Chuckling, Alys pulled out their phone and clicked on a few things before turning the screen so Hannah could see it. “I was thinking something like this.” On the screen was a woman with a similar hair texture to Hannah’s, though a darker color, with it long and styled for some event on a red carpet. “You like?”
She nodded. “You sure you have the time to do all that?” Hannah was starting to worry that she might not have the time to look after it herself, but it seemed inconsiderate to say that when seated next to Emily.
“Let me work my magic.” They gripped Hannah’s hair and went to work. The picture had put Hannah’s mind at ease but only partially.
“I have a big corporate job that I’m starting soon. Otherwise, I’d totally be up for something more interesting,” she said. They were gonna think she was boring. Everyone always did. Her dream was to be an accountant. She could at least pretend to be cool.
“I’m not trying to convince you to do anything. I just want you to be happy with the results before Emily drags you back to her place and messes up all of my work.”
Emily ignored that comment. Hannah tried to do the same but found her mind wandering back to the previous night…and a good deal into the morning. They’d fallen together so naturally. It was like they knew every button that would drive each other mad, almost like they’d known each other for years but with the frenzy of new lovers. She’d never felt anything quite like it.
“How old are you? How badly is my girl robbing the cradle?”
“She’s not. I’m twenty-two.” It was only then that Hannah realized she had no idea how old Emily was. She hoped the age disparity wasn’t as creepy as Alys was acting.
“She’s twenty-seven.”
“That’s not that bad,” Emily cut in.
“I guess.” Alys shrugged. “It’s not like she’s a few thousand years old or anything.”
“Right,” Hannah agreed, somewhat confused by the comparison.
“She mentioned meeting you at that party, so I already know how you met at least. That girl can never resist redheads.”
“Why would I want to?” Emily asked.
Hannah sighed. She remembered enough of that from the guys—and a few girls—in high school. It was a big part of why she’d waited until college to start dating. When she was young, people had made fun of her for being a redhead, quoting South Park and in general being little pricks. Then when she was older, they switched to fetishizing her and acting like a trait that millions of people had was somehow exotic. “Gee. Thanks.”
“Huh?” Emily asked, sitting upright to meet her eyes in the mirror. “Sorry. Did I say something wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” Hannah said, doing her best not to let her anger show. It wasn’t a big deal. She really liked Emily, and it wasn’t as if she’d made a big deal of it. Besides, Alys might have been joking. Maybe they’d talk about it later, but she needed to not let it get to her.
The scissors snipped near her ear, almost making her jump. “What’s this corporate job you’re starting? I’m not sure I want my friend dealing with someone who’s already selling her soul to capitalism at the poor young age of twenty-two.”
Her eyes flashed in the mirror, but she didn’t allow her annoyance to show anywhere else. She wasn’t selling her soul. This was what she wanted to do. What business was it of theirs…Hannah forced a smile to her lips, meeting Alys’s gaze. “It’s an internship with the local branch of this big company. I probably shouldn’t say anything more until it’s official. I’m not sure what all I’m allowed to say.” In truth, she knew full well that her working there wasn’t any sort of secret, but with how Alys was acting, she was pretty sure there wasn’t a company on Earth that would be an appropriate answer. Maybe Doctors Without Borders needed an accountant.
Alys’s easy smile made the whole exchange seem more like idle chatter than any sort of test. It was possible Hannah was misreading the situation. “Sounds like you’ll have some serious zeroes on your checks. I’m certainly glad Emily found someone who can take care of her.”
The internship itself was minimum wage, but the job that theoretically followed would pay well enough that she was willing to take that internship in the meantime. She neglected to mention any of this as well. “Well, we are apparently moving in together. Some wife I’d be if I wasn’t willing to support her.” It was so much easier still treating it as a joke.
“You didn’t say she was funny, Emily.” A smile showing off perfect teeth met Hannah in the mirror. “I don’t think Emily would ever be willing to be a housewife.”
“It’s not like bartending is my passion,” Emily said.
Alys quirked an eyebrow, their scissors-hand resting on their hip. “You adore it. You’ve told me time and again how much you do. Unless you were going to run off and start a vineyard or a brewery, I can’t possibly see you abandoning it.”
“Hey, since we’re apparently eloping, wanna go start a brewery with me?” Emily asked, smirking at Hannah’s reflection.
“In every way, yes,” Hannah replied, surprised by her own enthusiasm. She was pretty sure she was going to enjoy her new career, but running a brewery—especially with a beautiful woman at her side—seemed like a dream come true. It was also probably the only field for which she was more prepared than accounting. She knew her beer.
“Thanks for the suggestion, Alys. I don’t think we could afford running a business in Portland, so I guess we’re going to have to move out of town.”
“Like hell you are.”
“Maybe we’ll have some places that would buy from us here so I could visit you when we’re making deliveries.” Wait, was this a real thing? Hannah had thought they’d been joking.
Alys’s green eyes narrowed and they took a step forward, towering over Emily. “You’re staying in Portland where I can keep an eye on you, and that’s that.”
“You’re no fun.” Emily gave a forlorn sigh. “Guess I’ll just have to bartend.”
“Good.” Alys turned back to Hannah, making a few quick cuts to her hair. “Okay, I have one important question before I’m willing to approve of your marriage and new business with my best friend.”
“Okay?” Hannah asked, wondering how serious any of this was. Would either of them actually be willing to do it if they thought the other was serious? It was pretty clear that she and Emily were rather passionate about their hops, but she doubted they’d divert their life so dramatically on such a silly little whim. Then again, they were already moving in together. She should really specify that she still wanted to be an accountant, but that look in Alys’s eyes was way too intimidating.
“Do you eat meat?”
“Yes?” She offered hesitantly, worried that this was another long gag after she’d already had to put up with enough of Megan’s crap on the subject that morning.
“Cool. We’re having a barbecue Wednesday—it’s Emily’s day off—and you are officially Emily’s plus one.” They turned. “No, you don’t get a say in this, Emily.”
“It’s fine, oh god of the grill. I wasn’t going to turn down your offer.”
“Great, so I’ll see you both there.” With one last clip, they set the scissors down and took a moment to admire their work.
Hannah checked out her reflection. She didn’t look bad, though she hardly struck the same pose as whoever had been on the red carpet in that picture. “I take it I don’t have a choice, either?”
“Nope. Now hold still. I need to clean you off and blow-dry you.”
When they were done, Hannah had to admit that she was a little in love with her reflection. “I look amazing.” She’d studied Alys’s process as they had fixed it all up, and she was more than willing to put in the effort if the results were going to be this good. She looked like a model, with a wave of red falling to the middle of her back, the normal curls minimized to barely more than an attractive bounce.
Emily seemed to appreciate it as well. “Wow,” she mouthed, looking her up and down. It w
ould be well worth the work every day if it kept earning that response.
“Thank you,” Hannah said, barely able to contain her joy. She managed to keep her feet on the ground and not squeal, but it was a close call. “Seriously, this is amazing.”
“I know. I’m the best.”
“Sorry for hogging so much of your time,” Emily said. “I know you have other clients.”
“It’s fine. I’m paying myself well for your visit. You crazy kids go have fun before my four o’clock kills me.”
As it was now a little past 4:30, neither Hannah nor Emily put up a fight, instead bidding their good-byes as quickly as they could manage and rushing out of there. “So about that strip studying?” Hannah asked as they headed back to Emily’s car.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to risk you failing because I kept you busy all weekend. I suppose I don’t really have any other option.”
With Emily’s assistance, Hannah was more than ready for her finals.
Chapter Five
Alys waved to the two remaining stylists as they followed their last appointment of the day out. They’d already cleaned up their station, but Miriam always wanted to stay around talking. Today was too important, and they’d wasted far too much time on her. But at least now, Hel’s plan could finally start.
Whistling as they made their way to their car, they felt a slight smile tug at their cheeks. It would all be worth it. It had to be. She’d promised.
The drive back to their place was a short one, but it gave them more than enough time to ponder what awaited them. Now that Hannah was there, everything was finally in place. Soon they would be able to stop wearing this disguise; they could be themselves; they could do anything.
And maybe when it was all over, Emily would be able to forgive them.
The second they closed the door, they dropped their façade, letting that weight off their chest as their body shifted to be more androgynous. Their house was as empty as ever. It had been so long since anyone besides Emily had even set foot in it. Having Hannah would be so weird. They wanted to clean it up, to busy themself, to have something else to do, but it was already immaculate. Well, there were a few dishes in the sink, and their cast iron pans could do with a new seasoning, but that seemed far too minor to be a worthy distraction.
They’d just have to go ahead and do it. They’d been looking forward to this since they’d met Emily. It didn’t matter what it would cost, they couldn’t start doubting now. It was so close.
Alys opened the basement door and flicked on the light. The stairs were carpeted, and the light came from several covered ceiling lights. The place looked cheery. It hardly seemed appropriate for calling the goddess of the dead.
There was no circle in the center of the room. Such magicks were far too new for them. They traced a handful of runes in the air, and the room shimmered, revealing a woman in a plain black dress sitting before a long dinner table in an empty hall. One side of her was decayed and sunken, while the other would’ve been pretty if it wasn’t so severe. The room stretched so that Alys was at the other end of the table, an empty plate before them.
Hel smiled. “Alys. So good to hear from you.”
It took eons for dinner to be finished in Hel’s hall. She was almost always at her table. Or at least she was whenever they tried to call. She had to be elsewhere sometimes. Didn’t she? “Good evening.”
“Is that the time? I believe the entrée may get here by tomorrow.” She chuckled, a small smirk on her lips. “I trust you’ve news?”
Alys nodded. “Yes. They’ve finally made contact.” Talking like this made them feel like a spy. It was far better than feeling as if they were betraying one of their only friends in the entire world. “Thor’s name is Hannah. You were right. They weren’t able to resist each other. They were trying to joke, but they’re already talking about moving in together.”
“Is that not normal for their kind?”
There were so many different ways Hel could be stereotyping them, between them being women, gods, humans, and lesbians, that Alys didn’t care to guess which. “You don’t sound surprised. You’ve only ever told me to wait for a redhead to meet her and to let you know what happened. I did, time and again, and each time, you were disappointed that it wasn’t the right person. So you did know who you were expecting? You know Em…” They cleared their throat and hardened their tone. “You know Sif trusts me. If you needed them to meet, I could’ve set things up.”
“It wouldn’t be proper,” she said, as if that was any sort of answer. “Things have to happen as they will. All we can do is nudge from the shadows. Thor will never trust us, no matter how innocent he may appear.”
That only made it sound all the more like she knew more than she was letting on. Alys hadn’t said anything about how innocent Hannah seemed. Or how wrong it felt to be lying to her. They hated lying to everyone. When had that ever stopped them? They shook their head. “Of course.”
“Then the time is finally coming.” She let out a contented sigh as a single slice of bread was placed on her plate. A servant stood behind her, who Alys had dismissed as a statue. “Good. If there’s one thing living here has taught me, it’s patience. And yet, I do so relish the idea that I may have life again.”
Alys nodded.
“Tell me, what is Thor like?”
“She seems to be…he seems to be…nice. He’s in a sorority, wants to be an accountant.” They tried to focus on that. She wanted to go work for some giant corporation. She couldn’t be that innocent. “He’s very timid. I didn’t see anything of the boisterous countenance I’ve always read in myth. He seems young and in love. He’d probably do anything for Emily.”
“Good. We’ll use that if we must. Very good. Let me know when you learn anything more. I’ll be in touch.” The room shimmered, and she was gone, taking the table along with her. Alys stared at the fish tank bubbling against the wall.
Well, they had a barbecue planned. They’d learn more there.
✥ ✥ ✥
“Oh. Wow. You really meant barbecue,” Hannah said, staring at the smoker in the backyard.
Most people just called grilling barbecue, and it ruined any capacity for proper conversation. Alys was not most people. They intended to allow their brisket to speak for itself, and based on the look on Hannah’s face, it was doing just that. Grinning, Alys tossed her a beer from a cooler and let out a low whistle when she caught it.
“Good catch. I was kind of expecting I’d bean you in the face.”
Emily grabbed her own beer. “Play nice. I don’t want you injuring my new girlfriend. She’s still in mint condition.”
“Girlfriend?” Alys asked, staring. Emily had never been one to move that fast or to say anything like that. Was this because of who they were? Perhaps a few centuries getting to know each other did justify moving quickly this time.
Emily scratched her head, an unconvincing smile plastered on her face. “I was gonna tell you.”
“Right…” It was good news. How surprised should they act? What wouldn’t be suspicious here? “Well, I’m happy for you. You two are just so cute together.” Hopefully, that wasn’t laying it on too thick.
Hannah scratched at the label on her Full Sail amber lager and chewed her lip. “I haven’t told my friends yet either. Hell, they don’t even know we’re moving in together.”
Alys stared at her, not blinking.
“Technically, we did tell you that one,” Emily said.
“I thought you were joking.”
Hannah chuckled nervously.
Emily stared at her beer. “Sorry.”
At least they weren’t the only one keeping secrets. Why didn’t that make them feel any better? They’d be in the same place, and there was no chance of them breaking up. Whatever Hel had planned, this was good news. They needed to change the subject. They had no excuse to be hurt by Emily keeping things from them. “Did you want your brisket as a sandwich or just a plate, Hannah?”
“T
hat’s it?” Emily asked.
Alys shrugged. “Congrats?”
Hannah stared at them, and for a long moment, Alys was worried that they had been found out, and a way too beautiful Thor was going to kick their ass. “Can I have both?”
Right, the brisket. That was all that was on her mind. Of course, she was Thor after all. “Sure, there’s plenty to go around.”
Emily grabbed Hannah’s hand. “You don’t think we’re rushing into it?”
“If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” Alys insisted, almost too fast.
Hannah giggled. “I think they like us together.”
Great, they were actually going to have to talk about this. At least they didn’t have to lie. “I want my friend to be happy, and based on how much she was glowing when you two showed up at my salon the other day, I’m pretty sure you’re at the very least giving her some amazing orgasms, and it sounds like maybe even more than that.” They unwrapped the brisket now that it was done resting, and the smell almost distracted Alys enough to stop studying Hannah. “Damn, I’m a good cook. Moist or lean?”
Both women answered moist, and Alys was polite enough to not make a sex joke out of it.
They needed to not be too invested in Hannah and Emily’s relationship, but they should probably try to talk about it more. “Really, though, I think that you two could be great for each other.” They handed a plate to Emily. “There’s some vinegar sauce on the table if you still insist on your heresy.”
“I do,” Emily replied, her teeth showing in a playful grin.
“You cool with normal human sauces?” Alys asked.
“Made from humans, in humans, or by humans?”
“By humans. I’m not wasting my perfectly good bodily fluids on cooking.”
“Then yeah, I’m fine with it.” Hannah took her food, the paper plate holding up remarkably well to the mountain of meat.
“There’re rolls on the table, and there’s some sauerkraut if you want.” They served their own food and joined the others at the glass-topped outdoor table, sitting in one of the vinyl chairs. “Oh, was there anything else you needed? I hope there are still a few beers left.”
Thor: Daughter of Asgard Page 4
