Mischievous

Chapter Six

        "Is it not nice to poke fun at them?"

        I jumped from under my blanket. Even though I'd barely begun reading — though, I wasn't entirely sure I'd be finishing it any time soon — I'd managed to lose track of where I was. And as I stared up at the God I'd told myself I'd be looking for later today, I realized he'd asked a question.

        "Well, um. I mean. . ." This wasn't like me; Stumbling to find the right words as Loki took a seat beside me. "It feels like they're making fun of me. It's not like I spent much time on Earth, or Midgard, whatever, but I still lived there. Yes, there are a bunch of stupid people on that planet, but you can't assume that everyone's like that. I'm not stupid. At least, I like to think so."

        He smirked, glancing at my tower of books. "Words are what prove intelligence, not actions. It'd be best to keep that in mind. I see you've found a few of my favorite novels."

        What were these brief moments of sweetness? It was nice to have someone treating me like a friend and not an outcast, but it was weird. Shouldn't the God of Mischief be making fun of me the same way that book had ridiculed humans? And, I hadn't realized that these kinds of texts would be what he'd enjoy. "You're the one who left those marks?"

        I got a nod in response before he snatched the novel from my hand, glancing it over. "Who taught you to read runes?"

        "Runes?" It wasn't as though I hadn't heard of them before, I'd seen them in countless places around the palace, but they'd never made any sense. I also hadn't made much of an effort to try discerning their true meaning.

        He flipped the book toward me, pages now in my face. "See these symbols? They're not English or any other Midgardian language you could have learned. So, I'll repeat my inquiry. Who? Taught? You? Runes?"

        "No one."

        I wasn't lying. This was one of those rare times where I dared speak the truth. I'd sworn I was reading English moments prior, could the text have shifted to let me comprehend? No, or else it would have turned back to letters the moment he'd shown me the pages. So, how had I managed to read it? Even I was confused at this point.

        "No one?" The corners of his eyes twitched slightly. I couldn't tell if he was trying to read me or about to lose it. He closed the book, placing it back on my pile. "Interesting."

        "You know what else is interesting." I'd suddenly noticed something peculiar. "Shouldn't you have guards? I know this is a library and all but. . . that's not going to stop you from doing anything, right?"

        He bristled at the question before standing up, wiping nonexistent dust from his trousers. "No. I am allowed a certain amount of freedom in my own home."

        "Not for long, though. I mean, you have two days before your trial. Do you really think Odin's going to say that you're innocent?"

        "He'd send me to the dungeons for eternity if he could." Loki chuckled at the thought.

        "Who's to say he won't do just that? You should be exploiting your boundaries, finding ways to cause mayhem. He can't do much worse. Frigga's still going to hold some power over your sentence."

        "I don't need a child informing me as to what my priorities should be."

        Getting to my feet, I could feel my anger bubbling inside of me. I was short, yes, but that wasn't stopping me from walking straight up to a God and giving him a piece of my mind. "I'm not a child. And, I think when they have better ideas than you, you should think about taking them seriously. Need I remind you that I'm one of the few people who doesn't see you as a villain. But, maybe, I should. Perhaps, that would get you to realize that things can't be about you all the time, okay? Especially when everyone in this castle is about ready to chop off your head or banish you forever."

        "Now, if you excuse me, I was trying to avoid people today. In particular, the ones who want to force me to go to a ball. Alright? So, if you're just going to do lame things and ignore the fact that you only have two days of freedom left, fine. But just leave me to do something more exciting while you sulk and pretend to be guiltless."

        He clapped. Not loudly, of course, we were still in a library, but he was clapping.

        "You've got a bit of a temper after all." Another smirk was plastered across his face. God, was this how annoying I was to the people back on Earth. No wonder I had no friends.

        I pulled down my blouse, which had scrunched up just a tad. "Well, you're really good at annoying people. There's no chance you could go piss off someone else who deserves it. How about Thor? You two don't seem to get along well. And I'd like it for someone to set him off. The daft All-Father's instructed him to make sure I'm dancing tonight."

        "Thor most certainly deserves to be put in his place, but I'm afraid it's actually in my best interest to not rile him up. He may hold some of that same power in my sentence." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "And might I suggest not insulting Odin everywhere you go. I agree he's not the best, but the other fools around here seem to enjoy his leadership. Wouldn't want your trial to be next."

        "Why not? Then I could actually have some fun around here? There's not much to do. Even without guards and handcuffs, I still feel like a prisoner. It's obnoxious. To think I was this close to liking this place."

        Loki tilted his head to the side. "It certainly has its drawbacks, but that's just because you haven't explored enough. I'm sure there's some sort of trouble you could get into." His eyes gleamed. "That is what you like to do?"

        I took a step back, noticing how close I was to him. "It's something. But I'm afraid Asgardians aren't as gullible as my "weak-minded folk.""

        "You'd be surprised how dim-witted some of them can be. Take Thor, for example."

        A laugh escaped my lips. "You're not wrong." I glanced up to continue my train of thought, but he was gone. He'd disappeared without a trace. "Dang, he's good. Why can't I be like that?"

        Dejectedly, with no idea in my head, I left the blanket and books, wandering back to the hallway. He'd claimed there was something I could do to shake things up. Now I just had to find the right place. I sauntered out a back entrance, my only clue to its exit being the window beside it. The wind was chilly but comfortable as always. I ignored the gardens I'd been so captivated by, setting my eyes on a place just waiting for disaster.

        The tavern.