"I... I've been here about a month but... not down here."
"You live in Midgard?"
She nodded.
He realized that though she clutched the railing with one hand, their other hands still connected. Power radiated from her fingertips like a warm pulse of energy. He wanted to ask her what she was, but didn't want to pry. The way she looked at him made him think that one wrong question or stern word, and she might crumple. His appearance wasn't at its best, he had to admit, but she looked at him like he was a void dragon about to swallow her whole.
"Do you want me to take you back to Midgard? Can you find your place from there?"
"If... we go through the Raven Weaver."
His eyebrows scrunched together. "Frigg's place?"
"I... work there."
It wasn't possible. He'd been a bouncer at Frigg's weekly almost since the beginning, and he'd never seen her.
"How long-"
“Get out of my way!” A blonde beauty with storm gray eyes and a deadly expression stomped out the front door. She pulled a long coat around her shoulders, spotted them, and strode toward them.
"Elle!" she scolded. "What are you doing out here? I told you to wait for me."
Elle? The beautiful creature’s name was Elle.
Elle wrapped her arms around herself. "But... I was supposed to talk to different men. It was a mating party."
The woman retracted the blade at her wrist and stepped up to Elle, tore the mask from Elle’s face, and tossed it to the ground, where it promptly disappeared. She pulled Elle from Thor and looked her over as if checking to see if Thor had hurt her.
"Hey," he protested. "I was helping her. Who are you?"
"Val," said Loki, jogging down the steps to join them.
Val glowered at Loki. "I am more than capable of answering and taking care of myself, thank you."
"So you've told me. Twice already." Loki smiled broadly.
Val rolled her eyes. "We should go." Val wrapped an arm around Elle’s shoulders and propelled her down several steps.
"Wait." Thor reached for Elle's hand again but missed.
She turned, and he got a good look at her face for the first time. The sight made his gut clench. A smattering of delicate freckles scattered across her porcelain skin, like stars on a moonlit night. Her eyes, ensnared him with an intensity both all-consuming and unnerving. High cheekbones, sculpted as if by the chisel of a divine artisan. Her lips, full and lush, beckoned him to linger a moment longer.
As he stood before her, haunted by ghosts of a past too painful to relinquish, he found himself drawn to the enigma she presented. Each feature spoke of a sorrow masked by serenity. The air around them thickened with tension, a tangible cloak that draped over their shoulders. He fought for something more to make her stay, but he couldn’t find words.
Val pulled on Elle's once more. "No waiting, Odinson. We are leaving."
Thor wanted to say something else, but had no idea what the relationship was between the two women; if it had been anything untoward, Loki wouldn’t have stood by. Even he wasn't that bad.
Elle stared at him for a moment and dropped her gaze to the ground. "Thank you for your kindness, Thor Odinson."
The way she said his name shot him straight in the heart.
"When do you work next?" he asked without thinking.
Val scowled, took Elle by the hand, and propelled her forward.
Elle turned over her shoulder. "I work every day."
