Page 32 of Thor

More silence. Sibyl wondered if the call had dropped out.

Finally, Catena said, "There's nothing to tell, really. Just a silly video of a guy in a coat they're making out to be a monster. He's not, honestly. He's the sweetest, most chivalrous guy I've ever met. He's..." Another pause. "We're just friends," she finished.

Sibyl wasn't buying that for a second.

"Uh huh. Sure. Just like me and Thor. I want to know where he learned to dance like that. I expect to meet him when I get home. Or we can video call when we're done. I want to hear every single detail."

"Miss Sibyl? It's sunset."

Sibyl's mind went blank at the sight of Thor in little more than his short kilt, standing in the doorway. She wanted to take him back to bed and ravish him.

But first, they needed to find his missing hammer. She had promised.

"Sorry, Cat, I have to go. Thor said one of the artefacts is missing, and it's really important. Talk later. Bye."

She ended the call and gave Thor her full attention. "Right. Let's get suited up so we can find your hammer."

Thor frowned. "Suited up? What does that mean?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not going through barrels of waste without my biohazard suit on. They're in the cupboard outside the necropsy lab, where we keep all the bones." At Thor's look of complete and utter confusion, she took pity on him. Translation magic couldn't keep up with technology. "Here, I'll show you. I'm sure there'll be a suit in your size." Most of the men on the expedition were Viking sized, so something had to fit him.

But when she opened the cupboard, all the hooks were empty except for three: the one for Sibyl's suit, alongside the ones for Jorunn and Freyja, the lab manager. Jorunn's suit was long enough, but there was no way it was wide enough for Thor's shoulders. Freyja's one, though...that looked like it had been made for a tall woman with distinctive curves.

It was a bit of a squeeze, but Thor managed to get into Freyja's suit, even if he did chunter under his breath a bit as he kept adjusting it. "Are you sure this is necessary?" he asked.

Now he didn't look like His Norse Hotness so much as a giant white frowning marshmallow man.

Sibyl ducked her head to hide her smile as she fastened the seals on her own suit. Hers wasn't comfortable, either, but at least hers was custom made to her measurements. "You want your hammer back, don't you?"

He gave a curt nod.

"Think of it as armour for going into battle," Sibyl suggested. Armour that would help block out the smell, she thought but didn't say.

"Women's clothing is not armour. Women are to be protected. They should not have to fight," Thor grumbled.

Scratch the man and reveal the inner misogynist. So much about fighting at each other's side when they got handfasted. Sibyl just shook her head. "Didn't you say your sister fought with that hammer, and is now in Valhalla? Isn't that place just for warriors?"

Thor frowned. "She should not have had to fight. I should have been there to protect her when they came."

Maybe it wasn't so much misogyny as guilt. A thousand years was a long time to carry such a burden. "Didn't you also say the same monster who killed her also defeated you? Even if you'd been there for the initial attack, could you have saved her?"

"I...I would have tried," he said grudgingly. "At least I would have died with honour, defending her."

Survivor's guilt. Sibyl had heard about this one. "Well, you're not dead yet, so you still have a chance at that glorious death in battle. Do you want your hammer back for it, or not?"

"I will not go into battle against the abomination without it," he said. "I owe her that much."

"Right. So, are you ready to march into battle to find it, then?"

Another curt nod. "Even if I must dress like a woman to do it."

Sibyl had to laugh. "You know men wear suits like this, too. When mine arrived, Karl said he was due to order a new one. At least these ones are white. The ones they're using in some parts of the world for the pandemic are bright orange."

Thor still didn't look convinced, but he did look ready to go, so Sibyl led the way out to the barrel shed.

The number of barrels had doubled while she'd slept – evidently Jakop had brought in another load. "Those ones are new. The ones we want are the row against the wall. Can you help me move them out of the way, so we can reach them?"

Thor didn't so much help as move them all, as most of them were too heavy for her to budge. Having a Norse god around was definitely useful.

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