The forehead kiss took Kyra completely by surprise. She froze at the contact, and her breath caught in her throat.

Loki's lips brushed her hair before leaning down and whispering in her ear.

"We have company. A little closeness will help our case yes?"

Kyra glanced. She could just see the blonde hair flying out of sight as its owner ducked behind the kitchenette doors.

So it had been for show. For a moment.......I thought - She discontinued the line of thinking.

Her heartbeat settled, but only a teensy bit. She swallowed.

"What do we do now?" she whispered.

A rolling motion of his shoulders. "Wait it out and hope she leaves." Slyness crept into his dulcet tones. "If that fails to work, perhaps a few more kisses might do the job?"

Kyra glared. "Don't you dare!"

Loki's green eyes twinkled.

It was about half a minute before Sherria finally grew bored and left. Kyra slid out and away from the sink immediately. She stood to one side, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, not knowing where to look.

Loki took his full cup. "You owe me a kiss." He smiled, and left.

*

Lunch came and went, and soon it was late evening. Richard stepped out from his office.

"Journalists assemble!" he barked.

Loki watched with amusement as they scrambled to clear up their desks.

"Come on Lance!" called Cecilia as she tucked her purse inside her black bag. "That's the boss' signal that he's buying us a meal tonight. Let's go!"

Dinner was taken at a Chinese restaurant downtown. The friendly waitress that served them brought up the open-air market two blocks away. Naturally when Richard heard that it mostly sold street food of all nationalities he declared that it was their next stop.

It was a whole new experience for the Asgardian god. All around him Loki could hear oil sizzling and bananas frittering and traders hollering over one another. And the smells. He didn't knew that there could be such a wide array of such amazing smells.

He leaned over and spoke in Kyra's ear, over the hubbub of the crowd.

"Why do you female mortals not make your fragrance out of this?"

"I'm sorry! What?" Kyra yelled back over the noise.

"Your perfume!" Loki shouted back. "You would attract every single man within a mile with this scent!"

Kyra burst into fits of giggles.

A particular smell hit Loki's nostrils. His head jerked up. He strode with purpose to a certain stall, before gesturing back at Kyra.

"Mortal! Over here!"

Kyra came close. The stall owner was a jovial plump woman that greeted them warmly, her voice heavy with a Spanish accent.

Kyra looked down at the long, fried sausage-like things. She gave a little laugh and threw Loki a look.

"These are chocolate-filled churros. You do have a sweet tooth!"

They bought one paper bag's worth - five churros - and Loki eagerly reached in to take one.

"Blast! These - churros, burn!"

"Well they are hot off the oil. Take it slow. No one's gonna steal your churros."

Loki dangled the churro over his mouth and took a bite. His eyes widened. He stared at the fried snack.

"This is a heavenly delicacy! What a taste!" He bit off another piece, and another and another.

Kyra laughed. "Congratulations! You've discovered one of Earth's seven wonders - chocolate."

The sticky sweet sauce trickled out as Loki's teeth sank in, and there was a little stain in the right corner of his lips. He didn't even seemed to notice, and continued chomping away on the churros like there was no tomorrow.

Kyra's eyebrows knitted together, and she couldn't help saying,

"You know, you have something on your mouth - a stain - here......" She pulled out a tissue and dabbed at it.

Loki swallowed down the bite in his mouth, and his fingers didn't reach into the bag for the next one. Instead, he watched the mortal before him try to wipe the stain off; he noted how her face creased in concentration, and saw how the yellow lights of the stalls sparked off her tawny locks.

The stain gone, Kyra drew back. "There. Done. You're a pretty clumsy eater aren't you?" She gave another one of her laughs, a clear crystal sound that rung in the air, and smiled back at Loki. For a moment, just a moment, his emerald green eyes softened.

They walked down more stalls. By that time the group had separated - Cecilia and Harry were together of course, while Richard had stayed behind to converse with a Mexican man about his 'epic tacos'. Eric and Sherria spotted a few stalls that sold clothes, and had made a beeline for that. Sherria could never resist, and Eric wanted to buy his girlfriend a birthday present. So it was just Loki and Kyra, going from stall to stall, with Loki pulling her one way then the next, mostly following his nose. He really did have a sweet tooth, and Kyra watched as he sampled caramel apples, blueberry crepes and fruit pudding, then pronounced each one far better than the former, before being distracted by yet another delicious smell.

Kyra was watching a man toss chapati in the air when Loki called her. Awed by the man's dexterous handling of the chapati, she kept looking but yelled back, "What?"

Confusion colored Loki's voice utterly.

"How do you mortals pluck clouds out of the air and set them on sticks? Are they truly as tasty as they look?"

......What?

Kyra turned. Loki was standing at a candy floss stand and looked utterly enraptured.

Again Kyra giggled. His reactions were just so priceless. Do they only have bread and cabbages at Asgard? It's like he's never had a proper meal!

Kyra walked over and paid the man for one stick of the swirly sweet confection. She handed it to Loki, who stood there holding it and looking extremely perplexed.

"How do you eat it?"

Kyra tsk-tsked. She took the candy floss from him.

"Like this. Watch."

She bit into it, the sugar melting away all over her tongue. She beamed. She'd quite forgotten how nice this was.

Loki watched, and when she made to return the candy to him he told her to take a second bite.

"You have bought me quite a number of Midgard delicacies, yet you have only taken a few bites. Have another one." His velvet voice reminded Kyra of smooth chocolate. Gosh, all this food is influencing me!

She went for a second round, and as her teeth cut through the sweet pink cloud Loki leaned in, and took his own bite.

Their lips were only inches apart, his face directly opposite hers, and she was staring into those green eyes, and seeing for the first time just how striking they were in the stalls' yellow lights.

Time slipped off its tracks. She went immobile immediately of course - he had that effect on her, and sometimes she wondered if he wasn't actually a wizard that had mastered Petrificus Totalus without a wand - while Loki seemed to lock eyes with her a little too long than necessary.

Brown irises meeting green ones, two hearts beating in a shared space, as if yearning to reach out for the other. He was the one that pulled away first, drawing himself up with that easy elegant grace.

He stretched, looking out over the rest of the stalls. His expression was one of nonchalance, as if what he had just done was something he did every day, to just about anyone.

For Kyra it was no casual gesture. Her heartbeat had spiked and there were more than a few butterflies taking flight in her stomach. She blinked, as if stunned.

Loki saw the look on her face. "Yes?" he asked, all wide-eyed and innocent.

But Kyra could see the smug smile hanging around his lips.

She glared at him, and just about shoved the candy floss to his chest. More to convince herself than to convince him, she directed an accusatory finger his way and spoke firmly,

"You are not my type."

Shooting him a last look she marched off. Loki let out a small laugh. His long legs soon caught up and he pestered her persistently from behind her shoulder.

"Type? That is not a strange word, but the context in which you use is not one I have heard before. 'You are not my type.' " he repeated. "What does that mean?"

Kyra ignored him and marched on. He kept on it for awhile, his voice getting more teasing by the minute as his guesses got wilder and more ridiculous. Kyra had a feeling she was blushing and hoped it didn't show.

As they passed a stall there was the sound of oil frying and Loki was successfully distracted.

"Mortal! What are those?"

Kyra looked. Recognition glimmered in her eyes, followed by a sudden, sneaky glint. She struggled to keep a straight face.

Alright you ridiculously hot Asgardian god. It's your turn to be at the receiving end of the mischief.

"Ahh those? They're like churros." Loki's eyes lit up. "You want some? I'll get it for you."

She bought a bag and handed it to Loki, all the while biting her tongue to keep from giggling. Don't give the game away don't give the game away.

Loki took the bag and reached a hand in. He pulled out one and offered it to Kyra, who politely refused.

No way am I eating that.

Loki inhaled the smell....smiled......Kyra watched in anticipation.....and Loki put it into his mouth.

Here comes the fireworks.

One crunch downwards released everything. The wave of flavours burst out, hitting Loki straight on the tongue, and -

"Aargghh! Hak! Pah!" The eagerness on Loki's face vanished in a tidal tsunami of horror.

He spat the snack out violently, but the damage had been done and Kyra knew the after-effects were still as devastating. Loki actually gave a little hop in the air and stuck his tongue out, leaving it to hang. He looked around frantically and Kyra knew he was looking for water, but no way was she helping him with that. He deserved it, and anyway she was laughing so hard tears were almost coming out of her eyes.

Loki glared at her, a mixture of indignation and pain.

"What by Odin's eye was that foul thing?"

She was laughing too much she couldn't answer, and when Loki yelped again in pain and started fanning his tongue she crouched down by the stall and continued laughing.

"Deep.....fried....jalapenos...." she managed to get out before dissolving into a fresh bout of guffaws.

Loki shot both her and the stall a barbed look of venom. She laughed even harder.

Finally she managed to regain some of her composure. "The God of Mischief pranked," she teased. "Now you know what it's like!"

Loki was standing stiffly, looking rather huffy and miffed. Kyra giggled. She took hold of his shirt and tugged it, trying to get him to move.

"Come on. Let's get you some water." Loki refused to budge. "Aww....is our little Asgardian god feeling offended? Should I apologize?" she teased.

In the end he allowed her to drag her off. He wasn't really offended, though he pretended to be very much so. A light smile was actually playing on his lips, but everytime the mortal looked back he wiped it off and put on his poker face. They walked the streets again, and saw a stall selling carbonated drinks. Kyra ran over and bought two.

"Here. I bet Asgard doesn't have Coca-Cola right? This is really good. Very sweet!"

Loki eyed her with suspicion. "I am not entirely sure I should trust you anymore, woman."

Kyra bit back her laughter. "I'm serious! It's really nice! Look."

She popped the can and tilted her head back in a big gulp. "Mmm! Really nice! See? Nothing bad!"

She handed him his can. Loki contemplated it a few moments more, before finally taking it gingerly. He made to pull back the ring tab like how Kyra had done, but she stopped him.

"Ah! I forgot! A good can of soda needs to be shaken properly first before you open it. So all the flavours mix well." She tried to take it back, but Loki stopped her.

"Why did you not shake yours?" he asked, tone wary.

"Told you. I forgot. You don't want to trust me? Fine. Don't blame me if it tastes like - coffee. Without the sugar," she added.

A short flush of apprehension in Loki's eyes. Rather grudgingly he handed her the can. She took it, and shook it hard, really hard, for about half a minute. Up down right left up up again. Round and round she went, shaking as if her life depended on it.

"There we are!" She smiled widely, returning to him the can. "Now you just need to pull that little thingy on the top. Pull really hard by the way. It's kinda hard to open sometimes."

Loki pulled, hard, and Kyra took a few steps back. The fizz gushed out at once, spilling all over Loki's fingers, and down to the ground. He leapt backwards but kept his hand outstretched, eyes wide in alarmed surprise. Kyra cracked up.

Realizing that he'd been tricked - again - Loki narrowed his eyes.

"Haha. A very funny mortal you are. Come here!" He lunged forward, and some of the fizz droplets splashed around Kyra's shoes. She gave a little shriek and took off down among the stalls. Loki followed, in hot pursuit.

She looked back once in a while, hair flying in the wind, the laughter showing itself not only on her lips, but also in her soft brown eyes. Loki was laughing too, and this time it wasn't a smirk nor a sly snigger - it was a genuine sound of carefree enjoyment. Something he hadn't been doing in a long long time.

He was actually having fun.

When it happened, it happened quick and without warning.

A stall nearby was doing the flambe, and the flame leapt up sudden and fierce. Loki was dashing past, and as the light from the fire entered his vision, he felt a sharp pounding in his head. There was a ringing in his ears, and the world seemed to blur into one messy shade. His footsteps slowed, he was feeling dizzy, something was not right......he felt his chest constricted, for some reason he couldn't breathe, and his legs weren't working like how they used to be, and everything was spinning spinning spinning......

It was a while before Kyra realized that Loki was no longer playing the game of chase. She looked back, and five feet away there he was. He was doubled over, his head low and his hands on his knees. The soda can had fallen to the ground, the drink spilling all over.

She frowned. "......Loki? Are you alright?" She took a few steps forward to him.

As if hearing her - though that couldn't be possible considering how loud the market was - he looked up, the movement slow and laboured. His eyes met hers, and she was shocked to see how dark they were. Not only that, she could see the agony in there as well, scorching and searing.

He took a step forward, a hand reaching out - it's trembling! - as if in a plea for help, before suddenly his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground.

"Loki!" she screamed, and then she was running.