Editing Story:ROAD TRIP! (Warhammer High)/Part Four (section)

===The Next Day's Activities===


As the group returned to the massive fortress, they dispersed back to their rooms to clean up after their exercise.  Freya, however, headed down into the residential portion of the building, looking for someone specific.  As she wove through the throngs of serfs and Wolves, she acknowledged their greetings with a hasty ‘hello’ or ‘good to be back,’ until she arrived at her destination.  She pushed the door to the room open, stepping across the threshold with a nervous grin.

“Freya, little pup.  What can I do for you?” Bjorn asked, pausing his conversation with the messenger skjald beside him.

“I don’t wish to intrude,” Freya said in Juvjk.

“We were done.”  Bjorn turned back to the messenger.  “Thanks, Earjac.”

“Your Lordship,” the skjald said, before walking out and closing the door.

Freya crossed her hands over her camo belt in respect.  “Eldest Bjorn, may I impose upon you for a moment?” she asked nervously.

Bjorn silently bade her continue.

“I wish to see my people, Lord.  I wish to go amongst the Fenrisians and see them,” Freya said.

Bjorn slowly leaned back in his seat, a crafty gleam in his eye.  “I understand.”

“And…I wish your help,” Freya continued.  “How should I do this?”

The ancient Marine slowly rose, hands on his desk.  “Little pup, give me some credit, hmm?” he asked drily.

Freya cocked her head.  “What?”

“We knew you would ask.  The clothes you wore yesterday will be sufficient, for the most part,” Bjorn said.

“And what else?” Freya asked.

“Nothing, save this,” Bjorn said.  He reached into his desk and drew a lumpy plastic bag forth.

Curious, Freya opened it.  She lifted the contents out and arrayed them on Bjorn’s table, a smile appearing on her face.  “Oh, Bjorn…you shouldn’t have,” she whispered.

The bag contained a pair of clearly hand-sewn doeskin leather gloves, a scabbarded dagger, a few small, rough pouches that were empty at that moment, and a bag of coins.  She looked up at Bjorn, delighted.

“Just keep your hood on except when indoors, keep the dagger slung at your right side to fit in, and don’t spend it all in one place,” Bjorn said with a smile.

“Thanks, Bjorn, this is…this is perfect,” Freya said.  She clipped the scabbard to her right thigh, low on her hip, then rested her hand on the pommel.  She relaxed her shoulder, then whipped the dagger out with blinding speed.

Bjorn nodded with approval.  “Good.  Now, lass, go clean up and get ready for the meet.  More appropriately, get your friends ready,” he said.  “I suspect this will be a new experience,” he said slyly.


Jake and Venus re-entered their room, dropping their bags on the bed.  Venus leaned over and unzipped her bag, pulling her un-worn arctic camo shirt out and tossing it in the open drawer in the dresser.  “Shouldn’t have even brought it,” she said.

Her boyfriend walked up behind her and promptly slid his arms around her waist.  “You are so lucky,” he muttered into her hair.  She slid her own hands over his.

“You’re always cold, Jake, but this feels different,” she said with concern.  “Are you gonna be all right?”

“Absolutely, just let me shower, and then you sit on my hands for a few minutes,” Jake said.  “If this is what weather is like around here, Freya can keep it.”

Venus snorted, pulling his hands away.  “Right.”  She tugged her exercise gloves free and popped her knuckles.  “There we go.  You want the first shower?”

“Sure,” Jake said.  He unzipped his arctic camo shirt and hung it over the back of the chair.  Before he could enter the bathroom, his slate beeped.  He swiveled it around on his desk and skimmed the message.  “Hey, letter from home.”

“Cool.”  Venus slid the slate over to her side and started reading as Jake undressed.  “Really short.  Your parents say hi, hope you’re feeling better…mine say have fun, don’t get eaten, et cetera.  That’s about it.  Couple pictures.”

“I’ll see them when I’m done,” Jake promised, closing the bathroom door.

Venus opened the pictures and glanced through them.  Angela was sitting on the wide bench-like couch in her house, carrying a copy of her new pamphlet and beaming.  The cover said ‘The Loudest Thoughts: Education Programs for Psychic Children.’

“Good for you, Angela,” Venus said with quiet pride.  “I knew you could do it.”

She paged to the next one.  George and Sandra were standing outside their apartment in front of a new aircar.  George was dangling keys from his finger.  The caption said ‘Behold, our new flying chariot.’

“Classy.”  Venus opened the last picture to see Misja sitting cross-legged, with a box in her lap.  Inside…

“EEEEEE!  Jake get out here!” Venus squealed.

A few rattling noises later, Jake burst from the bathroom, shirt bunched in his hands.  “What?  What?”

“Look at this!” Venus giggled, ramming the slate into his arms.

Jake stared.  “…Taxi’s been busy.”

“My dog had puppies while I was gone!  ARRGH, I wanted to name them!” Venus groaned.  The box was full to the brim with no fewer than four little baby dogs.  The fourth and final photo was Taxi, lying down, as the other dogs crawled all over her.

“I thought Taxi was a male dog,” Jake said.

“No, she’s a bitch, in every sense of the word.”  Venus sighed contentedly at the slate.  “The male was one of the neighbor’s dogs.  We don’t put a fence up, so he can come visit whenever.”

“That’s pretty cute.”  Jake shuffled his feet.  “Can I finish my shower now?”

Venus opened the caption of the final picture.  “Hmm…their names are, left to right: Avery, Ormont, Kale, and Neeia.  Mom must have named them, Dad wouldn’t have used Terran names.”  Venus smiled maternally.  “So adorable.”

Jake climbed back into the shower while Venus was still enraptured by the pictures.  “I’ll be right out,” he called.

Freya jogged into her room with the bag dangling from her arms.  “Alex, check this out!” she said.

Alex glanced over his book.  “What is it?”

“Bjorn got me a present!” Freya emptied the bag onto the bed.

“Is that a knife?” Alex asked.  He lifted the scabbarded blade.  “What, uh…what’s the occasion?  For the knife-giving?”

“He wants me to be safe tomorrow,” Freya said.  “And look!  Filthy lucre!”  She dumped the bag of coins onto the bedspread.  “I could buy a house with this much gold.”

Alex gaped.  “Holy shit,” he said.  “A house?  On a planet of nomads?”

“Look at this!”  Freya ran her fingers over the pile of money.  “Man, Bjorn really went overboard here.”

Alex picked up a few coins.  Each was embossed with a little symbol and the number fifteen on one side, and a man’s head on the other.  He didn’t recognize the symbol or the head.  “Who’s this dude?”

“Dunno.  The symbol is for the Krennir clan, though.”  Freya slid the gloves on.  “How cool are these?  One of the skjalds of the Second Great Company made them.”

Alex ran his fingers over the fabric.  “Wow, that’s soft.”

“It’s doe leather.”  Freya sniffed the fabric and ran her fingers together.  “This is so awesome.  I’m gonna be all set tomorrow.”

“What should we do tomorrow, while you’re out?” Alex asked.

Freya paused.  “Well…I was hoping you guys would just be okay on your own…”  She suddenly looked a little anxious.  “I mean, you couldn’t come with me.  You don’t speak the language.”

Alex grimaced.  “Well, hey, you go have fun.  We can just laze about for a while.”

She smiled ruefully.  “Are you sure?”

He shrugged.  “Sure.  Knock yourself out.”

Freya leaned across the pile of goods and gently kissed him on the lips.  “Thanks, baby.”


After a quick dinner in their rooms, the group reassembled for cards, and to plan out the next few days.  Jake took the opportunity to ask a careful question of Freya.

He tapped his finger on the table, trying not to sound accusatory.  “Freya…how do you pick which members of the Legion accompany us?”

She glanced at him, curious.  “What do you mean?”

“I’ve met a few on Terra at your place…they seemed a bit more…rowdy,” Jake said cautiously.

She snorted.  “Wait until we have dinner in the Great Hall in two days.  You’ll change your definition of ‘rowdy.’  But to answer your question, I just pick.  Guys I know from last time I was here.”

“Are you picking Marines that won’t object to outsiders being here?” Remilia pointedly asked.

“Yes,” Freya said simply.  “Some of the Brothers will not like you being here.  I don’t blame them, they’re not used to outsiders, but I’ve been cherry-picking guys I knew would be alright with us.”

“So when we’re dining in the main hall, will we have to put up with people wanting us to go?” Jake asked.

Freya shook her head.  “No,” she said adamantly.  “The rules of hospitality are sacred to the Rout.  Believe me, you guys are going to be fine.”

When they were done, they retired, though it took Freya a while to sleep.  When rest came, her dreams were full of the things she hoped she would see the next morning.