Despite the knock, Bragi had startled her. The point of the knock had been to avoid doing that. It was a very good thing he was working his way up. Next time he could use his entire hand, and maybe then he wouldn't put her in mortal danger by visiting while she was using sharp instruments. Bragi also hoped the next time he visited, she wouldn't happen to be using sharp instruments. He'd received her slightly murderous glares before, but never when she was actually armed. Knives put him on edge enough by themselves when he wasn't distracted by how adorable it was when she looked at him over her shoulder like that.
But the knife wasn't the only steel he noticed. There was a bit of it in her tone as well. The sound of it sent a tiny shiver down Bragi's spine. It was a decisively chilly tone. She was frustrated with him already. This could only mean she'd been frustrated with him before he'd arrived. It was better news than Bragi could have hoped for. He didn't say anything about his passion for orchards, but his grin grew even wider than it had been before. This reaction was so much better than indifference, or even a happy greeting. Before he'd found her, Bragi had been a bit afraid that he'd find her satisfied. He wasn't afraid of that anymore. The knife, and the way she held it towards him, that still frightened him a little. But he didn't care.
If Bragi received any bodily harm that day, she'd already made it worth it.
“I would love to. That's very kind of you,” he said. Bragi left his position leaning against the tree. He walked a few steps, and then sat down beside the apple maiden. She could turn herself so that she was facing him if she was so inclined. Bragi reached over with barely noticeable hesitation. When his fingers touched the slice, Bragi met the goddess's eyes, smiled, and said “Thank you,” before he lifted it from the knife.
He had just put the tip of the apple to his mouth, when the goddess asked the question. Bragi smiled around it, then actually took the bite. It was the best apple he'd ever tasted. And he'd tried a lot of them, particularly during these last two weeks. Bragi swallowed, then replied, “Oh. This isn't a chance meeting. I came specifically to see you and your orchard like I implied that I would. Unless this is a bad time?” He smiled at her. “This is a rather large orchard. Do you do all the harvesting yourself? That's a lot of work for one goddess. My grandfather had a grove when I was growing up. Much much smaller. He still used hired hands. The apples weren't nearly as good as this one though. I think you undersold again.”