Back when I'd first joined the force, I thought nothing would frighten me more than putting on a bulletproof vest to answer a violent call. Now, as I felt Sif zip up the back of my interview dress, I knew that I'd been wrong. I'd take buckling on the vest again over putting on a ballgown. It was a beautiful dress, gifted to me courtesy of some designer who's name I didn't know but the reflection I saw in the mirror unsettled me. My hair was pulled into a chignon, a few strands in the front left to frame my face. Delicate pearls shaped like teardrops hung from my ears and my lips were glossy pink. That wasn't bad on it's own, but combined with the dramatic ballgown threw me off. The high waist ended just underneath my bust line and flared out into a dramatic, heavy skirt of the same material. While I couldn't deny the entire ensemble looked amazing, the sight of it threw me off. This was a look that belonged in Hollywood, not on me.
"You look amazing!" Sif said, squeezing my shoulder with her good hand. She'd changed already and wore blood red pantsuit and thin black heels. Her long hair slicked behind her ears and her lips painted a shade of red equal to her clothing. Only the cast and sling on her broken arm spoke of the tragedy that had befallen her and Asgard a few days prior.
"Thank you." I said, looking away from our reflections. "You okay?"
"I should be asking you that," Sif remarked, raising one eyebrow. "You look like you're about to faint. Is the dress too tight?"
"No," I assured her, realizing she very well might rip the thing off me if she felt it was needed. "This is just a lot, I mean," I picked up the heavy skirt for emphasis, "this isn't something I'd ever wear. This belongs to..." I tried to think of a way to say Hollywod in a way that would make sense to my Asgardian friend.
"A queen?" She offered and my heart skipped a beat as I realized she was right. The woman looking back at me in the mirror looked like a queen. Am I even ready for that? I wondered as I stared back at myself. Could I ever be ready for the responsibility of leading an entire nation? If I somehow won these trials and fell in love with Thor and he with me, would I be a good queen? "Calm down," my friend said and I wondered for a moment if perhaps she had an Affinity that let her read minds. "It suits you."
I was glad Sif was so sure but all I knew for certain was that I was never going to be a lover of ballgowns. I wasn't even sure I'd fit through the door with this skirt. "Thank you."
"You ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
Sif smiled beside me and pulled a lipstick tube from her pocket and touched up her makeup. "Don't worry," she told me as she capped her makeup and offered her good arm. "You'll get used to it."
I looped my arm through hers, barely. I feared any wrong step could aggravate her injuries. The combination of runes and normal medical care had wrought quite an improvement, but I knew she wasn't at her full capacity yet.
"Relax," Sif advised as we teleported. "You'll be great."
I was about to form a reply but as my feet touched down on a new floor I lost my voice. I was backstage for a TV show, no doubt about it; from the dim lighting around us, to the metal rafters holding gigantic lights, there was no mistaking that I was in a TV studio.
"Suzume!" At the sound of my name, I turned and saw Melinda approaching me. Even in the dim lighting, she glowed from the flame hues in her hair to the teal gown and diamond accessories she wore. "You look amazing!"
"Back at ya," I replied, more impressed by her whispering than her outfit. "Why are we whispering?"
"They can hear us out front and the host is introducing us." She jerked her head back and I saw Camilla who had previously been hidden to me thanks to the long black dress she wore. The strings of rhinestones draped across the open back of her gown had caught the light she turned to speak with Freya, altering me to her presence and the absence of two others.
"Where's Vivian and Elise?" The former wasn't near Camilla, as I had expected her to be given prior experience and Elise was nowhere to be seen either.
"Didn't you hear? Vivian quit yesterday, the Jotun attack really got to her."
The dead giant flashed across my mind, as well as the wreck and death it had left it's in rampage. "I don't blame her. It was terrible."
"It is terrible," Melinda agreed, "and it was scary but I didn't think she'd quit over it. I mean, something scary and life-threatening can happen on any world."
"That's one way to look at it." Though I was sure being the size of sky scrapers that could break buildings with their bare hands and conjure ice weren't in the realm of usual dangers. "And what about Elise?"
"She's here, probably just getting ready. Oh look," she edged towards the set and I followed as the studio audience broke out into rapturous applause. "Our cue is going to come any moment."
"What cue?" I hissed as Camilla walked up behind me. I could just see her out of my peripheral before she disappeared behind me.
"They'll tell us," Melinda said as a skinny man hurried towards us, talking rapidly into a headset. "There are supposed to be four of you," he said, breaking away from the mouthpiece and glaring at us. "Where's the last one?"
"I'm here!" I snapped my head towards Elise's voice and though she was late, I couldn't deny that her effort hadn't been wasted if she had indeed been getting ready. She was striking in a gown of lightweight, pale blue fabric and the daring V-neck added an edge to the look that couldn't be ignored. "Sorry!" she gasped as she hurried to get in line with the rest of us.
The producer (or rather I assumed that's who he was) glowered a moment and then spoke rapidly into his headset again. "Okay you're on ladies, you there, Lady Melinda, your first."
"Good luck!" I whispered as my friend walked out, I could just spot the crowd as she moved out to greet them, the applause crashing over the space like a wave hitting the shore.
"Hello!" A male voice called out and I spotted a man in a sleek navy suit with a violently orange bow tie sitting opposite Melinda on a comfy-looking white couch. "Welcome to Late Night with Borjon Lady Melinda, how are you this evening? I must say, you look ravishing!"
"Why thank you!" I hoped to the producer's hadn't given Melinda a microphone. Her booming voice carried clearly to the side stage. "Trust me, I did not wake up like this!" Her jab made the crowd and the host laugh and I envied the apparent ease with which Melinda navigated her interview. Everything flowed smoothly as she answered the various questions Borjon threw at her, occasionally winning a laugh from the audience. I tried to pay attention but all the questions about her outfit bored me to tears. But thankfully, the topic was short and he began to ask questions about her life on Midgard which brought them to the story of how Melinda cherished the ambition to visit Egypt for archeological study and intended to dress like Indiana Jones when she did. And how she found Asgard to be one of the most amazing educational opportunities she'd ever been presented with.
Borjon laughed though this time it felt a bit forced. "Well I hope you get to explore our history as much as you desire."
"If that was the case I'd never leave the library." The audience laughed at Melinda's joke one last time and with a theatrical send off from Borjon, she bowed to her audience and exited backstage as Borjon introduced his next guest.
"Oh god my heart is beating so fast," Melinda panted as she returned to Elise and I, pale face flushed even in the dim lighting. "That was nuts!"
"You did great," I said and Elise nodded beside me as Camilla was introduced and as she walked past me, I felt her bump into my shoulder with enough force to tell me it was on purpose. It didn't escape the notice of my friends either and Elise scoffed at my side.
What the hell is her problem? I wondered as Borjon greeted her, the strings on the back of her dress glittering underneath the stage lights.
"Someone took a shot of bitchy with her coffee this morning," Melinda remarked, glowering at the other woman. "Or maybe jealously."
"Don't you think that would be a bit junior high?" I asked.
"Some people never grow past that stage," Elise said wisely, crossing her arms as Camilla explained about how she had recently completed medical school but put off her surgical internship to come to Asgard instead.
"That's quite impressive!" Bojorn exclaimed, looking back out at the audience. "And how are you liking Asgard then?"
"It's the most amazing place I've ever been." Camilla said, flashing a stunning smile that looked genuine to me.
"And what about the people?" Bojorn asked, and I noticed that he wasn't exactly following the same format as Melinda's interview. I wasn't sure if I was flattered by the effort or more anxious because of it.
"I have to say I haven't met many outside of my sponsor Freya, but if your queen speaks anything of your country then I'm sure we'll all get along fine."
"And what about the other ladies you've been living with? How has that been? Quite a madhouse I should think with all those females under one roof!"
"No actually," Camilla said, smile fading at the remark. "While I admit some of us have connected better than others, every woman involved has proven to be very gracious and confident.""
"Interesting," Borjon said as he crossed his legs. "Would you say that anyone of you could be a good queen then?"
"No."
"No?"
"No," Camilla affirmed. "It takes more than politeness and being self-assured to be a good leader."
"Well I suppose that's true, so Lady Camilla, what would you reign as queen look like?" As she answered, I tuned her out too annoyed by her previous answer to bother listening. There was no way she could've meant that comment, not with how she'd accused me of purposely withholding information to bolster my chances of winning. While I knew I wasn't perfect, I knew I'd never pretend to like someone I hated just to make myself look like a better person than I was.
Camilla exited the stage and then I felt the producer push me forward and I moved to take my turn. My shoes felt like they had lead on their soles as I walked out into the bright lights, half-blind at the sudden change from the side view of the stage. Applause deafened me as I moved towards the host who grinned at me, talking though I couldn't hear him over the slamming my heart and the noise of the crowd.
"I'm sorry?" I said as the noise died down.
"I said that's a lovely dress you have on, can you tell us more about it?"
"Not at all." I replied with a shake of my head as I sat down on the couch. More or less because I feared my shaking knees might give out. "All I know is that it's a dress and it's purple. If you want to ask me about gun safety though I'll be more than happy to help you."
"Correct me if I'm wrong but that's a weapon you have on Midgard yes?"
"Yes."
"Do you use them?"
"Yes, I have my conceal and carry permit which is exactly what it sounds like."
"Did you bring it with you to Asgard?"
"Yes, though Sif convinced me to leave it at home today, she didn't think it went with the dress." That earned a bit of laughter from the audience and I found my smile felt a little easier to keep up at that. I can do this, I thought, just be yourself and all those other cliches.
"So, Lady Suzume is that a pastime of yours on Midgard? Weaponry, I mean?"
I"More like part of my job. I'm a police officer on Midgard."
"Police officer?"
"Law enforcement?" I tried, hoping that would be a familiar term for the audience.
"Well that must be an exciting career!" I couldn't stop my laughter at that and Borjon smirked at me. "What's so funny?"
"Most days it's paperwork," I admitted. "It's one of the biggest parts of the job though the TV shows and movies don't touch on that as often. Can't blame them for it, it's not as interesting as a high speed car chase."
"Have you ever been in one of those?" Borjon asked so eagerly I was almost sorry to disappoint him.
"I have not been a part of a high speed car chase; I only joined the department a year ago. Or at least it had been a year before I came to Asgard." I recalled the party Yuki and I had never gone to. If we'd just gone straight back to Harvard, not stopped at the store...
"And how are you liking Asgard Lady Suzume?"
"It's been the most incredible experience of my life and the most life changing."
"So you think you could see it being your home?"
"Yes," the word came to lips without a second of hesitation. "Though I haven't been here long, I've gotten attached and I could see myself having a permanent home here."
"If that were to happen, what would your reign look like?"
I curled my fingers into the fabric of my skirt. "Well, long-term I can't answer that. Asgard might need me to be someone I haven't thought of before. Short-term though, I have a very clear vision of what I'll be doing."
"And could you share that with us?"
I sighed, tears filling my eyes and not from the blinding lights. I can't them about the Jotun, I realized, the point of these interviews were to calm people down and the mere mention of one could spark a panic. "Before I came to Asgard, I lost a loved one in a violent attack." I said finally, a catch in my voice. It was the truth, albeit with some omissions and for today, it was enough. "I want to find the person responsible for her death and make sure they answer for it."
Borjon's smile went out like a light bulb blowing. "I'm so sorry."
There were those words again. "Thank you, so am I."
"Well, I think I can speak for all of us when we wish you and your family well in the wake of the loss you suffered." The audience clapped softly at that, not tumultuous as my entrance had been and it continued as Borjon stood up to send me off and I flashed one last smile at the audience. I saw a few tears in the eyes of the people in the front and as I walked backstage, I had to wonder if they had suffered the same loss I had.
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New chapter! Suzume got through her interview in one piece and we're about to get through the after party next! Excited? I am!
Write on! :)