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thirty-two

ONE MONTH LATER

"Wait, so he thinks your dead? I really don't think I should be getting involved in all your family drama. Where even is Thor?"

"He's somewhere in the universe looking for Infinity Stones. That's not the point—the point is that I faked my death successfully again and now rule over the nine realms," Loki concludes.

"Mhm. Are you sure that's a good idea? Are you even stable enough for that?" I ask, earning a scoff from him.

"Says the woman that was brainwashed and won't get it fixed," he retorts. "And yes, it's a good idea. The nine realms are prospering and Asgard is thriving more so than it ever did with my father as king."

"And where's he at?"

"A place called Shady Acres in New York." He shrugs and my jaw slacks.

"You put him in a retirement home on Earth?" I ask incredulously, hitting him lightly upside his head.

"He's completely safe and it's quite fitting! It's not like I could leave the old fool in the dungeons." He rubs the spot I hit him. "There's no need to be so violent," Loki mutters.

I roll my eyes and catch sight of the clock on the wall. "It's three, I have to go." I stand from my spot on the couch and smooth out my dress, cursing the Asgardian attire as I did so.

"Make sure to send mommy dearest my best," Loki remarks, a smirk on his face. I smirk back, turning on my heel and using my powers to lift a pillow on the couch and throw it at his head.

"See you later, Loki."

• • •

"I still don't understand. You made me have that vision so I would know what's to come. What good is knowing if I can't do anything about it?"

"It's a matter of being prepared, dear. Time is a fragile thing and everything must happen for a reason," she tries to explain, stirring her tea as she did so. "For example, when you went with that man to Romania. You had to lose your memory to do that, and in turn you reconnected with him. Now, you're in love with him are you not?"

   "I-I don't know—"

   "Don't fret over it, dear. You'll know in time, but now you understand my point. All of that happened so you could be with him," she says, taking a sip of her tea afterwards.

From the first time I met my mother, I didn't recall her being so all-knowing and wise about time and the idea that "fate has a plan for us all". Her words, not mine. I wasn't discrediting her beliefs, it just seemed improbable to me that fate would take time to plan out life for every single person and being. Part of me wanted to believe it because it seemed ideal and nice to think that there was a reason for everything, but then the pessimistic side popped up and reminded me of all of the bad things that polluted the universe. What was fate's excuse for them?

My mother must've noticed my involuntary frown. She placed a hand over mine. "Would you like to visit the Bifrost?" I would sometimes visit to check up on my friends on Earth and say hello to Heimdall. She had asked why I went there so often once and I told her.

"Might as well. Haven't checked in about a week," I admit lowly, beginning to fiddle with the dogtags hidden beneath my dress.

She furrowed her eyebrows, pushing her dark brown hair back over her shoulders and clasping her hands together on the table. "Darling, if you care so much for these people, why didn't you use your powers to create a connection with them?"

I looked up quickly, confusion filling my features. "I can do that?"

"You're my daughter. Of course you can do that."

• • •

"It's as if you were to call on Heimdall to summon the Bifrost. It may be a bit harder, depending on the person and how strong your bond is with them. It doesn't help that they're mortals," she comments, earning a small glare from me. "I don't mean it like that, just that it would be easier if they shared your Asgardian descent."

   "Okay, where do I start?"

   "Focus on one person, see yourself with them. Try talking out loud at first until it becomes easier," she explained. "Feel your powers extend to reach them."

   "Will they be able to talk back to me? Or is it a one-way thing?" I close my eyes, peeking one open after a moment.

   "They will be able to communicate back," she chuckles at my actions. "Now focus."

   I let out a breath, doing as she said. I decided that Steve would be easiest to connect with, so I tried imagining myself with him and my power surrounding him.

   At first it didn't work, so I attempted to do it a few more times, each growing closer than the last. I could feel my powers extending to him, but the connection wasn't there yet, so I tried again.

• • •

   "Steven? Can you hear me?"

   Steve Rogers turned in his spot quickly, facing Natasha. "Did you hear that?" He asked, to which she raised a concerned eyebrow and shook her head. "I could've sworn I just heard Raven's voice," he admits.

   "You did, idiot." Raven's voice comes out as if it's his consciousness speaking to him. "Did you miss me? It's a cool trick, right? My mom's teaching me how to do it. You can talk and I can hear you," she explained further.

   "It is Raven," Steve announces, earning another concerned glance from his teammate. He rolls his eyes, pointing to his head. "She must've done some type of mind-telepathy thing. She's on Asgard right now." Steve looks up to the sky, as if the girl was up there somewhere looking down on him. "Can you try it on Romanoff? She's looking at me like I'm crazy."

   "I don't know, this isn't the easiest thing. Just tell her I said hi," Raven laughs lightly through their connection. "I miss you guys. I just wanted to check in."

   "We're safe for now. Trying to not stay in one spot for too long." The super soldier turns away from Natasha, not wanting to see her glances of worry for his mental state. "We miss you, too. When are you coming back?"

   "Soon. Within the next few weeks, I'm hoping."

   "I suppose we'll see you then," he smiles genuinely, it was something that was rare lately.

   After he had said those words, it was as if part of his mind cleared, signaling that Raven broke the mental connection between them, leaving him stunned with the lengths her powers extended to. He turned back around, only to be met with a confused Sam and Natasha.

   "I told you the old age was gonna catch up with him eventually," Sam remarked.

   "Maybe he's finally going senile."