Blended Family (tag: Sigyn, Loki)
To Hel, it felt like it was a recipe. Though for disaster or success, only time would tell. The recipe would read something like this:
Take one father Add a freakish daughter Mix in one stepmother Optional: add a generous portion of loss and heartache Add one pinch of hope Blend
That's what they called what they were. Blended families. There were certainly differences in their circumstances from what the title implied, but it still seemed to fit. Except they had never fully blended, as it were. Someone, namely her father, had forgotten the spoon and never stirred the whole thing together. But they were trying to put all that behind them, and Hel thought it was high time someone took the initiative.
As he had promised, Loki had let Hel know where they were living. After not hearing anything for a while, she decided it was time to just pop by for a visit. Hel was fairly sure that Sigyn would welcome her, if only for her husband's sake. They got on well enough, but it wasn't like they were besties. Hel was well aware that was partially her own fault. It was easy to blame Sigyn for taking her father away, and easy to blame Dad for not wanting them all to be together. He had admitted to as much himself. But she also knew she hadn't exactly made things easy either.
Now, with a fresh start for Loki and Sigyn, it was time to see if things couldn't be better this time around. If Hel wanted to be a part of her father's life, it was up to her to make sure things went well, so that he'd want her around.
In deference to her stepmother, Hel made sure her look was flawless. It wasn't that Sigyn had never seen her true form. The first day they met, in fact, Hel had made a point of not looking pretty. But it was hard to have conversations when she looked all rotting and oozy. People always did one of two things; their eyes either continued to stray to the many fissures and wounds, or they intentionally focused on the good side so their minds didn't have to digest the rest. Hel knew by experience that they were never fully focused on just her, and what she had to say.
So far, Hel had to admit it was going well. Loki was not about, but Sigyn had warmly welcomed her, settling them in at the kitchen table with refreshments and idle conversation. They were at the "what have you been up to?" point of the conversation.
Since Loki wasn't around, and Hel had no one else to talk to about anything, especially these sorts of things, she decided to take a chance. She was pretty sure Sigyn wouldn't be so rude as to laugh at her, and she might even have some small advice to give her. Either way, it would just be good to tell someone.
"I think I'm sort of dating a Greek. Another Underworlder, actually. But, well, he's God of Nightmares, and I'm not actually sure why he's interested in me. I mean, does he like me despite of who and what I am, or because of it?"
It was a conundrum that Hel wasn't even sure Phob could answer. Sigyn wouldn't know either. Hel was suddenly wondering if maybe she should have just kept quiet. At least Dad hadn't heard it. Hel had no idea how he would react to hearing his daughter was maybe dating someone who maybe wasn't ideal. It didn't matter the children he had raised, or how much he accepted things that were different. She was his daughter, and Dad was used to being over-protective of her. It was what he did.