When Fey said "news", she meant the News.
The television blared to life, immediately displaying the right program of the Draugr Giant's rampage. Miraculously, no casualties were reported as of yet. The destruction had been chalked up to "freak storm activity".
Nothing unusual really in the Northern Hemisphere.
The creature had torn through power lines, uprooted transmission towers, and flung water tanks across neighbourhoods like discarded toys. In one park, colossal footprints cratered the grass beside a mangled sign reading "KEEP OFF THE GRASS!!!"
Evidently, the Draugr wasn't big on civic obedience—or literacy.
"Well, this isn't good," Maya said, stating the obvious. Then she asked the more pressing question: "What do we do about it?"
Fey shrugged. She was more preoccupied sipping on the coffee than giving answers. Val slammed a palm on the table, looming over the witch.
"She. Asked. You. Something."
It was funny, thought Fey. Val's words were so easy to switch between bitter sweet or laced with poison.
Fey smirked, undeterred. "Do we have to do anything?"
Maya gaped. "What do you mean? Of course we have to!"
"Again," Fey sipped on the coffee, "do we? The Draugr is a failed experiment gone rogue. It's too strong for us. Let someone else handle it. Thor, Vidar, a group of Einherjar…" She flicked a glance at Val. "Any competent Valkyrie."
Val's eye twitched, her face turning an angry purple.
Maya leaned in. "Are you suggesting we leave your mistake rampaging my neighbourhood? Are you serious?"
"Dead serious. Unless…" Fey twirled her empty cup and scowled when there was no refill service. She sighed, "Unless you fancy getting flattened, no? Listen, this thing is out of control. I can't control it anymore, and your Valkyrie here is too."
A shattering crack thundered through the apartment. Val's fist dented the table. Her hand gripped Fey's jacket, pulling her closer. "I'm. Not. Weak. Witch."
Fey wrinkled her nose. She clenched and unclenched her hand, and puffed green powder into Val's face.
The Valkyrie stumbled backwards as she started to sneeze uncontrollably.
"Atsjoo. Atsjoo. Atsjoo."
Tiny sneezes like from a startled kitten erupted from Val. Maya stifled a grin. She found it ultimately too adorable—until the sneezes morphed into wheezing coughs, Val's face flushing to a concerning blue.
"Relax, it's just some sneezing powder," Fey said with a shrug.
"Harmless, my ass. Val's got asthma!" Maya eased Val into a chair as her gasps turned ragged.
Fey meanwhile, still grinned like a mustelid. "What kind of Valkyrie has asthma? That would be new-" Fey became quiet when she saw how Val's wheezing worsened with tears streaming from her eyes. "Oh gods, I didn't know. What do we do!?"
"Just get her a glass of water or milk. I'll be right back!"
"What? But how- I." Fey looked frantically between Val and Maya, who dashed out of the room to search for the inhaler. Panic crossed Fey's face as she didn't know what to do. "Ah, damn it!"
She stood up with some trouble and wobbled with her good leg to the sink. Holding on to the counter, Fey looked for a good glass and refilled it. How she managed it back to the table, she didn't know. It took her a lot of time this morning to simply walk to the kitchen without her crutch, but she managed.
"Drink. Don't die!" Fey, shoved the glass into Val's hands and helped her take several hurried gulps, though mostly spilling it down the front.
Though she didn't start relaxing until Maya skidded back in.
"Here, puff, now!" Maya pressed the inhaler to Val's lips, steadying her trembling hands. "Easy. Hold it. Good."
Val sagged with relief. "Thank. You," she gasped, exhausted."
Maya dabbed her mouth with a cloth, then fixed Fey with a glare. "As I was saying, we're dealing with that giant zombie."
"You're still on this?" Fey threw up her hands. "Your girl here nearly suffocated from pixie dust, I'm a seasoned witch with a broken leg, and you're an adorably squishy mortal! What's the plan then? Just so you know, I didn't know Valkyries could develop asthma, and I doubt Draugr will either."
"Well, we better think of something then?"
Fey groaned, fingers ruffling her curls. "Fine, whatever! But only because I owe you this much."
‧. .ˋˏʚ♡ɞˎˊ. .‧
Maya already faced the first challenge before they even set out to hunt down a giant, malevolent Draugr.
Her pants didn't fit.
"What the heck? These were fine just yesterday!"
Maya wrestled the button closed, wincing as it dug into her empty stomach. A pat over her midsection confirmed it. The padding was tighter, the contours more pronounced. "I swear, Val's cooking will be the death of me. After we deal with this monster, I'm going on a bloody diet."
"If we survive," Fey chimed in from the settee outside Maya's room, startling her. The witch lounged on it like that smug cat from Alice in Wonderland, and eyes raking over Maya's outfit.
Fey gave it a nod of approval. "I like the outfit. It compliments your body well. Very sexy."
Maya scowled at the remark, smoothing the fabric over her hips. After how much she ate lately, Maya hoped that the black colour would hide the newfound softness. She simply hated every contour and how her curves grew.
"Don't patronise me, Fey. I know how I look." Her nails pressed into the paunch beneath the shirt. "I hate this. I feel so unattractive."
"Oh, please!" Fey hoisted herself up, balancing on her iron-wrought elbow crutch.
She borrowed some of Maya's clothes—a skirt belted around her narrow waist,and one of Maya's looser tops hanging off her frame.
Unlike Val, Fey's smaller chest left the deep V-neckline scandalously open, exposing way too much of her pale skin. Maya had always avoided the top; the attention it drew made her queasy.
Fey, however, revelled in it. She flicked a curl behind her ear and slung an arm around Maya's shoulders.
"You're obsessed with putting yourself down. Trust me, plenty would kill for your figure." A playful finger prodded Maya's collarbone. "A certain someone, for instance—"
The living room door swung open.
Val stood framed in the doorway, clad in sleek combat leggings with white streaks racing down the sides, and orange trainers Maya had bought her.
Then there was the halter-neck sports bra that cinched Maya's breath. And the way it cupped Val's ample bust with a teasing glimpse of toned abdomen beneath.
Heat rose to Maya's cheeks.
Val's posture was effortless. Back arched, arms sculpted, golden hair braided into a bun with one rogue strand curling by her cheek. Maya's heart skipped more than a few beats when those bright, amber eyes fixed on her.
Especially, when Val steepled her fingers and her hips squirmed, losing the previous confidence. As if she hoped Maya would notice her.
Fey noticed their gazes and let out a sigh. She prodded the side of Maya's chest, stirring a flustered yelp out of her.
"Focus, you lovebirds. We have a giant zombie to hunt."
‧. .ˋˏʚ♡ɞˎˊ. .‧
Val took the lead, tracking the zombie through streets and forest trails like a hound on a scent. Fey explained that since traces of Val's lost divinity still clung to the creature, she was more than capable of following it.
Easier for Val, that is.
Maya and Fey lagged behind, barely in any shape to keep up. Fey's crutch slipped on uneven terrain on top of her disabled leg. On the other side, Maya was simply not fit for hikes. Her lungs screamed, and her thighs burned.
"W-why don-'t you just summon," Maya gasped, collapsing onto a bench, "some of your servants?"
Fey slumped beside her. "Would love to," she panted, "but I need to conserve my magic."
"Great, just great." Maya watched Val leap onto a ridge, scanning the horizon like a hawk. Her focus was unwavering as she was picking up the trail.
Maya took the opportunity to talk with Fey. "You never told me the full story about your leg. You mentioned a giant?"
Fey's grip tightened on her crutch. "You really want to know?"
"Since we're here already." Maya shrugged. "Yeah, I want to know. Why do you do all this?"
"Revenge." Fey spat, fingers burrowing deep into her right leg. She flinched from the pain but still held on. "I'll find the giant who did this to me. Whatever the cost."
"Then what?"
Fey blinked
Maya held up her hands in defence of Fey's angry expression, then softly added: "I mean, you find it, great, what happens after? Kill it?"
"Yes," replied Fey matter-of-factly. "Whatever it takes. I'll make that monster suffer for ruining my life."
"And then?"
Fey blinked. She hadn't thought that far ahead.
"What will I do afterwards?" Fey's jaw worked, but no words came out afterwards.
Revenge was so engrained in her mind that anything afterwards became a blur. She knew that it shouldn't define her life. Her life as a gymnast meant the world to her, but it was also not the end of her road.
"I honestly don't know," Fey confessed, leaning back on the bench. "Do we ever understand our plans for the future?"
Maya pondered on that. Finishing university felt more like a checkpoint to her. Getting a doctorate too, but that was about it. What she would do afterwards, she didn't know.
Everyone dreamed of having a family. Fulfilling their dream or living out the best of their lives, but Maya didn't know what she wanted except to live in the now and do what she could.
But as her gaze drifted to Val, Maya blushed. Something warm settled in her chest. It wasn't simply because of Val's beauty, but because Maya was genuinely interested in her as a person.
She adored learning Val's quirks. The way she hummed while cooking, her bafflement at modern slang, the quiet pride she carried herself with. Or the way she and Fey got at each other's throat that made Maya laugh.
There was so much more she needed to know of her. Valkyrie or not, Maya wanted to know her—help her.
And Fey, too. When she realised Maya was a friend, Fey became calmer, more careful. She didn't know how to behave except for making little jokes and teasing. Beneath the snark and the schemes, she was just a hurt girl.
"I want to stay with Val in whatever capacity I can," Maya said finally, and elbowed Fey. "This includes you."
Fey stiffened. "Even after what I did? This is our first time meeting in person, and I was… horrible!"
Maya shrugged. "First meetings are overrated. I found Val when she was unconscious lying in the bushes. My best friend Austin found me when I was having one of my sudden binge-eating episodes. Mortifying to say the least. But he stuck with me, despite how often we bicker too."
Fey laughed in a scant breath and then wondered. What in Hel is an Austin?
Val landed beside them in a crouch, cutting Fey off mid-scoff. "Found. Something." She pointed past the treeline. "A trace. It's close."
"You're amazing." Maya beamed, making Val blush shyly. She then extended a helping hand to Fey. "Let's go, girl. We will deal with this together."