Rose starts work

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Date: April 11, 2003
Status: Public - Complete
Setting: The hallways
Summary: Rose starts working by cleaning the hallways

Her first night here hadn't been too bad and Rose reckoned she should start earning money. So she used the existing supplies, namely a bucket with water and a cleaning solution and a mop, to scrub the hallway floors, starting on the ground floor and moving upstairs. She wanted to do this properly. No use in getting fired her first day...

Comments

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

Loki was bored - a feeling that he very much disliked. He was sitting in his room, considering, planning, and yearning for some action. Any kind of action would be fine.

Well, it would hardly come find him here, he figured.

Getting up, he grabbed a sleeveless t-shirt that hung over the back of his chair and put it on. Almost a week after his violent encounter with the other Loki, his arms still looked scratched, but no longer as if they'd been attacked with hot knives.

Trying to decide where to go, he opened his door --

--and almost walked into a water bucket.

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose's fine ears had heard footsteps approach the door but she'd been so vigorously scrubbing the floor that she'd all but forgotton about the water bucket still standing practically in front of said door.

When the man exiting the room nearly walked into the bucket, she wiped her forehead on her forearm and then the slightly sweaty palm of her right hand on her jeans before she cautiously approached the man.

When the faint smell of fire hit her nostrils, her hackles rose and she sniffed the air more. That.. that 'man' smelled of fire! He didn't smell of human, but of fire! Her eyes widened a bit and she stopped her approach maybe two feet away from him, eyeing him with caution.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, sir. I didn't realise the bucket was practically blocking your door."

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"It's okay," Loki said, taking in the woman's appearance. Girl, rather, he thought. She couldn't be more than nineteen.

"I wasn't aware there was a cleaning woman in the house. I thought people would just miracle any dirt away like that..." he waved his hand. If she had any inkling of the kind of people living here she'd understand. If not, he could always claim he had made a joke.

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

"I only got here yesterday. I asked for a job and was hired as a kind of chambermaid. If you want your room cleaned, sir, just put a sign on your door. I won't enter private rooms that don't have a sign on the door."

He seemed to assume that anyone in this house just knew that the residents weren't very human. Well, probably everyone in this house does that little fact...

"But if you'd rather miracle away any dirt in your room, that's your choice. I'm Rose, by the way."

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"I'm not the god of cleaning," Loki said, chuckling. He extended a Hand. "Call me Loki."

Young she might be, but she was pretty, too. And he had been feeling bored. He had not expected to find diversion right in front of his door, though!

"So, erm... have you been working long today?" He gestured at the floor behind her, where she had cleaned already. "I guess it's been a while since the last time someone did any proper sweeping or other cleaning here."

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose took the offered hand carefully but with a firm grip. She let go again quickly though, not wanting to touch someone smelling of fire for longer than necessary.

"Nice to meet you, Loki. And I started working after a quick breakfast, beginning with the ground floor hallways, working my way upstairs."

She hesitated only for a moment before she continued.

"Adam told me, that he had some rather unusual residents. Gods, demons, angels and so on. What category do you fit in?"

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"I'm a Jötunn", Loki said. So the girl didn't know his name, and his reputation had not preceded him to where she was from.

"I think it's time you took a break. It's been quite a while since breakfast."

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

"What is a Jötunn?"

Roses curiosity was piqued. Well, when wasn't it? She cocked her head in a questioning way.

"And what would I do for a break here?"

The rest of the hallway could wait until later, she decided. She'd made good progress with the cleaning up until now and she would scrub the rest of the floor later.

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"Join me for a glass of mead?" Loki asked jovially and offered her his less badly scratched arm. Maybe he should've put on long sleeves after all.

"I guess these days people translate Jötunn as 'giant'."

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose eyed Loki's arm curiously. Did he get in a fight with one of the mythological beasts here to get those scratches? She didn't take his arm as she could still smell the fire.

"Thank you for the offer. I've never tried mead, normally I just drink water."

She grabbed the water bucket and smiled at Loki

"I'll need fresh water anyway to finish the rest of the hallways, might as well take it downstairs.

So... you don't look much like a giant. Are you able to change your form?"

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"Well," Loki said, "I said they were called giants, not that they are giants. You could refer to me as a god if you wanted. Nature-spirit will also do, though some of my extended kinsfolk would certainly take offence at that."

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

"A god? What do you and your followers believe in?"

A Nature-spirit didn't sound too bad to Rose. She would have preferred to smell earth or water though. Fire reminded her of the burning barn and what happened before.

She made her way down the stairs, intending to dispose of the dirty water and topack away the cleaning supplies before she entered the bar.

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"I rarely ask my 'followers' what they believe," Loki said. "I personally believe that I'm a lucky man today, getting to spend time with a pretty girl like that."

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"Very well." Loki said and pusehd the die over to her. "Do you remember the rules? I'll let you go first."

he waved over the bartender to ask for a refill, a piece of paper to note down wins anda pen. "Go ahead and order something, too," he told the girl. "I'm paying."

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

"I think so. I throw the dice and look what I've got. Then you throw the dice and we look what you've got. The better result wins. The best are five of a number, then four of a number, then full house with three of a number and two of another, then this.. straight? Those counting up? Then three of a number and then two of a number."

Rose recited what Loki had told her. At least, she thought she'd got it right. She asked the bartender for another glass of water and then threw the dice.

"2, 3, 3, 3, 3"

She smiled enthusiastically at Loki, wanting to bounce up and down on her stool.

"That's good, isn't it?"

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"Very good indeed," Loki beamed. "This is called beginner's luck."

He took up the dice, shook them in his hand and tossed them.

"There," he said. "Round one - you win. Since we didn't put down any wagers, you don't really win anything, though. You just win."

He pushed the dice in her direction. "Another round?"

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose nodded eagerly, maybe this could be fun. Winning certainly was. She took the dice and threw them again. This time she got 1, 2, 3, 6, 6.

"Well, I suppose beginner's luck doesn't really last..."

She shrugged, sipped her water and waited for Loki to throw the dice.

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

Loki tossed his dice.

2 - 3 - 5 - 4 - 2.

"Nope," he said. "You win again. Except that some play with a 'short' straight, which only has four numbers in rising succession. We didn't specify that in advance, though."

He pushed the dice at her again. "So what did you play at home?"

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Rose's eyes shone with delight. She'd won again! She took the dice and threw them again. 1, 3, 5, 2, 6. Well, that was practically nothing. She sighed and pushed the dice at Loki.

"Your turn. And we mostly played outside. Sometimes with a frisbee, sometimes just running around, enjoying the sun on our skin."

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

6, 5, 1, 1, 4.

"You're right," he said. "I win, though with almost the lowest possible winning combination ever!"

He grinned apologetically. "What's a frisbee?"

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

Well, she had knwon she didn't have a chance of winning with that combination. Soe she shrugged it of.

"You don't know frisbees? They're fun. A frisbee is a disc made of plastic, and the rim is curled up. You throw it and another player tries to catch it. He throws it... and ever so on, as long as you want to play."

She took the dice and threw them again. 1, 1, 2, 3, 3. Maybe it'd be enough.

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

5, 4, 2, 4, 2

"I win, because mine are higher", he said. "And no, I've never even heard of a frisbee. Did you bring one? We were playing some paintball last week, though."

He indicated for her to take the dice again, and for the barman to refill his cup.

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

"Seems the beginner's luck is truly gone now"

Rose sighed.

"And no, I didn't bring a frisbee. But maybe a shop in town sells them? What is paintbal?"

She took the dice and threw them again. 1, 4, 6, 4, 4.

[norseloki.livejournal.com]

"You have guns loaded with paint-bubbles, and you try to hit the other team and avoid getting hit yourself. It's a bit like playing tag."

6, 6, 5, 6, 5

"Full House. I win."

[roseheerkens.livejournal.com]

"Guns?"

She blanched and shivered once. Guns were linked to bad memories, memories she certainly didn't want to ponder now. So she practically stomped the memories back down where they belonged and continued in a slightly confused tone.

"Why would you shoot paint? Why not simply play tag?"

She threw the dice again in a rather distracted way. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. A straight. Maybe her luck was back.