thirty seven
"a moment alone"

Lusine awaited her travelling companions at the beginning of the stretching colours of the Bifrost, reformed after the disasters of, what felt like, lifetimes ago.

Another fleeting moment of her expansive life approached her in the place of those she waited for. In all her hundreds of years of life, she'd never encountered anyone quite like Loki and, even as he approached her in the illusionary form of his adoptive father, she wondered if maybe they could've eased into one another's company once again, as easily as the first, but less chaotic.

But Lusine knew that the chance of her happiness in that scenario would have been slim. She was no fool, even for the allure of love.

"Accompany me into the Observatory." Was all Odin's voice said to her, not slowing to stop in his stride to wait for her decision.

Across the flares of rainbow, they walked. Silent, but wondering all the same.

For Lusine, the wonder came in asking how he'd discovered she intended to depart Asgard at long last, though they'd both been aware this was inevitable.

On the other side of whirring thoughts, Loki wondered just what she thought she was accomplishing by leaving without so much as a goodbye.

When they enter the Observatory, Lusine turned to him, the flush of her cheeks hues of pink against her pale skin. With Heimdall no where to be seen, Loki's illusion faded right before her eyes and he was once again that silver-tongued serpent, stars in his eyes.

"You didn't really think I would let you leave without a farewell?" Loki asked, one dark eyebrow raised, and a smirk tilted at his mouth, familiar and yet a stranger.

Lusine's lips twitch, but the rise is not met. "I thought it would be for the best if I left without hassle," She explained, lacing her fingers through the straps of the bag she'd brought from Midgard, repacked with numerous other items precious to her and accompanied by another larger bag, already brought into the Observatory by a young boy looking for a bit of coin.

"I wouldn't have prevented you from going, Lusine," He said, taking a moment to consider her perspective of him in light of recent events, namely his attempted invasion of Earth and faking his own death.

"No, no, of course, not, but I thought that you'd try to persuade me to stay. Maybe sway me away from returning to Midgard. Even if I did not remain here as your... as your lover, I didn't think you'd approve of me leaving Asgard for Midgard and I—"

"Of course, I don't approve," He scoffed. "I would never." He reached a hand forwards, his fingertips brushed against her jaw, just for old-time's sake. "But you can hardly stay here when it's hindering your healing process."

Lusine covered his hand with hers, her mouth blooming. "Thank you, Loki, for everything." She kissed the back of his hand softly, yet shortly, before a grin of mischief crossed her face. In a moment, she'd pulled him into her and just held him close, breathed in his scent one last indulgent time. "I forgive you for all that you have done, and I hope that you forgive me too."

"I forgive you," He breathed into her hair. "Thank you for forgiving me." He kissed the side of her head and held her just that little bit tighter to let her know he meant it. That this wasn't another game of manipulation he was weaving around her ankles. This was their redemption.

"Don't hug me like I'm never going to see you again," Lusine joked, but didn't chance letting go. "I promise to visit you when I can find the time, and energy, to travel the distance."

Loki pulled back from the embrace and smiled genuinely, his thin lips extended into uncharted territory. "I'll be counting down the days."

-

-

Casia went with Thor and Jane to wherever she called home and found an entire group of people waiting there, all of which clueless as to who she was, but not really paying attention to her presence anyway in the rediscovery of Jane Foster.

Sure, the only face Casia knew was that of Erik Selvig, but only because of his brief stint under Loki's mind-control where he'd almost had a hand in the invasion being a great success. Even now, she wasn't one hundred percent sure he was back to his old self, but there were more pressing matters than one man out of many.

Due to the fact he currently wore no trousers, Casia's suspicions were confirmed. She could do nothing but stand back awkwardly as he hugged Jane and got to discussion of their plan of action. All Casia could understand was that they were talking science. None of it sounded like English to her. The words too long and not making sense to her.

Casia stuck close to Thor. He was the only one she really knew on any level at all. Jane she barely knew and the others she only knew by name after brief introductions at Darcy's exclamation of "Who the hell are you?" when Casia had followed them inside.

Being introduced as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't the best, especially going by the way their faces visibly dropped, but it was, at the end of the day, her job.

A lot of the conversation between Erik and Jane went right over Casia's head as she attempted to involve herself as much as possible. At every chance, she applied years of experience in field missions.

Before they knew it, they had a plan. A plan to pull off in very little time.

As Darcy and Ian placed the gadgets Erik had made around the Library grounds in the heart of London, overlooking the washes of brown that made up the Thames River, Casia readied herself.

This was going to be her first battle using the magic burning holes inside of her without Lusine there to fall back on if anything looked as if it was going terribly wrong.

However, she was fully aware that, if she decimated the entirety of London, it would be her own fault, not anyone else's. And she would give herself up for the punishment for the crimes of losing control; let her head hang in shame. Walk to the guillotine without fight.

As Malekith's ship cut through the murky waters, Casia balled her hands and drew in a breath. This was it. Now or never. The culmination of every little word of training, every little bruise and scrape. The fire roared and she rose to meet it, pulled the flames into her palms and let them simmer and burn beneath the skin.

She would not hesitate.

The ship continued its strike on the Earth as it dragged through the ground, only stopping right in the centre of the pristine Library grounds. Left the civilians in chaos and panic as their world was invaded yet again.

The ship opened its metallic doors and Malekith and his Dark Elf army step out, their intent obvious by sheer numbers. This was no meeting of races to discuss the future. This was war.

Thor was the first to take a stand as he flew to meet the Dark Elf leader head on, stopping short to share a few final words before battle lines were drawn.

When Malekith struck out, the battle begun. Whilst Thor dealt with him and as many elves as he could, Casia found her palms ignited with ease as the dark elves surged forward. In moments, she'd thrust out lashing waves of fire and left several convulsing in pain on the floor, writhing in British soil.

As more advanced, she took a step back as her body heaved with adrenaline and lack of breath. As the magic chipped away her energy with every use, her respect for what Lusine had done in New York grew. No wonder she'd pretty much needed to be held up by Steve after the adrenaline had seeped away, leaving behind nothing but an aching hole of where power had once manifested.

Even though the battle was young, Casia could already feel that aching burn taking a hold of her.

She would need to switch to a sword soon. If she didn't one of two things would happen: she'd burn out, or she'd start the resurgence of The Great Fire of London.

With a sharp inhale of breath, she drew the blade from her belt and scanned the masked faces of the oncoming elves. For a split second, she wondered if they were enjoying this. Smiling beneath their masks.

The leader of the trio who advanced on her was the easiest to take down. He fell and didn't move again. The other two would be the issue. They were closer together and clearly intending to double team her. Two heads were always better than one, she supposed, as she found herself surprisingly calm in the face of extra-terrestrial beings looking to see her beheaded.

Even if she'd only recently been taught how to wield a sword, she'd been trained as an agent. She knew how to fight. How to take down up to, but not exclusively, five fully grown men.

This should be easy as pie, she convinced herself as she ground her teeth and hushed the power as it lurched beneath her solid grip, not satisfied by its brief, but effective, stint.

The elves who approached had been expecting roaring flames when they'd attacked her, not a steel sword. As she swung for the closer of the two, it simply stepped back and, now, she was sure it was grinning wildly under there.

Just the thought of that assumed victory made her blood boil and, with that boiling point, came the surge of fire to meet it. It flew down the blade's edge and consumed the sword in its wrath. Without second thought, Casia acted on instinct and drew the sword up in the moment of surprise she had over the elves.

From middle to chin, the dark elf was sliced open. Blood gushed out and his body had barely hit the floor before Casia forced the flaming blade into the heart of his double, pushing him to the dirt too. With a boot on his chest, she drove the sword through him one last time. She held him down with her foot and yanked the blade from the corpse as the flames flickered inside the wounds she'd left behind, like talons through flesh.

The sword dripped with blood and gold as she lifted her head, ready to bring down her next opponent with the fury of an enraged phoenix.

But there were no more.

No elves mattered at the realisation of the events unfolding before her very eyes. There Thor lay: unconscious, unmoving. Her heart thundered with the fury of war drums in her chest, shaking her ribs with every thud as she begged for him to get up.

Prayed that this wasn't his finale.

And, in a cruel twist of fate, Malekith's ship began to tip. It threatened to fall on Thor where he lay sprawled, defenceless. Casia had never felt more powerless, even as the flames hummed inside her veins.

What good was fire and fury now?

Casia's throat closed and bones locked heavy inside flesh as she watched Jane rush to his side and throw herself over him, crying for him to wake as she tried to pull him from the path of the crumbling ship. Too heavy, he doesn't budge.

She started forward, but knew she was too far away to help now. By the time she got there, both Thor and Jane would be crushed by remnants of an evil conquered.

Only with moments to spare, with the sound of her own heart thrumming the only noise she could hear, the ship disappeared before it could make its kill.

Casia had never been happier for the work of scientists when Erik Selvig asked, "Everybody okay?" His quick thinking saved lives, thankfully.

Relief flooded through her, even as she was forced to witness Jane kiss Thor with the same relief running deep.

Not even relief was enough to quell the sting of jealousy that flickered, green flames against the black night. But she was happy for him. She had to be. If he was content with Jane, if he loved her as much as he claimed to, then all power to him.

She'd been alone for years. Another few wouldn't hurt her. She was just glad everyone was safe, and the world wasn't going to be destroyed by Dark Elves with a taste for revenge.

Glad that she'd been in control the entire time. Fed the power into the blade, focused herself. Been the agent she'd been before the power had manifested. If Lusine could've seen her, she would've been as proud as a mother on sports day as their child crossed the finish line in first place, even if she would forever be second best.

-

2176 words
4.9.18

wow this is almost over.. how did i cram two marvel movies into only 37 chapters???

Also, Lusine and Loki's relationship is purely friendship based now, just to clear that up before people start thinking she's gonna go back to him just bc he promised not to hurt her again.