The apple maiden smiled like she was very pleased with herself because she was proud of the advice she had given. It wasn't for another reason. It was not because he had willingly walked into a trap she'd set. Rosy was much too good a friend to do something like that. The smile Bragi gave her was very warm but it had a slight smirkiness around the edges. This didn't have anything to do with him suspecting she wanted to ruin his relationship any more than her smile might make him suspect something like that.
His face fell a little at the criticism. Bragi stared down at what he had written dismayed. “I hadn't thought of it like that” he admitted, biting his lower lip. He stared at the paper and mentally counted to three again, then looked up. “You know” Bragi said, “I think you're right again. Absolutely right. I should just go with the roughest draft.” Then he paused. It was like an epiphany had just struck.
“Actually” Bragi said with a smile. “I'll do one even better. If it's a first draft why do a draft at all? Why waste the time writing when I could be in the moment with her right then? The next time I want to write a love letter I should just take her out on the lake and tell her. Declare my feelings. No script. No writings. Just me bearing the raw expression of my soul while I have her attention.” He looked up at her appreciatively. “You really are good at this. I don't know what I'd do without you.” The last line had the slightest hint of emphasis to it. Bragi hadn't intended it to. He'd said the words he meant, but if she looked for it, the emphasis included a bit of the addendum he'd thought but left off. 'I don't know what I'd do without you. Please ask for assistance soon.'
The second suggestion though, Bragi couldn't accept quite as enthusiastically. “Jondi isn't really the crawling back type.” He looked at the net, then back at the goddess, then back at the net. “She can be impressively obstinate when she wants to be.” Bragi shook his head. “Besides I was the one in error so I should be the one writing an apology.” He paused and did his best to meet the net goddess's eyes. “I could read you the first draft if you'd like. I'd appreciate the input. It'll at least give us something to do while we wait for the frost giant to show up”
What Bragi had written down this time was Frigg and Odin's conversation from two weeks ago. What he read was:
“Dearest Jondi, When we first met, I didn't make the best first impression, and I didn't know whether or not I would see you again. I'm so glad I did, and that you were willing to give me one more chance. It's more than gladness. I don't think there is a word for it yet. I needed to see you again. I needed you to give me another chance. Because when I met you, it changed me. You became the first unwritten item in every list. The goddess who smiles behind every line. The first candle to light and the last to go out. I'm sorry I was not there right when you needed me to be. I did not have the right tools. I came unprepared. You gave me one extra chance already and I suppose that should be enough. But it isn't. I need you to keep giving me chances. It might not seem like a fair request but I'll do my best to bridge the gap where I can. Try to keep giving me chances and I'll try to give you everything else.”
He frowned, then peered at her. “It's a little sappy. Do you still think I should just go with the first draft?”