Chapter Text
Haven’t we met?
You’re some kind of beautiful stranger
You could be good for me
I have a taste for danger
December 2007
He was wandering in the woods picking herbs for his mother. He had been told in no uncertain terms by Odin that he couldn’t go hunting this time with his brother as he was obviously either careless or accident prone. He had tried to argue the point, but had been told he was insolent and he was confined to his room until he healed.
At least his mother had been more sympathetic. After he had come out of the Healer’s Hall with his arm strapped up he had found her in his chambers. She had actually bothered to listen to his side of the story, unlike his father who always believed the tale his brother told. The truth of the matter was that when the bilgesnipe they had been hunting seemed to be cornered, it had suddenly broken free. If he hadn’t cast an illusion to distract it Sif would have been badly gored. As it was she was alright, and he had been caught by its left leg and fallen. His arm had a hairline fracture, and all through no fault of his own. But it was always the same, he was the scapegoat even if he was the one that was injured.
Now Thor was on another hunting trip with the idiots four and he couldn’t go with them. They were hunting deer ready for the Yule feast. Loki had spent most of his days in the library since his injury and was both bored and lonely. When Eir pronounced him fit, his mother had given him this simple task. It relieved his boredom, but did nothing to assuage his loneliness. He picked the final item, some tiny stems of Eyebright. Getting up from the ground he brushed his leggings free of stray leaves and soil and made his way back to the palace. He took the basket to his mother, who was delighted that he had managed to get everything on her list.
“Amma, now my arm has healed, can I go travelling again?” Loki looked pleadingly at his mother.
“And where were you thinking of travelling to, my magpie?” Frigga knew he must be restless if the library wasn’t satisfying his needs. And a restless Loki would go looking for mischief, it was his nature after all.
Loki circled the floor with one foot, hands clasped behind his back, head lowered. “Alfheim, Amma. Thor is hunting to put venison on the table for Yule. I thought I might look for some pretty things to decorate the family room with, and maybe find some interesting new foods to try.”
Frigga gave a low chuckle. “Let me think about it and I’ll drop in and see you later with my answer.”
“Thank you, Amma.” Loki lifted his head and smiled sweetly at her and left her workroom.
Back in his chambers he opted for a bath, and laid clean clothes out on his bed while the sunken tub filled. He then stripped off and sank into the warm water. He never understood why Thor needed his bath water so hot, he found it uncomfortable. He washed his short dark hair, and then rinsed it thoroughly before he soaped his skin. He allowed himself the luxury of a soak, he had plenty of time before the evening meal with his parents. Would his mother speak to him before dinner or wait until later in the evening?
He got out of the water and wrapped the large cotton sheet around himself to soak up the moisture that clung to him. He used a short burst of seidr to dry his hair before he ran his brush through it. Back in his bed chamber he started to pull his clean clothes on. He had just laced up his leather breeches when he heard his mother calling him from the sitting area in his main chamber. He stepped through the door as he was, intent on not keeping her waiting.
“I’m here, Amma.”
Frigga looked at her youngest son, when had he grown so much? He was almost as tall as his brother. “Magpie, I have thought about your request and I am willing to grant it on one condition.”
“Any condition, Amma. Any at all!” Loki would sacrifice anything to get out of the palace and go exploring.
“I want you back here in five days, Loki. You may go in the morning.”
“Has my father agreed?”
“I haven’t asked him. Go straight after breakfast tomorrow. He won’t notice you are missing until tomorrow evening. Then it will be too late. And no cloaking yourself from Heimdall. I wish you had never learned that trick, sometimes you are too clever for your own good.”
“Thank you, Amma. I’ll be back in five days, I promise.” Loki hugged his mother, then remembered he was only half dressed.
“I’ll see you at dinner, sweet boy. Not a word to anyone about this.” Frigga winked conspiratorially at him and Loki grinned in delight. This was only one of many secrets they had from the AllFather, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
<<>>
Realms away in New York City, Tony Stark had had enough of meetings. Three days in a row. When was he supposed to find time to create new weapons? He needed a break, not just from work but from everyone. He would go to Malibu to the beach house, a little R&R would be nice, then after a few days back to the serious work. Obadiah could handle the meetings. Hell, Pepper could handle the meetings too! Neither of them were creative geniuses, that was his remit. Happy came in the limousine to collect him, and Tony said to him clearly “Malibu, Happy. As fast as you can go. And stay in the guest suite, I may need you over the next few days.”
Happy knew better than to ask questions. Tony was the boss. Stark Industries was his brain child, inherited from his father. Obadiah dealt with the public side of the business, Tony invented the very things that brought the cash rolling in. He drove as fast as he could, Tony’s phone started to ring, it was Pepper telling him his schedule for the next day. Happy heard him say “I’m sorry Miss Potts. I am on vacation. As of now, I am no longer available. Goodnight.” Happy heard the phone hit the floor, just before Tony opened the bar in the back of the limo and poured himself a glass of 25 year old Malt Whisky.
Tony got out of the limo and walked into his luxurious beach house. He spoke to JARVIS, his AI and ordered cheeseburgers for himself and Happy. He then went into his room and took off his suit and pulled on sweatpants and a Black Sabbath t-shirt. He walked through the house in his bare feet and poured himself another drink. He spoke to JARVIS “Can you order a real Christmas Tree for this house. Do we have any ornaments and decorations here?”
“I have ordered a tree, Sir. We do not have ornaments and decorations in this house as you normally have Christmas in the mansion.”
“JARVIS, find me somewhere I can go and get really special decorations and stuff. I think Pep and I will spend Christmas here this year.”
“I am searching, Sir.”
<<>>
Dinner had been its usual boring self. Loki tried to stay interested in what his father was talking about but he was thinking ahead to his adventure. Would Alfheim supply him with the special things he wanted to bring home? Somehow he had to find something the likes of which Asgard hadn’t seen before. The Ljosalfar were very skilled craftsmen, it would be a good place to start. Once he had finished eating he excused himself from the table, saying he was tired after his foray into the forest. Odin just grunted and didn’t even look up. Loki tried very hard not to take it to heart.
On his way back to his chambers he stopped off in the library to research Yule traditions. He found three books and took them back with him and read them in bed. He was far too excited to sleep anyway. He flicked idly through two of them, they were mainly folk tales, and he was learning nothing new. He sighed as he opened the third volume, which seemed to be about traditions in all the Realms. He ignored Jotunheim, Muspelheim and Svartalfheim. He wasn’t going anywhere near them. He read up on Alfheim, it still looked like a good possibility. He started to yawn as he turned to Midgard and sleepily read through the lore. They celebrated Yule in the north countries, interesting, but no one was allowed to go to Midgard without Odin’s express permission. Loki was suddenly very sleepy, he would finish the book tomorrow before breakfast. He left a low light burning as he put the books on the floor by his bed and curled up to get some sleep. His dreams were coloured by all he had read.
When he woke, he quickly washed and dressed, black leather leggings, soft dark green tunic, his knee high black boots. He sat cross legged on the floor and finished reading the book. He took them back to the library before he joined his parents for breakfast. Odin glanced at him “Going somewhere?”
“Just into the gardens, father.” Loki lied with the greatest of ease. Frigga didn’t bat an eyelid.
“Try and make yourself useful while you are out there.” That was the sum total of conversation with his father for this morning. His mother started to talk about some of the jobs he could do in the garden, she knew full well none of them would get done. Loki promised himself he would sort those jobs out for her when he got back.
Breakfast over, Loki headed back to his chambers. He pulled a few items from his shelves and stored them in his pocket dimension, including several daggers, just in case! He then slipped out of his chambers and down a corridor that led to the hidden hallways the servants used. He made his way through the twists and turns unobserved by anyone, cloaked from Heimdall. He hadn’t promised his mother he wouldn’t. He never lied to her, she would know straight away. Now he was through the palace; he slipped outside the walls and walked to one of his portals to Yggdrasil, hidden away behind some bushes. Everyone else had to use the Bifrost to get from Realm to Realm, Loki could walk the branches of the World Tree, and as far as he knew he was the only one that could.
He stepped out onto the branches, but before he went any further he shapeshifted into his female form. His clothes shifted with him, it had taken him a long time to perfect that trick, so his leggings hugged his female form appropriately and his tunic fell neatly over the top. His short hair now fell to mid shoulder length in its loose natural waves. She waited, to the left would take her to the portal for Alfheim, but if she walked straight ahead she would be able to walk through the portal to Midgard. It was decision time, Loki hesitated, Midgard was forbidden, but she was the God of Mischief after all. She walked forward to see what would happen. She could always backtrack if she needed to.
<<>>
Tony wandered into the kitchen, his phone firmly switched off. He could smell the coffee, Happy had already sorted that out for him, he was also busy making pancakes, bacon already cooked.
“Good morning, Sir.” JARVIS sounded very chipper.
“Morning, JARVIS. What news do you have for me? Good, I hope?”
“Indeed, Sir. I have booked your private jet to Cologne Bonn Airport and a limousine transfer to the Dom Hotel. I have taken the liberty of ordering breakfast for your stay.”
“Sounds good, JARVIS. Why there?”
“Cologne is highly rated for its markets, Sir. There is also a Chocolate Museum and many designer shops. I’m sure it will fulfil all your requirements.”
“I’m sure it will. What time is the flight, JARVIS?”
“In three hours, Sir. You have time for breakfast.”
Happy put Tony’s breakfast and a second coffee in front of him and he tucked in. “I will pack for you, Tony, and then take you to the airport. You may want to dress warmly. Germany in December will be quite cold.”
“Thanks, Happy. Lay something out for me and when I’ve eaten I’ll get changed.”
“Sure thing, Tony.”
<<>>
Loki found herself under a bridge, everyone around her was wrapped up in coats and thick jackets. She tucked herself deep into the shadows and created a coat for herself, fitted green wool fastened with black buttons, the hood, sleeves and hemline trimmed with black fur. She stepped out and mingled with the crowd. The first thing she noticed was the women all seemed to be carrying a small bag slung across their bodies. Something she needed to acquire. Some people were walking along the banks of the river, but others were heading up the stone stairs. Loki decided to go upwards and see what was there.
She followed the crowd of people meandering through the streets and found herself beside a very ornate temple and almost opposite was a huge Inn. Loki read the sign ‘Dom Hotel’, she decided to try and get a room. She walked through the main entrance into a room that rivalled the palace in Asgard. She sat on a sofa close to one of the walls and watched people interact with a woman behind a huge desk. They were handing her small books and hard shiny things. She saw no one handing over gold. She needed to obtain these things so she could duplicate them.
A woman sat down next to her, then Loki heard a tune playing and the woman started to talk to someone on a small piece of glass, at least that’s what it looked like to her. The woman’s bag was open, and while she was deep in conversation Loki surreptitiously helped herself to the contents of the bag. She first discovered one of the small shiny things and created a duplicate of it, then she found one of the small books and again created a duplicate, she put everything back where she found it. The woman was still talking to the glass thing. Loki looked at the things she had duplicated. The small shiny thing was called a Mastercard, it had a name on it and numbers. She changed the name and the numbers and imbued it with magic so that it would perform whatever function it was meant to. The small booklet was called a passport and seemed to be some sort of identity document. Again Loki changed it so that it had the same name on it as the Mastercard, she changed the number but left the place of issue as the same, somewhere called the United Kingdom. The date of birth caused her some confusion, as this was Midgard she knew that mortals didn’t live long lives, so she changed the date of birth to 17/12/1987. The woman was still talking, so she got up and approached the desk which was now quieter.
“Do you have a room available, please?” She asked.
The young woman behind the counter looked at her “How long for?”
Loki thought hard before answering, she wasn’t sure how time worked on Midgard and she had promised to be back in five days “Four nights?”
“Is it just for yourself?”
Loki glanced around “Yes.”
“We have a small double room available, would you like breakfast as well?”
“Yes, please.” Loki smiled at her.
“Can I have your passport and your credit card, please.” Loki looked a bit confused, she passed over the passport, but what was a credit card? She still held the shiny thing in her hand, and the woman took it straight from her hand.
The shiny thing was put in a small contraption and the young woman asked her to enter her PIN while she took a copy of her passport. Loki looked at the contraption and while the young woman had her back turned she let a trickle of seidr go into it. A little message popped up on the contraption saying “Approved”, the AllSpeak automatically translating for her.
The young woman smiled at Loki and handed her the passport, then tore a piece of paper from the contraption and handed it to Loki. “That’s your receipt Ms Friggasdottir.” She then handed Loki another shiny thing. “This is your room key, you are in room 307. The lift is just to the right there, you are on the third floor. Breakfast is between 6am and 10am every day just down the corridor over there.” She pointed to a corridor at the far side of the room. You will find a Mini Bar in your room, everything in it is complimentary. If you want tea or coffee, just press the zero on the phone in your room and it will be brought up to you. Here is a map of the city, we are just here.” She made a mark on the map for Loki “And finally this is a guide to the Christmas Markets. We can also book you a guided tour if you would like. If you need anything, just pop down and see us, we all speak English.”
Loki took everything she was offered and thanked the young woman. She walked to the right to look for this strange thing called a lift. Fortunately there was someone there when she got there and they entered a small room when the doors opened on their own. Loki followed, and she was asked what floor she wanted, AllSpeak translating for her “Three.” she answered. The room moved on its own, what kind of magic was this? Then it stopped moving and the man who had asked her what floor she wanted smiled at her and said “This is your floor.” The door opened and Loki stepped out into a hallway. She walked forward over thickly carpeted floors. This place was very grand. There were arrows on the wall with numbers on them. She looked for her number and followed the arrow, she found herself in a big room with a piano and a tree that stretched from floor to ceiling decorated with lots of beautiful baubles. This was exactly what Loki was looking for, her senses had brought her to the right place. The arrow pointed left for her number and she found her door. There was a box with a slit in the top of it on her door. She wasn’t sure what to do, she looked at the shiny thing she had been given, it was like no key she had ever seen before. That’s when she noticed the arrow printed on it. She pushed it into the slit and tried turning the handle. The door opened quietly. Loki heaved a sigh of relief.
The room was smaller than her bedroom, with a comfortable looking bed. There was a small table with a couple of armchairs near the window which looked out over some sort of garden. Opposite the bed was a large cherrywood piece of furniture with drawers and a cupboard in it. Above it was a large, black shiny thing. She had no idea what it was. There was a wardrobe against the wall. All the wood appeared to be cherry. She found a door tucked around the corner and stepped into a large bathing chamber, the walls and floors were some kind of sienna coloured marble. There was a washbasin, with a mirror above it and vials of coloured liquid in them on a tray. There was a bath with a sheet of glass attached to it. She recognised taps, but not the couple of silver things that were higher up on the wall. And of course there was a toilet. There were thick, fluffy towels and a washcloth on a silvery rack.
In the wardrobe she found slippers and a thick towelling robe. There was nothing in the drawers, but the small cupboard opened up to a very cold box, which contained bottles and cans. She ignored the cans, AllSpeak couldn’t translate for her, but two of the bottles contained water, and two contained beer. Loki opened one of the bottles of water, it fizzed as it hit her mouth, she liked the taste and feel of it. She examined the leaflet and map she had been given, she needed to buy some things to fit in with everyone else and she needed to change some gold into cash. She found what looked like the main street on the map and decided to venture out on a little adventure.
<<>>
The limousine driver told Tony that he couldn’t park outside the hotel because it was on a square that was closed to traffic, but he dropped him on the corner and showed him how to get to the entrance. He walked the short distance with his bag and entered the hotel. He spoke to the young woman on reception, Krista was her name, and let her know that he had a suite booked. He handed her his passport, and she dealt with him very efficiently. “You are on the fourth floor Mr Stark, in Suite C. It’s a corner suite and has views of the Dom and the square. Here is your key.” She then explained everything to him and handed him the same map and market guide she had given to Loki, and also mentioned the walking tour.
“Thank you, Krista.” Tony took the lift to the fourth floor, no sense of wonder for him. He found his suite easily, the bedroom looked out over the cathedral, sorry, the Dom. The living room looked out onto the square where the market was situated. Correction, one of the markets, apparently there were six according to the leaflet. He found the Mini Bar, there was the same contents as Loki’s, but also a small bottle of champagne, and miniatures of most spirits. He emptied a bottle of whisky into a crystal glass and read the leaflet and checked the map. He would freshen up and then go in search of a coffee before he went exploring.
<<>>
Loki found herself in a big store called the Galeria Kaufhof on Hohe Strasse, it looked like the sort of place where she could find all the clothing etc she would need for her trip. She walked through the door and watched in amazement as a man put a Mastercard into a machine on the wall and it gave him cash. Loki watched a few people do this, then she ventured forth to do the same. AllSpeak translated for her, the machine was asking for a number, Loki punched in four zeros, and pressed to take out the largest amount available. The machine gave her back the card and a bundle of money which she slid into an inside pocket in her coat. The card went into the same pocket.
She studied the store guide and made her way to the shoe department on the Ground Floor first of all. There she tried on a pair of black leather knee high boots after her feet were measured. They were really comfortable, then she asked about a bag that would match and she was shown a selection. She found a small cross body bag that would work for storing her money and the card in, plus her room key. The woman packed everything into a big bag made of shiny material with snowflakes on it. Loki tried not to look too curious. She went to pay with cash, but the woman said she could use the card if she wanted. Why not? Loki had no idea how much was available on the card, but used it anyway, carefully punching in her four zeros as the woman looked away. She asked the woman where she might find lingerie and clothing, explaining that her bag had been stolen, but luckily she had had her card and passport safe on her person. The woman told her which floors she needed and pointed out the escalators to her.
Loki hadn’t a clue what an escalator was, but discovered it was a moving staircase. How innovative these mortals were. The last time she had been on Midgard with her father and brother was centuries before, and running water in their homes was barely available. This trip was turning out to be much more interesting than she had anticipated.
She found the lingerie department first and enlisted the help of an assistant who carefully measured her to obtain the European size after Loki explained her bag was lost and she didn’t understand their sizes. The assistant knew she was English by her accent, but Loki’s German was good thanks to AllSpeak, it had so many uses! Beautiful black silk and lace underwear was obtained and also a silk nightdress. The card worked wonders again. Then up to the womens clothing and again Loki was measured and bought trousers, a couple of cashmere jumpers and a merino wool dress in black. Satisfied that she had enough she left the store with her bags. As she walked along the street back towards the hotel she walked into another shop called United Colours of Benetton and found herself a long black skirt and an emerald green jumper and cardigan set. She was almost back at the hotel when she found a cafe and decided to have a drink and something to eat. Although she hadn’t used much seidr she was rather peckish.
The waiter showed her to a table for two and gave her a menu. Translated in her head she opted for a Rudesheimer coffee and she perused the cakes in the display case, she had no idea what they were, but opted for something decadent and brown coloured that she was told was Rum Cake. She dug into both with gusto, the cake spicy and filled with dried fruit and an interesting flavour, the menu told her it was chocolate, whatever that was, but she liked it. The coffee was covered in whipped cream and the alcohol warmed her right through. It was delicious. Loki was very happy so far.
<<>>
Tony came down from his suite, his first need was coffee, then he would explore. He asked Krista where he could get a coffee before he explored the market. She gave him directions to Starbucks as he was American, but also said there was an old Italian coffee house almost opposite on the same street. Tony thanked her and followed her directions. There was a long queue at Starbucks, so he looked for the Italian one she had mentioned. There were people sitting outside smoking, so he opted to go inside. The waiter looked around for a seat for him, but the tables all seemed to be occupied. Tony was just about to say he would wait when a dark haired young woman spoke to the waiter in German. The waiter led him to the table and indicated that Tony should sit. Maybe she recognised him from TV, he was on it often enough.
“It seemed a shame for you to have to wait when I had a seat available.” Her voice was soft and velvety. Tony thanked her for her kindness and found himself gazing into stunning green eyes of such an unusual shade. The waiter handed him the menu and Tony perused it. “I could highly recommend the Rudesheimer coffee, the Rum Cake is really nice, but I’m opting to have cheesecake this time.”
Tony looked at her in surprise, two pieces of cake! She was very slender, where did she put it? Maybe this was the only food she would eat all day. When the waiter came back Tony started to order, but the young woman shook her head and spoke rapidly to him in German. He cleared away her empty dishes and disappeared.
“I have taken the liberty of ordering for us both.” She blushed slightly as she spoke, and held her hand out towards him “I am Lore.”
“Tony” he said as he shook her hand. Lore looked very confused when he did that. He wondered what else he was supposed to do. Europeans had strange manners sometimes. His table companion was stunning to look at, pale skin, sharp cheekbones, those amazing eyes and lips of deep pink. Was she wearing makeup? He didn’t think so, but she was flawless. Two very fancy coffees arrived and two pieces of baked cheesecake with sultanas in it. Tony took a piece onto his fork and tasted it, there was a hint of lemon to it, very rich and tasty. He complimented her on her choice.
“Apparently it is a way of life here, to my understanding, to have coffee without cake is not the done thing.” She gave him a quirky smile.
Tony took a mouthful of the cream filled coffee, he normally drank black, but then the brandy came through and he groaned in approval. Coffee and alcohol, perfection!
They talked carefully like strangers do. Loki explained that she was going to book in for a walking tour tomorrow morning so that she could orientate herself better and discover what delights the city had to offer. Tony thought to himself that he had already discovered a delight for himself. What Pepper didn’t see, she didn’t know about. When they had finished Loki asked for the bill in German, but when it arrived Tony insisted on paying. He also helped her with her bags, offering to carry them back to her hotel. He was most surprised to find she was staying at the same hotel as him, and as they walked into reception Loki asked if she could be booked on the walking tour. Krista told her it would meet at 9am outside the main entrance to the Dom and that she should pay the guide on arrival. It was ten Euros. Tony asked to be booked on the same tour, and Krista rang up and booked for them both.
In the lift Tony asked what floor she was on, and Loki said the third. Tony pressed the three and four on the buttons. When it stopped at her floor she took her bags from Tony and thanked him for his kindness. She looked forward to seeing him the next day. Tony gave her one of his best smiles. She would make a wonderful diversion during this trip if he could seduce her.
<<>>
Loki unpacked all her new things. She withdrew a dagger from her pocket dimension and carefully removed all the tags from everything. The nightdress got stowed under her pillow, The lingerie was folded and added to the drawers. Jumpers, cardigan, skirt, dress and trousers were hung in the wardrobe along with her coat. She took the money and MasterCard and put them away safely in the crossbody bag. Now she would look like everyone else. She changed her boots and put her own in the bottom of the wardrobe. Now she would go out and explore the market on the square outside. After all, that was why she was here, to find interesting things for their Yule celebration.
According to the leaflet the market in the square was called the Weihnachtsmarkt Am Kölner Dom and was the largest of the markets. Loki conjured herself a leather bag to put anything she bought in, and after visiting the bathing chamber put her coat back on and ventured outside once more. There were many more people around now and the sights and smells were enticing. She saw people wandering around with colourful, steaming mugs in their hands. She watched to see where they came from and soon found a stall selling the hot liquid.
She was given a colourful mug containing the hot liquid, it was called Gluhwein. She tasted it cautiously, it seemed to be a red wine with spices in it, already she had had more alcohol today than she normally would and it was not quite lunch time yet! But savoury smells filled the air, and she would eat again soon. Obviously she was using more of her seidr than she was thinking she was. Normally she could go for days without eating much at all. At least finding food here was not going to be difficult. She finished the drink and moved out amongst the various stalls, there were many things she had never seen before. Paper stars with lights in them were hanging up on many of them, foodstuffs that looked very tempting, bottles of different coloured liquids that were labelled as fruit wines, different sizes of coloured bowls that were lit with candles, but tiny candles the likes of which she had never seen before. So many wonders she could take back to Asgard with her.
Unbeknownst to Loki she was being followed. Tony was fascinated by the beautiful stranger he had had coffee with. He wanted to see a lot more of her, he didn’t care that she was taller than him, so was Pepper even without her heels. He was drinking the local beer, it was called kölsch, and was very pleasant, but came in ridiculously small glasses. He stayed a few people behind her. Her height and looks made her easy to keep track of.
Loki stopped at a stall selling soap, she had never seen so many different colours and scents. She picked up and smelled every different bar, then made a pile of the ones she liked best. She spoke to the stallholder in fluent German, although it was slower than the response she got. She added another couple to the pile, there was a discount if you bought in certain multiples. Her purchases were placed in a large brown bag, and she handed the note over, and was given a few notes and coins back in change. She smiled brightly at the stallholder and tucked her purchase away in the bag that was slung over her shoulder. Her change went in the crossbody bag. Tony was curious, that was a lot of soap for one individual!
She seemed to be heading towards a stall selling drinks. She pulled a mug out of her pocket and pointed at an item on the list, and they filled the mug for her. More cash changed hands and she sipped at the hot liquid inside. The look on her face told Tony that she liked whatever it was. As she moved away towards a stall selling what looked like sausages, Tony looked at the menu on the drinks stall to see what she had bought - Himbeere Brandy. Tony frowned, he had no idea what that could be. Now she had a roll in the other hand and was eating one of the sausages. Where was she putting all that food, Tony wondered. She had eaten two sizable pieces of cake just a couple hours ago, yet she was really thin. She must have a hell of a metabolism. Tony got bored, beautiful she might be, but she was doing nothing exciting. He decided to hit the hotel bar until this evening, then hunt for something to eat. They must do burgers here, surely?