as Thor conceded. Whatever Loki was up to, there was no way that it was a good thing. The look on his face suggested shenanigans and if he didn't distance himself now, he would likely be dragged into the center of them. Saying nothing further, he gave a shrug of his broad shoulders before walking off, leaving the redhead by his lonesome. Loki watched him go, remaining perfectly still until the taller god was out of sight. Once gone, he turned and slowly made his way down the opposite hall.

It was halfway down that he began to slow his pace, mind drifting off to another world again as it so often did, taking him to a time he wished lay long forgotten. Hands linked behind his head, he rounded a corner, eyes gazing unseeingly forward. It wasn't until he heard a strange echo that he realized he was whistling, a quiet tune that he had hummed starting years ago. It was a beautiful melody, but one that left his heart feeling hollow, as its ring reminded him of all he had lost. He grumbled, freeing his hands, and shoving them into his pockets, disregarding his fingers' subconscious drift to his treasure of ruby red.

This. This was exactly why he hated being alone.

Thankfully, he entered a more crowded hallway, filled with students bustling to and fro to distract him from his unpleasant thoughts. His silver orbs wavered from side to side, looking around at the different students as they passed him by. It was strange to watch them go about their business, knowing that they were nothing more than summoned souls.

"Eep!"

"Oof!"

Suddenly, he jolted backward from a small, startling impact, looking down at the student who caused it. He couldn't stop the uncomfortable shudder than ran down his spine as the Greek woman looked up at him, jumping and skittering away with a nervous blush. No matter how long he spent within those walls, it would never cease to disturb him; how realistic they looked. It was nothing short of creepy, and he wasn't sure he would ever get used to it.

Despite their status as dolls, they operated and behaved no differently than any of them. Studying for classes, celebrating, or lamenting exam results, whispering, and conversing with one another, occasionally ogling other students they found attractive. It was one such sound that drew his attention; a young Japanese girl giggling with her classmate, eyes poring over a magazine. Curious, he snuck a peak as he passed, craning his neck forward to get a better look.

Ah. It was her again.

On the cover was a face he had slowly become familiar with over the last few weeks, a human woman from Midgard. Pale skin, violet hair, ocean blue eyes, and fascinating attire, with glitter from lashes to lips. He knew nothing of the woman, not even her name; only that she was extremely popular. Even when trying his best to avoid her, Loki noticed her everywhere. Her face appeared constantly across books, magazines, and strange moving photographs glowing from their magical rectangles. He had even seen her posing on the cover of a booklet that he had given to A-fool-on only weeks prior. Whoever she was, she seemed to be an object of great fascination to humans.

Having sated his curiosity, Loki moved on. The sound of chattering was starting to wear on his nerves, leaving him more than a little agitated. It had been nearly an hour and he wasn't sure what to do with the remainder of his free time. Balder was occupied and by now, had probably wandered off to join Apollon and Kusanagi for their afternoon luncheon. Thor, he had just recently left behind. Hades was a downer, Tsukito was a drag, and Takeru wasn't even an option. And Dionysus... honestly, he wasn't certain what his issue with the alcoholic was. Only that he bothered him. A lot.

Suddenly, his thoughts were halted as his mouth opened involuntarily, stretching wide in a loud, groaning yawn. And now it seemed that his human body was getting tired. Fantastic. Perhaps it really was time to call it quits. Maybe return to the dorm for some relaxation by the fire. He could always find something to do, someone to prank, another time. Spinning on his heel, the god of fire took a turn he knew would lead him straight toward the main hall. He was merely three paces before his final turn when a loud noise drew his attention.

"… is as stubborn as you are!"

An angry voice rang through the halls. A familiar voice. Her voice. And from the sound of it, she was arguing with someone, which wasn't something new. Nari argued with everyone, her classmates, their teacher. The only person he didn't know her to bicker with was her sister, and even then, that was only speculation. Considering her typical behavioral patterns, she had probably gotten into it with one of the other gods, or possibly even a doll student. The second option made him lift an eyebrow for a moment before shaking his head and disregarding it. Either way, it wasn't his concern.

Bang!

Until the sound of a loud crash quickly changed his mind, something slamming against the wall. Such a thing wasn't the most unusual, he frequently heard such noises, particularly when hanging around Balder or the clumsier doll students. But something about this sound made him uneasy; it made his crimson hair stand on end. It didn't sound like a dropped textbook or a loud fall. It sounded intentional, like an impact, and clearly an aggressive one. That was when he froze.

He couldn't stop his mind from wandering back in time, the image of Nari and Takeru squaring off in the center of the classroom. Having nearly incurring the wrath of the tempestuous god early on during his stay, he was well aware of the potential danger he posed. In his right mind, the god of storms didn't seem the type to lay a hand on a woman, at least based off his comments regarding the younger sister. But he had seen, in those rare moments of rage where he lost control, the possibility — a chance that at the time, Loki wasn't willing to take. And that had been then, surrounded by everyone in the classroom. He couldn't hear anything other than her singular exclamation, and he hadn't heard another word since.

That meant Nari was alone.

He wasn't sure when or why his legs had spun him around, and by the time he realized it, he had already broken into a run.

. . .

Another day, another argument.

After making some purchases at the school store, Nari had been making her way back toward the main hall to head for the dorms. It was around a bend when she ran suddenly into who was very quickly becoming the bane of her existence. Class time had ended, extracurriculars were going on, and typically on a day like this, she would be in the music room or dance studio practicing one of her routines. But today, she was doing neither of those things, instead focusing her attention on what she deemed to be a far more pressing matter. Which wouldn't have been a problem, except that it was during this same time that Thoth was returning to the library from his daily briefing with Zeus. And as the pathway from the school store to her desired exit took her right passed the library, it forced the two onto a collision course. An encounter was inevitable.

"We've already gotten the truants into the classroom. We even got them to join clubs. What more do you want from me?" Nari demanded, glaring furiously up at the Egyptian god. She was not in the mood for his nonsense. Not today.

Thoth quickly retaliated, not missing a beat. "Not all of them. The Imbecile, the Gloomy One, and the Failure have not."

Nari fumed. "And what do you want me to do about it? Hades is antisocial, Tsukito is a brick wall, and Takeru is as stubborn as you are!"

Thoth stepped forward, forcing her backward and up against the wall. She flinched at the echoing sound as his hand hit the hard surface, slamming beside her, and entrapping her in a similar manner to the time they first met. Clearly, kabadon was a favorite pastime of his, one that she was rapidly growing tired of. It brought up unpleasant memories, ones that she was more than happy to forget, as did his seething words as he leaned toward her. "Insolent girl. You were given a task, and you are expected to complete it."

"I don't know how!" Nari growled, her anger rising. Why couldn't he understand? What did she have to do to get through to him? "I have done everything I can think of, they won't listen! I can't make them join, Thoth. I don't have the power to control humans, let alone gods!"

"Then, figure it out. I have no more patience for you or your failures."

Failure...

"Tch..."

The sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears, but Nari didn't care. She was far too infuriated to be concerned about whoever or whatever else was wandering the halls. At that moment, her focus was entirely on the god before her, the words leaving her mouth without a second thought. "Fuck off, asshole! If it means that much to you, you can do it your damn self!"

Blue orbs narrowed into angry slits, white-hot rage erupting from behind his pupils. To speak to a god in such a manner, and to him no less. The nerve of this woman! "You will do as you are commanded, and you will do it with respect."

"Or what?"

"Fail to do so, and you will force our hand."

That was the final straw. Nari snarled, her face twisting into a furious scowl. "Go ahead and try it."

The moments that followed were a blur to her. Nari felt his movement before she saw it. Though she wasn't certain what his intentions were, her body wouldn't allow it, hand lifting forward. Acting on its own, she shoved, palm against the center of his chest, forcing him back. The god stumbled, stepping away to stabilize himself from the unexpected force of the blow. His eyes widened with genuine surprise, though from which part, he didn't know. Perhaps it was the suddenness of her reaction, so fluid and quick. The way her eyes flashed for the briefest moment with something he couldn't comprehend. The unnerving chill, sending a momentary shiver down the center of his spine from this woman — this human woman — who would dare to challenge and defy him. Or, strangest of all, it was the look of panic on her own features, surprise suddenly mirroring his own.

For Nari, everything froze; her vision went white, clouded with fleeting images of her most terrifying nightmares. Roaring flames, pools of blood, a hulking mass, a face unseen. Eyes widened with terror, blinking in rapid strokes to try and dispel the specters from her mind. It seemed that her monsters were following her even now, outside the realm of dreams. "I-I..." She attempted speech but couldn't get the words out. They came only as a quiet whisper dissipating immediately into the air. Shaking her head, she fled the scene.

Spinning, Nari bolted, her only thought escaping from this miserable situation. Lost in her haze, she paid little attention to her surroundings and moved at full speed. She turned so quickly, she couldn't stop herself from careening right into Loki, who was looking at her with the same wide eyes as their professor. She jolted from the impact and staggered, dropping her shopping bag in her attempt to stay standing. Without a word, she reached downward, swiping the bag from the floor before rushing around him, and disappearing down the hall.

Loki stared after her, mouth hanging slightly open from utter shock. His concern was clearly misplaced; Nari was more than capable of handling herself. Though he should have been impressed, he found himself unable to be. He was too disturbed, not by the display itself, so much as the words that proceeded it. He couldn't shake the haunting familiarity; that he had heard those words before.

Turning, he made to follow, yelping as his foot stumbled over something beneath him. Glaring, he looked down at the offending object, and spied a small container lying on the floor. It must have fallen from her bag during her escape. He could recall not too long ago she had thought to return something of his and wondered if perhaps he should do the same. Taking a closer look, he picked it up off the floor and left their teacher behind.

. . .

Autumn winds sent a chill through the air, bringing with it swaths of leaves that settled on the ground around her. The sun had fallen, engulfing the courtyard under the cover of darkness. The only sources of light were those reaching from the school building and the shimmering stars above. Nari didn't care. She was still reeling from her earlier encounter, the very thought sending shivers down her spine. 'No… no, no, not again…'

She was lost so deep in her thoughts, the sound of footsteps crunching along the gravel went completely unheard. Yet the sound of his voice didn't startle her when it sounded at her side. So far gone was she in shock that she barely even noticed.

"That was quite a show back there."

"Piss off, Loki. I'm not in the mood." Nari snapped.

Lifting his hands in surrender, he took a step back. "Stand down, puppy. I'm not here to fight."

"Then, what do you want?"

"Just to chat."

"About?"

"For one thing, you're little victory against Professor Stuck-Up. I'm impressed."

Nari's expression softened, her narrowed eyes relaxing and falling back to the ground. "He pisses me off."

"You and me both."

The two fell silent. They stood side by side gazing up at the stars. And somehow… it was nice. There was no argument, no tension. Just two students enjoying the autumn air. That was until…

'Rain…?'

A small drop of water splashed against her cheek. Then, another. Nari watched in shock as the sky began to shift before her eyes. Clouds covered the stars, blanketing the entire atmosphere in grey. In the next instant, she was all but drenched. The rain came in a downpour, leaving both of them feeling as though they had been transported into a giant shower. Sighing, she lowered her head, resigning herself to becoming a wet rag until...

Lifting her eyes, Nari was startled to find that the rain had stopped. A quick glance upward corrected that assumption. The rain hadn't gone anywhere, she was just being shielded from it. Incredulous, she looked over to see her nemesis standing beside her, holding his jacket over their heads. "Loki…?"

"Come on. Human bodies catch cold, right?"

Nari didn't answer. She simply stared at him in utter disbelief. Loki. The god of fire, god of tricks, and most colossal pain in the ass that she had ever had the misfortune of meeting… was being nice to her. Really nice. And this wasn't long after his surprising display of affection he had sprung on her out of the blue — if she could even call it that. She didn't know what to make of it.

A few seconds passed before Loki lost his patience with her indecision. Dropping the jacket over her head, he grabbed her hand, dragging her along to the activity grounds.

Too far from the school building, he brought them to a different, yet familiar place. When Nari pulled the jacket from her head, she looked around to take in their new surroundings. She recognized them immediately. They were in Dionysus' garden, standing below a large tarp situated in the center surrounded by plants. She took a few minutes to take in the large variation of foliage and admire just how much work her classmate had put into his activities. Then, she fell back to earth, remembering that she had a much more pressing matter to attend to.

She turned to the side, opening her mouth to demand answers for his behavior. One look at him stopped the onslaught before it began. Loki was absolutely drenched. Having dragged her to shelter, he had no free hands to hold the jacket up properly. Thus, he had protecter her, instead of himself. "Loki, you're soaked!"

He shrugged, grabbing a hold of his long braid, and wringing some of the water out. "Relax. I'm a god, water doesn't bother me."

"You're a god of fire, Loki. Pretty sure water is the one thing that would bother you," Nari replied.

A chuckle was her response. Her sarcasm had returned.

The two remained in silence for a few moments, watching the rain fall around them. The cloudy sky brought with it a chill that washed over them, making Loki miss his power more than ever before. Shaking his head, he turned to distract himself. Upon laying eyes on the sister once more, he reached into his pocket, remembering the reason for his visit. "…You dropped this."

Nari shifted her eyes, taking in the object Loki was holding out to her. A plastic bottle with a dark blue cap. Even without the large characters labeled on the side, she recognized it immediately.

"Want to tell me why you were carrying hair dye, puppy?"

"Not really, no," she muttered, swiping the container from his open hand.

The fire god was undeterred, instead snickering at her defensive response. "I sure hope you weren't planning to use it on me. That won't work, you know. Fool me twice? You'll have to do better than that."

"Hmph… guess I've been thwarted for now," she muttered half-heartedly. Silence filled the air between them once again as they stood side by side watching the rain. Her brown eyes widened with wonder, following the falling drops on the way down. Reaching outward, she stretched her hand out from under the tarp, smiling as the raindrops splashed on her skin. To her side, Loki watched her, taking note of her awed expression.

"Huh. Never figured you as the type to enjoy rain."

With a faraway expression, she slowly nodded. "Yeah, sort of. I mean, not particularly. Really, it just reminds me of…" Nari paused. "Never mind." Loki's brow furrowed at his question unanswered. What did the rain remind her off, he wondered? He wanted to know but didn't get the chance to press her about it. The woman had a question of her own. "Hey, Loki… why did you… why did you... do what you did?"

"Do what? I do a lot of things on any given day."

"Okay, first of all, that's a lie and you know it. Second, you know exactly what I'm talking about..." Loki smiled his mischievous grin, slowly twirling a red lock around his index finger. Even if he hadn't noticed her eyes flicker downward to his lips, the light color rising to her face gave him answer enough. "Besides gluing me to the wall — I mean, you could have distracted me any other way, but you..."

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have asked."

"Does it matter?"

"Of course, it matters! Up until a few days ago, you've been nothing but a total ass to me. And then, out of nowhere, you just —" Nari sighed. "Forget it. Not sure why I expected an answer anyway."

His grin grew even wider. An opportunity had presented itself, and he would be a fool if he didn't take it. "I never said I wouldn't tell you, puppy... but you'll have to answer me a question first."

"Are you serious?"

"Am I ever not serious, puppy?" Nari opened her mouth to respond. "Don't answer that, it was rhetorical."

She rolled her eyes, resigning herself to her current fate. They were trapped there for the time being. There was little else to do other than chat. "Fine. What do you want to know?" Dionysus had wanted to know the details of human sexual experience. Surely, his questions couldn't be any stranger than that.

"I want to know about..." Loki paused for dramatic effect before continuing. "... your power."

It seemed she was wrong.

"..." His response was silence. Her eyes widened in utter befuddlement. A moment passed, and then another without offering a punchline. His lips remained in a straight line and his eyes bored into her very soul. "...I... Are you serious right now? Loki, what kind of question is that?"

"Oh, come now, you didn't think I wouldn't notice? I've been having a rough time lately and I get the feeling you're the reason why. So, what is it, puppy? Manipulation? Hypnosis? Seduction? Tell me your pantheon and your power."

Nari gaped at him, mouth falling open. "What on earth made you think —" Her mouth snapped shut, the sound of her own voice startling her into silence. What was moments ago being drowned out by the wind and rain was now loud and clear, as was the area around them. Looking up, she watched as the clouds began to part, swirling and dispersing before they finally disappeared, revealing the dark abyss above. "What the hell…?"

"Ah, ah, ah." Loki tsked at her, stopping her retreat with a hand around her wrist as she made to step out from their shelter. "You're not getting away that easily." He spun her around, earning a scowl for halting her retreat. The moment their eyes met, he loosened his grip, lifting his other hand and lifting her chin to look up at him. His voice fell to a low whisper as he called forth his own power. "Tell me, young goddess... where your power lies..."

Her eyes widened even further, staring up at him in silence. It would have been a lie to say that his voice had little effect on her. Much like another red-headed god before him, Nari felt her mind clouding as she listened to the sound of his voice. His silver eyes were gazing into her own so intensely. His fingers so gentle on her skin. He was so close... far too close for her liking. He had gotten her once. There was no way she was going to let it happen again.

With great effort, she tore herself away, breaking their eye contact and Loki's connection. He stumbled back with an oof as she shoved his jacket into his hands. "You have truly lost your mind." Spinning around, she strode away, leaving the god of fire behind her dumbfounded. She had resisted his magic. Now, he knew for certain there was something special about this woman. He needed to know. Now. He was going to have to get serious. Time to activate his trump card.

Not wanting to lose her, he quickly jogged after her, feet splashing against the soppy ground. "Puppy, if you don't answer my question, I'll be forced to access another source. Perhaps I'll go bother Kitten. She will be way more cooperative than —"

Nari turned, leaving him skidding to a stop. Her patience was exhausted, and his latest threat was the last straw. It was bad enough that he insisted on her harassing her day in and day out. She would not tolerate him irritating her sister with his nonsense. Fine. She would play his little game if it would make him leave her be. Sighing, she rolled her eyes and leveled him with a playful smirk. "For someone so cunning, you're not very perceptive."

Loki was having none of it. "I asked for answers, not insults."

Lifting her arms, she shrugged. "I'm surprised you haven't figured it out by now... I'm the goddess of song."

With that, she turned around and strode away, leaving the god of fire to ponder her words beneath the starry sky.