High flying

Soon after her lunch with Sagnar, Dreufey told Sunniva that she would like to do a Jotun.

"I'll get the cosmetics this evening," Dreufey explained. "That way, I can get started right away."
"Isn't that a little soon?" Sunniva asked. "Don't you want to give it a day or two? You don't want to come across as too eager."
"I don't think I can please him too much, to be honest. He's enthralled by me, and he'll be nothing but delighted if I go along with his suggestions."
"I admire your confidence."
"Thank you. So, that's a yes then?"
"It's fine with me. I'll just have to clear this with Einar."
"You're still good friends, I take it."
"We are, but it's frustrating. Einar is terribly reserved."
"He's not like Sagnar, is he? Homing in on his target right away."
"Einar isn't a Jotun, you know. He's refined and educated. He's not a brute."
"There you go again with your 'Jotuns are all brutes'."
"Because they are, and you'll find out the hard way if you're not careful."

Dreufey didn't share Sunniva's concerns, at least not in the way Sunniva was expressing them, because Sagnar had been nothing but a gentleman and good company. The danger was not so much in Sagnar as it was in the fact that Dreufey was spying on him. If Sagnar was to discover Dreufey's true identity, things could turn ugly.

The situation was delicate. On the one hand, doing a Jotun for Sagnar would please him and make him more open to her influence. On the other hand, Dreufey's transformation back into a blond blue-eyed girl might end up a little too successful, and reveal her to be a bona fide Vanir goddess.

But the benefits outweighed the risks. A return to her normal self would simplify her morning routines. It would also eliminate the possibility of her contact lenses slipping or otherwise revealing that she's something other than a Dark Elf. Doing a Jotun for Sagnar would in this way reduce her chances of being found out. All things considered, Dreufey would be better off as a Jotun lookalike, so her decision wasn't difficult.

Sunniva received a reply from Einar towards the end of the day, saying that there wasn't any rules against doing a Jotun at Ivaldi & Sons. Dreufey was free to go ahead with her plan if she so wished. It might even be a good thing, he added, considering that many of their clients were from other planets. A Jotun lookalike among the receptionist might make some clients feel more at home. 

That settled it as far as Dreufey was concerned. Going back to her apartment that evening, she felt elated. She was going to take off her contact lenses first thing on getting home, and she was going to give herself a warm bath. Never again was she going to put her contact lenses back in, nor was she going to use her special shampoo. She was going to return to her old self, and the thought of it put a smile on her face.

Dreufey could finally relax. She would no longer have to double check her appearance in a mirror before going out. She could be herself, and if anyone asked she could tell them that she was doing a Jotun. Even her dialect wasn't that much of a problem anymore. That too could be explained away as part of her act if she was to say something out of character.

To celebrate, Dreufey made a simple pasta dish for herself which she ate out on her balcony. Sitting there, on the bench facing the view, she felt on top of the world. The city before her looked a lot less menacing, and the sunset looked all the more colourful.

The next morning, Dreufey returned to her station wearing no contact lenses and with her skin and hair faded due to lack of upkeep. Her change in skin tone was so subtle that it wouldn't have drawn any attention from her colleagues on its own. However, her round blue pupils made everyone turn and look.

Sunniva too was taken by surprise even though she was fully prepared for Dreufey's transformation.

"You look so different," she said.
"It's amazing what a pair of contact lenses can do for you, don't you think?" Dreufey replied.

Sunniva was curious. She peered into Dreufey's eyes.

"They look totally real," she said. "Where did you get those?"
"In a cosmetics store in Sindri's market."
"The pupils react to light. How is that even possible?"
"Modern technology at its finest."
"But we don't produce these things. They're not in our catalogue. I would have known if they were."
"Ivaldi & Sons aren't the only engineers on this planet. Sindri has a team of engineers too."
"And they made these lenses."
"I believe so."
"So, you're showcasing Sindri's technologies here at Ivaldi & Sons?"
"Is that a problem?"
"You bet it is. But I won't say anything to Einar. That's how good a friend I am."

However, it was doubtful that Einar would have reacted negatively to Dreufey's cover story. Of more importance to him would have been the fact that Dreufe's new appearance did in fact draw foreigners to her station. Sunniva and Dreufey did brisk business as a consequence, and with this being reported up to higher management, it was only a matter of time before this would result in some type of reward.

"I have to thank my lucky star for having met you," Sunniva said at one point. "Not only have you helped me come in contact with Einar, you're making us a stellar sales team as well. I would think you some sort of goddess if I didn't know better."
"That's quite a compliment," Dreufey replied. "But this has nothing to do with me. This is divine intervention at the highest level. It's the gods themselves interfering directly in our lives."
"You think so?"
"I'm sure of it. This is just too good to be pure coincidence."

Nearer to lunch time, Sagnar came into the reception area as part of his daily routine, and he noticed Dreufey's transformation right away.

"So, you must be Dreufey the Jotun," he said with a satisfied smile.
"I am indeed. What do you think?"

Sagnar stepped back to get a better look at her.

"I like it," he said. "You show potential."
"You think I could be a real Jotun one day?"
"Oh... That's a tough one. It would require much work on your part. There's so much more to being a Jotun than just looking the part."
"Is that so?"
"Absolutely."
"Would you care to elaborate?"
"Not here and now. There's too much to say."
"What a shame. I had hoped for a quick lesson."
"Sorry, I can't do that. The Jotun lifestyle can't be explained in a couple of word."
"So, what do you suggest? How am I to learn all the ways of a true Jotun?"
"We could start with something informal, like a dinner date."
"What a great idea."
"How about Saturday?"
"Ooh, I don't know. Let me check my agenda."

Dreufey pulled her notebook out of her purse.

"Looks like I can squeeze in some time," she said.
"Six o'clock? If that's not too early for you."
"That's perfect. Where do we meet?"
"I'll pick you up at your apartment."
"You know where I live?"
"I have access to the personnel files. I'm the security guy, don't you know?"
"Ah! That's true. How silly of me to forget."

Sagnar noted down the date in his notebook.

"Okay, six o'clock this Saturday afternoon it will be."

Then he bid the ladies goodbye in his usual no nonsense tone as if he'd just secured a routine business appointment. 

"You're not wasting any time, are you?" Suniva said with evident envy once Sagnar was out of hearing distance.
"Dating a brute has its advantages," Dreufey replied with a smile.

The rest of the week continued along the path it was already on. Business with foreigners remained elevated at Sunniva and Dreufey's desk. Dreufey's skin and hair faded from dark brown to a lighter tone. By Saturday afternoon, her skin and hair was only slightly darker than her natural look.

Dreufey decided to wear the outfit she had worn the first day she had seen Sagnar, but with her blouse open in the neck and wearing the ruby necklace that she had received as a gift from Freya. Dreufey also applied a few drops of Freya's love potion to her neck and pulses, but that was the total extent of her extravagance.

Sagnar arrived at Dreufey's door at six o'clock, and he looked as sharp as his timing. His hair perfectly trimmed, his dark green suit immaculate, and his eyes as intense as ever.

"May I have the honour?" he asked.
"Well, of course. Come in if you please."

Sagnar stepped into Dreufey's flat with the air of a connoisseur.

"It's quite a place you got here," he said with approval. "Not bad at all for a receptionist."
"I saved up some money before coming here," Dreufey replied. "And it's not all that expensive, to be honest. I may be a receptionist. But I'm not any old receptionist. I'm employed by Ivaldi & Sons, and they pay us well."

Sagnar went over to the French windows facing out towards the balcony.

"It's an impressive city, don't you think?"
"Biggest city in the universe, they say. Yet well managed and orderly."
"It's amazing what technology can do."

Sagnar turned to Dreufey, who had just put on her coat and hat.

"Are you ready?" he asked.
"I am. Where are you taking me?"
"To my favourite restaurant."

On their way down the hallway towards the elevators, Sagnar revealed to Dreufey that he had come by helicopter. They were to take the elevator to the rooftop, not down to the street level.

"That's fancy," Dreufey said. "You have your own helicopter?"
"The helicopter isn't mine. It's Ivaldi's. But it's mine to use, and that's pretty much the same thing as owning it."
"I thought only rooftop dwellers had access to helicopters."
"Have you ever seen me enter Ivaldi's tower from the street level in the morning?"
"No. But there are other entrances than the main foyer."
"You're right. It's a security issue that I need to look more into. But that's not how I get to the office in the mornings, as you now know."
"So, you're a rooftop dweller?"
"It's part of my contract. Loki insisted on it, and Ivaldi complied."
"I guess a massive order for an advanced weapon system does give you some bargaining power."
"It does indeed."

The elevator brought Dreufey and Sagnar up to a waiting room with glass walls, positioned squarely at the centre of the rooftop which was big enough to hold several helicopters. But apart from a single helicopter, parked directly next to the waiting room, the rooftop was empty.

"That's it?" Dreufey asked on seeing the lone helicopter parked outside.
"That's right. Have you ever been in one of these before?"
"No, I haven't."
"It's quite a treat. This one is a pilotless drone. It flies you anywhere you wish. All you need to do is tell it where to go."
"That's amazing."
"Technology. What can I say?"

Sagnar showed Dreufey out onto the concrete tarmac of the rooftop. A gust of wind hit them both, and Dreufey had to steady her hat with her hand to prevent it from being pulled off her head.

"Sorry about that," Sagnar said. "I forgot how gusty it can get up here. Modern buildings have better shielding against the wind."

He ushered Dreufey into one of two front seats of the helicopter. Then he got into the seat next to her.

"Helicopters are parked indoors in modern buildings," Sagnar explained while Dreufey put her hat and hair in order. "Elevators bring the machines inside so passengers don't need to go outdoors."

Dreufey, who was only half paying attention to Sagnar's story, turned to him and asked: "Do I look all right?"
"You look fantastic," he replied.
"Well then. Let's go."

Sagnar told the drone to head for Sam's Rooftop Bar.

"Okay," it replied. "Destination will be reached in three minutes and thirty-two seconds."

There was a muffled roar of engines. The drone hovered for a moment motionless above the tarmac. It turned, then tilted towards its destination where it set off in a straight line. Ivaldi's city was at once everywhere visible below them, stretching out in all directions as far as the eye could see.

< Previous chapter | Next chapter >