Staying a little longer [Brynja & Redra]

  Iliana couldn’t help but laugh at Brynja’s comment about her height as the two women gathered their things and exited the jewelry shop together. Her friend had made similar comments a time or two in the past but it had been quite a long time since Iliana had thought about it. She knew she was taller than most women and even some men but it wasn’t something she bothered herself about very often.

  “I’ve missed you too,” she replied to the brunette's final comments, glancing at her friend. “I guess I’ll just have to keep coming back for visits,” she added with a smile, as if that would be some kind of hardship for her. Granted, getting back and forth to Uddevalla wouldn’t be the easiest feat but she’d managed so far, she was certain she could pull it off without too many issues.

  While on their way back to the farm Brynja shared with Redra, the redhead considered what her friend had said about the rumor that the Ragnarssons were descended from Odin. It seemed a bit unlikely to her. Surely they’d have been a little more impressive if they were related to a god? Though, she knew Björn’s title ‘Ironside’ couldn’t have been given to him for no reason, so perhaps there was some truth to it? She was now determined to stick her nose in their business when she returned to Kattegat. She was nosy and liked to know things about people. It made judging them a whole lot easier.

  It was a bit of a walk to the farm, but the pair of friends didn’t mind travelling together in relative quiet. Neither of them were the sort who needed to fill silence with awkward chit-chat. Upon arriving at their destination, they headed directly towards the garden the twins tended to, hoping to find Redra quickly. She missed her friend even more than she’d realized before Brynja had walked into her old shop.

  “Is it likely she’s still in the garden?” Iliana wondered, double checking to make sure she hadn’t left the necklace for Redra behind in the shop. That would be embarrassing.

  Following behind as Brynja opened the gate and walked through, Iliana’s face lit up when she spotted Redra already heading in their direction. It was impossible not to be at least a little bit cheerful around Redra, if Brynja’s smile was any proof. And Iliana certainly wasn’t immune to her friend’s contagious attitude.

   She found herself pulled into a fierce hug, and quickly returned the gesture. “I’ve missed you too,” she replied immediately, honestly, smiling back at the brunette. She was only mildly surprised by how long the hug was lasting and couldn’t help but send a look towards Brynja who she fully expected to see rolling her eyes.

   When the hug finally ended, Iliana took a small step back to take a moment to rummage through her traveling bag for the necklace. Lifting it out carefully, she reached out to hand the small cloth wrapped bundle to Redra. “I brought you something,” she told her with a smile. Within the bundle was a delicate torque style necklace she’d made in Kattegat and when she’d decided to bring gifts for the twins, that necklace had immediately reminded her of Redra. “You don’t have to open it now,” she added, since they were still standing near the garden gate. She didn’t want to put her friend on the spot.

   Finally answering Redra’s final question, she shrugged her shoulders a bit. “I’m good.Kattegat is… not exactly what I’d imagined. But things are going well and I’ve met a few nice people.” Because Redra didn’t exactly have the same dark sense of humor that Brynja did, it wasn’t as easy to explain the problem with Kattegat to her. In fact, she rather thought Kattegat would be a good fit for someone like Redra. But she didn’t bother mentioning that. The twins seemed to belong in Uddevalla, where people knew them, and needed their help.

   Plus, Brynja had made it abundantly clear that she had no desire to even visit Kattegat, and she wasn’t about to ruin the pleasant afternoon by upsetting either of her friends. “And you? How are things going here?” Of course she’d already asked Brynja the same question, but she knew from experience that their answers to the same questions could be dramatically different. “Brynja didn’t have much news to share,” she added with a smile in her friend’s direction, wondering if Brynja’s idea of news would match Redra’s. You could never tell with them.

  Iliana knew she was smiling far more than was normal for her, and almost felt self conscious about it. But, she’d missed her friends quite a lot. And it was almost impossible not to smile around Redra. Her enthusiasm was catching.

   Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Brynja slip away, but didn’t pay her any mind. This was their farm, after all. They both had a number of responsibilities to see to, and Iliana didn’t want to get in their way or interrupt their day too much.

   Smirking at the glare her friend sent her way, Iliana nodded in understand when Redra confirmed her sister’s earlier statement. It seemed Uddevalla was exactly the same as it had been before she left. The redhead wasn’t really surprised, of course. Uddevalla had been the same for a while now. A few times she’d even found herself missing her old home; the solitude; the silence; the familiarity. It was rather reassuring to know it was still the same place she’d always known.

   “Thank you,” she said when Redra handed her a cup, taking a small sip. She reached out to take a slice of the bread Brynja had sliced, nodding her thanks to the brunette.

   When Redra asked about Kattegat again, Iliana tried to think about her new life in the other village. “Well, most people have been very nice. I did meet a thegn who was… prickly?” The younger woman had taken a little while to open up but Iliana was still working on her. “I met a shield maiden at the feast, and there’s a blacksmith from Skagerrak who seems nice.” She paused again to think about Kattegat outside of the few people she’d met. “Oh, it’s so much louder there. And crowded. Though, that makes it easy to get lost in the crowd.” And anyone who knew her knew that was how she preferred to live. She didn’t like attracting attention, preferring to keep to herself most of the time.

   “I already mentioned to Brynja, but if you ever want to come and visit, you’re welcome to stay with me. I found a small house not too far from the shop.” She thought Kattegat would be a lot more fun if she were there with her friends. She was always more confident around Brynja, and nicer around Redra. It was as if their personalities rubbed off on her when she was around them.