At first glance, it appeared very little had changed in the two weeks following Bragi's second encounter with the tree goddess. A few people had been over informed about both events, but overall, Bragi went about his days as he had always done. With two exceptions. On occasions when Bragi was left to his own thoughts, those small lulls in daily activity with no eyes watching, he would often absentmindedly put his fingers to his lips and smile to himself. And every day, Bragi found and visited another apple orchard.
Thirteen apple orchards, ten glasses of cider, nine potential new friends, two potential new enemies, and sixteen hours of hard labor later, Bragi still hadn't found the exact orchard he was looking for. There were a surprising number of apple orchards. But surprisingly he wasn't dismayed. A weird sort of happiness had engulfed him too much for those kinds of emotions. He had a goal in mind, and knew it was going to take a long time, but he was so pleased with the prospect of reaching it that the time didn't matter. He didn't even ask the people he met if they knew of an orchard cared for by a twig haired goddess with bright green eyes and a brighter smile. Eventually Asgard would run out of orchards. He'd never stop looking, and he had all the time in the universe. Bragi knew he would find her again.
When Bragi reached the fourteenth orchard, on the fourteenth day, the calm that had been his constant companion vanished for the first time. It was an incredibly beautiful orchard, and from all of the tips he'd gotten in the past thirteen days, and from his own limited experience, Bragi could tell it was exceptionally well cared for. It was hers. He had thought this for a moment with the seventh orchard too, but this time, he felt even more strongly about it. The orchard seemed deserted at first, but Bragi's determination to prove himself right, eventually paid off. He eventually caught the sight of a moving figure two trees away.
She was sitting on the ground peeling an apple with a driving focus and determination Bragi had never seen applied to that task before. Or any task. Except maybe scalping loathsome enemies. Bragi smiled. He could only see the profile of the face, but that was more than Bragi needed. He could have identified her with a finger. The sort that curled in the hair during a section of memory that Bragi did not have.
Bragi approached her silently, and leaned up against the tree behind her. He casually rapped against it with one knuckle. It wasn't much of a knock, but Bragi would work his way up. Eventually. When he had her attention, Bragi grinned.
He looked around at the trees. “You undersold it,” Bragi said.