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#drawing hades stuff is making me draw so many clothing folds
queenofcats17 · 5 years
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The Admiration Of A God
So, @insane-control-room has amazing characters and art, and I find their interpretation of Bertrum especially interesting. I’m very into mythology. And I was talking with Control recently and learned Bertrum’s transition was a fairly recent thing. So I wanted to write something with it
Bertram knew very little about the Norse pantheon. He had had virtually no contact with them in all his many years of existence, and that was the way he’d expected it to stay. After all, the Norse deities moved in a separated circle and were all busy with their own lives and problems. Most of them probably weren't even interested in what went on in the Greek pantheon. However, one day, when he showed up to work, one of them was waiting for him. He entered his work area to find a woman seated at the desk he used for drawing up plans. 
She looked young, maybe 20 at the very most. Upon first glance, he thought perhaps she was an ordinary person. But then he looked closer. Although she was dressed in ordinary clothing, a simple black dress and brown boots, there was something distinctly inhuman about her. Her hair was black, so dark it seemed to swallow up all light. Her skin was pale, as though she’d never been in the sun before. The eyes that wandered about were a shade of green that was most definitely not found in nature. For a moment, he thought she was perhaps from Olympus. But...No. Her presence was unfamiliar to him. Finally, the woman seemed to notice him, standing up and brushing her dress off. 
“I hope you don’t mind my using your desk.” She said, folding her hands in front of her. “I wasn’t sure how long I would be waiting, and Mr. Drew informed me that I should come here to see you.”
“It’s...fine.” Bertram edged over to his desk. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“No.” The woman remained standing, watching him. “I didn’t come because I needed something from you. I came because I wished to see you.” She was honestly a little unsettling if he was being honest. She didn’t seem to blink. 
“I see.” He said slowly. His instinct was to look anywhere but at the woman, but he forced himself to maintain eye contact with her. Despite her stoic expression, he could see warmth and understanding in her eyes. That was probably a good sign. 
“Forgive me, I haven’t introduced myself.” The woman smiled ever so slightly. “You must be rather confused. My name is Hel. I’m the Norse goddess of death, a colleague of your uncle, Hades.” She held out her hand. 
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Bertram tentatively reached out and shook her hand. If she was a colleague of his uncle’s then perhaps he could trust her. Still, he couldn’t fathom why a goddess of death would want to see him.
“You as well, Mr. Piedmont.” She nodded her head in a gesture of respect. After a moment, they both withdrew their hands. 
“You said you came to see me,” Bertram said, sitting down at his desk. “May I ask why? I’m sure you have duties you have to attend to.” 
“I do have duties, yes,” Hel admitted, sitting as well. “But there was a lull and I thought now was a good a time as any to come.”
“But why?”
“I...” Hel’s eyes lowered to where her hands laid in her lap. “I wanted to say that I admire you.” Bertram just stared at her. He was quite certain he had heard her incorrectly.
“Pardon?” 
“I admire you,” Hel repeated, looking up to meet his eyes. 
“I’m...not entirely sure where this came from.” Bertram cleared his throat, beginning to shuffle some papers on his desk. “I’m quite certain we’ve never met. Surely, I’ve done nothing notable enough to draw your attention.”
“I’ve heard about you from Hades. He talks fondly of you.” Hel said. She paused, her cheeks beginning to turn pink. “I realize it might have been a bit...rude of me to show up like this. You’re right, we’ve never met.” She began to play with her hair. “But...I heard about your transition from Hades and I...” She laughed quietly. “I couldn’t help but admire you for that. For putting your own happiness first. For defying your role. I could never be that strong.”
“You think I’m...strong?” Bertram asked, feeling his own cheeks begin to heat up. He paused in shuffling the papers, placing them down.
“Incredibly so.” Hel smiled softly. “There are so few deities who have the strength to do what you have.” Bertram just stared at her. 
“I’m sorry.” She laughed nervously. “Have I gone too far? I don’t interact with many people outside of my wards. Have I...offended...” She trailed off when she saw Bertram’s expression change. He looked as though he was trying to hold back tears. 
“Are you alright?” Hel’s voice was quiet. Her first instinct was to reach out and try to comfort him with her touch. It was what she always did when someone in her family or one of her wards was upset. But she thought better of it. It would have been terribly rude to touch Bertram in such a familiar way.
“I’m...I’m fine.” Bertram cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. “I’m fine. There’s no need for you to be concerned.”
“Very well. If you say so.”
They lapsed into silence for a moment or two before Bertram spoke once again. 
“...Thank you.” He whispered. 
“For what?”
“I appreciate your admiration.” Bertram allowed himself to smile. “I...I would be lying if I said that this has been easy. I appreciate that you find what I did to be...positive. Not everyone feels that way.”
“Change can be difficult for many people to process,” Hel said. “Granted, my experience with others rejecting change comes from people begging for me to return their deceased loved ones. Still, I think as long as you’re happy, that’s what matters.”
“I appreciate that you think that way.”
Hel leaned on the desk. “Do you enjoy working here?”
“I...I do.” Bertram said after a moment of thought. “The people here can be rather strange, but I find myself becoming rather protective of them.”
“That sounds nice.” Hel’s expression grew wistful, and Bertram couldn’t help but observe just how young she looked up close. He could also now see the dark circles under her eyes. 
“I’ve always wondered what it would be like, to live as a human.” She admitted, resting her head on her hand. “My father has told me it’s quite nice. Not having the expectations and responsibilities of a god.”
“Have you never tried living among humans?” Bertram asked. He was a little curious about her, admittedly. She was from a different pantheon, after all. Hel’s expression darkened, her lips set in a thin line. She drew back, her hands returning to her lap. 
“I’m...forbidden from doing such things.” She said. 
“Forbidden?” He echoed. Hel nodded, her hands curling into fists. 
“I’m allowed to leave my kingdom, but I cannot live among humans.” Her voice was small, resigned. “I am a child of evil, or so they say.”
“I’m sorry.” Bertram honestly wasn’t sure how to react to this. There was clearly some sort of story behind her words, a story he didn’t know and felt it would be inappropriate to ask about. 
“There’s no need for you to apologize.” Hel took a deep breath, uncurling her hands and smoothing out her dress. “I shouldn’t have brought that up. It’s a long story and I wouldn’t want to drag you into the drama of my pantheon. I’m glad you enjoy working here. You deserve to be happy.”
“Thank you?” This interaction had started out strange, become touching, and now it was back to strange again. He got the distinct feeling that Hel didn’t talk to a lot of people. Thankfully, the conversation was interrupted by Lacie’s arrival. Bertram visibly relaxed when he saw hir enter. 
“Am I interrupting something?” Lacie paused in the doorway, frowning slightly.
“No, not at all.” Bertram couldn’t help but smile upon seeing hir. “This is Hel. She’s a colleague of my uncle’s.” He fully expected Hel to introduce herself to Lacie as she had to him. Instead, Hel just stared at Lacie intently, her brows furrowed ever so slightly. Lacie stared back. 
“Is she...alright?” 
“I’m not sure. Miss Hel? Are you alright?” Bertram asked, gently shaking her shoulder. 
“Have we met before?” Hel asked, standing up. 
“Not as far as I know,” Lacie replied. Hel took a step closer, continuing to study Lacie in a manner that was rather unsettling. Lacie didn’t like things that didn’t blink. It was one of the reasons why she disliked the Bendy animatronic so much. Hel didn’t blink.
“Can I help you?” Lacie instinctively took a step back.
“You remind me very much of my father,” Hel said. She seemed to understand that she was making Lacie uncomfortable and had stopped advancing. But she was still staring. Still not blinking. 
“Is that supposed to be a good thing?” Lacie raised an eyebrow. 
“It could be.”
Lacie looked over at Bertram, a deadpan look on hir face. Bertram grimaced. 
“Anyway...” Lacie moved away from Hel a bit. “You drew up plans for a new attraction yesterday, right?” 
“I did!” Bertram began sorting through his papers. “Give me a moment. I’m not sure where I put it.” He frowned as he flipped through them. “That’s strange. I could have sworn I had it here.”
“Maybe you gave it to Joey,” Lacie suggested.
“Ah, yes, that’s probably what happened.” Bertram murmured. “I’ll go fetch it.” He left the room before Lacie could stop him. Lacie tensed a bit upon being left alone with Hel. Both of them were silent for a long time. Then Hel smiled apologetically. She had a rather nice smile. 
“I’m sorry. You must think me terribly rude.” 
“Not really,” Lacie said. “You just seem kind of weird.”
“I suppose that should be expected.” Hel extended her hand. “Let’s start over. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Hel. I’m the Norse goddess of death and a colleague of Bertram’s uncle, Hades.”
“Lacie Benton.” Lacie shook her hand. “Nice to meet you too.” She still wasn’t entirely comfortable being in the same room with Hel, but at least Hel seemed to be remembering to blink now. The fact that the woman before hir was a god didn’t really phase hir. Bertram was a demigod, his father was dating Norman. This stuff was pretty much par for the course for hir life at this point.
“Are you and Bertram friends?” Hel asked, withdrawing her hand. 
“Kind of.” Lacie fought to keep hirself from grinning. Oh, she and Bertram were so much more than friends. Hel noticed this reaction. 
“More than friends, then. Lovers perhaps?”
“So, why did you come here, exactly?” Lacie asked, quickly changing the subject. “You’re from a different pantheon, right?” 
“Well, I’d heard a lot about him from Hades,” Hel said. “And...I wanted to tell him how much I admire him for being able to defy his role and put his own happiness first. So many of us...We don’t get to be people. We have to live our lives according to a story written long before we were born.” 
“He is pretty great, isn’t he?” Lacie couldn’t help but smile. 
“He is.” Hel agreed. “And I’m glad he has someone like you to support him. You seem like a lovely person.”
“Thanks.”
“I should probably be going.” Hel glanced down at her wrist. She wasn’t wearing a watch, but there was a bracelet there, made of leather cord and with a black stone in the center. 
“It was lovely meeting you.” She continued, looking back up at Lacie. “I wish both you and Bertram the best.” Then she vanished into the floor. Lacie let out a sigh of relief she hadn’t known she’d been holding in. Hel seemed like a nice enough person, but there was something about her that just put Lacie on edge. Bertram returned a few minutes later and the two of them returned to their normal work routine. Bertram was in rather good spirits, which made Lacie happy to see. Bertram deserved that admiration. He was strong. Strong and kind and clever and Lacie loved him. She was glad she wasn’t the only one. 
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