You've lost your way [open]

[tookthewheel]

Who| MCU!Bucky Barnes and OTA
What| Bucky got into a dumb fight with his counterpart, broke a rollercoaster and is now moping around the arena trying to deal with that, his scattered mind alongside the dangers of the arena and other tributes.
Where| Various locations
When| During the 2nd Hell-rena
Warnings/Notes| Amnesia and potential references to trauma as standard with this guy. Also possible violence and body horror for the setting

Prompt A: Hell-rena at the Lake

Even at his full strength the fight with his mirror image has left him filthy, battered, bloody and aching.

The world turned to madness; it's falling apart, moving constantly round and round. He could see the buildings moving from the amusement park as he dragged himself at first and then stumbled up, making painfully slow progress away from the scene of the battle with dogged determination. The Soldier forces his protesting limbs to carry him just that little bit more to collapse by the lake and shifts his back up against a tree, grimacing as he does.

It's a poor choice to sit here, there's not much cover but he needs to stay still just for a short while and collect himself as much as he's currently capable of. If he can only have a few minutes to breath in this stifling heat and let his augmented body do what it was made to do maybe he'll survive a little longer in this hell. He uses what strength is left in him to tug off the torn hoody and give himself some relief from the temperature, quickly draping the cloth over his metal arm after so the shine of it won't give his presence immediately away to anyone nearby.

Prompt B: Hell arena, specify your own location/time

He's beginning to feel the very real effects of hunger setting in now. The Soldier's not been eating the food from the orchard (he'd been warned of its effects on his first day), only risking drinking the water sparingly because while he can push on without food for a while dehydration will kill him in days and the heat is absolute and oppressive, but if he doesn't find safe food soon he'll be in real trouble. Not just that, he's still has the lingering wounds from his fight with his other self to slow him down, the few days with his abilities in place have helped to heal the worst of it but not nearly all.

There was one thing he paid attention to in the aftermath of that fight though, his hair is now hacked short to the nape of his neck. It's still far from neat but it presents less of a vulnerability now.

Having lost his previous weapons he's taken the time to re-equip himself with newly scavenged ones. Glass shards and a rusted pair of garden shears with the blades broken apart to form two primitive long knives. He's hidden the weapons as best he can under his clothing as he walks through the arena, searching for any possibly chance to gain more supplies.



[[ooc: Feel free to reply in brackets if prose isn't your thing!]]

Comments

Prompt A;

[onedirectiony]

Arriving in the arena was different. Between the loss of his powers and then being at full strength all over again, Loki was a bit baffled by this entire situation. Why would anyone return strength to someone after so carefully removing it? For fun - he had to assume. He can appreciate and understand fun. So far, this arena had been fun for him. Interest, too. He had learned that there was a chance people he knew would be in here, as well.

For now, he walked along, hands in pockets. His pace was so casual considering the creatures, the houses disintegrating, and the inevitable death of people. He was, maybe, taking this a little too easily.

He made his way towards a body of water, then he noticed someone a little ways away. He made his way there, walking casually as usual. He watched him, and as he got close, he noticed the metal arm.

Familiar. He had a good idea as to who it might be.

"You know you're a sitting duck right here," he said. Loki shrugged his shoulders.

[tookthewheel]

The Soldier rolls his head up, eyes glacial and without any recognition in them whatsover as they examine the man who's chosen to approach him.

He must look a sight right now, drenched in sweat and face covered in dried blood, obviously injured. The asset knows how he must look, vulnerable, easy to attack and kill just as Loki points out. It prompts a flex of the metal arm in warning, the plates rippling when he does.

"I can fight." Whatever shape the rest of him is in the arm is still strong.

Despite this show he doesn't actually want a battle right now, he's exhausted and hurting and longing the black relief of sleep, something that's far too dangerous to allow.

[onedirectiony]

"Oh, I know you can fight," Loki said, as if speaking from experience. When he was older, it was usually between himself and Thor, but it frequently drifted to the other Avengers. Or just about anyone who happened to step right in his way. "Still, the fact that you can and look like you can are a big difference. For me, it looks like I could kill you right now if I really wanted to."

He shrugged his shoulders. It was his way of saying that he came in peace. If he wanted to attack him, he would have already done it. It was clear that wasn't his agenda.

"It'd be a wasted effort. You're better than that."

[tookthewheel]

The Soldier glowers more as he is talked to, the familiar address and the casual statement of his current lack of threat irritate him.

"How do you know?"

He needs clarification on this subject. He understands the message Loki is putting across but not why.

[onedirectiony]

"I've seen you before," Loki offered. The gears are already turning in his mind, forming a plan. Bucky would be great to be on his side. In most respects, it was almost as good as having Captain America himself. "Well, where we come from, at least." Sometimes the best lie was the truth.

[tookthewheel]

"I don't know you." he said flatly. "When did you see me?"

Most people who saw the Winter Soldier did not live to talk about it, either by his own hand or by the aftercare Hydra always took when they sent him out into the field. Unless this man was Hyda himself.

Metal fingers flex as he considers this last possibility.

[onedirectiony]

"I'm from your world," Loki shrugged, "maybe you don't know me yet...or something." This could easily get confusing. "I'm Loki. I've fought in some of the same battles as you back home." Nevermind that the problems started because of him. "Woah - woah." He saw the flex of those fingers. Better tread lightly. "I don't know who you think I am, but I definitely am not someone who enjoys getting punched in the face."

[tookthewheel]

"I don't know you." he states again. The name means nothing to him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The Soldier would almost snort at that if he was capable of humour, he just concedes that logically no one does. "What do you want?"

[onedirectiony]

"No, I guess not..." Loki's voice trailed off, as if in thought. This could be a good thing, a very good thing. "There's a guy who knows Captain America. He's a problem. I, of course, am going to make sure that he doesn't make it past the next few days." He rolled back onto his heels. "I've learned, so far, that being allies could be good for both of us."

[tookthewheel]

Captain America's title captures the attention of the man in front of him, from outright threatening to curious to... something else, he's dead, he's--. "How does he know Captain America?" he asks, the question digging its way out of him.

[onedirectiony]

"Let's just say he's a problem for everyone involved. If we don't take care of him now, I'm sure he'll become a problem for you, too. I'm offering a partnership." Loki spun a series of vague untruths. It was what he was good at.

[tookthewheel]

"Who is he?" he responds, eyes flickering. "You want me to kill him." That's not surprising, the Soldier has been used by others to kill as long as there is in memory.

[onedirectiony]

"He's an archer. And I could kill him on my own, but he'll be expecting that. His name is Clint," Loki said. The vague lies were starting to form a complete story. "I figure we're here for a show, so why not give a show. I think they'll like it if we do. Better for the both of us, right?"

[tookthewheel]

"Is he armed?" the Soldier's mind is starting to calculate now, falling in familiar patterns as he's presented with a target. The name doesn't matter to him, only the variables.

"How then?" something isn't right about how he's agreeing to this but it's almost comforting to do so. There was a point to working with another, the Winter Soldier didn't always go into a mission alone.

[onedirectiony]

"He has a bow and arrow," Loki said. But he knew that as soon as Clint saw him, he'd probably shoot him in the face with it. It wouldn't be an encounter with Clint if that didn't happen - or at least get threatened. "How we do it? I'll talk to him, he knows who I am so we'll talk. While we talk -- you go."

[tookthewheel]

If he were capable he'd snort in disdain at that. "Not a problem." he confirms.

The few minutes sitting has given him strength, the counterfeit serum in his veins doing its work to get him back on his feet. The Soldier stands, testing his leg as a concern. With his mobility still compromised a stealth attack aided by a distraction was the most plausible strategy. "That would suffice."

[onedirectiony]

Loki offered his hand to Bucky to seal the deal. Sure, he didn't know how it'd turn out after this was said and done, but this would make for one less problem as far as this arena went, so he'd deal with the rest later. "Good, good. I'll show you there."

[tookthewheel]

The Soldier looked down at Loki's hand and that was all, he made no move to raise his own. While he understood what the gesture was for on some level he had no desire for even such brief contact.

So he simply looked at the man before him and waited for him to do as he had said he would.

[onedirectiony]

"Alright, alright. Well, I'll go get him, and I know you'll know when it's a good chance, so just take it," Loki offered. He didn't really trust Bucky, but he didn't seem like he'd not complete this job.

[tookthewheel]

That's fine because the Soldier doesn't trust Loki either.

"Understood." and he'll follow Loki at a discrete distance when the other man leads, ready to blend into the surroundings and wait for the promised opportunity to rid the arena of one more tribute.