"Uncorrected personality traits

That seem whimsical in a child

May prove ugly

In a fully grown adult"

"Uncorrected Personality Traits"

Robyn Hitchcock

For Shipperwolf since she begged so nicely. Jane again, and the end of my series.

JANE REDUX

It was perhaps one or so in the morning, and Loki was once again raiding Jane's refrigerator. He grabbed a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, and shut the door, turning towards the kitchen table. Then it happened. From out of the dimly illuminated kitchen in front of him came a small fist, which connected with his nose. Loki went down. Standing above him, a victorious Jane pumped her fists, then shook out her smarting hand.

"Wha...?" A dazed Loki picked up the carton of Ben and Jerry's and held it against his aching nose. Bleeding, but not broken.

Jane reached down and took the Ben and Jerry's away from Loki. "Interfering assholes don't get ice cream."

Loki still looked a bit dazed and confused. "You hit me in the nose."

"Yes I did." Jane put the Ben and Jerry's back in the freezer.

"Why?"

Jane folded her arms. "Why? Thor tried to be spontaneously romantic last night, and it wasn't pretty."

This was not making any sense to Loki. "So why not punch him in the nose?"

"I did." Jane grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down on one of the kitchen chairs. "Are you going to get up or sit there on the floor with that goofy look on your face."

Loki bristled a bit at the 'goofy look' comment' *I bet you'd look goofy too if someone had just punched you in the nose* "I am fine where I am, at present."

"Ok." Jane took a swig from her water. "I know you had something to do with it all, though Thor denies it. I was surprised to see him come through the door, and even more surprised when he swept me off my feet and carried me to the bedroom. He tossed me on the bed, and before I had stopped bouncing, he launched himself and landed on top of me. The bed broke, and the head board fell and hit me on the top of my head. I have a lump. Thor was laughing his ass off on top of me, while I was struggling just to breathe. I was smashed - now I know what a fly feels like when you swat it - something I'd rather not have found out. I kept trying to push him off and finally I hit him on the nose. He sat up, then went over backwards and hit his head on the floor. He started laughing again, so I crawled over and punched him in the arm. That only made him laugh louder, which was kind of insulting. Still, I did leave a bruise." She took another swig of her water.

Loki blinked. "And you blame me because?"

"Who else could it be?" Jane set the bottle down on the kitchen table and crossed her arms. "It fits nicely under acts of the God of Mischief."

"Well, Tony Stark for one. It does seem to fit his usual modus operandi. Perhaps he gave Thor the idea."

"True. I hadn't thought about Tony. Maybe I was a little quick to judgement."

Loki inclined his head. " Indeed. So how do you plan to soothe my wounded dignity?"

"I'm inclined to deduct my punch to your nose from your karma tab, which has to lean way the hell over to the bad side. I'm sure you have at least a millennia or two of accumulated bad karma. But punching you in the nose was really gratifying. So I'll be nice and let you have a bowl of Ben and Jerry's."

"That is most gracious of you."

Jane got a bowl out for Loki and one for herself and divided the carton between the two of them. "Now you're being sarcastic. You were just going to eat it from the carton, weren't you, if I hadn't interrupted."

"Of course."

"Of course." Jane repeated and laughed. Loki joined her. Then there was silence, apart from the sounds of contentment that can only come from eating really good ice cream.