Without the racial tensions and bitter context behind the terms, there was no immediate self-hatred to swallow all sense. Still, Loki picked up on the way Thor seemed eager to gloss over the apparent fact that he was of a different race and adopted. Why, unless it tied in with the disquiet associated with the words and the sense that he'd needed to hide the frost?

"I gathered that much, brother," he replied, mostly to assure Thor that this new information did not change his stance on the matter. "But you do me a disservice holding back. What are the frost giants to the Asgardians?"