A Gods Favor

A Truce

Elora scanned the shelves of books looking for an old reference text she knew she'd found in this section when she had first started studying under Eir. Or was it the next section over? She was starving and didn't really have time to look forever but one of the younger healers had asked about a specific study Elora had mentioned. When she couldn't recall the name of the book but knew she'd recognize the cover she'd told the girl she would look for it. So here she was, stomach growling and feet aching and ready to give up when, there! She spotted the tome on the highest shelf, in a hurry she didn't even bother with a stool, she simply pulled the book from the shelf with her magic and smiled as it landed softly in her hands.

"It seems someone learned their lesson about climbing." Loki leaned against the stacks, snapping shut the book he'd been flicking through. "Although I'm curious why you didn't just do that last time?"

She hesitated a moment before answering. This was the first she'd seen him since his fight with Thor nearly a week ago. She knew he'd been sulking, Yrsa complaining every night that her idiotic brothers couldn't be adults and get over whatever brought them to fight and how she wanted to strangle them both for being stubborn. While physically he seemed to show no after effect from the fight, Elora having healed him completely, she could see he looked tired, like his anger was eating away at his soul. He looked, she decided, like he needed a friend. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because I was exhausted and stressed and wasn't thinking things through back then?"

He eyed the state of her as he closed the distance between them. Dress wrinkled and stained with inks and ointments, strands of wild hair falling from the leather cord. He reached up, tucking one of the wayward tendrils behind an ear. "And now you're unweary and at peace?"

She let out a sharp laugh. "Gods no. I'm still exhausted and stressed, maybe even more so but now I like to think I'm at least older and wiser. Also I'm starving and don't have the energy to heal my own backside if I were to fall before eating something."

Loki had apologized. Two simple words and Elora's honest, playful manner had returned. Was that really all it had taken? She hadn't requested an explanation, hadn't asked him why he'd done it, and didn't demand he grovel at her feet. Five hundred years wasted over something so simple. "Well, then thank the norns for your fated wisdom. Nobody likes a bruised backside," he made a show of looking her over, leaning back slightly to scan the aforementioned part as he concluded. "At least not from falling on stone."

A test, yes, but one he felt he needed to throw out in order to understand just how far his apology had gotten him and how to proceed in their interactions. Much to his delight, her cheeks reddened as she shook her head.

"I swear sometimes I honestly don't know who is worse, you or Fan." She smacked at his arm lightly as she began to walk through the stacks.

He turned to follow behind her. "Is it who's worse, pet, or who's better?"

"Oh it's worse, Prince, I assure you," She turned around, continuing to walk backwards as she spoke. "There really isn't any competition for who's better when one of you is known to have a silver tongue."

He raised an eyebrow as he caught up to her and as she turned back around to walk beside him he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Just to make it clear who's better, why don't you let me show you how good I am with my silver tongue?"

Elora's head fell back in laughter but she took his arm. "How about you just have supper with me before having any grand ideas about other things involving tongues. As I said I'm starving and although the sharp features do flatter you, Prince, I fear if you don't eat a few solid meals soon your cheekbones will begin to poke through your skin and not even I can fix that."

"I suppose I can agree to supper, Lady," Loki's voice was nearly a purr. "But the idea's are already had."