Somehow I found a way to get lost in you [Freyja]

Hakon doesn’t love social situations all the time, but it’s one of the things he’s getting better at. It’s difficult when you had nothing and are on some level always worried that what you have will be taken away. It’s been years now and he’s just starting to relax into his life, just starting to realize that maybe all he’s worked for won’t be ripped from him. And that’s part of why he’s here. The other reason is Freyja. It’s her mother’s birthday and he knows that she and her sisters haven’t had much cause to celebrate in recent years. He knew their father only vaguely, Stafn had been a customer of Hakon’s blacksmithing master, Vidar. He knew most of the sisters a bit, and had even seen their mother around once or twice. But he isn’t going to their mother’s birthday celebration for Kara. Sure, he’s brought her a present: a small, pretty brooch he’s made out of bronze. It isn’t much but he put his usual care into its forging and set a small blue stone into its center. He’s uncertain he should even be going. Freyja didn’t invite him, Sofie did, and for a moment Hakon is worried Freyja didn’t invite him because she didn’t want to see him. But he pushes that thought aside and goes anyway. It would be so much easier to stay at home and go to bed early, but he knows this celebration is just as much for the sisters as for the mother. They finally feel secure enough to celebrate things again. It’s as much a testament to their strength as t is to anything else.

He’s washed the soot from his skin and the smell of smoke from his hair, although even so it lingers lightly around him. His black hair is pulled back into a messy bun and he’s wearing clothes that don’t have any burn marks on them. Hakon can clean up pretty nicely when he puts the effort into it. He arrives just around the time Sofie told him to, the small brooch in his pocket, and looks around at the mingling crowd. It seems to be a pretty calm affair, but the evening is still early. Hakon buys himself an ale and finds an empty bench at one of the long tables. It isn’t too long before a pretty little woman with long dark hair slides onto the bench beside him, an ale in each hand and a smile on her face. Hakon is still working on the ale he’s bought himself, but with a smile he assures her he’ll drink the one she’s brought for him. She makes him forget how uneasy he can feel sometimes in crowds, and he turns toward her with one of his rare smiles to enjoy her company. She tosses her hair back, revealing a pale shoulder, and Hakon tries to ignore the nagging worry of what Freyja will think if she sees him flirting with another woman. He and Freyja are merely friends, nothing more, and so what should she care? And why should he care what she thinks? He takes a hearty swing of his ale to drown the annoying little voice in his head, and chuckles at some joke the girl makes. He can’t help but think that she isn’t as funny as Freyja.

Hakon thinks maybe he should start listening to the little voice in his head, because it usually ends up being right. No sooner did he wonder what Freyja would think if she saw him flirting with another woman, and just like that she appears. He shouldn't be so shocked, since this is a celebration for her mother's birthday, but he can't help the sudden clenching of his stomach at her appearance, and he turns his attention immediately from the dark-haired woman at his side. If Hakon wasn't so stoic all the time, it might have been easy to read the shock and awe on his face. As it is, he simply gives her wide friendly smile. His multi-colored eyes sweep over her quickly but politely, his gaze doesn't linger and isn't inappropriate. He's simply never seen her in a dress before, and the sight of it is a bit of a shock to his system. Obviously he's going to need more ale to cope with this. Damn Sofie and her big mouth, making him examine his feelings. It's much easier to be in the dark as far as Hakon is concerned. Less chance of getting hurt that way.

But he pushes all these negative thoughts away, because Freyja is talking to him, and he forgets about the woman sitting next to him. "Freyja." He greets her. "Sofie invited me when she stopped by to get her knife." He raises his eyebrows when she says it wasn't supposed to be a big thing. "Of course its a big thing, you left your sisters in charge of inviting people. Between all of you, you must know everyone in Skagen." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the small bronze brooch, blue stone winking in the dim light of the tavern, and holds it out to Freyja. "For your mother. I was going to give it to her myself, but," he shrugs and jerks his chin in the direction of Freyja's dancing mother. "She seems to be having a good time, and I didn't want to interrupt her."

It took Freyja's mischievous little smile, her raised eyebrows and the slight nod toward the girl at his side for Hakon to remember that he'd been flirting with someone else less than a minute ago. A light blush colors his cheeks faintly pink when he remembers, and he hopes its dark enough in the tavern to hide it. He'd all but forgotten she was there, and he certainly had forgotten her name. He glances quickly at her, then up at Freyja with a half-mocking look on his face, mouthing, "help me" soundlessly at her. The girl doesn't stop glaring and Hakon only scoots over on the bench, his eyes glimmering with amusement. There's enough room for Freyja to sit beside him now, and he slides the ale the other girl had brought over to Freyja. The brunette leaves with an annoyed huff, jostling Hakon roughly as she leaves, and he grins up at Freyja. "You saved me." He can't stop the small chuckle that rumbles up from his chest as he raises his eyebrows at her. "What would I ever do without you to save my ass all the time?"

Hakon has thought Freyja was beautiful since the first moment he laid eyes on her, although she'd been sweaty and tired, and the grief from her father's death was still fresh. He'd barely opened his shop a month prior, but thankfully the gods decreed that beautiful woman would be one of his regular customers. Although he'd known her for years now, and although he always thought her beautiful, that was secondary to everything else about her. It was her fierce loyalty, her determination, and her work ethic that he admired much more than her looks. It was her laughter and her sense of humor that never failed to bring a smile to his face. But then again, he'd never seen her in a dress before, and the sight was nearly enough to knock the breath from his lungs. He smiled up at her, shaking his head, when she told him she wanted to change. "Visna does beautiful work. Don't offend her by changing into trousers. Tonight is a special night."

Hakon takes a sip of his ale when Freyja asks if Sofie behaved herself, and shrugs. "As much as she ever behaves. Yes, she thanked me. But I think I managed to offend her. Has that ever happened before?" He chuckles, looking around, when Freyja says there are people she swears she's never seen. Skagen is a fairly sizable village, and most of the faces in here are familiar to Hakon. Unlike Freyja's sisters, though, he hasn't talked to nearly as many of them. He dug into his pocket and handed her the brooch, then watched as she turned it this way and that to inspect it. He ducks his head quickly to hide his smile. "I need more practice with bronze. I don't work with it as much as steel, but there's still joy in the creation of it." He knows perhaps that sounds a little sentimental, foolish even, but he can always blame the ale for loosening his tongue. And besides that, he knows that Freyja is a skilled craftswoman, and so if anyone will understand his joy at creating, it will be her.

Hakon only grins at Freyja and slides the ale over to her when she sits down. He ignores the huff and jostling of the departing brunette and turns his full attention to Freyja. "Funny, she did get that for me." At her straight face and the answer to his question, his face immediately turns serious. His one hazel eye and one blue eye widen in mock indignation. "Polite? Polite? She was trying to get me drunk and steal my innocence!" He somehow manages to look scandalized, but then he chuckles, a smile cracking his mask. "You're right though, I would probably die. You know how I feel about people being nice to me. It's terrible. I much prefer your wicked company." He winks at her to show he's kidding, jostling her arm lightly with his elbow. "So thank you for saving my life."

Hakon watches Freyja looking around and taking everything in, making sure her sisters are behaving themselves and having fun. He followed her gaze and noted that everything seemed to be going very well. He was happy for her and her family. He came to the tavern pretty regularly--mostly because he's too lazy to cook sometimes--and he can't recall the last time he's seen one of them in here. It was definitely before their father died, although he hadn't known them then, but how could you forget a woman like Freyja? Her sisters were much younger than her and therefore escaped his notice until he got to know Freyja, for it was impossible to be friends with her and not know about her sisters. Her love for them drove everything she did, and was a massive part of what made her into the loyal, dedicated, hard-working woman she was. He's glad to see her family out and having fun, happy to see them finally feel they have something worth celebrating. And they do seem to be enjoying themselves, and Freyja is smiling, and he's confident enough in their friendship to know she enjoys his company, and that makes him smile when she turns back to him.

He nods when she agrees she can probably last a few hours, and then she's asking about Sofie again and he takes a sip of ale and waves her question off with a careless hand. "She's no trouble." He pauses, shakes his head, and starts over. "Well, no trouble I can't handle, anyway. She can always come to my shop if she needs something. I might have to rig up some sort of early warning system, though. Maybe I'll train Fenrir to bark when she's near?" He raises his eyebrows but besides that looks entirely serious. Fenrir is his old dog, but he spends most of his days sleeping in Hakon's house now. Once he followed him everywhere, sleeping in his shop and trailing behind him when he went to make deliveries, but now he prefers to sleep most of the time. "If I made a bell to put around her neck to warn people when she's coming, do you think she would wear it?" His face is utterly serious for another second before he grins at her and takes another sip of his ale. He doesn't add that he felt bad for offending Sofie, because he's having a good time right now and he doesn't want any unpleasantness to spoil the moment.

He watches her inspecting the brooch, and he only smiles when she gives him her little sideways look. Then she makes her suggestion and he sits up a bit straighter, tilting his head as he considers it. It's a brilliant idea, and could only benefit both him and the dressmakers. He'll sell decorative pieces to them cheaply enough so they can make a profit off them. They're more for him to improve his skills anyway. He likes making decorative pieces--not as much as he likes forging weapons, but decorative pieces are something he doesn't get to do very often. Making them is a challenge, and Hakon has always enjoyed challenges. Maybe that's why he enjoys Freyja's company so much. He pushes that thought aside and nods thoughtfully. "I'll go to their shop soon, maybe tomorrow. It's a good idea."

At her reaction to his statement on the brunette attempting to steal his--admittedly nonexistent--innocence, he can't help but laugh. Hakon has a nice laugh, warm and rich, although he doesn't use it nearly often enough. He's still chuckling when she accuses him of trying to kill her, shoving his shoulder with her own, and he automatically shoves her right back, adding his elbow into the mix to gently prod at her ribs. He grins down at her, shaking his head as he draws his elbow away and straightens. "Of course I'm not trying to kill you! I'll never find another friend as mean to me as you are." The grin drops from his face and he turns very serious for a moment. "You're irreplaceable, Freyja." He can only stay that serious around her for a few moments, especially with the ale heating his blood up, and he smiles when she agrees that nice people are the worst. He follows her gaze down, noting that she'd spilled nothing on the dress. He quickly brings his eyes back to her face, resisting the strong temptation to let his gaze linger on her body.

He chuckles as she agrees that she can live with being called wicked. "I'm glad you're strong enough to handle the truth." He tells her, smiling. He has a hard time keeping a straight face as she continues, but he somehow manages it. "I'll never forget that I owe you my life." He imitates her gesture and places his hand on his heart, like he would do if he was making a solemn vow to her. "And I promise to always be entirely rude to you." He nods gravely before a wide grin cracks his facade, and he follows her gaze as she looks around, spotting her sisters. He follows her nod and finds the small crowd, and after silently watching them for a few moments, he nods. "They do. They look happy." He turns his attention back to Freyja, and for a moment he becomes completely serious. This is Hakon as he usually is, serious and thoughtful, and the full weight of his eyes--one bright blue and one warm hazel--settles on Freyja for a moment. "And are you?" But it's hard to remain serious around her for too long because he doesn't want to spoil her fun, so he leans forward and lightly shoves his shoulder into hers. "Because if you aren't, I know a brunette who's buying ale tonight."He gives her a small, teasing smile.

Hakon is glad that Freyja seems to be having a good time, and he's glad that everything seems to be going so smoothly so far. He knows it's still early in the night, and perhaps the worst thing that will happen tonight is that Freyja will catch him flirting with another woman. The memory of it causes his stomach to momentarily drop with embarrassment, but it's fleeting. Besides, Freyja is laughing at his suggestion of an early warning system for Sofie, and he can't help but grin back at her. "You're right, he's old. He deserves to relax." He's still chuckling, but his voice is warm when he speaks of his dog. He's had him since he was a pup, and Fenrir is easily the most constant thing in Hakon's life. He's been there from the early days of his apprenticeship to Vidar. Fenrir has been in his life longer than a lot of people, and he appreciates the sweet old dog's loyal, laid-back nature. He's a constant joy in Hakon's life, a comforting presence in a world that always seems to be in flux.

"You'll be the first to know if I come up with something." He promises with a chuckle. He rolls his eyes at her proclamation that the idea is good because it was her idea. "Right, I'm sorry, how could I forget? All your ideas are good." He keeps his voice as flat as it can be, but then he grins at her and takes a sip from his ale. He nods, his face solemn, as she whispers. His eyes are glinting with humor, though, and it's a struggle to keep his face so serious in her presence. Why does she make him feel so carefree? He grins over at her, his serious face breaking, as she tells him not to go anywhere. "I'll stay in Skagen, just for you. Just so you can get your ship fittings and have someone to complain to about everyone else in the village." He leans over to jostle her lightly with his shoulder, a little nervous about what seemed to be the brief moment of seriousness in her. She was supposed to be having fun tonight, and he was determined that she would.

He notes that she doesn't answer his question about being happy, but he doesn't push her. Freyja probably knows he's serious most of the time, so it shouldn't shock her. But if she doesn't want to examine her own happiness too closely, Hakon isn't going to try to force her. For starters, she would probably murder him if he tried, and besides, who is he to call people out on ignoring feelings? The guy sitting next to the woman he might be in love with, continuing to deny it to himself despite mounting evidence. He's in no place to accuse anyone of ignoring their feelings. He understands not wanting to examine things too closely. He quickly cracks a joke to save her from answering the question and to prevent any awkward pauses in the conversation, and he's relieved when she goes along with it. He laughs as she pretends to search for the angry brunette, and he rolls his eyes and manages to look hurt. "You don't think I would buy you ale if you want another? With how mean I am to you all the time, its the least I could do." He rolls his eyes, snorting, looking back at her with a playful smile."That actually hurt my feelings." He dramatically places his hand over his heart, trying to look innocent and hurt at the same time.