InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Hurt me, hurt me!"

Richard Wainwright (atrickstertype) wrote in paxletalelogs,
@ 2011-11-01 20:44:00

Entry tags:

loki, melinoe

Last Night Was Shaking
Who: Richard/Loki and Iris/Melinoe
What: Halloween Event Prompt
Where: All over town
When: Around 1:00 am, October 31, 2011
Warnings: Yes? Probably? TBA
Notes: In Babylonian mythology Scorpion Men were the children of Tiamat. They were also known as aqrabuamelu or girtablilu. They had the head, arms, and torso of a giant man but below the waist they had the tails of scorpions. Their heads touch the sky, their "terror is awesome" and their "glance is death". They were first created by the mother goddess Tiamat in order to wage war against the younger gods for the betrayal of her mate Apsu. Deadly warriors, they could fight either with their scorpion tails or their bows and arrows which never missed their targets.

Richard rubbed his temple and walked out of the Pax with his jacket in his hand and a bitter taste in his mouth. That was definitely in the running for the worst party he had ever been to. If he had just... no. No, he wasn't going to focus on it anymore. Hell, he was too drunk to focus on it. He was just going to get to the bus stop (thank goodness public transportation kept late hours) and get back to the Pax. There would be enough time for apologies and explanations later, when he could concentrate. When he could remember just exactly why he had done any of that. The fight with James (who he had only realized later he recognized from seeing him walk into the apartment next door), the subsequent mess with Lucy, he would deal with it all later

The headache came at the same time as the bus. It was a stabbing, violent one, probably brought on by a mix of the alcohol and the last few weeks. That's what he had to tell himself, anyway, as he stumbled on board and fed the machine a couple of dollars. If the migraines were really getting more common, it would mean months of doctors' offices and pain. His stomach roiled at the thought, so he pushed it to the back of his mind (he was getting lots of practice avoiding thoughts like that recently) and slumped into one of the seats near the back. Wincing, he rubbed his hands across his eyes, his beard... and Loki looked up, blinking, at the strange hall he was in.
No, bus. Richard called it a bus. It was to take them back to their home. Apartment. Yes. Now, how exactly was it meant to do that? The sooner he arrived at their home, the sooner he could deal with whatever was happening on that island. Somehow he doubted that it would be exactly his area of expertise, but from the little bit he had been able to pick up on, they would need him. Whoever they were. He had recognized some of the voices Richard had encountered, he was sure of it, but they, like so much of Richard's mind, seemed distant and difficult to call forth

His attempt to remember was cut short by the realization that the bus was coming to a halt. As he looked up, a glass door set in the wall swung open and Loki lurched out of his chair towards it, leaving Richard's coat and hat on the seat behind him. Almost immediately after his feet touched the ground the bus roared to life behind him and started away. By the time he realized that he neither knew the area, nor had any memory of Richard passing through it, the bus was out of hailing distance. Loki grimaced, scanning the vicinity for any single familiar image. What his eyes lit on, much to his surprise, was a woman's form. Iris was distinct enough that he could recognize her even from a distance, and he started down the sidewalk at a trot, calling out her name.

"You there! Iris!"

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

tranquilstrife
2011-11-13 05:17 am UTC (link)

Melinoe didn't know the area, but she did know a thing or two about being unseen and finding places to hide. Silently she grabbed Loki's hand and continued to run, looking around. They passed a 24 hour supermarket, and Melinoe had thought about going inside, but when she took a closer look inside, it was so very bright, that definitely didn't make for a good hiding place at all, they would be found in an instant, especially with all of those tall windows. Taking charge of the situation, Melinoe continued to run for another block until they came to a group of small shops that were all closed. In between the post office and the group of stores was a small alleyway, just large enough for a delivery truck or two. On the side of the post office, there was an elevated extremely large metal rusted door, and next to it was a small set of cement stairs that led to a locked steel door. Melinoe couldn't reach the large metal rusted door, which was really more of a gate, and the steel door was closed. However, there was a green dumpster in front of the stairs, and if they squeezed, there would be just enough room for the two of them to hide. Melinoe wasted no time in getting behind the dumpster, sitting down and hoping that she was hidden well enough.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

atrickstertype
2011-11-13 07:27 pm UTC (link)

Loki let himself be led through the town on the hope that Melinoe had some idea of where they were going. It had seemed to go well, until she chose her refuge. He looked dubiously at the small area, behind what looked like a heavy but ultimately movable object and in the middle of a dead end, and shook his head.

"Are you mad?" he asked, vaulting up the stairs to the door. "Putting the rest of it aside, they can climb on walls. If they look down from above, we're doomed." He ran a hand across the door, found its lock, and pushed. The handle twisted with a hard clank and somewhere inside a siren began to wail. "In here," he said, offering her a hand up onto the stairs. "It's smaller. They might not fit."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

tranquilstrife
2011-11-13 08:24 pm UTC (link)

She really hadn't considered Loki while she was looking for a hiding place had she? She knew that she could blend in well enough to not be seen from being the dumpster and that was all she had thought about, but Melinoe did appreciate that Loki called her out on it, being brutally honest with his words. "Well the wailing siren is very subtle I have to say, much better job." She took his hand and followed him onto and up the stairs. "We have a better chance of hiding inside though, good job opening the door," she had assumed the door was locked, because why wouldn't it be? With one breath she insulted his choice and with the other she complimented his skill.

Once they were inside, Melinoe looked around slowly at their surroundings. It was indeed a post office, filled with mailboxes, carts filled with mail, and various offices. "Do you think we can stop that siren from going off?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

atrickstertype
2011-11-15 08:58 pm UTC (link)

Loki closed the door behind them and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim glow of the streetlamps that came in through the windows. Within the klaxon was much louder, and it sent a shiver of unease down his spine. That was the kind of sound meant to call others to investigate a disturbance. They shouldn't linger, even if they could turn it off.

And he certainly didn't know how to do that. He wasn't even sure where the noise was coming from. It seemed to fill the room like a physical presence, and he had to yell to be heard through the din. "If you know how, it sounds like a fine idea!" he howled at her, glancing around the darkened enclosure. "But I..."

The sound that interrupted him was not from the same source as the klaxon. It was most likely not even the first of its kind, just the first to be loud enough that they could hear it. He could best describe it as a metallic thud, and as he spun to seek it source, a beam of light came from the giant metal door that took up the wall next to where they had entered. The light was coming through a hole... which had just been punched by the point of a tail as big as a good-sized dog. The drip of venom that fell from the tail's tip as it exited the hole froze Loki in fear, and then sent him hurtling across the building, looking for another way out.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

tranquilstrife
2011-11-16 03:30 am UTC (link)

Melinoe looked all around her, and she was suddenly torn as to what to do. She could hide herself very well right there in the office and not be seen, that is, if she was even able to successfully do that with a creature so powerful as the scorpion men, that would be a great risk to try that for the first time on a creature so deadly. Also, her fading away and saving herself would leave Loki to be in deep trouble all on his own. Why was she even concerned about him, he wouldn't even reveal his identity, but then again, part of her did respect his want for secrecy. "There has to be a front door! We obviously came in the back way, it's probably the only other exit!" Melinoe followed Richard, listening to the horrific sound of the beasts trying to enter the post office.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

atrickstertype
2011-11-18 05:41 am UTC (link)

"That was my thought as well!" Loki barked as one of his legs slammed into something. The line of profanities that he let loose at the sudden pain was bitter, bloody, and Nordic, but it did not slow him as he headed for the other side of the building. What he could see of his surroundings was all metal, stone, and wood - in some ways far more familiar than the strangely lit outside world. But that brief comfort was not enough to distract him from the sound of the door behind him being torn, slowly, to let the monsters in.

It was more luck than skill that led him to the front door, which sprang open under his hand almost before he could concentrate. He gazed out at the street, saw no immediate sign of their pursuers, and flung himself out of the door, hoping against hope that none of them had thought to climb onto the roof.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

tranquilstrife
2011-11-18 06:03 am UTC (link)

Melinoe raised an eyebrow, and under different circumstances she would've listened a little closer to the foreign profanities, perhaps hoping to at least find out what culture Loki was from. This not knowing was bothering her deep down and he wasn't speaking any language she recognized. Of course she didn't care right now, considering there were giant scorpion hybrid man monsters chasing them. Instead, she simply followed Loki outside. They might as well try for that Walmart they had passed a few blocks back, and Melinoe had started to lead them that way, not hesitating as she pulled on his arm.

The two had only run half a block before sirens began to wail. When Melinoe looked up, there was a cop car pulling up to the post office. On instinct, she grabbed Loki and pulled both of them into the shadows. She herself began to slowly blend in to the point where unless you were specifically looking for her, she couldn't be seen. It did absolutely nothing for Loki, but the shadows alone most likely hid him well enough.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

atrickstertype
2011-11-18 06:30 am UTC (link)

It was far from the first time that Loki had found himself hiding in plain sight, but the feeling had never become less unpleasant. He watched, only half comprehending, as the vehicle with the red and blue lights pulled up in front of the building they had just left. It was unsurprising that the creatures chasing them would be drawn to the lights and noise, and he watched in a mixture of interest and horror as a man and a woman exited the vehicle. Their feet had no sooner set down on the ground than the first of the beasts appeared around the corner of the building, hissing at the car. The man stared up, raised a weapon of some sort, and had not even leveled its point at the creature's face before the point of its tail obliterated his chest. As he fell against their carriage, the woman's weapon barked three times at an even tempo. Loki had time to marvel at her courage before she too fell, this time in the grasp of one of the thing's pincers.

The monster staggered, as if truly wounded, and screamed, its tail smashing down again and again into the red and blue light. The sound of its brethren responding mixed with the wail of more sirens approaching, and Loki turned jerkily to Melinoe, his voice strained and soft. "While your power is undoubtedly useful, I find myself rather at a loss. What is more, I do not know how many are coming. One of them could still see you. Is there nowhere to run?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

tranquilstrife
2011-11-18 03:23 pm UTC (link)

Melinoe had watched in awe as the beasts created their carnage, destroying the police car. She didn't want to wait around to discover what else would happen, because clearly Loki was right, one of them could see her and he was completely out in the open this way. "We need to get back to the apartment building," she didn't exactly know why heading to Pax was such a good idea, but somehow she knew that it would be safe there, and if not, there would at least be people that could help. "but we have NO idea how to get there." As Melinoe talked, she ran, heading to the Walmart she had seen open. She didn't exactly know what a Walmart was, but she had seen that it was somewhere that was open, which meant no more alarms and sirens.

As they headed into the Walmart, she put a hand up to Loki, defending her actions before he even spoke. "No, it's not a great hiding spot, but there are a ton of people here, and at LEAST we'll hear the screams before those THINGS come and attack us, it will give us some time to think, find a map and get back home."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

atrickstertype
2011-12-02 09:44 pm UTC (link)

Loki hardly heard his companion, distracted as he was by the place they had walked into. It was cavernous, some sort of giant hall filled with what he could only guess was a bazaar. Bright lights and brightly colored wares vied for his attention, while those few people who stalked the aisles seemed insensate- merely shuffling past behind metal carriages they pushed themselves. He could hardly fathom this place... but he saw well that it would have no hiding places when the beasts chasing them came through the front door. There were no walls, no rooms, nothing that looked solid enough to protect them or hide them from the massive beings that followed.

"If you hope to hear the screams first, I suggest we get as far from these doors as possible," he offered, trying to ignore the music and voices coming from above him. "What should we be looking for? Would one of these people simply know the way to go?" He began to walk quickly away from the doors, noticing the startled glances that people were shooting their way. "Are there other doors?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

tranquilstrife
2011-12-04 03:44 am UTC (link)

"We should be looking for a map or someone to help us find a map since I have no idea where it would be in this horrible place. Maybe someone even knows the way home?" Melinoe started to head to the back of the store like he had suggested, walking passed things she absolutely did not recognize, small fridges, action figures, giant stuffed animals, as well as camping and hunting equipment. It was hard not to stop and stare at each and every new thing; the world had changed so drastically since she had last been in it. Finally Iris stopped at a door that led to the garden section. It was probably a way out, but did they stop to try and find a way home or just continue to run? Making a decision, Iris went towards voices, which brought her an aisle or two over to the paint counter. "Excuse me, but do you know how to get to Pax Letale? We're supposed to go check on a friend's apartment for them, and we got a little lost."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

atrickstertype
2011-12-10 07:16 pm UTC (link)

The man behind the counter looked up from what Loki could only guess was a stupor of boredom or illicit alcohol and stared at Melinoe. His mouth worked, as if attempting speech, and he blinked furiously. Apparently Melinoe's appearance alone was enough to stun a mortal into silence. Loki wondered with amusement what the man would have done in reaction to any one of his children. Or, for that matter, to Loki's own original semblance.

When the man finally spoke, it was with a slight tremor, "That's quite the costume," he said, as if saying it would make it true. "But I don't know anywhere by that name, ma'am. Sorry 'bout that."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

tranquilstrife
2011-12-11 04:24 pm UTC (link)

Melinoe had forgotten in the panic that her appearance could frighten and intimidate people, and she could continue this one of two ways, and in her mind she mentally flipped a coin to help her decide which route to go. She could be nice and understanding about this, of course the man didn't know where Pax was, it was just an apartment complex, one of a million. Or she could be a little harsher, there had to be a way for someone to help them, to find out where their apartment complex was somehow. She searched Iris for help, but she was no help.

Melinoe leaned in slowly to the man and certainly the closer she leaned in it quickly became more and more obvious that she was not actually wearing a costume. Was she even there? Was he imagining this? She tried to access her powers as best as she was able to. "Find out."

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -