Hooked on his Love (Tove)

[Deleted]

Dec 2025

Deva was without a doubt extremely nervous about today. She'd gotten a letter from the sister of Bjorn that she had not yet met to ask if they could meet. Bjorn himself had headed out back onto the big blue seas again and she was already looking forward to seeing him again. She was utterly smitten with him and gad chosen to willfully ignore his profession, something that her friends would find strange without a doubt. Now she was meeting his youngest sister. Signe was intimidating but Deva had met her the second time she'd met Bjorn. It hadn't exactly been avoidable.

Now she was sitting in the three broomsticks, waiting for the young sister that she knew very little about. She just knew the sister had opted out of the family business of pirating and in stead worked a far more legal job. On top of that they were about the same age. It was the extent of what Deva really knew about Tove, but she was determined to try her best to make a good impression on the other woman. She was important to Bjorn so of course Deva wanted to get along with her. Deva hoped her relationship with Bjorn was going to last after all. She'd never met anybody quite like him and he made her head spin every time he kissed her. She was sure she'd taken leave of her senses the moment she'd first been kissed by him and her senses had not returned. She smiled slightly as she took a sip of her butterbeer. Tove ought to arrive any moment now. Deva had arrived early of course. It was always better to be early if one wanted to make a good impression after all.

@tove

[Deleted]

Tove quickly finished up her work with the dragons for the evening. Her plans for tonight were of the upmost importance. When she received the letter from her brother, Bjorn, a few weeks ago, claiming to have a girlfriend, Tove's interest had piqued. Clearly, this woman must be something special for her to entrance even Bjorn. There were not many people that the Krok's trusted, so she had asked him plainly if she knew the business he was in.

When he responded with a yes...well, it only meant that Tove had to dig deeper to find out if this woman could in fact be trusted. If anyone was going to uncover the dark secrets that she held, it would be by her. She had a way around others, a demand in her presence, and she wouldn't accept a lie. She didn't bother telling Bjorn that she wrote Deva immediately, stating that they were required to meet upon her earliest convenience.

With a sweep of her wand Tove's appearance transformed. From the dirty clothes because of the dragons...escapades that day, to something much more socially acceptable. At least by her standards. Her long auburn hair was down in tamed loose curls, and she wore tight tan pants that held a bow in the center. Her sweater was a deep emerald green, loose around the sleeves, but form fitted and tucked into her pants.

She wore a pair of black stilettos, the edge of her pants tight around her ankle. In addition, a pair of long gold earrings to accentuate the look, and swiped her pedicured nails along the edge of her red lipstick to make sure the line was perfect. When she was sure that she looked presentable enough, she grabbed her traveling cloak, since it was the middle of winter, and almost the Yule, she apparated into the snowy weather.

The snow kissed her skin as she walked through Hogsmeade toward the Three Broomsticks, the meeting spot that Deva and her had chosen through their letter correspondence. Merlin knew that Tove was going to need a few shots of whiskey in order to make it throuhg this interrogation.

For being the one that decided to not be involved in the family business of pirating, she somehow ended up being entwined with it. There was an arrogance to her that demanded people pay attention to her, it was that edge along with the soft side to her that was so hot and cold. 

Walking inside the pub, late per usual, several people glanced her way, but she made her way to the solitary woman sitting at a table toward the back. Tove pulled out a seat across from her, taking off her cloak and setting it on the empty chair to her left. She glanced at the bartender, to whom knew her order from all the times she had frequented, and within a moment a glass of whiskey was sitting in front of her.

She glanced at Deva, scanning her from her head to her waist, since the rest of her was covered up by the table. She could see why Bjorn was attracted to her, she certainly was easy on the eyes. Taking a long drink of the whiskey, she hummed at the burn down her throat, and the instant warmth inside her body, sighing contently, before stating, "I do apologize for being late. Dragons don't exactly abide by a particular timeline."

Tove raised a brow, taking another drink and leaning back confidently in the chair, adding, "So, Deva, do tell me how you and Bjorn met. I am certainly intrigued."

THE BEAUTY IS DEEP INSIDE YOU | DEC 2025
@deva

✿

[Deleted]

Deva wasn't sure what to expect from Bjorns youngest sister. She knew that he was very fond of her and that she had opted out of the family business, which also meant she wasn't overly likely to cause problems for Deva in terms of her family. She was more than willing to hide the truth behind his profession from his family but the fact he had a sister that at least had a reputable job helped in building the lie she couldn't avoid telling her parents. If she told them the truth.... well they'd certainly expect her to break up with him and testify against him and she would never do that. She'd rather go to jail for obstruction of justice than hurting him. Not the most delightful idea, so it was important to keep secrets. It wasn't like they wanted to understand anyway.

His sister arrived and Deva couldn't help but feel completely... ordinary. Unlike Tove she dressed in simple clothes and didn't really have many expensive of luxurious things. She sometimes made her own clothes to have something truly unique but most of her stuff? Elegant but very practical. To see somebody that looked like she was inches from being a princess made her wonder why on earth Bjorn even bothered with her. Yet he did, and there was no doubt when she was with him. She could see it in his eyes, the way he saw her and how much he felt for her. She didn't need to be more than just herself. It was that thought she clung to rather desperately, even as Tove greeted her and she smiled kindly and warmly at the other woman, welcoming her. "Oh don't worry about it. Even the world of paperwork isn't always as predictable as people might expect. I can hardly imagine how much more chaotic working with the likes of dragons is when it comes to timetables." She said easily, not finding it much of a problem that Tove had been.... a tiny bit late. It wasn't that much.

She did feel the eyes of Tove practically scanning and assessing her, something that didn't help her feel particularly comfortable. Still she felt it wasn't vital to worry about this yet. If she was kind to this woman, surely everything would be okay, right? She took a quick sip of her own glass before sitting back a little, although she realised she was most certainly minding her posture. Something about fancy people did that. She was glad that Bjorn seemed far too practical to be concerned with what she was wearing, as he seemed to prefer it on the floor either way.

Tove instantly got to the point, not really taking the time to first settle in with a few pleasantries. More like Bjorn when he was in what Deva considered to be 'work mode'. How promising. Was this going to be an interrogation? She smiled and ran a hand through her hair a moment as she took another sip of her drink. "It was happenstance really. He was docked for repairs and I had a day of work. I missed out on the annual family sailing vacation so I went to the docks, kind of hoping to get a small taste of what I'd missed out on. Sea breeze, salt in the air... that kind of stuff." She wasn't sure how often Tove had been at sea, or how far her love for the ocean went. If she was at all like her brother, she'd probably understand it rather perfectly. "I almost ran into him at the docks because I was a bit distracted by the ship. We started talking and he offered to give me a tour. After that we went out to dinner. We both enjoyed it so we decided to stay in touch." She said with a bit of a smile, unable to help herself as the onslaught of butterflies as still as strong now as it had been at the start.

She took another sip of her drink, figuring it was a good way to allow Tove to ask more questions. She had a feeling the other woman wanted to know a lot of things about her and it certainly did nothing to quiet her nerves. If anything it just made them worse. She had no idea how to handle things like this. She hadn't met the families of boyfriends often as they usually lost interest long before that point. That, and Rhys hadn't really had a family for her to meet. Or at least not initially. By now he'd found and army of siblings, but they'd never truly been serious to the point of meeting the family after the first of... so many break ups. Needless to say, this situation was very new and alient to her and she was just trying to make the best of it.

@tove

[Deleted]

Who in Merlin did this woman think that she was? The thoughts were flaring through Tove's mind as Deva answered her with sheer kindness. Certainly, there was some kind of hidden meaning behind it. Perhaps, she was trying to get on Tove's good side, pull on her heart strings a little to show that she was harmless, when in fact she was a snake hiding in the grass. Like most were. Hell, even she was. There was always something behind Tove's motives. She never did anything just simply because she thought it would be for nothing. It may seem that way, especially when drinking, but she always had a motive behind everything.

Her motives were always driven by the fact that she had to keep up the facade she always wore. Deep down, behind all of the illusions, all of the designer name, the jewels, the commanding of the air around her, there was someone who had been betrayed in more ways than one. Someone who had seen what happens when people get too close to secrets that were never meant to be shared.

Entire families destroyed because someone trusted the wrong person. She had heavy walls built around her for that very reason. In truth, she was terrified to let someone in too deep to see all of the mess, and she envied Bjorn for finding someone with whom he felt he could trust this deeply. 

"Yes, well, they tend to get a bit...bitey or firey depending on their mood." Tove chuckled, taking another long drink of her whiskey. The woman was pretty, she wasn't dressed anywhere near what Tove was, but that was to be expected. Bjorn was never attracted to anything as such. He preferred practicality over looks.

While Tove, the complete other end of the spectrum, preferred to look a part that she would never play. All of it was just a front. Granted, she enjoyed every minute of it, that's all that it was, a sham. She could do practical things in heels, she learned at a very young age how to do so around the ship, she just never was interested in those things like her sublings.

As Deva started to describe the ocean, she could see why Bjorn was attracted to her. He would never go after someone who wouldn't love the sea like he did. The rest of the story seemed to be a blow over, nothing real interesting. "The ocean sure does have a hold of my brother, afterall, she is his first love." She was poking, seeing how the poor girl would react.

"And how did staying in touch go? How did we end up here?" Could the girl defend herself around Tove? She was nice, almost too nice, tiptoeing so that way she didn't say or do anything to set Tove off. Which was very not Tove, and it made her feel like this was a front, that this Deva in front of her was not being upfront.

THE BEAUTY IS DEEP INSIDE YOU | DEC 2025

@deva

✿

[Deleted]

Bitey and fiery dragons. Most certainly not her cup of tea. Her adventures were not usually dangerous at all. She liked unexpected things, but the types that didn't come with risk of serious injury or worse. Those kind of surprises she would rather avoid. When it came to sailing she was well aware lethal accidents could happen, but most of the time making sure you didn't end up in a terrible storm was enough to avoid the most dangerous situations. Well, for civilians like her at least. Bjorn was a slightly different tale of course. He seemed to really like the rush.

"I'm glad I can't say the same about my job. The ministry luckily doesn't come with biting paperwork. The situation with the creatures escaping from Hy-brasil was quite the mess for my department though. And that after the entire ordeal with Hags Fever." She sighed deeply and shook her head a little and ran her hand through her hair. She still felt a little bit stressed out just thinking back on those times. It had not been pretty. She was really glad Bjorn had swept her off for a much needed vacation, although she really had to thank the crew for the choice to leave port knowing she was on board.

Deva smiled quite happily as Tove mentioned the love that Bjorn carried for the ocean. She felt it too. It was something a lot of people didn't understand, but it was deep and beautiful. Not to mention there was a wealth of meaning running deeper than the depths known to man. "Sea and sky both. Little will ever make the heart soar as much as the wind in the sails as the ship rushes onwards, urged by the breeze. It is love, the exact same feeling. It just comes from a different source." She said with a dreamy little smile on her face. No, she'd never dream of stealing him from the seven seas. Perhaps one day she'd joing him for a while, but never would she ask him to stay on the shores with her. It was too much to ask.

Deva smiled, biting her lip for a moment as if that could hold back the joy that her question had woken. "He wrote the most beautiful love letters. He still does, whenever we're away from each other. And then at some point he tells me when he'll be back in port, and the letters stop for a while until he comes back. I'll always try to be there for him when he comes back." She then giggled for a moment. "I know I sound ridiculous, but I love your brother very much." She was fully sincere as she looked at Tove and gave her a rather helpless smile. "He gives me hope for the future. He makes me feel beautiful and exceptional. Like nothing is impossible, as long as he's with me. I don't know, it's hard to properly describe." She shook her head a little and looked down at her drink. He made her feel like nothing else mattered, as long as they were together.

@bjorn

[Deleted]

"I am sure that the paperwork can be bitey if provoked." Tove smirked, totally meaning that it could be jinxed into biting if the sender was...in a mood. The thought of papers actually attacking Deva crossed her mind for a brief moment, she shouldn't be thinking about doing this to her, but if the girl in any way was a danger to the Krok's, Tove wouldn't have a problem sending some bitey and firey paperwork her way. 

Okay. Who was this girl playing at, did Bjorn prep her to say these things? It was completely like something her brother would say, except...less girley.

Tove took a long drink from her whiskey, motioning to the bartender for another round. You can take the life of a pirate away from a girl, but you cannot take the pirate out of her completely. This included the innate desire for whiskey, and danger. There was nothing quite like almost getting your hand bitten off, or your hair almost catching on fire, to set the blood in her veins rushing with adrenaline.

While most of her family had this love for the ocean, she did not. She was fond of it, it was like a dear friend, but she never desired to be on it like her family did. Instead, she found her knack for adventure lied in dragons, bars, and taking strange men to her bed.

Tove's brow rose at the giggle. What. In. The. World. Bjorn actually enjoyed how...girley this woman was? She supposed it was almost refreshing to him, having such a rough around the edges crew to be around all the time, having a feminine woman would be his type she supposed. It was just so different than herself and her sister, even her mother wasn't like this.

"You love him." It was more of a statement than a question. She wasn't sure if the word had just slipped or if it was intentional, either way Tove picked up on it. Deva was certainly...soft. She nodded at the bartender as her second drink was set on the table, and she handed him her finished first glass. "Can I be frank with you, Deva?" Tove asked, leaning forward so that no one else would be able to hear what Tove was going to say.

"Our family is not to be approached lightly. We are not just something you can play with and then release whenever it suits you without consequence." Tove told her, gently, but firm in her words. "If in fact, my brother has told you all of the lovely family details, I do hope that you are aware of what is required of you to enter into the fold."

Did she know? Did she know that entering into a family full of criminals required that she sacrifice most of herself. Did she know that there were secrets that required her to cut ties from those she was most close to. Did Bjorn truly prep her for all of the potential scenarios? All of the things that she would have to do in order to pursue a true relationship with him.

"If he did not tell you." Tove continued, grabbing her glass once again, a smirk appearing on her lips once more. "Then you are in for a treat." She wasn't going to skim over the surface for the subject. She was not one to just make small talk or pleasantries, beat around the bush, this was not what this meeting was about. 

Sure it was to vet the girl. But it was to also make sure she was thoroughly aware of what family she was dating.

THE BEAUTY IS DEEP INSIDE YOU | DEC 2025
@deva
✿

[Deleted]

"Certainly so, but charms can make even the most modest and demure items bite back with a passion." She said, but paperwork biting at the ministry likely meant that the person responsible was getting fired for a total lack of professionalism. Not to mention that Deva was fully the kind of person that would rat somebody out to the superiors if they refused to come forward themselves. While kind, nice, and gentle by nature, the woman had quite a bite to her if pushed and provoked. It just wasn't easy to get her to the point she actually bit back. Even if it made sense, she always considered if it was a safe thing to do as well. If it wasn't, she would normally opt for the safer path. She was decent at self preservation and knew combat magic was hardly her strong suit.

Tove noted that she loved Bjorn and Deva merely nodded. There was little point in trying to deny it, nor did it serve any actual purpose. Why deny something that was true when it was ever so obvious. Even if he decided to break her heart, it didn't change the situation. "I do." She said, as if it was the most simple thing in the world.

Then came the threats, but Deva hardly flinched. She waited with the patience that typified Hufflepuff as a house for the other woman to say her thing and sipped her drink rather calmly. "As is with any healthy relationship, it's all about balance. He has not asked me to change who I am, nor do I expect him to change himself for me. I fell in love with who he is, secrets included. He decided to date me regardless of my flaws and background, of which he's fully aware. If you ask me to diminish myself to fit into a world I'm not actively part of, you're doing your brother a disservice." She said rather calmly. If Bjorn didn't want what she truly was, he was wise enough to recognise it long before they'd gotten to this point. They both knew they were from vastly different worlds and she considered it quite typical that his sister expected her to leave everything behind for a man. Naturally the other way around would not be acceptable. Yet Deva believed in balance, as she'd sacrificed a lot trying to gain the results she wanted with Rhys. It hadn't changed anything and it certainly hadn't made her happy. She wasn't foolish enough to diminish her own personality or soul for somebody again.

If that was the end of it, best it come sooner rather than later. Yet she believed in Bjorn and his ability to accept her as she was. She also didn't believe in revenge, so if it did end in flames, he wouldn't have to worry about her trying to get him arrested as vengence for breaking her heart. That was just ridiculous.

@tove

[Deleted]

Here we go. Tove thought listening to Deva's response to her warnings. She wasn't necessarily threatening the girl as much as she was trying to inform her about what it truly meant to be dating Bjorn...to love him.

There was a reason why there were not many that were trusted to enter into the circle they had. They were quite protective of one another, even if Tove did not join in the family business. It was quite like Bjorn to be understanding, to let her go off on her own and figure things out for herself. Sure, they had disagreed on her not staying...but that was because they had a certain understanding of one another that only siblings could know.

"Often times, love causes us to be blind." Tove retorted, nodding as a thank you to the bartender as another drink was served. "We think that we know what is best for the other. That we can put aside certain differences, keep the other safe from...secrets that have been kept."

Tove took a long drink, glancing up at Deva, "Unfortunately, being a part of Bjorn's world does require a bit of change, Deva. Not in the sense that you are thinking, but from what I have gathered from this brief encounter so far, it is going to cost you. Just like it has cost us all in some form."

Doing her brother a disservice, the comment made her sigh and shake her head. This girl was dillusional. High on love, not seeing the effects that this would cost in the long run. She only wished the best for her brother, but she wasn't going to sugar coat what being a part of the Krok's would be like either.

"Let's put it this way." Tove continued on. "Do you truly think that lying to your loved ones, to your friends, about who Bjorn truly is is not going to have consequences on your life, on theirs? Would they buy this lie that you weave? What happens if one is too curious, finds something out that they should not...would you be okay with blood on your hands?"

Not necessarily from Bjorn either. From herself or her sister more than likely. Tove tsked, taking another long drink, "You two are playing a very dangerous game...one that has not been properly thought out."

THE BEAUTY IS DEEP INSIDE YOU | DEC 2025
@deva
✿

[Deleted]

Of course the woman made presumptions. And of course those came with multiple assumptions too. Deva was aware that she was nothing like the people he sailed with. Nothing like his family members or pretty much anybody in his world up to this point. She was pretty sure that nobody in either of their lives would have ever though they could get along, let alone be a couple. And yet here they were.

She sighed for a moment and bit her lip. "I don't presume to know his mind at all. It's a wild place to me, full of intracacies I was not raised to know or understand. Yet some things make sense. I love your brother and it's easy enough to see he's fond of me. We know our differences for the most part and I'm confident we can find ways to manage them. I'm not quite what my parents wanted me to be, but I know their minds and thoughts. I know all the most likely options and which choices they would lead me to take." If her family would seek to break up her relationship, she saw little need to accept them as part of her future. If they could not love all of her and accept her choices in who she dated, they'd never truly accept anything she choose to do. If she walked that path, her only option was to became their vision of her, rather than who ever it was she wanted herself to be. It truly was a lot more simple. Rules were rules, but clearly some rules were made to protect the wild and free of the world.

She smiled a bit, but for once it didn't reach her eyes as she did. "I know my friends well enough. It is not them I'm concerned about." His enemies? Quite a bit more so. Yet if she thought back to her countless fruitless attempts to try and win over Rhys and the sacrifices that she'd both made in putting her life on hold for him (even though he hadn't really asked her to) and a few other items, he'd never been willing to offer her half of what Bjorn was willing to give her. Commitment. She knew she could sacrifice a lot more than he'd ever ask of her and the idea didn't scare her.

"I also know the risk of a relationship with somebody in a dangerous profession. I've known it since birth. I know the horror stories that can come from those types of professions bleeding into the personal life, regardless of which side of the law people are on. I'm aware that it's fully possible that being in love with Bjorn will get me killed some day, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. I'd rather die blind but happy than live with my eyes open and my heart shielded from all harm. I would find no joy in that."

She found the point of the dangerous game that neither of them had thought out to be rather inaccurate, but perhaps she had a point as far as them not having spent a lot of time on it. She knew she'd considered it, but she wasn't sure up to which point he had. She knew it was possible, but wasn't quite self aware enough to realise she was being very naive to presume it wouldn't happen just because it had never happened in her family. She knew, but those kinds of things happened to other people, not her. Her life wasn't that exciting.

@tove

[Deleted]

To say that Tove had some trust issues was an understatement. Truly, she blamed her family for the reason that she was like this. There was too much that could potentially go wrong for them to trust someone that they should not have. That was why many of her own relationships never worked out. She never could let them fully into her world because if something were to happen and her family would end up in danger for it...she would never forgive herself for it.

"So, you are willing to forfeit relationships that you have in order to keep Bjorn?" Tove was just going to come right out and say it. Was she ready to cut out those in her life that she thought would be a threat to him, to his secrets. "What if they are not so accepting to being discarded by you? They dig into what is going on even more...what then?"

Tove was raised to think of the what-if scenarios. Always went down the mental what-if checklist to see if there was any possibility that it would endanger her family. If there was even a suspicion she threw it out the window. That's why it was so easy for her to become a dragon curator. The job held no strings that would attack her family in any way. It was a safe space where Tove could be who she wanted to be, while her family was safe from consequences that wouldn't happen.

Deva's comment impressed Tove. Which was almost impossible to do. There weren't many people who could do so, but she had to admit that she was impressed with her words, now if she would only do so with her actions. Tove finished her drink, she would end up at a muggle club most likely, have a few more drinks there. Possibly find someone for the night depending on her mood. But now isn't the time for her to get wasted.

"No one has ever mentioned that they would die for my brother before." It was true, even some of those on the ship wouldn't die for Bjorn. She knew that her and her sister would, but the extent of everyone else was a different story. "You've impressed me. I'll give you that." Tove added.

"What else should I know." It was a demand of sorts, she didn't want any surprises coming up.

THE BEAUTY IS DEEP INSIDE YOU | DEC 2025
@deva
✿

[Deleted]

Deva let out a long sigh. "If they are not keen to accept being discarded it hardly matters when I do so at this point. Even if I would break both our hearts to ensure that he wouldn't get caught up in the crossfire I sincerely doubt he'll leave it at that. Not to mention that they might still end up putting the blame on his shoulders, even if he no longer is part of my life. Not to mention that all safety is relative at best. Even the most innocent and boring lives can be disturbed upon meeting the wrong kind of person. Your family lives prepared for contingencies and everything wrong, that much is clear. That also means that unlike me, he's highly unlikely to ever be caught unawares."

Deva wasn't one to believe that things were required to be black and white. Despite being raised with a very black and white view on the law and rules, she found people were a lot more complicated than any set of rules would allow. Just like not all rules always made sense. Not all punishments would fit their actual crimes as there was always more to consider than what was actually in play. Rules were mass production, but true justice was tailored to fit. Unfortunately that seemed to be quite impossible, thus leading to a lot of unfairness and grey zones. People could be good, but still break countless rules. There was even the option to hurt others outside the bounds of the law without instantly being a horrible person because of it. Grey zones.

Deva shrugged at the mention that she'd never heard anybody say they'd die for him before. "I suppose it's uncommon. Plus, I don't think that most of the rougher people that he is surrounded by would ever say it out loud. Sometimes such commitments are more dangerous confirmed than presumed." No doubt that anybody bad would love such information to take advantage of it.

What else should she know? That was a very interesting question. "I have no idea. I'm no good at fighting but I have a strong and loyal heart. I know what my dreams are, and they currently involve your brother, as long as he'll have me. Whatever you feel you should know, you should probably ask. I only plan to keep secrets that are not mine to share, but I can assure you they are innocent in nature. Until I met your brother, the biggest rule I ever broke was crossing the street while the light was red. I'm not the kind of person to go looking for trouble if I can avoid it."

@tove