After ditching the awkward meal, Valkyrie had taken up the position of leader, and guided the group to the Asgardian library, of all places. They had been confused, until she strutted to the farthest section, riddled with cobwebs, and took the liberty of knocking down several books from the shelves, releasing a great cloud of dust. Lo and behold, a secret wooden container hidden by the unused books, which clearly hadn't been opened for ages. Naomi, Loki and Bruce watched on in confusion and interest as Valkyrie smirked at the sight of the crate, and proceeded to rip open the lid.

Booze. Obviously.

Valkyrie grinned, snatching a large green bottle and ripping the cork out with her teeth. "Didn't you already have a drink?" Bruce asked. "Or several?"

"This is a different kind of drinking." Valkyrie explained patiently, handing out bottles to each of them. Naomi and Loki accepted with amusement, though Bruce had some hesitations. Eventually, he took it, and, with the weariness of a man who had spent the last several hours utterly confused and terrified for his life, downed the bottle's contents in one go.

"Go Bruce!" Valkyrie cheered, earning some laughs and a shy smile from the scientist. Naomi and Loki opened their own bottles, and the four of them took seats around the booze crate in the corner of the library.

"How long have you been storing these?" Loki questioned, gesturing to the few dusty bottles left in the box. Valkyrie laughed, and took another drink.

"No idea. I've got drink hidden in places you couldn't even imagine." She grinned proudly. Naomi chuckled, much happier sitting in the library than at the table earlier. The rest seemed to feel the same, as everyone- especially Bruce- appeared much more relaxed. "Besides," Valkyrie continued, "what else do you use a library for?"

Loki scoffed, offended by the insinuation. "Obtaining a higher education, for one." He grumbled, sipping at his drink. Valkyrie laughed, rolling her eyes, and Naomi nudged Loki's arm with a smirk, trying to get him to lighten up. The man smiled back at her, and took a proper swig from the bottle as a reply.

"You know," Bruce said, fumbling to open his second bottle. He was clearly already starting to feel the effects of his first, likely not used to drinking so much. The Asgardians certainly knew how to make hard liquor. "I spent so much time in libraries when I was in school." He raised his eyebrows, and shrugging, handed the bottle to Valkyrie for her to open. She accepted, and had the cork out with one fluid motion of her fingers.

"As did I." Loki nodded, pleased that someone else seemed to hold his appreciation for the bookshelves. "Though, I likely spent much more time in schooling then you." He smirked, subtly one-upping Bruce, who was slightly busy enjoying his second bottle. He didn't even take offense, he simply took a pause to move his lips away from the rim of the bottle to reply.

"No, no, I spent so long in college man." Bruce shook his head, slumping against the shelf behind him with a sigh. "It was like, one PhD after another, you know?" He finished, as if obtaining multiple PhD's was a relatable thing for any of the people present.

"I had fun in college." Naomi shrugged, thinking back on her years at Tulane. It had been a hell of a school, both for its academics and its parties.

"Really?" Loki turned to her, intrigued. "What did you study?"

"Marketing." She answered with a shrug. It hadn't exactly been her passion, but she had chosen the major for good reason. "It was a practicality thing."

"What does that mean?" Valkyrie questioned, unfamiliar with Midgardian education.

"It means," Bruce cut in, brandishing his now-empty second bottle for dramatic effect. "That college is stupid. I couldn't land a job until like, my fifth PhD." He frowned, pouting slightly at the memory. The others chuckled in amusement.

"Yeah, I took that major specifically for a career. Got an internship, and took the job." Naomi explained, slightly lackluster. Her first job had been one of the most boring experiences of her life, but she had a better time, or at least, a more interesting one once her branch merged with another. Then she got a whole new set of co-workers, and a boss that never failed to surprise with his insane antics.

"Why didn't you pursue what you were passionate about?" Loki asked, his mood dropping slightly. His concerned tone sobered Naomi, and forced an honest answer out of her.

"I don't really know what I'm passionate about." She shrugged, examining the floor. "Going to college and getting a stable job was just the reasonable thing to do."

"Screw reasonable." Valkyrie said, opening another bottle for Bruce as she paid attention to Naomi. As soon as the cork was out, Bruce snatched it from her with surprising dexterity.

"Yeah," He said, in between gulps. "Screw college!" The others watched on in strange fascination as the shy scientist chugged his third bottle of heavy Asgardian liquor. Valkyrie forced it away from him once he got halfway through, much to Bruce's frustration. Naomi laughed at the scene, sipping from her own bottle with reserve. She had learned the hard way that it was more fun to actually remember what she did when she got drunk. Though, that precaution had been thrown out the window the first time she met Tony.

"We should get Bruce drunk more often." Loki smirked, fingering the rim of his glass with amusement.

"I agree." Bruce hiccuped, which sent the rest of them bellowing with laughter. Despite his tipsy stupor, Bruce soon joined in the jovial atmosphere- even though Valkyrie pushed all the alcohol away from him whenever he made a grab for it. "Hey- hey, hey, Naomi." Bruce laughed through the words, vaguely gesturing at her with an uncharacteristic grin. "You should- you should make a, uh, prediction, ya know?"

"Huh?" She answered, confused by the request but still unendingly entertained.

"Cause you're like, a fortune teller and stuff." He shrugged, chuckling at the end as though he found it funny. Naomi smiled fondly at the man, before complying with the request. Throwing herself into dramatics, she cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention. Shutting her eyes tight with fake concentration, Naomi raised her hands up to her head, and pressed her fingers to her temples. Though her eyes were shut, she could still hear the sound of her friends- mainly Bruce- cracking up. Furrowing her brow, she gasped loudly, opening her eyes and looking at the shit-faced scientist.

"I predict-" She began in an ominous voice, but Valkyrie snorted and caused Naomi to lose concentration, and break into a grin. It took a few moments for Naomi to collect herself, and regain her serious attitude. She resumed, "I predict, that in the very near future, you-" she pointed to Bruce, "will have a massive hangover!" She grinned, bursting into laughter near the end.

"Very impressive." Loki grinned widely, leaning closer to her with amusement from her dramatic spectacle dancing in his eyes. Despite herself, Naomi cheeks tinted pink- though later she would blame it on the liquor.

"Shut up." She countered, not bothering to hide her smile.