InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Trust no one"

Balam (human_body) wrote in chaosunraveled,
@ 2008-06-27 03:48:00

Entry tags:

balam, dorian, finished thread, rating: pg, strix

Boom, boom, boom
Who: Balam, Dorian and Strix
Where: Somewhere in a forest, close to the Deadwood
When: Around the same time as Alice, Kain and Frank's search for horses, the day after Alice talks to Will.
Rating: PG for now
Warnings: Fire.
Summary: Balam wanders around in a forest, breaking tree trunks as he practices fighting on his own. He wants to blow some steam up, as he's never done well without fighting anyway - his very being thrives on battle and his entire body is built for it. Will anyone stumble upon Balam as he practices his...techniques, or will he have his peace?

The side of his khaki-covered calf slammed into the thick brown trunk of the tree in front of him, forcing it to shake. Leaves fell from the force of it and the sound of bird wings fluttered quickly away from the area. Balam wiped the sweat from his forehead. He'd been working on this for hours already. His normally proper pants were marked up and scuffed, his vest was nowhere to be found and his suspenders were the only thing keeping order to his attire. His white, buttoned-up shirt already bore a huge tear across the right sleeve, exposing some of the tanned skin hiding the muscle beneath.

There were times he missed his demon form. He wasn't as strong as he was in this human cavity - for that's exactly what it was. A body created for him to fill. Still, what he got in return - actually looking like a passable human, even if it was a slightly scary one - made him content to work with what he had. He was still much stronger than the average human, but it still wasn't quite up to his full, natural strength. As long as he didn't remove his sunglasses, he looked human. Even if it was a punk who seemed to dye his hair firetruck flaming red. Natural as it really was.

A blur of fists and legs slammed into the tree until it began to tilt and crack. Balam flicked his sunglasses down, revealing the orbs of fire where pupils and irises belonged. A flash of his eyes, a gesture of his hand, and heat ripped through his body - and the tree trunk burst into flames.

He slid the glasses back on and tilted his head at the sight of the fire. Still rusty. Fire demons and their predictable talents could only go so far, it seemed. He needed to work on everything more. He hadn't fought since he'd first arrived, and that just...was not acceptable.

He sighed and ran a hand through his unruly hair. He still wasn't quite used to this human body deal, it seemed.

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boy_silhouette
2008-06-28 05:38 am UTC (link)

While everyone had been hearing of Dorian's delight in vanilla pudding and vodka, he'd been doing much, much more than experimenting in the kitchen. As a matter of fact, ever since his training session with Kain, Dorian had been making trips around the lawn of Asgard, practicing.

The mummy, now spending more time in his alter-marble form, didn't know much of targets and dummies - rather, he swung his fists and stretched wherever he felt the moment strike. Sometimes he fell into breakdancing, sometimes he fell into gymnastics, and on occasion, he attempted boxing and kickboxing moves. All without props.

The fragile mummy man desperately wanted to get better. He wanted to prove to everyone it was possible for him to be helpful outside of moral support. In fact, he wanted to do prove it so badly, he even began to conquer his fears. Every time he went outside, black hair pulled back, slacks loose and cozy, he ventured closer and closer to the woods.

But today he risked everything and went in the woods. Deep in the woods. Bag of marbles tied to his waist, Dorian figured he wouldn't wonder far. Why would the bad people be so far in the woods anyway? He tried to convince himself. In this form, at the very least, he could run away quickly. If not, Poppy would evade any danger easily.

Taking out his century-long frustrations on a tree actually happened to be really fun! He felt bad for the tree - hugged it at first and apologized to it - but now things were coming easily to him. He threw several kicks to the base of the tree, feeling the burn. He was so set in his passion that the lighting of a tree behind him had him screaming bloody murder.

"OH MY, DON'T IGNITE ME!" He shrieked, backing up against the tree. He didn't see anyone. Did he?

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strix
2008-06-29 03:29 am UTC (link)

Strix kept tabs on everybody. That's the nice way of saying that she breathed down each and every single person's neck from the shadows as much as she possibly could without being noticed. She was very good at not being noticed.

Of late, Strix had taken a particular interest in Balam. That is, ever since the incident in wich he burned her arm. She had been watching him more than usual the last few weeks or so, at least as much as she could between spying and Asgard and everything else she was doing.

She's been in owl form for more than a week, and on this particular she had been skirting around the edge of the woods observing Balam. She was content to just watch (though she thought at some point she would have to teach the boy how to fight properly) untill she heard Dorian treking through the woods, announcing his presence like a bumbling giant. She paused a moment to contemplate this new development, but Dorian's shriek sent Strix into instinctive action. Balam must not be harmed. At least, not yet.

She crouched and sprung from her perch on a nearby tree. Her flight was awkward. Her injury still effected her a little. She landed squarely between Balam and Dorian with a sonorous owl shriek.

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human_body
2008-06-29 01:17 pm UTC (link)

[ooc: I hope the whole spying thing doesn't mean Strix is finding out about secrets without permission from players? Though spying in and of itself is fine, I just don't want it to necessarily ruin things people don't want spoiled yet.]

The fire demon had been raising his hands to indicate that he wasn't about to hurt the panicking stranger when the feathered thing arrived on the scene. Balam's first instinct was to kick whatever the hell had just jumped out away from king and country, but instead he caught himself and peered at the bird in surprise behind his sunglasses.

He glanced at Dorian and shrugged. "Don't freak, I ain't gonna touch you or anythin'. You should probably head home." His tone was...not quite comforting, but he was clearly trying to comfort the stranger.

Balam knew when and where he was supposed to fight the enemy - that was during the trials. Not before, not inbetween, and not after. He was Lucifer's dog, and he knew it well. If only he could find a way to get the damned metaphorical collar off. He dropped down to his knees near the bird and tilted his head, not exactly intimidated by the creature. "Now what the hell's gotten you upset?" he seemed less tense speaking to the animal than the stranger nearby. But then, animals tended to be less of a problem.

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boy_silhouette
2008-06-29 07:26 pm UTC (link)

Head home...

This man who lit a tree on fire was telling him to go home. Wasn't he going to blow him into little pieces? Wasn't he going to threaten him into smithereens? Gin had done it in his own manner. And if this man was truly of evil character, why would he try to save Dorian from himself?

"Why, I....I should....yes, I should?"

But then Balam made notice of an owl and even began talking to it. Dorian cocked his head towards the bird, pointing nervously.

"I think it is unhealthy." He noted. "There looks to be something wrong with it. The bird on the nearby tree almost looked as though it was watching them. It was eerie. But then, Dorian thought everything was watching him.

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strix
2008-06-29 11:51 pm UTC (link)

((ooc: yes, I do ask permission before Strix actually learns real secrets. I would hate spoiling anything!))

Shit.

Strix had jumped the gun. It wasn't often that she made mistakes, but clearly she had been overly cautious of Balam's safety in interceding between him and Dorian.

What should she do? It would be unwise to shapeshift in front of both of them. That would give too much away. Well, she would just have to pay for her mistake by eating crow and staying silent.

Strix eyed Balam warily.as he spoke to her. She had to use a good bit of concentration to understand. Being an owl had its down sides.

What had her upset? She craned her owl head around 180 degrees and looked at Dorian. Did he just call her unhealthy? She gave a little owl hiss in his direction. He was the rotting undead corpse after all, not her.

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human_body
2008-06-30 03:29 am UTC (link)

Balam glanced at Dorian again, then the owl, and shook his head. What the hell was the thing so upset with the stranger for? It didn't exactly seem pissed at him...

Heh, it was cute for a bird to act so strangely.

He reached out carefully and stroked a finger over the owl's feathery head. "I think you're right about it being hurt," Balam noted to Dorian as he kept an eye on the bird. "Sorry for startlin' ya, but there's plenty of other trees for you to hide in," he murmured. Maybe he'd burned the thing's home? Oops.

He put his hands on his knees and pushed himself up. "I ain't gonna hurt you or anythin' unless you want to fight, but it's probably best you find somewhere else to play," he said to Dorian. "I really don't look forward to playing referee if someone else on my side sees you."

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boy_silhouette
2008-06-30 05:32 am UTC (link)

The young man marble-form of Dorian shook his youthful head, quite startled that the owl actually looked mad at him. An animal outside of humans had never been offended by him before! He didn't know they could be! This saddened Dorian greatly, as he only meant to note that it looked to be in a weakened condition.

Other than that, Balam had taken up an interest in the bird and had continually warned Dorian to leave. His simple mentioning of any other member of Niflheim showing up - dear Lord Jesus above, he could have meant Gin - did spook him. Perhaps he was better off not needed after all.

"Okay, take care of the mean bird then. It probably doesn't have any friends with such an angry face like that. Poor thing, no friends." He waved, knowing that it was for the best, even if he couldn't exactly find this man to be incredibly intimidating, tree aside. "Bye bye."

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strix
2008-06-30 10:15 am UTC (link)

Strix instinctively nipped at Balam's hand, and made a strange gurgling sound in her throat, but she nipped softly and did not damage him. If birds were capable of snorting, she would have done so at what he said. Instead her feathers puffed up a little and her head sank down into her feathery shoulders.

Grin an bear it. Grin and bear it.

But then Dorian spoke.

Mean bird? Angry face? No friends? This hit her in a weird way, in a soft spot she wasn't expecting. She was offended. Deeply. She opened up her wings and fluttered/scooted along the ground in his direction, hissing, as if to say, "get lost already".

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human_body
2008-07-03 05:58 am UTC (link)

Balam stood up and shrugged. The stranger was leaving, so things were good. Part of him wished he could afford the company, though. What were the people in Asgard like? What kind of people were they, to be chosen by the opposing side?

He snorted. There wasn't any point in thinking about that. They were enemies. Just like the people around him were enemies. Just like everyone damn well needed to be enemies. Even Strix...well, though she wasn't as bad, she was just as likely to bite his ass in the end. She was...a little easier to deal with though. Maybe. He'd hold the jury on that one for now.

But wasn't that usually what happened? Get a little close to someone and they'd turn around and ruin everything. Especially when it was a woman. He glanced at the bird and smirked. "You might as well get lost too."

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boy_silhouette
2008-07-03 07:22 am UTC (link)

Dorian stumbled back as the owl sent a pointed glare in his direction. The marble-form was petrified. Owls could understand people! It was looking straight at him, as if offended! Could chickens do that? Penguins? Horses, cows? This bird's glare would have been good enough to turn Dorian into a vegan if he didn't need to eat already.

Balam was intent on making the bird go away, but Dorian wanted to suddenly hug it and make things better. He wanted to apologize to the bird. Would the tree-burning man mind? Probably not.

He slinked back near Balam.

"Can I take it? I'll be its friend. And we'll go. We'll leave together."

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strix
2008-07-03 10:43 am UTC (link)

She stopped scooting aggressively towards Dorian halfway between him and Balam and folded her wings.

A string of curses went off in Strix's head, mostly in Greek, partially in owlish gibberish. She did not want to be in the hands of this...this freak (and that's a strong sentiment coming from a vampire/witch/shape shifter).

She crooned her head uncertainly to Balam, her eyes almost pleading.

She quickly considered the situation, however. She could be alone with Dorian. That could be...priceless.

What to do?

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human_body
2008-07-04 02:08 pm UTC (link)

At the look the owl gave him, something went through him. Owls simply did not plead, as far as he knew. It might've been silly, he could be wrong. Still, it gave him a bad feeling.

Suddenly, he didn't want that bird to go with Dorian. No...no, he was going to keep it near and see what happened. He could train later - he'd done well enough leaving dents in tree trunks after all.

He stepped around the owl but did not pass further than that. He didn't want to upset the stranger much more than he had to. "No. If you see it again...maybe, but right now I think it wants to stay with me. I'll be its..." he nearly choked on the word. He didn't want to say it. "friend. For now. Maybe..." What would get this person to leave faster? "Maybe if I find out any preferences it has to stuff, I...I can let you know, alright?" It was reluctant, but he said it.

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boy_silhouette
2008-07-04 09:58 pm UTC (link)

Dorian was sad. This man was going to take his owl friend away, even though it hated him. Nothing drove Dorian harder to make friends than trying to make them not dislke him anymore. The man who had basically ignored Dorian since he told them to get gone was now going to take the owl away, promising to be her friend.

Dorian supposed he could be content with that. After all, it wasn't like the owl cared. It could go where it wanted, with whom it wanted. And it obviously didn't want to go with him. So he nodded, content.

"Okay, take good care of it. They always need love, yes? Okay, bye-bye."

And he made his way off into the forest.

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strix
2008-07-04 11:39 pm UTC (link)

Strix had a sudden, incredibly brilliant idea. She couldn't believe that it had taken her so long, and now she was about to miss her opportunity.

She craned her head once more towards Balam. She nipped at him lightly and cooed. Sorry. Other things to do.

She gathered herself up and sprung into the air awkwardly, disappearing into the trees. she would follow Dorian, and then drop in on him once he was out of Balam's hearing distance.

Her eyes gleamed with predatory glee. This was going to be fun.

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human_body
2008-07-05 05:46 am UTC (link)

[ooc: I wouldn't've had him react quite the way I had him do last time, either, but I don't want to destroy your writing...ah, well. Here goes. Also, i'm going to assume that this is the last post in this thread. Dorian and Strix can continue in a new thread, since Balam won't be involved. If you'd rather it go otherwise though, let me know.]

Balam shrugged and let them leave. He'd made attempts, what did he care if they left now? The stranger was gone and the bird was leaving too.

That worked for him.

...Really, it did.

With a sigh, Balam wiped a fist across his brow and resumed pounding into the trees as practice.

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	boy_silhouette 2008-07-05 08:00 am UTC (link)
	{AN: D: Dorian can hang around! It'd just be in character for him to leave if someone insisted! I don't mind continuing this at all, honest; I'm really having fun. Dorian can like run around in circles trying to get Strix to leave, Balam can laugh, and Strix and Dorian can run into each other a little later in the woods (aka another thread).} (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	human_body 2008-07-05 08:09 am UTC (link)
	[ooc: No, it's perfectly fine! This can probably lead to something interesting with Dorian and Balam later?] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	boy_silhouette 2008-07-05 08:25 am UTC (link)
	{AN: Okay, if you're sure! =D Also, yes, DEFINITELY. I would love for Dorian to interact more with Balam. <3} (Reply to this) (Parent)