Sif's mouth dropped open and for a moment, she stared at him, her brain having stuttered to a stop at his words. Disbelief and surprise stained her features and she felt a rush of warmth, feeling her cheeks heat faintly.

Until she remembered this was Loki and this was not at all like him and if this was another of his games...

Her fist connected with his shoulder - she curbed the urge to break his nose at the last moment because she could just hear her father's reaction to that the night of his big important dinner.

"So I'm a fool, it's hardly the worst you've called me before this and I might have believed that if you didn't take every opportunity to compare me to your mount," she snapped, shaking off his hand, angrily rubbing at her eyes, cursing the fact that she felt wetness there again. "I know its stupid and pointless. For all the hope I have of doing half of what my father expects of me. I'd have better luck if I had you dress up in my place. If I could think of any other way out of it, don't you think I would have? Just... Shut up, Loki. Leave me alone."

The last was almost a whisper and she took advantage of the moment to sweep past him, fleeing the library before he could say anything more that could possibly make this worse.