The Grinch ｡ Loki Laufeyson

3 - SNOWBELLE'S BOUTIQUE

　
Whoville
10 years Ago
　

　　Her anxiety has risen since she left Mount Crumpit; hands trembling and mouth drying, nerves buzzing and heart jum-jumbling. She was nervous about seeing Martha May Whovier again. The woman had left such an impression the other night that the Grinch couldn't possibly think of anything else, but the way Martha had smiled and talked to her like she had always belonged in Whoville.

　　The Grinch approached Snowbelle's Boutique at five minutes to noon, and she was surprised to find that the Whos had not tricked her. For there, through the store window, was none other than Martha May Whovier. She was wearing a blue dress again, and her chestnut colored hair was styled in waves that framed her face.

　　Beautiful, the Grinch thought, her heart thump, thump, thumping.

　　She noticed then that Martha May was with someone, and for a moment, she felt a fire crackling in the pit of her stomach, but those embers were put out when she realized the head of blonde hair belonged to the woman from the pub. It was Martha May's friend, Noelle, who had sung the song Last Christmas.

　　The Grinch shook her head and sucked in a sharp breath before stepping inside the store, the bell above her head giving a welcoming chime.

　　Martha May turned her head at the sound of the bell, and a grin spread across her face when she spotted the Grinch. "I was beginning to think that you would not show your face," she teased lightly.

　　The Grinch responded with a shrug. "When you are a recluse for so long, one can simply not turn down the opportunity for a shopping spree."

　　Noelle grinned, seemingly pleased with their company, or at the very least, what the Grinch had said. She always was the type of Who to shop until she dropped. Literally. Just last year, she had gotten so excited about a sale at her favorite shop she fainted and Martha May had to catch her so she wouldn't hit her head.

　　"Martha May said that I would like you, and as usual, she is correct." Noelle extended her hand toward the Grinch. "My name is Noelle Bensen Who, by the way. It is lovely to meet you, Grinch."

　　Remembering the manners that her mother had taught her so long ago, the Grinch eyed the extended hand before reaching out to shake it with the faintest of smiles. "Nice to meet you, Noelle."

　　"Grinch," Noelle then said, as though tasting the name on her tongue for a moment. "Surely, there is another name that we can call you by, yes? A name of such taste should not belong to a woman of such beauty."

　　The Asgardian hesitated. Of course, she had another name, but she wasn't Saga anymore. She hadn't been for a long time. Saga died in Asgard at the hands of someone she thought had been her friend. She was the Grinch now, and evermore.

　　"No," she replied after a moment of silence. "I have no other name. Grinch is what you may call me."

　　"How unfortunate," Noelle frowned. She couldn't help thinking, how could a mother ever name her child such a thing? If she ever had a daughter, or even a son, she would never give them such a hated name.

　　"Unfortunate, indeed," Martha May agreed.

　　"But if that is what you wish to be called, it is not our place to say otherwise," Noelle continued, and Martha May nodded in agreement. "If my grandfather taught me one thing, it was respect." She then clapped her gloved hands together, a grin spreading across her face that made her eyes crinkle up around the edges. "Now, Grinch, what should we have you try on first?"