Skadi Volos

Teuta Matoshi Duriqi on Instagram

Lena Luthor

‘ we’re family. family never gets left behind. ’

‘ time for a haircut. ’

‘ i burned your birthday cake. ’

‘ don’t you raise your voice at me, young man. ’

‘ you can stay here. for as long as you need. ’

‘ your bath is ready. ’

‘ stop squirming and let me see that cut! ’

‘ they’re being assholes, mom! ’

‘ remember to scrub behind your ears. ’

‘ hand sanitizer! we’re out of hand sanitizer! ’

‘ we lost the keys. ’

‘ get out of my room. ’

‘ where are you off to, little dude? ’

‘ you’re so annoying! ’

‘ i don’t think so, young lady. ’

‘ who broke the toilet? ’

‘ you’re one of us now. ’

‘ mom! ’

‘ want to hold my hand? ’

‘ i smell cupcakes. ’

‘ please stop screaming. ’

‘ if you don’t turn off that light and go back to your room right now… ’

‘ pull up a chair. have some breakfast. ’

‘ shut up. i’m n-not s-s-scared. ’

‘ what happened to your eye? ’

‘ honey, they’re staring. ’

‘ hey, hey. i’m not going anywhere. ’

‘ you should be in bed. ’ 

‘ get over here right now! ’

‘ that’s gonna be a no, buddy. you have a temperature. ’

‘ what is it with kids and their gadgets? ’

‘ shut up. shut up. shut up! ’

‘ don’t be sad. you can come along next time. ’

‘ go to your room. ’

‘ dad! ’

‘ did you just sass me? ’

‘ you brighten up my life, honey. ’

‘ you’re my kid. ’

‘ they can’t watch this! it’s rated r! ’

‘ does someone need a hug? ’

‘ he called me lame, honey. ’

‘ we’re hip. we’re in the know. ’

‘ do you want to hear a story? ’

‘ i’ve been texting you for ten minutes! where were you? ’

‘ i don’t wanna hug him! ’

Her lips parted is surprise and she was left speechless. That was the last thing she had expected him to say once he had seen her scars. Her cheeks blushed deeply and she bowed her head.

“Thank you,” she murmured quietly, glancing up at him from beneath her lashes. “No one has ever said that after seeing…” She shook her head. She certainly didn’t feel beautiful. She felt grotesque about her scars. But… as she gazed into his eyes, she could see that he wasn’t just saying it to be kind. He meant every word.

“I would have to disagree, though. It is you who is the cool one.” The word felt odd on her tongue but she smiled and reached out to place her hand on his arm in thanks.

It was Marcel’s time to be bashful and drink the last of his hot chocolate. He never really thought of himself that way but he never rejected the compliment. Since he barely got any from anyone other than his dad or Alex.

Her hand on his arm gave him another glimpse of her magic, even through the sweatshirt. No doubt she felt his as well, or at least the thought that. But he could have sworn that he was feeling something else. Something like…a mixing of their powers…

"Oh! You're welcome." She lifted her icy blue gaze from his arm back to his eyes. He had her giggling again. She honestly wasn't sure when the last time she laughed so much was. It was nice, though. It made her want to xome back out to spend more time with him.

Skadi leaned in as his tone softened. There wasn’t pity in her eyes, but sympathy. She understood. Being ostracised for simply being who you were– born or created. Either way, she felt sad that humans had treated him in the same way they had treated her all those years ago…. She had hoped they would learn…

“In the Dark Ages, my siblings and I would roam around in our natural forms… as dragons..” Her tone was hushed too. “But one day they decided to hunt us down. We took to the skies to flee– we didn’t want to hurt them. But one stuck me with a flaming arrow. I crashed to the ground, my wing singed and burned. My brother burned them all live for what they did to me… My sister, Scylla was barely able to save me.”

She allowed the glimmer spell to fade for a moment– showing Marcel the bubbled and scarred flesh of the right side of her neck and shoulder. She took out her hand which was burned too.

The spell flickered back up as she slipped the glove back on. “Humans will always hate wjat they don’t understand. We simply have to be better than that.” She wasn’t paying pain olympics, but rather wanting to show her solidarity for the prejudices he had faced.

Yet, she worried he would find her true face grotesque and ugly. She hid her face behind her mug for a moment, gathering herself.

Marcel had leaned back in his chair, still able to hear her perfectly even if she was speaking in a low tone like he was. Dragons. It certainly was becoming more of an interesting interaction. And his face showed that he was still listening intently. 

His eyes went to her scars when she showed them to him. His lips parted in awe and sympathy before he looked back at her. This time, into her eyes, as he leaned in closer than he had been and said, “Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you’re pretty cool. And beautiful.”

"Thank you," she murmured quietly, glancing up at him from beneath her lashes. "No one has ever said that after seeing..." She shook her head. She certainly didn't feel beautiful. She felt grotesque about her scars. But... as she gazed into his eyes, she could see that he wasn't just saying it to be kind. He meant every word.

“No, no. Don’t apologize.” She waved off his concern with a shake of her head. “But no, I am not a witch. My magic is older than any witch’s. I am as old as the Earth itself. The fae are my nieces and nephews. My sister created them from the clay and my brother breathed life into them. For centuries we lived in harmony with those with magic and those without….” Until the humans attacked… “My siblings and I were lost to legend many thousands of years ago.”

Skadi was being incredibly cryptic, she knew. It was safer that way. She didn’t know yet whether it was safe to speak the truth or not.

“Saryx gave the witches their powers– despite popular belief that it was the devil. Or perhaps she gave a certain sect their magic. I can’t quite recall. I was away in my castle at the time…” She smiled and tilted her head. “And what about you??”

He couldn’t lie. He was intrigued by what she was saying. But he didn’t know whether to believe it or not. Luckily, he wasn’t ‘only trust what your eyes can see’ type of guy. “Wow, that’s really cool. I’ve never met anyone that old before.”

Way to go, Marcel. Screw up your chances of having a friendly face when you come into town.

A heavy sigh escaped him as his chin hit his chest. It was obvious that he didn’t mean to make it sound like most would take it. Calling a woman old wasn’t necessarily polite. “Sorry,” he mumbled. 

"In the Dark Ages, my siblings and I would roam around in our natural forms... as dragons.." Her tone was hushed too. "But one day they decided to hunt us down. We took to the skies to flee-- we didn't want to hurt them. But one stuck me with a flaming arrow. I crashed to the ground, my wing singed and burned. My brother burned them all live for what they did to me... My sister, Scylla was barely able to save me."

She allowed the glimmer spell to fade for a moment-- showing Marcel the bubbled and scarred flesh of the right side of her neck and shoulder. She took out her hand which was burned too.

The spell flickered back up as she slipped the glove back on. "Humans will always hate wjat they don't understand. We simply have to be better than that." She wasn't paying pain olympics, but rather wanting to show her solidarity for the prejudices he had faced.

She looked up and surprise, as well as hope, sparkled in her eyes. “You were there, too? During the grammophone era?” The forties had been a time of unspeakable horror. Yet, despite the war the humans had ravaged each other with, she had to admit they had invented some wonderful and amazing things.

“Things seemed so much simpler then…” Her voice drift off as she thought back to the fun she had had during those times. “I am sure, though, I would have said the same thing back then…” She grinned and shook her head.

Skadi didn’t mind his ramblings, honestly. She almost enjoyed them. She liked that he was so open.

“Yeah…” Marcel said. He still had a smile on his face but the way he sipped his hot chocolate and his eyes moved to look at the table told another story. But he only showed it for a second before changing the subject slightly. 

“So are you a witch? Sorry, if that was rude. I just couldn’t help but feel something ancient when we shook hands,” he said. 

Skadi was being incredibly cryptic, she knew. It was safer that way. She didn't know yet whether it was safe to speak the truth or not.

Her cheeks flushed and she lookee away, embarrassed. His shock was all too plain. She lived in pure isolation, leaving her home only once every few centuries… And apparently she was horrendously behind on the technology. She was surprised he had not gotten up and walked away from her by now.

“I don’t have a computer either, I admit.” Her voice was soft. She tapped her fingers nervously on her mug, glad that she had decided to keep her gloves on. She could feel the crystals of ice forming around her fingers.

“I suppose I could ask to borrow my brother’s though? Ix has all the latest technologies. I have no idea how he keeps up with it all. He always was a collector of shiny things, though…” Skadi chuckled and took another sip. “I am sorry if I am woefully boring…”

Marcel set his mug down and rested his chin in his hand as if in thought. “You could do that if you want. There’s cheap laptops that you could get, too, if you want your own. Some of them can get expensive but it you’re just using it for music, it’ll be fine. I can even show you how to work it.”

He took another sip of his drink as Skadi apologized. Then he set it down as fast as he could without choking. “No, no! You’re not boring! There’s nothing boring about you. In fact, I think you’re interesting. I mean, not owning a computer or even a CD player would be boring to someone else but, to be honest, I went through the gramophone era so I think it’s cool that someone still has theirs.”

"Things seemed so much simpler then..." Her voice drift off as she thought back to the fun she had had during those times. "I am sure, though, I would have said the same thing back then..." She grinned and shook her head.

Perhaps it shouldnt have madr her feel more at ease when he explained, but it did. She could relate. Though, she wasnt sure she had a physical object, such as the headset and the ipod, that helped her. Typically she relied on her family– the mental connection they shared, gifted to them by Yggdrasil herself, was the only thing that kept her in touch with any sort of reality at times. Perhaps she should look into music….

“I… uhm.. I do not own a cd play,” she admitted bashfully. “Are… they easy to obtain? I own a record player and a gramophone…” Skadi was beginning to realize it might actually seem preposterous to him. Her cheeks flushed.

Lux bounced over and placed their hot chocolates on the table. “Thank you.” She gave the bright spite a hug. “Tell Father hello??” Lux asked softly of her aunt. Skadi nodded, promising she would.

“Perhaps it might be a good idea if you came with me and showed me what I should buy… and how to use it…” The dragoness chuckled amd took a sip of her hot chocolate– made with peppermint. She hummed happily. Lux had remembered.

Marcel’s eyes showed just how shocked and confused he was. He supposed he should be too shocked. Or at least he felt like that. 

When their drinks came, he was distracted by the smell of them. He took his drink and began sipping it. He could feel himself become warmer. He was ignoring the scorch that it gave him. In fact, he seemed to like it. 

"I don't have a computer either, I admit." Her voice was soft. She tapped her fingers nervously on her mug, glad that she had decided to keep her gloves on. She could feel the crystals of ice forming around her fingers.

A grin tugged at her lips once more. He was funny. As well as attractive…. The way he shook the snow from his hair was almost unfair. She had to drag her gaze away from him. She was completely unsure why it brought color to her cheeks, but it did. She tried to distract herself. 

“Certainly. I, myself, am not a fan of sitting among crowds. In fact, there is a small room in the back that is quieter.” She led his around the corner into a separate room. There were a few were-students working on their papers, but it was far less populated in here. 

Skadi kept her gloves on in this place, not wishing to accidentally bring the snow into the cafe with her. But the rest– her jacket and her scarf– she took off and placed over the back of her chair before taking a seat. She smoothed out her sweater and smiled. 

“Do you listen to music often??” She nodded to his headset. “I admit, I don’t believe I am up to date with current musicians– er, artists.”

Marcel was glad when she mentioned a quieter room. The fact that is was quieter made it better. He followed her to the table she wanted and sat down across from her. He took off his jacket and gloves, leaving his sweatshirt on to keep the chill off. He left his headset around his neck since he didn’t have anywhere else to put it. 

“Kind of,” he answered, positioning it a little bit more, “I do it to calm myself down so to speak.” At the mention of being out of date with music, he smiled, almost getting excited, “If you want, I can give you some of the songs I listen to! I can put them on a CD or on a USB. Which equipment do you have?”

"I... uhm.. I do not own a cd play," she admitted bashfully. "Are... they easy to obtain? I own a record player and a gramophone..." Skadi was beginning to realize it might actually seem preposterous to him. Her cheeks flushed.

Lux bounced over and placed their hot chocolates on the table. "Thank you." She gave the bright spite a hug. "Tell Father hello??" Lux asked softly of her aunt. Skadi nodded, promising she would.

“If you tell me one more pun, I’m shoving you off of this bed.”

“Quit hogging the blanket.”

“You pushed me out of bed in your sleep.”

“I woke up in the middle of the night without any blankets and your foot digging into my spine.”

“You said the cutest thing in your sleep last night.”

“You say the scariest stuff in your sleep.”

“When I have a bad dream, just listening to you breathe calms me down.”

“Your feet are freezing.”

“The dog takes up more of the bed than I do.”

“It’s lonely without you in the bed.”

“I’m not kidding, you really do snore.”

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“Apparently you’re a sleepwalker.”

“I don’t think we need anymore stuffed animals in the bed.”

“Can you make the bed today?”

“If you have a nightmare, I’m going to be right here for you.”

“I miss sleeping with you.”

“I love cuddling with you first thing in the morning.”

“You’re so beautiful when you’re just waking up.”

“Where are you going? It’s late.”

Skadi slipped her gloves back on her dainty hands and the snow around them slowed ever so slightly. She wondered if he had felt her power when they shook hands. She would not have been surprised if he had. Certainly he seemed a bit unnerved by something. She smiled at him, hoping to put him at ease.  “I am glad. My visit to the city had been quite lonely, I must admit.” Yet, one might have blamed her own introverted ways. 

The dragonness pretended to be cold, wrapping her scarf around her neck. She walked down the street towards a local cafe run by a fairy. It was the only one she visited here in this city. It was quaint and cozy and warm– filled with different plants. 

The bell run over the door as they entered.

“Skadi! I didn’t know you were coming in today!” The young woman behind the bar stood out among all the humans with her bubblegum pink hair and multiple tattoos. “What would you like? Its on the house!” 

“Hello Lux,” she replied warmly. “No need, my friend here and I shall pay. Your Auntie wants to help your business. May we have two hot chocolates please?” 

Lux grinned, nodded, and bounced off to make the drinks– though she was surprised that her Aunt Skadi had brought someone with her. A friend??? 

“Marcel, you seem as if you have questions bubbling in your mind. What would you like to know?”

Marcel followed her, still thinking about the magic he felt from her. Something stirred within him, causing him to put a speaker of his headset up to his ear for a moment. It helped make things remain calm when his other half tried bubbling up.

He hadn’t ever been in this cafe before. Then again, he barely left the mansion. When he did, it was to shop and maybe go on a hang out with his best friend.It was a nice place. Calming almost. He took out his phone and turned off his music before ruffling his hair a bit to get some snow out of it. 

Then he looked at Skadi and smiled, “Guilty. You seem to have some of your own, though. We can talk over the hot chocolate.” However, he began looking around and found a more secluded place to sit. A  corner where there wasn’t anyone really nearby. “Uh, mind if we sit over there? I’m not really a huge fan of sitting in a crowded area. 

“Certainly. I, myself, am not a fan of sitting among crowds. In fact, there is a small room in the back that is quieter.” She led his around the corner into a separate room. There were a few were-students working on their papers, but it was far less populated in here. 

Skadi kept her gloves on in this place, not wishing to accidentally bring the snow into the cafe with her. But the rest-- her jacket and her scarf-- she took off and placed over the back of her chair before taking a seat. She smoothed out her sweater and smiled. 

A dark brow rose as she listened to the male ramble on. She, herself, was not a chatty person. In fact, even her siblings would say that it was hard to get to know her. Yet, she was always intrigued listening to others. What they would say was always amusing. 

“It’s alright.” She chuckled softly, shaking her head. “It is lovely to meet you, Marcel.” Skadi accepted his hand to shake it– a humorous nicety that humans had created hundreds of years ago. She never truly understood why. Yet, she didn’t wish to out herself further. 

“May I ask…. what are you??” Truly she didn’t wish to sound rude. “My apologies. I simply…. you are not human. Are you? I just haven’t met any of your kind before.” Her cheeks blushed and she looked away, unsure whether or not she had made herself sound any better. 

“Perhaps you would like to join me for a hot chocolate?”

He had to admit. He wasn’t expecting the surge of magic he felt coming from her when their hands touched. It was a power signature he had never come across before. It was powerful and old at the same time. Almost…ancient?

“Huh? Oh!” he laughed nervously and took his hand away from her. He had been distracted by the power that he barely heard what she said, “N-no! It’s okay. I kinda get that a lot.” With quite a different reaction but he wanted to answer her first. 

The dragonness pretended to be cold, wrapping her scarf around her neck. She walked down the street towards a local cafe run by a fairy. It was the only one she visited here in this city. It was quaint and cozy and warm-- filled with different plants. 

The bell run over the door as they entered.

“Skadi! I didn’t know you were coming in today!” The young woman behind the bar stood out among all the humans with her bubblegum pink hair and multiple tattoos. “What would you like? Its on the house!” 

“Hello Lux,” she replied warmly. “No need, my friend here and I shall pay. Your Auntie wants to help your business. May we have two hot chocolates please?” 

Lux grinned, nodded, and bounced off to make the drinks-- though she was surprised that her Aunt Skadi had brought someone with her. A friend???