Her presence grated on him, her good mood and laughter irritated his nerves. “I could drown you,” he threatened, and the raw energy in the air crackled louder for a moment before it simply stopped. Loki turned away, deciding at that moment that she was not worth his time and attention. He started back up the beach, intending to leave her there. As she had said, it was a free beach.
“And I could set you on fire,” she called after him. Tapping his irritation, she built a phoenix and sent it swirling around his retreating form. “Or we could come to a truce. I’m sure you don’t normally run away from mere mortals.”
“Running away? Please.” He rolled his eyes. The sea rose up, bidden by his will, then crashed back down upon the girl before it roared onto the land after the phoenix, engulfing the sorcerer and the bird. What did Loki care if he got wet?
First there was a shriek of surprise, and then a stream of laughter. The flame vanished, briefly, before another one formed, spinning in a giddy dance. “Oh, do that again! That was wonderful!”