"And how does Mister Know-it-all think we can get a magic book?", I say as we walk outside and Loki locks the hotel room door quickly.
"Mister Know-it-all thinks we should find a library and he will know what to do there. You were a good thief as a kid?"
"Uhm", I say while we go down the corridor back to the elevator. "I mean, I wasn't really a thief, more like an opportunist finder of things which were unsupervised."
The elevator doors close behind us and Loki smirks at me.
"I never heard such a beautiful euphemism of the word 'thief'. Now tell me, were you good?"
I roll my eyes, look at the ground and sigh. "Yes." Then I frown. "But we wont steal, right?"
Loki inclines his head. "You aren't as innocent as you like to be. I don't have my powers, but let me guess." His glance runs over my body as I am watching him, not really sure if I like this conversation. "You are a not very outstanding person but not always in the back. You hold onto rules because it feels safe to do so, what is logical because everybody does it and it creates less problems this way. But deep inside you you want to show the other people you can do more, you can be more badass, you want to break the rules, want to be a mischief-maker. You like the idea of being smarter than the others, tricking them, maybe even of being feared. It is a sleeping, sweet desire inside you."
I look at him in fascination and in shock. "You -" I try to grasp what he just did. "You are, I mean, you - manipulate me!"
Loki chuckles. "No, of course not! Just listen to your inner voice."
I become silent. He is right, sometimes I feel this desire to ... show them all. It feels so sweet, and if I could play it out, I would be so much more ... me. And what of my old live is even the same? My house doesn't exist anymore and I am chased by the Avengers. What do I have to lose? I look at Loki. Heck, he is the god of this feeling. He knows exactly what's going on inside me, and that makes me smile at him. "I understand what you are saying. But that was still a bit manipulative."
Loki smirks as we step out the elevator door. "Did it work?"

We go out of the reception and walk down the street. The mood eases up and soon we are chatting about where the next library is. I am sure Loki is feeling hot in that suit, the black leather being exposed to the bright sun shining down onto the city, but he insists on wearing it.
We shove us around an elderly couple walking slowly in front of us.
"Some mortals are moving in a pace that one could think they live forever", Loki mumbles. "Even if they die in two days."
I am shocked. "They will die in two days?!"
He snickers. "It was a joke. I can't tell that, even if I had my powers."
"You can't joke about that!"
"I am the god of jokes. I can do that. But I guess next time I will have to be more ... low-key."
I face-palm. "You didn't just say that."
Loki laughs, what I notice is a very beautiful thing to hear. "I did." He sees a little sign announcing a library. "Ah, that's perfect. Here."
I look at the small store squeezed between another hotel and a clothing shop. "Are you sure? It seems tiny."
"That's what makes it the right one. Come in." And without another word, he steps into the library.
I sigh. If I wouldn't like him so much, he would annoy me. But it's cute, I guess. I bite my lip. Did I just think he is cute? I shove these thoughts out of the way and go into the store myself.