Bragi shook his head. “That's taking it a bit too far,” he said. His expression told her that he thought it was a very silly idea, but then Bragi added, “I'd start by gently rapping one knuckle and then work my way up. Or maybe even that's too much to start with. A rapping noise coming from out of nowhere could startle something. Maybe I could play my langeleik from about eighty paces off, and then gradually play it a little louder as I approached to give everyone in the tree adequate warning.” After that Bragi couldn't stop himself from smiling any longer. He grinned. He liked teasing, so long as the teaser liked it back.
He stood still for a second longer while she considered the new list items. His toes drummed a tiny bit in his shoes. If 4-10 didn't work on her, Bragi didn't know what he would do. He did have some resolve, even when it came to goddess's with bright green eyes who smiled like they'd spent their life forever dancing on the rainbow bridge. Breaking the rules once for the rosy tree goddess was irregular. Twice would be impossible. Even for rosy tree goddesses. Even for this one. Even for her. She nibbled her lip.
If 4-10 didn't work, Bragi would try 11.
His feet moved with hers automatically. He grinned like a fool at the entire world when she wasn't looking. Bragi would have seen the goddess looking at their feet moving together if he hadn't been doing the same thing. He liked the sound of her walking. The weight of her feet on the ground next to his. There was a sort of rhythm to their paces. Bragi was used to walking faster but he slowed to match her. The match wasn't exact, but it was good enough that he could keep supporting her like he'd promised. She took steps in just the right way for her. It struck Bragi as beautiful. She fit her feet. Most people didn't.
Bragi laughed. “That's a good trait for a tree goddess,” he said. “You never quite know what's in the top of a tree until you've finished climbing it.” The answer to her question was 'everything.' He wanted to know everything. But that was a pretty big favor to ask someone who was already walking with you. Bragi met her eyes. He really wanted to ask for her name again, but decided against it. Holding off on a name was too big to last for only a day. “Are you actually a tree goddess, or simply a goddess who enjoys climbing trees?” he asked.