* music above*

"Alright people! That's a wrap! The next morning when all of this hits the news, Tidbits will go down as the most epic magazine in all of journalism history!"

There were loud whoops and cheers. 

"Good work everyone. I'm giving you guys an early dismissal today......and a day off tomorrow." Richard winked and there were more cheers. 

"Hey Lance so you wanna grab dinner with us?" Harry asked as he took his coat. "Celebration dinner y'all!"

Loki grinned. "No I'm good. I have to get back to Kyra."

"Now that's a sweet boyfriend," Cecilia teased. "Harry was never that good to me when I was sick."

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize that staying up all night with a damp cloth to tend to your fever two months ago or being patient with all your tantrums during your period wasn't good enough for you - "

Cecilia laughed and pushed him playfully in the shoulder. "I'm just teasing. We're getting married the day after tomorrow anyway - you'll have a lifetime to serve me after that."

Harry pulled a long face and groaned. 

"Lance, you had better come to my wedding and give me some moral support, or I might just walk out on the whole thing."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Loki's grin grew into a laugh. "Day after tomorrow right? I've got it marked down on my calendar. Definitely attending!"

"Alright! See you around Lance! I hope Kyra's cold gets better soon!"

They all marched out of the office together, and parted ways in the front of the building. Loki watched as the van drove off. Now where can I get a public bus - 

"I see you've made some new friends. Aren't they a little below your usual standards?"

Without looking, he already knew who the speaker was. 

"Well they're certainly much better company than the current one," he said pleasantly, as he turned around.

Herrick stood at the corner of the pavement, a briefcase in hand, the other tucked into his trouser pocket. 

"Let's have a talk shall we?"

*

They sat at a little metal table, outside a small bustling cafe. They hadn't even bothered to order, the moment Loki sat down he asked bluntly, 

"What do you want Herrick?"

"Oh let me see. A cup of black coffee perhaps, and a bagel. You?"

Loki narrowed his eyes. He didn't quite like this new Herrick, especially the expression he was wearing. It was a very familiar sight to him, he had seen it in the mirror when Odin had fallen into Odinsleep - it was a look that spelled now all my plans are coming into fruition.

He waited for Herrick to order, and waited some more for the order to arrive. Nothing betrayed his impatience, saved for the light drumming of his fingers against the table top. 

"Enough games Herrick. What is it you want?"

Herrick took a bite of the bagel and didn't speak until he had swallowed it. He placed his briefcase on the table and opened it, messing around it for awhile. Loki arched an eyebrow when he saw that Herrick too, had a handphone.

"Somebody's trying to get into the Midgard life now huh?"

The palace guard shrugged. "Just a few things Esbern got for me. To better fit in when I pay this call."

"And why are you paying this call, exactly?"

Herrick stopped messing about his briefcase but left it open. He steepled his fingers.

"The King and Queen has agreed to let you return to Asgard." There was the slightest tone of begrudging reluctance in his voice. 

Loki's eyes lit up and he couldn't help the excitement that crept into his voice. "Truly? They have called for an early halt to my exile?"

"Indeed. His Royal Majesty feels that you have changed, truly, for the better. " Herrick's eyes narrowed into slits. "Is he right?"

Loki smiled. Aha. A perfect opportunity to do some mischief. 

"You'll never know, would you?" He spread his arms wide, gesturing to all of himself. "Loki, the God of Mischief and Trickery. You'll never know what my motives are. Am I genuine? Am I faking it? Who knows?"

"Fine. Keep your thoughts to yourself. But I'm warning you, if you even think about resuming evil, I'll - "

"What? Kill me? You're not the only man to have told me that." He winked. He felt euphoric - finally, he was free! Free from the punishment, and most of all, free to be with her. 

"Are we going to back to Asgard? Now?"

"If you wish to. Your exile has already ended."

Loki stood up, clapping his hand on the table. "Alright. Let us leave then."

Herrick's eyebrows flew sky-high. "Are you not going to bid goodbye to the mortal?"

He shrugged. "Why should I?" A pause. He rather relished the thought of Herrick's face as he dropped the bombshell.

"I'm coming back."

Herrick frowned. "What do you mean?"

A casual rolling motion of the shoulders. "You were right. I have formed an attachment to Midgard. Which is why you should be glad! You won't be seeing my face very much in the Asgardian palace anymore. I'll be spending most of my time here."

He pondered. "You know, it is rather good that Thor was made King," he mused. "If I was King I wouldn't be able to come and go to Midgard as much as I like. Funny how life turns out."

He looked back at Herrick, expecting him to gape open-mouthed or be flabbergasted. Instead, the palace guard was shaking his head slowly and looking at him with immense pity.

"You mean you do not know? Or do you forgive her? I doubt the latter, considering the degree of her - betrayal."

Something was amiss.

Loki's eyebrows knitted together. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Instead of replying Herrick only reached into the opened briefcase and pulled out an Asgardian flying drone. Loki had seen them before, small silver balls that zipped and whirred past walls, keeping an eye out for everything, missing nothing.

A press on the clasp would trigger the drone's video feed - 

 - which was dated the afternoon of the Elska Ball, after Kyra had visited him in the dungeons. 

"Man, imagine the headlines I could make with this! I'll be instantly famous! I'll be the most famous journalist in the world!"  

Loki saw what she was doing, and knew what it meant. After all, he himself had done it just earlier this afternoon, except that his was just audio. 

He was a bit surprised, he hadn't known that Kyra had been taking photos and videos of Asgard. And the words she said.....she couldn't have meant them surely. She knew this was his home, exposing Asgard would meant betraying him, and weren't lovers not supposed to do that?

.....Or was this another Midgard thing?

She couldn't have done it, surely.

"She did it, you know," Herrick spoke. "She used all the photos and videos she took; she's planning to go public with everything, revealing us. Of course the King doesn't know anything of this, but I'm planning to tell him soon. We'll have to take steps.....we trusted Jane Foster and she didn't betray us, so we thought this mortal Lady Kyra would be the same. Unfortunately not."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "Liar."

Herrick shrugged. "You want to wait here at Midgard to see tomorrow's newspapers? She could have send them already for all I know. Last I saw her she was typing away on her computer."

All thoughts of betrayal fled Loki's mind and he half got up from his chair. 

"You met Kyra? Alone?" His voice was a snarl.

"Calm down. I only went there to find you. Naturally she invited me in and we had some tea, but that was all that happened. If you think I'm about to start fraternizing with the enemy of Asgard you're gravely mistaken."

"Enemy of Asgard - you certainly didn't treat her like an enemy from the way your wolfish eyes looked at her the night of the Elska Ball! And do you even have proof?"

Herrick scoffed. "I am a practitioner of justice. I always have evidence to back up my claims."

He reached back into his briefcase again. Earlier, when Kyra had knocked the silver ball to the ground, Herrick hadn't pick it up. Instead, he'd nudged it with his foot until it rolled to a gentle stop near a table - on top of which was Kyra's laptop.

Herrick might not be about three thousand years old, but he was old enough to know a few certain things. Like trusting his instinct. Or that people tended to do rash and reckless things when they were upset, even things they knew they would regret later on.

Let us hope I upset her enough.

He swiped a few strokes on the holographic screen of the silver ball he was holding. 

Aha.

"I left a security drone in her apartment so I would know the instant she decided to go public. Because no matter how much you refuse to believe it Loki, it is true. Look."

The security drones were all connected to each other in a large efficient system, so one drone could access the other's files. Herrick was now using his drone to access the files of the drone in Kyra's apartment. He had pulled up the video feed from the time he left and they all saw it - Kyra typing away furiously, almost dementedly, on the laptop.

Herrick zoomed in. "Look, you can almost see the photos in clear detail. My my, is that a photo of you, Loki?"

And Kyra's voice, ghosting past in Loki's head - 

I want to become a rich and famous journalist.  

Herrick never stopped speaking. "She was using you, Loki. From the moment you stepped onto Midgard and met her, from the moment she heard of your story, the little cogs in her brain started spinning. Hmmm, what is the best deal I can make out of this? Sure, I can just take the three wishes and go, but what if I could do more? 

"She's a journalist! A human bloodhound. Her job specializes in extracting as much information as she can, to create the most sensational news. All for glory and gold. And she's certainly struck the jackpot this time hasn't she?"

Herrick's voice became even more hissing and persuading. "A god, Loki. You are a god. A living specimen! Gods are real! Magic is real! Imagine the uproar it will unleash on Midgard! Imagine the people, all seeking for more and more answers, more and more information; those greedy little mortals with their never-ending taste for the unknown. Curiosity. And who gets more curious than a journalist?

"She was using you Loki. And you fell for her. You fell in love. I thought you were dumb, but really, this takes it to a whole new level."

How many times have I said that I was her boyfriend? Did she ever, for once, said it back?

Loki stood up, sudden and curt. His hands were unknowingly clenched into fists. 

"Wait for me. I have......business to settle."

Herrick leaned back in the metal chair lazily. "Going to grovel at her feet, begging for answers are we?"

Loki didn't even flinch. He strode away and off the pavement, into the busy streets and into the crowd.

Herrick smiled.

Line up the letters my friend, and what do we have? B - I - N - G - Oh, we just need one more to make a bingo! 

Where oh where, is the letter O?

His smile grew wider as he let out a dark chuckle and sipped his cup of black, black coffee.