"A combination of both, I suspect," Thor said. "His seidr was not as strong as it is now, when he was a child, so he likely hid when he needed to release the spell. I know not where his hiding place was, though."

"Well, if there was a castle, there were probably lots of hiding places, right?" someone else piped up.

"He sounds like the kind of person who would know," someone else said.

Thor chuckled a bit.

"Indeed, Loki knew of all of the best places to hide within our home," he said. "He had a dozen spots I knew of, and likely thrice-again as many that I did not."

"So did you get into mischief too?" one girl asked rather shyly.

"Plenty," Thor replied with a grin. "Not as much as my brother, to be sure, but I did have my share of fun as a boy."

"Like what? Tell us more!" The questions and demands came thick for a few moments before people settled into an expectant hush. Doreen couldn't help but giggle.

Thor considered for a moment.

"Having Loki as a brother was sometimes an unfortunate thing," he said. "He was always so clever, it drove me mad. I fear I was always looking for ways to out-do him somehow. So, of course, as boys do, I attempted to prove my own cleverness and stole down to the kitchens one night. Set out on the counters before me were such an array of pastries that my child-self had never known.

"I stole as many as I could carry and rushed back to my chambers as quickly as I could. Of course, I knew I couldn't hope to hide all of the pastries I'd acquired, so I did what any lad my age would have done. I was ill for three days after from eating near my weight in pastries."

Everyone laughed at that, put more at ease by his similarities to humans. The group ended up growing and settling comfortably around Thor, and Doreen smiled a bit and just watched.

Thor gave them a couple more stories, these ones also containing some of his and Loki's various misadventures. It pleased him that he could set everyone at ease like this; it wasn't something that had ever happened before.

Everyone was laughing at his stories, clearly enjoying just being able to see him and talk to him. Everything was also surprisingly low-key. Not a lot of people had phones out obviously recording things.

Dusk fell more quickly than Thor expected, and the moment the sun fully slipped below the horizon, he stood up.

"It is time for us to return, I believe," he said as he helped Doreen to her feet.

Doreen accepted his hand, getting to her feet. The group grumbled good naturedly but there were a few cheers as people realized that Ragnarok had been averted.

Thor chuckled.

"My thanks," he said to the group. "You were an attentive audience."

Several people thanked him or drifted over to say bye. Doreen just waited patiently.

Once the crowd dispersed, Thor offered his arm to Doreen.

"My lady," he said. "I do believe we should head back."

Doreen smiled a little. "Alright," she agreed, taking his arm. "If that's what you want."

"Unless you had other plans," Thor amended, looking at her. "I have no qualms about staying out a while longer."

Doreen shook her head. "Nope, I've got no plans, except maybe hiding in my room for a while."

"Then perhaps we can take our time returning," Thor said. "There are no longer any pressing issues requiring attention, after all."

"Very true." Doreen smiled a bit. "Is there anything else out here you'd like to see? Or anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Not this evening," Thor replied. "I believe for tonight, staying in might be best. What do you think?"

"Sounds fair to me," Doreen said. So she headed back towards the tower. At least it wasn't her turn to make dinner tonight too.

Thor kept pace with her.

"My thanks for your company today," he said as they got to the tower. "It was very much appreciated."

Doreen smiled a bit. "I'm just glad we were able to come up with a suitable diversion," she said. "Really, it was my pleasure to spend the day with you."

"Perhaps we might take another day together soon?" Thor suggested, looking at her.