The pub's interior opened before him in tones of aged oak and deep forest green, every surface carrying the patina of deliberate care. Wrought-iron sconces shaped like twisting branches lined the walls, their flickering flames, real fire, not electric imitations, throwing copper-gold shapes across the vaulted ceiling where thick wooden beams crossed overhead like the ribs of an ancient longship. The bar itself stretched along the far wall, a massive slab of dark walnut polished to a mirror sheen, and behind it, rows of bottles caught the firelight in shades of amber, garnet, and deep honey. Thor's boots were heavy on the worn floorboards as he stepped inside, the door swinging shut behind him, muffling Helheim's ambient hum.
The air tasted faintly metallic, reminding him of mornings after battles hard-won. The good times with his brothers and friends. The bad when he'd lost people he cared about. And the worst- when Surtr had destroyed it all. He gritted his teeth and pushed the feelings aside. Tonight wasn't the night for such memories. Tonight, he had one goal in mind- find out who Elle was and why she affected him the way she did.
Each step further stirred something raw inside Thor; emotions tangled with visions unknown, felt only by those who dare traverse such mystical paths between realms and stories, mingled with destiny.
Thor walked past the rustic oak tables and chairs where various patrons drank, ate, and laughed. One by one, the patrons eyed him with wary suspicion.
When Odin suggested the move from Valhalla, Thor hadn't been sure, but honestly, he'd been more comfortable living with his demons than he ever had with the angels and fanfare in Valhalla. In Helheim, he'd found the one thing he'd always wanted- peace. And when things got too quiet, he went to Odin’s fight club and took out his frustrations, usually on his dad or brothers. But occasionally, there was some other dumb soul wanting to challenge the Mighty Thor- always to their detriment.
"Thor?"
He turned before he got to the portal to Midgard.
Frigg glided toward him, her long green gown reminding him once more of the trees of Valhalla.
"Elle isn't quite done with her shift."
Thor checked his watch. Five forty-five.
"I thought she got off at five."
"She was supposed to. But Pixie didn't show up, and there's a huge crowd up there. A Midgardian football team won that yearly Super Dish thing. So the crowd is thick tonight."
"I'll wait."
"I'd be happy to pour you a drink."
"I'll wait upstairs."
Frigg looked like she wanted to say something, instead she smiled and put her hand on his arm. "Try not to start any trouble, please. The humans are worked up and celebrating. I don’t want to lose business."
"Trouble? Me?"
She chuckled. "Remember how rowdy you and the warriors three would be when you won a battle. This is the same kind of thing to the mortals. So be patient... or as patient as possible. I recently had the wooden floors redone up there, and blood is tough to remove."
Thor sighed. "Yes, Mother."
She kissed his cheek and then turned back to her deep wooden bar. Her strawberry-blonde hair intricately braided and plaited down her back. Her willowy limbs worked to pour mugs of ale and set them on the bar for the waitress to deliver. He had no idea how she didn't tire of serving people all day, every day. But he supposed serving in the pub was to her what working on motorcycles was to him. A way to pass the time.
Thor turned back to the portal and stepped through.
Elle glanced at the clock. Five fifty. Thor would arrive any minute, but she couldn't bail on Val and Kirsten. The mortals were more obnoxious than she'd seen them before. She'd stopped counting the number of fake compliments thrown her way meant to flatter her into speaking to the various men. She wondered if all mortals thought stupid lines like- 'Somebody call the cops because it's got to be illegal to look that good!' And 'Hey girl, are you a beaver? Cause damn!' And worst of all, 'Is that a mirror in your pocket? Cause I can see myself in your pants.'- were intelligent ways for a man to attract a woman's attention. She wasn't sure what the last one meant, but she didn't want to ask either.
Elle dropped off another round of beers to a corner booth full of guys and girls whose faces had been painted blue and white. One guy wore no shirt but had painted a blue number 42 on his chest. Elle couldn't understand the obsession with adult men playing a silly ball game- especially by people they didn't know.
Over the last weeks, she'd come to understand mortals had many fascinations she didn't understand. One was football. Another game called soccer, though she thought those names should be switched. She also didn't understand their fascination with shiny, sleek automobiles and music whose lyrics made no sense. But the strangest of all was on Wednesday nights when patrons would become quite inebriated and sing badly in front of everyone at the pub. Why in the world they would embarrass themselves, she had no idea. She herself sang well but had no desire to do so in front of a crowd.
Elle set her tray on the bar, and Val shoved another tray toward her without looking.
"Table sixteen."
Elle's gut clenched every time Val refused to meet her eye. Val remained angry about Thor more than about Elle telling her to back off. Elle knew Val was only mad because she was scared for both of them. Even so, Elle tired of being treated like a sheltered child. They had come to Midgard to leave that behind. If she couldn't build some sort of life for herself, what was the point of leaving their prison? The only things she'd done since arriving were work at the pub, read in her room, and sleep. Aside from the strange party at Frigg’s, she'd basically done the same things she had back home- minus the abuse.
Elle lifted the tray and walked toward table sixteen.
Thor stepped out from behind the curtain which hid the staircase and portal to Helheim. Her body flushed with heat at the sight of his handsome face, and she turned away.
She set the drinks down on table sixteen to endure another round of stupid comments aimed at her beauty and body.
