Loki looked at John pretending to try and remember something, but actually just to buy time. Was it wiser to tell the truth, even if it hurt and possibly alienated John, or to pretend that he recognised him and risk being caught in a lie.

"Maybe," he said. "I'm not sure. The clearest memories I have at the moment are from my childhood. Everything else is a bit ... blurry?" He thought it was a good not-quite-truth.