Profession

The London jobs

On the flight to London, the dogs napped and I considered joining some photographers associations. There was an international portrait photographers society I was particularly interested in joining, and I spent the time doing research. But once we landed, it was the usual hubbub of customs and getting a cab home, grabbing the groceries. The pups shot off to explore the commons and enjoy the fresh spring day. Our gardens were looking particularly lovely this year, and I snapped some images to send to Aunt Dagny so that she could see how wonderfully everything had grown in. It really was a lovely place to live; my contractors had done amazing work.

I checked the weather forecast after I'd settled in and the pups came in for a snack and it looked like the optimal time to shoot would be two days from now; I emailed the princess to check availability. While I'd been a contract nurse, the engagement had been announced to the public, who had responded favorably. Even now you could see that the country was ramping up for a royal wedding; they were already betting on who would design the wedding dress, where the wedding would be held, even who might be in the wedding party. The official portraits had been nice but very... upright. Formal. While the princess and the soon-to-be-created duke looked happy, conventions of royal photography frowned on PDAs. Too bad, but maybe I could do better with my images. They were just for the couple, anyway. Within an hour, I got confirmation and my choice of times, either early morning or late afternoon, before and after the gardens were open to the public. I chose the afternoon, so that the flowers would all be open and the morning dew dispersed. The light was clear and warming, and I felt that the portraits would be better then than in the morning. It was quickly arranged, and I spent the rest of the evening looking at landscape diagrams of the palace gardens and photographs on the net to have an idea where might be good places to shoot in addition to places that might have meaning for the princess and her fiance.

I had plenty to do in the meantime, though; I had several portraits to shoot. One was at the Asgardian embassy; Modi wanted an official portrait with copies to send to his parents. I wasn't that excited about it, frankly, feeling like the whole mess with Torunn had affected my feelings toward all of Asgard, but the commission was a big deal for my business. I brought the pups, who were excited about maybe seeing some Asgardians but also feeling rather protective about Torunn, who they liked. The staff made a big fuss over them, and they sent off waves of contented smugness. I laughed and shot Modi at his desk, which combined elements of both Earth and Asgard in the design and the desk accessories. It didn't take long to get the image, and afterward he called for tea. I'm always up for crustless sandwiches, particularly of the cucumber or salmon variety, and scones. With coffee.

"Have you seen Torunn lately?" Modi asked when my mouth was full. I chewed fast.

"Not since I got back from my contract," I said, "but we've talked."

"Oh?" he asked, then put down his teacup and sighed. "I miss my sister. She's changed her email and number so I haven't been able to get in touch with her. Uncle Loki says she's safe and sound."

"She is," I confirmed. She was going to start university in the fall, no longer sure that she wanted to be a lawyer, but uncertain as to what she did want to do. I wasn't worried, she'd make better informed decisions once she had some classes under her belt. I didn't intend to tell Modi that, though. "Look, I can appreciate your situation more than I could before, my sister and I are on the outs as well, but I don't feel like I can break her confidence in providing you with information. I specifically told her that she could rely on my discretion."

"I get it," Modi said, then sighed. "Magni's got his hands full on Asgard, as does Thor, they're laying down the law for equality for all and getting a lot of pushback from the warrior class. The average Asgardian is eager for this to work, but the warrior class likes its privileges, which seem to be built on the labor of others, particularly the women. Mom is still estranged from Dad, so it's a real mess. I'm glad to be down here. I don't intend to press you for details you don't want to give, but would you carry a letter to her for me? All I'm asking is that you put it into her hand yourself. It details the major changes that the king has decreed regarding the rights and status of women. She should be aware of them, at least, for her own information. And she doesn't have to worry about being forcefully returned to Asgard against her will. The knowledge that she emancipated herself and has relocated to Midgard is common knowledge and her return wouldn't help anything. Heimdall refuses to open the Bifrost for that anyway, he told Dad that back when he was considering trying to hush everything up. Included in my letter is a guarantee from King Thor that if Torunn wanted to visit Asgard, she could do so with the assurance that she would be allowed to leave any time she desired, and no attempt to keep her there would be made." He held up an envelope of high-quality paper, and I took it from him. It was sealed, and the closure held fast with a blob of sealing wax embossed with the king's sigil.