"Do you think I'm wrong?"
"I am in no position to tell anyone what they should do with their life."
"Have you thought about what you want to do with your life? I'm sure you don't want to waitress at the Raven Weaver for the rest of your existence."
"Lady Frigg has been kind to me, but no, I do not wish to waitress forever."
"Have you found anything else you might want to do?"
Elle’s food arrived in a small box. Chicken in a brown sauce, a salad, some dumplings, and rice. She stabbed at her salad. She'd spent a lot of time thinking about what to do with the rest of her life now that she had a choice as well as time to herself.
"I'm not sure,” she finally said. “I love to read, and I've always loved music, but I haven't researched what I could do with either. I've seen the people doing karaoke at the Raven Weaver, and not only do I not understand why they do it, but I don't think I'd ever sing in front of people."
"You can sing?"
Elle shrugged. "Yes. I've never sung in front of other people, though."
"Would you sing for me?"
She stared at him for a moment. "Now?"
He squeezed her hand. "When you’re comfortable."
Her stomach twisted like her insides had turned to worms. "All right."
He smiled at her, making her smile in return.
"What about jewelry making?" he asked. "Have you ever worked with anything more than base metal?"
"I've polished rocks before."
"Polished rocks?"
"Yeah. I found different rocks around… where I lived, and if I liked their color, I would pick them up and polish them until they were the shape and size I liked."
He stared at her. "By hand?"
She nodded.
"How long did that take?"
"A couple of them took me several years."
He shook his head. "You are indeed incredibly talented, as well as patient. I could never be that patient."
"I am sure if you'd had as much time on your hands as I used to, you'd learn to become that patient."
Thor snorted. "I lived in Valhalla, where I had nothing but time, and I'm still impatient."
She laughed. "Maybe that's a 'you' problem."
"I'm sure it is. Even though I enjoy taking motorcycles apart and putting them back together, I find myself getting halfway through and suddenly wishing I was already done."
They finished the rest of their meal talking about things to do in Los Angeles and the parts of Midgard Thor had visited in the past century. The conversation flowed easily, as if they'd been friends for years.
She learned Thor had traveled extensively when he'd first arrived. He'd taken to riding a motorcycle around the whole country of America before settling down in Helheim. Surprisingly, his bikes were in demand, and he made a decent living. Not that he needed money.
"Have you thought about moving to Helheim?" asked Thor as they finished up.
