"I am in the position of requiring and appreciating the Nexus' lawlessness," Loki says, "and relying on its fundamental peacefulness. If that's not an awkward place to be, I don't know what is. For now, I need it to be what it is, but I can see how very easily a disruption here could cost thousands of lives."

They were unspeakably lucky this last Winter. It could have been so much worse.

"I hate to become sentimental about a location," she adds, "but I concur. It is worth protecting this place."

"One moment." She turns and lopes back over to the tree, exchanging a few words with the redhead, who nods understanding, and then hopping up amongst the branches to bring the little girl back down and place her in the redhead's arms. She returns to them a moment later, mysteriously wearing shoes now where she had none before; little green suede boots with golden buckles.

"Right," she says. "They'll be heading home just in case the mushroom has fungal friends we stir up. Let's see what we can learn, shall we?"