944/The Bells - Followed me Home

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The Bells - Followed me Home
Date of Scene: 02 April 2020
Location: 501 1/2 Hill Street
Synopsis: Sif and Loki encounter a strange shadow-creature, and discuss what it might be.
Cast of Characters: Loki, Sif




Loki has posed:
Usually when Sif visits there's just the usual things. The big gargoyle on the stoop, the magical veil that lifts upon Sif's getting close to 501 1/2 Hill Street. They're quiet things. But upon getting close to the door, there is a weird sound, a pulsing undertone, that vibrates up out of hearing range, then back down just into range of Asgardian ears. It's organic, like a living thing being squeezed...

Sif has posed:
Down the sidewalk, the Aesir warrior's shadow stretches. It arrives into the immediate vicinity before Sir herself down and the crown of its head slowly comes to a brief stop. Her pale eyes scan the area immediately around her; sure, she's stopped in the middle of the walkway, but people flow around her and she ignores their glares. Typical New Yorker attitude slides off of her like rain on a duck's back.

"What is that sound...?" the Goddess breathes to herself even as she picks up her pace, heading directly for the hidden door and its guardian. Where is the gargoyle?

That alone is enough to make Sif's heart clench and skip a beat. Her tongue tips her front teeth to say the Trickster God's name, but instead, within the veiling around the front door, she remains silent and slowly pulls Bromeoalfold from its sheath. Her long outer coat, lined with golden fur, had been hiding her armor beneath it. She'd been on a quick errand to Asgard and returning to this? It doesn't settle her in the least.

Carefully, as quietly as she can manage, she grips the door's handle to try and enter the abode, sword at the ready, her entire being set on a trapline to spring into action if need comes of it.

Loki has posed:
That lengthened shadow Sif cast... it's a little too long. Just a little. Subtle, though. Probably nothing....There's other things to pay attention to, besides.

The assault comes from the left.

A small, black THING, about the size of a cat, whips around along the edge of the invisible building, with the Gargoyle right on its 'tail'. It's moving so fast, it's hard to exactly tell what it is: it is as if it were made of thick black ichor, with 'limbs' that are a bit optional: it makes limbs to run as it goes, and the front is mostly just big teeth. It's emitting that horrid sound, but the echoes of it off of everything nearby make it difficult to exactly pinpoint where the creature is by sound alone. Good thing it looks like a bundle of black shadows.

It lunches for Sif's feet: and the opening of the door, more properly, but it will tear her leg off if that's in the way of the destination, perhaps...

Sif has posed:
It's more the result of kneejerk dodging, how Sif yanks the front door shut sharply again, than any form of luck. Perhaps the luck is in her long centuries of training and senses beyond human ken.

With absurd certainty in every line of her body, the Goddess of War deftly steps back into a checked lunge leaving her nearly on-pointe upon one boot-toe and the fall of the enchanted sword like a shining blur aimed at the small creature. Her war cry is stoppered up behind clenched teeth, but it does escape in a choked hiss of air forced free nonetheless.

Loki has posed:
As the blade falls, the creature... splits. Just before the blade strikes, it splits into two smaller shadows. That doesn't mean it evades, though: but only one of the smaller ones is struck by the blade, and it falls with a silent slump of ichor and black paste onto the side of the doorstep, while the other one dodges around Sif instead, trying to loop back to make another go at the door's crack. It slams into the closed edge of the door, and shadows explode up the side of the door, a feast of thick black shadowy mass that tries to manipulate the door-handle with a clawed feeler.

The gargoyle comes after it, pouncing first at the splattered one, then orienting on the door and Sif, magical blue runes sparking along its back and face angrily.

Sif has posed:
"Yes, I am working at it!"

This angry comment is for the gargoyle's glower, though the poor thing's probably stuck with that face. Sif shifts her weight back to two feet after seeing the magical guardian smush the first half of the blob-creature into oblivion. Swiftly bringing her sword about again, she attempts to slash firstly at the reaching tendrils attempting to jimmy the front door's handle into opening. Twisting her wrist attempts to bring the blade back through the main body of the eerie bloblet attacking the hidden abode!

Loki has posed:
"It's not going to actually get inside," Loki's voice informs, as he appears out of nowhere about five feet away, but there's some amused appreciation to his tone. Sif's vicious.

In fact, she severs the feeler on the black mush, which splatters onto the 'welcome' mat. "I was deciding if I'd keep it or not," Loki comments blithely, as Sif slashes it into bits, and the gargoyle engages to stomp THOSE bits flat. Loki isn't looking, though, he's staring off into the distance. Odd, the sound still remains. "...Interesting," Loki comments, with a tone of voice that suggests 'interesting' to Loki might have another definition for most other people.

Sif has posed:
One-two, one-two, through and through, and that's about that. Sif dances back a generous number of steps to allow the gargoyle its work even as she realizes that it is, in fact, Loki speaking to her and not some figment of her imagination or brain attempting to make sense of the freakish wending of chiming still continuing to oscillate in her hearing.

"Perhaps in an unbreakable jar if you truly wish that," the Goddess comments blandly as she takes more time to scan the immediate surroundings for any further sign of blob-critter. Only after this does she risk a glance to Loki. "Interesting? I would hazard disturbing is the better descriptor, but your knowledge runs deeply in the vein of esoteric. What about that creature was so interesting?" She peers at the blade of Brumeoalfold for signs of residue.

Loki has posed:
"It's a scout, or maybe more like a scry point," Loki adds. "I was going to get a different visitor, I think. May yet still get the big monster. /That/ is interesting to me, and a better pet to acquire," Loki replies. "I expect my wards to hold, but I MAY have attracted the little one on purpose..." Loki and his amusements.

He looks at her sword as if she'd just smeared dog poop on his stoop, but waves inside generously. "Bring it in, I'll cleanse that off. Manage /not/ to touch anything inside with it, please," Loki asks. He crosses away from the doorstep, looking out into the street, just from the edge of the magical veil. As he turns back towards her, he dematerializes, proving that he was, in fact, just illusion cast to talk to her.

Sif has posed:
Sif wrinkles her nose. A living, moving scry-point? It is disturbing to her and she makes a point of holding Brumeoalfold off to one side, away from her body to lessen the off-chance of material accidentally getting onto her coat. It is a nice coat, admittedly, and she likes it enough to wish it no harm.

"You did very well," she quietly lauds the gargoyle as she passes by it to open the door and enter the abode formally. Again, careful not to get the sword's blade anywhere near any surface, she then closes the door and locks it for good measure.

"You sought to lure the little one purposefully? Clever of you, seeing what you could learn of a single unit." Sif's eyes search for and land on Loki. "What did you use to lure it?" Brumeoalfold is held yet with the purpose of being handed off to the mage when he so decides to clear it of detritus.

Loki has posed:
"You say it as if I am not often Clever. What did I use? That," Loki says, pointing up to a spot by the ceiling above the rack of various weapon and relics. There is a tiny magical hummingbird there, glistening with gold wings and a bright pink head. A little throat of ruby flexes as it sits up there, on the top of a relic sword. "Though I'm still working on /why/, I think it's focusing on magically infused things. Of which my house qualifies. I may as well have a house built of candy here," Loki smirks.

He brings out a low bowl that shines with greens and coppers, and with a gesture over it, fills it with a nearly-transparent pearl liquid. He extends one palm for the sword, expecting it to be handed over.

"Anyway, I think there's some shadows trying to siphon up magic prowling around, manipulating light and sound. I don't have my FULL library here, /sadly/. Maybe you can fetch me some tomes from Asgard?"

Sif has posed:
Sif faintly smirks to herself even as she walks over to deliver the sword into his waiting hand, grip and pommel-first, still careful not to brush her arm or side against its tarnished gleam. She then takes a few steps back to eye the delicate glowball of bird seated up on its perch.

"I do not mind in the least. Retrieving the necessary tomes conincides with another errand I mean to take as soon as I can. It was important yet, but now, doubly so, what with your abode attractive to these hungry shadows."

Okay, she can't resist it. Another few steps bring her closer to the wall and the Aesir warrior fearlessly reaches up a fingertip to see if she can stroke the little bird's chest with light care. "Which tomes do you require?" she adds over her shoulder.

Loki has posed:
Sif can do more than that; reaching out makes the bird shift over to perch on her finger, little tailfeathers fluffing out in a splay of sparkling turquoise. Loki mostly ignores it, he's busy with the sword: pulling water under his palm up from the bowl and roving it like a floating orb to rinse the sword off. All the black muck ends up in the bowl, turning it to a muddy puce color instead of pearl. Loki eyes Brumeoalfold, flips it around in his hand with expert skill, some of the droplets flicked away down into the bowl. He doesn't extend it, but if she reaches out, he'll give it back.

"I'll give you a list. I also can use four pristine Elontan horns, if you're already going to be there." That's a bit of a hunting trip, but not a difficult one. "My own scrying is /limited/, but not from rituals," Loki says, with an arrogant little sniff. He's still powerful, just needs reagants.

Sif has posed:
Its weight is negligible upon her finger and how small the wire-like feet are is something absolutely charming. When Sif turns back to face her beau, she's very gently running her fingerpad from the wee hummingbird's skull down to its mid-back. Her face brought closer to the bird is probably slightly ridiculous to see: sharp lines have softened into something fond and is that...baby-talk she's whispering to the magic-bird in Aesir?

Maybe.

Regardless, she glances up and one can also see her bring back her usual serious mien with ease. Her features set into attentiveness. "Elontan," she echoes thoughtfully. A gleam of delight at the idea of adventure shines through her pale eyes. "Of course. I believe there is time enough to hunt down some pristine horns. They have been overgrazing in their native habitat, it is time for a culling. Serendipitous," notes the Aesir warrior as she then reaches out for Brumeoalfold. One-handedly, she slips the blade back into its sheath at her hip, still holding the wee magical hummingbird aloft on a curled finger.

Loki has posed:
"Take her with you, I'll use her to direct you in the library; no need for a list, then," Loki says, stretching slightly, liquidly, as he watches her with the little creature. The bird, on super close inspection, seems to be some sort of construct, more than pure magic: there's some fine gemstones to it. It's ensorcelled, of course, but there is some physical matter. It's new: probably one of the many projects Loki has been doing to keep himself occupied, but it's by far not the first little item Loki's made that's extremely lifelike.

"And just so we're clear, /yes/, I can see and hear through her, before someone accuses you of letting me spy. I am definitely spying," Loki smirks broadly, but approaches close, to bap one finger onto the back of the small hummingbird. The bird makes a little cheep noise.

Sif has posed:
"I shall bring her along then." By the lilt of her voice, Sif is pleased to temporarily borrow the little creature. She takes to fluffing the wee bird's chest-feathers with her fingernail as lightly as she can manage, though she does get a better feeling for how strongly-made the creature is made when Loki touches it. The minute gemstones given to it as eyes are charming rather than eerie upon close inspection.

Loki gets a small smile in return for his smirk. "If asked, I will share this information appropriately. Otherwise, I intend to enjoy her company and your company by proxy of her presence. She is delightful, but not so nearly as much as you, my lord." Leaning in, Sif presses a kiss to the outside corner of his lips.

Loki has posed:
Loki gives her an amused, half-lidded look through the side of his eyes as she leans in to offer that hint of affection. With Loki, it can be hard to tell how receptive he will be, but aiming it for just after he gave her the little bird gift? She read it correctly.

Loki doesn't return the affection, but he may as well have, in Loki body-language: besides, the little bird moves to snuggle her ear - directed by Loki.

"Travel safe, and try not to be gored by any less-than-pristine horns. I'm not in the mood to drain my healing magic, even if it IS you."