Chapter 36: First Time with Freya
I'd just slammed back my third shot when a shadow stretched across the counter beside me.
"Talking shit about me again?"
Her voice, sharp, cool, and smug, cut through the tavern noise like a blade.
I didn't have to turn to know it was her. That tone was permanently burned into my skull.
"Of course you'd be listening," I muttered, setting my glass down harder than I needed to. "What, following me now? You into me or something?"
Freya moved into my peripheral vision, full plate armor gleaming faintly in the firelight, hands on her hips. "Don't flatter yourself, rookie. I just happen to be in the right place to hear you crying to Daddy about me."
I turned on the stool to face her. "Crying? No, Freya. This is called drinking. Something I do when I'm trying to forget you exist."
Her eyes narrowed. "You think you're clever. But I can smell fear, you know. And I think you're terrified. Of me. Of tomorrow. Of actually having to prove you belong here."
I smirked. "Terrified? No. Annoyed? Absolutely. And I'd rather go back to my drink than play your little 'who's tougher' game."
She leaned in, closing the distance, her voice dropping low so only I could hear. "You're going to have to play whether you like it or not. Because when the beasts come, you'll need someone like me to save your ass again."
That pulled a laugh out of me. "Save my ass? Sweetheart, if I were relying on you, I'd already be dead."
Erik, who'd been polishing a glass like it was the most important job in the world, made a quiet, uncomfortable sound. "Kids…"
"Stay out of this, Erik," we said in perfect unison, glaring at each other again.
Her lips twisted into a mocking smile. "Tell me, Kaizen… how exactly did you kill the Goblin Chief? Oh wait, you didn't. Not really. Someone else did the work, didn't they?"
I tensed. "Careful."
She didn't back off. "No… I think I've got you figured out. You're a liar with a lucky streak, a rookie who got in over his head and survived because someone else paid the price. And now you strut around the guild pretending you matter."
My hand was already curling into a fist on the bar before I realized it. "Say that again."
Her grin widened like she was daring me to swing. "You wanted to fuck me earlier, didn't you? Admit it."
"Freya…" Erik warned.
"Admit it, rookie. You couldn't even keep your eyes off me in the Archive." She cocked her head, hair spilling over one shoulder. "But now you're sniffing around Gwen like some horny stray dog. Pathetic."
I stood, slow and deliberate, turning fully to her. "Keep talking, and I'll forget you're supposed to survive the next three days."
Her hand went to the hilt of her sword without hesitation, steel rasping against steel as she drew it halfway. "Touch me, and you'll be the one who doesn't survive the next three seconds."
The tavern had gone dead quiet around us, all eyes on the scene unfolding. My muscles were coiled, every nerve screaming at me to close the gap.
The tavern was all but holding its breath.
Freya's sword hung between us, gleaming in the firelight. My glare met hers, unflinching.
"Put that away before you hurt yourself," I said.
"You wish," she shot back, finally sliding the blade home with a satisfying click. "I wouldn't waste good steel on you."
"Good. You'd miss anyway."
Her eyes narrowed into slits. "You're a fucking child."
"And you're a fucking pain in my ass."
Erik groaned from behind the counter. "Kids…"
"Not a kid," I said without looking at him. "And I'm definitely older than her."
Freya smirked. "In dog years, maybe."
That one earned her a raised brow from me. "Wow. You've got jokes. Guess that armor isn't the only thing that's heavy about you."
Her hand twitched toward the sword again. I smiled. "Go ahead. You'll just look stupid twice in one night."
"You're the stupid one if you think I wouldn't gut you just to get some peace."
"And you're stupid if you think I'd let you," I fired back. "But hey, if you're desperate for my attention, just say so. We could work something out that doesn't involve blood loss."
Her scoff turned into a laugh, sharp and humorless. "You actually think I'd fuck you?"
I raised my glass in mock toast. "The thought has crossed my mind. Don't worry, I wouldn't tell anyone. It'd ruin your ice-queen reputation."
She snatched my drink right out of my hand and threw it back in one go. "Weak."
I flagged Erik for another. "Keep 'em coming. I'm gonna need more to deal with her."
We drank. We insulted each other. We drank more. The insults got lazier, the laughter a little more genuine, the edges blurring. Somewhere between the fourth and fifth round, I forgot why I hated her so much and just enjoyed watching her lips curl into something other than a sneer.
The fire crackled low by the time we finally stumbled upstairs, head buzzing. My door wasn't locked, I could've sworn I'd locked it, and when I pushed it open, the sight that met me froze me mid-step.
Freya, she stepped in first.
"Well," I said slowly, voice low, "I must be drunker than I thought."
Freya smirked. "You coming in, rookie, or just going to stand there?"
The door clicked shut behind me.