Jotuns in Nidavellir

Dreufey woke up early the next morning, mainly out of fear of being late on her mission to Ivaldi's tower. She was determined to show up in the reception hall at 10 o'clock as instructed by Freyr. But there was more to her unrest than this.

Dreufey felt betrayed by Freyr. She knew it was silly to feel this way, but she couldn't help it. She had been seduced by his charm, his good humour and his affectionate approach to her, and it hurt to find out that it was just him being a perfect gentleman.

But this shouldn't have come as a surprise. Dreufey knew that all the major gods have this side to them. Idun and Thor had behaved like two teenagers in love. Yet each of them are married. Both of them very much committed to their marriages. Their youthful flirting and horsing around was nothing but fun and games.

The same can be said about Odin. He too has a way about him that made Dreufey feel desired and cared for. But Odin's affection for Freya is so evident that Dreufey never thought of Odin as anything but a fatherly figure. Yet Odin and Freya aren't a couple. Freya is married to Odr, and Odin is married to Frigg. Freya and Odin's affection for each other goes deep, but not as deep as it may seem.

Possibly the strangest of all marriages that Dreufey had come across was that of Njord, the god of the sea, and Skadi, the goddess of the mountains. But that marriage didn't last more than nine days. There's a limit to how different people can be and still stay together, even for gods.

With the apartment feeling empty and cold without Freyr, there was comfort in letting thoughts wander from one curiosity to another. For instance: Skadi is a Jotun, and so is Gerd. Njord is a Vanir, and so is Freyr. They are of the same kind. Yet the two marriages are like opposites. One was the most disastrous ever attempted, and the other is the greatest love story ever told.

Dreufey made herself a ham sandwich and poured herself a cup of coffee. She walked out on the balcony for some fresh air. The sun was rising in the east. The sky was aflame in colours of red and gold. The air was mild and fresh, with a hint of salt from the ocean far to the east.

Dreufey's thoughts turned to Freyr's final goodbye last night. Freyr had put on his sister's falcon cloak before flying off into the night. He did it out on the balcony where Dreufey was standing. The thought of it brought on a sense of melancholy, but determined to keep it at bay, she quickly chased it away with a gulp of coffee and a deep breath of air. It was time to put her self-pity aside and get going with the mission at hand.

Dreufey completed her morning routine with extra care and scrutiny. Putting her contact lenses into place, she practiced her Dark Elf dialect, repeating for herself the essentials of her resumes and other papers that she would present with her job application.

"Helloé theré, my namé is Dreufeyé. I'mé from Lavoyé, and I'mé looking for worké as a receptionisté."

It sounded corny, but the act had worked well the day before, and she just had to get used to speaking in this singy-songy way whenever out with people.

Dreufey put on her blazer and little red hat. She looked at herself in the mirror, and found it all quite pleasing. She felt optimistic, not least for knowing that Freyr had arranged things for her. All she had to do was to show up in time, and perform her little act.

Ten o'clock sharp, as instructed by Freyr, Dreufey entered the reception hall of Ivaldi's tower. She headed for the counter where the tall woman pointed out to her the day before was sitting. The woman looked tense and bothered as if something upsetting had happened, but that mood changed into careful optimism once Dreufey presented her errand.

"And you have experience with this kind of work, I take it?" the woman asked.
"Yes I do. Here are my papers."

Dreufey pulled out some of her papers from her hand bag.

"So, you've been a receptionist at King's Hotel at Lavoy. Assistant secretary for the hotel manager. Sales manager for their souvenir shop. That's quite a resume you got there."
"Thank you."

The woman looked around to see if any of her colleagues were eavesdropping. Then she leaned forward to ask Dreufey if she could start immediately.

"You see, I'm in a bit of a pickle," she explained. "My assistant just called and told me that she quit. She won the lottery last night, and her first act of celebration was to call me and tell me she's not coming in today."
"I can start right away if that's all right with you," Dreufey replied.
"You think you can handle this station on your own for a few hours?"
"All on my own?"
"I'll give you a quick intro. But I'm scheduled to assist with high ranking visitors, and I need an assistant to step in for me while I'm away from my station."
"I'm a quick learner."
"Okay. Why don't you come over here by my side, and I'll show you how this works."

Dreufey did as she was told.

"My name is Sunniva, by the way. I hope you're as good as your papers tell me, because I don't want to miss my opportunity to help out the top brass. You see, we're receiving a delegation of Jotuns today, and I've been tasked with refreshments and beverages."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, and I was just about to tell them that I would have to remain at my station because of my assistant. But now that you're here, I might still be able to attend the meeting."
"What a happy coincidence."
"Divine intervention, no less," Sunniva replied.

Dreufey didn't disappoint. Her ability to quickly absorb new information masked the fact that she had never before worked as a receptionist. In a mere hour she was up to speed with the various tasks at hand, and her initial cluelessness was forgotten.

"You have no idea how relieved I am," Sunniva said on seeing that everything was under control. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you here on your own while I prepare things for the Jotuns."

Sunniva left for the elevators to the back of the reception area, followed by several other receptionists. The opportunity to meet the top brass and to assist in catering for the prominent guests was something they'd all been looking forward to. They were all giddy with excitement.

Dreufey noticed suspicious eyes looking over at her from colleagues at the other counters. Many had picked up on the irregular way she was fast tracked into her position, but the scepticism faded soon enough. It was evident from how Dreufey carried herself that she was in control of her tasks.

"So, you're from Lavoy?" asked the woman manning the station to Dreufey's left.
"That's right. How did you know?"
"I couldn't help overhearing some of your conversations. But I would have guessed it anyway."
"Is that so?"
"Absolutely. Plump and pale, and with that happy go lucky dialect."

Dreufey felt a sting of anger, but kept it to herself.

"I'm sure Sunniva appreciates you all the more for being that way," the woman continued. "Sunniva is terribly ambitious, desperately trying to impress Ivaldi and his sons, and she's oh so jealous of anyone that might be perceived as equally pretty as herself."
"I'm no threat to her, am I? That's just as well because I have no special ambitions."
"Really?"
"I'm here because this is a great place to work. That's all."
"Yeah, sure," the woman said with a sly smile before turning her attention back to her work.

Dreufey looked at the other colleagues around her, and it dawned on her that they might all be secretly hoping to somehow get into the elite circle at the very top of the hierarchy.

This suspicion was confirmed minutes later when the Jotuns who had arrived by helicopter nevertheless made a surprise appearance in the reception area. Ivaldi and two of his sons were showing the Jotuns around the building, and Sunniva was there too as an escort, beaming with happiness and pride.

A quick look at Dreufey's other colleagues revealed that they were all green with envy, and for good reasons. Sunniva appeared to be well integrated into the group of Dark Elves and Jotuns. She wasn't merely tagging along, and the fact that the group was unusually distinguished made this all the more remarkable.

Dreufey was surprised to see both Loki and his friend Surtr from Muspelheim among the Jotuns. Even more surprising was the presence of a woman with a stark resemblance to Loki. Dreufey couldn't immediately identify her, but was quickly reminded of who it had to be by the whispers among her colleagues. It had to be Hel, the goddess of death.

Hel was not at all as horrible looking as she was rumoured to be. In fact, she was as elegant as Freya, all be it in a cold and ethereal way. Her eyes were grey like those of wolves. Her hair as black as her father's, and she wore a black dress with a cape of black velvet, lined with grey fur.

To see Loki, Surtr and Hel together in one place was a rare sight. But there was no doubt about it. They were there, together with three other Jotuns that Dreufey was unable to identify.

Loki wore his usual black outfit. The tall pale man with his long black hair hanging over his shoulders was easy to identify. Surtr, the son of Muspel, was similarly easy to spot with his bright red hair and beard, his yellow outfit and orange cape. Hel was the only one of the major gods that had been difficult to identify, but only because she had been so badly described by others that her true appearance came as a surprise.

The three other Jotuns were dressed in various other colour combinations, and could only be identified as Jotums from their relatively pale complexion and the fact that they all wore capes over their suits.

Ivaldi stood out in the group as a tall black man with an impressive beard and long black hair. His two sons were even taller than him, but only by an inch or two. They were clean shaven and with their hair trimmed short. All three wore dark green suits, white shirts, brown leather shoes and belts.

Everyone in the group appeared to be enjoying themselves. Loki in particular seemed to have a great deal of fun. His ability to come up with funny anecdotes and comical reflections was one of his surprising traits, considering his otherwise dark and sinister world view.

With the exception of one of the Jotuns, the group appeared largely uninterested in their surroundings. The man that stood out as genuinely curious about the building and its employees was wearing a suit and tie in brown and green, and a matching green cape. His black straight hair was trimmed short. He was clean shaven, and his dark brown eyes were bright and intense.

Dreufey didn't like the way he seemed to be peering straight into people, and she got terribly uncomfortable when the man suddenly caught an interest in her. He looked at her with suspicion. When he drew Loki and Hel's attention towards Dreufey as well, she got positively nervous.

Loki and Hel looked at Dreufey for a moment while exchanging a few words with each other. Then Loki turned back to the man in the green cape. He gave him a nod which prompted the man to head over to Dreufey's desk.

The man eyed Dreufey with suspicion, which made Dreufey feel even more uncomfortable.

"Why aren't you wearing a uniform like the others?" he asked.
"I'm new here," Dreufey replied. "I haven't received my uniform yet."
"And when did you start?"
"Today."

The man looked critically at Dreufey. "That's cute," he said. "I'm new here too. I'll be in charge of security on behalf of Loki and his team."

He extended a hand. "I'm Sagnar."
Dreufey shook his hand. "I'm Dreufey. I've just moved here from Lavoy."
"So we're both new to this town. I'll keep a note of that. Well... that's all for now."

Sagnar walked back over to his colleagues, leaving Dreufey with her heart racing. For a moment, she thought the man had figured her out, but that was luckily not so.

"Flirting with the Jotuns, are we?" asked the woman to Dreufey's left. "What are you hoping to gain from that?"
"I wasn't flirting."
"No. Not at all. But why not aim higher? Why go for the security guy when Surtr is in the room?"

Dreufey didn't answer. There was no point in that. But she was too curious to let the subject go. Once the delegation had left the room, Dreufey asked rhetorically where Surtr may have put his flaming sword.

"It's down his trousers. That's my guess," the woman to her right replied.
"No. Seriously. Everybody talks about Surtr and his flaming sword. What is that all about."
"It's a metaphor for nuclear weapons or something even more powerful," replied the woman to Dreufey's right. "But what do we know. We're receptionists, not intelligence officers."

The woman was right. There was no point in asking her colleagues about these matters. It was silly of her to have brought it up in the first place.

Work continued for another hour before Sunniva and the rest of the hostesses returned to their stations.

"Well, that was just... wow... What can I say..." Sunniva said with evident satisfaction. "And how have things gone down here while I've been busy with other things?"
"Everything is under control as you can see. I've handled a few customers. Everything is noted down in the computer system as you instructed me to."

Sunniva took a look at Dreufey's work, and finding it correctly done, she told her that she could consider herself hired.

"If you can give me your bank details, I'll register you as employed. There's no need for any further screening... You're tagged, of course?"
"Of course. Who isn't?"
"Morons and conspiracy theorist, and they don't seek employment with Ivaldi," Sunniva replied.

"So, what did the security guy say?" Sunniva asked. "I saw him talking to you."
"Nothing much," Dreufey replied. "He was wondering why I didn't wear a uniform like the rest of you."
"Ah! I see. I'll take care of that. We'll have one ready for you by the end of the day."

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