The Man Whom They Called Fury

Chapter IX

Third Person POV

Astrid finally snapped out of her daze after two slaps upside the head, countless waves plus finger snaps from the other Hooligans and a particularly hard pinch to her side, compliment from Ruffnut that one. As she came to, Astrid heard someone sighed. "Welcome back, lassie." To her side was a now relieved Gobber. Gobber's eyes were sad and full of concern, the way they never meant to be. How long was it, Astrid wondered, since the last time anyone aside from her friends looked at her with such genuine concern. Certainly not the chief, that's for sure, nor her so called "fiance".

"Where's the others?" She asked, seemingly still not quite herself. "I had them fetch something for me at the pub. It's happy hour. There's no way in Helheim am I gonna miss out on that sort'a things. Besides, ..." He stopped for a moment, his eyes far away. "Seeing the look on their face back then, I thought they can use a drink."

"From that dumb look on yer face, I take it ya found out about Hiccup, huh?" That got her back to reality fast. "Gobber, you knew?" She asked with astonishment mixed with the feeling of being offended. He could've at least gave her a heads up.

"Pretty hard ta live in a neighborhood not knowing who's running it, lassie." Gobber sighed, dropping down to a couch near her bed. Just then did Astrid take in the view around her. A run-down motel room with a bed and a sofa whose walls had lost most of its wallpaper. The floor were littered with tools, broken parts and enough scraps to put some junkyard to shame. "I'd have told ya too if that blasted wench wasn't there." The hostility in his voice shocked both of the girls, and then subsided. From what Astrid's gathered, all the time he was missing, Gobber was here; and that time had not been kind to him.

"Hey Ruff, can you get me something from that pub as well? I can really use one myself." Astrid turned toward the female twin with a 'give-us -some-time' look. "Sure thing." Taking the hint, Ruffnut quietly left them to themselves, hoping that Astrid could at least find out what happened to the old smith.

"Gobber, what happened?" Gently, Astrid asked her old friend now that there was only the two of them left. Right now, Hiccup or anything else can wait. For as far as she could remember, Gobber was one of the few who actually saw her for whom she really is, just a girl trying to be tough, not the facade she wore; and she would be damned until the end of time if she didn't at least tried to find out what'd happened to him.

"What do ya mean, lass?" He asked with fake ignorance, probably trying to spare her from the worries, only bring her more. "Gobber, it's ok. No one's judging. I just want to know." Not having any of it, Astrid pressed the matter. The pain in his eyes was familiar. It was the same pain she saw every time she looked into the mirror for the last three years. Regrets.

"Ya not gonna let this go now, are ya?" Gobber sighed, remembering just how hardheaded Astrid could be. After all, she had to be. "Fine, but after the others' back. I need some ale for this."

Thirty Minutes Later

"Do I even want to know?" Astrid asked exasperatedly at the sight of the rest of her friends. Fishlegs had some light bandages on his forehead and was now being teased nonstop by the twins who was also covered in cuts, bruises and some white slimy thingy that she really had no plans to find out what it was. They were talking something about a girl with raven hair. Huh, at least someone was having fun. Snotlout fared a bit better than the others considering he was relatively unhurt, aside from the fact that his head was somehow stuck inside a spittoon.

"Herppy ou gout crewzy." He said from under said spittoon from which he was trying very hard to free his head.

"What?"

"Happy hour got crazy." He repeated after pulling his head free and was now looking at the unusually large hole on his trousers. "Damn it, Hookfang. I said set them on fire, not me."