When Madisyn awoke, she could not help but think she had forgotten something. She could not put her hand on it, but something about today felt different, like something important was supposed to happen.
At that moment, Loki appeared at her bedside with a tray of food.
"Happy Birthday, my dear!"
She slapped herself in the forehead. "Of course."
He set the tray onto her lap. "Breakfast in bed! Hope you're in the mood for pancakes."
"Oh, you didn't have to do anything for me, Loki," she said with a smile.
"Come now, your birth is definitely worth celebrating! Now eat up! I have lots more planned for your special day!"
He vanished and returned once she had finished eating. The next thing she knew she was dressed in a robe and sitting in a sauna. Loki, wearing a pink fluffy robe, stretched out beside her.
"Ah, nothing like a good steam bath to help you forget your troubles."
"You really didn't have to..."
He raised his hand. "Relax, my dear! Unwind yourself!"
Now that she thought about it, she had not been in a sauna since her last get-together with Tatum. Her chance to relax was long overdue. So Madisyn closed her eyes and leaned her back against the wall, letting the steam sink into her skin. After a while, she opened her eyes to see Loki staring down at her with a wide grin on his face.
"What?" she said.
Loki straightened up. "Nothing! I just..."
"Maybe we've been in here for too long. You're sweating."
He wiped the incriminating droplets off his brow. "Yes! On to the next part of the treatment!"
A snap of his fingers transformed the sauna into a bath of a gooey green substance. Madisyn recognized it as the dark mud from Morrowind. She had not had a chance to try it while she was there, and sitting in it now confirmed that it was as refreshing as Anna had said. She laughed as she remembered that day when they were welcoming the inspector for the Ohio Games, only to find out that they had gotten the wrong person. She and her friends had always wound up in the craziest of situations.
Loki was confused as her sudden laughter turned into a frown.
"What's wrong, my dear? Is the mud too warm? Are you not comfortable with me in here?"
"No," Madisyn sighed.
"Then what?"
"It's nothing, really."
He snapped his fingers. "I know what you need! A massage!"
The mud bath disappeared, and Madisyn found herself lying on a massage table.
"Really Loki, none of this is necessary, I just want..."
She trailed off as she felt the Frost Giant's hands gently rub her shoulders. In a second, her eyelids slid shut as she relaxed on the table.
"Why so tense, my dear? There something on your mind?"
Madisyn was about to answer, but was lulled by his tender touch that all that came out was a sigh. After massaging her for half an hour, Loki teleported them both to the gazebo.
"Now for your gift."
Madisyn raised an eyebrow. "The spa treatment wasn't it?"
"No, that was a bonus. I have something more special in mind."
