ephemeral ━━ 𝘓. 𝘓𝘈𝘜𝘍𝘌𝘠𝘚𝘖𝘕 ✔

■ jollification

AFTERNOON / 12:45 am

"Do you actually know where we're going?" Loki hissed.

Loraine's cheeks heat with embarrassment. They've been walking for probably about ten minutes already and still, she couldn't find the doors to the garden. Why do all castles, such as Asgard, have to be built as if to reciprocate mazes?

"Yes," she said unsure, eyeing an unfamilliar hallway Loraine had never seen before. She was so certain it was just a few walks away from the palace's main chamber, yet how come she was lost? She didn't want to admit it. She wanted to think Loki had messed up her memory, but the dark prince possessed no magic to be capable enough to do that. "Certainly."

"I must say, I know my ways here Lady Loraine, if you could just- "

"What? You, leading me straight into a trap? Yes sure," she interjected, her voice echoing. They were in a secluded hallway now, with not enough candelights to shine the way. The place looked abandoned and secluded, brick stones replaced the marbled floors and walls of the palace. There were even cobwebs from the corners of the ceiling, and the ceiling seemed as if it was getting lower and lower with each step they took.

"We're wasting time," Loki grumbled.

"Hmm," she pondered and halted abruptly as soon as she saw the pitch black darkness that filled the opening of the next hallway. The prince bumped her back in response.

"Bloody hell," Loki cursed. He pinched the bridge of his nose as if it was something that could transport them back to his chamber. "Do you not know where we are?"

She swallowed her pride. "No," she admitted carefully.

"We're under the dungeon of monsters!" He exclaimed, his voice echoing throught the walls. "I said, for the last time, I knew each and every passes here back and forth, yet you are not allowing me to lead the way."

"Alright, fine, you win," she said and threw her hands on the air. "Now, where to go?"

"Follow me," he commanded and in an odd way, immediately grabbed for her wrist.

She didn't have any time to respond. Loki seemed too agitated and hungry enough to bolt at once from the dimmed hallways and Loraine couldn't seem to pull her hand back. On another note, she did not expect his touch to be this warm. But then again, how could it not? He wasn't a god without his powers, he wasn't a frost giant anymore, instead he was this---this replication of something mundane and almost closely similar to being human.

They dashed away from the halls, turned and hurried to another hallway until another door stood before them. He shoved them aside and climbed a set of staircases that lead to another door. This one then, Loraine knew was the right path. She blinked in disbelief. Loki had actually lead them straight to the gardens. When the door finally opened, the two of them ambled from the magnificent audience chamber of the palace down to another stairs that lead to the gates of the garden---the gardens of the gods.