calling_logs | Something about the corruption of the youth...

Good beer, huh? Unfortunately, there's no such thing as far as Trip's concerned (not that he's had anything more than a sip of wine, but), the smell goes right to his head and it's far from pleasant. Sausage rolls... they seldom eat meat in his world, this is such a strange mix of extravagance and dirt cheap—

He actually walks over pinching his nose, as if that won't offend the mousy woman tending the counter. He couldn't make himself more conspicious if he tried, not sending him into the Corvid was either a very good idea or a very sorely missed opportunity!

He might be easy to miss until he squeezes and sometimes shoves his way through the throng of people, he's... rather short, slight, with a choppy, uneven haircut and, when he spots Loki, a similarly crooked smile. "Found you!"

Hands on hips now, head high, entirely too proud of himself.

Loki waggles her fingers cheerfully, and offers some cheesy-bread. She knows that look, and is willing to be indulgent of children.

"So you did," she replies. A dismissive gesture sends the grey-haired matron off to tend to other customers, and she goes, an expression of the kind of tolerant exasperation that so often graces the faces of peasants around congenial nobility.

"So," she continues. "I am Loki."

Oh, she better not call him that to his face, it's kind of a rage button (that and, owing to his world's strange societal structure, is half-false).

He accepts the offered food with minimal scrutiny and takes a bite. "Trip. Nice to meet you."

Shortly after, another presence makes itself known: a very large snake, twice his height if measured from end to end, donning a high, leafy collar and with a noble look in its eye. It carries itself with a lofty, regal pride.

"Serperior, try this."

As if it were completely ordinary, he offered a piece to the massive snake, who turned obligingly before the food was offered, although it regarded Loki with great suspicion, before and after the snack.

Edited 2016-08-12 21:06 (UTC)

Loki, for her part, smiles wider when she sees the massive snake.

"My, what a lovely friend you have, Trip. Serperior, you said? Pleased to meet you both."

Of course, it's only natural that Loki would find the creature lovely, when they share such a great physical resemblance...

And she's found her way to his heart! Well, sorf of, he's still mistrustful (... clearly not enough) and withdrawn, but. Praising his partner gets him to proudly puff up his chest and Serperior acknowledges it with raising its head even higher, a quick swish of its tail as it shifts to better display its leafy collar and fleur-de-lys adirnments.

"Indeed! My partner, the one I began my journey with... of course, he was only a Snivy at the time."

He produced his digital camera to share pictures if she so requests.

"I brought my whole team here. Do you have any Pokemon, Sorcerer Loki?"

Just "Miss" felt a bit insulting, "Madame Loki" was his second choice, but he really wasn't sure what to call her... he was more accustomed to Japanese honorifics anyway, they're a lot more neutral.

"Alas no," Loki says, shaking her head. "But I would love to meet yours. Or at least, see pictures," she adds.

"Well, in that case..."

He pockets the camera and takes out his pokeballs. Serperior was out for companionship and protection, but the one meant for this excursion was still away.

He tossed up four more. Conkeldurr, he won't call out, because the latter, while a very good bodyguard, was entirely too large and could accidentally be very destructive to the little shops. Beeides, it's good not to show your whole hand and Conkeldurr was very reliable in terms of brute strength and removing obstacles.

"Frillish, Lampent, Vanillite, Tranquill!"

In order, once the light came showering down, a large blue jellyfish-like creature with staring red eyes as well as a princely frilly collar and a crown, an orb-like glass lamp burning with ghostly blue-purple flame and luminous yellow eyes, an... almost obnoxiously cute frozen confection come to life which spins and comes very close to presumably say hi in some lilting babytalk solely consisting of sylables from its own name, and a large, grey pigeon-like creature.
Every single one of these creatures are capable of flight or at least levitation. The exact means is not apparent, the jellyfish-like one appears to swim and glide as if in water, the... ice cream monster just seems to float. It's very bubbly and cheerful and quite at odds with the rest, even the common-looking bird is more dignified.

"Frillish and Lampent are Water/Ghost and Fire/Ghost, Vanillite is Ice, and Tranquill is Normal/Flying. The warning I gave, the reason I asked that no one approach, was about Lampent..."

"Oh?" Loki asks.

As it happens, all their greetings are perfectly understandable to her; the All-Speech is handy like that. She shifts a little, leaning closer to them, her eyes flickering with green light as she looks them over in a more sorcerous sense than mere sight.

Each is as described, running on elemental energy, the babyish Vanillite is surprisingly powerful, boasting very strong, ice powers and resilience— curiously, Serperior, also has some dragon-like qualities to its powers, not earth and plant-manipulating alone.
But the Ghosts are interesting, because aside from their own spiritual and respective elemental powers, they also... appear to have wisps of human spirit to them. The fuel Lampent burns is a human man's soul. Lampent has fed on shreds of them, all different.

They give a strong impresson of death, like crows ripping away at roadkill.

Unaware of her scrutinizing his Pokemon, he answers, "Yes, Lampent can draw out the souls of even the living and consume them. They can be salvaged, if returned in time, but I'd prefer not to risk it..."

Tranquill settled on his shoulder, cleaning its wing, while Vanillite hovered by her side, looking entirely too interested in whatever she was having. Share?

Loki blinks, and her smile spreads a little wider, and she offers Vanillite a bite of her cheesy-bread.

"So I see," she murmurs. "I've seen... similar beings before. You needn't worry about me," she continues. "What I am is more than enough to protect me."

"Then, you'll join me there?"

He decides he's had enough, he was ready for another attempt.

He smiles a faint half-smile at her feeding Vanillite, who cheerfully accepts the treat with thanks! Stroking the bird's head, he retrieves the pokeballs to return all except for Lampent, once Vanillite has finished its piece.

Lampent is aloof, more in a detached, genuinely uncaring way than the proud Serperior's manner. It showed no interest in anything after greetings were through.

"Or is there something else that needs to be done first?"

"Probably not," Loki says thoughtfully. "Maybe the acquisition of a snack or two, just in case we're in there a while."

"Wait, so you know 'snack,' but use 'libations'?"

He really couldn't help asking! He was curious. "Any chance you'll tell me where you're from or should I just give up asking?"

He grabbed a few things, mostly whatever seemed like it would last a long time and and bland things like bread for rations.

Back to the temple!

"Nowhere, now," Loki says. "Though I was raised in Asgard."

He tried to think of a place with even a similar name, but... not among the current regions or any historical names for them either, he hadn't a clue where that was!

"Never heard of it."

And why nowhere...? Did something happen to his home?

"Are you a wanderer, too, on a journey?"

If he knew it was a bit more serious than that, he wouldn't have asked, but.

Shouldn't be long before they reach! They'll know even before it comes into view, there'll be blasts of wind, seemingly directed at them alone.

"A wanderer...?" Loki taps her chin thoughtfully again, and nods slightly. "I suppose that works, yes." It sounds better than 'exile', at any rate.

The wind hits them, and it ruffles Loki's hair and coat, but doesn't seem to bother her, save to make her squint her eyes half-shut to shield them for a moment, before she conjures a pair of goggles... and thoughtfully offers them to her young companion.

(The goggles are polished brass - or maybe bronze, or even gold - with green leather straps, and sinuous black-and-gold designs worked into the green. Let it never be said that Loki's taste is anything but predictable.)

"That's good, it prepares you for more. Makes you stronger."

Assuming her reason was travelling on a journey of his own choice, as is usually the case in his world. (Strength was very important to Trip, you see...)

He happily accepts the offered goggles, admiring the colours; they were so much like Serperior! Of course, that seemed to match her overall theme too. "Thanks!"

He isn't too bothered by the wind, it seems, but he's been at this for a while now...

The winds will settle just as suddenly as they've started. Eerie, isn't it? But, at least this way, approaching the temple should be easier... but it might just be lulling them into a false sense of security.

"Stronger, and stranger," Loki agrees with a faint smile. "I have been a wanderer for a very long time."

The wind isn't so much like wind, Loki notes, as it is some great creature breathing. How interesting.

"There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportion!" he said a bit proudly, for finding an opportunity to fit that in.

He didn't come up with that on his own, of course. He's a little pretentious, but his vocabulary isn't that big (as all the confusion about libations should make clear...). He just really likes ghost stories.

And sure enough, it starts again. This time, he actually stops and has to distribute his weight more equally, to avoid being bowled over.

... this might require two of his Pokemon, actually...

He calls out Frillish. "Protect!"

And the ghostly jellyfish emerges to form a round barrier as shield, it shone like sunlit, rippling water. The barrier is strong, but small (just enough for Frillish and Trip if he stood behind it) and short-lasting. The blasts don't last that long, but... it might break more easily once they're inside...

Loki, notably, is no more swayed by the strengthened gusts than she was by the earlier ones. She gives Trip and his little friends a sidelong glance.

"If you'd like to save your friends' energy, you could just walk behind me," she offers. "I'll block the wind."

She is, after all, well over six feet, and broad in the shoulders if nowhere else.

"That'd be great, yeah," he nodded, after exchanging considering looks with Lampent.

They fell in line, Lampent flying low and between them, and Trip at the back.

She really did! Without swaying and seemingly without putting any great effort into it, she kept the winds at bay as they drew nearer still. He had to reach out to feel if the wind was really still blowing, beyond what she rredirected and it was, flowing like a stream, diverging at a fixed stone— the point where she walked— but when it caught his hand, he nearly tripped.

He quickly regained his footing and kept close again, hoping she missed that unnecessary bout of ill-fated curiosity.

Now, they've arrived at the temple!

A heavy sense of foreboding and palpable malice, with an almost physical (metaphysical?) weight bore down on them. Whatever was in there was very, very hostile.

She didn't miss it, but she won't comment unless he does it again. People need to learn from their actions, after all.

When they reach the temple, Loki narrows her eyes, and raises a hand, murmuring a brief spell of protection - it should keep the oppressive malice from getting to either Trip or his friends, too much - and then she turns again, the wind catching her coat and snapping about at all angles as she does.

"How do you feel about taking a less... expected route in?" she asks.

He felt the oppressive force weaken and looks at her, amazed. She really is incredibly powerful! He was easily won over by displays of power and strength and admired anyone who possessed those qualities.

At the question, he does raise a brow, but answers amiably, "At this point, I'm willing to try anything."

This temple has been giving him such trouble!

Frillish also agrees, although it looks a bit unsure at the ground, wondering if its master and his not-so-human companion would dig their way in...? They couldn't exactly fly in there or anything, right? ... well, maybe she could...

She really, really is rather incredibly powerful. It's to her credit that she doesn't flaunt it. Probably. Possibly.

...you know.

Loki nods, and starts leading around to the side of the temple, out of range of those annoying gusts of wind.

"We're going to cheat," she explains simply.

Well, he certainly wouldn't mind if she did, who could ever be opposed to that?

"Cheat?" he asked, with a curious tilt of his head.

He wasn't opposed, despite the question, and followed close along with his Ghosts, trusting her judgement at least for the time being. Strength and confidence were a very persuasive combination.

Loki waggles her eyebrows, her grin widening.

"Take my hand, and have your friends take yours. And be very quiet," she adds, as she presses one hand to the wall, holding out the other to Trip.

But, that's a friendship thing! Isn't this going way too fast? Don't they have to go through this in certain steps... well, if this is the only way to make it work...

He takes her hand, but not without looking terribly flustered.

"Alright."

The embarrassment doesn't last too long, they've got a temple to infiltrate! He turns to his team. "Lampent, take my hand! Then hold Frillish's... one of its tentacles, I guess."

They follow suit! All lined up with joined hands, now.

"Are we going to teleport or something?"

"'Or something,'" Loki agrees, and then just pokes her head through the wall to look around for a moment - nothing but a dark, empty hall - and then continues on through as if the wall isn't even there, pulling the rest of the party along with her.

He shuts his eyes tightly, bracing himself for impact... which never comes. He just ghosts right through it! He blinks and looks around, seeing Loki and his Pokemon all pulling through the wall as though it were merely a projected image.

"Okay, that. That was amazing."

The shadows seem to bend oddly and twist and extend from the corners in ways that shouldn't be possible... there's nothing around to drop such spindly shadows in this empty hall, there isn't even the right kind of lighting, is there?

"Any ideas for the first move?"

Edited 2016-09-12 20:16 (UTC)

"Thank you, yes, it was rather amazing," she replies cheerfully.

Loki taps her chin thoughtfully then, glancing each way along the hall.

"There aren't really any clues, are there? Why not... that way, then?" she asks, pointing up to the left. "I'll take point - scouting is something I'm quite good at. I think Trip, you should stay close behind me - in case we run into any more of that nasty wind. For rear guard... Hmm. Lampent?"

"Right! Lampent," Trip confirmed the command.

Lampent did as instructed, leaving Frillish and Trip in between them

Something that resembled the form of a burning man, crawled quickly across the floor from the direction she pointed.

"Yikes!"

A rather mild reaction to it, honestly, but he does also huddle up to her and cling to armor. The creature reaches for them as it scrabbles along the ground...

Loki clicks her tongue at it, and kicks it in the face, sending the head of it flying down the hall. The creature reaches blindly then, gnarled and warped fingers grasping air as Loki presses a finger to her lips, and leads the party against the wall, to edge on by it.

"That—"

Was violent, cocky, unnecessarily show-offy, potentially overkill—

"—was amazing!"

Well, he's impressed.

They all keep close, as instructed, but Trip had to bring something up, "But you know, that was probably, like... a footguard. They're going to get worse, aren't they? Like meeting stronger enemies as you level up, if you show your strength like that right from the start, won't we... get stronger enemies faster or even get to the main boss quicker?"

A videogame analogy, might not've been the best choice of metaphor (if it were coded, she could just blaze through all of the low-rung guys before tackling the boss...), but.

There's the urn and in the midst of all sorts of low-rung, curling, smoky black and formless, constantly-shifting nastiness, a massive, human-shaped figure that fills his side of the wide room, bright red and upside down, seemingly balancing on his head. Over the urn, in fact. It seemed to glow a hot, bright yellow, as if magma was burning at its core and shining through cracks in the red skin.

"A curse... a curse...

"THE TEMPLE..."

Loki tips her chin up, and peers down her nose at it, holding up a hand, motioning Trip and his friends to stay behind her for the moment.

"Your curses don't impress me, spectre."

"THE ENTIRE TEMPLE IS CURSED."

A loud, booming voice that makes Trip cover his ears. Both the boy and his Pokemon stay behind her, hiding as best as they can.

"THE VERY GROUND YOU WALK ON, THE AIR YOU BREATHE. YOU ARE ALREADY—"

What little firelight there was is immediately snuffed out, throwing everything into darkness.

A rather cheap trick thus far, but that does earn a frightened gasp from behind her, until Lampent flies closer to shine a bit of its light near him.

"... oh, hey, what's that?"

He suddenly seemed interested in something in the dark.

"Alder sir?"

Oh, no, that's too obvious.

"... okay, I'm pretty sure I'm hallucinating. That's obvious, but—"

He rubbed at his eyes, sounding a little bit worried; it was disorienting to say the very least.

Loki frowns, her gaze running over the chamber, and then again, before she reaches out and lays a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"You're right. Nobody's there. ...Well. Nobody we weren't expecting."

Once, Loki-Who-Was may have been-- All right, all right, definitely would have been affected by the curse. Rather badly.

Fortunately, Loki-Who-Is is not, quite, the same being she was before. She is always and ever Loki, but the sins of the past have been shed, and what once would have haunted Loki, can haunt her no more.

Something about the corruption of the youth...

((+1 brat))

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[I hope this works!]

perf

Re: perf

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-facepalms at own slow pace- Sorry again! ^^;;;

No worries, I wore myself out this weekend, slept most of yesterday, and spent today running errands

oh, wow, sounds like a full and busy day!

It was very... special.

not in too bad a way, I hope?

Nah, just exhausting.

ah, I hope you got/are getting plenty of rest now!

alkdjhf I didn't even notice until now DW ate the comment

it's okay, I wound up taking a long time to reply too ^^;;;;

ah well, slowtime high-five? ^^;

h . . . i . . . g h . . . - . . . f i . . . v e . . .

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[very delayed, but!!]

whoops me too, sorry

it's okay! ;3;/ ... I wonder if she'd be affected, or maybe only to a lesser degree...

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