Brynhild Ingouf (brynhild_ingouf) wrote in spinningcompass, @ 2022-07-06 04:54:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | brynhild, moon knight (mcu) |
Who: Bryn and Marc
Where: Wheel 2, Bryn's "gentlemen's club"
What: Meeting, inventory and coffee
When: Backdated to the 23 of June
Rating: TBD
Open: No
Status: Gdoced
Back in the day, when she had the blood of others to fuel her, things like this would take maybe hours. As she was, it took days. All the click close doors stood open, exposing their contents, as she stood on the back counter of the bar, clipboard and pen in hand. Her feet were bare, because falling could do some real damage now, and taking stock of what she needed was easier done in comfort. Anyone that didn’t know better, wouldn’t know she was over twelve hundred years old, especially not the way she was dressed, ruffled short denim shorts brushed the tops of her thighs, while a borrowed button down victorian style white gentleman’s shirt dangled from her elbows, it was meant to be over a pale pink fitted woman’s cap sleeved tee that happened to have ‘Juicy’ scrawled across the bosom in rhinestones. The outfit was topped off by the ankle length socks with pompoms on each outside. She thought she was the picture of some twenty something youth, with her long wavy auburn locks tied up in a ponytail. Bryn glanced up from what she was doing as he stepped through the door. ~~~ Marc was avoiding the food court now, after Maximoff's outburst the last time he'd shown his face there. He kept food in the apartment, now that Steven was aware of him, and he had a mug that was just his - He'd written his name on it with a Sharpie, and Steven left it alone. So he usually got to have coffee in the apartment before going exploring. Not this evening, though. He'd run out. He was working through the wheels - he couldn't explore every single floor, because that would be utterly crazy (and he'd know, ha), but he could manage chunks in a night, maybe seven or eight floors before he needed to return to the apartment and get enough sleep so that the body could continue to function. He also worked off things he read on the network, so he knew there was a bar on the current wheel he was exploring. He just had to find it, and tonight looked like it was his lucky night. He pushed the door open enough to walk in, and glanced around as he did so, taking in the decor and ... the woman standing up on the bar. Interesting. "Hey. Bryn, right?" *** The bar was mostly wood and leather, paneling on the walls were stained a walnut, the leather chairs a complementary deep brown, the floor was stained black. The only things that weren’t a dark rich color were the four copper baths that lined the wall, they were polished to a shine. She thought it also smelled like a man, but that was purely her own opinion. Carefully she eased herself down off of the bar, and set down her clipboard. Giving him a smile. “Yes. Would I be correct in saying you’re Steven?” Her accent leaned more toward sounding Norse than British these days. “Can I be of assistance? Would you like a cigar, and a chilled glass of something well aged?” ~~~ He walked further in from the front door as Bryn climbed down, and stopped moving when she asked her questions. "I'm Marc, and ...do you have coffee? I ran out," he admitted, and ran a hand through his hair before trying to push it back and keep it in place. "This place is nice," he added, looking round him again. "It feels... old." IT IS NOT OLD, MARC. FAR FROM IT No shit. He resisted the urge to reply or roll his eyes as Khonshu appeared, and crossed his arms as he watched Bryn. *** “It’s a pleasure, Marc. Now would you prefer the pod brewed or a french pressed?” She moved to one of the opened cabinets and hauled the machine and the press out of it, followed by a single mug. She’d already had her allotted caffeine for the day. And beauty sleep was important. “Thank you, that was the aesthetic that I was going for. I would say some of the wood used is old, but it was hewn when there was a door open to my village, so not exactly aged. The tree species does not exist anymore, though.” Bryn had been about to elaborate away from her faux pas, when she sensed something different. Her head cocked to the side. Odd. “Forgive me if I sound crazy, but is someone, or something with you?” She didn’t beat around the bush. ~~~ Marc thought about her coffee question as she brought both things out of the cabinet. "French press, if it means I get more coffee," he reasoned - he really needed it, after all. He didn't yawn after he spoke, but it was a close thing. What the hell had Steven been doing all day, anyway? Khonshu listened as she explained about the wood, and Marc could feel the god's confusion, especially when Bryn asked if he was alone. The god was now standing beside Bryn, peering down at her. YOU MAY TELL HER. SHE IS... INTRIGUING. THERE IS POWER IN HER, BUT NOT LIKE THE WITCH FROM BEFORE. Marc scowled at the mention of Maximoff, and then nodded. "Khonshu. The Egyptian god of the moon, protector of those who travel at night. Greatest god of the greatest gods, he who lives on hearts. He's right beside you. Says you have power. Do you want me to make the coffee if you're busy?" *** “You’re welcome to all the coffee you can handle.” Her intent wasn’t to flirt. Not really, it was just her nature. She did collect the other needed things for the French press, the kettle, which already had water in it, was turned on, the grinder, which already had ground up beans in it, and the creamer and sugar if he wished to add it. Bryn marked down the fact that she could feel him as something left over from when she was a vampire. Especially when he moved to stand beside her. The power felt more intense. Curious. “Well, I am honored. I’m afraid I don’t know much about Egyptian gods and goddesses, I never made it that far south in my travels. I had power, I was a vampire, I do know blood magic, and have active spells tattooed in ‘invisible’ ink, perhaps that is it?” She questioned as she pushed the press, coffee grinder, and kettle towards Marc. “I am not busy, but you would know better than I, how strong you like your coffee. If you need more beans there are plenty.” ~~~ Vampire, huh? He raised an eyebrow at that, while Khonshu paced around Bryn. "If you want to learn about Egyptian anything, you could ask Steven, next time you see him. He loves all that shit." ...ALL THAT 'SHIT'? AND WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE WORM NOW? "What? It's a phrase, that's all. And don't call him that," he said, before looking back over at Bryn. "But yeah, Steven can read heiroglyphics and Latin and ancient Greek, all sorts of stuff. If you asked him about any of that, it'd make his week, probably, never mind his day. Do you want any coffee?" Marc sorted out the kettle and then started spooning coffee grounds into the press before adding a little bit of cold water to them. ASK HER HOW LONG SHE WAS A VAMPIRE FOR, AND HOW SHE CAN BE HUMAN AGAIN "Khonshu wants to know how long you were a vampire for, and why you're not one any more, by the way." *** "I certainly will, I do have more than a few Egyptian artifacts in my possession, er..." She paused, scrunching up her nose. "Not here, back in my world. I don't know their significance, just that they would be dangerous in the wrong hands. So his knowledge would be invaluable if I were to get another door." Bryn was able to resist the urge to grin, but only just. It was clear the god, which she couldn't hear, had quite the opinion of Steven. "Oh no, the unfortunate side of being mortal is that I have to limit my intake of everything. Coffee especially, and I've already reached my limit for today." She turned toward where she felt his energy, it would be rude to speak to someone as a go through if you knew the asker was standing there, she looked up because that seemed right, because she was quite short. "I was a vampire a year or two short of twelve hundred years. As to why, well my daughters were brought here, and I simply did not wish to outlive them again. I was also tired of the need to feed off of other beings in order to be… Right?” She wondered if that would make sense to either of them. ~~~ Marc almost laughed as Khonshu tilted his head in surprise when Bryn looked round and up at him. "He's about the same height as Jake. The blue cat guy," Marc said, before adding freshly-boiled water to the press. Now all he needed to do was wait. The coffee smelled really good, though, and he said as much. WHO DID SHE FEED FROM? "Bit rude, don't you think?" ASK HER "Sheesh, alright, alright," he said, before scrubbing at his face a little. "He, uh. He wants to know who you fed from." *** “Oh, well that’s helpful.” She could visually picture Jake. It was only slightly embarrassing that she wasn’t looking quite high enough. It was her turn to cock her head at Marc when he said something was rude. Oh. “I don’t think that is rude. It changed every time I fed, until I was strong enough to gain a thrall, then I fed from them, or a lover, as I got older I did not have to feed as much and it was usually from whomever was warming my bed. When I came here I had to be more open with what I was, and I asked for volunteers, until I gained a lover. Do you want specifics?” Her gaze shifted back up to where she figured Khonshu’s head was. “I could not name every person I have ever fed from, but those that I fed from more than once I could.” ~~~ Did Khonshu want specifics? Marc glanced back up at the skull. TWELVE HUNDRED YEARS OF FEEDING WOULD MAKE FOR A VERY LONG LIST. I DO NOT REQUIRE SPECIFICS FOR NOW. "He says no," Marc told Bryn, before speaking to Khonshu again. "Are you going to be asking all kinds of questions right now, or do you think it could wait a bit?" IT CAN WAIT. I HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED AN EX-VAMPIRE BEFORE. I WISH TO TALK TO HER AGAIN. "Well, none of us are going anywhere soon," Marc replied with a shrug, before turning to check on his coffee. "Khonshu says he's never met anyone like you before, and he wants to keep talking to you. But I need coffee right now, so questions are going to stop for the time being." The coffee was ready, so he pushed down on the ...thing, and poured it into his mug. Thank fuck for coffee. *** It was entertaining to see their interaction, even if she could only hear one side of it. She wondered if Marc was relieved not to have to explain himself, or thought of as touched in the head. “Well, Khonshu, I am an open book, here. So any questions are welcome as long as Marc is willing. That said, would you like anything else, Marc? I have a stash of food, not enough to feed ‘customers’, but I would not mind sharing with you.” She would probably share with anyone that was hungry, but she wouldn’t actively advertise storing food. It was nice knowing someone else who did not worship the Christian God. Even if Marc didn’t worship Khonshu, it was clear that his belief system was different. Not that Bryn had anything against Christians, or their God, besides their mistreatment of women for centuries. ~~~ Marc had a mouthful of coffee when Bryn offered him food, so he shook his head. "I'm good, thanks," he said once he'd swallowed. Then he yawned, hiding his mouth with the mug before excusing himself. "So where are you from? You said Egypt was too far south for you, so I'm gonna guess Europe somewhere." SHE IS ONE OF LOKI'S. "Loki? Really?" he asked Khonshu, then looked back at Bryn. "You're a viking? That's pretty fucking cool." He drank some more coffee and then laughed a little. "Steven's gonna freak the fuck out if he learns that. You've got Egyptian stuff and you're a viking? Oy, the questions you're gonna get." *** “Is my Kaunaz visible?” Bryn glanced over her shoulder as if she could see the tattoo herself, when it was just over her shoulder blade. Or was her soul marked? Not that it was a bad thing if it was. She had prayed to Loki quite often both before and after her death. “But yes, that is not what we called ourselves, but the English speaking world does, and I’m from Norway, not to be confused with the Danes.” She offered him a smile. That was the second time he mentioned Steven. “Is he your brother? I haven’t met him face to face, I’ve only conversed with him over the network.” But clearly they at least knew each other. ~~~ "I dunno what a cow-naz is, sorry. Khonshu told me," he replied, and smiled back for a moment. "He's, uh, not my brother, no. And yeah, he's pretty chatty on the network." Marc couldn't help but tense up a little, remembering other people's reactions to finding out about him and Steven. Even Maximoff's reaction here... upsetting, and a bit weird that she'd thought him a ghost, but still not the worst he'd had to deal with. She hadn't filled him full of antipsychotics and then sedated him, after all. He drank some more coffee after that, to give himself a moment. "He goes to the food court every day for lunch, if you wanted to meet him. The guy that runs the coffee shop there does vegan stuff, he likes all that." *** “Oh, it’s a rune, specifically one that is representative of Loki. It is like a sideways V that the opening faces the right. I would show you, but it may be considered indecent.” She glanced back up to where she assumed Khonshu’s face was or close to it, “How did you know?” “I have only talked to him a handful of times, yet I find he has a very endearing nature. But I fear he would not approve of my former nature, if he is vegan. In the ‘Great Outing’, in my world, where many supernatural creatures came out of the proverbial closet, many vegans and Christians protested the vampires' very existence.” But she knew Bucky. Probably a little better than some. “But perhaps he will be different.” There had been that little niggling fear of being thought poorly of, because of what she was. Even if she wasn’t anymore. ~~~ I KNOW LOKI. "He knows Loki, he says." Marc shrugged as he spoke. "I wouldn't worry. Steven's vegan because he wants to be and it works for him, rather than because of some militant veganism thing, but other than trying to get me to try all those weird nut milk things, he doesn't try to get other people to join him. And I've never seen him complain about other people eating meat. I don't think he'd judge you." He took another drink of coffee before refilling his mug from the french press, and then gestured at the spot he'd found Bryn in a few moments earlier. "Do you need any help with what you're doing?" *** “Oh.” Well that explained everything neatly, “Did he say I was his subject, or …?” Though she knew neither man, Bryn felt oddly relieved at Marc’s defense of Steven. “I’ve lived blissfully without judgment, or without judgment of something I couldn’t control, here for a little more than five years, sometimes red flags go up before there is real reason to.” Especially now that she was more fragile. “But if you are against nut milks, I suggest giving oat milk a try. It is especially good in coffee, and you don’t have to worry about it curdling if the coffee is too hot.” A smile brightened her features. “I wouldn’t turn down any help offered. And I pay well, and not just in coffee. I’m taking inventory, so that I can restock what needs to be restocked, and take note of what is low so it can be replenished once we get a door that allows it.” ~~~ "Nah, he just said 'I KNOW LOKI'," Marc replied, trying to replicate Khonshu's voice and failing quite a lot. Five years, wow. Marc hadn't even managed two months before Maximoff started poking at him, sticking her nose in where it wasn't appreciated and all that, and making Steven start going on about talking to the doc which was always gonna be a bad idea, but - Oh, shit, Bryn was still talking about... oat milk. Okay. "I'll suggest it to him. Is it good in tea? He drinks more tea than coffee." Ha, inventory. Steven's favorite. Marc just gave Bryn a little smile and drank some more coffee. "I can do inventory, I've done that before." He'd taken over mid-shift for Steven at the museum before when he'd had headaches or a bad day or Donna had been her usual bitchy self and given him the task for no real reason other than to make Steven do it, and found himself stuck in the stock room for hours. "Show me where to go and what to do." |