They settle into the Great Hall at the centre of town. Their belongings are unloaded, but they don't have much chance to unpack- they are gifted warm blankets, heaps of clothing to choose from, and they are shown to a large bathroom with shower stalls.

Tam stares at the showerhead, "I...I get to take a shower. A real shower. With hot water."

Beside them in the next stall, Cyd is singing, "And there's soap! Give me soap! All the sudsy and dudsy and glorious soap!"

Iris, not far away, laughs under the water as though it is the best thing they have ever felt. Ayshi giggles and blows suds over the stall wall to float down on Mobius' head.

"Ayshi, you're making it snow in my shower."

Ayshi giggles again.

Loki scrubs his hair, relishing the feeling of the grime running down the drain. It has been far too long since they have had proper bathing facilities.

When they leave their showers, some wrapped in towels, others naked, they dig through the donated clothing. Some of them change in stalls, others simply dress next to the heap of garments. As soon as they are clothed, they return to the hall.

Cyd skips around the room in a long dress covered in bright flowers, a large sweater loose over his shoulders, "I get to wear colours! Colours! Look at me!" He can't help but laugh and twirl.

"You do realize that's usually women's clothes, right?" Sylvie asks him.

"Don't care," Cyd says, "This is perfect for me. Give me flowers and colours and patterns and paisley! I want everything I never had at the TVA."

Loki feels at home in comfortable clothing styled after Asgard, with some variations from this new place and this new climate. He snuggles down in a fleece blanket by the huge fireplace. The softness is soothing after living on the run for so long. He watches everyone settling in, all of them dressed as though they were from the land he once called home, and a place a different him destroyed. He's not sure how he feels about knowing this.

Thor drops down beside him and offers Loki a hug; Loki leans against him, "We've found a place, Brother. A place where we can be safe."

"I hope so."

"I know so. Valkyrie would allow no less."

"I don't know how I will fall asleep in a place where no one has to keep watch."

Thor pauses, "Do you want me to stay up and keep watch so you all feel safe?"

"Would you? I think it would help the other Loki, too. And Sylvie. Do you realize how long she was running? The TVA took her as a child and she grew up jumping through time and disasters. That she survived is incredible."

"Do you love her?" Thor asks, "You two seem close."

Loki nods, "In some way, yes. Not the same as Cyd, but I do."

A few at a time, the others come to nest in the blankets by the fire. Valkyrie has others bring in dinner- soup and biscuits, and a fizzing ginger brew. Most everyone has seconds, a few have thirds, and when everyone is full and happy, Valkyrie settles in with them.

Mobius looks around, "So...let's start with a story. It's the story of the Time Variance Authority, a place we were told was created by the Timekeepers to keep the Sacred Timeline in order, all trimmed and neat and wrapped in a bow. Dictating the proper flow of time. That was the official story and all of us who worked there believed it because we didn't have a reason not to. But then a couple of troublemakers told us who we really were and everything either fell apart of came together, depending on who you ask. But...let's start before that. Let's talk about the multiverse..."

Mobius explains the mechanics of time. Hunter explains the work of the TVA, and then the archivists tell who they were, when they were plucked from their timeline, and the work they did. The younger Loki talks about his own life in the Void. Sylvie tells of her capture. Loki talks about his. And they tell of their time together, of Lamentis and their recapture, their fight against the Timekeepers. Tam, Iris, Ayshi, and Cyd fill in what they did in between. And when their stories all start to line up, they take turns, passing the narrative back and forth, telling, for the first time, the full story of what happened to Judith. Tam cries as they talk about cleaning the blood from the floor. And then their plan, smuggling things from around the TVA and the day when they pruned each other. Through it all, they learn from one another, putting together parts of the story, each of them hearing how things came together for the first time in their entirety. And for the first time, Sylvie talks about what it was like to fight Loki, to live with knowing how she'd pushed him away, and what happened when the next Kang took control of the Citadel. By the time they wrap up their stories to the point where they step into the world of New Asgard, nearly everyone has cried at least once and Valkyrie has learned more about the workings of the universe than she ever thought she could know.

"Wow. I...I don't know what to tell you all," she says, "other than to let you know that New Asgard is quiet. It's safe. And we aren't going to ask any of you to do anything you aren't comfortable doing. If you don't want to leave for separate houses, if you need to keep the lights on at night, if you need to find someone to cry with...we're here. And people here will be patient with you. We have to be with one another. We all lost something on our way here."

Thor nods, "Thank you, Valkyrie. And you will have to help us learn what we missed. I know this world is not mine. That you knew a different Thor. But I hope I can still be your friend-in-arms."

She nods, "Thor, you're always going to be the person who fought beside me at Ragnarok and saved me from myself on Sakaar. That's what matters. That we keep that friendship strong."

"A part of me is sorry I missed those moments," Loki says, "I've seen pieces of it on the reel of my life. Not much of it, but given when in the course of my life I saw those moments...knowing I had family who did, indeed, love me, changed everything. So I hope I can be a better Loki to you than I was in the days you did know me."

"It's going to take time for me to get used to this whole multiverse thing. And that you don't know all the things we did together- you're a stranger to me and I to you, even though I fought beside a version of you. I'll try to remember that you're a different person," Valkyrie says.

Sif, quiet throughout, finally speaks, "While I don't understand how this is possible, I am willing to start again. This is New Asgard- our entire purpose here is starting again."

"Agreed. We can't go back to before, but we can make ourselves anew." Valkyrie checks the time, "It's getting late. Let's get you all some rest. Your new life can start when the sun rises."

She and Sif open benches along the side of the room and pull out pillows. They offer to find mattresses, but the little family has already pulled the blankets together to make their nest. They gasp, thrilled, at having real pillows. They snuggle together, but Thor says up to keep watch, true to his word.

In the morning, Valkyrie comes back early to check on them. Thor is still awake, but the others haven't arisen. He sits on the floor in a little nest of his own blankets facing the door. She hands him coffee.

"Thank you, Valkyrie," he whispers, "How did you know I'd need this?"

"I had a hunch. And I overheard you talking to Loki by the fire yesterday." She sits next to him and he makes space for him in the blanket nest, "You could have just waited until they were all asleep and then gotten some rest yourself."

He shakes his head, "That's not what I promised I'd do. They need to feel safe. The Void wasn't. And the young one has lived there for many years. Sometimes he had companions, but I found out that there were many years when he was alone, or it was only him and his reptilian friend."

"Who he says is another Loki variant," Valkyrie says, somewhat sceptical.

"I don't doubt him. Apparently Mobius had this conversation with him and his companion- an elder Loki who survived Thanos and lived entirely alone for many, many years until he could stand missing his Thor no longer."

"That was the one who sacrificed himself so Loki and Sylvie could get to the Citadel the first time?"

"Yes. And because of this, he left the boy alone. This is why there's a battered horned helmet in with his possessions. It was all that was left of his friend," Thor says.

"He seems quite attached to Ayshi," Valkyrie says, glancing back over her shoulder where the two of them are curled up together with the alligator draped across them.

"He found Ayshi when they woke up in the Void. He showed them to safety and reunited them with the rest of the family. And the family insisted he stay, even though he was uncertain of it at first."

"He needed the family, didn't he?" she asks, knowing the answer.

"He did. No less than any other Loki seeks it. Apparently the elder Loki said that all Lokis are sensitive- it's in their nature. They feel everything so deeply."

Valkyrie nods, "And that's why they act out, isn't it? Every rejection just settles in their souls and they'll do anything to cover it up."

Thor sighs, "Exactly. I worry about them. All of them. Well, maybe not the alligator. But the child Loki, Sylvie, and Loki my own age. I know they have been through so much. More than they were willing to tell last night. There was something that happened in the Citadel between Sylvie and Loki that goes beyond 'we fought one another and it was painful and she pushed him into a door to the TVA.' You can see it. I doubt they'll ever share it with us, though."

She rests her hand on his, "Well...we know that with kindness, they can thrive, right? Just look at them now. What you told me about who you found when you first encountered them...you didn't expect your brother to have built a family or to be at peace with them, and yet...he did. And you said he was happy, even in the Void, especially with Cyd. It was a hard existence, but knowing he was loved made all the difference."

"This is true. But what if he doubts it again?"

"He might. But we'll all be here to remind him he's worthy of it, right?" she asks.

"I don't plan on going anywhere. I mean, at least not at first. Apparently the me that was supposed to return would go forth to occasionally fly with his spacefaring friends. I wouldn't mind that. But it will have to be many years in the future when I know this family is steady."

Valkyrie sips her coffee, "I'll do what I can to make sure they feel safe. They don't seem to want to be apart. Even when I suggested that they have their own houses yesterday, they seemed uneasy. So I've been trying to find a place that will work for them."

"Did you sleep?" Thor asks her.

She smiles, "Not nearly enough. I was up at dawn. There were things to do down at the dock and I wanted to start trying to figure out where our new residents can live. I think I have an idea, but it's going to take some time to get it ready."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. There's this house that's kind of rough- two of the people who lived there died last year- they went out on the water when they shouldn't have. We tried to warn them, but...I think there was something else happening and they didn't want to come back. Their kids couldn't stay in the house alone and they went to stay with their aunt. So the house has been empty ever since- been about a year and a half."

Thor takes a swig of his coffee, "And you think this place would be a good fit for them?"

"It's big. Something like six bedrooms. Living room, dining room, huge kitchen. There's a big attic space that could probably be split into another couple of bedrooms, if they wanted. It was a pretty house once. It's pretty bare- I'll get some fresh mattresses in there and we'll get some furniture out of storage for them. Dining table, chairs, that sort of thing."

"Ah. That's good. I think they'd like that."

Valkyrie hears a question in his voice, "You want to know where you fit into all this, don't you?"

"Yes. I don't want to be too far away, but I also want Loki to thrive on his own, not under my shadow. I've always cast a long one over him," Thor says.

"You won't overshadow him here, Thor. Did you see his joy yesterday? This Loki's discovered how to be his own sunlight," she says, "But if you're really worried...you could stay with me. I'm just down the road from the big house."

"I wouldn't want to presume...nor would I want anyone to assume...you and I, well..."

She laughs quietly, "Thor, you're my friend. Whatever anyone assumes is their problem, not mine. You're welcome to have one of my other bedrooms."

"Thank you, Valkyrie. I might just take you up on that. I want to make sure Loki feels safe without me keeping watch first, though."

They hear movement behind them. Tam is up and gathering their kettle and implements to cook breakfast. When they look toward the door, Valkyrie waves them over.

Tam quietly approaches, their footfalls barely audible, "Yes?"

"You know you don't have to do that, right? We have places to cook- there's a real kitchen off the back of the hall."

Tam's face brightens, "Really?" Then their expression falls, "But I wouldn't know how to use it. I learned how to cook in the Void from the Lokis. I've never done anything else."

Valkyrie stands, "Well, then how about I show you?"

Tam's mood immediately shifts, a wide smile on their face, "Really?"

"Of course! Come on, let's get breakfast ready together." She waves for Tam to follow her and they head to the kitchen.

Thor sits and sips his coffee in the quiet of the morning chill. This place is nothing like the world he watched die in flames. But it is home.

He smiles as the clouds part and the sunlight filters in, bathing the sleepers by the fireplace in morning light. He stands and walks to the doorway, opening it so he can peer out at the village below. People are starting to wake, businesses opening, and people are greeting one another in the streets. He hears movement behind him and glances back in the hall. His family is waking. They laugh as they disentangle themselves from one another. Cyd bounces to his feet and dances in the middle of the room, grabbing Iris as they stagger, still unsteady with sleep, and they clumsily twirl.

Thor takes another sip of his coffee, "Because Asgard isn't a place, it's a people," he says, smiling. He closes the door and heads back to the people by the fireplace, opening his arms to them, excited to greet them on this first day of their new life.