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 Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 3:30 pm
___02/04/06 In Which One Finds a New Legend, and Gains the Upper Hand (Mentally)
(( Roleplay; Loki, Vavalion, and Io. ))
His wrist ached.
He practically collapsed in the doorway, breathing heavily as he shook ice shards from his winter coat, throwing it off with vigor as it caught on the coat hanger, and leaning against the wall.
The house was quiet. Loki's eyes narrowed as his ears folded back a small bit, not really trusting the environment.
Of course, it didn't help that he was holding a formerly crying baby in his arms, and glowered at it, staying silent for a moment.
"HEY! Anyone home?!"
Io had recently made a habit of falling asleep on the couch reading after Constantine had gone to bed. It was something of a bad habit, and made her back hurt on occasion, and it was kinda cold downstairs at night, but she did it anyway.
"SNRK Huhwha?" She jumped awake as the unfamiliar male voice rang out, her copy of Neverwhere that had been lying open on her face jumping with her and proceeding to hit her in the head before falling to the floor with a dull thud. "Aw snap, lost my place..."
The child in Loki's arms shrunk away from him as he glowered, clinging tightly to the pale cloth wrapped about him. He looked almost ready to cry again, upset by Loki's rough and annoyed demeanor.
"I guess no one's here." Loki sulked, setting his lantern against the wall, letting it hang from his curled staff. He shrugged off the pouch hanging around his waist, and unhooked the large book he carried before wandering into the kitchen, moving the kid to his other arm, with his hurt wrist.
Not that he'd show any pain, mind you.
"Don't say I never did you nothin'." Loki grumbled half to himself, rummaging through the fridge before balking at the ingredients. "What, did she go low fat for some odd reason? These are nasty." He stared.
He suddenly realized something. He was hungry.
So he reached up and yanked on the first thing on the person holding him that he could reach.
"Mmmmgbuh?" Rubbing her eyes, Io heard the sounds move into the kitchen and followed, adjusting her glasses as she entered the room.
"OW!" Loki yelled, wincing as the goggles were pulled down along with a large clump of hair. "Be a little more gentle, will you? Jeez." Letting go of the door, he gently forced the kid's hand out of his goggles and hair, letting out a slow hiss.
"I'm trying to find something, but you're not helping!" Giving up, he grit his teeth and shoved past stuff in the cupboard, finding a can of fruit. "About damn time." It was one of those easy to open cans, which he brought up to his teeth and managed to open with one hand, setting the now open can on the counter.
"I imagine you'll want one, huh." He frowned.
"Mmmm..." Io blinked, watching him. "You're a new face... is that my stash of mandarin oranges?"
Actually, he'd lost interest in the food and was now staring at the few strands of hair he'd managed to pull out, grabbing at them experimentally and shaking his hand as they stuck to it. He seemed to have calmed down a bit.
"Huh?" Loki paused, glaring at the kid again, before sighing. A glance was given to Io as he eyed her up and down, quite wary of her. "You one of th'strays that Kanth picked up? If ya are, you should know that anything in this house is fair game."
Grabbing a fork, he stabbed a small orange and held it up for the kid to eat. "Here," He muttered gruffly.
"Stray nothin'. She and I are on equal ground. But by your response there I'm guessing you're another of her 'strays...' I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed with just Constantine around." Io tilted her head curiously, walking around to peer at the child he had with him.
"Who's the kid? He seems a bit scaly to be yours." She gave a small chuckle and a smile as she looked him over.
He pouted at Loki and scrunched away from the orange slice, then glanced at Io and seemed to brighten a bit, giving her a pleading look and waving his arms towards her.
"Heh. I don't think he likes you much."
"Figures." Setting down the fork, he glowered at the kid. "I dunno who he is, but he finally shut up enough to stop crying."
"Hmph, you're probably scaring him. Give him here..." Io lifted the child from Loki's arms, a bit startled as he instantly clung tightly to her, something under his overly abundant sheet of clothing wrapping around her arm. "Whoa! Kid's got a tail!"
"Whatever," Loki muttered, looking like he was... sulking? It wasn't like he was getting used to the kid, no way no how! Grabbing the can on the counter, he picked up the fork again and shoved the orange into his mouth, chewing slowly as he leaned against the counter, his thoughts overwhelming him. The last battle he had been in hadn't been kind.
Idly, he glanced down at his stomach, at the still-fresh scar.
Io shifted the child around to rest comfortably in her arms, brushing her thumb curiously over the scaly appendage wrapped about her wrist. He watched her as she did so, looking a bit... apprehensive? Io blinked, wondering if such a young child was even capable of an emotion that complex before giving him a kind smile.
"Aw, don't be shy, you're an adorable little serpent." She gave his wispy, pale hair a brief ruffle, and he seemed to relax a bit, putting a fist to his mouth and chewing on it. "Heh, I bet you're hungry..."
Io looked over towards Loki and gave him a disapproving frown for having stolen the mandarin oranges. "We better have something else suitable for a baby... knowing Kanth, I can't imagine we wouldn't." She walked over to a cupboard and shifted the child to one hand, rummaging around with the other.
"Actually, she does. They're not very good, though." Loki wrinkled his nose and pointed at a far cupboard, near the dining table.
Io raised a questioning eyebrow at him before giving a nod of thanks and moving to that cupboard, grinning as she found a myriad of baby food. "Deus ex machina... gotta love the real-life version of it." She pulled a few jars out, setting them on the table.
Making a face at her, Loki moved to leave. "Enjoy the brat." He glared at the thing before moving out of the kitchen, taking his armful of stuff that he had deposited in the living room, and making his way elsewhere.
Io gave him a glance as he left, getting out a small bowl and managing to find a plastic kid's spoon to feed the kid with. "Huh, you're welcome..." Glancing back, she saw that the boy had managed to grab the jar of chicken and rice, looking at her expectantly.
"Hm, you want that, huh? Guess I can't say no to that..." She took the jar and began preparing the food, heating it up a bit for him.
Stopping and glaring at the kid again, Loki hovered in the doorway before giving a snort, the flames in his lantern dancing dangerously, almost teasing the baby Legend as he went by.
"Kids."
It wasn't that hard to locate the high chair either - the one that looked fairly well-used. "I've gotta ask Kanth just how many kids she's taken care of one of these days..." Io muttered to herself as she set the boy in the chair, gently coaxing him to reluctantly unwind his tail from her arm.
"'Kay, here's your chicken..." She fed him happily, and without too much of a mess, though she might have to explain the rice lodged into the space between the wall and the trim later.
Soon enough, she'd finished, and started quietly cleaning up, washing the boy's face after putting the dishes in the sink. He gave a small yawn as she picked him up again.
"Yeah, I'm tired too. Not all that talkative, are ya?" She poked his nose playfully, chuckling as he tried to peer cross-eyed at her finger. "Can you say my name? I'm Io."
"Ooooo..." he attempted softly, looking up at her.
"Not bad! See there, talking isn't so hard... we'll have to work on your vocabulary now won't we!" She grinned and gave a small squeal of glee - it had been ages since she'd read aloud to someone! To her, that was the best, if not only way to teach the wonderful ways of the English language to a child.
"C'mon, I'll see if I can find an extra bed or something for you upstairs..." She headed up to her room, through the library stairwell that was currently not hidden behind moving bookshelves.
After having adjusted his book around his waist again, as well as the straps, Loki (leaving his pouch of herbs - as well as the snoring familiar) spied after them, keeping very quiet, his ears ever keen on listening to their conversation.
Just what were those two up to...?
Well, obviously, Io was being all motherly (if in a slightly dorky manner) and taking quite a liking to the quiet little guy.
She quickly went up the stairs, passing through the large double-doors that had once been sealed and into the first room on the right. "Here's my room... huh. Don't really have a crib or anything though..." She set him carefully down on the bed and looked about, frowning.
Her room had lots and lots of toys, most of which were the plastic variety with lots of little parts. Obviously she couldn't really keep a young child in here.
"Heh." Came Loki's smug grin, as he leaned against the doorway and stared at her, obviously quite pleased at her predicament. "Nothing suitable for a baby, huh...." Loki snarked at her, arching his back as he tilted his staff down, the lantern swinging very slightly.
Io frowned, turning to face him. "Why, does Kanth have stuff for that hidden away somewhere too?"
The child stared at Loki's lantern, entranced, watching it swing carefully back and forth.
"What, you don't know where everything is?" He paused, his smartass grin spreading. "You're the stray..."
Io snorted, indignant. "I am NOT. I've known this house for longer than probably anyone else here... it's just that she's the one who's been living in it. I can't help it if she keeps stuff in weird places!"
"Touchy." His eyes held amusement.
"Heh, says Mr. Grumpwad." She snickered, reaching out and pushing his goggles down.
"So were you about to impart your words of wisdom unto me or what?"
"Gck!" Annoyed, he shoved them back up, taking his time to adjust them the way he wanted, and let them stay there with a satisfying snap.
"No." Truthfully, Loki had been trying to intentionally piss her off, but clearly THAT hadn't worked.
Io was notoriously difficult to piss off, happy-go-lucky as she was.
"Then I suppose I'll look myself. Watch the little guy for me for a sec?" She flashed him a bright smile, amusement glittering in her own eyes.
Eyes opening wide, Loki sputtered to protest.
"Aww, thanks. You're sweet." She patted him on the head and brushed past him, glancing about the many sealed doors that lined the hallway. "Hmmm..."
Giving her a death-glare as she went by, Loki growled at the kid as he remained at the doorway.
"I loathe you."
The child gave him a rather distasteful look back, shrinking behind one of Io's plush toys that she kept on the bed.
"So... like... go to sleep, or something." Walking over, he leaned over the boy, his lantern hanging down just enough for the kid to reach.
He stared up at the lantern, seeming to forget about Loki for the moment. His mouth formed into a little "o" as he reached up towards it, gripping it curiously.
Loki was about to jerk the lantern away from the kid, but upon further inspection, he realized that the flames didn't hurt at all, even when the kid's hands pressed against the glass, making finger-smudges. (He'd have to clean that later.)
In fact, the more he stared, the more the flames were edging away, flickering moreso than they had just a few moments before, as if afraid of coming in contact with the kid period.
He peered into the lantern, enthralled, his wide reptilian eyes seeming to follow the ebb and flow of each flicker. But then he seemed to realize something, and his face fell as he reluctantly shrunk away from the flames, looking almost hurt.
The lantern began to become white-hot, and it wasn't very long before it seemed to rattle, making Loki's eyes narrow as he jerked it back.
As soon as it was out of reaching distance of the child, the lantern grew quiet again, soon dimming to its normal hue.
"What the..." Looking at the lantern, Loki glared at it for a moment, before glaring back at the kid. "Th'hell?"
He hid behind the stuffed polar bear again, looking a bit scared.
"Watch your language around the kid, if you don't mind," Io commented, coming up behind Loki and yanking on one of his wings. "I couldn't find anything... what happened?"
"Ow! Dammit, let go! Nothing happened!" Jerking his wing out of her grasp, Loki was far too intent on glaring at his lantern to bother with anything else, and left out the door, his steps all too keen.
It was raining outside.
Io sighed, rolling her eyes and moving back to the bed. "Okay, he's leaving, but I still don't know what I'm gonna do about you... c'mere." He clambored into her arms again and rested heavily against her chest, his eyes drooping.
"Yeah... you're ready for bed all right... hmmm." Pondering, she went out into the hallway with him. Constantine's room, the one with the wood and wrought-iron door that looked like someone had tried to cross a cemetary gate with a barn door, was right next to hers. All the other doors up and down the hall were blearily the same, yet somehow subtley different...
And now that she looked, the one across the hall was just a bit different than she remembered. It was a heavy cedar door with white marble carvings of serpents and gears along the trim, securely locked with a copper bolt. Frowning, she walked up to it, running a hand along the carvings curiously.
"I don't remember seeing this before... huh?" The door abruptly unlocked with a loud click, swinging open with a soft creak. Blinking, Io stepped inside the room.
It was simply furnished, but obviously set up for a young child. There was a cream colored carpet, soft grey tones on the walls broken by wispy, warm pastels, a nightlight in the corner, and most importantly, a white crib complete with blankets and pillow.
"...well then," Io said. a bit surprised. "Problem solved, I guess..."
Just outside the door, hidden from view, Loki listened, still staring at his lantern.
The lantern flickered teasingly. He'd cure THAT problem soon enough.
"Here you go, little guy..." She set him down carefully in the crib, putting the blanket over him before making sure that the rails were safely all the way up. He snuggled up, his breath evening as he already began to drift off.
"Heh... I'll be up bright and early tomorrow for sure to check on you," Io said, smiling and going to pull the curtains closed and turn the nightlight on. She left the door open so she could hear if he needed anything as she left the room, pondering to herself.
"Wonder if Kanth's gonna be annoyed at another mouth to feed."
Lowering his head and knowing different, Loki headed down the stairs and out the way he had entered, soon making his way outside.
The rain pummeled against his body as he stood up, flicking the lantern open with ease and letting the flame out. It zoomed out with vigor, seeming renewed... until it hissed when the rain hit no matter how hard it tried to dodge the drops. It took a few minutes of downsizing for the flame to realize that no, it couldn't survive out in the rain, and back into the lantern it flew, the door latching firmly behind it with a satisfying click.
"I don't suppose you'll try that again next time, will you." The flame flickered angrily, before dimming, submitting to the exorcist.
Now, it knew better, and could no longer try to outwit him - Loki had grown in his spiritual powers, as well as his mind - but he still had the mind and thoughts of a child, and did with those as he pleased.
The flame was not happy, and watched as Loki sat down on the ground, remaining outside for the rest of the night while raindrops slid down the outside of the glass.
A bark echoed in the air, and it took a moment for it to develop into a low, drawn out laugh, almost mocking.
The laugh was Loki's.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 1:13 am
___02/13/06 In Which Blind Eyes are Opened
(( Roleplay; Kanth, Io, Loki, and Vavalion. ))
Yawning widely, Kanth wandered into the kitchen and stopped mid-yawn, staring at the kid that Io was feeding.
"... please tell me he's yours."
Io blinked. "Well, I should hope not literally, considering that I'm a cat and he's a snake..."
The boy stared at Kanth with interest, his large eyes watching her as he chewed at the gloppy baby food.
"Anyway, you're up early. Constantine's not even awake yet." Io had partially been hoping to get the day started without anyone else knowing about the kid just yet, but she WAS a bit relieved to see Kanth.
"He's adorable." Kanth smiled, reaching out to run her fingers through the kid's hair, kneeling down slightly to peer into his eyes. "Seems like a Legend, to me. What's his name?" She then was interrupted at a shuffling sound, and turned to look at the blonde-haired boy, soaked to the bone, wetness dripping from him.
".... you look like a drowned rat, Loki."
A grin was made through the sopping mess that were called bangs, seeming MUCH too delighted. "I know."
Io shrugged, glancing up at Loki. "Mr. Drowned Rat there brought him home last night. Loki, huh? Should have guessed." She smirked at him before turning back to Kanth.
"What's a Legend? Besides the obvious, I mean."
The boy didn't keep eye contact with Kanth for long, glancing away a bit shyly. But he did seem to smile a bit as she petted him, thumping his tail against the high chair tray a bit. It was kind of odd, the tail - mostly in the way it seemed to attach to his spine, directly at the base of his neck.
Kanth had to keep from laughing at the idea in her head of the boy, and drew away, grabbing a towel from one of the kitchen cupboards and throwing it at Loki with vigor. "Dry yourself off before you catch a cold."
"Don't know his name, huh? That's intriguing. Loki himself actually came with instructions." She grinned at the hyena-boy while he used the towel to dry off his hair, ignoring her. He was in too much of a good mood to let any quip get him today.
"Legends are... unique. Sometime I should bring you to the Headquarters. I don't frequent there often myself, but I really should, considering I now have someone I actually know to go with." She thought for a moment, tapping her finger against her lips.
"'Unique' doesn't tell me much," Io remarked, giving her a smirk. "But these headquarters sound interesting..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment before continuing.
"I don't know if he knows his own name... he certainly doesn't make much noise."
The child in question glanced up at her, and after a thoughtful moment waved a hand in her direction. "Vvvvvvvv!"
"He's so adorable...!" Kanth smiled, reaching over to pick him up and cuddle him as if he was one of her own.
And then she shivered, eyes going wide. She didn't expect him to feel so cold, or so snakelike, though the only one she could blame was herself, considering that Io HAD mentioned he was, in fact, a snake.
"Each of the Legends has a different tale. I can't really explain it to you, but..." Trailing off, Kanth smiled as she tickled underneath of the child's chin, obviously quite happy holding him.
It was then that she whispered in a low voice, just enough for Io to hear. "I could show you a few of Loki's baby pictures. He doesn't like seeing them. Loki won't mind watching the kid for a bit, so I imagine we could sneak upstairs..."
Io returned a devilish grin. "Oooo, I'd like that..."
He actually did smile as Kanth held him, but gave her a confused look when his coldness startled her.
"Sorry, just not used to... ahh, nevermind." Ruffling his hair again, she walked to where Loki was at and set him a small distance away, so that he wouldn't get hit by any water.
"I'm not watching the lizard."
"Snake," Io corrected automatically. "And yes you will. You wouldn't have brought him in in the first place if you were THAT cold-hearted." She chuckled.
"How do you KNOW he's a snake?" Loki argued, shaking a foot out as he ignored the second part of that, getting water droplets on the Legend child.
He had most likely done that on purpose.
"Those're snake scales, not lizard scales," Io replied, as if it were perfectly obvious. "Lizard scales don't overlap like that... and anyway, if he was a lizard, his tail wouldn't be coming from his back like that. Snakes have the tail straight from the head, but lizards have legs and stuff, so..." She paused, realizing she was rambling and not making much sense, and sighed.
"I just do, okay? He's a white serpent. And be careful, you're flinging water everywhere."
The boy flinched a bit as some droplets hit him, scooting away from Loki.
"Whatever. Go have fun." He muttered under his breath. "Lesbians." Taking the wet towel off of his head, he threw it at the kid, rolling his eyes.
Io caught the towel before it landed, quickly twisting it up and SNAPPING it playfully at Loki with a wry smirk.
"Better watch it, snarkmiester. If you're mean to the kids, they'll be mean to you later - and lemme tell ya, only kids know how to truly be mean."
Loki glared at the woman as the towel snapped his arm, making a welt as well as sopping his already soaking arm.
Not like his white shirt couldn't be seen through as it WAS.
"Don't tell me what to do." He crossed his arms... and glared.
"He'll be fine." Kanth murmured, starting to head up the stairs. "He just acts that way 'cause he likes getting reactions out of people..."
"Yeah, I know the type." Io smirked, following Kanth up to her study. "So about these pictures... anything pleasantly embarrassing...?"
Growling at the two, Loki grabbed another towel and successfully dried himself mostly off this time, before sitting down next to the snake boy.
"... pain." He stuck his tongue out, then smiled just slightly when his familiar lumbered along, chirping at both of them.
The child stared up at him curiously, then glanced over as he heard the chirps of the familiar. He immediately seemed to cringe and shrink away from the creature, putting himself on the other side of Loki from it and tugging on the older Legend's shirt.
"What's wrong with you?" Loki muttered, glancing down to the snake-boy before he reached down and petted the familiar, smirking slightly as it rolled over.
He only seemed more upset by Loki's slightly confused and annoyed query, his small fingers curling tightly around the fabric of Loki's shirt as he tugged it back towards him, pulling harder and making a terse hissing noise.
"Quit it!" The hyena-boy barked, grabbing the kid, prying him off of his prized white shirt and putting him next to the familiar. "If you want to play so bad, then play!"
The familiar grinned at him, showing sharp teeth.
His eyes widened, pupils retreating to thin slits as the creature grinned at him. Then he cried out, hiding his face behind his arms and instinctively lashing out at the familiar with his tail.
"Hey! No hurting him." Loki muttered, picking the kid up and glaring at him.
The familiar seem to chuckle all too darkly, before Loki turned to stare at him, too. "And what's so funny with you?"
The familiar looked sheepish.
The boy hiccupped, clinging tightly to Loki's arms and staring fearfully down at the familiar. "Waaaaah~!" It was more of a whine than an actual sob - his eyes weren't even watering, though he looked fairly distressed.
Great. Now Loki was pinned, to an extent. Glaring at the kid again, Loki heaved a sigh. "Would you quit? He's no harm whatsoever. See?" And upon bringing the kid near, the familiar sat, staring intently at him.
His cry only intensified, rising to a high screech as he yanked at Loki's shirt and buried his face in it, refusing to meet the creature's gaze.
Pinning his ears against his head, Loki growled before attempting to yank the kid away from his shirt, but the kid's grip was TIGHT. "Hey, QUIT!" Loki tried to yell, sounding exasperated, and a bit grating.
The child hiccupped, and stared up at Loki with a hurt, scared look in his wide unblinking eyes.
"Jeez, what's WRONG with you...?" Loki muttered, his jaw set as he stared. Something then tugged on his shoulder, resembling... a large and furry paw?
It was his 'familiar', though very far from such. The furry thing grew larger, tusks growing upwards from its jaw, its whole becoming very dark and black. The furry paw changed into a shadowy and sinewy hand, claws digging roughly into his shoulder.
Loki yelled, his fingers digging unknowingly into the kid's arms.
Startled, the boy writhed, trying to squirm out of Loki's grip.
"Uck..." he uttered, cringing away from the beast.
Realizing he was starting to hurt the kid, Loki forced himself to loosen and shoved him gently away, staggering up to bring his hand around and shove the beast away.
"Lokiii...." It hissed unintelligently, hulking on the floor before glancing to the kid, and grinning maliciously.
It then lunged.
He curled tightly into a ball, shaking and squeezing his eyes shut under the mere presence of the beast. "Uuuuaaaaa!"
The beast's claws swept just barely over his head as he cringed away, slicing through one of his longer strands of hair. The tiny hematite and bronze beads that had been woven into it clattered across the floor.
Grabbing his lantern that was by the door, Loki soon appeared in front of Vavalion, taking the full brunt of another clawswipe, getting deep slashes on the side of his face.
Loki's head snapped to the side, and he stayed that way for a moment that seemed far too long, the creature's grin spreading wide upon its face.
"That.... hurt." He was in too much of an enraged mood to actually feel it, however, and roughly opened the door of his lantern, sending flames straight at the monster to attack viciously.
The creature roared.
The child clung to Loki's leg, eyes still shut, one hand over an ear in a vain attempt to block out the noises of the battle as well. Pain, rage, and maliciousness rattled in his mind, and he shook violently.
Holding the bare lantern up high, he let out a low, warning hiss, watching as the flames returned, triumphant. Shutting the door with a small, almost silent click, Loki then turned, eyeing the now battered and bruised creature with an air of supremecy.
Staggering forward, the creature let out a low, keening cry, before the lantern - and Loki - flew into the creature. The pain for Loki was immense, though he kept it inside; the moment seemed to last for all too long.
The creature dissolved into a fine, fiery mist, sifting into the lantern like quicksand, until nothing was left. The lantern seemed to vibrate violently before stopping altogether, the glass panes glowing red hot.
It was burning Loki's fingers.
Seeming to calm a bit, the boy cautiously opened his eyes, tugging on Loki's pants and looking up at him worriedly.
No wonder the lantern flames had felt so mean and angry! He resolutely decided that he preferred angry lantern to no lantern at all.
Feeling the tug on his pants, Loki glanced down, blood from the slashes seeping slowly down his neck. The darkness had shifted further down his arm, now spreading over the back of his left hand.
He winced, scuttling away a bit, but didn't break eye contact with Loki. His expression was still worried, but also confused. He had retrieved one of his lost beads, a hematite one, and rolled it around nervously in his small hands before offering it hesitantly up to Loki.
"....thanks." The word was forced, and almost foreign on Loki's tongue; nevertheless, he took the hematite gently with his burnt fingers, kneeling down and staring at it, now on the same level as the other was.
How surprised Loki looked when the pain ebbed away from the tips, the burn disappearing within mere moments. All previous anger was gone now, but there was still that loneliness that lingered, as well as longing.
"Hey..." Io's voice called from the stairs as she started down. "What's going on down here? Sounds like a wild beast got loose..."
The child had picked up most of the remaining beads that he'd lost, looking at them sadly and pulling at the wisp of his pale hair that the creature had cut. It was no good if they weren't in his hair!
Loki rubbed the back of his neck, ignoring Io as he sat down roughly next to his lantern. The moment the bead had healed his fingers, it had dissipated into nothing, making him a bit more aware.
Reaching up, Loki took a bead and a wisp of the kid's hair, threading it easily. He did this a few more times, until that same, neverending thought plagued his mind again: Lola.
Anger flared in him. This was all his fault... once again. He shook.
He seemed to brighten as Loki found another wayward strand long enough and wove the beads back in, even giving a small smile. However, the elder Legend's anger suddenly flared in his face, and he jumped back, looking at Loki with startled confusion.
Io had simply jumped over the last bit of the spiral staircase, walking swiftly over to them. "Hello? Loki? You guys oka- HOLY." Her eyes widened at the large gashes on Loki's face, still bleeding. "A'ight, skip the pleasantries; THAT looks painful!" There was only a slight shake in her voice as she called back up the stairs. "KANTH!"
"Yes, I'm coming." Kanth murmured coolly, acting as if nothing was wrong. Of course, she stopped, eyes widening only slightly before she closed her eyes, waving a hand. "Em."
"Yes, sissy?" The mansion's resident ghost girl giggled as she slowly faded in, stopping instantly at seeing the serious look on Kanth's face.
"Make sure there are no more evil spirits lurking around, please." Getting a nod, Kanth moved swiftly over to Loki, tilting his head up gently. "Does it hurt?"
Loki stared at her for a long moment, before hoarsely answering. "...yeah."
"Get me a washcloth, please, Io."
She nodded, retrieving one that she'd dampened with warm water and handing it to Kanth before picking up the serpent child, giving him a check for injuries and breathing a sigh of relief when she found none.
The boy seemed relieved to see her as well, nestling into her arms and drinking in her kind worry and calmness.
"What happened...?" Io kind of blurted out, biting her lip as she saw this was probably not the time for questions.
"Loki's an exorcist." Kanth explained calmly, as she started dabbing at his wounds, receiving a hiss from him as he tried to lean away. "Hold still. It stings for a reason."
"It'll heal on its own!" He complained loudly, gritting his teeth. A stab of pain went through him as he lowered his head, immediately regretting the thought. Lola was NEVER going to be replaced. He'd find her. He had to keep exorcising, hoping, wishing...
Io raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more on the subject in spite of her curiosity.
"Do you need any help? If not, I'm going to go read to this little guy for a bit... he seems kind of worked up." She laid a hand on his hair gently, feeling him shaking slightly in her arms.
"We'll be fine. Thank you," Kanth smiled, before sitting down next to Loki and wrapping an arm around his waist to keep him from going anywhere.
Finally giving in, Loki let out an annoyed huff and submitted, slumping. He winced for a few select moments while Kanth cleaned his wound, and soon he felt a large bandage placed on his cheek, pressed and taped to his face.
"All right... c'mon, you. All that's over now..." Io headed off to the library with her small charge, casting one last concerned glance back towards Kanth and Loki as she left.
"It'll scar, but this will be good for now." Kanth murmured softly as she glanced at Io, before staring back at Loki.
Loki said nothing.
"... would you like to go hear the story, as well? You're a kid too, after all." Giving her an incredulous look, the hyena-boy opened his mouth to complain, but closed it after staring at her, no sound coming out.
"... yeah."
"Yes." Kanth stuck her tongue out at him as she helped him up, receiving a glare. Her helpful smile made him sigh, and they both headed down the hallway, towards the room Io was in.
"Joining the party?" Io asked with a smile as she browsed through the children's section of books, cradling the boy in one arm. "You can settle down over there; I'll be over in a minute."
Pondering, her hand hovered over a collection of fairy tales for a moment before something occurred to her and she grinned, her hand shooting a shelf lower to pull out a large, wildly illustrated book.
"The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, anyone?"
"It sounds stupid," Loki huffed, crossing his arms as he sat in a large beanbag chair taking up a corner of the library.
Kanth smacked her forehead with a palm. "Why do I even bother with THINKING to ask."
"Psssh, don't knock it before you try it. You guys will love this - it may even out-snark YOU." Smirking, Io settled down in the large chair in the reading area, the serpent boy sitting comfortably on her lap as she turned so she could easily show the book's illustrations as well as read the words. "Let's begin, shall we?"
The child smiled at the bold colors on the book and Io's confident, content aura, making grabby motions at the large pages and looking up at her expectantly.
Sulking in the chair, Loki braced himself to watch. He was fine with just listening in before, but now? Now, he had to ADMIT that he was listening to the stories.
Damn it all.
Chuckling, Io opened the book and dove into the first bizarre, snarky fairy tale parody, her voice navigating the words with as much wit and character as the vivid pictures that graced the pages held.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 1:38 am
___02/14/06 In Which a Tree is Visited
Loki, having finally convinced Io that yes, he COULD take care of the snake-kid, lumbered up the hill and stared at it, a sense of awe washing over him.
In his arms, Loki held the snake-boy, shifting a moment before setting him down on the ground.
"Don't say I never did you nothin'." The hyena boy muttered, though couldn't keep the gruffness that was normally in his voice to stay in, sounding... happy, instead.
Bah.
"Don't know much about this place, but... it's quiet. And good."
It was becoming easier for Paestri to express herself to her family as of late. Thanks to Linneas teaching her how to read, write and enunciate, she was able to communicate to Linneas that she wanted to visit the HQ. And though she had done it in such a sweet, affectionate manner it was evident she wanted to go. Now.
There was something to be said about being carried and riding a stroller. The Legend preferred the former, she got such warmth from contact with another, although there was the aftertaste that sometimes did not sit well with her. Try as she might, she found tasting others was unavoidable.
Still, it didn't stop her from trying to make new friends. And she hoped that she would find some friends today, at the tree...
Linneas was nothing short of stunned by the sight of the tree. He didn't recall seeing anything like that before. Was that what drew Paestri back to the HQ? As they moved closer, he spotted two figures in the distance.
And one of them was very familiar...
Paestri, too, saw that there were two people present. Her eyes lit up and she instantly began to squirm in Linneas' grip.
"Lo'eeee!!! Lo'eeeee!" she squealed, arms reaching forward.
Vavalion seemed enthralled by the place as he was set down on the grass, immediately forgetting entirely about Loki's existence and starting to crawl towards the inviting orange flowers and small tree growing by the far side of the knoll. He looked completely entranced, even slipping a few times in his excited haste.
He didn't even seem to acknowledge the newcomers, which was odd considering that his attention was normally monopolized by new people.
Shrinking a bit and ducking his head, Loki gritted his teeth and forced a grin. "Paestri." It wasn't that he didn't like the Legend, but Loki was quite easily annoyed.
Glancing to the snake-boy, Loki turned and waved at Linneas and Paestri, standing rigid on the hill.
Now that he thought about it, the tree was a bit calming, even to one such as himself. Glancing over the terrain, he blinked at the kid he had brought.
"Vava, don't go near the vines." He murmured, using a pet name without realizing it. The hyena-boy had a bad feeling about those thorny vines...
Linneas frowned, he would have preferred if it was Neith and Eeenie present. The Tale found those two were far more pleasant than the hyena child. He didn't make a move to wave, why should he? He didn't like Loki enough to be friendly. Civilized perhaps, but not friendly.
Paestri was oblivious to Loki's annoyance, though the same could not be said about her brother. It saddened the Legend that Linny didn't like Loki, but she wasn't one to force things on people.
"Dao! Dao!!" she ordered brightly, motioning that Linneas set her down.
The young man sighed and obliged his sister, lowering her to the grassy ground. "Okay, okay, here you go..." he murmured, watching over his sister like a hawk.
Paestri zoomed off to Loki, crawling on all fours, she curled her arms around his leg, unmindful that his full attention wasn't on her. It took a few moments for her to realize what it was that held his attention.
New small person! She grinned, icing pink eyes shining in delight. There was something unusual about him, but then again, there were a lot of unusual things in Gaia.
"Huuuuu?" she asked Loki as she pointed to Vavalion.
"Vava" wasn't going anywhere near the vines, thank you very much. They made him feel very uneasy, even as he crawled away from them towards the sapling. Reaching it, he plunked down next to it, poking curiously at the branches.
Then he glanced back towards Loki, this time noticing the other two. He stared in confusion for a moment, almost unsure which of the tall ones was Loki and which was the stranger, then turned his attention to the pink-haired bubble of happiness attached to Loki's leg.
Vavalion's eyes lit up in eager curiosity. "Guuuu?" he burbled, sticking the edge of his long, cloaklike cloth outfit into his mouth and chewing on it. He looked undecisive for a moment, wondering whether to stay next to the warm, happy-feeling tree or to go back towards Loki to investigate.
Such a dilemma!
But, Loki saved!
Well, not really, as this is LOKI we're talking about.
Picking up Paestri, he sighed and handled her gently (after prying her from his leg) as he walked over to the snake-boy, ignoring the stare he was getting from Linneas for the moment.
He kinda sorta did miss the little pink Legend, but you'd never hear him admit that out loud. Sure, he grumbled about them enough, but he also felt attached to each and every one of them, almost as if they were tied to each other by an invisible string.
As soon as he got near, Loki put Paestri down next to the kid, before turning to Linneas... and flipping up his middle finger, as if to say She likes me better than you.
Of course, then came the smartassed grin.
If Linneas had a furry tail it would have frizzed in anger, the rudeness of the hyena was inexcusable! He didn't want his sister to pick up anything like that, especially not from Loki.
"Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea, Pae." he stated icilly, arms folded across his chest. The Tale wasn't the confrontational sort, believing that Loki would get what he deserves eventually.
Paestri had her attention diverted to Vavalion: New small person! New small person! Her mind sang, and she cautiously crawled up to him. She didn't want to touch him just yet, fearing he would taste off... like "Kevin". She pushed back the memory of the violent little Legend, and instead concentrated on Vavalion.
"Payst'li!" she declared, pointing to herself, "Hu?" she cooed, cocking her head to the side.
Vavalion's reptilian eyes widened, his mouth forming into a little "o" as he repeated her gesture, pointing to himself. "Vvvvvvvvv!" He attempted, forehead crinkling in concentration a bit. "Vvvvvvvvv...v'va!" He smiled, a bit cautiously, seeming proud of himself. Then, hesitantly, he pointed back at her. "Pazzsssst'i?"
Loki snubbed his nose at Linneas, sitting down with a small whumph, next to both of the baby Legends. "You can join us if you want," The hyena-boy snarked, sticking his tongue out and showing the white of his eye as he made a face, ears wide open.
"They are cute." He said in a slightly teasing voice, glancing to Linneas before turning his gaze away completely, now snubbing him, tail flipping around his leg.
No one needed to know that he actually did mean the comment, after all. Ahaha.
The teen refused to stoop to Loki's level, he was a far better person than that! Instead, he walked up to the large tree, staying close to his sister and keeping an eye on the other infant.
Paestri squealed in delight at Vava's attempt at saying her name, "V'va!" she echoed brightly then searched for her brother. Once she spotted him, she pointed him out to Vava, "Leenee!"
"Yes, Pae, I'm right here." Linneas smiled as if in retaliation to Loki ignoring him.
"Wat dat?" she asked Loki and Vavalion, gesturing to the sharp viney plant growing on the hill.
Vavalion made a small, disconcerted noise as Paestri brought up the icky malicious plant, huddling into his cloak and wrapping his tail about himself. Loki's decision to bother Linneas wasn't helping, and he cast the elder Legend a frustrated pout.
Loki glowered, before wrapping his arms around the two Legends and pulling them close, ignoring Linneas. For now.
"It looks like a vine," Loki them murmured, his curiosity getting the better of him, before spotting Vavalion's look. "... what? It does."
He missed the point completely.
Every muscle in Linneas' body tensed at the sight of Loki's arm around his sister. It wasn't as if he thought Loki would hurt Paestri, he just didn't want her becoming fond of such a rude boy. Why couldn't she have made friends with someone nicer? More amicable. Someone Linneas approved of!
He kept a watchful eye on Paestri, shrugging off any calming effect the large tree had.
Paestri blinked at the foreign word, her tongue sticking out as she tried to wrestle her mouth into pronouncing it.
"Bayn?" she blinked then shook her head, noticing the look on Vava's face. "Wai?" she asked, reaching out to Vavalion with one hand, while the other curled around Loki's arm.
"Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv..." Vava pouted and decided to give up on trying to pronounce "vine" himself, instead pointing at it and declaring "Uck!"
"I imagine they don't taste good," Loki sneered, his lip curling upwards. "You, dare I say it?, have good taste." He stuck his tongue out at Linneas, before shifting to stand, attempting to examine the tree more.
The Tale glared at Loki wordlessly, "It looks a bit dangerous as well, Pae." Linneas added. "But what sort of plant are these?"
Paestri released her hold on Loki in order to crawl closer to Vavalion. "Uc'?" she echoed, quirking a brow before she mimic-ed the serpent Legend's pout. Now that she looked at the vine, and with the three opinions the others had of the menacing looking plant, Paestri decided she didn't like it either. "No li'e!" she declared proudly, grinning to Vavalion and cautiously touching his blanket.
No taste there, inanimate objects didn't seem to have a taste when she touched them. Only living things.
Vava nodded back vehemently, giving her a small smile. "Uck!" He chewed on the edge of his blanket-cloak some more, giving her questing hand a curious look.
His tail had relaxed some, sliding down from being wrapped awkwardly around his torso so that the tip of it was resting in his lap, wiggling a bit.
Once he was free of both of the kids, Loki walked swiftly over to the tree, pressing his hands against it. Both of his eyes flew open in alarm; the sheer ambience of it was almost overwhelming, but he accepted it with an almost open heart.
There were so many good spirits here! He had never felt so many good ones before!
He felt a sharp pang, and his face twisted into a slight scowl. Yes, there was hate here, too...
(TBC KTHX)
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2006 1:39 am
___02/21/06 In Which Loki Reminisces
It had been a long while since Loki had begun to remember that day. It had seemed so long ago, yet to Loki, time passed by quite quickly for him - he remembered every detail of every scar he had gotten every time he exorcised.
It had come as a shocking surprise when Loki discovered that they wanted him to become a priest.
Reaching up, Loki took off his goggles and stared at them. They had indeed given them back, but what for? They had mentioned something about a sacrifice...
Shrugging it off as nothing (though he'd think about that nagging feeling later), Loki sighed and glanced to his lantern leaning up against the wall. The flames within danced quite merrily, and seemed rather content now, unlike before. Maybe they had finally calmed after the visit to the tree...
Shaking his head with a sigh, Loki growled and lay back on his bed, his thoughts immediately going to Lola. He hadn't thought about her for a while, and regretted it now moreso than ever. He had wanted to save her, but he was powerless even now, when he had control over all of the ghosts he exorcised, controlled by his mere whim.
It was probably a good thing he knew better, than to use them for 'shits and giggles', as the loosely used term stated. Basically, he only used them when he needed them.
"Lola..." He murmured softly, turning on his side and burying his head into the pillow, gritting his teeth.
He would never forget her. Loki would never allow himself to, preferring to die instead of losing the only memory that made him happy.
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:16 am
[A page is hastily ripped out, random letters able to be seen, but nothing more. It appears as if someone didn't want this page to be read...]
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:17 am
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Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:32 am
[A page is hastily ripped out, random letters able to be seen, but nothing more. It appears as if someone didn't want this page to be read...]
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 12:25 am
___03/01/06 In Which There Are Feathers and Jello
reserved for legend playdate with Lun.
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 12:26 am
___02/25/06 In Which Loki Finds Lola
"I didn't think... I'd ever see you again," Loki murmured quietly, as he leaned against the tree, feeling her cool fingers against his forehead. The sense of calming overtook him, and he felt... satisfied, in a sense.
He had missed her.
"Does it hurt...?" She asked in a soothing voice, watching as he leaned forward just a bit. Her hands ran over his back quietly, and a small hiss emitted from him as her fingers trailed over the scars that littered his back, before her dainty fingers moved up, and to the side of his face.
Instinctively, he hissed louder as he pulled away, before eyeing her for a moment, then looking apologetic. This was his sister; he cared. This was the entity that plagued his mind for so long. This was the kind soul he woke up thinking about every moment of his life, that he continued to live for, continued hoping to see...
And now, she was here, in an almost ethereal form, looking concerned at his well being, and just trying to help.
And he had done the stupidest thing he would have ever admitted in his life: he pulled away. But, as sisters often do, Loki found that gentle arms wrapped around his form, and he came to a realization that he could indeed finally touch his sister... Lola. Her skin was cold; he had noticed how cold she was before, but to feel and touch her now? It was ... heavenly, in a sense.
"I missed you..." Lola whispered softly, blonde tresses falling over his shoulder as she shifted her head down to kiss above his fresh wound, leaving a small, ghostly imprint on his cheek for just mere seconds. Before, she had passed right through him, but as of now... now, he could feel her, besides feeling her presence.
"I..." Loki couldn't bring himself to say it. So much had changed, but yet, he hadn't changed at all; he was still snarky, and still gave respect to those he felt had earned it, but yet... his powers had grown.
Letting out a contented sigh, he allowed a smile to tug at the ends of his lips, relaxing into her comforting hug as he reached up with fingers to caress her arms slowly. "I love you too... Lola."
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 12:28 am
___03/03/06 In Which Loki Chooses
"We are most displeased."
The words came as a slight surprise to Loki, but he stood rigid, his face cold and staring, refusing to let an ounce of emotion show. In front of him, hovering above the pedestal in which the book had previously stood on, the miniature spirits glared disapprovingly at the young hyena-boy, seeming judgemental.
Lola stood behind Loki, her hands clung tightly to his shoulder in slight fear as she watched them with wide, horrified eyes, as if one mere breath or movement from her could seal the fact that she was going to be taken away.
"You cannot be a priest and have faith in a dead sister."
Lowering his head slightly, Loki let his eyes fall as he tried to control his anger. "You have no right in telling me what I can and cannot do." The spirits seemed shocked for a moment, and turned to each other, murmuring heatedly.
"We have every right," One spoke up, hovering exceptionally close to the boy. "We gave you what you are now. Unless you choose to exorcise with these gifts... we must take them back."
"I don't need all the gadgets and s**t you gave me." He hissed between clenched teeth, leaning against Lola for support. This brought a gasp from the council of spirits.
"You do not use the holy water? The book?"
"The book is helpful, and the book is mine." Loki growled protectively, his hand running over the cover smoothly. The spirits seemed to wince, but Lola was the only unflinching one; however, Loki refused to meet her gaze, as hard as it was.
There was a long moment of silence.
"We see that you have been... possessed." Narrowing his eyes at how the word was said, he spat to the side, ignoring the fact that they were in a Church.
"S'there a crime against that?" He felt his sister's grip tighten. They had no right to judge them! He felt confused, but instantly reinstated his feelings. They had no right to judge at all; what he did was his own business, and no one else's.
"...you have one choice, then, Loki. Priesthood, or your sister? We will take one either way."
Loki stood straight up, his teeth clenched as he glared fully. Silence reigned the air for added effect, before he boomed out in a loud voice. "I choose LOLA."
Such fury filled the room right then, and even Loki could sense the anger eminating from the spirits full force, to which he winced, turning away just slightly.
Immense pain then filled his body. Feathers being ripped from his wings, pants being torn to shorts again, his ears being bitten, hair being pulled... and Lola clung tighter, for she could do nothing against these higher spirits who could so easily overturn her.
"Be strong, Loki."
Hearing her comforting voice, Loki growled and brought his staff and lantern up, swinging it rhythmically and hitting a few spirits in the process, only getting the rest to follow...
It was almost unbearable.
Letting out an animal-like cry, Loki gripped his staff tightly as he felt each and every one of the spirits sucked into his lantern, and making a red-hot mark on his skin for each and every one.
He had never exorcised so many before. The burning raced down his leg, stopping just beside the knee, so many haphazard black scars decorating his light skin. He breathed out, and soon none were left, though papers and such rustled around in the air, as if there was a breeze.
Soon after, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and Loki faltered, falling backwards.
Everything went dark.
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2006 3:36 am
___04/28/06 In Which Kanth Returns
He was alone.
Again.
Lola was nowhere to be found, and as he rose, his head ached. Grimacing, Loki winced as he moved, glaring intently at the new marks he had received. A glance to his lantern affirmed that there were many, many angry spirits inside, wishing none other than to harm him were they outside of that lantern.
Loki hissed at it, making the spirits cringe, and back off. As far as he was concerned, he was in charge, and that was that.
"Loki." Head snapping to the side, he was about to retort something uncalled for, but caught his tongue when he saw who it was.
"... Kanth? You... came back..."
"I got something for you." She murmured softly, tilting her head as she leaned against a tree, shock-red hair mussed, and legs bandaged. Kanth looked about as roughed up as Loki did.
Grabbing his lantern, the hyena-boy managed to stagger over to where she was, finding just enough reason to 'trip' and grab onto her for 'support'. Not like he was hugging her, oh no - he was far too grown up for that.
"I guess... I'm glad you're back." He said gruffly, sliding his fingers away from around her wrist, though taking his time in doing so.
"I missed you too." She murmured softly, sliding down the tree to sit. Reaching into her pouch, Kanth took out a glass bottle with a very bright flame dancing inside of it, tapping the glass gently. "You're home, little fella."
"What IS it?" Loki inquired, wrinkling his nose as he stared at it.
"It's called a Jujubanja."
"And it does... what?"
"It's basically like a fire spirit. Its main purpose is to clean out lanterns among other things, disposing and 'recycling' the bad spirits or karma within."
"So it eats them?" He looked intrigued, and then baffled when Kanth laughed softly.
"I suppose you could say that."
Rocking back and taking the bottle, Loki wrestled with the cork a moment, before finally opening it and releasing the flame. As he stared at it, the flame seemed indecisive for a moment, before eyeing the lantern with wide eyes, seeming intrigued.
It then went into the lantern with a whoosh, making the lantern grow searing hot before calming down, now the only thing inside of it.
"Hey, that's pretty-" Loki started to say, but then was interrupted with a slight burp from the Jujubanja. Kanth scratched her cheek idly.
"Well, the instructions that came with him got lost somewhere... but from what I recall, he's able to take a shape to protect you, though I'm not quite sure how that would work. Oh! And, before I forget..." Rummaging around in her sack, she brought out a rather gorgeous scarf, handing it to him, smiling a bit more now.
"Another gift...?" Loki seemed stunned.
"Yeah. Go ahead, pull it out." Doing so, Loki grabbed the scarf and pulled both of the ends out, now seeming quite delighted. All of his pain seemed to melt away in his glee; he could care less about his battle wounds at this point.
The scarf was a brilliant red, and the ends... the ends were fire themselves.
"Where..."
"Fire imps." She explained. The hyena-boy opened his mouth to ask more, but Kanth pressed a finger to his lips and shook her head.
"Some things are best left forgotten, Loki." She rose with difficulty, starting to head back towards the house, not another word spoken.
He watched her with large eyes, cradling the scarf within his hands, bringing it up to caress it gently with a cheek.
Loki didn't dare move... not yet. Not yet...
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 10:57 pm
___05/01/06 In Which Loki Gains Another Ability...? Who Knows?!
It always seemed to rain here.
Sitting on his bed and slightly curled up, feet underneath of him, Loki caressed his fingers over the flame that was dancing on the bed, watching as it sprawled out lazily. The bed, fortunately, was safe from the flames, and the Jujubanja seemed to emit a type of fire all its own, preventing itself from burning anything that it came in contact with.
Opening its maw wide, it gave a small huffing sound, catching Loki's attention.
"Hnnnn...?" Loki droned through his closed mouth, flicking his ears as he glanced at the Jujubanja. The Jujubanja seemed to think for a moment, before clamping down on Loki's left arm, white-hot fire channeling through his veins and blood before his skin took on a red hue, almost ... almost like liquid lava.
Loki didn't know which he was surprised at more; the fact that his arm now resembled a lava lamp, or the fact that it didn't hurt.
"You could have warned me," Loki muttered a bit disapprovingly, shaking his head. What the ******** did it mean?
The Jujubanja chirred, scampering on his arm freely now like a little lizard, stopping to flick its tongue on each scar that it came across, turning them white before a few disappeared. Eyes widening, Loki snagged the Jujubanja lizard with his free right hand and brought it up to eye level with his face.
"Don't. It's... the only thing I have to remember." He explained, now wincing as the fire set through to his bone. Of course, of all times, now it had to hurt.
The Jujubanja hissed cutely, swinging itself to perch on top of his right hand, then scamper over his arm to hide within his flame-scarf.
"Cheeky devil. How long is this supposed to last, anyway?"
"Me luv yoo long tyme." It replied simply, staring with beady eyes, and a fiery grin.
No pun intended.
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:12 pm
___05/02/06 In Which Loki and the Jujubanja Go Exploring
"Go plant some flowers. And try not to burn them!" Came a screeching voice, of which a tall, silver-slash-white haired woman shoved both Loki and the Jujubanja out of the house, taking her time to swipe at the Jujubanja with the ladle she was carrying. "And don't come back until dinner! Honestly, trying to grub off of my cooking..." Slamming the door, her footsteps were heard storming back into the kitchen.
Loki sighed. It wasn't his fault that the Jujubanja wanted a taste of Aisha's cooking; he didn't know the Jivvin would be so tempermental, especially about what she was making! He honestly thought it would be a form of flattery, but noooo. He just couldn't get a break.
Slumping against the door, Loki frowned. Much to his chagrin, he hadn't thought of Lola much - and even the thought of her now... he hadn't worried. At all. It was like he knew she was safe, somewhere closeby... his mouth formed the words 'I miss you', and somewhere, he felt her reply.
After that whole fiasco with the Church... and then the Jujubanja. He was positive that the Jujubaja wasn't a bad spirit - after he had tried exorcising it, it had just climbed back out, chittering at him with an almost bemused expression, as if had just been on a rollercoaster. What kind of bad spirit would do that and not get angry? No, he was very sure that Vavalion would get no bad vibes from the Jujubanja.
His eyes shifted to his arm as he thought. It had only been a few days, and his arm still ached, though the pain was ebbing away. A white bandage had been wrapped around his left arm to half-hide the lava lamp look it had, as well as to hide the claws that formed - it was almost like it was an imp's hand, nothing like the hyena he was. How very curious, and now that he thought about it intently...
"Plantssss!" Came the soft hiss as the Jujubanja tugged at his golden hair, making him wince. His thoughts were gone.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming. Pick your... uh. Flower thing." Tilting his head, the Jujubanja seemed to think for a moment, before leaping down and grabbing a potted plant, starting to drag. It looked... rather funny, really. Glancing up when it saw that Loki wasn't following, the Jujubanja skittered back over to him and perched on his book, digging claws into it, after nearly falling head over heels, apparantly like a little kid trying to get used to walking.
"Book. Plantssss?" The Jujubanja asked. Reaching over, Loki plucked the Jujubanja off of the book, unstrapping it from his waist and opening it to the middle.
"There's nothing on plants for you. Just... spirit plants." He closed an eye. Oh yeah. The Jujubanja was a spirit eater. Somewhat. "You eat flowers?" Loki peered at the thing intently.
"Blech." The thing spat.
"Well, let's go. Might as well bring someone back a flower."
-----
High and low they had searched, but naught found one of the spirit flowers that were listed in his exorcist book. Nightfall was falling, and Loki breathed heavily as he leaned against a tree, the Jujubanja staring at him like he was mad.
"Tired now?"
"You're one to talk, hitchhiker." Loki snorted, that ever-present frown growing deeper. Both of them halted in their conversation as they saw an almost eerie phenomenon in front of the marsh. Loki sat down hard, mouth open in amazement.
"Will-o-the-wisps."
Opening his book, the text in it changed before his eyes as writing was scrawled out underneath of the flower, explaining more about the spirits.
"So they're bad...?" Loki reached for his lantern, wincing as he found it wasn't there. Damn Aisha for kicking them out!
"Not bad spirits. Not good, either. Not now." The Jujubanja proclaimed, sitting down and watching the will-o-the-wisps float around in the marsh, seeming to mind their own business.
"So... they're neutral." Loki glanced at the book again, confirming it. How in the hell did the Jujubanja know all of this...? Frowning, Loki stiffened, putting his guard up again.
He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice...
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:14 pm
___05/04/06 In Which the Truth is Half-Revealed Part 1 of 2
"About damn time." Murmured the Jujubanja, whom glanced around at the empty house, hearing no such noise anywhere. A grin graced his face as he crept through the hallways, soon finding Loki curled up outside, at the base of a tree, staring into the lantern.
That damn lantern of his. He was always so fixated on it, just like the gods had intended. Every last one of them.
He wasn't going to stand for it; Loki had a purpose, and he was here to make sure that Loki was going to go through with it. The prophecy, as all prophecies, could not, and would not, be ignored. Not on his watch.
Slinking over to the boy, the Jujubanja curled around his feet, having gotten used to its body for the moment, and stared up at Loki with wide eyes.
"What." The boy huffed, his hyena ears going flat against his head. It was curious how he was reincarnated as a hyena... of all things, a trickster-god as a hyena. It never ceased to amaze him... of all the things for Loki to be...
"I think it's time..." Murmured the Jujubanja, trailing off.
"... time for what. And explain who you are."
"I'm hurt that you don't remember me..." The Jujubanja murmured, acting hurt.
"Cut the charade!" Snapped the hyena-boy, moving his leg to lean towards the fire spirit, fingers just inches away from grabbing the flame.
"You lost against me in the contest... you honestly don't remember. They did quite a job, didn't they? Lue. Lue, is my name, oh notorious trickster." Drawing out of reach, the one who called himself Lue watched Loki's expression.
Nothing registered.
Frustrated, the fire spirit launched himself at Loki, claws finding positions to hold onto the sides of his arms. "Tell me, with each exorcism... do you remember a bit more about... Lola?"
Loki's eyes narrowed, and he hissed. "What do YOU know about HER?" He spoke testily, each word spoken as if it was dipped in venom.
"Think, Loki." Claws gripped deeper into his arms. "Why the gods didn't want you to remember. Why they wanted you to exorcise until this mortal body of yours died. Why you're only able to get the things you're looking for in that so called exorcist book of yours - which, I must say, is QUITE the opposite. Think, damn you! After all, you weren't even supposed to die yet!"
Loki, first angered by the way he was being bullied, shoved his anger away and did indeed try to remember.
Shoving Lue off of him, he turned to the side and stared at the ground, shifting his eyes half-shut in order to concentrate more. Wasn't supposed to die... yet..? What the hell did that mean...?
It was at that moment that something within Loki snapped.
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 11:15 pm
___05/03/06 In Which the Truth is Half-Revealed Part 2 of 2
His thoughts were of rain. The rain that always seemed to be around, whenever he was inside or out...
It was a small area in which he could see, the light around him only large enough for him to see a few paces if he were to walk forward. Sticking his hands out, Loki winced as the rain hit them, the drops hissing as it evaporated upon his skin.
The raindrops, in actuality, were poison.
Tugging his flame-scarf further around his neck and head so that the poisonous rain would cease to fall upon his skin, Loki stepped forward, beginning to walk. Fog curled around his feet as he strayed further and further forward, and strange, gutteral sounds were spoken that he understood, yet did not understand.
His pace quickened before he broke into a run, desperate to find out just what those voices were saying - it was a strange language, he was on the brink of understanding -
"We are most displeased, Lue."
There.
Stopping completely, Loki nearly doubled over, forcing his breath to slow as he tried to be silent in order to hear more. He needed this; who had been keeping what from him? He needed to know.
"There is nothing you cannot do to me... that you have not already done to him." Spoke Lue's voice. There was a murmur of anger that broke out.
"Are you defying us? Defying order?"
"Yes."
"Why?! Why do you defy us, the gods of Valhalla?"
"You sent anything and everything you could to kill him... you defy the prophecy of the Ragnarok, and I will not allow that. If Loki had been a fire spirit... he would have been an equal to me. I think of him as fellow kin, and as fellow kin... we will strive against you. We are chaos, you have far exceeded our job."
"The Soul Stealer was a precaution, as was the-"
"All you ever speak of are precautions. All you want is his death, no matter whom you go through..."
Loki turned his head, unable to hear what was spoken next. Aggrivation was shown, and he grimaced, stepping forward to listen further.
"That book of his... he will learn how to use it. And he'll gather each and every scrap of information he needs to defeat every single one of you norse gods. Ragnarok will come into play, but because you interfered... the prophecy has changed."
Another murmur of voices, before a sharp sound was heard, like a gavel upon a desk, though lightning flared, and deafened any and all ears around.
Biting back a cry at both the sound and the pain that suddenly flared in his arms, Loki closed his eyes.
"Lue, your punishment-"
The voices faded away in an instant, and he shouted out in anger now, opening his eyes to protest -
He was back.
There was nothing he could do. He had doubted Lue... and Lue had only been trying to help. But were they speaking the truth? They had sounded serious...
Loki needed someone to talk to. Anyone... someone...
Staggering up and clutching his bandaged arm, Loki glanced at it with a grimace, and tried to cover up the patches that had loosened, in order to cover up his arm. It still glowed slightly like a lava-lamp, yet his veins almost looked like they were on fire. And now, most all of his exorcism scars had turned pure white, though were still there... apparantly, to keep the memories inside, as Lue has spoken.
Letting out a low hiss, Loki moved forward... and began to walk. There was no returning home for him, not now.
Not ever...
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