Loki saw a few worried faces near the stage, so he laughed and said, "Oh, don't worry, guys! I'm just using 'beautification' as kind of a catch-all. I'm sure the ladies wouldn't have liked it if I'd said 'stud-ification, right?"
The faces still looked worried, but Loki continued. "Since you're teenagers, there's one obvious thing to do first. I'm going to give you all perfect skin -- no acne, no scars, no moles, not even tan lines." More for show than anything else, he moved his arm in a circle parallel to his body, then made a motion as if he were tossing something toward the crowd.
The commotion started almost immediately. Loki heard someone say, "Oh, my God, Dana, your face!" Girls were digging in their purse for compacts to look at themselves, then passing them to their dates. Those who didn't have mirrors handy were feeling themselves with their fingertips, or describing what was happening to their friends.
Even before the excitement and noise had died down, Loki said, "And this one's just for you girls -- I've eliminated all your body hair permanently, so you'll never need to shave or wax again." Now most of the girls were reaching down to feel their legs; a couple with sleeveless dresses were running their fingers over their armpits, and Loki saw at least one, a compact still in her hand, looking closely at her upper lip. Of course, Loki was most intrigued by the thought of these girls later realizing that they'd never have pubic hair again.
"That was pretty easy, though," said Loki. "Let me do something with a little bit more of an impact -- I see a few of you have weight problems, so why don't I help you out? "
With that, the few overweight students who'd come to the prom felt their fat suddenly melting away. Stomachs shrank, thighs lost their cellulite, faces changed from round to more natural shapes. And it was the opposite for some who were too skinny. They were gaining weight, albeit "all in the right places," as had been Loki's silent command. He spoke again -- "And for all of you, well, I could force you into healthy eating habits, but what fun is that? From now on, you can eat whatever you want, as much as you want, and stay like you are now."
Now the crowd was cheering. Loki, feeding off the applause, enthusiastically blurted out...