Chapter 12: Parting

"Talos, Ronan the Accuser has retreated and won't dare come back to Earth for a while. Do you have any plans now?" Thor teased. "Or will you continue being Nick Fury's stand-in boss?"

"Oh, no, please, spare me..." Talos shook his head hastily. Pretending to be Fury boss had given him enough headaches; the thought of returning to that role wasn't appealing.

Even Fury on the side shook his head, he now had a lot of messy thing to deal with when he return because of Talos action.

"I'll help find you a home and fulfill Mar-Vell's last wish," Carol said suddenly. She'd always felt guilty about what the Skrulls had gone through and saw this as her chance to make things right.

Late that night, Carol met with Nick Fury to go over some details, finally handing him a communicator.

The following morning, Carol said her goodbyes to Maria Rambeau, Monica, and Thor.

"Aunt Carol, when I grow up, can I pilot that spaceship to come find you?" Monica asked, pointing to a sleek ship parked on the lawn—Thor's gift to her.

"Of course you can!" Carol smiled, then glanced at Thor, hoping to keep things light. "Why so quiet? You started chatting me up that first day we met."

"Asgard's sense of time is different from Earth's," Thor replied, smiling. "For humans, a few decades is a lifetime. But to us, it's just a blink. Still, if I ever need you, I've got that communicator from last night, don't I?"

Carol chuckled, pretending not to believe him. "Yeah, yeah, I already gave you my communicator. As long as you're not too far away, it'll reach me." She turned, running a few steps before looking back. "And next time we meet, you'd better be ready for a good fight! Don't think I didn't notice how you tried to provoke me into using my powers!"

With a final smile, she soared into the sky, disappearing in a flash of light.

"See you in twenty-three years," Thor thought to himself.

Behind him, Nick Fury walked up and clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, no need to get all sentimental, we'll see her aga—"

Before Fury could finish, Thor suddenly grabbed his hand, flipping him over in a swift throw that sent him flying.

"Oh my god, what are you doing?" Maria and Monica gasped, only to see that "Nick Fury" had transformed mid-air into a young man in a green trench coat. Loki, looking ruffled and furious, glared at Thor.

"How did you know it was me?" Loki demanded.

Thor crossed his arms, staring calmly at his troublemaking brother. "You're too obvious. Your tone, your gestures, all wrong. Besides, I know you far too well by now."

Loki was dumbfounded. When did his muscle-bound brother start actually using his brain?

Thor ignored him and glanced at the task panel from his system interface. The reason he'd recognized Loki's disguise so quickly had been thanks to a sudden system notification.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have triggered a new Loki-related task: 'Eat, Sleep, and Beat Up Your Little Brother.' As the god of mischief, Loki has often played tricks on his older brother. The best way to teach a troublesome sibling some respect is with a little 'tough love'!

Task Note: This task has no optional branches and can only be accepted or decline. Task Objective: Hit Loki 100 times. Reward: Master Liar – Gain the ability to speak more persuasively. Note: This skill will not work if the lie is too outrageous."

Thor smirked. What a useful ability! If he'd had it before, maybe he wouldn't have fumbled his first conversation with Carol. As for hitting Loki 100 times? Well, without a mission prompting it, he'd probably have done that anyway.

Beside him, Loki shivered slightly, feeling a strange chill. It was as if some unseen force had marked him as a target.

Shaking off the ominous feeling, Loki shot his brother a playful glance. "So, brother, what did you think of that woman? Did you fancy her?"

Thor smiled, thinking about what Carol had said before she left. "Nah, it wouldn't work. If the two of us got together, we'd end up fighting every single day."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Wrong—she'd be the one doing the fighting! It would be you getting pummelled!"

"As the younger brother, if you don't respect your elder, then you're asking for it!" Thor replied with a grin, his hand already itching to smack Loki.