"What was that about?" Amy asked quietly when Loki came back. "It's not bad, is it?"

Thor made his way back over to the others, easily joining right back into the conversations.

"No, surprisingly," Loki said. "Not this time." He was quiet for a moment. "Whenever you'd like, I can show you some of my favorite places."

Amy smiled a bit and nodded.

"I'd like that," she said. "I'm ready to go when you are."

Loki nodded and motioned for her to follow before he took the long way down to the stables. It took longer, but it was quieter and, in his opinion, a nicer walk. Although he did try not to go too fast for her.

Amy followed, enjoying the quiet and the good scenery.

"Where are we going first?" she asked after a moment or so of just enjoying the walk.

"To the stables. There's someone there I want to introduce you to." Loki smiled a bit and ignored the stableboys when they arrived, instead walking straight back to Sleipnir's stall.

That piqued Amy's interest, and she followed him into the stables. She paused when she saw the massive war horse in the stall, and her eyes got a bit wide.

"Hello again," Loki greeted, opening the stall and letting Sleipnir out. He didn't even bother with a bridle or anything. "Amy, this is Sleipnir. Sleipnir, this is Amy. I have been staying with her and some others."

Sleipnir immediately nuzzled Loki fondly, clearly pleased to see him. It had been far too long since Mother had come to see him, and Sleipnir was glad for the attention. It took several moments before he refocused his attention on Amy, looking at her with curiosity. He nosed her gently, investigating.

Amy was a bit tense as the horse got closer, especially as her mind made the connections between what she knew of Norse mythology and what she saw in front of her. Cautiously, she held out a hand to Sleipnir.

"Hello," she said softly.

Loki smiled faintly when Sleipnir did nothing more than sniff her hair, snort quietly at her, and nose her front gently. He kept one hand on the horse's neck, just giving the two time to investigate each other.

Amy relaxed after a few moments and cautiously reached out to stroke Sleipnir's nose.

"This is amazing," she said quietly.

Loki grinned. "I don't get to see him as often as I'd like," he said, leaning against Sleipnir. "Most of the time I am forbidden from taking him out, even. Odin is... very careful with the two of us."

"I can imagine," Amy said, gently petting Sleipnir's neck. She smiled a bit. "He's very impressive, though."

"Thank you." Loki smiled. "We can go outside, if you'd like." He knew Sleipnir wanted to, after all.

Amy smiled and nodded.

"That sounds nice," she said.

Sleipnir's ears perked up at the notion of being able to get out of the stable, and he stamped the ground a bit in anticipation, nudging at Loki.

Loki chuckled and patted his nose, walking ahead and opening the doors so they could all go outside. A few of the stableboys gave them wary looks but no one tried to stop them.

Amy followed Loki, marveling over Sleipnir as they got out into the open.

"He really does have eight legs," she breathed. "That's amazing."

Loki grinned and gave Sleipnir a chance to run around a bit first. "He is amazing," he said quietly. "I need to see him more often."

"I can tell," Amy said. She watched Sleipnir for a moment, and then looked back at Loki. "So, is he...?" She trailed off, not knowing how to phrase the question delicately enough.

"Yes, he's mine," Loki said quietly. "Although Odin sometimes ignores that fact. Or perhaps he separates us because he is mine."

Amy hesitated for a moment, and then gently touched Loki's hand.

"There must be a reason," she said. "Even if it's not a good one, there has to be a reason."

Loki shrugged. "Either way, it is not pleasant," he said quietly. Then he shook himself a bit as Sleipnir trotted back over to them, snorting and eyeing his Mother worriedly.

Amy watched as the massive horse came over to them, and she stepped aside a bit to give the two a bit of space. It was obvious they both needed a bit of bonding time.

Loki did enjoy spending his time with Sleipnir, but he wanted Amy in on it too. So he walked over to her and picked her up, setting her astride Sleipnir easily. The massive horse just snorted a bit. He didn't mind.

Amy squeaked in surprise when she was picked up, and reflexively grabbed onto Sleipnir's mane when she was put on his back.

"What was that for?" she asked.