Svanalf's Norse B&B, Part One

The guests had become increasingly more eccentric at Svanalf’s B&B, formerly the hotel of gods, Scandinavian division.

Svanalf herself was still the receptionist, but she was also the host, CEO, empress of her kingdom, librarian, and janitor. She didn’t like being the janitor.

She inspected her fingernails as the door swung open. The scarlet nail polish was chipped. Bummer.

“Hello,” said the chap stepping jauntily into the hall over the sound of the storm outside. “Got any vacancies?”

He was a redhead wearing pale pink legwarmers and gloves, and he had the greenest eyes she’d ever seen, including everyone in the mob of Lokis she’d once hosted. Like fire.

Definitely a Loki, then. No doubt about it.

“One-Eye,” he said mildly to the one-eyed man beside him, “I do think Ms.-” He glanced at Svanalf’s name tag. “-Svanalf doesn’t want our company.”

“Oh!” Svanalf said. “So sorry. What’s the matter?”

“Lodgings, one night,” the man called One-Eye said.

“Mmm- Where’re you going? Six hundred krone.”

“World’s End,” One-Eye said.

“Lovely place, I hope? Nice for a vacation?”

One-Eye shrugged. He counted out a sheaf of Norwegian krone and pushed the money over the counter. Svanalf took it, slipping into the cashier.

“Well,” said the Loki, rubbing his hands together, “nice talk. See ya later.”

“No room?” Svanalf called, passing One-Eye a room card. “One-o-one,” she said more quietly to the Odin. He nodded and swept past, disappearing down the hallway.

“Nah,” the Loki said. “I’m out there.” He gestured out the window. “Berk. That’s where I’m headed. Someone just invoked my leg-warmer-ness.”

“Ah,” said Svanalf, not getting it.

“Business bad?”

“Yeah,” she said.

“Some interesting people should be coming your way shortly,” he promised. And then he left into the night.

~ ~ ~

One-Eye: Odin, Runemarks (Joanne Harris)

Loki: Loki, How to Train Your Dragon (Cressida Cowell)

"By Loki's little lunatic leg-warmers"

~ ~ ~

The rest of this story is still pending since I have yet to read the whole of Sandman and therefore do not know exactly what Gaiman did with Norse mythology. Coming shortly... just like Svanalf's interesting people.