Who: Thor and Katniss When: 2/20 Where: Thor’s place What: Thor interviews Katniss for a job Rating: PG-13 for information about the Hunger Games world. Status: Complete
Katniss wore her nicest outfit. She didn’t want to look like some hobo off the streets. She could have, though. Pansy had helped her out with upgrading her wardrobe, so she looked snappy and secretarial...even if she was incredibly uncomfortable in a business skirt and blouse. She looked like someone who belonged among trees and was only playing at civilization.
Swallowing her nerves, she walked up and knocked.
Thor opened the door wearing slacks and a polo shirt. Albeit it, expensive versions of both, but still. Extremely well-fitting also. And no shoes. He smiled as he saw her and nodded. “Katniss I presume?” He stepped aside and waved her in. “Please come in.” He could see her discomfort and he would address that in a moment or ten.
Katniss found herself staring for longer than strictly necessary. She flushed and nodded. “Yes. Thank you.” She stepped inside suddenly feeling even smaller. The man was huge, and well built, and really good looking.
“Please, be comfortable here. While this is an interview, there is no need to feel you must be formal. I prize honesty, loyalty, and honest reactions more than anything else.” He nodded and led the way to his den. “Could I offer you something to drink? Water, tea?”
"Water is good, thanks." Katniss started to relax. She took a seat, still uncomfortable in her clothing, but less uncomfortable otherwise.
Thor opened a small mini-fridge and pulled out a bottled water. He watched her as he sat opposite a desk across from her. He handed the water to her and smiled.
“It’s good to meet you. Tell me something about you, and your situation.”
“Uhm...” Oh. Eloquent. Katniss grimaced inwardly, but kept a nervous smile on her face. It didn’t really do much to hide anything - Katniss had always had difficulty hiding behind false faces.
“There’s me, and my sister and my mother. Prim is 13. My mother isn't really...suited for most work."
“So you take care of the household, yourself, yes?” He could already see it in her, responsibility, weighing like a solid weight around her neck, and hurting her almost as much as life had. He narrowed his eyes. “Are you a hard worker?”
“Yes. Most of the bills, though Prim is on the insurance my mom buys.” It was really the only thing that her mother could afford with the work she did on the side. She was brilliant with herbs and medicines, but you couldn’t really make a career of that.
Katniss’ back straightened. “I’m a hard worker. I handle school, two jobs and my sister.”
Thor smiled at that. Good, some pride. “Good. THis is what I need. A person who can work hard, ask questions when they need to, anytime they do not know what to do, and handle things when they do.” he fixed her with a look. “And I mean that. No being prideful or not asking just because you think it will annoy me. That annoys me and I have had enough people do that to me in my life. I need someone I can trust. My mail varies from the personal to the business to the financial and you’ll be opening it all, reading it, and sorting it for me by rules we’ll discuss. You’ll be careful, you’ll take breaks and meals, and you won’t overdo it.”
He smiled, then.
“It really won’t annoy you?” Katniss could be prideful. Her greatest sin was not accepting the help of others. It was stubbornness, mostly, and lack of trusting people. But if he wanted her to ask questions, she would, at least until she got a handle on it. “I have trouble with the taking breaks thing. It’s lazy.”
“There might be times when i am annoyed, but I want an employee I can trust. not one who will be afraid of losing her job. You will never lose a job from me for annoying me or from doing what I tell you.” He nodded to her.
“Well, it’s also the law. If you work for me you will take breaks, and you will be careful.” His eyes snapped serious and sure. “One cannot be accurate when one is reading if one does not take breaks to move around and rest one’s eyes.” He nodded.
Katniss nodded her head. He was right, of course, even if she felt like she wanted to keep working until the job was done. She’d have to have something to remind her, she thought. “You’re right. I just have to fight the urge to keep doing the job.”
“We can set up alarms if need be. I wish for you to be healthy, and also to do a good job. Both are served by the same idea.” Thor smiled to her. “Do you have any questions of me?”
“Uh.” She shook her head, then thought better of it. “Is there something I can wear? Like gloves? To fight paper cuts and god knows what else might be in the letters.”
“Oh yes. Gloves for sure, and we’ll go over procedures or opening packages for sure, so you are protected and able to do so safely.” He chuckled. “You might see things you never wanted to see, but you won't be hurt by them, if I can help it.”
He nodded.
“Thanks. I’d like to be safe. Who’d take care of Prim without me?” Katniss smiled, her face lighting up when she said her sister’s name. It wouldn’t take much effort to get her started.
Thor smiled a little. “Also, since the work would be done here, if you needed to bring her here, you could. There are spare rooms where she could be settled. And no one but I and a few others have access to this place, so you would both be safe here.” He nodded. “I’ll provide you a list of those people.”
"Are you sure you're not some angel from on high?" Katniss asked, the beginnings of a crush forming. Fortunately for everyone, her heart was belonging to another, if only she'd admit it.
Thor laughed. “No. I’m not. Just an actor, and... a Dreamer. Like many people on Valarnet, I dream of another life. And it has affected me. I realized we all need to help one another. We all need to stand together. When i needed help, there were people to help me. When i was knocked down, there were people there to help me up. “ He smiled to her.
“Another life...’ Katniss nodded, disquieted. She’d give anything to stop dreaming. Anything. “I’ve had more help than I ever wanted before.” She didn’t want to talk about it, but would if she asked. “I’m...stubborn, and I like to be self-sufficient. I also have a hard time accepting help without expecting to owe someone.” She smiled softly. “I’m working on that, I know it’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid, Katniss, if you feel it.” He leaned forward. “Here, you will be working for me, and you will be doing something I have neither the time, want, or ability to do. You will be compensated as you should for something that will sometimes be time sensitive, sometimes disgusting, and sometimes very personal and private. I believe in paying what something is worth, and I believe in treating employees the same way.” Thor smiled to her.
“See, that’s fair. I like to work for my bread, so to speak.” Katniss smiled at him. “And trust me when I say there probably isn’t much that can disgust me at this point. I’ve gotten kind of jaded. Mostly.”
Thor smiled. “What has so jaded you? And good. I fear some fans, both good and bad, decide to send me things quite odd.” He made a face, but smiled. “I will show you the other den in a bit where you will be working. It has it’s own restroom, an external stair you can use if you like to exit and enter, and a mini-fridge in addition to normal type things.”
“I can put an arrow into the center of a target at two hundred yards,” Katniss said, smiling. “I could send things right back at them if you wanted.” It would be impressive, and kind of funny. Her smile faltered. “Just bad dreams, that’s all.”
“No. But It is good to know you can defend yourself.” He smiled. Then he nodded, “As you wish. If you ever need to talk, you can call me. I am not someone who will turn a blind eye.” He smiled, then.
“What..do you dream about?” Katniss asked. She didn’t know if she’d ever read anything on the net. She just knew hers sucked.
“That I am from a planet-city called Asgard and that I am truly Thor, god of Thunder. That my brother, beloved and close, is evil, and insane, and hates me and my father as well. That there is war, and endless conflict, and yet... also companions, ones who rise to fight the darkness.” He smiled. “There is good and bad in my dream universe, just as here.”
Katniss picked her jaw up, and then ran her fingers through her hair. “Wow...that’s actually kind of awesome. I just...dream about being poor. Poorer. Starving and willing to eat rats poor. You can’t hunt, because it’s punishable by death. I hunt anyway. And every year they do the Reaping. Two kids 12 to 18, are chosen in each district. They’re treated like celebrities. Interviews, parties, the people in the Capitol go wild for it. Except, what it all boils down to is twenty-four kids go into an arena to fight, and only one comes out. They pulled my sister’s name and I … I volunteered.”
Thor nodded. “For her sake, you took her place. Well done.” He smiled, approvingly. “I am sorry you were drawn into such a thing.” Her world seemed darker than what he knew.
"I lived." She clenched her fist, "and I beat the system. I found a way for two of us to win."
“Good.” Thor grinned, reached out and gripped her fist gently with his. “Just remember, you and your dream self are two different people, with two different lives. You and she may share memories, but you do not have to share anything else.”
“We share emotions. Though they’re more closed up in the dreams. I’m not a very nice person.” Katniss frowned. “Something else I’m working on.”
Thor nodded. “Thus far I have seen nothing but nice, here. And as long as you do the job, I have no interest in penalizing you for your personal opinions or actions.” He nodded. “I think you will work quite well for this job.”
“Thank you, Mr. Odinson.” Katniss smiled, swallowing her nerves again. “I promise I’ll do my best not to let you down.”
“Thank you, Katniss. And please, call me Thor.” He extended his hand to her. “I’ll show you the work space and we can look at paperwork, and sign things if you think you would like to work for me.” His smile showed he definitely was willing to employ her.
Taking a deep breath, Katniss reached out to shake Thor’s hand. She wasn’t going to let him down if it killed her.