Leif Niemi (bloodcounts) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2011-02-18 11:17:00 |
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Entry tags: | #solo, 2009-08-10, leif |
Blood is thicker than water
Who: Leif + familiar.
Where: Home --> Niemi household.
When: Late morning.
“Nice weather we’re having.”
Key stopping mid-rotation, Leif turned his head to look at the neighbour addressing him. One of the neighbours he did not recognise because he could not bring himself to truly give them the time of day. Not when he could hear the inane chatter in their heads. He was being used as a method of gauging whether it was safe to leave the house. It was. If one happened to be demonic. Looking the other man over, Leif barely stopped the sneer that pulled at his features. He realised he was an early riser, but was it not a little late to still be in a robe and pyjamas? And fluffy slippers... God, I miss Detroit. The things people looked to for comfort during times of crisis. For a fleeting moment, he wondered just how many demons had torn from their beds as they tried to hide. There was nothing dignified about dying in a foetal position. Locking his front door, he ignored the hesitant well-wishes from his neighbour and adjusted the shoulder strap of his sports bag. He had things to do, but he was of the opinion that appearances still mattered and this particular distraction was not destroying his suit.
‘I’ve seen what you do for distraction. This is taking it too far.’
Miakoda’s disapproval had been louder than her actual thoughts since he had packed that sports bag. A regular occurrence, since a blood witch needed to get their wares from someone and the bag was his preferred method of carrying it. The bird just didn’t approve of how the blood itself was obtained. Which, he did not feel the need to remind her, was really not his problem. Familiars were supposed to be supportive, were they not? He was getting no such vibes from his.
‘Because this is ridiculous.’
To each their own, Mia. To each their own. Sliding into his car with the bag on the passenger seat, Leif noted the curtains twitching in the windows of more than one house when the engine started. The last time he checked, the demons ravaging the world did not drive cars. They needed to stop being so jumpy. It was irritating. As was the manner in which his familiar flew alongside the vehicle, lingering in his peripheral vision. Until she had something useful to say, he was ignoring her. Ignoring her and enjoying the fact that the weather was indeed pleasant. Better still that Scarlet Oak was still doing a remarkable impression of a ghost town. There were precious few idiots hanging around in the streets and nobody to get in his way.
‘Or bare witness.’
Something he hadn’t actually thought about. Following a whim was not the same as restocking. But now that she mentioned it, she was right. How convenient. With his familiar sulking and everyone else locked inside their houses, the world was a very quiet place. Good. It allowed him to think. As the engine settled, Leif looked up at the Niemi family household. Perhaps the Selanne family these days, since the ungrateful bitch has divorced herself from everything that brought this about. ‘This’ being the family’s current lifestyle. He, at least, was earning his luxuries with a business that, while inherited, he was genuinely running. What, exactly, had Linnea done to deserve hers? The moment’s hesitation from Miakoda suggested she had an answer for that that he did not care to hear. Fortunately for both of them, she wasn’t voicing it. Make yourself useful and keep an eye out. While she was sat on the roof the least she could do was make sure he didn’t get arrested.
‘There is a demon down the road. I don’t think anyone is in a rush to stop you.’
A sentiment that was lost over the sound of the cordless power drill bought especially for this occasion. Which added weight to his familiar’s accusations that, despite this being a whim, it came across as remarkably premeditated. Contrary to her belief, it was not the result of any real time spent planning. It was what Leif deemed to be common sense. Then again, so was using a proper password on one’s alarm system. Any points Linnea may have gained over the years went down the drain when he worked it out on the first go. Especially if she had ever intended for it to keep him out.
‘Somehow I doubt she thought you would break in.’
That is because she’s an idiot, he stated, dropping the drill back in the bag and slinging the whole thing over his shoulder. Although, really, it could not be said that the woman had anything he wanted. Of course, stepping into the family house was like stepping into a different climate. Far cooler than outside and obviously engineered to bring comfort to a master elemental rather than, say, a fourth level elemental who did not care for his element much past making ice cubes for his scotch. The house itself was silent and perfectly still, fountains aside. The sound of water constantly on the move was more of an irritant than it was a calming device. Easily fixed, however, since the things weren’t powering themselves and turning their power off was hardly a chore. As the house stilled, Leif breathed in... and relaxed, laying the bag down in the hall. Silence. Which he was more than happy to destroy. “Better.”
‘You’re being incredibly childish.’
Oh, but he wasn’t finished yet and he certainly wasn’t aware that this venture had anything to do with being adult. This was about making Linnea - ‘Your mother.’ - uncomfortable, and that was it. The woman was of a weak disposition and he knew her well enough to identify her weakest links. If using that to his advantage made him childish, then he was of the opinion he could - and most likely would - grin and bear it. Stealing a piece of strawberry liquorice from the kitchen cupboard, Leif considered the situation before dodging down the hall to check his father’s office hadn’t been meddled with again. All clear. Not exactly a redeeming factor, though. If anything, it fueled any encouragement his blood was providing. Images of his father’s old office brought an association with a certain warmth that the other members of the Niemi family were distinctly lacking. That was not to say Jokull was an affectionate man. Even Leif would admit that one look at himself said otherwise, but the fire that came with witchcraft brought him home faster than any amount of water would. With a click of his tongue and a ghost of a smirk, he moved to find the thermostat. The knowledge that he would be returning home to a cool, comfortable house really only made him feel better about turning this house into what he hoped would be the residential equivalent of the Sahara. How long would they be away?
‘Does it matter?’
He supposed not. That combined with the weather ought to have the desired effect by the end of the day. He trusted they would not be back quite that quickly.
‘Hurry up and finish. You’re the only one entertained by this.’
Yes, alright. He did have more important things to attend to. Demonic invasions lead to time off work - it was the perfect time to get everything in order. Unfortunately for Linnea, it also lead to boredom. And the devil will find work for idle hands. Which was, really, the main reason the bag had found itself emptied, the owner striding up the stairs with a pair of two-pint bottles in his hands. Automatically repelled by the blessed room he knew to be Kajsa’s, Leif nudged the other doors open with his foot until he found Linnea’s. Most would consider it wrong that any man should buy four pints of what he was guessing was pigs’ blood from a butcher on a whim. Stranger still, perhaps for a blood witch. It was cold, congealing, and did not count as animal sacrifice. It was useless. Mostly. Unscrewing the bottle, his brow knit in contemplation before he poured the contents over his mother’s bed. He knew that, at face value, what he was doing was arguably disgusting but otherwise harmless. At the most, Linnea would need a new mattress and bed linen. But as much as he wished he didn’t, Leif knew her well enough to know how much this was going to stab at certain nerves that she, no doubt, wished she didn’t possess. And he believed that to be fair.
‘Knowledge of her existence in exchange for psychological warfare?’
So they were on the same page after all. Returning the caps to the empty bottles, Leif did not give his pseudo murder scene a second glance. There wasn’t much point, he had seen a blood-soaked bed before and the last had been more interesting. This was just twisting the knife. With the bottles packed back into the bag, he glanced around. The fountains outside were still running, but if he was willing to leave without desecrating Kajsa’s room he could leave those alone. Besides, switching them off risked others noticing. He could do without the Snows taking an interest in the matter. Especially if the Oz boy decided to stick his nose in. Next time it wouldn’t be a first level childhood curse aimed at him.
‘So we’re finished?’
Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Leif reset the alarm, closed the door with its destroyed locking mechanism and beckoned mentally for Miakoda to follow. They were done. But now he had a craving for strawberry liquorice.