Who: Riddick riddickr & Valkyrie angry_queen What: Beltane When: Backdated, Wednesday, May 1 Where: The Settlement Rating: Reader Discretion is Advised Warnings: Riddick has a tendency toward crude language, violence, and lack of social graces. Status: Closed/Completed GDoc
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'Beltane' meant as much to Riddick as any other holiday celebrated across the known universes. He didn't participate in any religion; holidays were only days some fucking people thought mattered more for some fucking reasons he didn't give two shits about. There was free food, good company, and both weren't inside the city limits. Those were his reasons for being out at the Settlement.
"You decided to skip out on the fuckfest too, huh?"
Valkyrie was a welcome sight. She looked comfortable, in her element even, and Riddick was glad she hadn't wanted to try out the other party happening in Madison Valley.
Sex was sex. He wouldn't have blamed her or judged her if she'd gone or if she did go. All he knew was he'd rather be breathing fresh air than choking on other people's endorphins. Those kinds of events had never interested him much. Riddick figured if he had to go to that kind of trouble to get a fuck, something was wrong with either him or the people he was trying to screw.
Valkyrie looked over at Riddick, this was where she belonged in the long run. The Settlement was an open space, with old style buildings and plenty of hard work and love put into it. But on top of it all, this was a place where the gods she knew, friend wise, were thought of and praised. The thought did make her laugh a little, she knew them all as friends and colleagues, Earth was so strange to praise them as gods.
But to many Midgardians, they were. And Valkyrie had a very integral part to play in it all, both in Asgard and to the people of Earth, so this all felt welcoming, comfortable. Plus free food was always nice. She owed her loyalty to Thor, and Odin, and only one was here. He wasn’t her Odin, but close enough if he needed her she’d come.
Otherwise it was best to be in nature when things like Beltane rolled around.
Dark eyes took in the sight of Riddick for a moment before she looked back at the bonfire Sigrun had put together. The scent of roasting meat, spiced and marinated, hung in the air mixing with the scent of smoke. It made Valkyrie oddly happy. “While I am not shy about sex and bodies, it’s not really my kind of place.” she laughed, “This is more my style.”
She like the fresh air, the scents, no stress.
"Same," Riddick admitted, "I figure there's as much opportunity to fuck here as there and here? I get to breathe fresh air alongside the free food."
Sex had never been a problem for Riddick. He had grown up violent, strange, and equipped with unnatural senses which prevented him from ever being turned into a victim even in his earliest years. The first time he'd taken a shine to a female had resulted in one of the best rutting experiences he'd had ever even though neither of them had taken their clothes off. It was strange to think people needed a place to gather to get to it.
People could find food anywhere, right? Why did they have to go looking for sex in a club when there were more able-bodied individuals on the outside than could ever fit on the inside?
Food and fucking were on the same level for Riddick. He thought of them as natural instincts which didn't deserve to be curbed. If whatever had made them had wanted them to push aside desire or hunger, then why had they given them those urges at all? It didn't make sense to Riddick for some all-powerful being to create a creature it considered flawed.
"You get out here often?"
Valkyrie only laughed at that, she didn’t imagine he’d have a hard time finding a woman for a night. She really didn’t think it was something he ever really needed to think about. She had rarely thought about sex as a whole after her team were slaughtered by Hela. She’d had one night flings here and there, depending on her mood. But she’d never had to work for it either.
She never lacked for options.
“I do, actually. It’s a quiet place and I’m welcomed here.” she looked around for a moment, the crackle of the fire made her smile. She liked the peace of the place, she was a creature of war, but she liked the peace a place like this brought her. It centered her much more than anywhere else did.
“It’s a nice place, I can escape technology for awhile, and just relax. You take peace when you get it. It never lasts, after all, and I wouldn’t want it to,” she mused for a moment, laughing to herself. “There is plenty of space to get lost in the woods for awhile, too.”
Some people were made for the outdoors. Their nature eschewed being caged on a primal level no thinking being could control. Riddick had heard it called 'lizard brain' before though he liked to think of it as 'instinct.' There was something nice to thinking about having instincts to guide the way better than questionable reasoning based on mental rumination.
Valkyrie was easy to cast in that role based on her warrior mentality in conjunction with the way she ran freely through the night with him for no other reason than the joy of it.
"Good to know the food's worth showing up for," Riddick smirked, "I'm always hungry. One way or another."
The Settlement felt right to Riddick. He could understand why many residents had chosen to show up for the Beltane event regardless of their religious alignment or lack thereof. All the scents in the air seemed to encourage relaxation and a sense of freedom which couldn't be found inside the city limits.
True freedom couldn't be found inside any city limits. Riddick knew how right he was on that point only too well.
"You got a place out here? I been out to look at a parcel where Shadow is setting up his Combat Therapy site. Thinking about finding a spot for myself here. I never asked where you lay your head at night. Never occurred to me to pry when we can meet up just as well under the stars."
She grinned a touch, “Yes, I am not surprised you are hungry in many ways. I appreciate that in you.” She said honestly as she tilted her head in his direction. The man was interesting, and fun to run through the dark with. He kept up in all their activities.
Valkyrie was fond of the welcoming nature of the Settlement. They had their beliefs, didn't press them on others but welcomed them into their celebrations with open arms. She could tell a life had been sacrificed here before the public party, she liked that too. They kept their full rituals closed unless you wanted to know.
She crouched down, fingers running over the dirt. Power hummed there. “Mmm no, I still am in the apartments. Been setting aside my wages to find a place I like. I'm being picky about it.” A slight shrug.
“How is Shadow's idea coming along?” She looked up again.
"He's got plenty of plans. I know some of them are in the works already. Others he's still trying to manage. I gave some suggestions. Some things I know about."
Riddick gave an irritable shrug, big shoulders rolling underneath a plain t-shirt. He had no formal education. All he knew about anything he'd picked up surviving. Engineering was one of those things kept him from dying. All the knowledge he had to pass on was based on keeping himself alive. It was questionable if any of his suggestions were worth the air he'd used giving them voice.
"You don't mind those little boxes they want to put us all in?"
The apartments offered to the refugees felt claustrophobic to Riddick. He'd slept more comfortably in caves before. All he used his apartment for was showering, sometimes preparing a meal. There hadn't been bad enough weather to warrant needing an insulated place to lay his head. It occurred to him he should have tracked Valkryie back to her home at least once. He could have done it to make sure she was safe if nothing else.
“He seems like he's got some interesting things planned. Will be fun to see, to be honest, what he does.” A faint grin curled her lips.
“I do, I just haven't decided what I want exactly. I've lived in smaller places. I don't care where I sleep. The apartments are just convenient. Plus I work. Easier to get ready for work out of a building.”
She looked over at him then moved closer. She liked how he thought, how he kept her attention. She wasn't sure what it was about him that made him comfortable to her.
Valkyrie stretched, “Want to grab food or go for a run?”
Riddick trailed a finger down the side of Valkyrie's arm, tracing over the bicep, her elbow, down her corded forearm and over the back of her hand.
"I want to eat with you and then I want to run with you and then I want to enjoy dessert with you under all these stars I just can't help seeing."
It went without saying Riddick intended to have the Valkyrie herself as his dessert of choice. She was no prude. Neither of them had any qualms about getting physical under the sky. They had chosen to avoid the invite to the indoor orgy happening elsewhere for Beltane. This was their kind of place. The settlement made Riddick feel almost as if he were the kind of animal who others could be around.
"Sound fair?"
Valkyrie allowed him the touch - she didn’t mind it, not really. Though she did watch him for a moment, eyes trailing his fingers before she looked back up at him and grinned.
“I think that sounds like a delightful proposition, Riddick. I accept the offer. Food, a good run, then dessert, just my kind of night.” she grinned a bit more as she looked up at the sky and smiled, she really did like it out here. It was peaceful and you could actually see the stars in the sky. She liked that, a lot.
She had no desire to watch other people have sex, not that it bothered her it just wasn’t her cup of tea as it were. She preferred enjoying her sex without worrying about other people watching her. It didn’t seem nearly as fun as others made it out to be.
“Shall we then?” she gestured towards the main part of the field where the tables of food were.
"That's me: delightful."
Riddick grinned wide enough to cause his goggles to indent against his cheeks, his teeth white against the tan of his skin. Their enjoyment of each other was something Riddick hadn't counted on. People were hit or miss with him in terms of his ability to tolerate them. There hadn't been too many people he'd ever met who he wanted to do more than tolerate. Valkyrie made him want to try to be tolerable himself---yet she didn't make him feel as if he needed to change for her.
Who'd have thought Riddick would have found anyone who understood the kind of animal he was without trying to tame him or change him?
Riddick never thought to want for someone for himself. The universe he lived in didn't encourage a lot of trust in wants or desires which one couldn't fulfill on their own; no man could create a partner for himself. Riddick had been satisfied living out his days as a lone predator on the hunt for prey. Valkyrie made him believe he could have company on the hunt if he wanted it.
"You told me you've got a friend here who cooks good. Point me in the right direction. I'll give you my opinion. It ain't worth any more or less than anyone else's, but I figure it'll give us something to talk about like we're decent folk sharing a meal."
Valkyrie was Valkyrie. She demanded change from no one and wanted people to just be themselves. It is what made enjoyment of life so simple. It was also what made life harder from time to time.
It was alright though, she was content again. Things back home weren't stellar, and while she still mourned the loss of most of her people, she was happy to have found a new beginning here.
“I do indeed know a fantastic cook.” She grinned as she headed towards the tables. There was plenty of food to choose from and it all smelled good to start.
"I never minded bad cooking or even no cooking if it came down to it. All this smells fantastic. Scent works well for me for more than food, too."
Riddick smirked at Valkyrie as he loaded up a plate to take care of one hunger. They could worry about his other appetites later; Riddick hoped Valkyrie would be as hungry for dessert as he was because he did love a hungry woman. The way she interacted with him reminded him of how he'd seen mercs interact with each others. It was almost as if they were on some kind of team together with the two of them joining together to survive this fucking place.
Madison Valley had held Valkyrie longer than Riddick, but it felt as if he'd been with her the whole time and he had no fucking clue what to do with that.
They moved away from the banquet table together, carrying their own plates. Riddick decided to voice some questions lingering in his mind.
"You think this'll get easier? Staying here? Being stuck here? For me. I keep getting to the point at night where I want to gnaw off a limb to get out of the trap holding me. Does that feeling ever go away?"
“It does get easier. When it throws random things at you it's not bad. And we can always escape through the transportation department for a week.”
Valkyrie filled her own plate high with food, she ate well. The settlement always had good food too. So she was happy to pile it on.
Long limbs carried her to a place to sit on the edges, “when it gets on a roll for weird shit it gets on a roll. Not bad, worth the effort to be honest. I'm hoping we get something crazy soon.”
She ran her fingers through her hair before starting in on the food.She might be a touch eager for dessert.
Random things happened in the place according to everyone. There'd only been one random event interesting enough to catch his attention while he was in town. Riddick thought back to the strange building with its elevators and its endless set of rules. He remembered the fish out of water which hadn't died on the sidewalk. He and Valkyrie had thrown them into the river, taking turns until they ran out of fish.
They'd laughed plenty, but it hadn't been a challenge.
"Transportation services? What's that?"
Riddick hadn't heard mention of transportation inside the city. He could run the perimeter in a couple of days. Madison Valley was large, but it wasn't big enough for him to see them needing to warrant a service to move people. Humans could be lazy. That was a reason they might need some way to get around. They couldn't rely on their own legs due to malaise. People in civilized areas could afford to get lazy, soft, reliant on others or outside forces. Outsiders like him couldn't go that direction.
They had to fight to survive.
"People so lazy they gotta have some fucking system to take them from one side of the dome to the other?"
Valkyrie laughed, “oh no. We can take week long trips outside the dome. Is limited in where, and if you try to go outside the city limits of the area you visit, you can't. But you can go to places on Midgard, er, Earth.”
She drank from her mug and shrugged a bit. “I haven't taken a trip yet but I keep meaning too. It might be fun.” Plus exploring was always more fun than sitting stuck in the dome.
“Plus you can bring things back, like food and so on.” She stayed in on her food, grinning up at him. “We can check it out sometime maybe?” She offered with a glint in her eye. Valk liked the idea of exploring with him .
"There's a way out of this cage? I'm in."
Riddick didn't care if they went to some planet he'd never heard of or landed back on Earth Prime at its worst. There was nothing to be gained for him in staying inside the dome. His skin got too tight whenever he let thoughts of how inescapable the dome was in comparison to every other slam he'd ever been inside.
Being trapped was the worst feeling in the universe. Riddick was the kind of animal who would rather chew a limb off than let himself be domesticated into accepting captivity.
Considering things inside the dome, Riddick admitted, "I can't think of anything the dome ain't got but I'd want. What's on your list? Other than stronger liquor."
A smile lingered around the corners of his mouth at memories of discussing intoxication with Valkyrie. Riddick wasn't affected as badly as humans by any substance he'd ever encountered. Most of the time when he drank, it didn't last long enough in his system to do more than change his heart rate. He liked the idea of seeing the Valkyrie freer with her smiles. She had the kind of smile what lit up her whole face. Warriors didn't often have a reason to smile; Riddick thought they could find somewhere to go together to look for reasons to laugh. It'd be worth it to him just to feel free for a time.
“I wish they were longer than a week at a time, but it’s worth it to get out of dodge for a bit and get free.” she smiled a touch, it wasn’t a full one but it was a small one.She didn’t mind that much, either. This place often threw portals up, and so on, too, so being trapped was only a little bit out of the whole time.
“I don’t really need anything else. But fresh air outside this city would be a delightful thing.” she rested easily, lifting her glass for a moment to take a sip in thought. “There are some seriously lovely places on this planet to explore.” she smiled, a bigger one this time.
“I’d have to see what the locations are currently, they shuffle a bit from time to time.”
Having lived his life with the universe open for his exploration, Riddick found being trapped on one planet stifling and being trapped inside the dome downright suffocating. He knew a planet was big enough to keep anyone busy trying to see the whole thing. It was more a matter of satisfying the itch for unlimited freedom.
"How do we check it out? What kind of currency does it take to travel? I'm gonna have some standard creds once Shadow breaks ground on his project. Don't have anything to trade since I came with only what I carried."
Money was a concept Riddick understood without much interest. Things had never appealed to him. Experiences were different. Those couldn't be taken away or substituted for a more expensive or less pricey alternative. There was only one way to gain an experience and the cost for it was higher than the cost of any item as time was a currency few had enough of to spare without due consideration.
"It's limited to Earth Prime all the time?"
The limitation chafed for the same reason Riddick was interested in transportation inside or outside of the dome. He had never been to the planet Valkyrie called home. He didn't remember seeing his own home planet. A part of him liked the idea of regaining interstellar travel more than he could pass up while another part was grateful he couldn't currently rejoin the Necromonger armada.
“Unfortunately yes. The small bonus is that there are random portals that pop up that lead to other places and other worlds. It’s still a break from this place, anyway, though it isn’t ideal. I’ve been so used to flying through space that it can feel stifling here. But we take what freedom we can find.” she grinned at him.
“Don’t worry - I can afford to cover you. You’ll just have to pay me back in fun ways.” she gave him a mischievous grin, “Plus we can chase each other through some of the bigger cities through the transportation center locations. That will be wonderful, I think.” she was feeling good about that kind of idea.
A little fun. A little freedom.
“Hopefully someday I can find a portal to Asgard before it fell and go see it again.” She was a little melancholy about that one, thank you very much. She missed home a lot, even if she’d self-exiled, it had always been there to come back to.
Before everything.
Neither Riddick nor Valkyrie were the type to share deep emotional moments. They had feelings. They weren't entirely monsters. Their homes were sore spots for both of them though they'd never spoken on the reasons why at anything close to length. Riddick wondered if he could have a conversation with anyone about Furya. It was a reasonable concern to wonder whether or not Valkyrie could talk about Asgard with him.
"I'm willing to barter for some freedom. I'm definitely willing to barter for the chance to chase you through a bigger maze. More options to hide in? More challenges to sweeten the chase? Fuck right, I'm in."
Travel was a possibility for the future and Riddick could feel his blood heating up at the idea of the freedom transportation services could offer him.
The future was for later though. Beltane was happening right now.
"How about we think on places we want to see together while sharing that dessert? I have it on good authority it's delicious and one of a kind. Let me share it with you?"
Riddick didn't offer Valkyrie a hand. They didn't need to be led around. Either of them. It would come down to whether they wanted to do what they were being offered for the dome's holiday. Riddick hoped Valkyrie wanted to share it with him as much as he wanted to experience it with her.