She saw all his reactions because she'd been watching for them, and his seat across the far side of the table, beside his mother, had put him directly in her line of sight when she entered. The Allfather was seated at the head of the table, the queen at his left, Thor at his right, currently with his back to her. There was an empty seat beside him - obviously left for her, placing her directly across from Loki. Her father and mother had the next seats down, her mother sitting beside the younger prince.
Sif hesitated in the doorway a moment, giving herself time to watch the surprise flicker across Loki's face in the subtle widening of his eyes. That confused her momentarily, for she knew him responsible. Had he thought she wouldn't come at all? Or that she wouldn't display his prank so prominently? But then she caught sight of his smile, a real smile, despite the pale strain in his face - another telling sign that he'd been up to mischief of the magical sort. Still, his smile shifted something inside her, calmed the butterflies for a moment as something seemed to settle into place, as if this was right. When he averted his gaze without meeting her own, her chin lifted slightly, projecting a confidence she felt more with each passing heartbeat.
There came a quiet clink of silverware and she felt eyes on her. The Queen, who'd gone carefully still, her eyes widening slightly before her napkin was pressed daintily to her lips, as if to hide a sudden laugh or something else equally inappropriate. Her mother had seen her as well and those dark eyes so like hers were widening in surprise and something else, but they were still warm, which gave Sif the strength to move forward, gliding with a grace she rarely felt outside the training fields.
Thor and her father noticed her at the same time and she heard the quiet hissed intake of air on her right as her father's fingers gripped the arm of his chair in a white-knuckled grip. She almost faltered then, but she felt Thor's bright gaze on her, surprised, curious, narrowed in a speculation she was unused to having fixed so intently on her. She expected an outburst from him, some laughing comment or mocking jest, but he surprised her, sliding out of his seat without a word and pulling her chair out for her, acting the prince for once, although the politeness of the move was ruined by the wicked wink he cast her. She subtly rolled her eyes where her father couldn't see and carefully sat, relieved when she managed it without a fumble.
"There you are, Sif," Thor retorted as he took his seat once more, his tone easy and carefree, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred and her life had not just taken the strangest tilt on its axis in the past few hours. "We were beginning to worry you weren't coming. It was terribly disappointing. Loki was worried there would be none here who understood his jokes. Look at him, he's near tears."
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Sif hesitated in the doorway a moment, giving herself time to watch the surprise flicker across Loki's face in the subtle widening of his eyes. That confused her momentarily, for she knew him responsible. Had he thought she wouldn't come at all? Or that she wouldn't display his prank so prominently? But then she caught sight of his smile, a real smile, despite the pale strain in his face - another telling sign that he'd been up to mischief of the magical sort. Still, his smile shifted something inside her, calmed the butterflies for a moment as something seemed to settle into place, as if this was right. When he averted his gaze without meeting her own, her chin lifted slightly, projecting a confidence she felt more with each passing heartbeat.
There came a quiet clink of silverware and she felt eyes on her. The Queen, who'd gone carefully still, her eyes widening slightly before her napkin was pressed daintily to her lips, as if to hide a sudden laugh or something else equally inappropriate. Her mother had seen her as well and those dark eyes so like hers were widening in surprise and something else, but they were still warm, which gave Sif the strength to move forward, gliding with a grace she rarely felt outside the training fields.
Thor and her father noticed her at the same time and she heard the quiet hissed intake of air on her right as her father's fingers gripped the arm of his chair in a white-knuckled grip. She almost faltered then, but she felt Thor's bright gaze on her, surprised, curious, narrowed in a speculation she was unused to having fixed so intently on her. She expected an outburst from him, some laughing comment or mocking jest, but he surprised her, sliding out of his seat without a word and pulling her chair out for her, acting the prince for once, although the politeness of the move was ruined by the wicked wink he cast her. She subtly rolled her eyes where her father couldn't see and carefully sat, relieved when she managed it without a fumble.
"There you are, Sif," Thor retorted as he took his seat once more, his tone easy and carefree, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred and her life had not just taken the strangest tilt on its axis in the past few hours. "We were beginning to worry you weren't coming. It was terribly disappointing. Loki was worried there would be none here who understood his jokes. Look at him, he's near tears."