Song of the Vikings - Draal x OC

4. Waka Chaka

"Always be afraid!" Blinky lectured as Jim continued to dodge the incoming flames and sparring dummies. "Fear heightens your senses. Fear keeps you alive!"

Jim stood still for a moment in victory before being hit in the back by a dummy, knocking the wind out of him. Kit snickered from their place on the sidelines.

"Arrogance gets you killed," Blinky continued, standing over Jim. Jim sat up, rubbing his lower back.

"Yeah, I'll have to remember that," he groaned.

Blinky turned, still projecting throughout the room. "Draal, however, does not fear you." Kit huffed at the mention of the burly blue troll. "That will be his weakness, but not yours."

Blinky spun back to Jim with a flourish. "You will be whetting your armor - that will be your strength!"

As soon as Blinky had finished, the Forge started up again, throwing Jim back into the fray. Rolling their eyes with a smile, Kit turned back to the book in front of them, still figuring out how to decipher Troll runes into English. Tucking a stray hair out of the way, Kit continued their work, chewing on the end of their pencil as they went until they were interrupted by a new voice.

'Here we go again,' Kit thought, looking up to see Draal waltzing into the arena. They quickly rose to their feet, still keeping a tight hold on both notebook and text, tucking the pencil behind their ear.

"Look," Draal exclaimed, pointing towards Jim, "it's training!" He laughed mockingly, trailing off at Kit approached. They raised one eyebrow at the troll before speaking.

"Would you mind moving out of here until we're done? Thanks, bye," they snarled with a fake smile. Draal's smirk widened and he bowed sarcastically.

"Oh, anything for you, great and mighty fleshbag," he responded, turning around and stalking off with his friends, still laughing about Jim and his training. Kit clenched their fists tightly before letting out a long sigh and returning to their place against the wall, Jim staring after them in worry.

"Don't worry, Kit," Jim said, smiling, "I'll be alright." Kit grumbled with a nod, opening their notebook once again.

Blinky placed a hand on Jim's shoulder. "Let your fear keep you alive," he stated. "And let his arrogance lead him astray."

Jim nodded as he returned to the arena.

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Rummaging through the pile of returned books, Kit sighed at the stack before them.

'So many of these damaged nearly beyond repair,' they thought, frowning at the yellowing and ripped pages, many bearing the scars of missing corners from being folded over one too many times. 'Apparently no one knows how to use bookmarks either.'

Scanning each book back into the system one by one, Kit began to make plans in their head as to how they would spend their lunch break today since their usual company was out on a field trip.

Kit put each book in to one of two piles, one to be returned to its place on the shelf and the other to be taped up and fixed. Finishing up their returns, they scoop up the first pile and begin to walk down the aisles, slipping books in their proper places as they go. Once finished, they return to patch up the remaining books, turning on some music as background noise.

"My mother told me, someday I would buy," they hummed absentmindedly, taping up ripped pages. "Galley with good oars, sail to distant shores." Kit gave a pained smile at the song.