"Suzume!" Melinda's booming voice jolted me, my hand slipping as I applied my eyeliner. I sighed heavily and glared at the thin black line that was now all down the left side of my face. Of course, the one day I try and make myself look nice and this has to happen.

"Hang on!" I called as I licked the tip of my finger and rubbed at the makeup. Once it was faded enough, I walked out of the bathroom and opened the door. Melinda was there as I'd expected, bouncing up and down in the doorway, red curls like fire around her head. To my surprise, Elise was there as well, her brows drawn into a severe expression that was quite unlike her.

"Girl you are not gonna believe this!" Melinda said, stomping across the threshold in her ankle-cut fringe boots. She brandished a magazine at me, the shiny pictures on the front moving which disoriented me for a moment before I recognized my own face on the cover.

My almond shaped eyes were wide with surprise, long hair flying and Thor's handsome face frozen in mingled shock and fury as he pulled me towards him and we vanished from the city sidewalk. The headline read: Thor's Mystery Girl.

I groaned and sank down on the nearby chair. "This is exactly what Thor was afraid of."

"What happened?" Melinda asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor while Elise claimed the other chair. "Photographers ambushed you guys?"

I nodded. "Those bastards," she growled, giving me more Harley Quinn flashbacks. "No respect for privacy."

"Completely," Elise agreed, crossing her arms. Her orange dress and chunky gold jewelry was shockingly colorful compared to her scowl. "I read the article and they weren't pulling any punches." The sympathetic look she gave me was indicative enough but I couldn't help myself.

"What did they say?"

Elise bit her full lower lip but obliged. "Speculated about who you were, maybe a member of the working class on Asgard. Kind of implied that Thor might just be sleeping with you because of it. Also called you plain."

"Which is bullshit," Melinda said frankly, glaring at the magazine clutched in her hands. "You're beautiful!"

I smiled wryly at the compliment. "Thanks."

"Are you okay?" Elise asked, placing her warm hand on my shoulder. "Do you need anything?"

"No," I said my mind still on Thor. The reporters (who barely deserved the name) and what they said about me wasn't bothersome. I was more concerned about Thor. The man had sought women from Midgard just to have some attempt at a private life for a while and that was now blown out of the water. "I'm alright. How did you guys get a hold of this?"

"Amanda likes to keep up with press here," Melinda said, "she got this delivered in the mail and came right to me. She thought you might take it better from us."

"Where's she at?" I asked, wondering if she might be spreading it around the manor already. The moment the thought entered, a pang of guilt shot through me. I'd known her for over a month now and while Amanda was many things, she wasn't a gossip.

"She's researching," Melinda answered. "Trying to figure out what else might have been printed about you. She was still at it when we left and I'm honestly impressed. I've never seen anyone type that fast-ever."

My guilt increased sharply. "I'll have to thank her when I see her at breakfast." I looked back and forth between the two women, a mix of confusion and gratefulness mixing inside my stomach like baking soda and vinegar and I couldn't stop the reaction. "Why'd you guys tell me this?" I blurted as blood rushed to my face. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, but we are competing against each other in a few days. Why would you do me a favor?"

"We're already competing now," Elise corrected me, sitting down on the edge of my bed and crossing her long legs. "We're all dating Thor after all. But even so, you're my friend and if this had happened to me, I would've wanted someone to warn me rather than get ambushed."

Melinda nodded. "Exactly, sisters before misters. And besides," she grinned wolfishly. "I don't need to take cheap shots to win."

I smiled back. "You're not going to win if I have any say about it."

"I look forward to it," Melinda laughed. "I'd like to see if all that training paid off." We all laughed together then but the silence that followed wasn't very comfortable. Before now, we'd never really talked about the trials or the fact that we'd all been going on dates with the same man. The fact that we'd brought up the topic had shifted our dynamics, if only slightly.

"So," Elise asked, breaking the silence. "You two must be really into Thor huh?"

"Have you seen that man?" Melinda asked, "Can I just say damn? His parents did a good job."

Elise smiled shyly, not meeting Melinda's eye. "He is very attractive but I mean, what do you two think of him?"

"He's very thoughtful," I found myself saying as I fiddled with the leather bracelet on my wrist. "When he found out teleporting made me sick, he had this bracelet enchanted so I didn't have to worry about it."

"Oh that's sweet," Elise beamed. "I'm glad you don't have to worry about that. You looked like a Tom and Jerry cartoon every time you had to do that."

Melinda nodded. "I agree, on our first date he brought me to the museum-I've never seen so many amazing artifacts in my life!" Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds and I found myself smiling at her enthusiasm though I had never been excited about museums myself.

"We went to the gym on our first date."

Elise shook her head. "Why am I not surprised?" She paused a moment then said softly, "He and I just went walking in the gardens, they're very beautiful here."

I wasn't super interested in plants either but I smiled all the same. "Well, it's nice to know he's not taking us all on the same dates."

"Definitely," Melinda agreed. "Players do that and I don't have time for that shit." She went quiet then which was most unusual and then she spoke up again. "What would you do if you won?"

"Redecorate this place," Elise said, wrinkling her nose. "It's so plain! What about you?"

"Drag my king into bed and keep him there for a few days," Melinda said with a smirk. "I did kiss him after the first date and damn, I'd like to know what else he could do."

I couldn't help notice the subtle power play. Admitting she'd kissed Thor though I couldn't say it surprised me. Melinda was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and wasn't shy about going for it.

"What would you do then Officer?" Melinda asked, grinning. "What's your first act as queen?"

A stone settled into the pit of my stomach as Yuki's mangled body flashed into my memory. "Hunting down the Jotun that killed my cousin."

That dark statement was met with a gasp from Elise and a loud exclamation of "What the fuck?" from Melinda and I sighed.

"I wasn't ready to talk about when I came here, but with the press digging up dirt on me now, it'll get out eventually. I'd rather you heard it from me."

"What happened?" Elise asked kindly, low voice calming while Melinda stared at me with wild eyes.

"Before I came here, my cousin and I were attacked by a frost giant, also known as a Jotun. We were just in a late night store picking up some wine on the way back to our hometown and this guy in there just rubbed me wrong. He used his ice magic to collapse the roof where Yuki and I were standing," my throat grew tight as I recalled the feeling of my arms around her slender frame and the burn of adrenaline as I threw us both over the counter. "I got us out of the way in time, but he didn't stop the barrage. Sif was behind the counter,she'd been tracking him and we had a Hail Mary plan to use a spell to summon the Bifrost and send him away. It worked but Yuki...She got hit." My voice broke and saw Elise shake her head, tears sliding down her face.

"Suzume," Melinda's voice was deathly quiet and I snapped my head around to look at her, half expecting to see someone else sitting there. Her pale skin was even whiter though she wasn't crying. "I'm so sorry, I should never have pressured you that first day to talk about why you were here. It was wrong."

Her remorse hadn't been what I'd expected. "Melinda, don't apologize."

"But-."

"Don't," I said flatly. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I was being pushy."

"You are pushy," I said pointedly. "But no one's perfect. I mean, I'm super judgemental-I didn't like you when we first met. I thought you were annoying. Sorry about that by the way," I grinned at her as I tossed back her own words. "I was wrong."

Melinda snorted. "Not totally, I can be really annoying sometimes. Goes with the whole pushy thing," she sighed. "But it's okay, I mean, we can't all be Elise." She winked at the other women who threw her head back laughing.

"Don't kid yourself Melinda," she said, warmth clear in her tone. "I'm plenty flawed, I just don't share yours." She rubbed the back of her neck and though her rich brown complexion made it hard, I did have the inkling she was blushing. "I'm really vain honestly, but I think you guys already knew that. I can't even go to breakfast with you two without putting my makeup on fist."

Melinda shrugged. "Well I guess it's true then, no one is perfect."

We laughed then and I sighed. "So I guess the press will have plenty to rip on all of us for huh?"

"In droves," Melinda agreed. "At least we're in it together right?"

"Hear, hear."

"And if I possibly lose this contest," Melinda said slyly, "I hope it would at least be to either of you. You're worthy opponents."

I smiled back at her. "Glad you've already embraced your defeat."

"Oh shut up." Melinda shoved me playfully. "But seriously though, I have to admit they've got a good group of ladies up here with all this."

I cringed. "Except for that Camila chick. She seems..." I trailed off, searching for a word that wasn't crude but nothing came to mind as I recalled the cold glare she sent my way each time we saw each other.

"Bitchy?" Elise offered and I sputtered, jaw dropping as I stared at her. "What?" she said, frowning. "She is, I've seen how rude she is to you and I don't like it."

"Not that!" I exclaimed, shaking my head. "You just swore!"

"Yes."

I didn't know you could do that," Melinda said, her expression as wild and shocked as mine.

"You swear all the time."

"Yeah but I'm me and you're you."

"Sometimes they are the only words that work. For example, the trial on Friday is going to be a bitch."

Melinda nodded. "That's true. You guys ready? Wait, Suzume don't answer that, we all know you are."

"Anything can happen," I replied dryly, my mind flashing back to late night calls that stared quiet and then filled with gun fire. "We won't know how things will turn out until we get there."

"Wow, I love your optimism," Elise said with a tiny bite of sarcasm and I couldn't help my grin. I was learning a lot about her today.

"I call it realism."

"I get it. I'm nervous too," she fiddled with one of the thin gold bracelet's on her wrist. "Let's just take it one day at a time huh?"

"Good advice." I said, getting back up to my feet. "You guys want to get some lunch or something? I'm starving."

"Depends," Melinda asked, getting to her feet even as Elise did the same. "Is it too early to drink?"

"Well given the review I just got," my eyes flickered to the magazine, "I think a drink or two is definitely an order."

"I knew there was a reason I liked you!" Melinda said, clapping me on the shoulder. "I'll make some cosmos."

"I'm not fond of cosmos." I said, wrinkling my nose, "Vodka tastes like gasoline."

"Honey you've never had a cosmo made by me," Melinda said, linking her arm through mine.

"Elise back me up here."

She shrugged. "Sorry Suzume, I have to side with Melinda. She knows her cocktails."

"You're awful."

"A total bitch for sure."

I made a face at her casual swearing. "Jeez, I think the reporters are going to enjoy finding out you have a dirty mouth."

"Better than being a secret mistress."

"Oh shut up," I said, laughing as I recalled the less than flattering article. I was glad it gave me something to laugh at now, but I couldn't shake the feeling that moving forward, the tabloids would be less than funny.

*****************************

New chapter! Double posting this week in honor of HTLAG hitting one thousand reads! Yay! *throw confetti*
So, Suzume's face is out in the presses and they're not being the kindest either. But hey, at least she has some good friends to help her deal with it! Women supporting women, I'm there for it!
Thanks for getting us to 1k guys! You deserve all the gold stars! :)

Write on! :)