Loki looked up, letting his hands drop away from Thor's shoulders. "Time is short," he said. "Particularly if you do not wish me to hamper their movements. I will need to move quickly."

He didn't want to see Sif, yet he also did. She was still the center of his world, the person he loved most. But he also couldn't imagine touching her, knowing what it was that lurked under his skin now. It made him feel faintly ill, to think of the years they'd had together, and he'd been some sort of slumbering monster the entire time.

"But of course you are right. I can only rest briefly, but I shall seek her out." He would do nothing of the kind. With the preparations for war, it was unlikely that there would be much time for his whereabouts while asleep to be a topic of discussion. "With your permission, I will bid you good night."