Northern Dreams (Bernard The Head Elf x FTM!Reader)

Chapter Four: Observation Entirely

During the next few days (Y/N) didn't see much of his Dad, he just assumed he was extremely busy, which was most likely true. (Y/N) had spent most of his time in his room, taking down notes on ideas for stories, and rough sketches on characters. He'd only decided to come out when he realized that he should start learning more about what kind of jobs the elves did around The Pole. He started taking what Curtis said into consideration, maybe he should start observing?

With a sigh he pushed himself off the bed. After putting his art supplies away he thought of where to go. He could go down to the main workshop, but he didn't want to get in the way of the elves' progress, just in case. So, in the end (Y/N) resolved to make his way to his Dad's office. Maybe he'd finally be able to ask him about assignments.

Only problem with that was, he didn't really remember where his Dad's office was, so he had to do a little bit of wandering.

(Y/N) made it past the main shop, the kitchen, and the sleigh barn before he found the office. It wasn't particularly large, but it was very charming. The fireplace was a replica of Santa's face, with the fire resting in it's mouth. The walls were a deep red shade, and the wood floor was perfectly polished. (Y/N) walked over to the desk on the opposite end of the room, it was cluttered with papers and books, but it seemed like an organized clutter.

(Y/N) began looking at papers through the large magnifying glass on the desk. Most of them were Naughty and Nice reports from foreign lands, not necessarily interesting to anyone else but Santa and (Y/N), for the sole purpose of learning names.

He continued reading until the door on the far end of the room swung open quite rapidly, revealing Santa and a stressed looking elf.

"Santa, we're hardly meeting our quota as it is, I don't see how we can afford-

"(Y/N)! There you are! We have something important to tell you. We have found the perfect job for you!" Santa smiled between himself and the elf, however he looked like he had something else to say about the situation. He pulled Santa's sleeve back and harshly whispered at him.

"What are you talking about?! We can't have a literal child working in the shop! It's only a matter of time before something falls to pieces, we don't have time to mess up, it's too late in the year!"

Santa spared a glance back at (Y/N).

"Bernard, I can't let my son down. I know he can handle anything you throw at him, he's just as good as any elf. Please trust me this time."

'Bernard' sighed to himself and nodded, Santa turned back to his son and smiled.

"(Y/N) this is Bernard, my trusted head elf. He'll be showing you what you'll be working on, and he'll also be keeping an eye on your progress. If he reports back to me with good things to say, you'll be working here in my office in no time."

(Y/N)'s face broke into a massive smile, he jumped into his fathers arms and squeezed him tight.

"Thank you! I won't let you down, not in a million years. Oh my good goodness, I'm so excited! I just, I-I can't believe it."

"Well better get believing, sport. We've got work to do. Follow me." Bernard said, and walked out the door. Santa smiled at his son and winked.

"You better get going, don't wanna keep Barnaby waiting." Santa laughed as he watched his son rush out of the room to follow the Head Elf.

"Kids."

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"Alright, (Y/N) was it? You'll be working in nesting dolls. I've heard you're artistically inclined, aren't you?" Bernard asked, still walking briskly.

"I assume my Dad has been talking about me then, huh?"

Bernard tilted his head to the side a little. "I guess you could say that. He's been trying to convince me to let you work up here for a while now. We just recently agreed that everything has been running smoothly enough to allow it."

"Ah. I guess that makes sense." (Y/N) murmured.

They walked in silence that (Y/N) thought was very awkward. He noticed that Bernard was very involved with the work of others, it was similar to the walk he took with Curtis as Bernard would also stop occasionally to comment on work, and (Y/N) couldn't help but notice that Bernard had an incredibly charming smile. He hadn't noticed before, but his overall appearance was more festive than the other elves. He wore a dark emerald green beret from under which spilled dark curls, and his deep crimson tunic was embellished with gold. (Y/N) thought he was, overall, quite pleasing to look at. Wait, never mind, that was an incredibly odd first impression. Bernard and (Y/N) continued to walk for a moment before stopping.

Bernard turned back to (Y/N) and gestured to the work table. It had been stocked with various colors of paints and brushes of every size, along with various other painting tools. The table was significantly taller than those around it, obviously due to (Y/N)'s size.

"This is where you will be working. Your job is to paint the nesting dolls after they've been carved and sanded at the tables beside you. When you're done you'll pass them on to the table on your right, where they will be prepared to be sent out. Simple enough, right?"

(Y/N) gazed over the table, he was excited to start working and hoped he'd impress Bernard. He couldn't let his Dad think he was useless. If he wanted to go into the family business one day he'd have to learn quickly.

"Simple. Definitely. I'll get right on it."

"Alright then, I'll leave you to it. I'll be back to check on you later on. Good Luck." Bernard gave a soft smile and walked off.

(Y/N) then came to one conclusion, he really liked Bernard's smile.