OOM: Tattoos

[bigarmy_strangepants]

 Ragnar is sitting in the bar room itself, doodling on a large sheet of paper.

He's drawing stylised birds -- sharp beaks, outstretched wings, claws grabbing. A raven and a dove feature prominently and recognisably; the thirds is a songbird, rising in flight, so probably a lark.

He's not yet content with what he is doing, though.

Comments

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Well, I will tell her, then," Ragnar says. "She might laugh at me."

Which he obviously wouldn't mind, to tell from his grin.

[athelstanthescribe]

"How is she?" he asks suddenly.

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Married to the earl of Hedeby, an important trading place on par with Ribe or Birka," Ragnar says. "In command of many men and shield-maidens -- especially the latter. But from all I hear, the earl is, well, not quite up to standard as a husband, and has a very nasty streak to his personality. I can't seriously imagine what got into her that she consented to be that man's trophy wife. Perhaps she was still completely pissed off at me when she found him and meant to show me how well she could do without me -- which fell completely flat, as I didn't even hear about it."

[athelstanthescribe]

"...and she's putting up with him being a bad husband?"

That seems unlikely somehow.

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"I honestly can't imagine why!" Ragnar declares. "It's not my business to doubt her choices, but really -- why?!"

[athelstanthescribe]

"I'm sure she has her reasons. And the moment those reasons no longer apply, no one will stop her."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"She's too good for him," Ragnar says. "And he'll hopefully learn that to his great disadvantage."

[athelstanthescribe]

"If he survives it. Which is by no means certain, if he mistreats her."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"He'd have learned it for use in the afterlife, then," Ragnar grins.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Whichever one he may get. Is there one for the murdered?"

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"She wouldn't be murdering him," Ragnar says. "She'd be justified in killing him, so he'd be lawfully killed, like the loser in holmgang."

[athelstanthescribe]

"But the loser in holmgang goes to Valhalla."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"He might, depending whether he dies fighting."

[athelstanthescribe]

"And if his death is too quick for that?"

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Helheim," Ragnar says. "Where he deserves to rot, as far as I'm concerned.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan nods. "The dull peace there would be a good punishment for a vicious man."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"I like the way you think," Ragnar grins.

Pause.

"And a lot of other things about you, by the way."

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan looks at him, then leans against him.

"Even now?"

[bigarmy_strangepants]

Ragnar smiles at him, and quietly bumps him with his shoulder as he leans. "Even now," he says. "Especially now. As always."

Beat.

"I like the way you think, he way you have of telling me off, the way you speak so calmly and clearly, the way the very tip of your nose turns up, and the tiny smile you have. I like the way your hair curls at the nape of your neck, and the way you draw things, and the way you talk about culture and Christians things with Sinric that fly right over my head. I like how clever you are, and the tiny noises you make when you're asleep. And that's barely scratching the surface."

[athelstanthescribe]

He listens in silence.

"At least those things haven't changed."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"I don't like anything you are any less because of what has changed," Ragnar says. "You're..."

Pause.

"The only person I'd ever consider running away with."

[athelstanthescribe]

"And I would go anywhere with you. And nowhere without you... or not far."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"So we're equal and agreed on that point," Ragnar says, smiling a bit lopsidedly as if trying to fight other emotions at the same time.

[athelstanthescribe]

"If I wanted to go to the hunting lodge", he says quietly. "To live there, alone, where you could visit... would you let me?"

[bigarmy_strangepants]

"Of course," Ragnar says. "You might not want all the people around at first, or all the time. If you want to live there, you have my support -- especially as you want me there as well. The one difficult thing would be making myself leave."