The drunk group of thieves slurred and slapped their way out of the tavern and were oblivious to the old hunchbacked man following them. He went unnoticed till they reached their truck and one of them tossed and threw another on the ground, who spotted the hooded man behind them.

"Ey! Oo're You!" The tossed man said as he swayingly stood up, making no effort to clear his pants of the snow and slush.

"I'm terribly sorry,"the old man clearly feigned, "I had no intention, but I couldn't help but over hear you gloating about your recent robbery."

"Whaht's it to yah, oldy" another of them growled.

"It wouldn't have happened to be the last house in the hamlet outside of town, would it? The one that looks wooden and all cottage-y. You know, I once met the girl that lives there. I must say, she was a bit abrasive and immature, entirely full of it, but pretty though."

All four men laughed gaudily, disgusting the old man, who had always been more fond of better and best mannered acts.

******(suggestive references ahead till the next asterisks)

Thug 1: I told yer!

Thug 2: Shoulda taken 'ER stead o her stuffs!

Thug3: Couldn't split her fair tho!

Thug 4: She was a purty toy!

******

The old man grew tired of their jaunts and walked wobbly up to the gang.

"Hilarious yes, but I must have you know my biggest pet peeves."

One of the bigger thugs slapped him hard on the shoulder, pushing down on it so the man hunched even lower.

"And whaht 'er those?"

The old man looked up through his hood with his face on angle and a smirk on his lips.

"One," he grabbed the hand on his shoulder, appearing to rise up from a squatting position as the tattered hood receded itself and transformed into taught green and gold leather, as the wrinkles of old age trimmed back to reveal a young man with an impeccable jaw structure, sharp cheek bones, and articulately trimmed jet black hair that well accentuated the greens of his eye. The humans in front of him became confused and angry all at the same time while being drunk to the brim. The guy who still had his hand on the alien prince, was debating if all this had been a drunken hallucination, when he tried to move his hand off the man in front, but found it impossible as it quickly became made of ice.

"Bad grammar annoys me."

"and second," Loki harshly removed the guy's frozen hand from him, not caring of it shattering or of the man's screams as the ice crept up his body. The three remaining attempted to demonstrate their strength in growls aimed at the assailant of their friend.

"I don't like people MESSING WITH WHAT'S MINE!"

Loki growled as the glass sculpture in his hands noiselessly exploded, shards splaying in all directions as a snow storm formed itself out of thin air.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

In a flash of green light, Loki was standing in the kitchen of the cabin, or what used to be the kitchen. Around him, every thing was destroyed or torn apart, and the room was crumbling down like the rest of the house. Clearly the robbers had done a very thorough clean out. By his feet, all the dishes and glasses were bits and pieces; he lifted his foot in the kitchen to walk, and it landed on a piece of broken wood in Sigyn's room. He found her on the ground, just like he had seen her in the cup. Her breathing was irregular, her hand pressed down on her stomach, covered in the dark oozing liquid from under it. The snow around her made out like Crimson Peaks, painted in the blood pooling down. Loki carefully crept over and crouched next to her;

"I haven't left you for a day and look what mess you've gotten yourself into."

Sigyn attempted at a taunting laugh, but clenched and threw her head back as the movement of abdomen pained her, and more blood pushed its way through the gaps between her fingers.

"Yeah?" she breathed, closing her eyes. "well I was doing just fine till you came into my life."

She heard him chuckle and opened her eyes, only to see the roof cave in. She closed her again and screamed, but didn't hear the debris land. Instead, she felt Loki's body cover her and the ground beneath her changed. Sigyn opened her grey eyes to the jade sea above her, Loki's eyes directly over hers. One hand was under her back, how he'd held on to her as he transported them, and the other was clasped over hers, which was pressing on the wound on her stomach. He dug his chin in his chest, managing a glance at her injury.

"Let me," he whispered assuringly as his fingers brushed her hand off. He returned his head up with a gentle smirk on his face;

"This may hurt a bit, mortal," Loki teased as a cool cloud started glowing from his hand.

"Hunh? Wai-SCREAAAMM! Sigyn barely had a moment to register what he said when the cloud ran through her wound. Loki was using his magic to heel Sigyn, the "cloud" rapidly tugged and stitched at her flesh and skin but unfortunately, it was more than a little painful for the human. Her body responded to the pain as it shot up, moving her body like a wave which curved against Loki, who was still on top of her.

"This is what a healing supply would be on Valhalla," Loki said, lowering the speed just a bit as he punned at her remark when she was doctor and he the patient.

"If I completely stop midway, the magic will undo itself, and it will hurt more." Loki reasoned as he pressed his hand back down again.

"You *grunt* couldn't tell me this before we started! mnngh!" Sigyn tried to stifle her scream as the healing magic went faster again, and Sigyn was out cold.

Loki was well aware of his position. He was lying on top of a wounded Sigyn. He was using his magic to heal her. Why was he helping her? He never helped anyone but himself. And here she was, out cold, weak. But she wasn't pathetic, and that was the highest compliment he had for any human. Heck, Loki didn't even care for his now ex-human sister-in-law Jane, Thor's wife. He was frustrated, that he couldn't understand what she was doing to him. No had ever played him like Sigyn was playing him. Who was she? What was she? What was she to him? Did he start having feelings, emotions? No, only these puny humans had the capacity to have anything to do with other people. To care for other people...to let other people become their weakness. Is that what it meant to be human? Was he turning into a h-.

His thoughts were broken by Sigyn's ear piercing scream from underneath him, and her body shot up against his.  Her eyes still hadn't opened; she was screaming in her nightmare. Her screams annoyed him, hurt his ears, which were so close to her face, while his hands were so far away healing her mortal body, which was taking its time to adjust. Without any other option, and without a thought, Loki crashed his lips down on hers.