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The cacophony of the hall was muffled on the balcony where Loki sat, perched on the edge of the railing overlooking the rest of Asgard. The feast to celebrate the Yule season was well under way, but he found himself unwilling to return to the humid hall, where no doubt Thor and his warriors were entertaining the rest of the party with grand tales of their exploits. Was it too much to ask that he be excused this once and left in peace?
He knew what mother would say, of course: that it was uncharitable of him to drag someone else away from the celebrations so they could order him back into the hall. However, he found himself unable to care all that much. He figured that when (and it was definitely when, not if) anyone did come, he could simply return for a moment before excusing himself anyway. Until then, he was content to sit here in the cool night air with his book, overlooking the rest of Asgard.
And sure enough, it had only been a few moments before Loki’s magic detected the unmistakable presence of a figure climbing up the stairs towards his retreat. He sighed. It apparently was too much to ask for. He mentally prepared himself for the intruder, and took a haphazard guess that it was probably one of the guards.
“Loki?” A female voice called out clearly. Loki raised an eyebrow. He recognized that voice, and it certainly wasn’t a guard. Even Thor himself would have been less surprising candidate (as it were, it was extremely difficult to pull his brother away from a feast). Rather, anyone else would’ve been a more obvious choice. In fact, Lady Sif would’ve probably been the last person on that list.
He braced himself and turned to face her, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight before him. It was indeed Lady Sif who stood in the archway of the balcony, but tonight something was different. Gone were the large plates of armor and leather straps and the dirt from the training arena. Instead, she was clad in a floor length dress in pale gold, the material so thin it clung onto all of her curves (curves that he had never even noticed were there). Her hair actually looked brushed for once, flowing down her back in an elegant braid held together by golden twine. Bangles hung in rows down her arms and clinked faintly as she moved. Her face was devoid of all dirt and scratches, and Loki could see that someone had applied a faint shimmery gold tint to her eyelids.
It was undeniably one of the strangest sights he had ever seen, and Loki found himself unable to say a word, so he simply settled with staring at her like she had grown an extra head. Sif flushed at his gaze and lifted her chin slightly, as if daring him to comment on her choice of attire for the night. It took him a few seconds (and to tell the truth, it was a few seconds too long in his opinion) before Loki managed to school his face into a more neutral expression. He leaned back against the column, letting his gaze to glance over in feigned disinterest before bringing his attention back down to his book.
“Why, Lady Sif,” he murmured as he idly flipped the pages, trying to pretend that he hadn’t just been completely caught off guard by her appearance. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I have been told to bring you back to the feast,” she began stiffly after a slight pause. “Thor seemed adamant that I should be the one to do so.”
Loki shrugged.
“My brother has never been the one for subtlety,” he remarked, noting out of the corner of his eye the brief look of confusion on her face. It had been some time now that Thor had been throwing Sif in his direction. Perhaps it was his brother’s way of trying to hint towards Loki that he should stop the animosity between them, though it was a rather futile exercise in his opinion. Sif had never enjoyed his company, nor was it likely that she ever would.
“Well?” Sif asked after a moment, tapping her foot slightly. “Are you coming or not?”
Loki sighed loudly and closed his book with a snap. He turned towards her and let his eyes run slowly up and down her figure. The dress still threw him off guard, but he hid his unease. She fidgeted under his gaze, and it gave Loki some amusement to know that he could still make her uncomfortable, despite her unshakable façade in the training arena and in battle. He contemplated the idea of returning to the hall with her briefly before opening up his book again with a smirk.
“No, I don’t think so. I have no wish to entertain guests tonight, or to sit next to Thor as he proceeds to spill food and drink everywhere, so your trip has been wasted I’m afraid. Farewell.”
He could feel her anger at being brushed off radiating from her, so he kept his gaze on the words in front of him, letting the silence draw out. Eventually he heard a disapproving sniff.
“Fine,” she said snippily, “If you’re not going to come with me, then at least take this.”
She brought out a box from within her sleeve and held it out to him. Loki raised his eyebrows, but made no move to take it from her.
“Might I ask what it is that you are giving me?” he probed, staring at Sif again. She seemed to be surprising him a lot tonight, something he wasn’t completely sure he liked.
“Call it a peace offering,” she said. When he made no move still to take it from her, Sif’s frown deepened and the box was thrust into his hands. Loki found himself for the second time tonight speechless. He slowly turned the box over in his hands as he kept his eye on her. He had not forgotten the last time they had been in such close proximity to each other. It had been rather cruel of him, and no doubt she had not forgotten the reason why her hair was no longer golden. And yet, here she was, offering him a… gift?
Sif scowled at his hesitation and crossed her arms impatiently.
“Do you not trust my intentions, Loki? I did not come here to hurt you!”
“And you mean to say that you would give me a gift of your own accord?” He tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice, but he was failing rather dramatically. At this, Sif's face flushed red, and she picked at the sides of her dress sleeves.
“I admit, Thor was the one who suggested the idea. I agreed because I thought it was time we ended this… whatever it is between us.”
Loki raised an eyebrow.
"'Whatever this is between us?'" He chuckled then, and shook his head. A gift was novel indeed, perhaps even more so than her appearance tonight. Loki had half a mind to return it to her, but then that would certainly mean he would have to face Sif's ire, and he had no patience to have to deal with that right now. He gave another cursory glance over the box. It was certainly well-crafted, with intricate knots decorating the edges. He ran a quick check for any rogue spells on the box. One could never be too careful, of course. After detecting nothing of the sort, Loki allowed himself to open the box slowly. Nestled inside was a small carving, and Loki pulled it out with a slight frown. He stilled when he realised what he was holding.
“I... thought you’d appreciate it.” There was an uncertainty in Sif's voice that seemed to ask for a response, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the carving in his hands. It was a small wooden wolf, posed in mid howl, its muzzle raised towards the sky. Loki's hand trembled slightly as he stared at the miniature animal.
“I thought it looked like Fenrir. You two... used to be inseparable,” she muttered, looking out at the peaceful city far below them. Loki didn't reply. What could he even say? The wolf was gone now, and despite everything, all the magic he has learnt, nothing would bring his companion back. The fact that Sif remembered that once upon a time they were children and that Fenrir was a part of that was something that he had never expected from her.
“I hadn’t pinned you as one for sentimentality,” Loki kept his voice light, still staring at the wolf carving.
Sif simply snorted.
"I am not heartless as you would believe, Loki Odinson."
He hummed in agreement, and traced a finger over the muzzle. It was incredibly lifelike, and he wondered how she managed to come across such a piece. They stood in silence, Loki lost in thought and Sif seemingly unwilling to intrude upon his pensive state. It struck Loki then that this, perhaps, was the longest conversation they'd ever had without it turning into a verbal sparring match.
“I… also have a gift for you,” Loki murmured after a moment. He, of course, had not even considered the idea of exchanging gifts, but now it seemed that he had to conjure up something unless he wanted appear discourteous. But the question still remained: what would he give her? He quickly tucked his hand behind his back, and gestured with a twist. The item landed with a small thump in his hands. It was his three-pronged dagger, an odd choice of gift for someone like Sif, but at least it would not be something that she already owned. He had commissioned it from one of the blacksmiths in the city and had yet to test it, but he had no doubt of its quality.
He held it out towards her, and watched as she plucked it without hesitation from his fingers. The blue-tinted steel glinted as she held it up towards the light, and Sif made an appreciative noise as she gazed at it critically.
“This is not what I am used to, but it is a fine blade indeed,” she declared as she ran a finger down the length of one of the prongs. She looked back at him and flashed him a rare smile. “You have my thanks, Loki.”
They both paused and gazed at the city below where the lights in the streets glowed. People were still out and about, and the night was still young. Loki looked over at Sif, and she returned his gaze with a tilt of her head. He smirked, and she rolled her eyes. And with that, she turned her heel and headed towards the exit.
"Very well, I will leave you to your solitude then," she said casually with a small wave, her bangles clinking from the movement. "I will tell Thor that you would not be persuaded. The fool can fetch you himself if he wants your presence."
She had almost disappeared before Loki shook his head slightly and called out to her.
“Lady Sif?”
At his voice, Sif paused in the archway and looked back, the golden leaves in her midnight hair shimmering from the candles. As he gazed at her hair, for the first time Loki found himself glad that there was at least something similar between them, if only the colour of their hair. Loki hesitated, before smiling and giving her a small bow.
“You look radiant tonight.”