orb ; rebirth 19

[sorcerous]

[ The orb rises and follows as Loki leaps from one tree to another, lighting on a strong branch and bracing himself with a palm against the bark.

There's quite a din of whinnying and hoofbeats in the background.

His voice is utterly calm: ]

Gretel -- sorceress. It seems my day is somewhat preoccupied. I won't be able to meet with you after all.

[ A smash of splintering wood; Loki flinches. More of a twitch, really.

He raises his eyes heavenward, in exasperation, and reaches out for the orb.

It avoids his fingers. ]

Oh, in the name of --

[ Visible, now, is a horse just a few feet below him, a brown one, enraged. Possibly familiar to some as the horse that rampaged through town earlier. And she has a little, ridiculous hat braced between her ears. ]



ooc; responses may be from Loki, and they may be from rampaging horse!Sif. Or both.

Comments

[consultmybooks]

The ghost in question is mostly banking on the fact that Loki can't ring his neck. He's well aware that this might very soon prove to be an erroneous assumption.

But Giles has killed a god before, and he tries to focus on that small victory for some courage. Even though said god had already been beaten into hamburger by Buffy. This? This is so very different.

Besides, too late to back out now. He was hoping for another few seconds, but that was a few seconds ago. So Giles, keeping an eye on the hat, continues trying to spook Sif into shaking it off. He'll even, with a wince, phase straight through her if that's what it takes He only darts a glance up at Loki to see if Loki can actually look directly back. Giles is still invisible to most eyes, after all.

[brosif]

I am Aesir. Run. Pledged to War. Run fast. Daughter of -- the dead things will catch you.

Two different thought processes, but the longer that the dead man is around, the more they sound the same in her mind. At her back, Loki is a comfort. At her back, the rider is a horror.

She doesn't run, but she darts around quickly. Trying to shake the ghost.

[sorcerous]

Loki has not been thrown from a horse in four hundred years, and he is not about to tarnish that record.

"Sif!" An anguished sound. He does not want to lose her. Who knows -- if she is lost within the horse's mind once, who is to say she could return? Whole, and herself?

Loki leans forward and knocks the hat from her head. May that ghost be damned.

[consultmybooks]

As far as Giles is concerned, he already is.

Still. It's what he came here for. Probably best to be away before he has one and, hell, possibly two angry Aesir after him. Giles is going to, quite simply, turn and run.

The fact that a ghost even has to turn and run is an unfairness not lost on him.

((ooc: And, um, I guess continue amongst yourselves from here? Thank you for letting me interject! I hope I didn't hold things up or mess things up too badly!))

[brosif]

[ooc: heeee, thank you for throwing Giles in! It was very fun.]

When the change comes, Sif is again unsteady on new legs. She falls against Loki, her back to his chest. Her fingers grip his arms tightly, trying to discern the world around her from the impulses left imprinted in her mind.

For once, she is very small. Small and pale.

"Again. Put it back on."

[sorcerous]

[ \o/ So noted! ]

He snarls. "Not on your life." He pushes her away. Cross, now, in the mood to be vicious.

[brosif]

She stumbles, but purpose holds her up. She rounds in on him, features contorted.

“For once, I’m agreeing with you. It is a weakness. I will overcome it.”

[sorcerous]

"If it summons that ghost's interference, no. I will not fight him and you both." Flat, utter refusal.

[brosif]

“I refuse to wear the hat and you affix it to my head. Now, I see merit in the points you made and you fall back in fear. Do you work at being this maddening?”

She turns from hin, walking carefully towards where the hat has fallen. If he will not help her, she will manage the transformation herself.

[sorcerous]

His jaw grits.

"I will train you," he says. "I will teach you how to retain yourself. Unless there is more interference by those who would consider you an ally."

[brosif]

“The only other ally that knows about this is the Stone girl. And I dare say she’s too taken by you to question your methods.”

He’d certainly put on enough of a show for her.

She picks up the cap. There is a brief hesitation – a stilling of her wrist. But she swallows it and puts the hat back on.