"I'm sure you used that trick often to keep me out of trouble, then," Loki replied, amused. That is, if Thor didn't show up to interrupt him and convince him to go on some madcap adventure.

When he was younger magic had taken more effort, sometimes even physical showmanship. Now he made a motion with his hands as a form of politeness, to warn people what might come; in truth he didn't need to do anything of the sort, and often didn't.

Some of the things he could do, he was sure, were not what his mother had initially had in mind. "I take after you," he replied, smiling.