Jokull Niemi (justlikefather) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2010-02-11 15:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-07-03, linnea |
I Saw Her Bleed
Who: Arich (NPC), Jokull, Linnea and Ramone (NPC)
Where: Jokull's office; Detroit
When: 9:40 a.m.
Warnings: Disturbing theme and a spider
Jokull leaned back in his chair, bored with this whole affair. He'd never engaged in a blood-letting that took over an hour before and he'd gone through quite a few ceremonies in his time. More than a fair few of them with the very woman that Ramone was using. He seemed to enjoy it a little more than he had to but Jokull didn't really care. He'd paid him well for Linnea's blood. What'd he care how he got it so long as Linnea didn't die? Because her death would be hard to cover, the children would be upset, her brother would ask questions... a whole mess he just didn't need on his hands ever.
Life would still be easier without her. The high, dry voice came from his shoulder where a rather large wolf spider was perched. His familiar, Arich, had been a pleasant surprise if for nothing else than having a companion whom he didn't have to worry about. Arich wasn't going to stab him in the back or any of that. Even if Arich's views tended to be a bit more direct and less subtle than Jokull preferred. Some spider he was. Never having to go to Scarlet Oak or worrying about what she's doing with this or that man. Or woman even. Tsk tsk, your father didn't know what he was doing when he picked that one for you.
You don't know anything about that, Jokull thought sharply. Almost everything he did was still an attempt to prove that he was worthy of the Niemi name and he'd not be put down in that by anyone. Not even his own familiar. And she has her worth... the children for one. And this for another. I'd never have made this deal if I couldn't have offered her blood.
And the delight of him taking it. If spiders could laugh, Arich would've done so. Like his master he seemed to have a sadistic streak that enjoyed watching Linnea squirm and cry out, though she was getting better at remaining quiet. How disappointing. But don't you want something from that vampire woman? Her prices are high with the blood, without it... unless you've decided Linnea's served her purpose then we can't let her be taken from twice in two days.
"There are other options," Jokull murmured before raising his voice. "Ramone, please tell me you're about done. It's been well over an hour and a half and I'm beginning to think you're going to drain her dry."
"Not even close," Ramone chuckled, his eyes practically glowing as he stepped away with several vials of blood clinking in his hand before being slid into a bag. "But stomach wounds don't bleed quite as well as ones elsewhere and there had to be a little magic twined in with the blood as it came out or else it'd be useless to me." The man flashed a wide smile full of perfect teeth. "Pleasure doing business with you and your lovely wife." He brushed a finger against Linnea's sweat-soaked brow and chuckled before heading to the door. "The shipment will be in tomorrow. Typical place."
Linnea hated Jokull. Oh she always hated him to some degree or another, but it flared up into the front of her mind when she had to deal with things like this. Stretched out on the floor half-naked with little cuts criss-crossing her stomach, pulled apart and squeezed to get more blood out so there would not need to be more. Listening to the laughs whenever she winced or a tear welled up - and they did, Linnea's face was as wet with tears as it was sweat. She never said anything unless the cries counted, but those came more because they were wanted. If she did not express her pain then it would be worse, she had learned that lesson when she was still early in her twenties and only Jokull took from her. It could be worse, Linnea thought to herself with Ramone finally stepped away. It could've been a vampire or it could've been Dagmar. She knew Jokull used her daughter as well, some people even seemed to prefer her blood. Why Linnea did not know, but part of her suspected it might just be the thrill of taking from someone so young. She knew nothing about the demonic-blood.
Without sitting up, the elemental reached out for the box of first-aid supplies beside her, pulling it up. Of course the wounds were clean, Jokull never tolerated anything that might damage her beyond repair, but she liked cleaning them herself no matter how bad the peroxide burned. At least... no, one of them was deep enough and would need the small stitches. "I need your help." Her voice was low and only a little shaky, but she did not look at Jokull as she said it. She hated him even more when she needed him to help her.
Look at that, you can't even take care of yourself, Arich scoffed. Jokull chuckled as he stood and went to kneel beside his wife, unsurprised. She had never been good at stitching herself up and he had needed to learn how or risk exposure at the hospital. That and he had caught the tail-end of Ramone's thoughts as he left. The man'd gone a little too deep on one of his cuts and had hoped Jokull wouldn't notice or at least wouldn't care. He didn't care.
Nor was he gentle in his actions as he took the small needle and medical thread, sterilizing it all before he began. Four small stitches would be enough to keep it from breaking open. Unless she engaged in more... activities. "So tell me, Linnea," Jokull began, his voice pleasant. "Who was it the other night? Don't make me pull it out of you, just think it and we can be done." Sometimes his wife resisted and she'd learned quite a few tricks through the years of their marriage that could make it hard to just shift her thoughts like he could with almost anyone else. At least he knew that a telepath unused to her would have even more issues.
Oh the spider was there, looking down at her with all of those eyes and waving its front legs about as it skittered on Jokull's shoulder. Linnea didn't like that thing anymore than she did her husband, less probably, and it took just as much dislike in her discomfort as Jokull did. Maybe even more. The mental image of it squished flat on the bottom of her shoe was a pleasing one that, with wide eyes, she tried to file away before Jokull saw. The harsher pressure on her stomach and the resulting trail of blood that streamed from where he was stitching told her he had seen.
"Just a man," Linnea said slowly, shuffling through her thoughts so fast she could not even put them into the proper order. "A blind man who wouldn't recognize me again." Now that she was certain was a lie. He may not know what she looked like, but Linnea was sure that Angel would recognize her voice. "One time occurrence, nothing's coming of it." Except for the guilt she had felt upon telling Bradley for whatever reason. Oh no, don't think of him. Jokull doesn't need to know that ever. There were a lot of things her husband did not need to know about, but Bradley topped the list out.
"Oh, now, we're not going to entertain those thoughts," Jokull said firmly, stabbing a little harder than he needed to. His familiar dead would mean him dead. He knew that Linnea wanted that, had wanted it since not long after they were married, but it hadn't happened yet and wouldn't happen anytime soon. She needed to stop thinking about it because it clearly did her no sort of good. "Arich, go down and keep her occupied so she doesn't think such unpleasant thoughts." The spider was all too willing to skitter down Jokull's arm and onto Linnea's stomach, hairy legs brushing against her skin as he moved up to her neck, stroking his front legs against it.
Can I bite her, too?
"Not today, we wouldn't want her neck being marked now would we? Even if she is being uncooperative... hmm... just tell me his name and Arich won't bite you." He wasn't going to let the spider anyhow, but Linnea didn't know that. It was far more likely that he'd let his familiar bite just because he felt like watching her squirm a little more. And most days he would do that exact thing. Most days he hadn't needed to give her stitchings though.
Arich was on her neck. Tears sprung to Linnea's eyes, more than had fallen during the little ritual, and she held herself completely still at the feel of his legs on her neck. No, she thought, every ounce of self-control going into not flailing. No, please... Angel. His name's Angel and that's all I know about him. Please just take him off. Please. She did not even trust herself to speak out loud. She did not want the spider to hear her. If Jokull told him that was something different. She was not saying it. Would not give the spider that satisfaction.
The wounds were clean and Jokull knew what he needed to. His wife had done what he expected and with some young man named Angel. The brief image he'd gleaned from her frightened thoughts showed him someone who seemed to be of an age with Leif. "Come along, Arich, we have other things to do. Clean yourself up and expect me tomorrow. Can't miss the fireworks display with the family." When Arich had skittered back up his arm, Jokull rose and left without another thought for Linnea. There was business to be done and Linnea's thoughts had started whirling so fast when Arich had touched her that it was going to give him a headache. Now there was the last thing he needed today, a headache. All of this could wait to be dealt with until he was back in Scarlet Oak and Linnea wasn't already weak from something someone else had done.
Linnea finished cleaning quickly, wrapping a thing of thin gauze around her stomach just in case any of the band-aids or stitchings came undone before tugging her tank top back on and standing. The world spun around her and she had to catch herself on the desk, swallowing hard to keep her breakfast down as the world slowly righted itself. After making it down the stairs she stopped into the corner store right nearby and purchased a large bottle of orange juice to drink on the way home. She had to be feeling at least a little better before she got home or else her children would notice that something was wrong. They might anyhow, but hopefully relaxing by the pool would take their minds - and hers - off of it.
Just like always.