Even on her day off from work she could not rest. Fandral had her in the training yard again from early morning, despite her protests and many 'go away' s issued from under blankets, whilst trying to have a sleep in. She was tired, sweaty and miserable under the midday sun when he finally let her take a break for a while. All the running around the perimeter, with her grandfather over taking her several times, would have been worthy of a good cry if she wasn't already dehydrated from all the moisture her body had exuded into her now clinging t-shirt. She swore she had lost weight after the last few weeks of hell but then gained it back again in muscle she hoped wouldn't start becoming unflattering; it was like she was in one of those horrible problem teen boot camps on TV.
The thought had crossed her mind several times that perhaps her grandfather was really a demon. She certainly wished he would remind himself now and then she was human and not a god – or a man for that matter of fact. At least he was finally letting her hold an actual blade now and take swings at him; even if he did block every blow it was still entertaining to imagine she might actually hit him at some point.
"That is enough sitting around being idle." Fandral was hovering somewhere to her left, checking the balance of his blade for the umpteenth time. "Rise and defend yourself."
"I'm tired!" She realized she sounded like an over-exaggerating whiney teenager but with the amount her body was aching she couldn't careless anymore. "I only just sat down!"
"It is the duty of the strong to protect the weak, to strengthen them that they too may become strong. And that we may accomplish here if you would only stand and defend yourself."
"Oh really, am I getting condescending granddad again? Because he's so my favourite of your split personalities." The sarcasm in her voice was oozing like congealing ten-year-old syrup. "Could you try and remember for a few minutes I'm your granddaughter not grandson and once in a while I would like to sleep because you know, it's something we kind of need to do on midgard and I have to wake up earlier than you most days having gone to bed very late. So really, is sitting down for five more minutes without a lecture or sword pointed at me really going to kill you?"
"Sif does not complain so."
"Sif isn't human!" Kari snapped, covering the top of her head with her hands as she stared at her knees. "Or me…"
He was about to say something, tap her on the arm with the side of his blade but thankfully became distracted by a wandering figure entering the yard. It was a good thing too, she was about ready to take his weapon and shove it somewhere uncomfortable and that probably would not have gone down well with a lot of people. Why was he doing this to her anyway? Right, to help her not get banished to distant and monster filled lands. She really needed to keep reminding herself of that but was the sheer volume of practice really necessary? She had been improving and there was still another ten plus months to teach her. Better now than later, that saying was really annoying and one she always had rebelled at by leaving her old home as messy as possible.
"Balder the brave!" Fandral was excitably laughing as the other warrior came to a stop besides him.
"It's not difficult to be brave when you're built like a god." Kari muttered under her breath.
There was an uncomfortable pause; silence descending down on the trio as she suddenly felt the burning fixation of eyes focused on her. Had they just heard that? Of course they did, they were asgardian with super-asgardian-eaves-dropping-powers.
"Do not pay mind of the child, Balder." Fandral turned his back to her for the time being. "She is troublesome this day."
"I listen not." Balder dismissed her words and person with equal indifference and moved to follow the other swordsmen across the yard.
They left her alone, which was nice of them, in order to test their mettle against one another. It was the clashing of metal that finally made her look up from her knees; two warriors obviously very good with a blade each going at it like a pair of dancing bears. Intimidating but also strangely beautiful to watch.
The sight relaxed her, muscles in her back finally straining less from mental stress and relieving the dull headache gradually creeping upwards in pressure. She hadn't even been aware of the pain, entirely, until it had finally alleviated. Maybe that was why she was in such a bad mood? Or the fact her cycle was in flow and nobody on Asgard could make a McChicken sandwich or chocolate fudge cake. Oh she was drooling just at the thought of it. Could also be the teasing and her increasing dislike of Balder. Who goes around calling themselves a stupid name like 'Balder the brave' anyway? Who was she kidding, they all had ridiculous names – Fandral the dashing, Hogun the grim, Thor the thunder god, Loki the giant dick. Maybe she should give herself a nickname too, if only to stop people calling her 'Fandralkin'.
"Kari the melancholy." She chuckled at the idea and tilted her head to the side to admire a particularly beasty block by Balder.
Fandral was fast, a lot spriter than she would ever be, but Balder was like a rock with legs. Their roles seemed defined; Fandral on the attack, Balder on the defense, footwork forming a quick paced waltz, a turn, a slash, a block and finally victory. Or in this case a stalemate as both men held the pointed end of a weapon to each. They laughed at the dilemma, Kari's forehead wrinkling into a headshaking amusement as they talked one another into withdrawing his weapon first and declaring defeat.
Two boys, two silly boys in a man shaped suit. Frigga was right about their hearts being their weakness but not because of fear and jealousy. Men are their hearts and here she was as a woman living in her brain, over thinking everything. She wasn't mad at them, she wasn't mad at the McChicken sandwich shortage or even the early morning jogging. No, she was upset because Loki was coming home soon.
"Time to massage my heart back to life." She murmured, getting up from her seated position and stalking her way to the two men getting ready for a second bout. "Granddad, let me have a go!"