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The Asgardian trickster knew /exactly/ who he was after. The birb. Fits in small places, that one. Reno was cleaning up the mess from the poker game and suddenly…a popping sound, a whisper, "You are going to love this," and then another popping sound as they whoosh away to the second person he needs to collect. Douglas Ramsey. A little research has plopped them at Doug's morning breakfast spot. POOF! Surprise! Its Loki…and…Loki's best friend, Reno! He squeezes Reno's shoulder. "/Greetings/…" Then he looks over to Reno, "I need /him/ this time. Do you want to say something brave and encouraging to get him to come with us?"
*
Doug, who looks like just a somebody, or maybe a nobody, who finally has the apartment over the club he's trying to open in a semi-liveable condition, looks up from his coffee and from the grapefruit he was spooning sugar into and squints at both of them. He hasn't had his coffee yet, and he's in nothing but his tighty-whities and slippers. "Uh. Good morning?"
*
…To add, he's sitting in a folding chair at a card table. He hasn't gotten the furniture in the place, yet, really.
*
Reno stood there wide eyed like maybe if he doesn't move Loki can't see him. No? Well crap. Bravery was not what one got from the birb man. Fingers wiggled at the Mutant with an apologetic look. "He… he does this. If it helps, I had that look earlier. Comfortable." Was that supposed to be encouraging? He still had a glass in hand and the dish cloth he was cleaning it with. Setting the glass down he extended a hand to Doug. "Umm, Reno. This is Loki. He jsut stole me."
*
Loki lifts his hand off Reno and spreads them. "Ohhhh…I've met this one. Do you remember me, or were you too drunk?" He grins broadly. "He speaks Asgardian…which is an /odd talent/, considering that it is not spoken on Midgard, at all. So, I think he will be useful for this. Let me explain…while you drink, and you eat, possibly clothe yourself. It may come down to one or the other, as what I have to say is brief." Loki pauses to give Doug a chance to ponder what he's just said. "Soooo…I have felt something. I can tell when…dimensions, /realms/ that I am familiar with, are in motion, shifting, changing. And this…yes…Its absolutely happening down the coast a bit. There is an area there, its highly unstable. If things move, you can feel it there. Regardless, I hate to go alone. I absolutely need someone who can flee in terror if necessary, and fit in small places, if required, and I am going to need a linguist, because I am a little rusty on the various demonic tongues."
*
Doug takes a bite of his grapefruit. He chews, and swallows, slowly, and then he takes a long drink of his coffee, before he comes awake a little bit. "Okay. I have a couple of questions. First—" He says, holding up his spoon, "Am I actually allowed to tell you 'no'? Considering that you teleported into my apartment in the middle of breakfast, I'm guessing no…" Then he sighs, "And extrapolating from there, not to paint myself as a profit-minded man, but what're you offering in return, eh, Loki? And yeah, I remember."
*
Reno gave Loki a dry look, "You know, you are not a good sales person, amigo. LIke you tellin a guy in his Jockey's that you are feeling things ain't no comfort. " To Doug he implored, "Hey man, IAin't no skin off my beak but you may want to take your grapefruit and graba jacket or soes or something cause it's co- wait" Suddenly the birdman's eyes dilated and he looked to Loki withthat look that suggest that he may molt in a moment, "Wait dude demons? You say demons?" His voice ramped in speed and octave with concern. This merited a really deep breath. "You talkin like el diablo, or like the Ghost Rider whoopin someone's tail oooor like please don't say like demons demons."
*
Loki cocks his head and looks over at Reno. "Welllllll, if I knew the answer to what /exactly/, I would not need the two of you. I do not anticipate us actually running into any sort, any variety at all, while on this mission. As for what is in it for you…" Loki speads his hands and lowers his chin. "You get to travel with me. And see a glimpse of the marvels of the hidden realms…a peek into the endless reaches of tiiiiime and space…and," Here he cuts off his own monologue, "Its best if you just agree to help out, for the sake of this realm. I am an Agent of Information, and this is troubling for Midgard as well as any other realm."
*
"Demons don't impress me." Doug says. "I have the Demon Queen of Limbo in my rolodex—we went to school together, she's a close friend of mine, turned me down when I asked her to prom." Doug raises his eyebrows, and says, "Do you want me to call her? Because I'll have to duck out to the payphone." Then he shakes out his shoulders, and gets up, as if to go looking for his pants. "I've been to Limbo, it sucks. Where did I put my shoes…?" Then he says, "Unless this turns into a complete cock-up, I believe it's customary for you to offer a boon when the job's done? Or was that Apollo…?"
*
Reno looked helplessly between these two guys and turned to at least head into teh bathroom to find Doug a robe or something. He's been bird knapped. Doug might be hanging on the minutiae but Reno was a practical man. He sighed listening to teh story, "What is wrong with you guys? Sounds like everyone jsut really need a weekend off or a bagel or somethin." When Doug went to look for his shoes REno had scrounged them up (because it's what crows do best: find things) and helpfully handed them to Doug. "A boon? Man you's way better at this negotiating than I am."
*
"I tell you /what/. Both of you. You can ask one thing of me,after this is done. That's the offer." Loki smiles innocently. "And it has to be within my ability to grant. I cannot make either of you immortal. Just…put that right out of your mind. Now, let us go before I become less generous." He makes a little gesture with his long-fingered, pale hands.
*
Doug pulls on a pair of blue jeans, stuffing himself into them in a hurry, before he jams his feet into a pair of tatty sneakers. "With the crowd I grew up with, you learn that you'd better fixate on the fine points or you wind up with Stupid Reality Tricks." Doug says, to Reno. He looks up at Loki, who's taller than he is, and then he offers his hand. "Shake on it."
*
Reno was so proud of Doug. Reno wasn't used to being around practical minded people that did business in the face of terror. He idly wondered if he really caught the 'has demons' part. Knowing people didn't equate to not-scary or perfectly safe. The sleight Puerto Rican shifted his weight in his shoes considering this. Objectivly he added to Loki, "That's two things now. I still didn't hit you up for hte last time. As you're going to take us with you wether we want to or not? Sure man. I think that's fair."
*
Loki reaches out to pat Reno's shoulder, and holds it, while he grins, a twinkle in his eyes, and takes Doug's hand. Instantly, however, they disappear and reappear on a beach. Its still morning. Same time zone. SUPER COLD. But, there's only a moment for them to think about the surroundings, before everyone falls 5 feet to the sand (well, maybe not Reno!). Apparently the God of Mischief doesn't get that teleporting thing perfect every time. Even Loki's badass expression suddenly turned surprised when he feels himself suddenly drop. "AHH!" THUD!
*
And yet Doug is still the kind of guy who'll barf up his guts at the sight and smell of blood. He grips Loki's hand, and then they teleport — he didn't have time to put on a shirt. Fortunately, Doug has killer lats (he worked hard to get them, he's proud of them). Still, that doesn't stop him from landing in the sand and then getting up, hugging himself — his teeth chatter from the cold. "Okay. Hold on." He closes his eyes, and inhales. "Let me see…" And then he reads the 'Language' of the world around him. "Reality disruptions create disturbances in everything from wind patterns to the tides to the behavior of animals. If I relax… I can find it."
*
Reno closed his eyes. Maaaaaan he hated that feeling like he's being flipped inside out part. Landing wasn't… so bad as it turns out! What do ya know? looking around got doug a double take and a look of sympathy from the bird. "Maaan is 37 degrees out. I said like grab a bathrobe.: Reno though, generous as he was pragmatic took off his jacket he'd nicked on their way out and handed it to Doub. He assured, "I'll be okay." And that done? Folded himself like meat origami until he flash folded in on himself becoming a… large crow. Right. "I speak a little seagull. I'll let you know if I catch anyhting. Kinda hard tho. THey got this accent that-" He paused and puffed up hisfeathered chest and tucked his wings in for warmth, "Me talkin is probably not helpin"
*
Loki brushes sand off himself as he gets up back to standing. "Oh no, talking is key, actually. Talk quite a lot. Say things…that sound /wise/. Say things that make it known that this is not the day we die. If we run into trouble…they will mistake you for one of Odin's, and we will be made safer." Loki says and he starts moving, a bit distracted looking, sensing in a different way than Doug, the place of instability. Its rocks. Its always rocks, isn't it? A tidal cave, there on the Maine shoreline, a place that people go, and drink, and sometimes disappear. Drowned is what the locals say. Got too drunk and the tide came in and drowned them. But, some of those people are traverseing other realms, while others knew deaths far worse than drowning. The Native Americans had a name for the place…before they were killed and the warnings were lost. Doug can sense it, hell..in bird form, Reno can sense it, because the magnetic field wobbles there. Birds know better than to roost in /that/ cave.
A Seagull can be heard by Reno though. Vaguely, 'Hey Man, hey man, hey man, you got a snack? Is that your person? Does he have a snack? Man, Man, I want a snack. Want me to shit on your person for ya if he doesn't have a snack?'
*
"I thought about buying a house out here." Doug says, "But decided against it, because Mutant Town is apparently the one place in New York City where buildings are affordable." He points toward the cave. "In there." he shoulders the jacket Reno gave him, and then picks his way toward it, slowly. "There's something…" He slips down the rocks and catches himself, "Off… in this cave! Does anybody have a light!?"
*
Reno squint into the darkness and squaked, "Sorry man, we crows don't work like that. Them's- " His words in English were cut off by him yelling back oto teh gulls, *Don't you ahve someone else to shake down? Have you met a crow before? We don't litter man. And don't-* He thought about that. Loooooked at Loki. headtilted and really thought about letting the gulls doa drive by. Sadly it wasn't in his nature to be wilfully malicious. *Nah, he's alright. Leave my dude alone* As they got closer to the cave though Reno's feet shuffled back. He might not even be aware he was backing up from teh cave, but he was definiately backing up from that cave.
*
"Come…Reno…sit on my shoulder and I will protect you well enough." Loki made a gesture as they got closer to the cave, and his golden horns appeared, and his flowing green cape, leather armor, all meant to be imposing should they run into trouble. "I can give us a light." And it springs forth in the shimmer form of gold in his left hand, swirling about itself in a magic half formed and kept in stasis there.
The cave itself starts out very wide. It is wet from the waves that lap into it every 5th or 6th one, but drier further inward, as well as darker. There is grafitti, some carved into the stone, some sprayed or painted, but there are also older marks, if one knows what to look for. A pile of stones that isnt naturally deposited there, perhaps an old attempt to wall it up at one point. And sounds. Sounds that scientists would say are particular sonic echos of the water and empty hollows, and underground drainage…but that sound absolutely straight out of a creepy movie.
*
"Well," Doug says, "This isn't an aperture to Limbo, those I'd recognize—" He frowns, "But Limbo's not the only dimension full of hell-demons, based on what I've read. Far from it. This could be an N'Garai Cairn, or a doorway to the Dark Dimension… or even a portal to Hell itself!" He pauses. "I do a lot of reading." Once the way is lit, Doug puts his hand on the mouth of the cave, and then slips inside. Say what you will about the kid… he is fearless.
*
Reno was shaking in his little birdie feet. One might point out that he cannot die in this form. He might point out it only means bad things can chew on him longer and that just prolonged the unpleasant. He looked at the cave, Loki, the cave, and couldn't believe he was doing it but up to the God of Mischief's shoulder he flew. Really in all of the fear he paused to observe, almost cheerfully, "Oh hey I noticed your helmet is all fixed and stuff. Good for you man." He was going to say something else but Cypher went off on an analytical tear and the crow chided, "What are you reading before bed? Man, we survive I'm like gettin you some Wizard of Oz, or som of that Hardy Boys stuff or TV Guide or something. Something with a happy ending man."
*
As they sense the cavern's oddity, the cavern's oddity senses them right back. The darkness increases until there are golden shadows playing off the smooth walls. And that's when SHE shows up. Slinking from the darkness, she has an amazingly hot and well-formed female body…though she looks entirely made out of wood, which is /weird/. And her face is that of a distorted skull, with the 'roots' of the wood of her body, holding it into place. About her skull head, there is a golden ring, just hovering there, upon which has been tied thousands of long, black hairs, so that she has the appearance of a coif. She is not wearing any clothing, and she smells like ash. When she opens her skull jaw to speak, it is NOT in English. For those who do not speak the Infernal language, it sounds like rocks scraping against unspeakable things.
"Who is it that looks?"
*
Loki looks to Doug as if to say…'I aint answering that'.
*
Doug rubs the back of his neck, and frowns at Loki, and then he looks at the uh… sculpture. That is freaky. He pauses, as if reluctant to say anything. Um. Okay. He responds in the same Infernal tongue, which makes his mouth feel greasy and his teeth scummy, but that's extradimensional languages for you. He stands there, in his jeans and his jacket with no shirt on under it, and says "…Douglas Ramsey… uh, son of Phillip and Sheila, and I've come to find out what's happening in this cave?"
*
Okay that sculpture as they were calling it, her, that whatever that was that coalessed before them was carved elegantly from the roots of the Nopenope tree on the Isle of Nope. Oooooh that lady was giving him the shivers. His feet clung to the back of Loki's collar and walked a step back, and back again until he was standing off the Asgardian's collar. OH GODS SHE SPAKE!!! The bird shuddered and it was good that the cave was dark so no one could see the little dark spot that formed in the sand below. Cuervo tucked his beak back as the tonge of demons befowled the inside of his skull. There was a tiny high pitched whine, and then silence as the top of his head pressed to teh base of the Loki-shield's skull waiting for this to be very very over.
*
Loki arches his brows. "What did you tell it? Tell it something…demanding. Her…Its…master…to know what's coming. Something that would tell us what realm she's from." Loki speaks ONLY in English, trusting that the devil witch hasn't had time to learn that, recently.
Witches may never have truly been made of wood, but her hell form certainly is. She stares at Doug as he declares who he is, perhaps surprised that he can speak back to her. Then she looks around, confirming that she does seem to be in a cave. "Preparations for an arrival. It could be here. Maybe somewhere else." She says in that grating language.
Loki can feel the bird nudging at the back of his neck. "Oh by Odin's beard, did you just shit on me?"
*
Doug looks over at Loki, and then back at the witch. He could be imperious, grave and terrible — not that he can ever really manage it — but instead he rides a hunch. "…Could you tell us who's going to be arriving and what they plan to be doing while they're here? Please? Are they going on vacation or are they planning on ending the world… it really does affect the way we respond." he shrugs his shoulders. "I mean, you know…" He smiles, wide, "*I* would be really grateful." All this SOUNDS evil and imperious as hell, because it's in Infernal.
*
Reno was stone quiet and just shivered. It was a while before he even answered Loki. "N-noooo?" That didn't sound confident. His head perked up and he looked. "No." Thunk went his head hiding from looking directly at her. It was bad enough he was getting crazy impressions off of perching on Loki's shoulder, but the psychomitrist was not touching the Ground of the Infernal Mother of All-Nopedom. One eye peered at Douglas and he sighed. "How can he be so scary for a aguy with a canteloupe and BVD's 20 min. ago?"
*
"None may know his true name. He searches. That is what I know. If you value your lives, then leave and do not hinder him, for Me-phis-to is MORE!" The witch looks at Doug again, then at Loki and the shadow that's basically burrowing in his neck.
Loki stands tall. "Ohhhh, Mephisto?!" He sounds excited, even…pleased? "That's interesting!" In English, again, though. The witch doesn't seem to understand it, except what Doug says. She looks back at him and cocks her head and starts to retreat. "He really is a scary fellow. Doug, that is." Then he lifts his voice, "Tell him that Loki says HELLO!" That, in Asgardian. Its unclear if she understands that either. She doesn't stop leaving.
*
Doug crosses his arms, and then says, "…Great. Well, thank you!" He says, to the retreating… creature, before he looks up and then puffs out a breath. "Well, now my grapefruit is warm and I have to figure out whose pay grade Mephistopheles falls under. I've read Faust, he's out of my league." He glances toward Loki, and says, "So did I hold up my end of the bargain? Do I get my boon? If so, I want to call it in."
*
Reno made neither a peep nor a caw until they were out of that damn cave. With the grip those sharp feet had Loki might wind up with some extra buttonholes in odd places. "Maaaaan I ahte that I know the answer to th-that." Apparently the bird did know people. He took a deep breath and tried to remember things were good. See? Doug fixed them. Quietly he squaked, "Next time, man, you gotta start lettin me pick the destinations. I'd say that's for the birds but we want no part of this place."
*
Loki does go out of the cave and out of the area of its influence, so that they don't get sucked to hell or something. "You know the answer to that? How interesting! And you? You want to call something in right away? Go on then, out with it." He makes a swirling gesture with one hand. "Reno? Do you knooooow something about this?"
*
Doug puffs out his cheeks, and then sighs. "I want—" He says, "To be your apprentice. All the stories say you're a master of magic — I want you to teach me how to do sorcery." He shrugs his shoulders.
*
This is a terrible idea, and he knows it — but he makes the request anyway.
*
Reno was sooooo remiss to answer that. His only reply was, "I'm a talking crow, of course I know. Trust me, I wish I didn't, but people who know too much don't live so lon- DOoooog yous dunno waht yous askin, man. You have any idea what this dude does to people?"
*
"Yeah," Doug interjects, "I hallucinated that I was wearing furry boots and underwear like I was in a De Camp Conan knockoff story. He's my best shot. Dr. Strange is going to ask a whole lot of questions that I'm not really okay with answering and in a really weird way I'm more comfortable asking the God of Lies for instruction than John Constantine." He shrugs his shoulders.
*
Loki tilts his head curiously at that request. "Why do you want to know? I am not saying no…but…I do need to know your reason. Your goal. To see if it is even possible."
*
Doug looks up, and then he stretches his shoulders. "The Kree landing on this planet have caused a shift in language that makes me uncomfortable. Social upheaval means there's a real chance some bad people are going to be looking for someone to blame — and they'll pick Mutants. I have a plan for how to survive the coming storm — Mutant Ragnarok, if you will — but I need some tricks in my bag to make sure I live through it. It's not any desire for power, it's just prudence. My mutant ability lets me speak Old Norse, Asgardian and Infernal, it doesn't bounce bullets off my skin or let me fire energy blasts from my eyes."
*
"Then…we will discuss it further. I would hate for you to spend your short life poorly." Loki grins and gathers them up for some returns to be made. However…upon teleporting them back to Doug's place, he simply seems exhausted, which means that Reno has to fly home and Loki catches a cab.
*
There's a moment where Doug gives Loki a thoughtful look—and then before he sends him out… he feeds him breakfast. True, all Doug has is grapefruit and coffee — but still, the guy wiped himself out. So. You know. Small kindnesses. At least there's sugar to put on the thing.