Eagle (A Loki love story)

Chapter 88

House Chapter

Before dessert came, I felt so full that I couldn't eat another bite. Of course, that changed as soon as it was placed in front of me. Three smallish crêpes covered in strawberry slices and drizzled with chocolate. I could see more chocolate and strawberry lumps inside, along with crystals of sugar and cinnamon. They were very sweet and a lovely end to a full dinner. When I finished, I leaned against Loki for support.

"Tired, darling?"

"Full. I ate too much but it's worth it because it was so good."

"Are you still awake enough to swim?"

"Of course. I hear it's a warmed pool, like the one we have."

"It is." Pepper confirmed, "The water is actually from a natural hot spring somewhere in the area. It's supposed to be good for the skin."

"Sounds delightful."

Getting up at first was difficult, I just wanted to sit and digest for a few more minutes, but Loki convinced me that I would be far more comfortable upstairs. We left the private room first and walked out through the busy restaurant. Nobody recognized us. Just as we were getting to the elevator, I saw the others emerge and one of the children present recognized Captain America right away. He raised his voice and caught the attention of just about everyone else there.

"I believe we will have some time to ourselves in the pool before they can make it down." Loki murmured as the elevator doors slid shut.

I was full of energy as I got ready to swim but on the elevator ride down, I started to feel slightly nauseous. I felt like all the food I had eaten could come rushing back up at any moment. Clearly, Loki noticed my change in demeanor and stature as I leaned heavily against the wall of the elevator.

"Mira?"

"Just....give me a moment." I tried to breathe deeply and focus on the smell of the chlorine and shut out the discomfort in my abdomen.

"Are you well?" He took me by the hand, "Do you need to return to our room?"

"No, no. I think I just need to sit for a sec." When the doors opened, we were met with an empty hallway. Good thing, because it would've looked very strange for onlookers to see Loki leading me step by step over to the pool. He took me to the lounge chair closest to the door.

"Are you at all fatigued?"

"No. Why? Loki, I'm fine. I think I just ate a little too much."

"Would you like to me heal you?"

"I don't think you can and I don't want you to try. I'll be fine. I just need a bit. You go test the water." Loki hesitated for a moment, but went through with my request. I laid back for a few minutes but that didn't help anything. I felt like I needed some fresh air. The air in this room was warm and the moisture was palpable. Taking it slowly, I entered the pool and headed for the door leading to the pool outside. The water itself was a couple degrees cooler outside. Refreshing, cold, mountain night air entered my lungs and slowly, the pressure in my stomach eased away. A light snow was falling now, the flakes falling soundlessly into the water, illuminated by the outdoor lights. The majority of the outdoor portion was a large circle, with a smaller one inside it. I entered the larger one, intent on going to the inside one, but found myself quickly swept away by an unseen current. It wasn't so strong that it pushed me under the surface, but it certainly pushed me along in the water. It was quite nice to get push around in the water, without having to work for it. But eventually, it got a little boring and I caught the opening to the middle of the pool and pulled myself inside. I found that the outer border was lined with a bench lined with jets much like the ones in our private room at home.