"So?" Loki asked again.
"I've come to take you with me. The King said you're welcome to live at the palace," Hael replied.
Loki's eyes widened. "What?"
Hael didn't respond as he scooped the bird up into his arms, ignoring Loki's protests. "What? We're leaving now?!"
"Yes. I don't have much time before the King finishes his duties," Hael said simply.
Loki's mouth hung open. "B-But what about Anthanasia? Does she know about this? Won't she be surprised when she comes back and I'm not there?" he asked.
Hael raised an eyebrow. "What? Did I hear that right? You want to say goodbye to Anthanasia? I thought you didn't like her?"
Loki paused, ceasing his flapping. He looked down, refusing to meet Hael's gaze.
"Hmm?" Hael nudged him, a teasing grin tugging at his lips.
"I-I don't like her! It's just that she's been taking care of me since you abandoned me for the palace. It'd be rude not to at least let her know. It's just a matter of returning the favor, that's all," Loki huffed.
"Oh?" Hael chuckled, eyeing the feisty bird.
"A-Anyway, we should wait for her to come back. She just went to the market to get me some food. She should be back—" His words were cut off by the sound of the door unlocking.
Anthanasia stepped inside and froze when she saw Hael. "Hael? You're back already? Has the King thrown you out?!"
Hael rolled his eyes. Not you too.
Ten minutes later…
Anthanasia nodded slowly, still processing what Hael had said. "I see. So, you're taking Loki with you. That makes sense—he is your precious friend, after all."
Hael met her gaze, his expression serious. "I don't want to impose on you any more than I already have. I always planned to take Loki with me; I didn't want to be a burden..." He began, but was interrupted by Anthanasia.
"No! You weren't a burden at all. Taking care of Loki in your absence wasn't difficult. He's a clever bird, very resourceful," she smiled warmly. "So, I guess this is goodbye then."
Loki turned his head away, his usual sharp demeanor softened. "I'm glad you think so," Hael replied. "But it's not goodbye, just a 'see you later.' We'll visit when we can, and you're always welcome to come by the palace."
Anthanasia rolled her eyes. "You speak as if anyone can just waltz into the palace whenever they feel like it."
"I'll make it happen," Hael said with determination.
Anthanasia stared at him, amazed. How could he be so confident? The more she observed Hael, the more he seemed like an enigma to her, even though they'd become so close.
"...Alright, then. I'll trust you'll do what you can. This works out well, actually. I'll need to report back to the guild soon, and they'll probably send me on another mission. The borders have been filled with divine beasts lately." She paused, her expression turning serious. "Though, I'm sure Loki could handle himself, it wouldn't be right to leave him here alone."
Hael nodded in agreement. The huntress then turned to Loki, who was still avoiding her gaze.
She chuckled softly. "I see your dislike for me hasn't changed, Loki. And here I thought we were starting to get along."
Loki remained silent.
Anthanasia sighed and pursed her lips, staring at him. "It's been nice having you around. I'm going to miss your...uppity self."
Loki finally met her gaze, his eyes softening as he noticed the sadness in her voice.
He glanced at Hael, who gave him a sad, knowing smile. "Tell her this for me, will you?" Loki murmured.
Hael nodded. "It's...been alright with you too. Despite my indifference—no, my apathy—towards humans, I can't deny that you've made me curious about them. You've been kind, and I'm glad Hael has someone like you as a friend." He hesitated for a moment, then added, his voice quieter, "You will be missed, Anthanasia."
Tears welled up in Anthanasia's eyes, and before she could stop herself, she scooped Loki into her arms and hugged him tightly.
Loki squawked in protest, flapping his wings frantically. Hael barely managed to stifle a laugh as he watched the scene unfold.
"Stupid human! Let me go right now! I take back everything I said!"
The two of them bickered back and forth like this until the very end.
*
Hael and Loki were finally able to make it back to the palace without getting squeezed to death by Anthanasia.
They were lucky that one of them was a divine bird and the other was a demigod with the power to physically lift a mountain or else they might've seriously lost their lives. "That woman has the strength to crush a bull with her bare hands. I can't believe there are actual humans capable of doing that." Loki complained.
"Aren't you glad you got to leave the forest to witness this?" Hael laughed.
Loki shook his head as he tried to unruffle his feathers. "I could've gone the rest of my life not knowing this." He grumbled. "So? This is the great palace everyone's been making a fuss about?" He said once they made it to the gates.
This time since the guards knew who he was, they didn't give him any trouble and let him in. Though he did receive a few gawks when they saw him conversing with a bird.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" He said once they were inside.
The bird looked around the place and shrugged. "I guess. It's definitely better than Anthanasia's little hovel."
Hael rolled his eyes but said nothing.
"Hael!" A voice called behind them. They both turned around and saw Anemone running towards them.
Hael frowned as he saw the panicked look in his face.
"What's wrong?" Hael asked once the advisor was within earshot.
"…The King," the advisor began hesitantly. "He's going on one of his nightly… walks. Since you're now his personal guard, you're to accompany him."
Hael's frown deepened. He noticed the complicated expression on Anemone's face when he said nightly. "What exactly are these nightly walks that illicit such a reaction?" He thought to himself
Anemone's lips twitched before he sighed deeply. "I had hoped they might have ended with your arrival, but... anyway, you're to take him to his destination and escort him back once he's finished."
"Oh, and there's no need to change into your uniform for this," he added. "It's best not to draw attention." With that, he turned and left.
Hael stood there, utterly confused.
"What just happened?" Loki remarked, echoing Hael's thoughts exactly.