Starchild

Epilogue

Back in the Sanctum Sanctorum, everything is too quiet as the siblings and I watch the portal by the stairs slowly close. The wizards calmly walk to us, smiling, having visited the Orb of Agamotto seconds ago and found apparently great news,

—All the weak spots in the shields disappeared. We took a look into the Vatican and its portal is gone, and the demons we locked in North Dakota aren't there anymore. —

I let out a sigh. It's over. No more humans will die and I will not have to fight any more demons. Sabrina looked quite confident, so I'm sure Hell is about to enter an age in which it thrives in arts, science, and knowledge. I will get a decent time to properly learn about Earth, until whatever's going on in Asgard is over, and this will be nothing more than a fun adventure. A fun memory. A fun closure.

Victoire closes her eyes, probably feeling a weight leave her shoulders.

Barney claps. —Great! You know what this calls for? —

—A proper celebration? —Strange rolls his eyes,

—A. Proper. Celebration. —he puts an arm around his sister, —Hear me out; our rooftop, barbecue, drinks, music, and we invite the X-Men. Maybe fireworks, too. Can you make magical fireworks? —he points at me, and I nod, chuckling. —Perfect! Tonight, a small party to get drunk and then we go and sleep the hours we've missed these last nights. —

Vic smirks. —You missed hours? Last night you were sleeping like a baby. —

—Shut up. —

Strange looks at Wong, —What do you think, Wong? —

—Depends. —he looks at Barney, —Can I help with the barbecue? —Barney nods. —Then I don't see any problem with throwing a proper celebration. —

Barney celebrates on his spot. —Woo! Great, I'll go buy the best meat and I'll tell Doc they're invited - because he's my best friend and I know he'll definitely want to attend - and, uh... Yeah you probably already know where we live, so... Vic, come on, we're going shopping. —

Before they leave, I stop them, —Tell McCoy everyone is invited. Like, everyone we saw. Jubilee, Warren, Kurt, and Xavier included. —

—You've got a little obsession with them, don't you? —Strange asks, to which I just stick my tongue at him,

Victoire tries to defend me. —Let her be, Strange, she's gotta hang out with people her age. How old are you, Star? —I shrug. —Good enough. Still, it's good she's friends with the younger X-Men. —

—You know what would be good too? —Barney interrupts, —If we were on our way to the market before the good stuff was gone. —he holds Victoire by the arm and starts dragging her to the door, —See you by seven, mages! —

A human party, how great! I believe celebrations are a good reflection of a culture. The people you invite, the foods you eat, the entertainment you have. Asgard's parties are quite interesting; big dresses, plenty of food, live music, too many people, and, of course, ballroom dances. Humans are a little more casual, though, so I cannot expect such caliber for an improvised hang out full of people who just want to take a break.

✩✩✩

I underestimated how casual humans are.

But it isn't a bad thing, not at all. There is a level of intimacy in the party, even though a few of these people barely know the name of every person present, and they seem to be comfortable with it. It's way more personal than in Asgard. They're just having fun, celebrating a victory that is small for some, and big for others.