|
Post by Loki on Dec 19, 2020 0:22:35 GMT -8
Tanner had informed the Darkling that his approach for checking in was sound...for someone who wasn't Loki. The Twilit Page anticipated that questions of concern around the Fireheart's wellbeing would be met with machismo, and even offense at the implication that the Knight Commander of the Chevaliers was — Lord help us — hurt. Instead, the address of the Elemental's garage was provided. He didn't bother to hide it: taking a shot at the Tiente's personal hobby was asking for a violent gang retaliation that went above and beyond the normal drive-by. The space was smaller than expected, only having the one lift. It wasn't organized, but not exploded to the level of a chaotic lab more suited for the Domovoi. It was also quiet — one would expect something like AC/DC blasting from a dusty speaker to match the aesthetic. The motorcycle was parked just inside; a thick, iron chain mounted above it with a hazard sign for corrosive material hung just underneath. The familiar feeling of burning skin came and went with Rowan's arrival, the suburban street of Summerlin relatively calm. A group of kids were even playing soccer up the road, hollering back at the occasional honking vehicle and slowing down to peer inside. A chocolate Pomeranian sat on a cushion next to the seat of the desk, panting as she watched the Darkling, only offering a single bark before settling with surprising obedience. "Yup?" a voice called from underneath the vehicle, currently not mounted on the lift, but being worked on all the same.
|
|
|
Post by Rowan on Dec 19, 2020 16:04:57 GMT -8
What was Rowan doing? What was his plan? He had no idea, which was weird in and of itself. The Darkling usually knew what he was doing, it was his way of coping with the stress of abduction - not being taken by surprise. But this was different. It had been a spur of the moment decision, akin to confessing. He simply couldn't get the image out of his mind, that girl in his hands. It kept him up some nights and ate at him. And so he decided to do something about it. Maybe it was hubris, but he felt some confidence in his ability to deal with the worst of it - people tended to underestimate him, classify him as a scrawny nerd.
His jaw dropped when he got close to the garage. He had always liked cars, and garages by extension. He touched the bike in passing, before feeling the wave of radiation wash over him. This was the right place. The Pomeranian felt out of place. Such a tiny, fragile thing in this kingdom of steel and pistons. He was about to reach out to the dog when it barked, causing the Darkling to quickly back up.
"Hi, Mr. Loki, sir!" he quickly answered. "I don't know if you remember me, but um, we met at the Samhain party?"
What now? Tanner warned him about asking after the man's health. So what was the play? Cold open? Realistically, he could do that. He wasn't sure about the reaction however. 'Sorry for poking around your head' was one hell of an opener, especially to an Elemental.
|
|
|
Post by Loki on Dec 20, 2020 0:45:17 GMT -8
The Elemental slid out from under the vehicle, rubbing the grease from his dark brow with the back of his hand. It was an absentminded gesture, as his attention fell onto the nervous Darkling.
The eyepatch was off, revealing the hollow socket where fire split from the permanent wound, while the good one had a light flickering from behind his pupil, like a flashing cataract.
"Yeah, you were..." he zoned out for a second, before snapping calloused fingers, "With the Sentinel. Wassup, man? You seem kind of green to have a death wish on someone already." He flashed a good natured grin, washing his hands with a grainy cleaner to remove the oil before tossing a treat to the dog.
She caught it in the air, struggling to chew the large biscuit in just a few bites.
|
|
|
Post by Rowan on Dec 20, 2020 0:52:47 GMT -8
The pungent smell of oranges bloomed from the cleaner as Rowan winced from Loki's words.
"Death wish? No, no, of course not! Why would you say that?" Nervous chuckle. "I um- I was checking in about um, the arm. I feel like it's maybe a little my fault."
And now the difficult part. He just had to say it. Just rip off the band-aid. His mom had always told it was always best to come clean. He takes a deep breath.
"And also to apologize for..." and then he kinda just trails off into mumbling as his courage crumbled under the weight of the Elemental's gaze.
|
|
|
Post by Loki on Dec 20, 2020 0:59:08 GMT -8
He blinked slowly,
"...Qué? I took a swing at something that eats Glamour. That wasn't your job to stop." His mouth twisted dismissively. "If you think I got a grudge over a bit of damage to my Mask, you're talking to the wrong guy."
The dog lazily trundled over to Rowan, fur wagging as she navigated around the tools, before sniffing at his boots.
|
|
|
Post by Rowan on Dec 20, 2020 1:07:08 GMT -8
"No, you see, I did something, and the Sentry reacted, and then you reacted and then. It's no one's fault really, it was an accident. I just felt like, you know, do the responsible thing and own up?"
He had no idea where his speech was going. He was just beating around the bush at this point. Deep breaths, deep breaths.
"Sooooo. Any idea what the Sentry was talking about?"
If at all possible, the Darkling was even less substantial than usual. He didn't want to be there, but he also wanted to be rid of that vision.
|
|
|
Post by Loki on Dec 20, 2020 11:11:14 GMT -8
Loki idly flexed his hand as Rowan talked. The black cracks had sealed into a bruising scar tissue — or maybe varicose veins — with the fingers slightly pale due to bad circulation. He walked over to the bike, producing a pair of modified gloves that looked almost like gauntlets. The Elemental nodded, but was only half listening as the gloves were donned, and the heavy chain pulled from the wall.
He swung it once, the air whistling past the thick metal before he caught it, and tossed it on the table in front of Rowan with a loud clang. The Pomeranian barked again, tail wagging at the sudden activity. She scratched at Rowan's foot, looking from him to the treat jar as her tongue stuck out.
"I asked if you had a death wish for someone, because the Chevaliers are the Summer Court's executioners," Loki explained plainly, nodding at the chain. Had the Mirror bored him? "Sometimes people get the wrong idea with their Wrath, and come around here instead of the Tolltakers over the latest spat; that they're too much of a bitch to deal with it themselves."
He smiled again as he looked back up at Rowan, "With your other question. The Sentry? I know he got excited about how I got into it with Apollo. Did a name drop like it was nothing, and that pissed me off. The occult stuff I leave to you guys."
The good eye blinked, and the fire in the socket flickered.
"What did you think happened?"
|
|
|
Post by Rowan on Dec 20, 2020 14:22:47 GMT -8
Rowan's stance shifted a little as the chain whistled in front of him. His eyes darted around for an escape route, confident that he could outrun the Elemental by twisting his own flesh.
"Can I give the dog a treat?" he asked to deflect from the immediate question.
Executioners, huh? What was it with Summer and flexing on people? First Sweeney, now Loki. The Darkling was trying to do the right thing here, why was the Chevalier giving him a hard time? He looked down to the dog, not daring to reach out o it again. Now that he thought about, it was almost too obvious. Loki wasn't the type of guy to get a Pomeranian, he didn't think. Was it... Possibly. Better not take any chances.
"The Sentry said something about someone stopping you," he added tentatively.
|
|
|
Post by Loki on Dec 20, 2020 16:42:47 GMT -8
The Elemental cocked his head at the dog, "Yeah, just make her do a trick though, so she doesn't learn to beg." He folded thick arms as he watched the Darkling do...whatever the hell he came here to do.
Apparently Rowan wasn't into Cool Weapons. Shame.
"Oh. Sure. I wasn't paying a lot of attention, to be frank," he chuckled. Between diving into the pool to witness Horrors That Be, and being fixated on the other Spear lying to him, whatever the spooky lamp boy was touting had gone way off his radar.
|
|
|
Post by Rowan on Dec 20, 2020 17:19:40 GMT -8
He reached for a treat and held it up in the air for the dog to see. "Um, twirl?" he told Bindi in an uncertain voice. He'd never had a dog before, his family couldn't afford one.
Rowan then pointed at the gauntlets. "I know someone who makes those out of fire. We fought a bull corpse possessed by a ghost, which is distinctly different from a zombie bull."
He was still eyeing the chain, wondering if it was meant for him, or if it was just a Brag. How much was the Elemental really saying? The real question was how likely he would need to run.
|
|
|
Post by Loki on Dec 20, 2020 17:37:44 GMT -8
The Pomeranian watched the biscuit with intense focus. First she sat as it floated above her head, then she started lifting a paw, rumbling in frustration. Once the treat danced a bit, she stood on her hind legs and wobbled back and forth.
"Oh yeah? Sounds like Sword," he said, engaging the subject once the Darkling finally offered a basic conversation hook. "I don't fuck with ghosts. Some bad taboo around that kind of nonsense." The Fireheart turned his back, fishing some beers out of the mini fridge, before tossing one to Rowan without much warning. He waited until the guy saw it at least.
Frankly, as far as Rowan could tell, his nervous affect was being dismissed as the norm. Loki either assumed he was just a skittish Autumn courtier, or his reputation cut an intimidating figure. The bounty hunter was doing little things to make Rowan stop feeling like he was invading a space, so he could stop dancing around whatever the hell he was needing.
Honestly, Loki came off as a little 'ADHD', but the occultist knew that was par for the course when it came to the Kith. If the rumours were right, they could process information faster than anyone else, but it didn't make their human bodies any faster to keep up, nor guarantee innate intelligence to do that much with it.
|
|
|
Post by Rowan on Dec 20, 2020 17:52:13 GMT -8
Rowan caught the bottle and looked at it like it was a bomb. Could he drink beer? 'I mean, why not? It's just one.' He mimicked the Elemental's gesture to open it and took a sip. it was bitter, and sparkly and acrid and so many things at once. His palette reeled at the sensory onslaught, but he did his best to keep a straight face.
"I'm Rowan, by the way. I'm from Fall. But I guess you already knew that."
Here goes.
"I was so scared when we fought that corpse, and when I saw blood on my hands. It's ironic, really, considering. Fear is supposed to be our Thing, you know? Do you, um, do you ever get scared?"
He fiddles a little with his bottle, either up-playing the persona Loki attributed to him, or out of honest nerves.
"Actually, there's no need to answer. I already know, I. I saw it."
There was no going back now. Excelsior.
|
|
|
Post by Loki on Dec 20, 2020 18:35:18 GMT -8
"Man, I've seen...some shit," he blinked, lost in thought for a moment. "Spirits can do things we can't see, and attack the mind. Most of us can't do anything about it. I'm just not a fan."
The Elemental leans against the car as he has his own drink, "Oh, the pool? That was similar, right?" he pointed at his temple, miming a gunshot. "Your Court can do some fucked up things when they want to. Maybe King Saturday wanted to make a point after that new guy annexed the Coronation's afterparty."
|
|
|
Post by Rowan on Dec 20, 2020 18:48:49 GMT -8
He considers his words for a moment. The Torrent was really making him spell it out.
"Yeah, maybe. Above my pay grade. I was just a glorified prom date."
It would be so easy to just, walk away. Play the part of the weird Fall guy, who's just weird for its own sake. But his conscience wouldn't let him. The thing that he did, it had probably been done to so many Changelings, back in Arcadia.
"I'm not super reliable in combat - I tend to have knee jerk reactions. The Dark Forest will do that to you. You need to make split second decisions to stay alive." He tries to gather his thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is that acted on impulse when you were wailing on Apollo."
"I used a Contract to look at your Fear and stop you."
|
|
|
Post by Loki on Dec 20, 2020 18:57:19 GMT -8
The Fireheart shifted, eyebrows going up as he took a long, calculated sip.
"Explain."
|
|