House Hunting (narrative)
The world, it seemed, had gotten so much larger since the last time Sigyn had visited it. Oh, she knew, populations expanded, mortals pushed ever outwards from the cities they created, and life moved on. Wasn't it for that reason that she'd risked her clandestine trips out of the cave? The first few times had seen to their needs. After that, she'd gone out so they wouldn't be completely left behind, forgotten as they were in that dank place. And she'd managed to return with little bits of the modern world, but still, even she hadn't been prepared for the enormity of it.
It made finding a permanent home somewhat... daunting. But it was absolutely necessary. They could not continue to live in a hotel, if only because it was impractical. There was a bed, a bath, and a television. And though she'd managed to find a room that also contained an efficiency kitchen, it really only had a sink and microwave. That was not a good way to live. Besides, Loki needed more room to practice walking. Others in the hotel were less than patient with him roaming the hallways.
She'd started looking, pragmatically enough, where they were. Canada was such a wide open place. And though she'd originally felt that it best to hide in a place full of people, there were some issues with living as a divine being amongst the mundane. Little things would start looking... odd. And with Loki being Loki, it was only a matter of time before he stirred up trouble. If that happened in a large city, there would be witnesses, news reports, possibly local law enforcement. That would rather ruin the plan of flying under the radar.
And Canada had no shortage of rural areas. In fact, a good deal of it seemed largely uninhabited. Which would have suited Sigyn just fine, but not her husband. He was a social and gregarious creature who had been cut off from company other than hers for far too long. Letting him mingle would help him grow, and heal, and maybe become who he was once long ago. So she'd looked toward smaller cities, in fact, had found one she liked on Baffin Island. It was a lovely place, far north with a climate they were used to, a Viking history. And polar bears.
When Loki heard that part, he declined with three words: “Fuck polar bears.”
So that was out. Since north did not seem to be panning out, Sigyn began looking south. But not too far south, because she didn't want to live in a hot climate. Heat, with a fire giant in her bed? She'd burn up while trying to sleep. And she didn't think her husband would like it either. They were creatures from a cold environment, and that was what she wanted to find. So just south of the American/Canadian border was as far as she was willing to go.
She started on the side of the continent where they were currently located. Washington was pretty, but wet. Idaho was not even remotely appealing. Montana was populated too sparsely. North Dakota even more so. And Minnesota...
Minnesota. And Wisconsin. They were both promising, with warmer climates than she was used to, but still cool enough to be livable. They were populated, but not too populated. And they had a high percentage of people of Scandinavian descent, so they would be able to fit in rather well, she hoped. Sigyn explored several areas on both sides of the Mississippi, but she was having trouble narrowing the field.
Then she found the house.
It wasn't in an area that had been on her short list, but rather somewhat in between them, just outside of a town that was much smaller than what she'd been hoping to find. Nowthen, Minnesota was north of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, south of the college town of St. Cloud, and west of the county seat of Elk River. Apparently, it wasn't even a town until 2008, when it was finally incorporated and named by the town's first postmaster who habitually said, “Now, then.” It was quirky, but small, though the house sat closer to Elk River than Nowthen by Sigyn's estimation. She could live with that.
And she could definitely live in the house. It was two stories with a porch that wrapped around three sides and gables on the second floor. It had five bedrooms and five bathrooms in over four thousand square feet, which was probably far, far too much for just the two of them, but she fell in love with the bright, modern kitchen. There was a fireplace in the living room, a jetted tub in the master bathroom, and a walk out basement that was not only finished, it was a bar. That would probably please her husband just a little too much, but Sigyn was willing to put up with that for the sake of the jetted tub and the kitchen and the wrap around porch. Not to mention that it came with three acres of land that included a pond and a firepit.
She loved it. So she put down a down payment on the home. Sigyn thought it would be best to simply buy it, so it would be theirs, but in the course of negotiations it became clear that was not typical and she didn't really want to stand out. This was going to be theirs, though. This house. In Nowthen.
She just had to tell Loki and hope he loved it as much as she did. It was going to be a treat, as she hadn't told him about the meeting with the realtor, just that she was going out. How surprised would he be to find out they had a house!
And how surprised she would be to find only a note awaiting her return.