The group of Void-dwellers are all sitting together in a small shelter far from Alioth's reach. It's not a very nice place, but it could be worse. It's a decent place to regroup, at least; to think of a plan — and they will think of a plan, even if Classic Loki, Kid Loki, and Alligator Loki seem to think that's redundant.

"Well?" Thor asks, looking around at his new friends' faces. "What do we do now?"

"The only thing we can do," Classic Loki says. "Survive."

"Or," Sylvie says, "we could do something productive for once."

"There is no productivity in the Void," Classic Loki says.

"You can't be productive where time itself is at its end," Kid Loki adds.

Thor clasps his hands in his lap and looks over at her, ignoring the other two. "What do you propose we do?"

"I think the person we're after is at the end of time," she begins. "And Alioth —"

"Wait, who are we after?" Thor interrupts.

"Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who didn't know," Loki mutters. Shoutout to Thor for asking the questions he never would have.

"The one in charge!" she says like it's obvious. "Behind the Time Keepers; behind the TVA!"

"Ah, right, of course," Loki says as if he knew that already. (What? It's not his fault she didn't explain everything he missed after he got pruned).

Thor gestures for her to continue. "So he's at the end of time..."

"And Alioth is the guard dog keeping us out," Sylvie finishes. "So if we want to get to the one in charge, we need to get past Alioth first."

Loki scoffs. "You just made fun of me for suggesting we kill Alioth!" The hypocrisy here is unmatched. Absolutely ridiculous.

"I'm not going to kill him," Sylvie says. "I'm going to enchant him."

"You're going to what?" Loki bursts out laughing. "That's insane!"

"Uh, yes, hi." Thor raises his hand awkwardly. "What does that mean?"

"What, enchantment?" she asks.

Thor nods.

"It's, like..." She gestures vaguely, trying to find the words. "It's... Here, I'll show you."

Sylvie stands up, and, when she gestures for Thor to do the same, he does. She stands in front of him and slowly lifts her hands to his neck. Thor doesn't even flinch. If he's uncomfortable or nervous at all, he's doing a good job not showing it.

Loki glances over at Mobius, curious how he feels about it, but Mobius is watching them intently. In fact, it seems everyone here is. It occurs to him that he's probably the only one here who's seen this before; it's all very new to everyone else.

He turns his attention back to the spectacle in front of him. He doesn't expect much to happen. If she couldn't enchant him, he doubts she can enchant Thor. But, after a very long few moments, Thor's eyes begin to glow.

Loki expects something to happen now. She's enchanted him; something has to happen next. But, once again, his expectations are wrong. Thor's eyes close, as do Sylvie's, and they just stand there.

For a very.

Long.

Time.

Eventually, Classic Loki speaks, just to ask, "What is happening right now?"

"Beats me," Mobius says with a shrug.

"She's grabbing hold of his mind," Loki tells them. He remembers Sylvie telling him that earlier. He's been thinking about it periodically, wondering if it's a skill he could one day learn. "To do what, I don't know. Enchantment seems to come in many forms."

"Can she hurry up?" Kid Loki asks. "I'm bored."

Alligator Loki grunts in agreement.

Though likely unrelated, Sylvie takes that moment to remove her hands, hovering next to Thor's neck as she stands there, unmoving.

Thor opens his eyes and looks at her, a little confused. His brows furrow and he squints, eyes scanning her face for some sort of sign about what just happened.

Sylvie slowly opens her eyes, and they're filled with tears. She blinks, and a single tear slips down her face.

Thor's expression shifts from one of confusion to one of empathy in an instant. He conjures a rag into his hand and gently dabs her eyes with it. He wipes the tear track from her cheek, and then the rag disappears in a dim flash of light.

Sylvie looks up at him through the tears still gathering in her eyes. So softly that Loki can barely hear it, she says, "You and your Loki were best friends growing up." It's not a question, exactly; it's more a statement of awe.

Thor's gaze falls to the ground, and he says a solemn, "We were."

"I wonder if I could have had that, too," she whispers. "If my timeline hadn't..."

Thor gently puts his hands on her shoulders and looks down at her, his face full of compassion. "I can't give your childhood back, but I can be here with you now." With a small smile, he adds, "I always kind of wanted a sister."

Sylvie returns that smile. "It's not quite the same, but I'll take it."

Thor gives her a big hug, and she pulls her arms into her chest. She looks so small in his arms. The way she acts, the way she holds herself, she always feels so big. It's a defense mechanism, Loki supposes; a survival tactic. It makes her look like more of a threat.

But right now, she couldn't look less threatening if she tried. Right now, for possibly the first time since they met, she looks vulnerable. And she chose to. She chose to be vulnerable; she chose to let Thor break down her walls.

And then Kid Loki ruins the moment by saying, "I'm still not sure I understand what enchantment is."

Thor drops his arms from around her and they pull apart, but even as they separate back to their opposite sides of the room (if it can even be called a room), they share a small smile. Sylvie dabs at her eyes, wiping the tears away before they can fall.

Seeing as no one else seems to want to answer Kid Loki's question, Loki does it by saying to Thor, "I presume she was looking through your memories?"

He nods. "It was very strange." After a pause, he adds, "And I still don't know how it's going to help us get past Alioth."

"I was going to show you what enchantment can really do," she tells him. "A kind of hypnosis. But I got a little... distracted. Sorry." The last word is mumbled awkwardly, and it might be the first time Loki's ever heard her apologize.

"Don't be sorry; it was fun," he tells her. "You brought back memories I'd almost forgotten I had." To the other Lokis, he asks, "Did any of you ever turn me into a frog, too?"

Loki bursts out laughing at that. "Oh, that was hilarious."

"I thought you were going to kill me!" Classic Loki adds. "I thought I was going to be murdered by a seven-foot-tall frog in Asgardian armor!"

"If you hadn't turned me back, you would have been," Thor says, but he seems to find it just as funny as the rest of them.

Lokigator chimes in with a comment of his own, and Classic Loki just laughs even harder.

"Oh, did you do it, too?" Thor asks the alligator, and he sounds far too excited at the prospect.

Alligator Loki grunts again.

"He said he threatened to eat you," Classic Loki says. "It was a lot less believable when you were seven feet tall."

Thor finds that absolutely hilarious, and just seeing him laughing this hard makes Loki laugh, too. In fact, everyone seems to be enjoying this. Even Mobius, who can't relate to any of this (what with not being a Loki or a Thor) has a big smile on his face, clearly trying not to laugh. Sylvie has a wistful look on her face, doubtlessly wishing she could have experienced it herself, but it doesn't seem to diminish his enjoyment of it.

And then there's Kid Loki.

He's not smiling — not exactly. He's standing there with his arms crossed, and he should look annoyed. He had looked annoyed, before they started talking about Frog Thor. But right now, he almost looks amused. He looks like he's trying not to look amused, but he really does seem to find this amusing, even if he doesn't want to.

But then he catches Loki looking at him, and his face is a blank slate once more. It's probably supposed to convince Loki that he doesn't want to be here with them — Thor especially — but it just makes Loki all the more sure he's having fun right now.

"I'd turn you all into frogs to get my revenge," Thor says, "but I don't know how long I would last here with just a bunch of amphibians."

"You'd have Mobius," Loki reminds him.

Mobius nods thoughtfully. "Magical God of Thunder? I could work with that."

"It occurs to me that I don't actually know who you are," Thor says. "If you're not a Loki, why are you here with all the Lokis?"

"Bad luck, I guess," Mobius says with a shrug. Loki shoots him a glare, and he cracks up laughing. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether he's joking or not with that deadpan delivery of his. "No, he was helping me out around the TVA."

"Which, for the record," Loki adds quickly, "I knew it was a bad organization from the beginning. He didn't believe me, but I knew it."

"Of course I didn't believe you," Mobius says. "You're a liar. You lie professionally. You've probably told more lies than you have truths in your entire life."

"That is not true!" Loki says indignantly.

"See! There's another one!" Mobius says.

Loki crosses his arms. "I don't like you."

"You don't have to like me," Mobius says, though it's clear in the tone of his voice that he knows that Loki's just being stubborn and actually does like him. "You're stuck with me whether you like it or not."

Loki narrows his eyes as if that annoys him, but, honestly, he wouldn't have it any other way. It's both a sad and a weird thought, but Mobius may be the first real friend he's ever had.

Kid Loki interrupts the conversation to say, "We still haven't decided what we're going to do next."

"What you're going to do next," Classic Loki corrects him, directing it to the rest of them. "The three of us —" He gestures to Kid Loki and Lokigator, "are going to do the same thing we always do: stay out of Alioth's way and not die."

"Then I suggest you all get a head start," Sylvie says. "He's not going to be happy when I try to enchant him. You'll want to stay out of the way."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Classic says. He looks between Loki, Thor, and Mobius. "And you? We could always use the company if you'd like to stick around."

"Not me," Mobius says. "I'm heading back to the TVA."

"To do what?" Classic Loki asks.

"Tell everyone the truth, for starters," Mobius says. "And after that..." He shrugs. "Whatever happens happens. Hopefully something good."

"They're just going to prune you again," Classic Loki says bluntly.

"Well, at least I'll have some friends to come back to," Mobius says, sounding genuinely indifferent to that.

"We'll keep an eye out for you," Classic Loki assures him.

"I'm sure you won't be gone long," Kid Loki adds.

Mobius scoffs, an amused smile on his face. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. I really appreciate it."

"I'm sure it will go great," Loki assures him, because someone has to.

Mobius shakes his head teasingly. "And you still claim not to be a professional liar."

Loki just rolls his eyes. And he wasn't even lying this time! (Well, maybe he was lying about the "I'm sure" part, but he does have faith that Mobius will get what he wants. He usually does, Loki's noticed, in one way or another.)

"What about you, Loki?" Mobius asks. "You want a ticket out of here?"

"I think..." Loki looks over at Sylvie. "I think I'm going to stay here."

"What? No!" Sylvie says immediately, which is not at all the reaction he was expecting. "I don't even know if this is going to work!"

"Exactly," Loki says. "And if it doesn't and you're here alone, you're going to die."

"And if it doesn't and I'm here with you, we're both going to die," Sylvie says.

"We're Lokis," he says. "We don't die. Between the two of us, we'll figure something out."

A small smile creeps up on her face. "I guess we will."

Thor clears his throat. "If you would like another hand..."

Sylvie looks even more surprised by that than she did when Loki volunteered. "You want to come, too? Why?"

"I told you I would stay with you," Thor reminds her. "You're my little sister now, remember? If you're going to risk your life trying to take down an authoritarian regime, I'm going to be there right alongside you."

Sylvie smiles. "Thank you."

It puts a small smile on Loki's face, too. He and this Thor are both from places on the timeline where they don't get along. If they were to go into battle together in their timelines, it would likely be to wage war against each other. To have the chance to fight with his brother again instead of against him... Well, it's almost enough to make Loki forget that they're probably all about to die (despite what his reassuring comments may say).

"You're much braver than I am," Classic Loki says. "All of you."

"Much stupider, too," Kid Loki adds.

"I get that a lot," Loki remarks, which is, unfortunately, very true.

"If you really think you're going to get past Alioth," Kid says to him, "you're going to need this." He holds his hand out, and a blade appears in it.

Loki hesitates, eyeing him uncertainly, but Kid Loki doesn't waver, still holding it out for him. Finally, Loki takes it, and it disappears only to reappear within a sheath on his back. "Thank you."

"Good luck," Kid Loki says to the three of them. "I hope you find what you're looking for on the other side."

Loki gives an appreciative nod.

"And Thor?" Kid Loki adds.

"Yes, young Loki?" Thor says.

"You're not too bad after all."

Thor chuckles. "You threatened to kill me and now you're giving me a backhanded compliment. Now it really does feel like old times."

That puts a small smile on Kid Loki's face. He gives a polite nod, then turns and walks off. Classic Loki waves, then he and Lokigator follow. The remaining four just watch them go, shrouded in complete silence.

Eventually, as the trio of Lokis gets further and further away, Mobius clears his throat. "Alright, this has been fun, but I'm going to head out. I'll try to tear the TVA down from the inside; you go tear it down from the outside. Maybe we'll meet in the middle."

Loki turns to him. "Are you going to be okay on your own?"

"I'll be fine," Mobius assures him. "You go do your thing. I'd rather face Renslayer alone, anyway."

"Do me a favor?" Sylvie says. "Kick her ass."

Mobius chuckles. "That's the plan." He holds out a hand. "Good luck."

Sylvie eyes him skeptically for a few moments, but ultimately, she does decide to shake his hand.

Next, Mobius turns to Thor, to whom he also extends a hand. "It was an honor to finally meet you."

Loki snorts. An honor. Yeah, right.

"Likewise," Thor says, shaking his hand. "Anyone who willingly chooses to put up with my brother five times over must have incredible patience."

Mobius chuckles at that. He turns his attention to Loki, who gives a small, awkward smile. Mobius extends a hand one more time. "It's been fun. I hope this isn't the end of the road for us."

Loki looks at his hand foot a few moments, then shakes his head. No. That's not happening. After all they've been through together, they are not parting with a single handshake.

Loki pulls Mobius in for a hug. He's never hugged his friends before. He's never really had a friend to hug. But he doesn't even have time to feel weird about it, because Mobius hugs him right back.

He feels himself relax into his friend's arms. It's been a long time since he's had a hug. It's been a long time since he needed one this badly. He feels tears welling up in his eyes, and it doesn't even phase him. He doesn't care if he cries. He doesn't care if he looks weak or emotional. This may be the hardest goodbye he's ever had; he's allowed to get emotional.

"Thank you, my friend," Loki says quietly.

"Thank you," Mobius says. They pull apart, but Mobius doesn't take his hands off of his friend's shoulders. "You finally earned my trust. Don't make me regret it."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Loki says.

Mobius finally lets go of him, though he seems rather reluctant to do so. He pulls out his TemPad and opens up a Time Portal. He gives them one last smile, and then he's gone, the portal closing behind him.

Loki squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep breath, trying to ground himself and prepare himself before he turns back to his friends. With forced levity, he says, "We're not getting any closer to stopping the TVA from out here."