Mischief On Earth ✔

Of Faith And Friendship

* Japanese song! *

The door slammed shut.

His final words echoed in her ears, spiraling round and round in a whispering vortex. It swirled with the images in her head, of Herrick's mouth moving as he told her Loki was due to return to Asgard, and the images from the curious metal ball that had showed her Loki's other side.

I stopped using you you know. Sometime after the forehead kiss.

Because it's Loki. He's a man that looks down on mortals. And even if he might have changed, some things don't go away that easily - they certainly don't just disappear in the span of ten days.

And I was planning on staying here. On Midgard. I was going to tell Odin after completing my exile.

Magic is what completes him, and makes him whole. So to be forever separated from magic will be impossible to him! Yet that is what he needs to do if he wishes to remain at Midgard. There is no place for magic here among mortals, and he knows it. So if he's confronted with the decision to choose between Midgard and Asgard, what do you think he will do?

And I would never have hurt you. Not because I was violating the terms. But because........

I hoped you used those three wishes wisely Lady Kyra. Because when Loki leaves, that is all you will have left. So whatever dreams you want to fulfill, whatever materialistic desires you wish to acquire - do it now.

I was your boyfriend after all. But I guess you never felt the same way.

Because after this, all you will have left will be useless memories.

Two different voices, each as persuading as the other. She wanted to believe him, so so much, her heart ached for him and she wanted to go - no, run - to him, but she didn't know who to believe. Who to trust.

So you never trusted me? She could hear the crack in his voice, see the pain in his eyes.

And the immense betrayal, that hollow loneliness as he realized that she viewed him as a monster.

But yet again he was the God of Mischief. The master actor, the maestro in lying. He could be putting on an act, and he could now already be laughing his way back to Asgard.

Had he really meant to stay? She wanted to believe that.

But could she?

Who was lying? Who to trust? She had never felt so torn in her life.

The phone rang just then, breaking her out of her inner turmoil. She didn't want to pick it up, but the shrill tone echoed around the empty apartment. In the end, more to shut off the noise than anything else, she took the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kyra! It's me, Cecilia! How's your cold coming along?"

"......My cold?"

"Yeah, Lance told me you had a cold, so you took the rest of the day off."

He lied. She knew it was for her, and it was a small thing, but then again there it was - he lies.

"Um, yeah. It's getting better. You didn't have to call just for that."

"Oh well, I call for another reason too." Cecilia's voice grew excited. "Has Lance told you yet?"

"Told me what?"

"Jennifer's going to get totally destroyed!" It was a loud squeal from the other end, and in the background Kyra could hear cheers.

She blinked, not understanding. "What? How?"

And Cecilia told her everything, from the recording Loki took, to him working hard with them since afternoon, coming up with an article that "fired all shots", as Cecilia put it.

"And guess what? We sent it to our printer and got them to work immediately. And we also contacted a few major newspapers, and they're paying us to publish their article! Isn't that amazing? Of course we're smart though, we only gave them just enough, so they have to come back to us if they want more details. Oh, and we posted the recording on our website, and it's starting to get huge views! It's five thousand now - oh wait, what?" Cecilia pulled away from the phone. "Woohoo, Eric just checked and it's now at nine thousand views! Isn't that something? And it's all thanks to Lance - and you of course."

Kyra was stunned. But Cecilia's next words amped up her emotions even further.

"You know, Lance kept telling us that we had to make this article a huge blockbuster, because he said you really wanted to help Judy....and he wanted to help you help her. And he kept saying this big scoop was what you had been after your whole journalist career - don't worry, we credited you and Lance big-time in both the article and the recording. He told us we had to give it everything we got....he was doing everything just to help you, and man, that was just so sweet - I mean, all Harry's ever done for me is keep watch while I was sick - I'm not saying that isn't sweet dear," Cecilia said distantly as Harry started to protest, "I'm just saying Lance's gesture is sweeter........"

He did it all for her?

"Oh yeah, and I managed to extend an invitation to him to come for my wedding. Day after tomorrow! Can't wait! He said he was definitely going to come with you."

Had he really been planning to stay? Did she do something wrong?

Had he really, really been for real?

All this conflict was too much for her to bear and she broke down right there and then. Her sobs could be heard over the phone, and Cecilia was instantly concerned.

"Kyra! Hey, are you alright?"

She couldn't hold it in and the words gushed out like a waterfall, fast and thick, until she almost couldn't understand what she was saying.

"I don't know, Lo - Lance just left and I'm all alone, we had an argument and I don't know if I should trust him......Herrick told me about his history, and he has a really bad past....he told me I shouldn't trust Lance, so when he came back we fought and I think I hurt him and I don't know, he just left - "

"Whoa! Okay, calm down. First, just calm down. Alright? Breathe." Cecilia waited until Kyra had some of her emotions under control. "Stop me if I'm wrong. There's this person named - Derrick, no, Herrick - who told you things about Lance, and that you shouldn't trust him? Is that correct?"

Kyra nodded. "Yes," she managed to choke out.

"And you believe him? This - random person out of the blue?"

"I - I've known him for some time. And the things he said, they were true."

"But that was in Lance's past, right? Is he still the same now?"

"I don't know! That's the whole point! I don't know who to believe!"

Cecilia paused. "Well then it's easy. Just ask yourself one question."

Kyra sniffled. "What?"

"Do you trust Lance?"

"That's the whole problem! I - "

Cecilia cut her off sharply.

"Kyra. It's a very simple question. Just answer it. Yes or no. Do you trust Lance?"

Silence. Cecilia persisted.

"Take away Herrick. Take away everything you've heard, take away your argument, take away the fight. It's just you, and him.

"And ask yourself. Do you trust Lance?

"Do you trust your boyfriend?"

She knew the answer to that. She'd always knew the answer to that. Unclouded by Herrick's words, left alone in its entirety, that was the shining kernel of truth.

Kyra swallowed, and she whispered,

"Yes."