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 Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:04 pm
(( Be sure to read this first ! <3 ))  Ankou actually almost felt sorry for the poor b*****d. It was the feel of the souls - newly summoned souls at that, not those that had been his information network since coming here - that had drawn him in. He had seen no need to intervene at all, as Cosine had it all under control.
He had landed on Numbers' shoulder and watched the show silently. He had not thought something like this could happen, but it was delicious, and he enjoyed the irony of weapon turned against it's usurper. It also made him wonder just how long these souls had been waiting for this very moment to strike ? They have had to - the fury in which they clawed and screamed was not only Cosine's, he could see this.
"I do not know. I think they would have an indigestion, poor dears... Through what happens to his body matters little to me." The crow spoke with ease, in spite of having a beak, before flying off his perch and taking back his normal shape. "To usurp not one, but two, in a way.. Makes you wonder how he through he would get away with it..."
The spear was gathered back from the floor easily, and... it was only noticeable to Cosine, who knew him so well, but Ankou paused - golden eyes going wide in surprise for but a second before the reaction was suppressed.
What... ?
No, not here. Not now.
There were things to be done, and Gungnir certainly was not leaving his hands now. If anything, the god's grip on it grew stronger out of pure reflex, fueled by what he had seen.
No wonder... And he had to thank Fate that Pythagoras had never figured out just what he had been holding all along.
"That was quite an impressive and delicious display, my dear." He stepped toward Pythagoras then. "A good reminder to not draw your ire."
He crouched then, at eye level with the tormented man. "I wonder what my brother would do to you." He mused, expression curious. "I do not think he would appreciate someone like you having stolen something from two deities he happens to holds dear... And killing so many without cause, at that. Or... maybe he would let me have you, if I asked..." Ankou's smile revealed no good intentions for that scenario. "I have never been bloodthirsty, but I figure I could learn."
He did not order the souls to stop - not yet.
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 7:11 am
Blood lust. Cosine was sure she had never felt the emotion before that moment. It was an odd sensation, one that raced through her veins, clouded her usually pragmatic mind. She did not want to just watch him suffer, she wanted to cause that pain. It was a terrifying, exhiliarating sensation. Especially as she knew it was all well within her power. Ankou's words made her smile, though it was not a kind one.
She said nothing for a moment, her need for vengence doing battle with her compassionate nature. If Ankou wanted to learn, at that point she feared she might be able to teach him.
Balance. Control.
Slowly the darkness behind her eyes faded. She watched Ankou, noted his pause. As the balance within her returned the effects of the effort she had exerted her hands shook a little, she clenched her fists to hide it and watched as Ankou crouched.
Pythagoras looked up at the pale god, the screams of those he had wronged still ringing in his ears.
"Make them stop!" He begged. "Please. I don't want to go back to the Underworld. I'm sorry. I ... I thought you were all gone."
"Perhaps Underworld is too good for him?" Cosine's voice was softer than usual. She had pushed her power to the edge and it had left her exhausted. Still, she drew on what she had left and moved level with Ankou. "Banishment. Remember the Grigori are still loose, the living world is more dangerous than the spirit one at the moment."
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 12:41 pm
"Well. He's clearly not dead." Yet. Through if he had reincarnated, somehow, then it was out of his hands until Death took him again. Technically.
...Through it was tempting to speed up the process a little, but he could see Cosine's anger waver a bit, and well... She had been the most wronged.
Tsh, fairness. That was Nergal's job to worry about that.
He did not answer Pythagoras, but instead looked at Cosine. The meaning was clear - he would call off the souls if she wished for it.
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:03 pm
It was not that her anger had lessened so much as she had it under control. She was tired also, having used her powers for days and then, the exersion.
Cosine looked at the man, the pathetic man. She did not pity him, it would be so easy to destroy him. So easy and tempting. But still she could not deny that he had opened the villager's eyes to Number. Even if he had gone about it in the wrong way. Yes, it was unforgivable that he had stolen and tried to kill her ...
"Compassion." She said, looking up at Ankou. "Mortals like that don't they? If I let him live it would look good?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:20 pm
"They do." Ankou admitted, and could see what she was getting at... And well, if that hadn't been the whole point of coming here, he might not have relented so easily.
"Stop." One word. One word, two syllables, was all it took for the voices to fade, one by one, souls returning to the Guide's side, drawn in by the power he had just reached out with, lured in by his voice. Some clung for longer than others, in their anger, but eventually they all gave in. He could not send them here, from within the building, so it would do for now.
And just as easily as he had taken it all away, he could make it all crash down on the man again. His glare spoke volumes on that particular matter. "Banishment, then ?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:33 pm
Cosine watched as Ankou called the spirits off. Pythagoras seemed to relax as they slowly went back to Ankou's side. She breathed in and glanced to Ankou, this time her smile was genuine.
"Yes, Banishment. I think that would be fitting."
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 2:44 pm
"Very well, then." He smiled to her, but that smile had all but faded when he turned to look at Pythagoras again. "I hope you realize that you owe your life to the very being you sought to end..."
Really, had he been the only one involved, the problem would have been solved a long time ago. But, he loved - and most of all, Ankou respected Cosine too much to go against her wishes so directly.
Through, his smirk did reveal that he might have something planned, indeed. "Well, you heard her. Better put as much space in between this temple and yourself as possible..." The hand that held Gungnir twitched, through Cosine would know the gesture had been deliberate, and the the show of bare restrain that he was pretending. "...Before I change my mind."
The souls gave one united wail, a reminder that they were not. gone.
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 3:01 pm
Pythagoras looked up and nodded.
"I will, I will. I promise you will not hear of me again."
Cosine looked at Ankou and raised a hand. She would not be seen as the one stepping down here. She was not a coward.
"Listen to me." Her voice was low as she stepped forwards. "If I hear or you doing anything like this, taking advantage of any others. Using my name or my brother's I will hunt you down and there will not be enough left of you to seek refuge in the underworld." She listened to the wail of souls and straightened. "Go, and like Orpheus do not look back." She smirked and raised both eyebrows in a challenging guesture. "Because if you do you belong to those souls you have wronged and neither of us will stop them."
Pythagoras nodded and forced himself to his feet.
"Thank you for your mercy. I will not do anything so stupid again." He bowed his head, then looked to the couple once more before turning and fleeing the room.
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 5:45 am
Ankou was silent as Pytrhagoras left, but did pick one of the tamer souls, one of those who had unknowingly trailed Gungnir all along, to trail him.
Just in case.
He had other priorities than that, really, and it was made evident when he walked the few steps that separated him from Cosine. "Will you be alright ?" Yes, he knew that weariness well - through he had never allowed her to see it, out of stubborn pride. It was the ever-constant reminder that they were still limited, even if those limits reached far and wide.
He had noticed, of course, but knew better than to point it out when her usurper had been right there.
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 9:52 am
Cosine watched Pythagoras go, wondering if she should have been so benevolent. Still she believed in chances and he would get one chance. If he failed then there would most certainly be hell to pay. She did not like the idea of anyone calling her weak. Though at that moment she felt it.
She nodded in answer to Ankou's question. Though she felt drained and tired she would not give into exhaustion until everything was done. And there was so much for her to do. They needed to explain to the temple dwellers, she was in no doubt that they would have heard some of the commotion.
"I will be. And you? I did not know I had that within me. That raw power and desire to punish him. For a moment there I really did want to rip his head off and toss it to the crows."
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:02 am
"I am well... Through I will need to send all these soon." He eyed the empty space beside him - to him, of course, it was not empty. Some of the dead were calming, thanks to the object of their ire having fled, but not all of them.
"They are still angry..." And angry souls meant haunting. The Spirit Guide doubted that Cosine would be keen on having these souls unleash their wrath on the living that had nothing to do with their anger, to begin with.
For now, with him so close, they stayed put.
"I believe we all do... And sometimes, that power is necessary." Had it been now ? He did not clarify. It was not his decision, and he would not second guess her's. She felt like the man deserved to make up for what he had done, and that was that.
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:53 am
Cosine looked at the empty space where she knew there would be some of his spirits. She wondered what they looked like. Others spoke of whisps, though that sounded friendly, if they were angry she imagined they did not look very nice at all.
"Yes, I would agree with that. We are gods after all." She looked him over and smiled more. "Gungnir, it looks very natural with you, now that it's in your hands. "You look different with it too."
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 12:40 pm
"I do ?" He asked. Gungnir was massive - bigger than it had been when Pythagoras had wielded it, through he hadn't noticed it.
And yet, in spite of that, he had no problem lifting and moving it one handed, like he was doing now.
One handed for speed. Two handed for power and stability. His own mind supplied, and he couldn't help but feel dizzy. It was hard to ignore what he felt within the spear, and he had no other choice but to focus on Cosine wholly else he might simply have given in.
But no. The souls needed to go back where they belonged, first. He could not keep the angry group so tightly controlled if he was distracted.
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:45 pm
Cosine gave a nod.
"Yes, I can't explain it. More yourself?" She tilted her head to the side. That was a funny thing to say. She did not know what 'more yourself' looked like. She just knew it suited him.
"Well. we should go and put things straight out there." Cosine nodded to the door. She was a little nervous about going out and telling them they had all been conned, though, it had to be done and surely they would thank her and Ankou. They came to worship Number after all.
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Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:52 pm
...If she only knew the irony of that statement. Oh, he would explain, but... things needed to be done first. She needed to inform the mortals of what had happened.... and he needed to lead those souls back to where he belonged.
"This might take me a bit." If they tried to flee... Well, better to overshoot than to have Cosine waiting for him. "Meet back up in the courtyard ?"
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