Friends With the Monster - private

[Saiytanya]

Khan was frankly shocked that she even tried to escape. The woman was most definitely a firecracker. He grunted only lightly as she boxed his ears and pushed against him, sliding away. He recovered remarkably quick from the ringing in his ears as he stood to face her. His eyes stared at her with a piercing strength. His body tall, and poised to defend himself in case she attacked. Oh yes, he would rather have her as an ally. To make sure it happened he would protect anyone he needed to. Convincing her of it was another matter, however. He would prefer to win her over, but if he had to, he would beat her into submission. Khan was a man with a silver tongue, and a willing ally was far more useful. He would give her one more chance before resorting to extreme violence.


A dark smile played across his lips as he looked at her, listening to her words patiently, until he finally spoke, his voice was back to it's usual smooth calm. "My ship?" The very idea she suggested was laughable. "My ship is smashed to pieces in your fields, there is no way for one person to repair it. Don't make offers you are unable to fulfill." He took a single step toward her, "However, I don't want to leave. Your people are just what I need; strong, superior from the humans who shunned me. I promise you, more people will die without me, than with me. The Klingons are coming, they will take over your planet, work your people to death, sell you off to the Orion Syndicate, scatter you across the universe as slaves, and you will never know what hit you. You think what you have with the Klingons right now is peace? It's a charade. They will come, and your people will suffer and die."


He shot forward then, his hands grasping her left arm, hefting her weight with ease he swung her around and threw her at the nearest wall. With terrifying speed he met her against the wall, his forearm pressing hard against her throat. "Is this what you desire? To stare into the eyes of your killer, because I promise you, Lavineas, that will be your end if you continue this, if not from me, then from the Klingons." He grabbed her arm again and twisted to throw her back out into the center of the room right across the puddle of blood on the floor. "I was on Kronos, I tapped into their communications. They are building an armada of ships. They are running low on supplies and they will come for your planet next.


"You know I am correct Lavineas. You've known longer than any of the others. You've seen the signs, you've tried to warn them. Why else would you have those drawings in your home?" His head tilted to one side with animalistic movement. A faint smirk played across his lips. "Oh yes, I saw them, even the ones you did not wish me to see. But I kept your confidence, didn't I? I've had enough time to tell someone. I have not. I have not because I think you're right. I know you're right.


"I would rather not kill you, Lavineas. You are a talented and brilliant woman. We could be allies. Or..." he rushed forward again, his hands reaching out to try and grab a hold of her head, although his touch was surprisingly gentile, his lips a few centimeters away from hers as he whispered, "Would you rather fight? Because I promise you. You can shoot me again and again and I will always get back up."


He dropped his hands and took a few steps back, "Let me prove to you, my sincere desire to help. I will go into hiding, tell your council you killed me, whatever you wish. Let the Klingon's come for your little festival and when they turn on you, you can call for me because they will turn on your whether I am here or not, but when they do. I will come, and I will prove to you my skills against their hoard and then no one, not even your precious counsel, will question my ability to rule again. What is you choice?"

T O X I C P A S T I C H E

So, I was planning on him being more violent but I watched ST: ITD again and it got me thinking he would probably try and manipulate her one more time. I guess she can always look into his mind now, maybe if just out of curiosity and they can get stuck then. Maybe the infinity stone itself decides it doesn't want to let him go. It is sentient after all. Also, got a bit of chaos going on irl, will PM you for that though.

[Saiytanya]

Kara jumped when Loki began to speak. She hand't even heard him come in. She had been so into the book in front of her, about the history of Asgard. It was a rather good book. She once had a professor who had told her that 'the best way to prepare for the future was to look at the past so that mistakes were not repeated'. She had always found that to be a very true statement, even though the other students joked about alcohol and not over indulging. "My Lord, you shouldn't sneak up on a girl," She told him lightly, "If you'd been any closer I might have accidentally broken your nose." Her gaze followed him as he began moving about the room, he seemed almost predatory, like a tiger. It was a bit creepy, although fascinating at the same time.


Then she remembered that she was still cross with him and her brows furrowed slightly. He had thrown her under the bus with his little stunt last night, declaring her heir, alienating her from any chances of having friends. She mat not be a genius, but she was smart enough to figure that out. She wanted to call him out on it, to make him explain himself. Her previous attempts, however, had not been successful, so it seemed it would do her no good. Besides, she didn't want to let her annoyance get in the way of learning so she quickly wiped the scowl away and tried to look more pleasant. As he stopped moving and began addressing her she listened carefully, soaking in each word as it came. As the book was placed in her hand she looked down at it only briefly, she wanted to listen, she could read the page when he was finished talking.


When he began speaking about the being these gems came from, she felt a pang of sorrow. She wasn't sure if it was her own sorrow, though, or the sorrow of the piece inside of her. She did indeed feel sorry for this being, but the sorrow she felt seemed distant while somehow remaining tense. It grew from some deep darkness inside of her reaching out like a child wanting it's mother, crying from it's loneliness. But as Loki continued to speak it was pushed back before it was able to make a physical display on her features.


So that was it, this thing? I was so powerful it had to be hidden. But why had Odin not thought to use it, to protect their home? Maybe he was afraid, maybe they didn't know enough about it? So many questions swirled inside of her head as Loki explained, but she was not given a chance to express those questions as his voice continued to fill the air. 'Resurrect...purple sky...Asgard safe...' Yes, there was nothing she wanted more, Asgard safe...but Midgard also, it had been her home for so long, it was just as important to her in her heart.


Then he said the worst set of words a guy could say to a woman if he wanted to keep her around, 'I need your help.' Worse for the woman, that was. Very few women could turn their backs at that phrase. There was something about being needed that struck women right in the heart. Perhaps it was the sentient beings desire to be useful, or perhaps the female maternal nature. What ever it was, the next words out of her mouth couldn't be stopped if she tried. "Or coarse, I'll help. I want Asgard to be safe, and Earth too. Call me sentimental, but it was my home for so long. We can protect Midgard too, right?"


Kara bit on her lip and turned her head down to glance over the page. After a few moments she spoke again. "So, these other gems...they're all different. Governing different parts of this being, I assume, like pieces of a broken heart." She stopped to finish reading the open pages standing to walk about while she read. When she'd finished she turned toward Loki. "So, how do I train to use this thing? I supposed you'd be the best to teach me, it's kind of like magic." She set the book down, a look of deep thought etched on her face, "Would it...I mean, is it possible that this gem is alive? Earlier I felt, I don't know...Sorrow, as if it were not my own."

She began pacing, "And why did Odin not think to use the gems? You'd think he would have.. And why on Earth did you name me heir?" Her typical female train of thought completely derailed as she looked right at him, not really angry at the moment but more confused, "You can't really be serious? I mean, I'll do as you request, you are my King after all. It just seems odd and makes me rather cross that you didn't talk first to me about it. That woman clearly hated me already now I'm sure she'll try to kill me. And I need to shut up and sit down before I go off on a tangent..."


She sat down roughly and took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself before speaking again. Her mind was racing, all of this was so huge. In the course of two days she learned she was an alien from another planet with a powerful gem from an all powerful being stuffed inside of her and become heir to the Realm of ancient Viking Gods. "I am sorry, My Lord, this is just so much to deal with. So many things are happening all at once." She took another slow breath, her hands circling around and up, coming together in front of her, a relaxation method she had learned on Earth. Then she calmly placed her hands on her knees before standing, "Alright, my King, when do we start?"








T O X I C P A S T I C H E


Soooo, I don't know if you're willing to continue at this point, but I just needed to post this because, well... I wanted to. If you would like to continue, awesome, I would love to as well, if not, it's okay, I don't blame you.

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

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XXX

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▉▉▉▉▉xxxxx★xxxxx ❨ Lavinias Anona ❩ ↙ ↙ xxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed;
get along with the voices inside of my head - -
You're trying to save me...stop holdin' your breath.
And you think I'm crazy? Yah, you think I'm crazy.
Well, that's nothing.

He recovered all too quickly from the attack, though it hadn’t been anything too viscous. Standing straight, his body rigid, he spoke. It was not hard to find that he was right. Every part of her wanted to disagree with him, to tell him that she could reconstruct his ship, but there was no way she could do it alone. She would have to take such an idea to the council in order to get all the materials needed, as well as workers—things they would not be willing to give up, especially with a lingering Klingon threat. The only hope that the plan was even possible was solely in her mind, he was making that clear. It was a laughable idea. She didn’t miss the step he took towards her, but she didn’t back away. She needed to hold her ground. Besides, there was nowhere to back away to at this point.

She knew it was a charade, the peace with the Klingons. Their history with their distantly neighboring planet had never been peaceful. That was why the leaders now took it so seriously, but also with a grain of salt. They agreed with the treaty, of course expecting it to last feebly; it wasn’t the treaty that was really keeping them from making the banned weapons: it was pride. That was why they were still readily training warriors as if they were in a time of war. The foolish desire to prove to the Klingons that if they did attack Lacertae, they would not be successful, even if the latter planet had no advanced weaponry. Now, though, it seemed that they were beginning to realize their mistake—judging by the two members of Council who had reached her the other day. She straightened her body. “You may be strong, Khan, but my people are more resilient than you give them credit for.” Pride. She still had some left.

He seemed intent on destroying it. He advanced with intense speed grabbing her arm swiftly and swinging her around with no trouble and sending her back towards the nearest wall. Before she could make any movements, there was the horrifying recognition of air being cut off from her respiratory system. This time, it wasn’t her sister in a battle for a title—this was a much stronger opponent, threatening her life with the immovable appendage pressed with ferocity against her throat. Her hands began to reach up towards his arm, but her fingers stopped when their eyes met. In a single glance, she could see a lifetime of anger, all focused on her now. His words were barely registering, as if she couldn’t hear him.

Reaching down he twisted her arm with ease and thrust her body towards the center of the room. She winced and gritted her teeth as the pain ripped through her arm. Opening her eyes, she saw the pool of blood across from her. In its reflection, she saw Khan behind her as he spoke, ever the calm subject. He voiced concerns about the nightmare of a Klingon threat running low on resources. She closed her eyes, trying to erase the thoughts that followed, but he persisted.

She snapped her head over her shoulder to look at him when he mentioned her sketches. “No,” the ghost of a whisper escaped her lips as he smirked. So he had seen. She thought she saw something knowing in his eyes when she had gathered the papers up. He was the Head of the council. He could send her to jail now if he wanted. He had seen the evidence of her crimes, had the power to convict her. But for some reason, he didn’t want to.

She turned fully towards him and parted her lips slightly, but paused. She didn’t know what to say, and so he kept speaking. Emotions ran through her, but she wasn’t sure what she felt. When he moved towards her with his inhuman speed once more, she merely blinked. Luckily enough, he was feeling forgiving, and his touch was light—something she had thought from their earlier struggle was impossible or at least unreachable at this point. ‘But he still has control.’ She couldn’t ignore their closeness in proximity, and that he had proven most definitely that he had the upper hand—she had no doubt in his words: that he would get back up, again and again; that he believed her; that the Klingons were coming; that they could be allies. His speech was intoxicating.

But words were just words—the thoughts behind them counted the most. He stepped back, expectant of an answer from her. Silently, she removed her gloves and let them fall to the floor. There was something in his eyes that was ready—as if he had been waiting for this. Already she had used her ability on him once, to transfer language, but she could tell he wanted more. He wanted to know what this really was, her power. Carefully, she took stepped towards him, eyes locked on his, daring him to stop her but somehow knowing he wouldn’t. In a few moments, they were back to being only inches away. “I’ve waited long enough to see inside your head,” she whispered, glancing over the features of his face with intrigue one last time before she lifted her hands to his temples. She closed her eyes just as their skin connected.

‘Are you speaking the truth?’ Her voice wasn’t only in her own mind, but echoed in Khan’s as well. But there was still the wall.

‘We will find out.’

At first, she did nothing. She waited patiently in the dark depths of her own mind. There was a ticking sound, like the rhythm of a clock as she waited. She wasn’t ready. This was different than what she normally did, and she needed to make sure she could do this without any collateral damage.

‘What are you waiting for?’

‘Control.’

There was a laugh, a cold and dark version of her own, and then havoc. Unfortunately, she wasn’t completely in control. There was a shattering sound, and suddenly the wall was gone. Her mind was sent crashing into his, everything about them crashing in a tsunami of information. Lavinias couldn’t stop it. She could barely manage to stand her ground as memory after memory invaded. Something similar was happening to Khan, because she could feel her memories slipping out of her grasp into his mind as the bond of connection took hold. She had more control, so he was not bombarded with everything—only recent events: how she had been confronted by the council to kill him, her swim, watching the sickening battle between Khan and Zell.

But there was so much information coming at her—too much—she tried to sever the connection. She imagined herself cutting the link between their minds like a knife could cut string. But when the two met, there was a shock, and Lavinias opened her eyes and stumbled backwards. Memories that weren’t hers were still flooding her brain. Vulcan. Space. Starfleet. Labs. James T. Kirk. In a matter of moments, years of memories jaded her thoughts and she could feel her control slipping even further. ‘Stop!’

She imagined the connection like thread again, and in her mind’s eye moved the knife in her grip to cut it. This time, a hand extended from the shadows stopped her. ‘I like this one.’ Lavinias was staring at her own silhouette, the only thing distinguished besides the outline of her body her eyes. ‘Watch.’ The shadowy figure held her back as the memories flooded again. It felt like days as years of memories zipped by and she was forced to watch and feel everything. The resentment, the anger, the sorrow. She was exhausted by the time she was watching from his memory the crash on her planet. She needed to fight it, but fighting her own head was harder than any physical battle she had been in, especially when she was so weak. ’Don’t worry. I’ll let you out now.’

In an instant she was back in the real world. On her planet, away from Earth. She was sweating, and her breaths were pants as her hands rested on her knees. He didn’t seem to be as rattled as her. He hadn’t been forced to watch her life story. Taking in decades of information in a matter of seconds had a toll on the body as well as the mind, but she needed to make sense of this. She knew exactly who he was now. She raised her head. “You…” He was more than superhuman. He was incredible, but he was more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

“You’re a fugitive of Starfleet. They will come looking for you.” She stood up straight now, chest still heaving lightly. If Starfleet found its way to Lacertae, the treaty would be demolished. They would either be forced to join forces with the Klingon and destroy Earth, or they would be attacked by two enemies. And what would Khan do? He wanted to experiment on her people. He wanted to—to infect them and risk killing them all. The mind connection was still there; she could not sever it. He must have known her thoughts, but she voiced them anyway. “No.” She backed away. He was blocking the main exit. He had taken out whole squadrons of Klingons with ease. He was cunning. He was the ultimate soldier. ‘You are not fit to rule here.’ But it wasn't completely true. She had felt that he had held compassion for those who had served him as well. It was discomforting, along with the rest of his disturbing memories. "You are dangerous. A threat to my people along with the Klingons. If you hide now, and comeback when we are in need, they will see you as a hero, and follow you without fear. But you would subject them to a different death, and destroy those who disagree with your genetic engineering. You are an estranged criminal on your own planet, and I cannot let you take mine."

'Oh yes, this is what we have been waiting for. Now he is a challenge. He will push us. Isn't it exciting,' the thought in her head was anxious, and Lavinias could feel herself losing grip. She could feel her eyes dilating as a dark shadow fell over her eyes, making her look truly inhuman as her pupil's took over. It wanted the fight, and she couldn't deny that without the help of the power within her, she could not beat this man. She wasn't confident that she could with it either, because he had a connection with her mind just as much as she did his.





saiytanya

If you have any questions about the whole mind connection thing, don't hesitate to ask. I'll be working on Loki's post today as well, but I might not get it out until tomorrow. The black italicized is supposed to kind of be the stone, and how it manifests itself in Lavinias's head.

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

SECRETISSECRET
xxxxxx LOKI LAUFEYSON x§x BURDENED WITH GLORIOUS PURPOSE
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‘Surprised by a mere entry?’ Loki nearly chuckled. ‘Dear Kara, you would have not fared well if Thor had been your brother, then.’ If she had been taken aback by this, he could only assume last night at dinner she had been shell-shocked. Indeed, everyone from Thor to Sif had been utterly shocked (and some appalled). But he found the fact that she was so used to being alone a bit endearing. She was so unused to palace life. Although he was quite pleased that his nose wasn’t broken, he let a faint smirk grow on his lips as he dwelled on his previous thoughts. If Kara had grown up in the palace, Thor her brother or not, no doubt she would have broken his nose multiple times by now. The oaf couldn’t help but be loud and obnoxious upon entry to any and all rooms. He also noted that her vernacular was odd in that she chose to view herself as a girl, and not as a woman. It was perhaps her sheltered bringing up that made her choose such particular words, but he was sure with his guidance that he would very soon view herself as a quite empowered woman—who served the King of Asgard, of course. While he found such thoughts amusing, he didn’t have time to dwell on them. He needed to explain to Kara the situation, and get down to business. As he mentioned before, they didn’t need to waste any more time.

While her greeting had been kind, there seemed to be a sort of seriousness that came over her after a bit. Loki couldn’t have been more pleased—he had no idea that said feelings came for a disdain for his announcement the previous night. He thought she was ready to start, and so he began. She listened patiently, and didn’t interrupt. Soon enough her expression changed from a frown to a passive one. Her emotions were hidden, making it unable to read how she felt as Loki explained the believed origin of her powers. While he chose to remain passive about the story, he could tell that Kara felt some sort of pity for the creature the stones came from. Loneliness drove others to pity, but it didn’t do much for those who were alone.

Her gaze remained on him the entire time, and while he was used to people staring at him, he found himself growing a little nervous. She was so gullible, hanging on every word—he could have been lying to her and she wouldn’t have known the difference. Was this—was this regret he was feeling? Well, he certainly hadn’t done anything wrong—besides lie to her about being King, but he was lying to the entirety of Asgard. No—it was the fact that he wanted so badly to use her power for himself, and knowing that if she knew the truth, she would never help him. This young, talented beauty was much too special to want to help him of her own will. If she knew the truth, then it would be over, and he would be the bad, desperate Loki he really was deep down, and she would truly realize how much she hated him, just like the rest of Asgard. ‘Focus, and she will never find out.’ It was enough to convince himself at the moment, but he knew that the secret was going to come to light eventually, and that he would have to convince her of more lies. He would never be likeable without the lies.

There was silence as she took it all in. He wasn’t exactly expecting her to jump for joy, but given the already hidden nerves, he wondered if she was going to call him crazy and ask to leave. He had been sure the previous night when he had practiced this speech in his head that he would be convincing enough. Never more than now had he doubted his skilled tongue to help him convince someone that he was in the right. To his silent relief a few moments later, Kara responded with the words he wanted to hear. Well, most of them were words that he wanted to hear. ‘Midgard is but a small price to pay for this Woman’s allegiance,’ he reminded himself. Of course, this would pose future problems based on past misfortunes, so he would have to come up with a reason to keep distant from Earth. “Midgard and as well as the rest of the nine realms will be kept safe. So long as Asgard is safe, we will be able to create peace among all we oversee.” Midgard of course brought up a person Loki was not so fond of, but he would be useful in this area. “In the meantime, Thor has vowed to protect Midgard, and I doubt he will break that vow anytime soon. You need not worry about your past home.” This would hopefully put the idea of Earth in the back of her mind, as well as provide a way to blame Thor if anything did happen to the disaster stricken planet. It really was a bomb just waiting to be detonated.

As he suspected this seemed to ease her troubles concerning Earth, and began focusing on the information he had given her. In her own way, Kara did have a gift of speech. ‘Like pieces of a broken heart,’ Loki repeated the statement in his mind, appreciating their poetic value while she finished reading the page she was on. He watched her carefully, trying not to seem too keen, as she walked about. He leaned against the table, sitting on it as he allowed his legs to extend. The tables were tall, as was he. “Trial and error is the only way I see a possibility of you gaining control. No amount of reading can help you control something you have never tried. Although…” he curled his index finger around his mouth and held his chin with the rest of his hand, thinking. She brought up an interesting point, and perhaps it was something she should not overlook. He put his hand down from his face and stood, gazing at the many books in the library. “I have no doubt that it could be sentient. It was a being of great power. Perhaps part of that power lives in the stones. That is something you will have to tap into. If it is sentient, it could help you control and understand your power better.” The more she found out about her particular stone, the easier she could tap into its power. It was just a theory, but it was worth testing.

He didn’t expect the question about Odin, or the tangent concerning last night. Thrown off, Loki opened his mouth, but closed it again, eyebrows raised. He supposed they were matters of importance, especially to her—to him it was nothing more than mischievous jokes, per se—so he ought to answer them. “I’m sure Odin was frightened of what your power could do. He kept it a secret. Some legends are told, but some turn to dust. I believe he thought his experiment a failure, but I—I could not let you be forgotten.” He could only guess that he also thought that Thor was the heir—the only weapon Asgard needed. What a fool he had been. He had thrown Kara aside, just as he had thrown Loki aside; they weren’t his real children, and he could only give one child the attention and training needed to become a leader. Odin had given affection to the fool, and that had been his downfall. Now Loki would rise, with the help of another forgotten child—with Kara

As for the latter question…he couldn’t quite hold his smile, although it resembled a smirk more than anything. “Are you worried about that, Kara?” He asked, in a tone of near disbelief. “My apologies, I knew not that you would be so opposed to the idea. As for seriousness, I am sincere in the notion. Asgard needs a change in direction, and you are far from anything like what the people of Asgard have to offer. They may not like it at first, but you will always face opposition, Kara. If it comes to it, I will not let her kill you. But I have the fullest belief in your abilities. Your mother was formidable, was she not?” Kara, of course, probably didn’t know if her mother was formidable or not. She hardly remembered Asgard. “Worry not; you are under my full protection—it is adequate for you, is it not?”

He gave her one of his doe-eyed, concerned looks, though he knew she couldn’t possibly feel threatened. He was the King, after all. He inwardly kicked himself for pulling the stunt last night when she expressed her inability to focus. It would more than likely affect her training, if not her focus at the very least. Well, she would just have to deal with it. “Try not to get too overwhelmed, Kara. Perhaps before we start we should do something that will ease your mind. Is there anything you do back on Earth that helps you relieve your worries? I only wish to start when you are ready.” The gem’s power she harnessed could be very dangerous, he was well aware. The last thing he needed was her to do something crazy—with his lack of luck, she would resurrect Odin before he had the chance to prove himself.




Saiytanya

I only put the last bit in thinking maybe they could have a little more quality, intimate time together before things go wrong? I can't remember if we wanted to do the portal opening/joining of the two sections at this time. I think it might be a little too soon, but it definitely would be interesting no matter what! ^^

[Saiytanya]

He stood solid as a rock as she moved forward, her beautiful fingers reaching toward him with curiosity. Then, Khan felt a surge of excitement when her voice began to speak in his head. Her species was not known for this gift, therefore it must have been unique to her. Every new thing he discovered about her made him want to claim her under his command more and more. Her fingers on his temple, Khan stared at her closed eyes, her concentrating face. What was she waiting for? Part of him wanted to open his mind to her, but part of him suspected she would not join him if she knew his true intent. Khan, however, did not need her willing participation if it came down to it, though he would prefer her loyalty. So though his mind resisted naturally, he did not resist very hard.


Khan flinched only slightly as his mind walls were shattered and their thoughts poured into one another in torrents. His eyes finally closed as the exchange became stronger, information somehow transferring both ways. The counsel, they had ordered this? It made sense, it did not bother him. He would merely have to teach them that such attempts would not be tolerated in the future. Her family, they had threatened her family, and Khan now knew her weakness. Excellent. He had made certain in their exchange that she was well aware of the incident on Kronos, of the battle where he took out and entire attack squadron virtually single handed. He had brought it forward in his thoughts. He needed her to know, to see, just how true his strength against the Klingons was.


As she pushed away Khan stumbled only slightly, quickly regaining his footing, his eyes opening to watch her with interest. What was this ability of hers? She seemed to be struggling with it. For several moments she seemed to clock out, completely unresponsive. If Khan had wanted he could have killed her right there with no resistance, but his desire to keep her and her magnificent power around, stopped his homicidal urge.


Quite suddenly she looked up at him, she seemed quite cross with him and he was amused by it. He looked at her intensely as she spoke, giving her a chance to finish before he slowly began walking, circling her like a hungry tiger. "Ah, the truth, doesn't it burn within you? Do not your people beleive in survival of the fittest? Do they not beleive in strength, in bettering oneself? Would you deny them that chance? To become the greatest warriors in the Galaxy, greater than even the Klingons? Just yesterday I saw you fighting like barbarians in a pit." He continued circling, his head tilting when he watched her eyes darken. A smile crept onto his face, revealing his great pleasure.


"If you know I am a criminal to my people, the you know also that THEY MADE me this. They made me a warrior, myself and my people, then when we were no longer of use to us they called us criminals and tried to kill us all. Can you blame me for leaving? For trying to save my people? For seeking revenge for the deaths of those I hold most dear? Do you not understand? Do you not believe in loyalty? In family?"



A sadistic pleasure was reflected on his face. He knew how important family was to her, how it would affect her. If Khan needed to beat her into submission he would, in fact, seeing the change in her, he wanted to more than ever. It was strange, but somehow he still felt connected to her, it was a fascinating feeling. Having another person's thoughts and emotions in ones head was intriguing indeed. "If you swore loyalty to me Lavineas, you know I would protect you and your family. However, perhaps I should prove to you that I can? Why don't we make a deal? If I defeat you, you swear your life to me and I will ensure the counsel keeps their claws far from your family, your dear brother above all. I win...and you are mine. Do we have a deal?"

T O X I C P A S T I C H E

Bwahahaha! seal with a deal! XD

[Saiytanya]

Kara listened to Loki with interest, a small smirk growing on her lips as he spoke of his confidence of her and his willingness to protect her. She chuckled at the mention of her mother, "I don't know about formidable, but in my time training with her, it took many years before I was able to defeat her. I've never really thought of her in terms of war, however." She was still trying to take it all in, but she couldn't help but find it amusing how he tried to reassure her. "Of coarse I have confidence in my abilities, I even know some of Earth's fighting styles that might surprise her, but one cannot be too confident or it can lead to their downfall. There should always and will always be some worry that someone else is stronger. A appreciate your willingness to defend me though. Thank you."


As he continued, that adorable wide eyed look aiming at her, she felt a slight flutter in her stomach. She gave a nervous laugh and turned her eyes down, her cheeks flushing as she did so. Did this man realize just how adorable he really was? Though she felt she ought not tell him, guys didn't like being called adorable. It seemed like an affront to their manhood somehow. Trying to push away such thoughts she looked back up at him. "To relieve my worries? Depends on the worry. In this case, yoga...and tea. Though, usually it involves a punching bag or a sparring partner." She chuckled. "I'd like to spar with you sometime, I remember you being quite good with a dagger. My mother's training tended to focus on the spear and sword."



She moved her way toward the nearest solid wall, bending down to tie the bottom of her dress to her ankles, the last thing she needed was to show off things that needn't be shown. It was a good thing these dressed were made for movement in mind otherwise there wouldn't have been enough fabric to secure the bottoms. As soon as they were secure she turned her back to the wall and took in a deep breath drawing her arms up, palms meeting in front of her face as she exhaled. "Actually, this might be the best way to get in contact with the stone if it is sentient." Slowly she bent forward, her hands falling to rest on either side of her feet. Just as slowly she shifted her feet back toward the wall so she could push off and shift her weight entirely onto her hands. Her legs remained bent for only a moment before she began lifting them straight up into the air. She remained still for a few moments before her feet began moving away from the wall. Kara's back slowly arched to allow her feet to hover over and past her head a little before moving down to rest on her head in a pose know as the Scorpion.Kara didn't want to do too many weird poses in front of Loki, so instead she took a few moment to focus her breathing, remaining in her current position for now.


The calmness of her breathing brought her back to a memory of Earth...Midgard. It was a memory she was certain she hadn't had before, perhaps from another time they had needed to wipe her mind. She was in the calm of the countryside of a country she couldn't recall. It was mid summer, her clothes looked like they belonged in a museum, medieval, perhaps. It was strange how much detail she could remember. She could feel the breeze on her cheek, the scent of summer flowers filled the air. The sun shone with it;s cheerful brightness with not a single cloud to blot the sky.


She lay on her back with a single flower in her hand. Kara had been plucking the petals off. She was young, a pre-teen and the brief thought of a handsome young man She was calm. More calm than she remembered being. She was completely alone, but suddenly, she wasn't.


A vague blueish figure sat beside her, it seemed a younger person like herself judging by it's size. It's head tilted from side to side a few times before a male teen voice spoke to her. 'Remember Kara, you need to remember me.'


Kara sat up to look at the figure, trying to get it to focus, but it was as if something blocked her vision, as if she wasn't meant to see it. 'Who? Who are you?' Unbeknownst to her as the memory unfolded, visible to her King, Kara's veins began to glow again. Nothing around her changed, nothing more than glowing veins.


The figure moved closer to her, faceless, featureless, 'I am a part of you, Kara. You need to wake, to see me.' His hands reached out to touch the half bald flower in her hands. Like magic the flower slowly lifted into the air, turning faster and faster until it burst into millions of shining colors shooting out into the sky and fading like starlight.


Kara watched in awe, staring into the sky a smile playing across her lips, both in the memory and in person. Then the memory began to fade as Kara pushed it away, attempting to focus on her breathing more than the memory. As the memory faded, so did the glow. Her mind shifted thoughts; why did she not remember this? How many times? How many times had her memories been wiped? Over a thousand years of memories, gone as if they were nothing. How could they do that to her? She knew her memories would be wiped the first time but why continue to do it? Wouldn't that cause more problems? Couldn't it harm her mind?


"No. Stop. Focus." She told herself aloud as she cleared her mind. Slowly her feet rose back into the air, her back straightening back up. Kara's legs curled back down before landing softly on the ground. Her knees touched and her torso rose and she folded her legs beneath her. Her hands rested on her knees helping to bring her breathing center again. Once she had gotten her heart rate smooth and steady she motioned to focus back on her King, "Great thing about Yoga, it helps the body and mind come into harmony with one another." She smiled calmly at Loki, her eyes gently taking in his features, "I'm okay now, we can start. Lead the way my King."

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

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XXX

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▉▉▉▉▉xxxxx★xxxxx ❨ Lavinias Anona ❩ ↙ ↙ xxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed;
get along with the voices inside of my head - -
You're trying to save me...stop holdin' your breath.
And you think I'm crazy? Yah, you think I'm crazy.
Well, that's nothing.

It didn’t surprise her that her resistance appeared to have little effect on him. If anything, he was more amused than anything as he began his slow circulatory path around her. This was not unfamiliar to her, but she hated it so. Her glowering eyes followed him as best they could, and this time she made sure to listen to every that flowed out of his mouth. He was right—her people did believe in strength, in becoming the best, even at ridiculous consequences. They would follow him blindly if given the chance. She could not let him have that chance.

As he continued, she wished she could drown his words out. Everything he said had a point, and she caught every word and received his intention. She felt his pain more than he knew, and she couldn’t blame him—not completely, anyway. “Do you not believe in loyalty? In family?" Lavnias gulped her response down, trying not to get caught up in his game. But the seeds had already been sewn.

The night she had left her family had been silent and cold. She had asked Councilman Zellain to arrange for an apartment to be readied. He had approved of her leaving them behind. “A wise choice. They are all of them beneath you.”

That was what he believed, but she had never fully convinced him that she personally believed it. She couldn’t contain the snippet of memory; there was too much information—too many memories that were not her own were still fresh in her mind for her to have complete control of everything. “I understand,” she said quietly. She had severed her connection to her family as best she could in order to protect them. It became clear to her only a few years after the incident that they would do anything they could to try and control her. She had two sisters, two brothers, and parents to look after, despite her ruse to convince them otherwise. Khan knew it now.

The last thing she wanted to do was make a deal with him, especially when the stakes made the hair on the back of her neck rise with anxiety. But she didn’t have much choice—if he was going to offer a deal, she would have to take it. ‘Fine. If you manage to beat me, I will…submit to you.' She had trouble even getting the thought out, but only because she wasn’t planning on losing. She spoke now, so her voice echoed against the walls instead of in his mind. “But if I win, you leave my planet. You return to Earth, and you turn yourself in—we have a deal.” With that, she took a stance before moving in for the attack.

As it showed, she wasn’t typically one to make first moves. He easily dodged the swing of her fist and countered at her with a combination of his own. His speed was extreme, matching and even exceeding her ability to move at the moment. She could not dodge, and so she had to block, and even with perfect technique, the blows were hard. Immediately she tried to back away, but he persisted. A barrage of attacks later, and she was barely keeping up. Finally a blow moved past her weakening defense and met with her cheek. It was followed swiftly by an elbow to her gut. In a last attempt of keeping her defense up, she managed to send Khan the pain she was feeling, hoping it would surprise him and temporarily hold him back while she gathered herself. She staggered backwards, spots of darkness shadowing her peripheral vision.

‘You’re going to have to do better than that.’ The voice was dark and harsh, but like a coach in her mind. She really didn’t need this right now. She was out of practice, and the amount of stamina she had compared to him was miniscule. ‘You just tapped into hundreds of memories. You know what you need to do. Use him against him.’ Of course, it wasn’t as simple as it sounded, but it was right. She had the knowledge he had. She just had to trick her own mind. She could be just as fast; have just as much experience; have just as much memory in her muscle. She would never be as strong, but she didn’t need to be.

Resilience and focus regained, Lavinias moved out of the way of his impending blow just in time, this time countering with one of her own. He moved astutely, raising his forearm to easily avoid getting hit in the face and reacting with a counter attempt. This time, though, she saw it coming in his thoughts. When their minds were fully connected, she didn't need to be touching him to know what he was thinking. Her own counter avoided his and left him little time to react as she spun downward, avoiding his movement and finally managing to land an elbow just to the inside of his hip bone. She followed it up with a palm to the sternum, sending him back a few feet. ‘You couldn’t even protect your own family, and you expect me to believe you can save mine,’ she pushed the thought, cold as ice, into his mind. His callous eyes and flawless stature were intimidating, but she had something that he didn’t. The gift he was so interested in. This wasn’t just a battle of the body. It was a battle of the minds as well.

His intensity seemed to flare after this, and he advanced with ferocity she could only attempt to match. Minutes passed as the fight raged on, appearing equal as shots were traded. But at a consistent pace, Lavinias could feel her stamina slipping. She reminded herself what she was fighting for, and it kept her going longer than she imagine. But, there were some things she couldn’t help, like her body fatiguing, or the fact that his body would keep healing, no matter what she did. She needed weapons. None of her blows were going to kill him, or even knock him senseless at this point. She could trick her mind into thinking her body was healing itself, but it didn’t trick her body. It was hurt. It was in pain. It could only go for so long.

And then there was a moment—she tried to move to dodge one of his blows, but he suddenly changed his movement, catching her off guard. His boot clipped her ankles, and she found herself on the marble floor for not the first time that day. Had he just—was he…? Jarred, she slowly tried to recover and get up, but this was cut short when an intense pain radiated through her lower leg and there was a cracking sound. A throaty scream ripped from her throat and into the air. Instinctively she moved to sit up, to see what happened, to grasp at it with her hands, but he saw the movement. He was upon her, pinning her arms to the floor with his strong grip against her wrists. Pain—she tried to transfer the pain again, this time it was more intense, but she could hardly concentrate. She wasn’t sure it was going to work.

Looking around, the walls were unreachable. Her eyes fixed on a curved knife, menacing, but too far away. And what would she do with it? Her arms were pinned. Glancing up at her opponent, he was transitioning, moving a knee to one of her wrists in order to free one hand. Would he end it quickly, with one blow, or would it be slow—choke her until she passed out? Or, perhaps he had changed his mind, and he was going to kill her. There was a murderous aura radiating off of him that was begging him to end her. She turned her head, wincing, hand reaching out, struggling against the grip of his hand. If only she was inches away, and not feet. Despite the hopelessness of getting it, Lavinias focused completely on the knife, as if it was her last hope—she even held her breath.

In the seconds between Khan making his final move, and Lavinias cringing, waiting for defeat, something happened. As if abiding to her will, the knife found its way towards her. An instant before Khan was about to strike, it was in her grip. Amazed, shocked, and confused, Lavinias did the only thing she could think of doing with it in that moment. She jammed it as hard as she could through his wrist, until it was good and stuck and she could hear his surprise and pain. Taking advantage of the situation when she had the chance, Lavinias managed to roll away from him, and get to her feet—there was a substantial, blinding moment of pain in the lower part of her left leg, and she thought she was going to throw up. But she had to keep moving.
There was one other door in the building, and it led upstairs to the control room, and eventually to the roof. As fast as she could, Lavinias made her way across the room to the door. When she got to it, Khan was calmly pursuing. She knew why—with this leg injury, there was no escape. Grabbing a ring of throwing knives next to the door; she pulled one off and flung it in his direction before slamming through the door. If she could just make it to the roof...

Somehow, she made it to the exit door at the top of the stairs. But her energy was shot, and even the weight of her body wouldn’t open it enough. And then, in no time, Khan was there. Lavinias leaned sluggishly against the door, pushing against it as she threw another knife towards him. It missed, sticking into the marble wall and creating a radiating set of cracks as it lodged itself into the dark rock. One knife left. She gripped it defensively, but he took no heed to it as he closed the distance between them. One kick was enough force to send her flying through the door, her body hitting the ground painfully and sliding against the dark, smooth surface of the training roof.

Even when she knew it was over, she stood as best she could body shaking as he advanced towards her. With what meek energy she had left, she scanned his mind and managed to sidestep his blow. While his back was turned, she tried to jab the knife into his back. The blade never even met with his skin. He read her like a book. As if he had planned for her to read his mind and act accordingly. As if he had read her mind. One hand grabbed her forearm and painfully twisted it while the other maneuvered her body. Now, somehow, he was behind her, and he had twisted her arm behind her back. And then, with one final movement, he thrust her forearm forward, sending the knife she held deep into her upper abdomen .

It was over. She had lost. Lavinias didn’t scream from the pain, or cry in disappointment. She felt her body lapsing, and the muscles of her abdomen seizing violently. Breathing had suddenly become hard, and while her lungs took air in and out hastily, she wheezed. Punctured lung. Even faster than before dark spots began to overtake her vision. Somewhere, she could hear the excited murmurings and cheers of others, but she didn’t know where it came from as she lost consciousness.


- - -


The hum that Lavinias heard was that of a small crowd forming below the building. Kids were waiting to have autographs signed, parents and other warriors wanting to hear the details of the training. But most ominously a few of the council members lingered, eager to come to Lavinias’s aid when she voiced her concern about the fragility and death of Khan.





saiytanya

Okay, i hope this isn't too gory, and I hope it also meets your expectations. I kinda wanted to hint that Khan was catching on to how Lavinias used her abilities, and kind of using them against her. I also played around with some telekinesis, because the marvel section on the mind gem mentions it. If you have any problems with it just let me know ^^ On to work on Loki's post!

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

SECRETISSECRET
xxxxxx LOKI LAUFEYSON x§x BURDENED WITH GLORIOUS PURPOSE
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Loki raised an eyebrow as she mentioned she knew some of Earth’s fighting style. She must have used them for surprise, and surprise only—humans were weak, and thus their fighting styles could only be seen as weak. His mind temporarily flashed back to his fight on the despicable planet, and how easy it had been to toss Star out a window—the only thing that had saved him was his metal suit. Of course, he wasn’t about to voice his disdain to Kara, seeing as she had an inexplicable love for the place. He could understand her attachment to the place, as she had been there for a long time—but after seeing Asgard, should she not realize that Earth and all its inhabitants were inferior? Yes, they were lucky to get what they had, for it was far more than the humans deserved—and it was much less than Kara deserved.

There was a pause, and Loki gave her a sideways look, brow furrowed and mouth slightly agape. He licked his bottom lip before voicing his concern. “Yoga?” What in Odin’s name was a yoga? He had never heard of such a thing, seeing that it was invented on Earth. Tea, though—he could get something similar to that, he was sure. He had tasted the drink on his time on earth, and it was as fine a drink as the planet could muster. He watched her silently as she mentioned that she would enjoy sparring with him sometime, and he closed his eyes the moment she mentioned the word dagger. “I have a lack of luster when it comes to sparring, unfortunately.” The words slithered through his teeth with ease, though there was pain deep down. Dagger—Frigga. His mother had taught him well with the weapon, and the memories pained him for multiple reasons. It reminded him of who he was, and what he was not. “Thor always complained about how I broke the rules of engagement,” Loki finished with a frown, and shrugged. It would be better if she thought he was harmless, or in some sense gentle now. Then, it would be a surprise, and hopefully intimidating if he ever needed to show her his strengths. Plus, in some sense, he was being truthful. He never only used his dagger; he used his skill in magic as well. With her ability to see through his illusions, he was sure the battle would be much closer than he would have liked to admit. And even still, what was a dagger against a sword and spear? It was only his cunning that he would have to gain an edge, and he didn’t want her to see that side of him any time soon. She was already fairly wary of him taking the guise of Odin in front of others. With just the right mistake, his plan would be as useful as dust.

Pushing the thought of failure from his mind, he watched in intrigue as Kara tied her dress for whatever reason to her ankles. He had never seen a female do such a thing—Asgardian or otherwise. Interested in such a peculiar ritual, he watched, waiting for her to do something other than breathe and move her arms oddly. When she did, he really couldn’t help but ponder, what on earth she was doing—literally. Unfamiliar with the concept of yoga, Loki watched intently, absorbed in the bizarre way she was moving. Every move was deliberate, full of conscious as if she was aware of every chord of muscle in her body. Even though she looked calm, Loki had no doubt that there was no way he could do something like that so easily—she was making it look effortless, as if all she needed was concentration. Perhaps that was the secret behind yoga—doing things extraordinary without becoming taxed. Indeed she was focused, and Loki couldn’t help but mutter under his breath as she was engrossed in the activity, thinking she would not hear him. “If Thor were to see this…” he shook his head, not allowing himself to imagine the Prince’s face if he were to. “By your good graces keep your flexibility unknown to him, Kara,” he murmured with a sigh like breath. Having come to some realization that yoga helped her focus, Loki raised his eyebrows and just continued to watch. Although he was much more patient than Thor, as of late patience was not his most admirable attribute (or perhaps it was, given what his other attributes included).

Luckily for Loki, she appeared to have more control than she had lead him to believe—either that or this ‘yoga’ was magical in its own way. The room began to disappear, and the feeling in his gut wasn’t as uncomfortable as usual as the spinning colors and textures moved them back to an unfamiliar place on Earth. Once again, he was being shown one of Kara’s memories—and thankfully, this time he wouldn’t be in it.

He had to admit, the scenery wasn’t too bad, for Earth. It was actually pleasant, and Loki was reminded why he had deemed it worthy to rule over for a few moments before locating Kara. She was lying in the grass, young and relaxed without a care in the world, it seemed. There was a flower between her fingertips, freshly plucked of most of its petals. Loki had seen young girls in Asgard do this too—it was some weird thing that had to do with boys, when really he only saw that as an excuse for them to feel the excitement of destroying something so beautiful and delicate.

Loki watched as the girl was suddenly accompanied by a transparent figure. It wasn’t clear if the figure was supposed to be someone in particular, or if it was just an androgynous silhouette. Loki wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but the figure spoke in the voice of a young male, probably around the same age as herself. It begged for her to remember. Loki felt his closely guarded self slowly melting, as if this somehow touched him. The lids of his wide eyes slowly lowering until they were only half opened, his mouth solemn as the girl questioned the figure beside her.

A soft glow tore Loki’s eyes away from the scene. The blue iridescent light was coming from Kara, confirming that this was part of her power. It didn’t appear that she realized she was projecting it for him to see as well. She was focused on it and it alone.

It. The stone. This boy—whatever it was, it was a manifestation of the stone inside her memory. Somehow, she needed to figure out how to tap into it. He was sure that the vision was going to give her more information—a clue, or anything about how to tap into it. But alas, it ended with a magical display for the young Kara to marvel at before they both faded. ‘You need to wake, to see me? What sort of clue is that?’ Loki thought in disbelief.

“That was yoga?” Loki asked, a bit perplexed. “I think it is a practice you should use more often. I am afraid we already have started, Kara. The reigns are in your hands.” He looked at her pointedly. Did she not realize she had just projected a memory, yet again, merely by doing…yoga? “But perhaps I can give you a push. You show skill at using the stone to project memories, and it appears that, unless you created that spirit on your own, our suspicions are correct in that the gem is sentient.” He looked at her, studying, pretending to be thinking more in depth about their methods, when in reality he just wanted to take her in for a moment. Not only her physical beauty, but the fact that she was so powerful, and so humble. All of her was beautiful, not just her outer appearance. “Did ever your mother ban you from certain things—perhaps creatively. Or did she tell you things that never made sense, that you always felt were long, though she insisted were right?” Perhaps he waking she needed to get creative. “For example: books cannot talk. But have they ever spoken to you, Kara? Because you can make that happen. Perhaps you did once, out of loneliness; but it defied reality and you were quickly told it was wrong. Your imagination can become your reality.” That was how he used his magic. Just by imagination. Perhaps her abilities were similar. “I can only guess at how your power originates itself inside you, Kara—you are the only one that can truly know.”





Saiytanya

trying to be a mentor is harder than i expected xP I have no idea if what Loki is saying will help her or not, but at the very least he is trying. I dare say he might revert to putting her life in danger/turmoil if nothing he says works and his patience wears too thin ;3 now edited!

[Saiytanya]

Khan took a single step forward, his boots landing directly in front of Lavinias' face. For several moments he stared down at the woman. He much preferred her clean and un-wounded, but this would do for now. For several moments he simply stared, his ice cold eyes emotionless and his features straight. Why was it so hard to find loyal soldiers? His mind briefly drifted from the situation at hand, back to his friends, his family, their bodies now being gathered by those who would become his new people. He spent years of hell fighting side by side those he called family. They were the strongest of the strong, those who had survived the war beside him. They were those who would follow him though hell again and again and do so happily.


Eventually though, the sounds from below caught his attention. A single tear, Khan had not realized had been coming slipped down his cheek. Gingerly he stepped over her as he wiped the tear from his face. He moved to the edge of the training building to look down below. He was intrigued by the crowd that had gathered there. His keen eyes easily spotted the council members and he immediately turned, bending down to lift the injured woman into his arms. It was time to pay a little visit to the council. With a stoic expression he carried her downstairs and back to the training hall, where he lay her down to search for something to wrap her in. Eventually he found a robe in what looked like the shower room. He wrapped her up and headed outside.


The crowd immediately reacted to him holding Lavinias in his arms; some upset, others worried. "She is only injured," He told them, "Our training session was rough. She will heal quickly. She is very strong." Immediately he moved to the nearest council member. "Her family is under my protection, ALL of them. If any harm comes to them, you will be strung by your entrails outside the council room as an example to those who would defy me. And call an emergency session of the council...now." Khan's bright green eyes stared down the council member waiting for him to acknowledge him and scuttle along. To the other counsel member he turned the same piercing look. "Bring a medic with you."


Khan moved though the town, people stopping to gawk as he moved through them strong and silent. He made his way to the council building and subsequently into the council room, his shirt still sporting the holes from his attempted assassination and blood that was not his own. Still in his arms was the wrapped form of the woman they had sent to do the job. With surprising gentleness he lay her on the table in front of his seat to wait for the counsel to assemble. He didn't sit however, he merely stood by his seat watching as one by one the counsel began to enter. Hie eyes looked at each one, firm, judging, as they slipped in and to their seats.


He needed to weed out the useful and loyal from the traitorous. It was possible that only a few members were involved in the assassination order. Or it very well could have been them all. He had a way to find out, however. What he had to say to them, would easily provide that opportunity. Khan didn't like traitors. double-crossing an enemy was one thing, but one NEVER double-crossed their leader. There was only one way to deal with such people...death.


As the last of them entered he threw back the robe dramatically to show them his good work. For several minutes he stood there, letting them take in the sight of their champion laying prone to the target of her attack with not a single scratch. Through the few holes in his shirt, the skin was clean as a fresh bath. His hair was a bit of a mess, and he had smears of blood in a few places, but was otherwise unscathed. If Lavineas' unconscious body didn't tell a different story, it might suggest he'd just been through a thick forest.


"Hear me!" His voice reverberated across the council room, booming loudly, solid and strong. "If you think an assassination is the way to get rid of me, you are mistaken. I know you don't like me; an outsider, sitting in your highest chair. I understand. I would feel the same, but I defeated your leader. I was not being arrogant when I told you I was superior, and even more so when I told you I do not accept defeat. I defeated your leader, the strongest among you. I could tear you apart, just as I could the Klingons. " Seeing the medic he moved away and let the medic get close to tend to Lavineas. Slowly he moved among the council members, walking disturbingly close to some, his eyes watching them with fierce awareness, if they attempted to attack him, he could quickly react.


"I offer you a way to prove myself further. You worry that the Klingons will turn on you because of me. Very well, let them not see me. I will stay out of your way, the silent leader of your council. Let them come. Let them fight. And when they turn on you..." He paused, looking directly at one of the councilmen he had seen outside the training hall waiting for them. "...and they will, I will come forward, and prove myself against those you think you have peace with. I assure you, with, or without my presence, they will turn on you. With my presence, however, you can win, if you only set aside your prejudice and allow me to do as I promised. I promised to make your people stronger. I intend to keep that promise. Or..." He stopped to look at the second one that he had seen waiting, "...you can attempt to take me out now and I will defeat you all. After which, those of you that live will be nailed to the walls outside this council room and left to die as a warning to any warrior who thinks I am just a pathetic human to be underestimated."


He circled around the table, moving to a place where he could see them all. He looked at each of them in turn with murderous calm, enough to make anyone nervous. Even his crew would have fallen silent if met with the look he was now giving this room of traitors. His last sentence was spoken crisply, and absolute. "You have five minutes to decide."

T O X I C P A S T I C H E

[Saiytanya]

At first Kara was confused when Loki said they had already started. What did he mean? Then he mentioned the spirit. He had seen that? Well, she had't realized she had projected that. She thought it was only in her mind. That was a bit embarrassing. Somehow she remembered that she'd been crushing on some young man at the time. It was a good thing to know, though, that relaxing helped. But it couldn't have just been that. She spent a good number of hours a week doing Yoga, and it had never happened before. Maybe it was because she was aware now, she knew what was inside her. She wanted to contact it, to have a shared existence.


As he questioned her, Kara brought a hand up to her lips, a finger resting lightly between them as she mulled it over. Her book choices had always been very limited. "I was never allowed to read fantasy books that had a great deal of magic. You should have seen when the Harry Potter books came out. The whole western world pulled into this great story and I wasn't allowed to see what the fuss was all about, just chatter from friends. There were quite a few fights about that."


She fell back into thought then, the thing she and her mother fought about most was guys. She wasn't allowed to date...ever. She had even been limited to women's colleges when she wanted to go to university. Though, she didn't really remember going to any school before that. In fact her earliest memory this round was of Edgar tutoring her in mathematics. The people she saw the most were her mother and Edgar. She had very hard-set rules about friends. Above them all was, no men. Although, putting things into perspective, her strict upbringing was probably to keep her close. Dating a man would have prompted her to move away, to strike out on her own.


It was strange as she began to think about it. Until a few days ago, she didn't remember ever being a child. But she had never really thought about it before as if there was some kind of invisible string keeping her head turned the other way, away from thoughts of the past. She never wondered about her father or grandparents, or any other extended family. She never wondered who her first kiss had been, IF she'd had a first kiss at all. Who was her best friend as a child? How did her family meet Edgar? Why was he a family friend? Her life made no sense. It was all a vague illusion. Every piece of her life's lie covering another until there was nothing left of her.


Her train of thought was halted when Loki mentioned books talking. "Animals. I vaguely remember having a cat once. He was my best friend. He talked to me. My mother insisted it was foolish, then one day he just vanished. My mother told me he had been run over by a trolley." She looked up at him, her eyes growing a a mixture of sad realization and anger, "My mother killed my cat...she must have. Finn was the most intelligent cat I'd ever met. He would never have gotten himself run over."


Kara's expression continued to remain sad, angry, and aware. Her whole life had been a series of lies. Part of her knew it had been necessary, it had been for her King and for the safety of the nine realms. But another part of her was angry; angry that her life had been wasted away, that her memories had been ripped from her. She wanted them back, her life, her memories throughout the centuries of Earth. "They never told me my memory would be wiped over and over again..." Her voice was angry and hurt. "I understand keeping memories of the stone a secret but everything else too? Did they think I couldn't keep the facade of being human? My whole life? My childhood?" She looked at Loki with pained eyes, "I want them back." Her eyes shifted downward, her brows furrowing. "And I want my bloody cat back."


Her lips pursed and she looked at Loki with a determined expression. "My imagination you say? So maybe I can imagine my cat back. It's a small step at control, but it's a start." First she needed to calm back down. She took in a deep breath as she circled her arms around, taking in a deep breath, bringing them up and meeting her hands at her chest once again. She took several moment centering herself, before placing her hands out, palms up. Her eyes closed as she tried to focus. "How do you make magic, Loki?" She almost whispered softly, very unaware she had just called him by his name. [colo=#088A85]"Walk me though an illusion. Maybe I can make my illusion real."


Kara listened to every word Loki said, soaking it all in like a sponge. His voice was almost intoxicating as it slithered into her ears like a snake. Part of her just wanted to listen to him talk, to allow herself to get lost in his sweet silken words.


No, she needed to focus. She kept her breathing steady as she tried to focus on memories of her cat. Her first memory of him was of when she found him; a tiny kitten among a litter abandoned in a milk crate on the side of the road. Her mother had told her she could only keep one. She'd spent her entire day looking for people to take the kittens. Every person who looked in on the beautiful creatures in lovingly conveniently ignored the little black one with crossed eyes. No one really wanted him.


The surroundings suddenly changed around herself and Loki. Another version of herself, the same apparent age as she was now, was sitting on the edge of the wall surrounding the backyard of their brown-house in London. The tiny black kitten was curled up in her hands, looking up at her cross eyed.


Her mother sat beside her. "Kara, I'm sorry, but I think the poor thing's blind. It would do you no good to keep a blind cat."


"I can't just let him die mother. Just because no one else wants him." Kara argued back.


"They don't want him because he's the runt, runts deserve to die, Kara. Only the strong survive. Say goodbye, but then you need to take him down to the shelter to be euthanize," Her mother told her firmly before standing from the wall and walking inside.


The other Kara watched her mother walk away before turning back to the cat. "You don't deserve to die. Look at those bright green eyes. You're beautiful." The other Kara closed her eyes, bringing the cat up to hug her against her face. She was unaware of what happened next. A blue glow familiar to Loki and Kara flowed out of the other Kara and wrapped around the kitten briefly before flowing back in. When Kara looked back down at the kitten, its eyes were no longer crossed and brighter than before.


The memory melted away then, bringing them back into the library. Loki's words were leading her to form the faint outline of a fully grown cat on her outstretched hands. Slowly the cat became more and more visible. The 3D outline became a sketch, the sketch became a painting, the painting became an HD photograph. Texture and detail grew on the cat, as vibrant as if it were sitting there. She needed to give it weight. It seemed like forever, but eventually her hands dipped with the weight of the animal, a warmth growing in her hands, and a deep rumbling purr filled the air and reverberate though her skin.


Kara's eyes popped open in shock. She was almost as shocked as the moment she realized the cat's blindness had suddenly gone. It even seemed to recognize her. Somehow, she knew it was the same cat, not just some replica. A smile grew on her face as she pulled the animal in to hug it. Beaming, she looked at Loki, "Thank you!" Quickly she leaned over to hug Loki tightly for a moment before realizing her action and immediately letting go. Her cheeks flushed brightly , her eyes wide as she focused her attention on the cat in her arms. "Sorry, my Lord. My emotions got the better of me."



****



The next several days were spent entirely with Loki, save for bedtime. Kara woke up and met him in a magically protected room each day. They ate breakfast, lunch and dinner there with practice in between with very few breaks. The King was a bloody slave driver at times though, pushing her harder than she felt she could go. She had even passed out of few times resulting in a brief slow of progress. But Kara quickly found that a quick Yoga session each morning helped to keep her centered and focused, but it was Loki's words that gave her guidance.


With each training session more and more of her memories of Earth began to return both in in her mind and in visions for any in the room to see. She was beginning to feel whole again. Her cat was a constant reminder of what she could do, and a comforting companion though the endeavor. She was certain, at times, that Loki was irritated with her, particularly when she had a hard time doing something. The man seemed to be in a hurry for something. Maybe he just wanted to get her out of his hair, she couldn't tell. Especially since at other times he seemed perfectly pleased with her, like when she had tried bringing life back to a small potted plant and ended up making it burst into flames instead.


It started with creating tangible things, giving life to dead plants or small critters and trying to guide and control the tangible visions. Then it was creating small things from nothing. The more she remembered of her life the easier it was to make things happen or was it the other way around? It was as if each memory wipe had been a lock on a very secure hallway leading to the gem. It wasn't easy and it was a long process. Though part of her wondered what the consequences of unlocking the last door would be.


At the end of the week her control was still very limited, but it was far better than it had been. From accidental return of sight to a blind cat, to making small things out of thin air, it was a rather big step in her mind. With Loki's guidance, Kara was certain that she would continue to grow in her understanding of the Gem as well as gain the whole of her memories.




****



A week after she had arrived on Asgard Kara lay in bed, preparing to get up for the day. She had all but forgotten about the coronation that would name her the legal heir to her birthplace in three days time. She did, however, remember that she had talked Loki into letting her spend some time on the training grounds. Though she found it a bit odd that it had not been very difficult to do so. He had almost seemed pleased that she was asking. Granted, she needed to keep her physical body just as strong as her powers and she frankly missed being able to spar daily. Perhaps she could make in a part of her daily ritual again. That would be nice, indeed.


She got up then, looking at the set of sparring armor Loki had the servants measure and have made for her. A smile quickly appeared on her lips as she rushed over to look it over. The set was beautiful, like the one she finally remembered her mother wearing when they still lived in Asgard. The silver chest piece was delicately engraved with the crest of the Valkyrie, two silver wings as the backdrop of a long-sword. The clothe bits of the outfit were a beautiful deep green, something she suspected Loki did just to be a devil. She nearly became giddy when she saw the pants. They were pants, REAL pants, not skirts or dresses; granted they were black leather, but it was better than clothe tied to her ankles.


With a shake of her head, Kara began getting dressed, layer by layer until she needed the servants to help her with the chest piece. She took a few moments to pull her hair back and adjusted a few things before heading out to the training grounds. She felt a strange surge of pride walking out in her new armor. It wasn't a full battle set, but it was beautiful and a good weight to start with considering she hadn't worn armor since her childhood. It would be nice to get a chance to try it out and get herself used to using it. Part of her hoped that Thor would be out there so she could show him that she could handle herself. She knew he could definitely defeat her, but she would put up a damn good fight before he did...she hoped.








T O X I C P A S T I C H E


Since we planned to make a montage, I just lightly touched on the initial training session. I hope I didn't overstep my bounds. I just figured I should put in her interpretation of Loki during it. If you would like me to edit, say the word. ^.^

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▉▉▉▉▉xxxxx★xxxxx ❨ Lavinias Anona ❩ ↙ ↙ xxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed;
get along with the voices inside of my head - -
You're trying to save me...stop holdin' your breath.
And you think I'm crazy? Yah, you think I'm crazy.
Well, that's nothing.

Rather than find a triumphant Lavinias, the members of the council who were present outside the training facility found shockingly the opposite. The excitement left the crowd swiftly replaced by troubled murmurs and anxious glances. Krev and a fellow council member, Tack, stood close as Khan approached them. It wasn’t so much his gruesome words that made them on edge—it was the fact that he seemed to know so much. It didn’t take a genius to figure out how that happened. Krev felt his knuckles tighten, and he nodded at Khan’s orders. The plan a few select members of council had come up with had failed. This would no doubt lead to trouble. Tack’s dark brown eyes met Khan’s, confusion clear in them as his eyes seared through her. Her stature did not falter, but she was quite sure that Khan could see through her façade of confidence and feel her uncertainty in the air. “Yes, sir,” she said with a bow of her head before departing.


- - -


Minutes later, the council was assembled, six members sitting in the presence of their head councilman, Khan, as he gave a menacing spiel to those who surrounded him. If his words were not convincing enough, the unconscious body being nursed frantically to health by a rather nervous medic. His appearance was crisp save for a few tears in his clothes and the blood that was stained to various parts of his clothing. He looked unperturbed, as if nothing eventful had happened at all despite the look of his attire and a few misplaced strands of hair. While he was convincing, it was unclear whether he was convincing the group that he was a bigger threat than he had earlier seemed, or if they were convinced that he was what they needed. There was only silence—no grunts of approval or disproval; they knew how to listen when their head councilman head something to say, despite the fact that he wasn’t exactly the person they were used to listening to.

"You have five minutes to decide."

There was little time for silence after Khan finalized the context for the debate that would take place between the remaining council members. Uncharacteristically, Tack was the first to speak. Her tone was urgent, and matter-of-fact. “We need a leader.” The threat of the Klingons did not deter her from a more prominent issue: the fact that their new leader was untrustworthy, whether or not those who pegged him as such were erroneous or not. “If not against the Klingons, then for our people. They deserve that much.”

“And are you insinuating that this man—human, mind you, is fit for the job?” Cecilia, as opinionated as ever, growled. Her gaze was scrutinizing and relentless. “You heard him yourself: he would rather hide than show the Klingons he is here—avoiding a threat. If he wishes to lead us, he should be proud to do so in the face of our so called enemy. The fact of the matter is, the Klingons are foes to humans not to us. We are better off without him!”

“There is a fine line between cowardice and cunning, Cecilia. That is something you have never been capable of differentiating.” The man who spoke this was young, no older than Tack—the two youngest of the group in their late twenties. His gaze was focused on Lavinias, but he was attentive to all. The sandy brown color of his skin made hair look lighter than it was, and overall gave him a more illuminated look among the others in the room. There was something sharp in his oval eyes, something smart that was highlighted by his thin nose and high cheekbones. His lips were full and beautiful, and set off by the softness of his jawline.

Cecilia sneered. “Bold words coming from the flesh and blood of our so-called champion, Linas,” the old woman shot back with an acute amount of sassy spryness. She would not let her age be a reason for others to belittle her. “May we remind you who offered the idea of posing danger to her family in the first place?”

“This isn’t about my family, but the threat of war to everyone’s family is very real,” he responded. “I was merely making her aware of where her actions would take her did they continue down a certain route.” While his tone was smooth, his gaze was accusing as tangerine eyes scanned a few of those who procured his suspicion.

Cicilia snorted and rolled her eyes. Krev shifted in his chair, and five other pairs of eyes shifted to him. “We should not be pointing fingers at one another. Mistakes have been made. But now we have a chance to right them—to fulfill our duties to provide security to our people.” This earned Krev a brief glower from the younger man, but otherwise his lips remained sealed. “And right now, the biggest threat to our home’s security is standing before us, using a slick tongue to try and trick us into his submission. Do you think he is not a threat? Look what he has done,” he gestured to Lavinias, and then suddenly to the only empty chair in the room, “Deprived us of the man who was meant for leadership.” Cecilia and another member nodded, but another shook his head.

“I thought so before, as well. But he has proven to us many times that he is not an average man—he is more than Zellain ever was.” The words of the deep voice echoed in the room, and all eyes were shocked as they look toward the large, dark man who spoke. “I approached Lavinias with Linas, convinced that this man,” he gestured towards Khan, “needed to be killed. But two tests has he been put through, and survived both without a scratch. When will it be enough? You discriminate against him because he is of a different species—but is he really? Sentient, strong, and possessing qualities we all strive to embody.”

“An excellent point, Morren,” Linas backed the man up.

With this, the only other man who had not spoke on the council slammed his fist on the table in front of him. “Fools—you fear him! You only wish to save your own skin, Linas—cunning and cowardly indeed! And, Morren, I don’t know what has possessed you, but this man can never be our leader. How could he possibly understand. He simply is not one of us!”

“Would he serve us better as a Klingon, Karver?” Tack’s voice pierced through the man’s rant, and left him to stare at her with his jaw dropped. There was a level amount of taken aback silence about the room, followed by a realization that was uncomfortable among those who doubted Khan. “Because, face it, that is what we will have if they do decide to attack. Without Zellain, we are torn.”

Cecilia eyed her, defeated, but still wary. “If they fail to attack? This is all for naught, and then what becomes of him?”

There was a pause. Linas sighed, exasperated. “Our best bet to avoid war is for Lavinias to win.” There was a snort from Karver that collectively summed up the feeling everyone felt at this statement. He glanced at his younger sister. The shape she was in, even after the medic cut off her shirt to drain her lung left him skeptical. She had been turned on her stomach, so the entry wound of the knife was accessible on her back (bandaged up now). He could hardly stand the sight of her back, laden with scars that really needn’t be there. Bruises were visible as well, but they would heal within a few hours with the medicine she’d received. “And to do that, we need somebody who is better than our best. If she can do this, and they decide we are too strong to defeat, then we deal with that when the time comes. It’s a formality at this point. We need him.” For now, they needed Khan. Later was still a question none of them could answer.

“We will need a stand in leader, and a reason for Zellain’s death,” Krev pointed out.

“Farshus is the obvious choice,” Karver answered. “He is the true successor of Zellain—the only one who could possibly want to defeat him to gain a spot on the council.” He paused. “If that suits you, councilman?” there was a sheepish air to the question as Karver addressed Khan.

They had decided. Seeing as he had been present for their whole debate, there was still a lingering question of whether or not Khan would accept any of them as loyal. “And what of Lavinias?” Tack asked suddenly, eyes on the young woman. She had been turned on her back now, her leg wrapped in strips of gooey material and a splint around it. Now the medic was working on the reopened cut above her eye—the least of her worries now that everything major had been done.

“I should take her home,” Linas stated—he didn’t sound like he particularly liked the idea, but he didn’t see any other options at this point.




saiytanya

I thought Kara's post was awesome, so no worries ^^ you gave me a lot to work with, which I always like~ now to put sif in the ring and have her notice Kara with her eyes full of unyielding contempt xP Also, this post has a lot of people in it x.x I tried to make it as non confusing as possible! I hope I'm not just rambling in it - I thought there was some stuff the council would need to go over before making a decision.

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SECRETISSECRET
xxxxxx LOKI LAUFEYSON x§x BURDENED WITH GLORIOUS PURPOSE
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Loki waited as she realized what had happened—that he had seen everything she had remembered; that she had projected it not only in her own mind but in the world surrounding them, altering reality to show, for a brief few moments, her memories. He wondered briefly if this was because she was somehow in her head, or if anybody around would be able to slip into her memories. If the latter, it could be potentially dangerous. It was pertinent that nobody on Asgard new of her powers at this point—or anytime until she was in full control, otherwise Asgardians would see her as a liability more than anything else. It was hard for most of them to see potential.

It was so much easier to be patient when he could see clearly that she was progressing, opening up to him and realizing her own abilities with the acute awareness only she could have. Of course, it meant he had to sit through explanations of things he did not understand, such as this ‘Harry Potter.’ Although kara explained that it was just a set of books, he could not deny that he felt a bit of content for anything that made the woman want to fight for—even something as petty as a story. ‘You are being ridiculous,’ he thought, mentally rolling his eyes in annoyance at the ease in which he fell jealous, even of things not worth such feelings. “I suppose the best way to keep imagination at bay is to prevent someone from every finding anything that would propel it forward. Children are known to have a great imagination, and stories generally make it easier to prompt their creativity. It would make sense that you would not have been allowed to think as freely as you were and are capable of now—out of fear that you might have realized your great difference,” Loki confirmed, hoping that this would give her some encouragement, to push her thoughts forward.

However, there was a bitterness in his tone that he could not easily dismiss. ‘Not now. Do not project,’ he thought, his lips pressing into a thin line as he folded his arms across his chest. It was becoming clearer how similar Kara’s story was to his own, though. Kept from certain things, her true path hidden. He could not help but feel a twinge of remorse at her story, but also a bit of resentment as well. The secret that had been kept from her was her greatness, and she had lived a life opposite of it. The nature of Loki’s secret had been and still was deplorable and abhorrent—he had lived in greatness only to realize it was all a lie. Even having pity for himself, Loki felt anger and resentment. He was not meant to be a creature broken and exiled; he was meant for greatness, and he was going to take control. But underneath the layers of pride and sarcasm, of cunning and arrogance, of his façade of the intelligent and gentle mentor, above all he grasped why all those who knew of him and loathed him.

He could see himself in Kara’s hurt, and immediately realized he could not; they were only similar in that their lives had been surrounded in hiding a great secret. The entirety of the rest of them, who they were and what they wanted, were as great a juxtaposition as day and night. Her realization of animals drew him out of his musings, and his brow raised halfway in intrigue, waiting for her to elaborate.

As he was hoping, she did have some memories about a talking pet cat. He was surprised when she voiced the realization that her mother must have killed the cat, and she looked distraught. He wanted to comfort her somehow, to tell her that her mother was only trying to do what she felt was right—but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. He knew it would not heal any of the pain that would come with this new revelation. It wasn’t okay, so he would not tell her it was. “If you wish to procure them from me, or anyone else, you shall not succeed. You—the gem inside you, rather, holds the answers.” At least, that’s what he hypothesized. But making it sound like he was sure was probably more helpful. He couldn’t heal the pain in her eyes, he could only mirror it with the soft look reflected in his own. Loki tilted his head. “Perhaps.” The first thing she was going to do was bring her cat back to life? Loki could have rolled his eyes, but he chose not to. Some of the littlest things were the most comforting.

He found her question of how he did magic odd, and then after further thought, it was odd that he found it odd. He was, after all, the most powerful sorcerer in all of Asgard. Why not would she ask him how he worked? He smiled—well, smirked really, deciding he was satisfied with her question. He would enlighten her, even if he wasn’t sure it would help her. He wasn’t sure his magic and the power of the stone were similar. “Magic is a power that is not tangible, and yet I can feel it as it flows through my body. Long have I practiced and much have I endured to gain such control of the magic that affluently flows through me. There is a lack of control, or there was, at first. If I do not control it, it will try and control me. But,” he paused, letting his words sew into her like a silk garment was sewn by a sewing wheel. He began to move away from the table and towards her, moving around her, engaging her with his words. “While embracing it at first might be a daunting task, it is well worth the risk in the end if you believe in yourself.” He may have made that last little bit up, but he was quite sure his words would sound harsher than he wanted to without them. “To make magic, at first, I had to concentrate and test my abilities. But once my affinity grew, I came to know what I was capable of before even trying. It is an extension of my own being now. I simply see it happen in the eye of my mind, and it is done.” He was quite aware she was hanging onto every word he spoke. How he made it sound enticing to her, when so many others would not be able to make it so.

His smirk made a full blown appearance when she demanded that he take her through an illusion. He stopped, at this point being behind her, and gently wrested his fingertips on her shoulders. “The first step is to make myself disappear,” the sultry voice elicited the words no louder than a whisper, and they found their way into her ears from behind—only suddenly he was not behind her—he was nowhere to be found. He needed to remove himself for the illusion; otherwise he would get caught up in it, and might confuse it with reality. Suddenly he appeared in a corner across the room, and was pulling a book from the shelf and flipping through it nonchalantly. “My illusion is like a play, and I am the writer. Everything I want to happen, happens,” the illusion stated uninterestedly, slamming the book shut suddenly and replacing it on the shelf. “But nothing I do can make the illusion real,” the fake Loki continued with outstretched arms before suddenly disintegrating. “The only thing real about it is the end,” Loki said. Somehow he had ended up in the corner opposite his illusion had been—he was able to move wherever he wanted in reality, while his illusions were moving about.

“You are ready, Kara. I cannot help you any further at this point.”

There was a brief moment of silence, before Loki witnessed what must have been an illusion. Her mother was next to her, and she cupped a kitten in her hands. Loki approached them to get a better look, and realized just as Kara’s mother spoke that the kitten was indeed cross-eyed.‘Worthless. This can’t be the cat she was speaking about.’ But Kara’s arguing tone took him aback, and he suddenly felt as if something was squeezing his chest tightly, making him vulnerable.

"They don't want him because he's the runt, runts deserve to die, Kara. Only the strong survive. Say goodbye, but then you need to take him down to the shelter to be euthanized.”

And yet there he was, standing, watching them in the flesh and blood, breathing despite the fact that he felt as if his lungs were clogged. ‘It’s over—pull yourself together!’ Despite feeling as if he needed to gulp breaths down like a dehydrated human took down water, he managed to encourage her with an even tone. “Don’t let it fade, Kara—the cat, he is yours. You want him back? Bring him back.”

There was a pause, as the two watched the cat come to life—no longer a memory, and not even an illusion. She had brought it back from the dead. Loki was amazed, stunned even, but he didn’t show it. He just watched the cat’s eyes, intelligent as ever, as it crawled into Kara’s arms, hugging to her warmth. Before he realized, her arms briefly enveloped him before letting go. An uncomfortable, feeble, fleeting smile touched his lips for seconds before he cleared his throat. “It’s all right,” his tone was soft, but distant, as if other things were on his mind. “I think—I think that is enough, for the time being.” Her memories were more telling than she knew.



- - -


Within a week, she progressed better than Loki had hoped. Part of him was amazed that his plan had made it so far, while the rest of him was more determined than ever to see that it succeeded. He treated Kara well, made sure she trusted him, and even let her think that he was something he really was sure he shouldn’t be—her friend. While at times it pained him to think that he was only using her to get to the throne, he was numb enough to such feelings that he pushed them away easily enough—though not nearly as easy as he was used to.

There was something honest and sincere about Kara though, and as the days passed he felt his guilt grow heavier and heavier upon his shoulders. He needed to let it go. He needed a little fun. Oh yes, the God needed a little mischief to lighten his mood and prove to himself that he wasn’t going to let his plans slip through his fingers because of her warmhearted, tender soul. He needed to see her as a threat, and then he would be able to grip the reigns much more tightly with comfort. Her abilities were too precious to lose, and given their difference in character, he would lose her trust eventually. It was a day he dreaded, but a day he needed to be prepared for—he would need to know what he was up against, besides her abilities connected to the stone.

That was why he decided to give her the day off, to let her feel free and let some energy out. A sparring day, as she had been so avid and animated about. He made sure there was training attire ready for her in the morning, and that she would see to as many spars as she felt necessary. He also made sure that it was a day both Sif and Thor chose to train, knowing in the end there would be havoc and wreckage that he so verily received entertainment and enjoyment from. Of course, he wasn’t completely certain that Kara could keep her powers at bay if things took a turn for the worst, but the danger was something that only added to his anticipation for such situations. It would be much more entertaining than watching her fail over and over again at tasks she so barely failed to grasp.

By the time the Loki-guised-Odin made it to the training grounds, Thor and Sif were already there. He watched, as Odin often did, without betraying much about how he felt. Loki was rather bored, rolling his eyes whenever Thor beat an opponent and raised his voice in triumphant joy. Sif was much more entertaining for him to observe. Not only because she was far easier to look at, because she wasn’t able to rely on her strength alone. She had to have some wits about her in order to win a fight, which was much more interesting than watching Thor pound away, even after he was hit a few times himself.

So focused on watching the warrior fight, Kara’s presence almost evaded Loki. He glanced at her, before glancing back down to Sif, mouth open and ambiguous in what it was portraying, before his eyes settled on Kara. A warriors attire never looked so good. “Ah, Kara. So nice of you to join us.” He made sure Odin’s voice projected, so both Thor and Sif could hear. “There are many open trainers who can spar with you. Would you like a ring next to Sif, or Thor my dear?”

Quite noticeably, all the sparring had stopped. Sif had a knowing look in her eye, although her lips betrayed nothing as to what she was really feeling. “Kara!” Thor burst out, elated to see his friend—as if the incident about her becoming heir was no longer a worry of his. Indeed it was, but he was still full of joy at the site of her. “Come to join us? Excellent! I’ve been waiting to help in your training.”




Saiytanya

Okay, so I wanted to give you a little freedom - like if Kara wants to spar some with Thor and then Sif, or if Sif wants to jump into it right away. I wanted to leave it up to you ^^ I hope that's all right c: Also, if you want, I can play Sif, but I think it may be easier for you if you had control of her for the fight.

[Saiytanya]

Khan's features remained solid, stoic as they council bickered. Only the slightest hint of him amusement twinkled in the Ancient Dictators eyes. The council really should have listened to the young man, Linas. Just as Lavieas looked deep into his mind Khan had seen glimpses of hers. He knew well how he would be seen by the people when he returned to save them from the Klingon's senseless wrath...as a hero. Khan was far more cunning than the council could imagine. He didn't care if they briefly thought him a coward, all would come to light soon. What amused him most, however, was how each of them so blatantly displayed their loyalties. One by one, the council members were placing big targets on their heads. The boy, Linas, so far, was one of three with the most potential for loyalty. It was a trait it seemed these people lacked desperately. It was a trait he would need to beat into the warrior cast. It was something he would do so with pleasure.


Khan stood sock still as the conversation continued, his hands clasped behind his back. Only his eyes darted from person to person as they spoke. The ice in his gaze scrutinized each one. He noted their tone of voice and every subtle movement. He payed specific attention to their level of nerves. The more nervous they were, the more potential they had to be swayed. The ones with more resolve tended to be more stubborn, more set in their ways and less likely to shift their allegiance to him and him alone. But he also needed to listen to their words. Some words, despite their nerves would doom them regardless. In his mind he placed each person in one of two categories:

Cecilia, Death.
Tack, Potential.
Linas, Potential.
Krev, Death.
Morren, Potential.
Karver, Death.

Although, he also needed those who shifted their allegiance to stay steady. He would need to give them a reason to believe him worthy, to follow him with unwavering dedication. He would need them to be willing to follow him into death. And clearly, he would not be able to trust a single one of them until they proved themselves to him likewise.


A corner of Khan's lips lifted slightly when Karver addressed him, good, the man feared him. It mattered not, he was still slated for death when Khan had his position set in stone. He preferred loyalty over fear. "I accept Farshus." Khan's voice finally entered the air, still strong, unshaken by the previous conversation. "Have him sent to my residence, I would speak to him personally on the matter."


"As for Lavineas, I will take her to my home," He gave them a moment to react, another way to learn about each of them, before continuing, "I have medical knowledge that will have her fully healed and ready to fight at peak perfomance when the Klingons arrive." He gave the medic a solid look, "Bring your medical kit to my home." He knew they doubted him so he paused again before looking at Linas. "She is your family. Carry her, and follow me." He didn't wait this time, instead walking toward the exit and subsequently to the lift. He held the lift for Linas and the medic then proceeded to his quarters.


"She can have my bed." He told the young man before pulling his shirt off and tossing it aside. There was not a single scratch on the man's skin, more visible now than before. Entering the bedroom, he moved to the washroom to clean the dried blood from his opponent off on his skin. He then found a new shirt and dressed before taking the med-kit from the healer. "You can go." He told him solidly. The man had only been called to patch the woman up long enough for Khan to take care of business anyway. He waited for the man to leave before he even budged.


Khan moved to the bed where Lavineas now lay and pulled a hypo-needle from the kit. Khan's piercing blue eyes looked at the young man, Lavineas' family. Though in what capacity he was related Khan was uncertain of yet, he guessed another brother or cousin due to his age. He placed the hypo-needle against the crook in his arm, drawing the blood into a small vial. Khan knew enough about Lavineas' people to know that they were genetically compatible. "You know I could easily have killed her, if I had wanted? Do you know why I chose not to?" He pulled the hypo-needle from his skin and pulled the vial, setting it into another device that separated out the plasma. "I chose not to, because I see the vast potential in her. She is a fine warrior, and has the potential to be an even better warrior and loyal ally one day. There is something I feel you should know."


The machine had finished its work and Khan reached down to pull the vial of red liquid from the machine. Gingerly he placed it back in the hypo-needle before meeting the gaze of Linas again, "I will always protect and honor those who are loyal to me. They will always be under my protection. However, I am not one to forgive treachery easily. Although, considering the current circumstances are as such that you had no reason to hold loyalty to me in the first place, I will consider your assassination attempt mere folly." He clicked something on the hypo-needle before he pressed it against Lavineas and the liquid was sent flowing into her veins.


It took only a few moments for change to begin to be made to Lavineas' status. Already, her more shallow wounds were beginning to close. If she had been dead, or perhaps heavily irradiated, the changes would have taken a much longer period of time to be visible. As she was merely heavily injured, the changes were immediate. Khan grabbed the vial of plasma before looking to the young man, "This is the care that is given to those I prize. Take a few moments to speak to her, we need to return to practice."


Khan left the room then, just as his door beeped, the outside request from someone to enter. He slipped the vial of plasma into his pocket before clicking the door button to see Farshus standing there. A faint smirk grew on his lips, "She is well." He told him, assuming that to be his first concern. "Councilman Linas is in the bedroom with her. Come and speak with me." He turned to the desk in the front room and moved to the window behind it, waiting for Farshus to approach.


"I assume you were told why you have been sent here?" He paused, giving Farshus a chance to respond. "Your people seem to fear that the Klingons will retaliate seeing a human on your highest council seat. I am giving them what they want, comfort to know that I do care about your people. I am also giving them a chance to see that my presence will not affect what the Klingons will do to you." Khan's blue eyes weighed Farshus' reactions. "You are only the temporary head councilman, know that should you attempt to keep the seat for yourself, I will not hesitate to fight for it. Do you...understand?" He spoke the last few words slowly, letting the man feel his resolve. He allowed the man to respond, the same scrutinizing gaze he had given the council now falling on this man.


"I will continue to train Lavineas, as well as outfit your main scanners with the capability to detect cloaked ships. The Klingons, while they claim to be tied to honor, are more dishonorable than you know and I fully expect them to have several unapproved cloaked ships in orbit around your planet when they arrive." He explained to the man. His gaze bored into Farshus, "I will be keeping a very close watch on all proceedings and I will come when I am needed. Do you have any question?"

T O X I C P A S T I C H E

Took advantage of my sleeping baby to post. If you want to do the training montage this time, you're welcome to it. Khan would lead her through the same path he took to the council on they're way back to the training halls so that people would see that Lavineas is all well again. Heehee, it's fun to be clever.

[Saiytanya]

Kara had to admit she felt a bit odd in her current attire now that there were people here to actually see her. The leather pants were skin tight and the chest piece formed to her figure. While she could move just fine in them, she felt rather exposed and a tiny bit awkward. She was used to jeans, t-shirts and of coarse the occasional dress. She was lucky that the green Loki had ordered went well with her red hair or she'd have been upset about it. Being a fighter or no, she was still a girl, and she cared about what she looked like. Granted, she was more happy that it seemed Loki had taken her flexibility into consideration. Armor she couldn't move in would only serve to cripple her.


Kara couldn't help but be amused at hearing Loki call her 'my dear'. While it make sense for the old King to say those words, it seemed rather off for a young man she wasn't intimate with. But she kept her thoughts to herself and smiled at her King brightly, "I rather like the lovely green of the outfit, my King. Is it a traditional color?" She responded respectfully, a subtle playful glint in her eyes. She was certain he'd done it on purpose to reflect his own, personal, tastes. She had to be careful not to betray his guise however so she turned to look out on training grounds as he asked her where she wanted to begin.


Kara lips parted to answer when a booming voice drew her attention. She hadn't seen Thor since the dinner where she had been named heir and he had questioned her ability. While she was still cross with him, she couldn't help but find his puppy-like excitement at seeing her to be adorable. She couldn't help but smile and giggle slightly when she saw him. She offered a light wave to the Prince. Tilting her head slightly she spoke softly so that only her King could hear her. "You know, your son's kind of sweet...in a big fluffy dog sort of way."


She placed her hands on the stone wall separating them from the training rings, "But then, you know me..." She kicked herself up into a handstand on the wall, looking at her King upside down, "I'm more of a cat person." She gave the King a wink then let her body weight pull her backwards, landing softly inside the ring. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about being in armor and able to train that made her excited and more outgoing. She felt strong and empowered all of a sudden. She could only hope that her excitement wouldn't cause her to lose any spars. Granted, while she fully expected to lose to Thor, it would be a great challenge.


She was like a giddy school girl as she moved over to the weapons rack. Carefully she eyed her weapon choices. She picked up a few, testing their weight and length, until she finally settled on a lightweight long-sword. She gave it a few good test swings before turning to Thor. "Hello, my Prince. How will you help me today?" Her words were soft and sincere with a slightly playful hint to them. She seriously doubted his fighting style would do her much good save for the purpose of learning to defend against it.


But before Thor was able to answer Lady Sif's voice spoke up from behind the tall Prince, "Don't you think you're a little big to spar with such a small thing?" She gave Kara a small smile that dripped with poison. "I think, I'm much better suited as her partner. Besides, she's spent her life on Midgar, she might be a little rusty."


Ah, girl wars, Kara never missed those. Men were, half the time, oblivious to the subtle and underhanded workings of certain female relationships. Kara smiled kindly back, a hint of understanding in her features. Kara knew very well this woman disliked her, it had been clear from the moment she'd seen her in the dining hall. Although she still had no idea why she was hated so much by her. She was also quite irritated at her condescending words. Kara was only a few inches shorter than the woman and her implications that Kara was a small, frail, flower made her blood boil.


"I'm sorry," Kara spoke sweetly, years of practice masking her frustration, "I don't believe we've officially met. I am Kara, as your King Odin announced before."


"I heard him. Lady Sif," The dark haired woman responded curtly. Kara couldn't help but admire the sharp beauty of the woman's features. She was sculpted as if out of stone, tall, and elegant in a way Kara could only hope to be. While Kara was indeed fit, she was more lithe than she was strong, not entirely what one expected from a Valkyrie. If Kara had been a lesbian, Sif would most certainly be her type, but as she wasn't, she instead envied her beauty.


She took in a deep breath trying to be kind, despite the woman's obvious disdain for her.[colo=#088A85] "So, I suppose you'll be my sparing partner for a while."


"I'm sure I can teach you a thing or two." Sif smiled with a veiled tone that concerned Kara. Her tone shifted to a more playful one however when she turned to look at Thor, "I'll give you a bigger challenge when I'm done with her, Thor."


Kara glowered slightly at the woman as she spoke to Thor. In Sif's mind, it seems she already had Kara beaten. Irritation welled up in her, she would have to prove the self-centered woman wrong. This woman had centuries of the same fighting style under her belt Kara was certain. It was a lot to go against, but if she wanted to earn the respect from her fellows, she would need to prove herself worthy. Kara did have centuries of fighting in her too, just...it happened to include may fighting styles found in Earth. She just hoped it would be enough.


The two moved to the center of the practice ring, after Thor was shooed out by Sif. With Equal grace both women readied their weapons, Sif's arm raising with her shield firmly in place. Kara had never used a shield, she was intrigued how it would be used in the fight. Slowly the two women began circling one another, weighing each other with a fighter's eye.


Sif was the first to strike, her aggression toward the other woman clear with the power behind it. But Kara's own blade blocked the blow with ease and countered only to be blocked by the shield. The first several minutes were filled with counters and blocks amid the clash of swords. Any one of the warriors present could see that the women were just feeling each other out, trying to gauge response and power.


Kara suspected that Sif was also trying to draw a crowd because it was working. All around them, men had stopped sparring and were surrounding their ring. Perhaps it was that the well known Lady Sif was fighting, or perhaps that she was fighting another woman. More, Kara suspected it was that the famous Lady Sif was fighting a new woman who also happened to have just been named heir. Kara couldn't afford to lose this fight. It was at that moment that Kara became more serious and noticing that her rival just realized the stakes, so did Sif with a devilish smile painted on her lips.


Kara went on the offensive at that, bringing her sword down and across, being met by Sif's sword. In a change of pace, Sif kicked her opponent back, causing Kara to stumble slightly but she quickly recovered.


"You shouldn't try to pin an opponent when you're smaller than them." Sif taunted as she came at the other woman, her sword coming down against Kara's successfully pinning her briefly in place.


[colo=#088A85]"Is that what the men told you when you first began?" Kara shot back just as snippy before she dropped down and rolled to the left, causing Sif to trip over her.


With the same grace Sif recovered and spun to strike a blow at her opponent, and Kara responded with and opposite turn striking the flat of her blade against the other woman's back and backing away, "You should never turn your back to an opponent, even if you're trying to add a bit of flourish."


Sif sneered back at Kara before charging at her with much more gusto than before. Kara met the other blade with her own and sidestepped sending the other woman pass her. Sif's sword swiped down then, toward Kara's legs. Kara responded by jumping into an aerial spin, her foot connecting as it swiped across Sif's cheek, before she landed in lunge-like crouch, her sword poised to defend. Kara's eyes held the solid gaze of a warrior as she waited for Sif's rebutle.


Sif took a moment to reach her hand up to her cheek and bit of blood was pushed away from her lips. A fury overtook Sif then. The women practically vanished in a blurred flurry of sword to sword strikes before, in one flourish of her sword, Sif sent Kara's sword flying across the ring. Thinking she had won, Sif began moving her sword toward Kara's neck. But Kara wasn't about to give up just because she had lost her weapon.


With a flourish of her own, Kara brought her bracer up to block Sif's weapon. Wrapping her arm around Sif's blade, Kara grabbed onto the hilt and with shocking speed sent her opponent's weapon skidding across the dirt. "Just because you lose your weapon, doesn't mean the fight is over." Kara told Sif with a devilish smirk of her own.


"You're right." Sif rebuttled, sending her shield bashing against Kara's face before turning to chase after her weapon. Kara assumed this woman expected her to do the same, but in a real battle, that wasn't always an option. Most certainly it wasn't in this one.


As Sif moved toward her weapon, Kara rushed after her in a swift sprint. At the last minute Kara jumped into a front handspring, wrapping one leg around Sif's neck and forcing her onto the ground with a hard thud. Kara jumped back to her feet with the same agility, blocking Sif from her weapon.


Seeing her disadvantage, Sif pulled a small three bladed weapon from her side and made a swipe toward the other woman who did just as she had hoped in moving back enough for Sif to get up without danger. Then Kara did something that confused Sif. She made some strange hand movements and got into a light, open palmed battle ready stance. But Kara was still in Sif's way to getting to her weapon so she charge forward, attempting to shield bash the other woman again.


Kara was ready for it this time and dodged by bending deeply backward. Frustrated Sif kept on the offensive. Swipe after swipe, Kara simply dodged with irritating calm and speed. But Sif found an open. By following a pattern she feigned an attack managing to slice across Kara's cheek with her blade. Like any Asgardian, however, the wound quickly closed.


Kara merely smirked and the tables turned as Sif was forced to defend herself. With loose open palmed strikes, Kara attacked. One after the other Sif blocked them, but eventually Kara landed a strike across Sif's wrist hard enough to make her drop the small weapon. Taking advantage of Sif's shock, Kara met Sif's face with a swift open palmed uppercut, followed by a spin kick to her side. But Kara didn't stop there, she was ready to end this. She went in for another open palmed strike. Sif blocked it and grabbed onto Kara's wrist with her shield arm, punching over her shield, striking Kara's face again.


Kara just smiled again, twisting her arm so the women were holding onto one another's wrists. Then she did something even more surprising and ran around Sif, launching herself into a spin. Using the momentum of the spin she wrapped herself around the other woman, twisting her arm back as she went and forced her face first into the ground. With all her weight Kara landed on Sif's back, still holding firmly to her arm.


Stuck in a compromising position Sif struggled to get free from the other woman's grip. But as strong as Sif was, her position was as such that she just couldn't get the leverage she needed. "Do you concede?" Kara asked sweetly.


Sif clenched her teeth, utterly seething. For a few more moments she struggled until she realized there was no way out.Through gritted teeth she spoke, "I concede."


"Okay." Kara got up then with a disturbingly chipper disposition, offering a friendly hand to the fallen Sif.


Sif turned from her position, and glowered up at Kara's hand before knocking it away and getting up on her own.


"Thank you, Sif." Kara replied.


Sif turned, a look of frustrated confusion in her eyes, "What?"


"You taught me quite a few things." Kara smiled, sweetly, her voice seemingly just as sweet. But in girl talk, she was letting her opponent know, she won and she wasn't sorry about it.








T O X I C P A S T I C H E


So, after I got better my hubby and older boy got sick so, that's why this is later. Needed to care for them. So, I hope I did alright, I'm terrible at fight scenes.

[T O X I C P A S T I C H E]

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XXX

█████████████████████████████████████████████████ XXX❤

▉▉▉▉▉xxxxx★xxxxx ❨ Lavinias Anona ❩ ↙ ↙ xxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed;
get along with the voices inside of my head - -
You're trying to save me...stop holdin' your breath.
And you think I'm crazy? Yah, you think I'm crazy.
Well, that's nothing.

While Linas wasn’t one to show his emotions as much as the rest of the council, he couldn’t hide all of his bewilderment when Khan stated that he would take Lavinias to his home. He merely raised his eyebrows, but offered no amount of protest; it would save him some trouble, he supposed. He was curious, as were all the members of the council, as to what sort of technology he had that would heal Lavinias. They had advanced medical capabilities, but Khan appeared unimpressed. Or so Linas assumed; it was more than just hard to read the man. Linas came to the conclusion that it was impossible to do so when the man in question fixed his gaze on the Lacertaen, ordering him to pick his sister up and follow him. If there was one thing the two agreed on, it was not wasting time. Without hesitation Linas moved from his seat, scooped Lavinias’ body from the table and threw her over a shoulder before following the medic and Khan into the lift.

They rode in silence that was made particularly uncomfortable because of the medic’s inability to keep his heavy, panicked breathing under control, but thankfully the ride was not long at all. After they exited the lift, Khan informed Linas that Lavinias was welcome to take his bed—an odd courtesy for the head councilman to make, but then again, the whole situation was out of the ordinary. Doing as he directed, Linas let his sister slip from his shoulder and gingerly placed her on the bed. He hadn’t seen her look so bad in a while.

Khan ordered the medic to leave, and confused, Linas looked at him with curiosity. It wasn’t until after the medic was gone that Khan moved, working diligently, as if Linas wasn’t there. Linas half wondered if he was supposed to take his leave at all, but knew better and remained at the foot of the bed, watching intently as Khan plunged a needle into the crook of his arm. Dark crimson blood flowed into the vial at the end of the needle. Why would she need a blood transfusion?

Linas’ gaze shifted from the vial to Khan. He had no doubt that he could have killed her—there wasn’t a scratch on him. Why he didn’t, Linas was completely uncertain. “Do enlighten me, sir,” he said, knowing full well that if anything the question was rhetorical, but also not wanting to seem frightened. He was comfortable in the presence of power, even in tense situations. He was one of the best ambassadors Lacertae had ever had, after all. He let his gaze slip briefly as he glanced at the blood, but his eyes snapped back to Khan as he answered his own question.
“Ah, yes.” She did have potential. The council had let many things slide because of her potential before realizing she wasn’t interested in using it the way they wanted. And loyalty—Linas did not even want to go there with Lavinias. “What is that, sir?”

When Khan’s eyes finally settled on him once more, he felt a chill crawl down his spine. Perhaps he should not be comfortable being alone in a room with this man. Briefly he wondered if Khan was going to kill him in the moments before the leader spoke. There was no threat in his comment, but the way his deep vocal chords caressed the words so teasingly could only barely hide his distaste for Linas’ actions. If it were any other being, he might have pointed out that he merely suggested Lavinias kill Khan—it was really her assassination attempt—but he knew better. This man could not be so easily coerced. “That is more than gracious of you, sir. I see now that my actions were influenced by those who are less than trustworthy. My people will come to find that you are sincere in your want to help us.” He held his breath as he watched him press the needle into Lavinias, their blood mixing. Right when he was certain that Khan was insane, her bruises began to disappear almost instantly. Color was actually returning to her skin as discoloration seemingly dissipated. If that was the prize…they would be invincible. “Yes…yessir.”

While Linas and Lavinias didn’t have the best history, they knew one another quite well—they were siblings, after all. So, when Khan told Linas that he was going to need to talk to his sister when she woke up, he waited until Khan was preoccupied with Farshus before moving to the kitchen. After typing a very specific order into the keypad on the wall, he received a large glass bottle that smelled particularly repulsive in a matter of seconds. Linas grabbed the bottle, opened it, and retrieved a glass for pouring. The bottle was chilled, so it didn’t need ice. He returned to the bed, sitting near the edge at Lavinias’ side, waiting for her to stir.

A few moments later, her eyes fluttered open. She sat up. A glass was in front of her, and she took it and downed the liquid. “You were always good for a drink,” she said, glancing up at her older brother. There was an amused smile on his lips that she loathed. “But that’s about all.” The smile was gone in an instant, and Linas rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know why I thought maybe you’d be happy to see me for once.”

“Me either,” she shot back, holding the glass out for him to fill once more.

“Believe it or not, you look about as good as new. How do you feel?”

Lavinias had been about to down the drink again, but she paused at this comment. For a brief moment Linas thought he saw fear catch in her throat, but she gulped it down. “I feel better than should be possible. Almost...perfect,” she finally admitted, staring at the drink with deep thoughts dwelling in her mind.

“Good to hear, seeing as Councilman Khan wants to get back to training with you as soon as possible.”

At this, her muscles tensed, and she stood suddenly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Linas stood as well. “You wouldn’t be within ten feet of me if you didn’t have to be. This can’t be your flat.” So where was she? She looked around, turning to face the windows. “It’s much too low to be yours.” It was, in fact, the first flat in the council building, which meant it belonged to Khan. Her eyes narrowed. “I see you’ve found a new boss. Given up on me killing him. Where is he?”

He could tell her anger was rising. No, it wasn’t just anger. She was tense and anxious. Was she afraid? “Lavinias, the last thing I want to do is bicker with you here,” he responded tone calm. The last word he emphasized both answered her question and finished his sentence.

Lavinias let out a dull laugh. “I think it’s a little too late to choose when and where we bicker, don’t you think?” she asked bitterly before taking another long drink and polishing what was left of the liquid in her glass.

“We don’t have anything to fight about, really. You know I always come at you with the truth. I just wanted to help you—don’t shake your head at me. You have never been a victim, Lavinias. You’ve always known the consequences to every choice you’ve made before, and this isn’t any different.” His voice actually changed, voicing his mix of exasperation and concern with her. There were a few minutes of silence between the two. It was clear to see that multiple things were bother his sister, but she wouldn’t tell him about it. “Shall I leave you?”

“I think that would be best,” she responded mordantly as she strolled towards the exit. “I have some things to discuss with our head councilman.”

“So amiable,” Linas muttered as he began to head for the lift. “He’s speaking with Farshus at the moment, but I suppose you don’t care.”


- - -


Farshus had only just rung when the door opened, Khan on the other side. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get anything out, Khan answered the question ringing in his head. His edge of his lips slipped downwards a twinge in annoyance, but only for an instant before he wiped it clear. If she was okay, there was no need to worry. “Councilman Linas,” he muttered, trying to peer through to the other room before he approached Khan. That might not end so well, but he doubted from what he had heard Lavinias would have much energy to pick up any old arguments with her brother. He needed to fully focus on speaking with Khan. “I have a vague idea,” he responded.

By the time Khan had finished explaining his need for Farshus, the latter was leaning forward on the desk and staring at his reflection on the smooth, spotless surface. He uttered a few curses before standing taller and running a hand through his hair. “Fine. I accept this…pseudo position. You need not waste thoughts on my head inflating: if I had wanted to be on the council, I would have a chair there already.” Perhaps not as head councilman, yet. One day he knew he had been expected to take Zellain’s position. But he knew he wasn’t ready for a leadership position. Not yet. “I understand, head councilman,” he responded, eyes fixed on Khan’s, no amount of wavering in them. “I only have one concern.” He glanced out the door, assuming Khan could guess what it was. “I need your word that Lavinias will be protected.”

There was a snort near the door frame at that interrupted the conversation at hand. Farshus’ assumption as to whom it belonged was confirmed when he met the blazing gaze of Lavinias, who was leaning against the door frame, hands in her pockets. Her lips were pushed forward slightly, giving her countenance a very displeased look to it. She was not amused. “How thoughtful of you.” Nothing in her tone suggested she was feeling thankful or forgiving. Ignoring any reaction Farshus showed, she turned to address Khan. “Are you finished here? Because I have something I wanted to discuss with you in private.”

She waited until Farshus was dismissed to enter the room fully. There was a crisp, expecting silence that weighed on her shoulders, and Lavinias hesitated for a few moments. An arm moved across stomach, wanting to grab at her shirt to find a sense of comfort—but she remembered sheepishly that she was only in her training top. The arm moved to hold her waist instead. “I feel great,” she said, a biting undertone of spite undermining the matter-of-factness in the surface of the words. Her eyes narrowed and met his. ‘What did you do to me?’ Her voice echoed in both their minds. This was not the doing of her world’s medicine, and after realizing his true intentions, the possibility of him tampering with her genes while she was incapacitated in any way was infuriating, and frightening.


- - -


Drinks were never Lavinias’ friend, but she welcomed them anyway. She sat at the bar stool, downing a fifth round of an absolutely vile and intoxicating substance. Full night had fallen a few hours ago. Training had ended not long before. She didn’t know why everyone assumed her to be on her best behavior after the incident with their first training session, but miraculously they were surprised when she continually showed no desire to do what she was told. Attempts to skip training entirely led to a forced escort to the facility, so after the first few incidents, she chose to arrive late. She had given Khan her word that she would submit to him, but she hadn’t said she would do so easily. Every second of the way she fought him, even when, in the end, she knew he would always been. It had always been this way, really. Same game, different faces—this one the most fearsome of them all, though. Freedom had always been a fleeting thing, barely out of the reach of her grasp, but still she tried for it, no matter the consequences.

She knew that for the most part, he detested her blatant disrespect—which was why she continued it. That being said, it was far from fun. It only meant a harder grind. To her resentment, though, he was an excellent warrior, and at that an even better trainer. Despite her resistance, she had grown much more as a warrior under his guidance. She even felt as if she had a better grasp on her mental abilities, if that was even possible. He was a goddamn leader, and very much the leader they needed. Cunning, powerful, a silver tongue, and not to mention he was drop dead gorg—‘I must be drunk,’ she thought, polishing off the rest of the liquid in the glass. When the bartender offered another, she put her hand up to show she’d had enough for now. No, he was gorgeous. There was no denying that. But to admit an attraction to him was more defeating than anything else that had happened so far.


- - -


Pressure lingered on her shoulders as she walked towards the city center. Today, the Klingons arrived. For the next few days, there would be feasts, celebrations, and lots of betting among both races, until the anticipated day of their grand annual fight to the death arrived.

Lavinias made her way through the already gathering crowds, going unnoticed. Her attire was less than spectacular: instead of wearing the ridiculous getup someone had instructed for her to wear, she chose to wear her white button up shirt, the loose, black pants that were ever so comfortable, and her boots. She had skipped getting any sort of makeup and hair styling. She wasn’t glamorous. She was average; something she wanted to make sure came across to the Klingons.

She could feel the glare of Farshus as he stood, representing the Council as its head, in the center of a podium that was raised above the crowd. Lavinia made her way up next to him, standing tall and waiting as in the distance, transportation vessels were heading down. “I thought you’d enjoy getting dressed up,” Farshus commented, hands folded behind his back stiffly.

Lavinias mocked him, taking the same position, straightening. “I would prefer not to look like a fool in front of Chancellor Gorkon.”

Farshus snorted. “He will be demeaning no matter what you look like.”

Time ticked by at the speed it always did, but to Lavinias it felt like it was going faster than normal. She blinked, and suddenly the city center was swarming with Klingons and Lacertaens alike. Another blink, and the Chancellor and the Klingon champion were greeting them. Later, the council and the Klingon emperor would be introduced in front of the crowd, but this had always been first.

“Chancellor Gorkon, this is our champion, Lavinias Anona,” Farshus introduced them. Lavinias met the chancellor’s gaze, unfazed by his scrutiny.

There was a pause, and then, “She is a great deal less beautiful than the last female champion your planet had to offer.”

Lavinias raised an eyebrow. The Klingons had never provided a female champion, but she doubted they were the picture of Aphrodite. “I thought, perhaps, you would be accustomed to a mundane face such as mine," she shot back calmly. "Beauty isn’t a priority for anyone on my planet, Chancellor, male or female. However I assure you while my physical appearance may be lacking, I make up for it in other ways.” Such as cheekiness.

Smirking, Gorgon moved past, and Lavinias was introduced to the warrior she would face in a few days time…

After Farshus and Lavinias had exited the stage, the former pulled the latter aside. “You are going to follow the instructions for dinner, Lavinias.”

She pursed her lips. ‘If I am going to wear a dress, why then should you not join us at dinner disguised?’ she clicked to Khan. They had the technology to make his skin appear darker, and change his eye color. She was mostly being sassy, because she was sure to some extent Khan had input on what she would wear—he knew more than most that appearance mattered as much as anything else. But part of her would feel more comfortable, and less panicked, if he was close by. It was something she dare not ever admit, but she had a lack of social prowess that was needed in grandeur events such as the one that would take place later that night.




saiytanya

I don't know how many times I reworked this, and it still isn't quite what I wanted it to be. I don't know much about Klingons but I looked up who their chancellor was (or who I thought it would be) during the time in this and it came up with Gorgon. I plan on doing some more research about his personality and such.