[Intrusion]
It took maybe half an hour for me to get sick of the rodent.
Don’t get me wrong, Ratatoskr seemed cool and he was honestly kind of funny, but he just wouldn’t Shut. Up.
“...and that’s when Vidar told the eagle that his feathers were looking particularly mangy this season, which of course the bird took exception to, because apparently nobody appreciates honest criticism anymore. I swear, if he would hop down from his perch every once in a while or ask Veðrfölnir to preen him every once in a while—” Ratatoskr chattered as he bounded along the bark ahead of us, his bushy tail swishing back and forth with every word.
I glanced back and winced as I caught sight of Mittelt’s venomous glare. The woman was the furthest thing from a people person and her patience was definitely being tested right now. Hopefully she could hold out for a little bit longer.
“And the worst part is that nobody ever visits anymore! At least when Nidhogg was around, there was someone to trade barbs with. Sure, he was a grumpy, antisocial lizard who thought himself above everyone else, but at least he was interesting!” Ratatoskr continued, seemingly oblivious to our suffering.
Was he always this chatty when you were here?
A rumble of what might have been laughter echoed through my mind. Being left alone with that haughty eagle has probably driven the rat mad. You should put him out of his misery.
I’m not killing the squirrel, Nidhogg.
Then suffer.
“...but now I have to deal with that bird all on my own, and let me tell you, it is exhausting! Do you know how hard it is to come up with new insults every day? The eagle has no imagination! It’s always ‘vermin this’ and ‘pest that,’ never anything original—”
“Ratatoskr,” I interrupted.
“Oh! And another thing, Veðrfölnir isn’t any better, just constantly staring down at everything with that judgmental little face—”
“Ratatoskr.”
“...though I suppose I can’t blame the poor sod, being stuck up there with that insufferable bird would make anyone—”
“RATATOSKR!”
The squirrel finally stopped, turning to look at me with wide eyes. “Yes?”
I took a deep breath, fighting the urge to grab him by his fuzzy little throat. “You mentioned knowing how to get to Midgard. How much farther?”
Ratatoskr’s nose twitched. “Oh, not far at all! We’re making excellent time. But I must say, you’re not very patient.”
I would argue that I had been incredibly patient considering Mittelt looked like she was about strangle the squirrel until he was blue and beat me to death with his corpse, but I held back mentioning the Fallen’s impending homicidal rage. For the moment.
Soon, we came upon a groove in the tree that seemed unlike all the others we had passed. It glowed with a faint light, as if there was a lantern set deep within.
Ratatoskr inspected it for a moment, his fuzzy nose twitching. “Hmm... You’re Japanese, yes?”
“Mostly” I replied, gazing into the hole curiously.
“Then this one will do!” Ratatoskr declared, gesturing toward the glowing groove with a dramatic flourish of his paw. “Hop inside!”
I peered into the hole, trying to get a sense of what lay beyond. The light was soft, inviting even, but I couldn’t see anything through it except for a hazy blur of colors that shifted and moved.
“So I just... step through it?” I asked, turning back to the squirrel.
Ratatoskr nodded sagely. “Just step through and think of home. Yggdrasil will do the rest. The tree knows where you belong, even if you don’t.”
“How poetic,” Mittelt scoffed.
“I’m a surprisingly poetic creature,” Ratatoskr preened, puffing out his chest.
I exchanged a glance with Mittelt, who looked less than thrilled at the prospect of stepping into a glowing hole in a giant world tree. Still, she squared her shoulders and gave me a curt nod.
“Alright,” I said, turning back to Ratatoskr. “Thanks for the help.”
“Oh, think nothing of it!” The squirrel waved a paw dismissively. “Just make sure you tell that grouchy lizard I said hello! I know he can hear me in there but knowing him, he’s lazing around.”
“I’ll pass that along,” I said, though I had absolutely no intention of doing so.
“And come visit sometime! It gets so boring around here with no one to talk to!”
“No,” Mittelt said, nudging past me to step inside the hole.
I watched Mittelt disappear into the light, her form vanishing as if she’d walked through a curtain of water. For a moment, nothing happened, and I felt a pang of worry that maybe this hadn’t worked after all.
Then the light pulsed, and I felt a tug somewhere deep in my chest. It was gentle at first, barely noticeable, but it grew stronger with each passing second. It was pulling me somewhere, and I had a feeling that if I didn’t follow it willingly, it would drag me along anyway.
“Safe travels!” Ratatoskr called after me, his bushy tail swishing. I opened my mouth to respond, but the light chose that moment to yank me forward. I stumbled into the groove, the world around me dissolving into a swirl of colors and sensation that I imagined wasn’t too dissimilar to those mail tubes at the bank. I was squished and stretched across the realm before I was unceremoniously spat out into the world, my head spinning like a dreidel.
“—the hell did you just push me for!” Mittelt’s voice came as I almost toppled her over..
I blinked, shaking my head to clear the lingering dizziness. We were standing in an alley, the familiar sounds of the city filtering in from the street beyond. The smell of street food and exhaust filtered into my nose, undercut by the subtle sweetness of blooming flowers. Home.
“Okay,” I said, straightening up and brushing off my clothes. “That wasn’t so bad.”
Mittelt shot me a look that could have curdled milk but didn’t reply. I oriented myself, quickly finding that I was in a familiar spot downtown. I used to come here all the time to browse the more racy stuff in the adult stores. Y’know, before I actually managed to get some.
“Why didn’t it just drop us off at my house?” I wondered.
“It’s a giant tree split between all nine realms,” Mittelt replied, fixing her hair. “The fact that it got your city right is a miracle. Now can we please go home? I want to soak and scrub the smell of Devil off my skin.”
I rolled my eyes, giving her a mock bow. “As you wish, Your Highness.”
I didn’t rush to get home, taking the time to appreciate being back in town for the first time in a while. Things hadn’t changed all that much, but there was something. To be said about being back on earth. Less sulfur and brimstone in the air, for one.
The walk from downtown to my house took about twenty minutes, during which Mittelt complained about her feet hurting in her heels approximately four times and threatened to fly the rest of the way twice. Finally, the street I grew up on entered our view.
As we approached my house, I wondered what kind of magic Sona had worked on my parents to make them not question my being gone for so long. As well, I wondered if it would work when it came to explaining the other changes I had undergone.
I ran a hand through my ponytail. It was the one change I’d decided to keep, deciding I liked the look.
Hopefully they’ll just chalk it up to hair extensions, I thought, turning the knob. The door was unlocked, and I stepped inside.
The familiar smell of home hit me only a moment before my mom’s voice, calling from the kitchen.
“That better be my daughter because I swear to god if it’s another salesmen I’m gonna—oh! Naomi, you’re home!”
My mom’s angry face shifted into something much more pleasant at the sight of me standing there in the entryway. She was clutching a bowl of something brothy in both hands, but set it down in favor of approaching me with arms wide open.
“Hey mom,” I barely had time to speak before I was engulfed in a tight hug.
I hugged her back, burying my face in her shoulder for a moment, indulging in her scent and embrace. The smell of her shampoo and the lingering spices of whatever she was eating really drove home that I was, well, home.
“Ooh, you’re clingy today,” she grinned down at me as I hugged her tightly. “Did you miss me, sweetie?”
“Like a rash,” I replied, mirroring her expression. She laughed, rubbing my head.
“Stinker,” she said, before her hand strayed to my ponytail. “Did you do something with your hair again? It looks good. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Naomi, but I’m so happy you’re finally taking some risks with how you look. With how things were going, I figured I’d be staring at the same photo in twenty years that I did on your twelfth birthday.”
As we pulled away from each other, I glanced around. “Where are dad and Miyo? I thought they’d be racing to see me.”
“If they were here, they probably would,” Mom agreed, picking her bowl back up and stirring it with a pair of chopsticks. “Your father had to pick up a case for one of his coworkers a few days ago and it turned into a real mess. Two cheating spouses. Both want the house.”
“Ah.” I nodded. Dad’s firm handled all sorts of cases, but they mostly worked on domestic disputes. There was a lot of money there, but things were almost never simple and he often worked even more than my mom. And her hours weren’t anything to scoff at.
“What about Miyo? Shopping?”
“I’m actually not sure,” Mom said, shrugging as she took a seat on the couch. “She said something about meeting a friend for something important. She seemed pretty worked up about it so I didn’t ask.”
A friend, huh? That probably meant Marcille. I had to admit, I had almost completely forgotten about my promise to him with everything that had happened. Hopefully he hadn’t done anything rash since we had been gone.
Mom turned to Mittelt, a smile appearing on her face at the sight of the other. “How are you doing, honey?”
Mittelt shrugged, refusing to look at my mom as she ran a hand through her hair. “I’m fine.”
“You look exhausted. Why don’t you take tomorrow off and rest? I know dealing with my daughter can be a hassle.”
“Oi.”
As my mom stuck her tongue out at me, Mittelt’s cheeks flushed and she shook her head. “I just need a soak and some sleep. I was actually... I’ll get back to work tomorrow; it’s fine.”
While I wondered after her strange reaction, Mom set her bowl down on the coffee table, patting the cushion next to her. “Sit with me for a minute, Naomi. Tell me about your trip.”
I hesitated, shrugging lightly before taking a seat on the couch right next to her.
“It was... good,” I said, settling onto the couch next to her. “Mostly uneventful.”
“Is that right?” Mom raised an eyebrow. “Your dad was worried sick when he heard your train got delayed. He wanted to drive out there himself, but Miyo convinced him it would be fine.”
So that was the story they’d been fed. Playing along, I waved my hand vaguely. “Yeah, it sucked. We ended up stuck at some station in the middle of nowhere for like a day. I slept through most of it. Still have a crick in my neck.”
“Ugh, that sounds miserable. I hate when travel stuff like that happens.” She picked her bowl back up, slurping down some broth. “Well, at least you’re back now. Your dad will be happy—you know how he gets when you’re gone for too long.”
“I know,” I said, and I meant it. Dad was a worrier by nature, and ever since I was little, he’d had a habit of texting me every few hours when I was away from home. It used to annoy me, but after everything that had happened, I found myself appreciating it more.
“Did you at least have fun?” Mom asked, pointing her chopsticks at me.
I thought about it for a moment, everything that had happened while I was in the Underworld. “Yeah... Honestly, I really did.”
I chatted with my mom for a little bit longer, just unwinding and relaxing now that I was actually home, before making my way upstairs. Mittelt broke off from me and headed down the hall toward the bathroom, leaving behind a vague invitation to join her once she was done relaxing. I was more than happy to take her up on it after I lounged in my room for a little bit.
I stepped in my room, breathing in the stale scent of myself layered underneath a much stronger scent.
“Did Miyo sleep in here?” I wondered, warmed by the thought. My room looked exactly like I left it, albeit the bed was a little neater than I remembered. Probably Miyo’s doing. She couldn’t stand it when I left it messy.
I threw myself onto the sheets, sighing happily as my bed wrapped around me. The Sitri’s had some really nice furniture, beds included, but there was something to be said about laying on your own mattress after a long trip.
“I think I’ll chill here for a few days and then go kick Issei’s ass. That cool with you, Nidhogg?”
“As long as my vendetta is satisfied, I do not care,” he grumbled.
“Love you too, buddy,” I sighed as my eyes slipped shut.
I wasn’t planning on sleeping, I was just resting my eyes before going to take Mittelt up on her offer. Unfortunately, I didn’t even get to do that as something suddenly intruded on my safe haven. It appeared with a shift in the air, like a turning wind that brought a strange odor that made every hair on my body shoot straight up.
The bed around my head suddenly depressed with an added weight and my eyes snapped open, slitted pupils locking onto another par only inches away. The face of a little girl stared back at me, pale features and dead eyes set in an emotionless expression so dull, I thought I was looking at a doll at first. Then, the doll spoke.
“I’ve finally found you,” she said, her lips curling upward in a pleased expression. “My silence.”