Heaving a sigh, Thor set the device on the table only to snatch it back up as it sounded off. The message was not from his brother, was not some too-late refusal to come after all and he sighed again. The sound reminded me of his mother, how she had always hated to hear it. A sigh does nothing but chase away happiness and opportunity, she would say to him. Perhaps she was right, but it seemed all Thor had these days were bad habits and he was thankful to have even that much. Rapidly, he began to lose everything and here he was grasping onto any and everything he could cling to, even if all those things were consisted of traits best thrown away. In the light of losing home and family and freedom, Thor held stubbornness and self-sacrifice tight in his hands as if they could save him.
Though he knew they could not, it was better to pretend.
The knock at the door was expected (though dreaded). The punch that landed squarely on his jaw was not.
Having endured a lot of pain in his life, the actual blow had not bothered him as much as it ought to, no, what troubled him was the sentiment behind it. The second swing was easier to avoid; the technique left too much room for the opponent to get the upper hand. While his reflexes were mildly impaired by the lingering effects of his most recent attempts to escape reality, his mind was still capable of reading the flaws in his brother's stance, how his center was off, that he lost too much power with the angle of his fist. It was almost disgusting how Thor had fighting like this down to a science, but what was worse than that were the thoughts that came after.
It was obvious there was a power discrepancy here; Thor, while only slightly taller, was heavier and despite having not trained in years, still held most (if not more) of the muscle he had at the time he volunteered. That brawn had made him an intimidating Tribute and the promise of his strength made him a favorite among those in the betting pool, while his face and charm won over the rest. His skill, however, was what had earned him his exceptionally high training score. And that skill was deadly.
Without hesitation, Thor caught his brother's fist and pushed back slightly, just enough. Instinct took over and Thor knew with his bad leg, Loki was easier to throw off balance. It would be almost too easy. Frustrated and horrified, he released his brother's hand and stepped back.
"How are you going to stop me?" Thor challenged, trying to keep his mind on the conversation to help him drown out the memories that were all starting to flood back.