Razi had gone out exploring with Frigga yesterday and had vaguely noted the woman had gotten her pretty white dress completely dirty while she’d knelt in the grass. What did Doris expect? The witch had said she was going outside for a walk! Doris put Frigga in that ridiculous frock and thought it would come back in the same condition? Doris wasn’t bright, but Razi hadn’t thought she was that clueless. But when Razi met Frigga on the back porch for another walk, the witch was dressed up, yet again, in something a bit too precious for getting down in the dirt.

   Weren’t these dresses worth the equivalent to a commoner’s weekly pay? What the fuck, Doris?

   Frigga’s dress was gorgeous, a soft blue, gathered at her waist, with a lacy Peter Pan collar and white lace around the hem. It complimented her fiery hair and pale, freckled skin. Perfect for studying in, great for making sure the noble didn’t get too warm in the late spring sun, not great for nature studies. Razi thought Frigga would be more cognizant of her fine attire, though the grounds woman supposed it wasn’t Frigga’s fault her aunt had filled her wardrobe with exclusively fine attire.

   When Frigga mentioned wanting to see the pond they’d walked by yesterday, Razi knew exactly what had caught the girl’s eye and she knew this was going to be messy, but she led her boss’s niece over to it anyway. Frigga walked to the edge of the pond and Razi followed her gaze. Yup, lily pads. “You wan’ me to fetch one for ya?” Razi asked.

   The shorter woman shook her head. “No, I think I can just…” She squatted down, placed her sketchbook and pencils down on the ground, and Razi winced, preparing for the inevitable. 

   “Doris’s gon’ kill me if I let you, Miss Frigga.” Despite that, she watched as the noble took off her shoes, then her stockings, then offered her a steady hand down into the pond. Gods her hands were soft.

   She let out a little squeak. “Oh, it’s cold,” she giggled as she waded over, her nose scrunching cutely, pulling her skirt hems up, forgetting about the back. It was already a lost cause.

   Razi sighed, a fond smile creeping onto her full lips. “Can’t you jus’ magic it over?”

   The witch reached the lily pads but was suddenly perplexed as she looked from the plants to the water’s edge. “Yes, but this is more fun.” She paused, considering her next move, and Razi thought she was just going to give up. But then Frigga took her skirts in one hand, reached up to her hair ribbon with the other, and loosed it from its braid, sending her mass of red curls cascading over her shoulders. She used the ribbon to tie her skirt up above her knees, though its lacy hem was already muddy and damp. She paid it no mind, her hands already dirtied, and continued on her lily pad quest, harvesting the perfect one after some inspection.

   She waded back over, the water plant cradled gently, and Razi lent her hand to help Frigga back out of the pond. “Well done, miss,” she gently prodded, slight teasing in her tone. “Gettin’ back out with only most of your skirts ruined.”

   She laughed as she was helped up and loosed her skirt from its tie when she was back on solid ground. “I told Doris what my plans were, I don’t think she believed me.” She looked at the dress and took stock of the mess, a small frown on her lips. “I hope it’s not too difficult to clean, though, I’d hate to make too much extra work for her.”

   Razi shrugged. “Better to give tha’ woman somethin’ to do, honest. She’s got the easy job, waitin’ on you. I wouldn’t worry ‘bout it. Need help?” She motioned at the woman’s shoes.

   Frigga shook her head. “Not right now, I love the grass under my feet.” She dropped down to the ground beside her sketchbook, gently put the lily pad down in front of her, and wiped her hands off on the grass.

   The pair sat next to the pond for the rest of the afternoon as Frigga made observations in her sketchbook, but Razi decided she’d have to talk to Doris about this. Clearly Frigga was just going to ruin these dresses if Doris insisted on dressing her up like a doll. Frigga shouldn’t have to feel guilty about trying to enjoy herself. The woman’s happiness was already on such a tight leash, she shouldn’t need to worry about her attendant’s workloads too.

   Razi sat beside the witch and took out the whittling project she’d started the day before from one of her many pant pockets. It was still a bit chunky so she worked on refining its form, and she vaguely looked over her own clothes. Simple, durable, and work appropriate. The ring of keys for the house was secured to a belt loop and her work boots were on the verge of needing replaced, but she would hold out as long as possible on that. They were so comfy, but that was always the way.

   Razi wondered if Frigga had a single pocket in that ridiculous frock of hers, making a mental note to start packing a basket for their outings. That way Frigga would have somewhere to put any souvenirs she might find, she’d brought back some dandelions yesterday, after all. Seemed like this was going to be a regular thing.

   Hmm, dandelions. Frigga had mentioned they could be good in salads. Maybe Razi could try incorporating them in bread? She thought she’d seen the local baker do something like that. Frigga would probably like it, not that Razi cared. She didn’t. She was just having fun, that’s it, just fun in the sun with a pretty girl and Razi would move on sooner or later like always. 

  Probably.