[ For a moment, catching Thor's troubled gaze, Loki wonders if Esja's skin is as transparent as it suddenly seems to be, if Thor had stepped into the trap armed with guile and foreknowledge of the creature to whom he had vowed his faith and fidelity. Why else would he offer so easily a path to the innermost chambers of his heart? How can it be anything but false?

Something quiet and vicious has crept into Esja's tone, and Loki, while aware, makes no attempt to disentangle himself from her. ]

Wrong? [ She lets out a breath like a half-formed laugh. But her grip on him has tightened, her fingers pressing bruises into his arms. ] What is wrong is that you believe you could have made a difference, my husband. The fate of the Nine Realms may hinge on your whims and fancies, but the madness of your brother follows no such petty rules.