Thor takes a quiet lunch with Loki's family before heading back to the city. Mobius made one thing clear- trust will have to be earned, and it won't happen in just a day. This will take time- days of lunches or helping with scavenging for resources just to earn enough trust for Loki to talk to him. And while Thor is impatient, he tempers his enthusiasm and tries his best to wait.

When Loki is near him, he smiles, cautiously greets him, and waits to see if Loki will gift him with his words. Initially, Loki says little. Occasionally, he replies with a hello or takes a moment to ask Thor for something he needs. But the conversation is limited and Thor has to try to be content with these small moments. It seems strange to him to yearn for even the inane chatter he used to think he could live without.

Thor spends more of his time talking to Mobius and Hunter, learning about the TVA and the Sacred Timeline. The former archivists initially don't talk to Thor much, but their curiosity gets the better of them. Iris asks him for the first story- to tell them about Asgard, but to describe things they wouldn't have seen on the life reels. Thor is initially stumped, but then tries to describe the weather, the smell of flowers, and the way the waves sound on the shore when sitting quietly on the bridge, listening to the music of the world around him. When he is done, he notices Loki, repairing damaged garments at a bit of a distance, with his head tilted as though he has been listening, a small, sad smile on his face. Thor doesn't mention it, but it makes him happy to know that Loki was taking something he said to heart. He hopes he did Asgard justice with his descriptions. He knows he likely didn't. Loki has always been the more poetic of the two of them.

Over the course of a few weeks, Thor tells of Asgard, of Vanaheim, and of Midgard. He shares stories of his own journeys, careful to craft his tales to be truthful, but to avoid things he thinks might drive his brother to retreat. It feels unnatural to be so cautious around Loki, but he remembers what Mobius told him as they talked on the first day he'd encountered this group of friends, this family- Loki has had to rebuild himself, Loki has had to come to terms with his own insignificance, and Loki has had to learn he doesn't have to be what anyone else expects. And because of these things, Thor needs to let go of his expectations, to understand Loki doesn't think he's of any unique significance or gift to the universe anymore, and that this growth has often been painful and full of self-doubt. He has to approach his brother as he would have when the were children and Loki's sensitivity was most on display. And he has to remember that this Loki is not someone he really knows.

Then there is the child. This younger Loki listens to the stories from his hiding place within their hovel for a few weeks before he is brave enough to venture out while Thor is present. When he first does, it is only for brief moments, his alligator companion ever beside him. He is a cautious observer, he and the reptile staying a few steps behind one of their friends every time they come near Thor. But eventually, the stories seem to tempt him to listen for a moment and he lingers a little longer before once again retreating to the hovel or to a task at a greater distance. Thor recognizes little mannerisms in him that remind him of his brother as a child. They are small, but they are there. He has to remind himself that this younger person isn't the same person he knew when he and Loki were children and, even had they been, all that has happened in the years since, in the time in the Void, has changed him into someone very different. But even still, there is a part of Thor that starts thinking of this young person as another sibling well before the two of them have spoken.

They are anxiously watching Alioth tear through another variant timeline when Ayshi gently urges the younger Loki to approach Thor, their alligator friend close beside. Ayshi sits down next to Thor as he very carefully eases pieces of scrap sheet metal into a luggage rack they are planning to rig to the back of the car in case they have to pack quickly and run. Loki the youth and Loki the alligator settle in on Ayshi's other side.

Thor looks over to them, "Hello, my friends. I'm happy to see you joining me."

"Oh?" Ayshi asks.

"Of course. We haven't spent much time together. I'm grateful for these moments we do have together, no matter how brief you need them to be."

Ayshi nods, "I'm grateful for your patience. It's been interesting having you here."

Thor wants to ask what they mean by this, but instead merely smiles in acknowledgement and continues working on the metal in his hands, easing lightning from his fingers to carefully weld pieces together. It is a skill he is still cautious with, his seams uneven, but when they hold, he is immensely proud of himself.

Ayshi draws a snare from a basket they've placed within reach of both themself and Loki and begins to repair it. The strange bird-like creatures that exist in this place are stronger than they look, and difficult to catch. Loki follows suit.

After a few minutes of silence, he speaks, "So...is it strange for you to be here with me?"

Thor pauses his work and looks over to Loki, "In what way?"

"Well...I'm a kid. A very old kid, sure, but...whatever the Loki was like when you were growing up, I know I'm not him."

"No, you're not," Thor says, "But after I came to understand what it means to be a variant, I don't really see you as any different than the others, even if you were a different Thor's brother. We're all from different times and places- even were you to look just like the Loki I knew as a child, you wouldn't be the same person. I suppose it was strange when I first found out, but now? Not so much. Now your alligator friend...he...he surprises me. I don't really understand how a Loki could also be an alligator. Not that there's anything wrong with it, mind you. I'm getting rather used to not understanding how something works and yet still living with it."

Loki nods, "I still don't understand how we exist outside of time. Even after Mobius and Loki tried to explain everything about the TVA, I still don't get it. Why try to control time? And if He-Who-Remains is trying to prevent some versions of himself from destroying everything, why not go back and prune those other versions as they start to get dangerous? Why cause all of this to control everyone else when you could just make it so nobody ever discovers how to move between timelines?"

Ayshi sighs, "It really makes everything that more awful, doesn't it, when you think about the fact he could have just stopped himself and yet here we are... My own timeline cut short because we won and thousands of people didn't die horrifically enough."

"Your friends have told me about your timeline. Your uprising and victory. And your friend who, I think, is today Tam, they told me what was supposed to happen to you," Thor says, his face crossed with sadness, "And how that was a part of the Sacred Timeline, I do not know."

"Neither did Judith," Ayshi says.

Thor nods, "Iris told me of Judith. She was a warrior to the end. A hero. You all are, even if you don't remember so much of your stories." Ayshi smiles and quietly thanks him. Thor wonders if he's said too much.

"I wish we could stop it," Loki says," I wish we could get rid of Alioth and stop all this pruning of timelines. It doesn't even make sense that it's still happening. If everything is diverging anyway, why can't he just leave time alone?"

Ayshi shrugs, "Well...one day, we're going to have to go somewhere...and while we have TemPads, they'll just hunt us wherever we go. So...there's only one place we can go. We can ask."

Thor stares at Alioth, "You mean get past the beast? Like Mobius says they did before?"

"Loki and Sylvie did before," Loki corrects him, "He didn't do it. It was them. They enchanted Alioth."

"Aye, true. But can he do it alone again? Or is this a skill you and he share?"

"No. I can't. I don't know anyone else who can, either. But it's the only place we can go."

Thor sighs, "I understand. Yet at the same time, I'm not sure I want to come face-to-face with a being who sees the horrors of the universe as necessary hells in the name of preventing his own madness from destroying everything."

Loki nods, "I don't think I want to, either, but...we're not the only ones here, and one of us already has. So I guess we wait for him to lead."

"I've yet to be able to talk to him."

"Until today, you hadn't been able to talk to me, either," Loki answers.

Thor smiles, "This is true, and I thank you for this gift."

Loki stands and stretches, "I think I need to rest though, so until I'm ready next time..." He walks off with the basket of snares, intending to continue the repairs when he is alone. His alligator companion leaves with him.

Ayshi stays with Thor, "That went really well. I'm proud of him."

"Oh?"

"He's been worried for weeks. He's faced horrible things in this place, but risking your rejection was something he was more scared about." Ayshi fiddles with the still-broken snare in their hands, "Even with whatever happened, he still yearns for the family he lost. We can't replace them. But at least we can help him heal, even if it's only a little."

Thor glances back to the hovel where the younger Loki ducks into the door as the older Loki steps out, holding back the door, "I only hope the same can go for my other brother."

"It will. I know he hasn't said more than a few words to you. But he's listening. Every time you're here, you're telling him what he means to you."

"I just wish I could hear it in his voice," Thor admits.

"I know. And you will," Ayshi replies, "He won't go to the Citadel without having talked to you first. Just be patient a little longer. I think he's close. But I think there's still something on his heart he can't bring himself to talk to you about."

"Do you know what it might be?" Thor asks.

"No," Ayshi answers, "And the only person I think here might know would be Cyd. But...there's a part of me that thinks there's something here he needs to talk to only you about."

Alioth roars and drifts away from the remains of the recently devoured timeline. Thor doesn't have another response for Ayshi and can't think of how to continue the conversation. He lets the silence settle over them and returns to working on the metal in his hands. Ayshi stays quietly with him until the snare in their hands is repaired, then returns to the hovel to continue their work.

Thor watches the cloud beast and hopes they have time to wait for whatever it is that Loki has on his heart he can't yet say.