When War and Lies Collide

Amusement

Sif got ready after a lot of bribery on Loki's part, but she moved about as fast as a turtle.  She was exhausted from last night, which really wasn't too surprising.  Loki basically had to drag her out of the room with her cursing him under her breath, wanting nothing more than to crawl back into bed and hibernate.

"You are such a grouch in the mornings!"

"Shut up, Loki."

He proceeded to laugh, her irritation was very amusing.  "If I remained silent, would that make you happy?"

"Yes, you're giving me a migraine for Odin's sake."  She grumbled, rubbing the remainder of sleep from her eyes.

"Am I?  I'm sorry, m'lady."  He teased, gently tugging at a strand of her hair.  She swatted him away, shooting him a glare.

"You are not sorry, liar."

"You're right."  He chuckled, holding her by the waist and pulling her closer.  Loki was in a better mood than usual, feeling more than a bit content.  "You were so friendly last night, I don't know what happened!"

She rolled her eyes, unable to stay mad at him for long.  As much as he annoyed her, she couldn't resist him and his mischievous personality.  "You're like a tiger, sometimes you're so delightful and cuddly, and then a second later,"  He snaps his fingers.  "You are about to rip someones head off."  He continued, Sif still pressed firmly against his side.

"So you think I'm a tiger...?"  She asked with a confused expression and letting out a laugh.

"You are like a tiger, but you are my tiger."  He said with a smile, kissing the top of her head as they entered the dining hall and walked over to a table.

The Warriors Three spotted them, calling them over.  Of course, they joined them and were greeted by mouthful mutters and smiles.

They stacked their plates, suddenly feeling quite ravenous.  Sif sipped on a mug of orange juice as they all conversed, continually glancing at Loki.  It seemed as though everyone had noticed the glances they were sharing, Fandral waggling his eyebrows as a response.

"No, Fandral."  Loki muttered, giving him a hard stare.  As a response, the blonde god frowned but said no more on the topic.  Sif rolled her eyes, taking an educated guess on what he might have been referring to.

The meal was pretty silent for awhile, everyone too distracted by their food to want to converse much.  That is, until Loki spoke up.

He had been wanting to bring Sif somewhere special as an apology from their last trip, and he had figured that they could just go someplace else in Midgard, and he had quite a fun place in mind.  "So, I've been thinking about an idea..."  He began, not quite sure how to word it.

"Oh no, your ideas are usually quite foul- I mean that in no offense."  Fandral replied, the crooked smile displaying on his face.  Loki rolled his eyes and continued, now that he had the tables attention.

"Since we haven't all been really...  The best of friends these past few decades, I thought maybe we could all do something to fix that.  And I caught word of this place in Midgard-"  Before he could finish, Sif cut him off.

"Why in the nine realms would we return to that dreaded place?!"  She asked, practically spilling her orange juice everywhere in surprise.

"No, not the same place.  It is quite far from where we went, actually.  The people there call it an 'amusement park'.  And based on what I've heard about it along with the title they have given it, it seems like it would be enjoyable."  The table burst into discussion, most of them not even knowing what an 'amusement park' was.

 Fandral seemed to have some sort of idea on what was held inside one as he was continually babbling about 'rides with wheels on a track' and 'water sliding tubes'.  Sif raised her eyebrow at Loki but said nothing.  If he was going, Sif would definitely tag along.

**********

Two hours later, the group was at the foot of the Queen begging for permission to have their vacation.  Being Asgard's finest warriors left them with hardly any free time to travel unless it was on duty, but Frigga sensing their excitement reluctantly agreed and allowed them a week.

With cries of joy, they set off back to their rooms to pack what little they would bring, they would all have to buy most of the necessary things on Midgard- including reasonable outfits.  Walking around in Asgardian attire would be sure to grab unwanted attention, and that was something Loki definitely did not need after his incident there before.

"Sif, my god!  How much stuff do you need to bring?!"  Loki asked, chuckling as she sat ontop of a suitcase, trying to get it closed.  

"I can not go to an unknown location without something to keep me safe."  She muttered, poking a loose dagger back inside.  After realizing what was actually in her bag, Loki's emerald eyes widened.

"You can't be serious.  Is that full of weapons?!"  

"Maybe, maybe not."  She replied simply, going back to rearanging the contents.

"You will not bring those with you, Sif."

"Says who?!"

"I say!"  He replied, lifting an eyebrow at her challenging tone.

"I need not listen to you, where I go, my weapons go."  She stated stubbornly, zipping the bag.  "What if I was to get attacked?!"

Loki's gaze softened as he walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in the crook of her neck.  "Nobody will be able to lay a finger on you while I am still breathing."  He promised, kissing her gently.

She seemed to relax a bit, not having realized how worried she was about returning to Midgard.  Nothing but bad memories came from that place, and she could only hope that this experience would change that.  "Okay."  She whispered back, putting her full trust in Loki.  For the first time, she was choosing a person over her weapons.  That was a big deal.

"Okay."  He repeated, helping her unpack the bag and put what she would actually need inside.  He had already packed his things and it would only be a little while longer before the warriors would arrive to walk to the Bifrost all together.

Not only was this going to be a big step for Sif and dealing with her anxiety, but it would also be an opportunity to mend the friendships Loki had broken over the years, and they had a week to do so.

As Loki zipped up Sif's suitcase, there was a knock on the door.  The Warriors Three were waiting patiently outside, bags in hand and smiles plastered on their faces.  Their adventure would begin now.

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I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE!!  I have been terribly ill and am going to the hospital again tomorrow.  Well, I hope you enjoyed this overdue chapter nonetheless.  Be sure to vote and comment if you did like it!

Have a lovely day!