lucetilogs | Zompania Draft - Draftees only, days 1-3.5

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Zompania Draft - Draftees only, days 1-3.5

Who: All Draftees
What: This is your death. Followed by your time-traveling life and desperate bomb hunting.
When: From May 22 to May 20 to early May 23 (days 1-4)
Where: Zompania
Summary: Information post here
Rating: Varies on thread, please mark explicit material.

This post is for the draftee-only portion of the Zompania draft--the day 3 death, time travel to day 1, and then the events until the arrival of the reinforcements. Be sure to use the above info post for any plotting needs you might have. Enjoy!

Please note that there is a specific top-level comment thread for:

The day 3 arrival of the draftees and the 6 hours that follow until the bomb is dropped
Death--This thread can be treated as REFERENCE ONLY. Responding to it isn't necessary.
Threads prior to departing for Zompania--post resurrection freak outs, arguments over how to proceed, etc.

All other threading, from day 1 until the reinforcements arrive, should be conducted as normal.

Be sure to tag this post appropriately: [canon] character name

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The experience of death leaves Loki a bit more disturbed than he would like. Not for the reminder of his own potential mortality--at this point he should technically be dead twice over already, and he's cheated his way out of it both times. No, it was the suddenness of it, a bit, the lack of escape. There was no pain. He'd rather have the pain, all told. He'll cling to life until the bitterest end, with cracked and breaking fingernails.

No, it's the presence. Something is out there. Watching. Dissecting. Something is very, very wrong.

Fortunately, there isn't really any time to dwell on that. He doesn't really need any further incentive to do as John has suggested. He's a fan of that whole living thing, and will go to great lengths to make certain he keeps living, even if that means playing nice and cooperating with others extensively.

So after briefly seeking out a few people to check on them (Rogue in particular), it's business, business, business. He'll listen to plans (though no, he's not joining your little group), offer suggestions where warranted, and just try to get things moving. Time is short.]

Edited 2014-05-23 01:44 (UTC)

[The first couple of hours after he wakes up make him feel disconnected. Like someone stuffed him full of cotton, plugging up his senses. Steve finds himself wondering if anything is real. Had they really died? Where they really alive now? What had brought them back? And not just back to life but back in time?

He tries to occupy himself with planning their attack but finds himself getting distracted, so he pulls back. Let people who are up to the task run the show. He would rather follow along right now than try to find a direction for himself. When he encounters Loki it's almost a relief. Someone familiar. It's always easiest to deal with the familiar at times like these. At least for him.

At first he watches Loki, listening to how he makes suggestions and pays attention, but keeps a careful distance from it all. Never volunteering himself or joining a party.]

If you think you'll be able to sit odd man out this time around, you should think again. We all will have a part to play.

Indeed we do, Steve. [He's not smiling right now. He's very, very serious.]

I know where my strengths lie, and how I will be most effective. Do you?

[Steve does crack a smile, albeit a very small, grim one.] I do. It's part of my job description, remember?

But we're not discussing me. I need to know that you will join a team and play nice when it comes to it, which I guarantee it will, sooner than later. You won't accomplish much on your own here.

[Dryly:] I'm shocked you still don't have the full measure of what I can accomplish on my own.

[But then his tone becomes colder.] I am here, Steve Rogers. My lover is here. My older brother is here. My little brother is here.

I will do anything I deem necessary. Should that mean my most effective use is slitting throats in the dark to clear the path, then that is what I shall do. And likewise, if my most effective use is to act the part of battle mage in a group of warriors, then that I shall do.

[He snorts.] I've centuries of experience at the latter, you know. Just ask Thor.

Really? Anything that's worked out for you in the end? [He didn't come over to fight. He really didn't. It was just so easy to default to it with Loki.]

What if it's not what you deem necessary? Will you disregard the orders completely? For all your skill, you're not the only one here with experience. A lot of people will be making calls. How will you deal with that?

[Loki smiles.] With me dead on the plains of Svartalfheim and my brother and Jane Foster alive by grace of the blood I chose to give. If my gamble paid off to the benefit of Midgard and Asgard is someone else's question to answer.

A lot of people will be making calls, indeed. You'd best all make certain you're pointed in the same direction, yes?

[His expression shows his surprise for a split moment before he covers it up with one more considering. Thor hadn't spoken to him much about things that had happened once he'd returned home. He definitely hadn't mentioned Loki sacrificing himself.] You sacrificed yourself for your brother...

I'll guess we'll see.

To save the life of my brother and avenge my mother, yes. I hope that Thor went on to use his life wisely and prevent Dark Elves from destroying the Nine Realms and everything beyond, but I know not if that was the case. Thor is not from that time.

I dislike loose ends.

Thor won. Their fight got a little public and had them appearing and disappearing at random intervals across London. I'm sure you can imagine it surprised a lot of people. [He's seen some of the video people shot on their phones and posted on the internet, with Thor and his adversary seeming to disappear right before his eyes.]

[Technically he knows that, but he isn't supposed to know that for his ruse to work. He nods, then, seemingly satisfied.]

I am glad to know I didn't waste my death, then.

[He laughs.] Though I think I would have liked to see that. It sounds very fun.

I'm not sure exactly how fun it was for Thor. If he ever gets sent back home and returns after that, you'll have to ask him.

It was pretty entertaining to watch though.

[His lips twist wryly.]

I'd rather he didn't, all told. It's an odd comfort to me that one of us still remembers our mother as being alive.

Hah. As I thought!

he can't turn on the ~charm~ deal with it

neversurrender - 2014-06-03 00:39 (UTC) - Expand

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complicatedliar - 2014-06-05 14:34 (UTC) - Expand

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neversurrender - 2014-06-09 06:29 (UTC) - Expand

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complicatedliar - 2014-06-09 13:41 (UTC) - Expand

Somewhere in the dust and drear of definitely not dreaming, wish we were dreaming, dreaming would mean waking up they find each other. Rogue's hand was around the pendent that would point her straight to Loki, and she gives a little cry when she sees him before she runs towards him, moves to put her hands on his shoulders and look at him.

Loki wasn't having any of this just touching shoulders and looking nonsense. Just looking meant nothing. He could lie to the eyes easily. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Rogue and captured her into a fierce hug.

She was a bit too warm to be dead, what little he could feel around armor and uniforms. That was a good sign. He brought one hand up to run his fingers through her hair, not caring what a ruin it might be after six hours of pitched battle. That was another thing that felt very real as well.

Rogue wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned hard into his embrace like she was trying to meld the two of them together. She didn't resist his fingers in her hair and after a moment tugged off a glove and brought her bare hand to his face, slid it down to his neck and found his pulse. Beating.

She let out a shuddering sob and buried her face against the crook of his neck.

For his part, Loki focused simply on breathing; that simple act alone felt incredibly important. After a moment, he stroked Rogue's hair a bit unsteadily, his hand a little too heavy.

Yes, well, all right. They were alive.

He wasn't about to tell Rogue that it was all right; it most certainly wasn't, and even reeling from what they'd just experienced, he remembered his promise to not lie to her. "I'm here," he said. That seemed safe.

Another ragged sob, one that made her tremble. That was all and then she began to pull herself together. Her hand slid back up to frame his face and she pulled away to look at Loki again. Practical things. First things first. The rest would have to wait, she didn't even have words for what had happened in those moments of horrifying heat. "What happened? I don't understand. There was that light an' then--"

She shuddered.

"But if we died, why are we still out here? It takes a week ta come back from the dead, an' we should be back in Luceti."

"I don't know," he admitted. "The only thing I've felt close to that was..." the black hole. "Falling through the black hole. But it wasn't sentient."

Loki looked up, over her head. "Something is very wrong." The landscape of the battlefield had changed; the ground wasn't so ragged. And there, the city in the distance, far cleaner than before.

She turned in his arms, still keeping in contact with him, to follow his gaze. Her eyes took in the field of battle, the city, the position of the sun. "This doesn't make any sense."

"No, it doesn't at all." They were missing information here, very obviously And something important indeed. "That wasn't just death, then."

"'Just?'" Her voice was unnaturally high. She took a quick breath, trying to lock the memories down deep. "What do ya mean?"

Edited 2014-05-25 02:36 (UTC)

"We moved in space. And apparently in time." There was no other possible explanation, considering how their surroundings had changed.

And that wasn't even touching on the disturbing presence.

Her hand dropped to his shoulder and she managed to curl a fist in the material. "That doesn't make any sense."

She took another deep breath. "But - heck. It makes more sense than anythin' else. We're sure not where we started, and this sure ain't Luceti. But... time?"

"It's the same battlefield," Loki said, still looking out over it. "There, the hills. There, the tree. There, the city. We are just at a different part of it. Much further back. But that city is still Zompania." He gave his head a little shake. "The few trees have leaves again. The grass has not been trampled. This is a different day. Either earlier, or much later. Considering....see the MSF lines, the army opposing them? Earlier, then. Unless they have met in battle here before, or will again."