"This place is nice. It reminds me of home" A dark haired man was seated in a beautiful hall, his black pupils gazing at the busy streets just outside the window. He smiled faintly as he watched some little kids playing at the side of the road. Their excited and happy expressions were refreshing to him.
The hall he was seated in truly was beautiful. The chandelier lit up the place like it was a miniature sun. The beauty it gave off explained why the inhabitants of this house had chosen to have the lights on when the sun was still out. The chair were simple but elegant. Their dull yellow colour blended perfectly with the golden chandelier, but not enough to take away the attention the chandelier got. Maybe that was why the chandelier directed its light so cheerfully to the furniture, for who didn't admire a selfless friend. It was pretty clear that the one who designed this place was a genius. And those who occupied it appreciated the brain that built it.
"Indeed it does. Which is why I bought it." A blonde haired man walked into the room with a large tray in hand. There was nothing on the golden tray but meat and ale. The newcomer had ale stains all over his golden beard, proof that whatever he was bringing wasn't his.
"Here" he handed the tray to the handsome dark haired man, who received it with thanks. "Thank you Uncle."
"Sure. You seem smitten by something outside. What draws your attention so, Forseti?" the blonde haired man curiously asked.
"The streets are really lively. It reminds me of home Uncle." Forseti smiled as he replied.
"You are homesick. It is to be expected, since it has been a long time you have been out for so long." Forseti's uncle was understanding of his nephew's predicament. Ever since Forseti's father disappeared, the dark haired god went on several battles and missions. They were all done in a bid to forget about the tragedy that was his missing father. But even during those emotional times, he had never been gone for so long. It had been several months since they began their search. In effect, it had been several months since he last returned home. It was ironic that the place he didn't want to be in at the beginning, was now the only place he'd rather be.
"That is why it's called home young one. If you do not miss it so, it isn't truly your home, for one's home is where their loved ones are." His uncle consoled him. Forseti ignored the large hand that reached for a chicken drumstick on one of the numerous plates on the golden tray. He asked surprisingly, "Don't tell me you, the great Thunder God Thor, miss home?"
"Of course I miss home. But unlike you, my home isn't complete." Thor had a sad smile on his face when he talked about his home. In his own words, a home was where a person's loved ones were. He claiming that his home was incomplete could only there were people he loved who weren't available.
"I'm sorry uncle. I shouldn't have brought it up." Forseti apologised sincerely when he saw his uncle's expression. Thor was a cheerful god. He was so cheerful that at times many forgot that he had his own wounds. Wounds that hurt greater, and that dug deeper than any other. Many didn't know of the wounds that lay open and untreated. But Forseti wasn't one of those people. He blamed himself for digging deeper into them whilst knowing how much his uncle had gone through. He had ignored Thor's emotions.
"You don't need to blame yourself. Besides, one day they would return. And I can promise you that they would do so with a large bang." Thor laughed uproariously as he spoke. It was hard to believe that the sad man before was the one acting so joyfully. Any person of logic would have concluded that he was just masking his pain, but Forseti wasn't just any person. He grew up in Asgard, beside his family. He knew his uncle well enough to see that his uncle was truly happy. This wasn't a case of bipolar disorder, but his uncle truly believed in what he said. The thunder god believed that 'they' would return. He didn't just believe it, but he believed that they would do so in a grandiose manner. And to be honest, Forseti believed it too.
It was strange though. When 'they' were still around, they never actually stayed with them. 'They' spent most of their time at their other family. Although they did come around every now and then, they didn't live with the Asgardians. Forseti thought it was strange since Thor missed them so much when they were never truly around. Maybe it was because at the time, they weren't in any danger. Hence, Thor knew they were safe. It was different now. His uncle couldn't help but worry about them now that they had pretty much no way of contacting them. And to be perfectly honest, Forseti was worried as well. But their worry wasn't due to a lack of belief that they would return unharmed. Their worry was something instinctive. It couldn't really be controlled.
"How certain are you that it is here?" Forseti asked. Thor waved his arms nonchalantly and replied, "There is nothing absolute in this universe. Even the things that are seemingly definite are not so. We can only continue to search based on the leads we have. The only definite thing must be our hope. We must always hope that we will find what we seek. And surely we will."
Forseti looked at Thor with suspicion in his beautiful eyes, as if waiting for the battle god to say something else. Thor smiled wryly when he noticed this. He sighed and confessed, "It is something my father always says."
"I knew it", Forseti nodded his head confidently. "I knew that you couldn't possibly come up with that."
"Hey. I could very well come up with that" Thor argued. "You could" Forseti agreed. "But you won't" he continued. Thor didn't argue this time. He just turned his attention to what was in his grasp.
Thor munched on the large piece of chicken in his hands. "How much have you eaten today?" Forseti wondered, also picking a chicken thigh that was only slightly smaller than Thor's. Although they were eating the same food, they ate differently. Thor ate without much regard for table manners. Forseti was different. He took very small bites in contrast to his uncle's large bites, and slowly sipped his mug of ale.
Thor chucked his ale in one straightforward gulp, "Mead is still better. And to answer your question…" Thor pointed at the tray that held Forseti's food and lifted up two fingers.
"Your appetite is still as robust as ever." Forseti bitterly stated. He knew better than to wonder how his uncle was able to eat twice of what he was having, and still leach off his meal.
"It isn't strange. We Asgardians have large appetites. Well, all of us- except you." Thor poured some more ale for himself as he spoke. Forseti didn't bother to defend himself. What was there to defend against the truth? Unlike many Asgardians, Forseti's appetite wasn't that rich. Sure compared to other races he would be considered to have a strong appetite, but not in his home world. Even Thor was considered average in the eating department, with many Asgardians capable of eating over four times what he was having.
Thor finished his chicken quickly. He wiped his hands with a large towel and picked up a small book from his pocket. The pocket book was entirely black in colour. There was nothing written on the cover, with the only thing present on it being a rune. This rune was the runic symbol for peace on Asgard. Forseti's expression grew sombre at the appearance of this book.
"How many?" he asked. He clearly knew what the book was, and his expression suggested that it was nothing good.
"Two" Thor answered calmly. The usually cheerful battle god wasn't as cheerful as he opened the book.
"So that's five men lost in half a year." Forseti stated. Since their expedition began, their small group of twenty had experienced some casualties. Asgardians were blessed with amazing vitality. Even those that weren't ascenders had the vitality and tenaciousness that only gods had. Losing only five men in a six months long expedition may be seen as negligible for most, but to them it wasn't. Not only had they lost five of their men, but they had lost five of their best, for those who were picked for this mission were extremely capable. It wasn't as if they hadn't considered such a situation. But planning for something and eventually having to meet it head on were two very different things.