Loki's voice came from behind him.
"What are you looking at?"
Thor turned around and saw Loki walking onto the balcony as well.
"Looking at them," he said, nodding toward the street below.
Loki followed his gaze.
On the street, a young couple walked by hand-in-hand; the girl said something, and the boy burst into laughter.
An elderly man walking his dog moved slowly, his Golden Retriever stopping occasionally to sniff at a utility pole.
In the distance, a taxi stopped, and a middle-aged man carrying a briefcase got out, walking tiredly into an apartment building.
Loki watched for a long time.
"Mortals," he said softly.
Thor nodded.
"Mortals."
The two were silent for a moment.
Then Loki said, "They don't live very long."
Thor was taken aback and turned to look at him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," Loki said.
"These mortals live a hundred years at most; after a hundred years, they die. Then their children continue to live for a hundred years, and then they die too. Generation after generation, like the tide, they come and go, go and come."
His tone was calm, but Thor could hear what lay beneath that calmness.
"What... are you trying to say?"
Loki didn't answer immediately.
He watched the elderly man walking his dog below, watching him slowly walk away and slowly disappear around the corner.
Then he said, "I was wondering, if they can only live for a hundred years, how do they live?"
Thor fell silent.
He didn't know how to answer that question.
He had lived for over a thousand years and would continue to live for a very, very long time.
He had never considered what the concept of "only living for a hundred years" was like.
A hundred years...
To him, it was just the duration of a war, the length of an expedition, or the time it took for a single mission.
But to a mortal, that was a lifetime.
"I don't know," he finally said.
Loki gave a soft laugh.
"I don't know either," he said.
"But I think... maybe that's why they work so hard, build such tall buildings, light such bright lamps, and live such vibrant, bustling lives."
He looked out at the glittering city.
"Because they have no time to waste."
Thor remained silent.
He looked at the mortals coming and going below—lives he had previously thought of as "minuscule," "fragile," and "insignificant."
He suddenly felt that perhaps they weren't so minuscule after all.
"Dinner's ready!"
Mavuika's voice came from inside the house, interrupting their respective thoughts.
Thor immediately turned and strode back inside.
Loki stood on the balcony for a moment longer, looking at the brightly lit city and those mortals he could never truly understand.
Then he gave a soft laugh and turned to walk back inside.
The dining table was covered with food.
Mavuika had ordered a lot—pizza, fried chicken, fries, salad, roasted ribs, and a large plate of pasta.
Of course, there was also alcohol—several bottles of red wine, white wine, and beer, piled high on the table.
Thor's eyes widened, and he immediately sat down, reaching out to grab a slice of pizza.
He took a huge bite.
"This—it's delicious!"
Loki sat down elegantly beside him, picked up a strand of pasta with a fork, inspected it closely, and then put it in his mouth.
He chewed a few times and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"It is indeed not bad," he said.
Thor was already starting on his second slice.
"Big Sister, what is this? What's this meat on top?"
"Pizza. That's Italian sausage on top."
"Italy? Where's that?"
"A country."
"Delicious! And what about this?" He pointed at the fried chicken.
"Fried chicken."
"And this?"
"Fries."
Thor asked as he ate, his mouth so full that his words were muffled.
Mavuika didn't mind and answered him one by one.
Loki ate quietly to the side, occasionally looking up at their interaction with a faint smile on his lips.
After three drinks, Thor became even more talkative.
"Big Sister, did you know? Recently, Mother personally sewed me a new robe. It's gold with red trim, very beautiful. She said it's a new style she learned from Vanaheim, and I'm the only one in all of Asgard who has it."
Mavuika nodded with a smile.
"And then?"
"And then... then I wore that robe to a banquet. Fandral said I'm the most handsome prince in the Nine Realms, Hogun said I'm the most valiant warrior, and Volstagg said—"
"Volstagg said your robe reminded him of roast meat," Loki interrupted from the side.
"Because your robe is gold with red edges, it looks like a perfectly roasted steak."
Thor's face flushed, and Loki chuckled softly.
Mavuika watched from the side, thoroughly amused.
"Alright, alright," she raised her glass. "Cheers!"
Thor and Loki also raised their glasses.
The three glasses clinked together with a crisp sound.
"Cheers!" Thor said loudly.
"Cheers," Loki said softly.
The three of them drained their glasses.
After a few more rounds, Thor's face was as red as a piece of charcoal.
He began to tell stories of his years in Asgard, speaking with great animation and gesturing wildly, occasionally standing up to act things out.
Loki would occasionally add a few words... mainly to undermine him.
"That flagship wasn't smashed by his hammer; he missed his aim, the hammer flew out and snapped the flagship's mast, then the flagship crashed into another ship, and they both sank together."
"That's because—"
"He didn't save that trapped warrior either; he got himself trapped as well, and then Father arrived and saved them both together."
"That's because—"
"And that time in Muspelheim, he didn't fight a fire dragon at all; he was chased by the fire dragon and ran for three days and three nights before he finally made it back."
"Enough!" Thor finally couldn't help but roar, "Can you just shut up!"
Loki took an elegant sip of his wine.
Thor glared at him.
Loki remained calm and unruffled.
Mavuika was laughing happily by the side, her smile never fading.
It had been hundreds of years.
These two guys hadn't changed a bit.
Looking at Thor's huffy appearance and Loki's "what are you going to do about it" expression, she suddenly felt a warmth in her heart.
This was family.
No matter how long they were apart, no matter how far they were separated, as long as they sat together, they were still the same.
The three of them drank and chatted for a while longer.
Thor finally couldn't hold out any longer, leaning back on the sofa with his head nodding down.
Loki also yawned, his eyes starting to turn red.
Mavuika checked the time; it was already three in the morning.
She stood up.
"Alright, let's get some sleep. There's still a lot to see tomorrow."
Thor nodded drowsily, and Loki stood up as well.
Mavuika pointed to the rooms on the first floor.
"Thor, you sleep in this room. Loki, you sleep in that one."
Thor struggled to stand up and wobbled toward the bedroom.
At the door, he turned back to look at Mavuika.
"Big Sister."
"Hmm?"
"...Goodnight."
Mavuika smiled.
"Goodnight, Thor."
Thor grinned and pushed the door open to enter the bedroom.
Loki took the blanket Mavuika handed him.
"Goodnight, Big Sister," he said.
Mavuika nodded. "Goodnight, Loki."