That makes him laugh, a genuine laugh that reaches his eyes when he looks back at her. "As you wish," he says, and means it. It's easy for him to speak such high, flowery words, but it does get wearisome.

As they walk, he decides he likes this taller version of her. She walks like a challenge, like she's stepping the world back into place. He asks about the restaurant she's taking him to, what is a Pho Sizzle—yes, he actually says it this time—and the discussion of Asian cuisines lasts them from door to door. They share a table in the window, a tiny one that nearly disappears beneath all the dishes they order. Loki takes a suggestion from their server and ends up with a bowl of salty black noodles in a dark broth that seems to contain more flavor than anything he's tasted before, and he says as much.

He'd expected to spend the evening flirting rather heavily, continuing their dance, but their conversation flows naturally back and forth, and each side dish that's brought is tasted and discussed. It's an exploration as much as a dinner, and it's far more fun than he'd even expected. It's strange, feeling so genuine with someone, as if there aren't sides of himself he needs to hide.