It didn't take long for them to settle into a routine. Loki didn't need a lot of sleep, so wasn't bothered by Eisa waking at all hours, but made sure Vali went to bed and woke up at specific times – bedtime was eight pm, and waking-up time was six am. She would make him a small breakfast of toast and fruit before sending him off to the swimming pool, only a few streets away. Once Loki had discovered their location, she hadn't wasted time in getting to know the regulations of 'Edinburgh' regarding children. Vali unfortunately did have to be enrolled into primary school under the name 'Harry Potter', but he didn't seem to mind.

After he returned from swimming an hour later, he would have a small cooked breakfast of eggs, sausages, chicken, ham, some sort of fruit and chocolate grain bar, along with a concoction that Midguardians called a 'smoothie', made, of course, with healthy ingredients such as fruit and vegetables. Vali had at first been daunted by it all, but after a few weeks, it was just another morning.

When he had finished, usually they spent a short amount of time together as a trio, playing with Eisa and helping her with her skills in walking and talking. Then Vali would verbally revise his mathematics skills for Loki to hear, so he could get it stuck in his head. If he was ever stuck, Loki could prompt or fill him in. Then Vali would leave for school, using the bike that Loki had employed a Midguardian teenager to teach him how to use, so he could get to school early and sit in the library, where he would study for his weekly project that Loki would set him, to keep his mind active.

While Vali was at school, Loki would obviously spend time with Eisa – but after some time, Loki became bored. Parenthood was a dream for her, but even dreams got old. So, during the morning – and sometimes afternoon – she would drop Eisa off to 'crèche', and then Loki would go to college.

Loki used magic to provide for them, conjuring money out of thin air to pay for their rent and buy food at local supermarkets, but it was slightly fulfilling to learn a trade. College in Scotland, unlike in America, wasn't full-out University – it was made up of 'modules' and 'courses' that tallied up to give you diplomas and suchlike. Loki, after setting up an identity a few months into her stay on Midguard, called herself 'home-schooled' and set up a time to take various examinations for 'Standard Grade' and 'Intermediate 1' and 'Intermediate 2' and Higher and Advanced Higher – after thousands of years a princess, she'd had enough education to revise and then ease through her exams without even stressing over anything but the time constraints.

Then, of course, she was easily eligible for University, but she didn't want to have to give up too much time with two children to care for. So, college. After dropping Eisa off, Loki would go to college to study psychology and modules on French, German, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Urdu, English Literature and Latin and Greek Mythology. All together, they made up two hundred and forty points worth of education – two diplomas. It took a surprising amount of her time, but as Loki didn't need to sleep on the regular, it was all good.

Not to mention, French, Spanish and Italian were ridiculously similar.

After college – or before college, if she had classes in the afternoon – she would look after Eisa for a couple of hours, in which she took the chance to visit sights around the country. With her magic, transportation was easy, and Eisa – to her utter surprise and delight – hadn't been effected by it. In fact, she thrived, that small spark that Loki had planned to nurture as Eisa grew expanding and crackling along her veins in a way that echoed Vali.

And as for Vali's magic, well – Loki had been tutoring him after dinner. When he got home from school, he'd eat his afternoon tea and then go to either his rock climbing club, trampolining or his judo club at four, and then after, either his gymnastics and parkour club, fencing or youth club at quarter past five. When he got home after that, Loki would serve him his dinner – unless he had dinner at the youth club, but if he had, he'd be later in any case and would have to wait until before bed to have an extra-large supper if he missed it – and then spend half an hour teaching him how to grasp his magic and channel it into mundane tricks, such as shaping smoke and bringing back life to wilting flowers. His magic was powerful – more powerful than Loki's had at his age, even when comparing Midguardian to Jotun – and Loki couldn't wait until he was old enough, mature enough, to do more with it.

On weekends, things were obviously different, but not by much. For one, Vali could sleep in until seven, rather than six, and would have his two breakfasts together, but he had to spend two hours at the swimming pool, from eight till ten o'clock, before Loki would pick him up and take him to a café somewhere outside of Edinburgh for elevensies. Afterwards, they'd wander around town, sometimes going to a park, or taking a trip to another city in Britain – she learnt the lesson of taking him abroad when they went to Italy and Vali got a mosquito bite right on his cheek, that swelled up so large that literally everyone at his school and clubs were asking what happened.

The afternoon was Vali's free time, which he could spend with friends, doing whatever he liked – Loki made sure he always got a measure on Saturday, too. She wasn't sure about other families, or if Midguardians in general gave measures to their children, but Loki was determined that Vali be raised her way now he was out of the hands of his aunt and uncle, so he got fifty pounds in his wallet at one thirty, after lunch was finished. Of course, Vali didn't always go out with his friends – sometimes he stayed home to spend time with her, or with Eisa.

Sundays were reserved solely for magic and family time. Sundays were Loki's favourites. She taught Vali how to fight like an Aesir then, with weapons and magic, renting out a practice gymnasium for them to use each and every week, if they weren't playing chess or improving Eisa's vocabulary, or doing their homework for college and primary school respectively, together.

There came a point though, that things did change. Vali grew smarter, stronger, and quite literally, grew. He shot up like a root, balanced diet and activity-filled lifestyle doing wonders for combating the neglect from his so-called relatives. He also picked up habits – some good, some bad. Loki had a heart attack every time he did free-running and parkour tricks when they were out, and had sworn never to go inside the hall where he trained when she caught sight of him using a trampoline to run up ten metre-high walls, flipping and somersaulting eight metres in the air without so much as a warning.

Eisa herself began life as a toddler, an actual child rather than just a baby – going to nursery rather than crèche, dark brown hair reaching her shoulders rather than just being a tuft on top of her head. She moved to her own room, too, and Loki finally got her checked out by a doctor – with some fake papers – to find out how old she was, so they celebrated her first, then second, and then third birthdays on July 1st, a month before Vali's. He was eleven this year.

And then the letter came.

Vali – or rather, 'Harry' – had been invited to a school, where he would learn how to control his magic and return to the culture he was born into, in this life. Loki had corresponded with Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress and professor dedicated to transformation magic, or 'Transfiguration', as she called it. The fact that they used owls to communicate irked Loki, reminding her too much of Odin's ravens, Huginn and Muninn, but she put up with it when Vali expressed an interest in it – in it all.

After hearing his thoughts on going to this 'Hogwarts' – "You're my mum, in my last life and in this one, but I want to know Lily and James Potter too. This could be a way for me to…to connect, to find out what kind of people they were." – Loki agreed to let him go, provided he keep up all his mundane studies and his physical training. She wouldn't let him lose his skills when he'd spent so much time over the past two years gaining them. Hogwarts was supposed to be a castle – surely there's be somewhere inside, if not out on the grounds that he'd be able to practice. She even made him an enchanted dummy to be his partner for his judo and other various fighting skills, that he swore he'd use.

When that was all discussed, Loki wrote to McGonagall one last time, agreeing to let Vali attend, on the condition that she was allowed to visit on the weekends, and that someone show them where to buy supplies. McGonagall sent her own last letter, saying her request for weekend visits was unorthodox, but could be done, and that she'd have a teacher meet them later tomorrow, after noon, if that was acceptable.

So now the trio were waiting for this teacher to arrive. Loki was wearing what she normally would for a day out exploring – her black hide leggings, a dark green spaghetti-strap top, a black leather jacket and her Níðhöggr boots, hair braided to her scalp on either sides in rows of thirteen, a middle strip of hair pinned back and tied in with the ends of the scalp braids to make a large plait that sat over the rest of her hair, reaching her lower-back. Eisa was in a blue polka-dot dress – her favourite right now – and black slip-ons, dark hair braided like Loki's, if much more simply so as to not cause pain. Vali himself was wearing his school uniform, but without his usual dark grey pullover, navy blazer and matching navy and silver tie that showed which school he represented – rather, he was wearing a dark, forest green tie, his best rectangular glasses that he usually used when they went out to fancy restaurants with the gold-plated frames, and a new item of clothing that Loki didn't have a name for.

Plucking it lightly, she raised her eyebrow questioningly. Vali patted the spot for creases, unbuttoned ends fluttering slightly. "It's called a waist-coat. You can wear them with a suit jacket over the top."

Loki raised her chin in understanding, before looking out of the window again – only for a presence to suddenly appear beside Eisa. Loki didn't stop to think, reacting, magic flying out to meet them – but being stopped by a shield, of some kind. Loki stared.

There stood a man, looking at her curiously. He had shoulder-length hair in a much similar colour to her own, yet the oils and greases were obvious, as were the stains on his fingers. A potions-master, Loki thought, stunned – she'd had no idea this world had the ingredients and components required for more than basic practices. It was probably the reason for his hair then – potion fumes that he wasn't able to wash away. His robes too, were reminiscent of a potions master's, but the style was obviously different from those on Asgard. Though she was confused as to why he held a stick.

"My apologies. I did not expect you to appear inside our home," Loki spoke cordially, with a hint of regret. The man nodded, before seeking out Vali, pausing at his appearance, before his eyes found Eisa, who was staring up at him.

"Is that a wand?" She asked in the kind of voice only a two and a half year old could, pointing. Loki's eyes widened.

"You use wands commercially? I thought they were just foci for the young ones."

The man turned his gaze on her, "And how else, might I ask, would you channel magic?"

"Through your hands?" Vali asked curiously. "That's how mum's been teaching me to do it – watch!" The man looked to Vali, who held up his hand, smoke appearing, taking the form of Eisa – the real Eisa giggling and running over, reaching up for it. Vali grinned at her, making the smoke-Eisa run off towards their TV. The real Eisa ran after it, but soon it lost its form, too far away from Vali to control.

"Impressive…" the man drawled, "But the kind of magic you will learn in Hogwarts requires a wand. Whatever that was, it wasn't real magic."

Vali and Loki both looked at him, affronted, "I have been using that kind of magic my entire life, wand-wielder – and I am vastly more powerful than my son, I warn you now." Loki glared lightly, before picking up Eisa and putting her on her hip. "But you are not here, in any case, to discuss our magic. Professor McGonagall said she'd send someone to guide us to the wizarding world. Might I have a name to put to a face?"

"Ladies first," he said coldly, unblinking. Loki had a feeling, in another world she might have liked this man, but those were the key words – another world. Right now, he was acting like a member of the Asgardian Court, all presumptuous and egoist.

"I am Loki Friggadottr, of Asgard and Jotunheim," she proclaimed proudly. "Who might you be?"

"Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master," he enunciated carefully, looking to Vali, "I will be one of your superiors at Hogwarts, and you shall show me the respect a student shows their teacher. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Vali nodded, smile gone. "Mum told me about how dangerous your class can be. I promise to try not to blow anything up, if I can help it." Loki felt a slight sense of smugness at that. He recognised him as a potions master. It was a moment of pride.

Snape, however, made a noise of distaste, before dismissing him, taking a circle of rope out of his pocket and holding it out. "This is a portkey. It's designed to groups of people to the same place. Hold on tightly." Loki put a hand out, taking it firmly, before murmuring to Eisa in Mandarin to grab it too. Vali took it without prompting. "Diagon Alley," Snape spoke clearly, and there was a moment, before the portkey glowed blue-

And then they were spinning, bodies flying through the air. When they landed, Loki had a hard time keeping her balance, and only her quick reflexes made sure Eisa didn't go tumbling to the ground. Vali himself had to implement a jump as he started falling backwards, landing in an unsteady crouch rather than on his back. Snape was the only one to stay standing.

Loki looked around.

"Why are we in a back-alley?" She questioned, slightly irate. Snape rolled his eyes, before turning to a plain brick wall and tapping it with his wand, tucking the rope in his pocket. A few seconds later, after a short sequence, the bricks started to turn, and Loki watched the runes on them all come to life. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before – intricate and complex, and…

Norns, I wish I was going to Hogwarts now.

The group entered the bustling alley that appeared, passing through the arch. Vali and Eisa had eyes for everything, while Snape watched as Loki turned and watched the wall with attentive eyes.

"It's simple magic."

"Simple?" Loki breathed, "If this is simple, then what is hard?" Snape gave her an odd look, before holding out a small purple sack to her. She took it, looking away from the arch, opening it up and taking out the small golden key. She gave Snape a questioning look.

"As you are magical, and obviously the guardian of Mr Potter, the over-seeing of his trust vault falls to you. When he is of age – seventeen – he will gain access to his father's family vaults, and Lily Potter's private vaults."

"Oh," Loki looked to Vali, holding out a hand to him. "Wallet." Vali took it out of his pocket, holding it out. Loki opened it up, pressing the key to the expensive leather. A few seconds later, the key sunk into the material. "Some blood, if you don't mind, sweet one," she murmured, and Vali grimaced before taking a tiny dagger from the inside of his waist-coat, cutting his finger. Loki smiled lightly at his preparation – she'd always told him to have one on him, hidden from mortal eyes – before holding out the wallet. He pressed his finger to the patch, which soaked up the blood until it disappeared.

"Call for your vault key," she handed the wallet back, Vali licking his finger before putting his palm over the place where it had disappeared to.

"Vault key." A second passed, before he held the key up for inspection. "What's the G stand for, sir?" He questioned Snape, who sneered.

"Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank. It's run by goblins. Never be rude, or insult them – you might get your head cut off." He gathered himself. "Follow me."

The rest of the day was better. After getting money, Snape pointed out the shops where they could get each item on Vali's school checklist, then left. He gave Loki the portkey so they could get back – "Say 'Harry Potter's residence' three times" – before smirking and swiftly disappearing into the crowd...

Of fans.

Everyone tried to shake Vali's hand, tried to thank him, and it took less than ten seconds for Loki to gain her composure – mostly because someone dared push her out of the way, hitting Eisa on their way past.

"ENOUGH!" She roared, pulling Vali into her chest and pushing everyone back with her magic. "What in the Norns' name are you all doing?"

"He defeated the Dark Lord!"

"He's the Boy-Who-Lived!"

Various more shouts came from the crowd, until someone questioned who she was – which was when the crowd obviously joined in on badgering her. Loki, glaring, gave Eisa to Vali, before standing tall.

"I am Loki, of Asgard, and if any of you touch my son again, I will rip the magic from your blood before you can even blink!" She hissed, before pushing out her hand and forcing a gap to appear in the crowd, pushing everyone out of the way for them to walk, Vali looking slightly embarrassed as he carried Eisa behind her.

Angry and confused, Loki led them to the one kind of place where she thought she could find answers: the book-shop. The trio spent the next hour there, combing the shelves, getting a menagerie of books, all of which that Loki transported to their flat, magic brimming at her fingertips, needing to be used. How dare anyone lay a hand upon her son! Even if it was to thank him, for something he couldn't have possibly done himself, Loki would not put up with it.

However, being around books and pages yet to be turned calmed her slightly, and she was able to leave the show with Eisa in tow – Vali having already escaped to get the rest of his things, including one of those ghastly wands. They met up in the robe-shop, 'Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions', where Vali got his school uniform – and after a little begging, Eisa got her own Little Witches Day-Robe in deep maroon with gold accents, which she put on and refused to take off.

Madam Malkin seemed to find it amusing, "Such a shame you don't get to find out whether they have magic until they get their Hogwarts letter or they use accidental magic – it must have been a surprise to find out your foster-son was a wizard."

"No," Loki answered simply, "I have magic myself, as does Eisa. Vali simply has more than his sister – though I'll be judging whether or not she'll be attending if she does get a letter. I am going to wait until Vali returns home after some time there."

Madam Malkin frowned deeply, "His name is Harry."

"His name is Vali, but people call him Harry Potter," Loki corrected, before reaching for her bag of galleons. "How much?"

But Madam Malkin didn't seem to be interested in payment right then, "I don't know who you think you are, but names are important in our world – when he turns seventeen, Mr Potter will be Lord Potter, of the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, and he will Sit at the Wizengamot."

Loki narrowed her eyes, before nodding, as if she already knew. "I am aware, but his name is still Vali – I took him in, adopted him. He bears my name with pride. In official settings, I know he is Harry Potter – I do not deny that. Even in the mundane world, he is Harry Potter, but in his home, around people he loves and trust, his name is Vali Lokison." Loki looked at her as if she were an insect. "You wizards are so very presumptuous, so…annoying. Pray tell, how much are the robes?"

The robe-maker muttered her price-list, and Loki tallied up the appropriate amount of galleons, pressing them to the counter. "Eisa, Vali, time to go."

"Yes, Mum!" Came the joint calls, before the two appeared from the racks. The three left, and Loki looked around, seeing if there was anywhere else she might want to visit.

"Mum?" Vali caught her attention.

Loki glanced down, "Yes, sweet one?"

"Can I get an owl?" His eyes flickered between her and the Owl Emporium just to their left. Wanting him to be happy, she summoned his galleon-bag, filling it up.

"Make sure to get the most expensive – it doesn't matter if they don't behave, you'll be in charge of training them. And remember to get all other necessities, such as a stand – you don't want them in their cage twenty-four seven – and one of the ties for letters. But everything else we can get in the mundane world, so don't worry about it."

"Yes, Mum," he gave her a quick hug before bounding off, leaving Eisa on the cobbles at her feet. Loki made sure to grab one of her small hands, so she didn't run off.

"So where should we go, little one?" She murmured, moving through the crowd. Eisa pointed to an ice-cream parlour. "Good idea. And look, it has an afternoon tea special."

Later, when they got home, Vali cooing over a beautiful snowy owl, Loki gave Eisa an early dinner before putting her in front of the television, so she could start on all the books they'd bought. She had to take a break later, getting dinner for both Vali and herself before putting Eisa to bed, then going back to her books, trusting Vali to go to bed without a reminder.

And so she read.


Vali going to Hogwarts brought an unending anxiety that reflected upon Eisa. The little girl was growing up too fast – she could tell something was bothering Loki, could tell when she was panicking. Loki felt weak, depending on her daughter to notice and tell her she was acting funny. Vali's letters helped. He was having fun, and he'd even found a friend of his from school – Justin Finch-Fletchley, Loki remembered. He was quite proud, and was technically in a different social circle from Vali, but Vali, well – he made friends everywhere he went. And from his letters, that hadn't changed.

However, Loki finished reading through the books they bought before he'd even been there two days, and it was safe to say she was worried about her son's education. The Wizarding World implemented structure to magic, something they shouldn't have done – it had changed the way their magic worked over the centuries, until 'wandless magic' was reserved for only the greatest of wizards. Loki assumed it was because of her tutelage, which had initially been so very difficult on Vali's part, and his connection to the ward system around his relatives' home that let Vali even use his magic the way she did.

It was why she sent him with a plain stick rather than a real wand – Hogwarts could teach him magic, but in no way would he be learning it with a wand. No, not if Loki had anything to do with it.

Eisa, however, could learn magic with a wand. The toddler was young, which was the only reason she would let her use it, other than the fact that Eisa's magic wasn't strong by any means. Loki had used a wand for fifty years, before her magic destroyed it, too strong to be confined to such a focus. The one time she'd used a staff to channel her magic brought the same result.

"Darling-mine, do not do that," she reprimanded softly as Eisa went to casually put the wand in her mouth, pulling it away slightly. "Can you wave it for mama, please?"

Eisa stuck her tongue out, before waving it. A few sparks came out the end, but not many, or very large. It would be enough. Taking it, Loki magicked it into her room, then opened the book on the table, reading out loud to her in Mandarin. She'd made a habit of it, over the past few years, after someone described her as a 'chinky baby'. Loki was at first insulted, before researching what the woman had meant and uncomfortably agreeing. The fact that she took at the time, and was still taking Mandarin courses in college, helped a lot. Loki would never lie to Eisa, when she grew – not about her heritage, not about how she found her. Hopefully, she was from somewhere in China, and knowing Mandarin would give her some personal closure as she discovered more about where she came from.

Loki would not have her daughter discover her heritage like Loki had. She would have a long journey, if she did want to know – because there was so much that Loki didn't. Maybe one day, Eisa could approach SHIELD, and ask about the destruction of a village on the eleventh of November, 1988. Loki didn't know. But what she did know was that she'd always support her, even…even if she did find her parents, and wanted to leave her behind. Loki loved her – always would, and if that meant giving her up, then she would.

Once she was finished the chapter of the book, Eisa had fallen asleep. Loki sat with her there on the sofa for a while longer, shutting her eyes. She'd go back to nursery tomorrow, and Loki would have free time...too much free time. Her thoughts fell to SHIELD, and suddenly she wondered – could she become an agent? She'd get to travel the globe, and do something with her thousands of years of weapons training. Maybe she'd even get to know Hawkeye and the Black Widow- but no, it was too early for them to join. They'd still be children themselves. Her lips twitched. What would the infamous Hawkeye and Black Widow look like now as children, teenagers? Or the Hulk? Or Stark?

"No," she murmured to herself, "Stark would be an adult…" she glanced down at Eisa, wondering if it were possible to seek Stark out. She was four hours ahead of New York, at the very least. But where would he be? This would require some research…

Time flew by. Loki visited Vali often, quizzing him on mundane subjects while fighting at the same time. He was falling behind when it came to science due to the lack of practical work he would usually do in a lab – he was stuck doing theoretical, and Loki could tell it grated on him a little. Regarding his other mundane studies, he was slacking a little, but that was only due to the magical homework he had to do as well – and Loki regretted not teaching him how to write with a quill after all. It would had come in handy – his hand-writing in ink was atrocious, and he lost marks on his work for the illegibility of it. One good point though was the fact that, while he at first struggled, Vali could perform spells even better than his classmates – still, Loki refrained from giving him back his wand, and even telling him that his holly and phoenix-feather was in her possession.

When Halloween passed and the news came that a troll had gotten into the castle, and that Vali had gotten a detention of all things after saving the life of a fellow first-year by the name of Hermione Granger, Loki was both pissed and confused. Vali said it was because he snuck off during an evacuation that had his House – Slytherin – going towards where the troll had supposedly last been spotted, confusingly enough. But, the bright side was, he said, the fact that the boy who had upset the Granger girl, forcing her into the bathrooms in the first place, where the troll had gone, was serving detention with him, but for double the time, and his parents were being written to as well. Vali said as long as the boy got punished as well for endangering her life, he'd play along, and Loki begrudgingly agreed with his logic, seeing it from an unbiased angle.

Later, when he came home for Yule, Loki worked him twice as hard in his physical training, and taught him a warming enchantment so he could swim in the Black Lake after he returned. He described his takedown of the troll as 'cool', which was enough for her to not give him half of the money that she'd been storing up for him, the measures he'd not been given, seeing as he had no way to spend it during his time at school.

"Endangering your life is not 'cool', Vali Lokison," she replied to him coolly.

Eisa was very happy to see Vali back, of course, and Vali spent a lot of time with her – and Loki – during his holiday-time. It was also very interesting to see the presents he'd received for 'Christmas'. He had very many, all but one from his friends. That last one had been from an unknown sender, and Loki had forbidden Vali from using it – the invisibility cloak – until she had checked to make sure it was not cursed or tracked in any way. She eventually sent it to him at Hogwarts after his next owl home, having found only a few benign charms that Loki had actual fun trying to remove – after all, unless they were an enemy, there was no bad thing about being able to know when a child was using an artefact such as that.

The Goddess also had a breakthrough with her investigations into Tony Stark. At present, he was twenty-one years old, and would turn twenty-two on the upcoming May twenty-ninth. His father had died the past December, so he had inherited 'Stark Industries' and Howard Stark's entire net-worth. During March, on a bank-holiday, when Eisa was out on a trip with her nursery to a forest, Loki went to America – more specifically, New York, where Stark was having an 'Expo'. Attending it, Loki actually learnt something, to her surprise – but maybe she shouldn't have been surprised as, after all, she wasn't very knowledgeable on Midguardian technology, or their planet's development. That was Thor's job, in the future at least – he had to know the level of civilisation each of his realms were.

After the Expo, Loki planned to go to the after-party, but somewhere during watching and listening to all the speakers, she'd lost track of time and had to go pick up Eisa. Another time, she promised herself. Her next opportunity, however, didn't come until Vali was home for the summer, and could babysit Eisa. Loki spent less time at the Expo itself, instead sitting at the bar, less than half a dozen people away from Stark himself. To Loki's surprise, most of that dozen were women – few were businessmen and businesswomen.

Then she heard him speak, and Norns, she should have stayed away.

"A womaniser…" she muttered, finding herself disappointed. It seemed that Tony Stark was yet to mature into a person of solid character yet. And to think, his father had just died a couple of months prior, too. If Odin had died, no matter how much she hated him, Loki would have observed the grieving period for the man she called 'father' for the majority of her life. Maybe Midguardians are different, but somehow I doubt that. Finishing her drink, Loki went to leave, only for said womaniser to call out to her.

"Hey, hot one with Bourbon on the rocks!" Loki hazarded a glance over. Her mistake. Stark grinned, winking at her. "Don't think I didn't see you checking me out." Loki tried to remember what that meant, to Midguardians, but obviously she'd left her reply too long, as Stark spoke again. "So what do you say, pretty? Do you want some of this?" Loki grimaced, before turning away, slipping into the crowd. She could still hear him, lamenting her avoidance of him, before he went back to his previous conversations.

I don't know what I expected, Loki realised bitterly, disappointment increasing tenfold. He is not the Tony Stark who would threaten me with the Hulk, and his fellow Avengers. It was unexpected, but Loki grieved for that Tony Stark. He was still alive, in another world, another time and place, to her knowledge, but the fact that any Tony Stark that existed could be anything less was…heart-breaking, in a way. Hopefully he'd still have the same character-building experiences in the future – for now though?

Loki was going to stay well clear of Tony Stark.