Autumn Leaves

Feel Safe

'How good are your potatoes again?'

This sets the both of them off, and they laugh until Loki gets hiccups. Savannah yawns a little, and then screws up her face, and sneezes.

'Eeergh,' says Loki, 'That's how Swine Flu spread, young lady.'

'How do you know about Swine Flu?'

'I have my sources,' Loki replies, tapping his nose mysteriously.

'So did you really meet Kennedy?'

'Yes.'

'What was he like?'

'Ah,' Loki says, 'I'm afraid I cannot tell you.'

'Why not?'

'Because I can't be bothered.'

Savannah pokes Loki in the side with her chopsticks. He elbows her back, and she winces, the wound still painful from the King Crab's pincers.

'Sorry,' Loki says, 'I forgot that-'

'It's fine,' she assures, 'It barely hurts anyway.'

'Maybe we should get home,' Loki says, 'It's been a long day.'

'I don't want to go home.'

'I'll make you crumpets and hot chocolate before you go to bed.'

'Bribes won't work, Loki. I want to stay here, for a bit longer.'

'Why?'

'Because I like hanging out with you.'

'Really?'

'Yep.'

'We'll stay another ten minutes, and then we make our way back.'

'But I don't want to-'

'I'll get you some almond fingers, too.'

Savannah grinned again, and Loki frowned at her.

'What?' she protests.

'Don't your cheeks hurt?'

'Eh?'

'Your cheeks,' Loki explained, patiently, 'Don't they ache?'

'Why would they ache?'

'From all of your manic grinning. You do look like a psychopath, my dear.'

Savannah suddenly looks incredibly worried.

'Loki,' she says, 'I took a psychopathic test, and it said that my primary psychopathy score was 72.84% higher than average. And, my secondary psychopathy score was 98.48% higher than average. Do you think I'm a psycho?'

Loki starts laughing again, and Savannah passes the time it takes for him to calm down by glaring at him. After a few minutes, he's still laughing, and so she says,

'Stop it. It's not funny. What if I murder you all in your sleep?'

'I doubt you would murder me; you love me far too much.'

Savannah glares at him.

'Anyway, most of those tests are inaccurate. Being different, or not average, does not make you a psychopath.'

'Yay!' she says, grinning again.

'Right,' Loki declares, 'Let's go.'

As they walk out of the restaurant, the same homeless man from earlier approaches them. Instead of smiling at the unfortunate tramp, however, she shies away from him, holding Loki's arm in a death-grip.

'Savannah, let go. It's only the man from earlier.'

She visibly relaxes, and her hold loosens for a second, when a bang comes from a dark corner behind her. She whimpers, and clings to Loki as if he is the last life-jacket on the Titanic. Sensing how worried she is, he quickly leads her out of the alleyway, and onto the busy street perpendicular to it. She is still trembling slightly, so he wraps an arm around her waist, and she leans into him, partly from exhaustion, and partly from wanting to be near to him.

But only because he makes her feel safe.

No other reason.