Hear the ocean’s roar [Tóra]

Tora was young enough that she didn’t have a job yet, but old enough that she had begun to think about how she wanted to make a living. One of her options, although she hadn’t spoken of it yet, was to apprentice to her older sister Freyja, or to her mother and Visna. She didn’t much like the idea of training to become a shield maiden like Sofie. She loved the ocean, and didn’t want to be stuck in the dress shop all day. She was glad that Freyja was taking the day off from work. She laughed, though, when freyja said she wanted to go down to the docks, and raised her eyebrows at her sister. ”Freyja, how are the other shipbuilders supposed to enjoy your day off if you go to work anyway?” She smiles up at her sister, then nods when she suggests going to the beach. She immediately brightens at the thought.

”Swimming sounds fun. It will be cold, though.” Tora shrugs this off, grinning with the excitement only the young can muster, and makes sure she grabs two cloaks from the pegs beside the door. She folds them over her arm and looks expectantly at her big sister. ”I’m glad you stayed home today. It gets boring here without you.” And by boring, of course she meant loud. A house with five daughters is never, in fact, boring.

Tóra giggles at her sister's outraged expression. That's exactly what she was implying, and Freyja knew it, and her giggling was confirmation enough. She was excited to get out of the house, though. Most of her days were spent wandering around Skagen, visiting her sisters and mother, making friends, and trying to decide what career she would choose. Unlike some of her older sisters--Sofie mostly--Tóra isn't overly concerned with finding a man right now. She's only fifteen, and while that's certainly old enough to be courted, she doesn't feel ready yet. Most of her days she spends with other girls her own age, gossiping and wandering around the village and its surroundings. It's a nice life she leads, and she knows that it's in large part thanks to Freyja that she can spend her days so peacefully. If her sister had pursued her own dreams and become a shield maiden rather than a shipbuilder, which was a far steadier income, who knows where she and her sisters might be now? She's certainly appreciative of Freyja's sacrifice, and that's part of why she's been thinking she might bring up apprenticing to Freyja during their walk along the shore.

She laughs when Freyja says she's always welcome to come visit, then shuffles her feet lightly through the dirt on the street before she looks up at her sister. Her blue eyes are wide and earnest when she speaks. "I've come to visit you plenty of times." She points out before continuing. "I've been thinking, though. I'll be old enough to work soon and I want to try shipbuilding. Just to see if I like it. If you don't mind." She trails off, cheeks reddening slightly in embarrassment as she walks beside her sister. She knows shipbuilding isn't an easy craft. It's physically demanding work requiring a great deal of strength, stamina, and skill. Her sister has all of those, but Tóra isn't sure she possesses the necessary traits. There's only one way to find out, though, and that's to try. She isn't afraid of trying, not if Freyja is willing to teach her, and she isn't afraid of failing because she knows Freyja won't laugh at her like one of her other sisters might. Visna would certainly make fun of her if she turned out to be a terrible dressmaker, and their mother would be so disappointed.

But shipbuilding had been their father's craft, and he'd passed it on to Freyja. Maybe Freyja could pass it on to her, and in that way she would have something more than simple memories of her father. She would have a skill, a way to make a living, and a respectable craft. It certainly seemed worth it to her to try it. She looks back up to Freyja as they reach the beach, kicking her shoes off and scooping them up to walk barefoot through the cool sand.

Tora rolls her eyes at Freyja's statement, giving her sister a slightly pointed look. "So no different from being at home with us, then?" She can't help the grin that breaks her serious face. Freyja just likes to be in control, and Tóra, unlike Sofie and Visna, has no problems with following her sister's instructions. Tora much preferred to go with the flow. She laughs when Freyja sticks her tongue out and says they like her just fine anyway. "Of course they like you, who wouldn't? Oh." She shoots her sister a grimace before speaking again. "Sofie wants me to ask you. What's going on between you and the blacksmith? Hakon? You don't have to tell me, but at least this way I can tell her I asked you and maybe she won't make me help her catch bugs again."

She looks up, shrugging, when Freyja asks her why she's considering being a shipbuilder. She sighs before answering. "Well, I don't think I would be a good dressmaker, and Visna will probably laugh at me if I'm not because she's so good at it. And I don't think I would be any good at fighting and besides I don't want to. I thought about becoming a healer, but I don't know anyone who could teach me. At least with shipbuilding I would have someone to teach me." She looks down at her feet as she continues. "And it's something you learned from Father, so...." She trails off, shrugging again, and kicks off her shoes to feel the cool sand beneath her feet.

"Too cold for a swim but not too cold for a walk!" Tóra answers, sprinting for the edge of the sea. She hikes her dress up around her knees and splashes happily into the incoming waves, grinning over at her sister as she kicks a spray of cold water in her direction.