3960/We're going to totally take your ring.

We're going to totally take your ring.
Date of Scene:	27 October 2020
Location:	Elektra's Safehouse
Synopsis:	Thor and Amanda come to Elektra's Condo to retrieve the Zodiac ring of the Capricorn. After bloody battle they are able to overcome Capricorn's Avatar and take away Serpens influence from Elektra.
Cast of Characters:	Elektra Natchios, Thor, Amanda Sefton

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Elektra Natchios has posed:
Elektra has had her worries as of late, tracking the whereabouts of the Hand, what they are trying to do here in New York. It's a source of stress, but she has her plans to move forward about it and there's no time to rest. She absently brushes one finger over the ring she wears, currently wearing dark pants and a shirt. Just rather casual wear. No boots or shoes though, not at home, she normally barefooted.

Her house is rather quiet tonight, the windows close but she still able to look out at the night sky even as she is going through some information of a few contacts of hers that haven't yet disappeared.

She was close to discovering the thread. She knew it. Just a bit longer ...

Thor has posed:
    The evening sees itself marred with the grim and grey clouds that so often threaten not only thunder but rainfall in quantity. Always with the clouds that rush in off of the river, providing that low-hanging hint of fog across the city each evening this time of year. Yet tonight there is a hint more gravitas to the weather, an occasional distant crackle and roll of thunder.
    It is during just such a moment when the flash of lightning is in the offing, as she walks around the room that for a moment the light of the moon through the window is eclipsed. Just long enough for the balcony to creak with the abrupt shift of weigh outside and then the window is pushed open with the ragged creak of the frame surrendering the the pressure. Whomever was out there, their arrival is heralded by a voice at the least familiar.
    "Elektra!" Thor's voice as he steps through the window into the room, a dark figure behind him as he emerges.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda pushes back her hood when she and Thor alight... or perhaps crash... on the balcony. She follows the thunder god, albeit with a certain amount of caution. He may call the woman his paramour, but Amanda has no real frame of reference for Thor's interpretation. Nor is she confident the woman they come to meet will take kindly to their intrusian. Thus far, she has not found removing the Artifacts from their bearers to be all that easy. In fact, she's found it exceptionally challenging. Else she'd have more them in her possession by now.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Just the faintest of glimmers near the windows has Elektra already reaching under her table casually with one hand, grasping a Sai there. She has been on the receiving end of enough assassination attempts to know how to handle them... Make sure they don't know you have noticed, remain just as chill.... But then there is a crash, clearly it is not an assassination attempt, or at least not a traditional one..

Thor and ..., someone familiar. From the Infinity Watch. Curious..

"Good evening, Thor." She replies in her casual manner, dark eyes turning up to watch one intently, then the other. "You may consider yourself a hero but you are invading an ambassador's home." she warns. "What is the meaning of this?"

Of course that the ring already has other ideas, though for now that hand is out of sight under the table, no ring in sight so far.

Thor has posed:
    The hammer in his hand drops with a faint /whom/ and lands on the floor, mallet head straight down and the haft angled straight up. He holds his hands up before him, empty as he takes a step toward her. "I mean you no harm, Elektra. Just there is foul magic afoot here. I have brought help?"
    The tall man glances toward Amanda quickly, then back to the woman whom he knows is an ambassador. An assassin? Not so much. "You recall when I spoke to you about the blood in the sink when you came home? Do you recall where you went that night? Something has skewed your memory."
    He steps forward again, then pauses as he straightens up. "I wish but to help."

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda inclines her head graciously to Elektra. "I appologize for the intrusion," she says evenly. "Thor was most insistant." She steps a pace away from him -- not far, just enough to give her room to move, if she needs. But she's not presenting any sort of threatening stance or form. "There have been a rash of attacks of late that I believe are mystically directed, their participants often both unwitting and unwilling." She offers a small smile. "I think Thor just wants to make sure you aren't a victim of that."

Elektra Natchios has posed:
"Yes, he can be quite stubborn." Elektra says matter-of-factly. Her eyes trail Amanda when she takes that step to the side, squinting. Is there some kind of memory there? She twitches her ring under the table, for a moment her whole expression turning more aggressive. SOMEONE certainly remembers. But then she just smiles faintly. "And you believe I may be a victim?" she furrows her brows. Such a notion feels ridiculous to her, and it is! She has never been a victim in her life.

"I don't know where you got the idea I was out with blood on my hands. I would had remembered if it was so." She remembers most of her kills afterall!

"But we already spoke of this before. I grew tired of it then and I grow tired now. Please leave my home." Her tone is firm, edged even. Not the type to take a no for an answer!

Thor has posed:
    A deep breath is taken, "I'm afraid we can't, Elektra." He looks to Amanda. Then he starts to walk forward, "If you will just let me see your ring. We can run a test on it to see if it is what we are afraid of and if it is not..."
    He continues to walk across the room, reaching one hand out as he gets ready to restrain her. Yet he continues, "Then you will have your ring back instantly. Lady Sefton if you would?"
    The Thunderer says that as he walks right up to Elektra and pauses near the edge of that coffee table, one hand moving to settle light upon her shoulder. For assuredly he can restrain her with marked ease and then gaining the ring?
    Child's play.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda has some sympathy for Elektra, really. Thor... is not the *subtler* of the two Asgardians she's met. He is, however, the more optimistic of the pair, she suspects. And, as she reads Elektra's body language, she's also very, very certain they're not getting out of this without some sort of a fight.

While she has no concrete reason to suspect the woman of being a dangerous combatant -- save, perhaps, for a passing memory of the battle against the corrupted CitySoul -- she certainly knows that, if Elektra is actually an Avatar, that creature will most certainly be a fighter.

She preps a holding spell, meant to immobilize the woman, but waits to see how successful Thor may be before she casts it. Of course, when the woman inevitably moves? She flings it out with expert efficiency.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Forever a deceiver. Elektra gestures with her non-ring hand when Thor is approaching. "My ring..?" she cants her head to the side. "Of course, why didn't you say so..?" she inevitably moves of course. "It is in my room I will fetch it." she replies to the duo. Very reasonably speaking, all those tricks of an ambassador coming to the fore.

She gets up to her feet, gesturing with one hand before Thor reaches her, as if to stop him from grappling her. So uncouth. "And then we can clarify all this. Also, you owe me a window."

She turns as if to leave down the hall to her room, her ring-hand still mostly kept covered. Of course that if someone is *really* trying to pay attention to it they may see a glint of silver.

Thor has posed:
    "Elektra, please." Thor says as he looks after her while she starts to march toward the hall. A quick glance is shot toward Amanda, his eyes wide as if asking what he should do but then he moves back and steps quickly after Elektra.
    The tall Asgardian steps forward, one-two-three strides, his voice lifting as he moves. "If you will but hold on and bide, I will check your hands, and if indeed the ring is not here then assuredly it is not the one we seek. So please, Elektra."
    And that is the moment when he finally reaches her, hand falling upon her shoulder as he reaches with the other for the other hand that he had seen the ring on, but more than ready to restrain her bodily if needs be.
    That is if he's not stabbed in the next moment.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda holds her spell when the woman appears reasonable. Hey. It's entirely *possible* the human persona is in charge here. If Serpens isn't pushing her? It's possible...

But, then there's that glint of silver -- and the sense of magic that pulses from it.

"Shiesse," she murmurs softly. It's not a magic word, though it is a curse.

Thor reaches for Elektra, begging her to stop, Amanda calls, "Oh, it's there!" And she releases that immobilization spell at the woman with a flick of her fingers. She may pay for this heavily later, she knows. She just hopes Elektra's house insurance covers 'Acts of Gods'... or some such thing.

At the very least, it might pay for the window.

(Right. Insurance companies never pay.)

Elektra Natchios has posed:
If the elegant ambassador is the type to go peacefully that doesn't register when she immediately reacts to that hand on her shoulder. She moves fast, almost inhumanly fast, brushing that hand aside. "Don't put your hands on me." tone harsh. She turns swiftly, her leg coming up, extending fully to hit Thor on the neck if he doesn't move out of the way. It's still a very human-powered kick, but at a vulnerable spot. One of those perks of being one of the best in the business, she knows where it hurts. Even Gods.

Yet that is the opening for that spell to hit her. Really, spells are cheating! (For Elektra) The magic encases her, trying to overcome her will to remain mobile.. And honestly, she has a pretty good one for a mortal, unwilling to go down without a fight. She staggers back..

"You shouldn't had done that.." which is when that ring glows, the signet of the Capricorn lets out a bellow. She is encased in darkness, a swirl of ancient magics, of Gods supposedly long gone. She becomes taller. Almost as tall as Thor, hooves instead of feet, encased in dark armor. The head is that of a goat, it's eyes deadly.

Capricorn is here. The creature flicks one hand, blades coming out of hidden places around the house. Turns out being a paranoid assassin also favors Capricorn who can manipulate metal. They fly swiftly towards both Thor and Amanda as the creature bellows. "I SHALL BE REWARDED FOR TAKING YOUR HEAD!" yes, the creature is very loud when speaking. Not the subtlest of them.

Thor has posed:
    In the middle of saying something else suddenly Elektra whirls and /slams/ her foot into the side of his neck causing him to stumble back several steps as he coughs, one hand reaching out and causing the vase on the end table to tumble and shatter. Shaking his head he recovers just in time to see the darkness and malignance swirl creating the imagery of the goat creature, its armor glistening as he raises his eyes to its.
    His hand reaches back and opens, and from the floor Mjolnir /leaps/ into his grasp with a low /whom/ even as he brings the weapon forward and brandishes it.
    "Amanda, behind me!" He says and suddenly the hammer /whirls/ faster than the eye can see, creating a roar of power and shattering weapons as they rush toward him, careening and bouncing and smashing off of the ancient hammer and into the walls.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
As blades come flying from all directions, Amanda tosses up a sheild around herself and slides into Thor's shadow. She's no fool. She'll let the big guy play tank. Her job will be to isolate and remove that ring. "Don't count your heads before they're taken," she mutters.

She begins pulling in eldritch energies, the light of them swirling around her, within the shield. New York is her city. And its edifices heed her call. The Goat can manipulate metal, it's true. But the sorceress is calling to brick and mortar, ceramic and stone, even the wood and fiber of furnishings, building a net to ensnare the bellowing beast.

Elektra may need to get in touch with Damage Control, when all this is over. Apparently, they've got a reconstruction specialist who can set everything back the way it should be without having to buy a whole new building.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
"I WILL TAKE YOUR HEAD THE SAME WAY I TOOK STRANGE'S" The creature taunts back to Amanda. Is that even true? Who knows? But these avatars can be deceiving. "YOU COULD NOT PROTECT THE INNOCENTS BACK THEN. WEAK." the blades get deflected with the work of both Thor's hammerin' and Amanda's shields, some hitting walls, others hitting other priceless paraphernalia that Elektra keeps at her place. Shame on everyone for wrecking her place so!

Not that the creature is done. It calls on the blades again to fly back to it, swirling and beginning to form that staff it used to good effect back during the museum attack.

"COME AND FIGHT ME THEN!" It bellows, dropping into a stance. Yet it's just when ceramic and stone starts to encase it. It growls and struggles, swinging it's staff about to destroy some of the netting. But it's getting closer and closer to capturing it.

Thor has posed:
    Over his shoulder Thor lift his voice, "Is it still her, Amanda?!" The hammer Mjolnir ceases spinning and snaps back up into his hand. He brandishes it and draws it back, his massive arm tensing as if ready to hurl the weapon at the possessed woman.
    For several precious moments the Thunderer stands hesitant, not wishing to strike at the woman whom he had most recently held in such esteem. Shaking his head he frowns and shouts back, "Let her go, beast!"
    And with that said he sees his opportunity, abruptly the mighty hammer is /hurled/ across the distance, slicing toward Elektra and seeking to /smash/ into the staff she creates with those weapons, seeking to destroy it and rob her of the power to resist her prison.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"She's in there," Amanda assures Thor. "She just possessed!" In other words, try not to hurt the creature unduly. Elektra will end up bloodied, too.

While ceramic and wood shatter beneath the creature's desperate blows, concrete and stone are far more resiliant. Rough protrusions reach to ensnare limbs and torso, particularly concentrating on snaking towards that beringed hand. "Hold her, Thor! I can get the ring!"

If the stone doesn't shatter first.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
As the creature continues to smash and break the surrounding net it is caught by surprise when the hammer flies towards it, shattering the staff. It bellows in frustration.. And now that Thor doesn't have the protection of his hammer (because it just made a hole in the wall of Elektra's house when it was tossed) it picks the jagged end of the staff. It forms into a wicked javelin and he throws it towards Thor. Spiteful..

The creature knows it may be done for with it's limbs starting to get trapped under that spell, unable to manipulate earth, a weakness of it. Doesn't mean it won't try to take someone with them!

Meanwhile, on it's hand, the ring still glows, the only contrasting aspect of the otherwise jet-black armor the creature is wearing.

Thor has posed:
    The shattered javelin flies true, accompanied by a smattering of blades and wickedly twisted metal, the surfaces of the weapons whistling as they slice through the air. The Thunderer brings his arms up, still standing in the way of Amanda, trying to endure the slicing and stabbing weaponry even as it tears furrows in his arms, spatters of blood slicing and marring the wallpaper.
    Yet it's when that javelin strikes that the creature might exult, for it finds home, stabbing into the metal armor of the Asgardian, piercing the metal and impaling into his side just beneath the ribs, triggering a snarl from the Prince as he smashes a hand down and cracks the javelin away... yet leaving he end of it still embedded.
    He hears Amanda's cry, however, rushing forward bloodied and injured, reaching for Elektra's arms to try and cease her resistance if only for the moments needed by the sorceress.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda winces as she sees that javellin impact Thor. But she darts forward, sliding under a shattered blade to come up and wrap her hands about Capricorn's wrist. She starts to pry at those fingers. But it's not her usual magic she applies to the creature's hand. No, instead it is the healing magic she possesses, that ability to knit and mend bodies. Not to mention manipulate bone and tissue. Healing is an easy thing. Using that same magic to force the creature's hand to do her bidding instead of its own?

Much harder. And without guarantee.

Her blue eyes glow with golden light, "Open. Your. Hand."

Elektra Natchios has posed:
The creature looks pleased when Thor is pierced through, at least as much as a goat-like creature can look pleased with it's dead eyes and wide mouth. But then it's arms are being held. It struggles in it's frustration, pressing forward against Thor. It's strength is immense, the kind of strength that was able to at least face off against Strange's bands of Cyttorak. But it is unable to resist when magic comes to help..

It growls and struggles, hand slowly starting to open under the spell's bidding. It does attempt one last strike, outstretching that arm with one last burst of strength to try and go for Amanda's throat but it's stopped short.

The creature is finally at their mercy.

Thor has posed:
    A small crimson rivulet wends its way down Thor's side even as he struggles with the goat creature. His features twist into a gnarled grimace as the thing seems to slowly be getting the upper hand, pushing against him and pressing his arms apart. Until finally the spells invoked by Amanda and the earthen prison lock in to restrain the monstrosity.
    To the side Thor snaps quickly, "Can you get it from the creature?" He asks even as he shifts his grip trying to keep it from getting at Amanda, but then finally the struggle ends.
    Yet Thor does not withdraw his grip. He stays there, holding as he can until Amanda gives the all clear.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda's fingers wrap around the glowing ring. She slides it off the creature's own finger, its magic resisting her briefly. But, in the end, though she stumbles backward with the effort, the ring comes free. Her fist closes tigthtly around it. "Got it!"

And, indeed, robbed of the magic of the artifact, the goat's form will not long sustain itself. Amanda's knuckles whiten as she watches the transformation and moves back toward Thor.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
With the ring tumbling off of it's finger the creature opens it's mouth to utter further profanity, it's hand desperately trying to get the ring once again, to be bathed in Serpens light. Yet it fails and it's power wanes. It stumbles and the strength that it held begins to fade and slide away like a layer of filth which was encasing Elektra.

The armor dissolves and it leaves Elektra there, eyes wide. She lets out a piercing cry, as if the shedding of Capricorn's power also took away her own strength. She collapses, letting out an exhale and losing consciousness.

Thor has posed:
    Abruptly the Asgardian lets go as Elektra returns from the shedding of the goatly visage, his hands softening and then as she collapses he ducks quickly to catch her, one hand at her knees and the other behind her shoulders, taking her up in his arms and frowning as he lifts her.
    "You were successful?" Thor asks as he turns his head to look at Amanda, brow furrowed even as he's moving across the room to set her upon the nearby designer sofa that likely has been shredded by so many of the sharp weapons sent hurtling about the room. Yet it will serve for now. Easing at her side, kneeling, holding her hand and then lifting his own to check her pupils, and press a finger against the side of her neck... Thor shakes his head and frowns to himself.
    "Ah if only I had been more attentive." He murmurs, gaze locked on the former avatar of Capricorn.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
"Yeah," Amanda says, opening her fist to look at the silver band she holds. It gleams in the dim light. She suppresses a shudder and reaches into the satchel she's brought until she finds a small box to place it in. She seals the box, murmurs a soft spell over it to ward it, and places it deep within the satchel.

"You're hurt," she says as he extracts Electra from the mess of concrete and ceramic. "Let me see. Let me see you both." Maybe she can fix them.

Though, in her experience, the victims of the Avatar artifacts are usually more drained than injured. Thor's bleeding is the more pressing injury.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Indeed there isn't much in terms of visible injury on Elektra. If there's any it would most likely be internal. Though the way she sags and just appears fully exhausted might be having been drained by the creature. She makes no protest, or sound, when she is put down on that DESTROYED sofa.

The only good thing right now for her is she isn't awake to see the destruction that was caused.

She looks so peaceful too, nothing like the assassin she normally is.

Thor has posed:
    A hand lifts as Thor murmurs, "I will be fine, see to her first." Is Thor's answer though he is bleeding, but it's not as bad as one might imagine for someone who had taken a magical javelin to the kidney. He does, however, take a deep breath and frowns as he brushes a stray lock of Elektra's hair from her eyes.
    "Odin's wroth, I was a fool." He says quietly, shaking his head and hen easing back so Amanda can work her magic.

Amanda Sefton has posed:
Amanda gives Thor a sympathetic look. "My oldest friend, Kurt, suffered the same way she has," she tells the Asgardian. "He made a full recovery. She will, too. What she needs now is rest. Let her sleep this off. It's the best thing we can do."

She does allow a golden pulse of energy to wash over the other woman's prone form. But all it tells her is what she has already said. Elektra needs to rest.

"Let me heal you," she tells Thor, finally, moving beside him. "Then..." She looks around at the mess. "I'll at least make an effort to magick this place back into some semblance of order." It won't be anywhere near perfect... but it may save them a little hassle later.

Thus, by the time she's done, Thor's flesh has been knitted and the walls and furniture have been repaired. The artifacts, however... Yeah. She'd better call Damage Control.