[open] It's not a breastplate but it'll do for now

[fiercestwarrior]

Who|  Sif and YOU
What| Sif has been laying low and getting used to the environment, as well as keeping an eye on Thor, but now she's doing some exploring on her own.
Where| Cushion Pushin’ Upscale Lingerie, EliteFeet or Athlete’s Foot, anywhere else you would like to run into her, really.
When| Week 2
Warnings/Notes| My terrible sense of humor, nothing else yet, will update if necessary.

After a week of wearing the quite frankly humiliatingly awful costume she had been put in, Sif decided to go and find herself an alternative. Carrying her skates with her still in case things were to get violent, she carefully made her way through the great mall in search of something to wear that she would deem acceptable.

One of the stores caught her eye because while most of the things she could see on display were little more than flimsy bits of lace that wouldn't cover anything she did spot a few items that caught her attention in a way other than to dismiss them, and so she went inside.

No, she was not under any kind of illusion that a corset could afford the same kind of protection as a breastplate, but the stiff garment might absorb some of the force from a blow even so and it offered her an odd sense of familiarity when she tried one one and felt it fit snugly around her torso. She was not generally speaking a sentimental woman, but when faced with so much unfamiliarity even the illusion of wearing armor was a welcome one. Eventually she settled on wearing a corset together with a pair of black leggings that looked rather a lot as if they'd been painted on her, chosen because they had the same sort of sheen to them as leather and thus felt vaguely familiar as well. It wasn't as if she usually wore things with a much looser fit back in Asgard.

The next item on her mental list of things to get taken care of was what to wear on her feet, which eventually led to her visiting the shoe stores and finding herself a pair of doc martens to finish her little ensemble off. She probably didn't look that much less ridiculous now than she had before, when all was said and done, but she felt better as she started to make her way back to where she had last parted ways with Thor.

Comments

[calledmenasir]

Nasir had come to Athlete's Foot for the same reason as Sif. In the end, the cool tile of the mall was growing tiresome and he wanted something with a better grip than the natural soles of his feet.

He paused when he saw he was not alone and raised his knives.

Nasir was in something similar to the outfit he'd worn before he'd come here. A skirt made of leather straps and a necklace with a single wood phallus dangling from it. As for the rest of him? Well he had a pair of shorts on but nothing to cover his chest and stomach, which was an expanse of fading, yellow bruises.

He was in no condition to fight. That hadn't stopped him before.

"Where is it your feet take you, so freshly clad?"

[fiercestwarrior]

She looked him over, stance wary but unafraid as she took in the shape he was in. He had knives, which was a definite step up from her ice-skates, but she had fought with poor odds and come out on top before and she was yet unharmed while he was most certainly not.

"Out of your way, if you will let me pass in peace."

She had no real wish to fight him, regardless of what her chances of winning might be.

[calledmenasir]

"Peace is not why we are here." Nasir's voice was disturbingly deadened. It was not blank. There was a resigned, weary note to it as though weighed down by invisible chains.

He took in his soon to be opponent. She was well built, an obvious fighter, yet she like so many didn't want to attack him. That was no real surprise. He had seen her in the company of his district mate, Thor, who possessed a similar weakness.

Nasir straightened and when he next spoke there was more life and aggression in his voice. "I must prove myself this arena. Come, and let Panem be the judge of our skill."

[fiercestwarrior]

"My skill has been proven already many times over, and our captors are no fit judges of it."

There would be no glory in fighting this man, but she valued her own life above his even so and if he were to force her hand she would not show much in the way of mercy.

[calledmenasir]

"Perhaps not but they will judge whether or not we have earned the right to breathe again if we fall. May they consider you worthy." There was no hostility to his words and they hope for Sif was true. He did not wish her dead. But it was her life or his own. Her life against Agron's and his brother's.

He knew she would not attack first so he darted forward, quick on his feet in spite of his injuries and made a stabbing motion with his hand, trying to cut into her stomach while the knife in his other hand moved to slice open her throat.

[fiercestwarrior]

Well. That was enough talking for now, then.

During her wanderings she had at least figured out how to detach the blades from her skates, which was a little less clumsy than her previous method of carrying the clunky things around as they were, but they were still a far cry from being proper weapons.

They could, however, still be used to block Nasir's attacks, and so she aimed a hard blow at the wrist of the hand trying to stab her in the stomach with the intent of making him drop the knife or changing the direction of his stab enough that she could avoid it, while her other blade met the knife coming for her throat with a metallic clang.

[calledmenasir]

Nasir's fingers twitched at the blow to his hand but he kept his hold on the knife. It was enough, however, to make him jerk back his hand instinctively as the pain came in a sharp wave through his wrist.

Distracted, the blade clutched in his other hand remained locked with Sif's for a moment until he twisted it in an attempt to get Sif's out of her hand while providing Nasir with a means to disengage. He tried again to stab her, this time aiming lower, just above her collarbone.

Cushion Pushin'

[tasermaiden]

The moment Darcy realized that there was a bra store, a real, honest-to-god bra store, she knew she had to find something better than the flimsy bra she had found in the department store when she was looking for clothes. Darcy Lewis may not believe in magic, hell, she didn't even believe in aliens until Thor's friends and a giant, fire-breathing robot came to town, but she does believe in the fact that a well fitting bra can make all the difference in the world.

Wielding only the blades she had removed from her ice skates as weapons, she sneaks into the shop ready to use them if necessary and skulks around until she's mostly sure that there isn't anyone around. And the fact that the way seems clear is part of the reason why she rushes over to the wall to try to find one that could properly hold her, ahem, huge tracts of land.

Which is why she's slightly surprised when she finally pops out of a dressing room minus one top to spot a fairly familiar warrior lady. "You're Thor's space friend!"

[fiercestwarrior]

Sif very nearly bludgeons Darcy with an ice skate before the woman speaks up, mentioning Thor, and she realises that she has actually seen this person before.

"And you... you are a friend of Jane, are you not?"

It's not exactly a huge point in Darcy's favor, but it does give her 'ally' status rather than that of 'potential enemy', because regardless of Sif's personal opinions when it comes to Thor's relationship with the mortal, the fact remains that Jane and her friends are also friends of Asgard, or at least of Thor. Any friend of Thor is at the very least someone that Sif will do what she can to see safe from harm.

[tasermaiden]

That ice skate looks dangerous. Really dangerous. Potentially lethal, especially in the hands of someone who looks like she could be Xena's long lost daughter.

"Yup, that'd me me. Darcy Lewis, Jane's personal coffee fetcher," she says putting her hand out and hoping that Sif puts the ice skate down. Or at least doesn't use it against her. Which...Darcy's pretty sure she wouldn't. Or maybe she would, considering this is a death match and she's a warrior and Darcy...very much isn't a warrior.

[fiercestwarrior]

"I remember you."

Not particularly well, but her face is familiar enough that Sif does put the ice skate down to signal that she has no intention of harming Darcy. She doesn't take the offered hand though, she simply nods to her in greeting.

"Does Thor know that you are here?"

[tasermaiden]

"Wait, seriously?!" Stay cool, Darce. "I mean, uhhh, I'm honored." Which isn't a lie, because, c'mon, it's not everyday that a super cool warrior goddess tells you that she remembers you from your one Close Encounter of the Norse Kind. Well, two now, but only one that she was there for.

Aaaand that question makes Darcy's mind do the mental equivalent of the three car pile up. "What? No. Thor's here?! Is Jane here too? Just how out of the loop am I?"

[fiercestwarrior]

"Yes, Thor is here. Jane is not."

At least not in the flesh, though she feels as if she has been living with the specter of Jane for two years now. Not such a long time seen from a perspective of a lifetime that stretches over thousands of years, and yet somehow it has managed to feel like an eternity at times all the same.

"Loki is as well, though he is... different."

[worldsaway]

Naturally, Thor trusts Sif well enough to allow her to wander without too much worry for her. He knows the Games can be capricious, but he also knows that Sif is a fierce warrior to be feared and respected. He thinks of her, but he also goes about his own business and patrols alone. He doesn't deem his outfit embarrassing enough to change, but he feels chilly so he dons a light dressing gown over the top. One he presumes is just a large jacket, of course. He tops the outfit off with a sturdy pair of boots and sets about perusing the strange Midgardian market while he waits for Sif to return.

When she returns to their rendezvous point, Thor has begun to amuse himself by trying on various sunglasses and aviators whilst inspecting himself in the mirror. He doesn't hear her approach, he's too busy turning his face at all angles so as to gauge whether the spectacles suit his visage.

[fiercestwarrior]

Since he quite obviously hasn't heard her coming, Sif allows herself a few moments of just watching him be ridiculous, if nothing else because she has missed that. He has been so burdened lately, and while she loves him all the more for finally starting to grow up and take responsibility and think his actions through a little more, it is rather nice to see that more boyish side of him from time to time even so.

Perhaps it is selfish of her to think that way, to want some of her Thor to still be in there somewhere, and not just the one that seems to belong to Midgard as much as he does to Asgard, but who does the thought really harm? Other than perhaps herself.

So she watches him for a while, a softness in her smile that belongs only to him even if more like than not he has never noticed the difference, before at last she speaks up.

"You look ridiculous."

[worldsaway]

To the surprise of nobody, Thor has no idea he's being watched. He's a little enraptured with how sunglasses change the shape of his face. It's true that he hasn't had many chances to act a fool as of late, even back home things had been so serious. He doesn't even properly appreciate the fact that he's behaving in a very childish manner, but he feels it when Sif speaks up.

For a moment, he berates himself for goofing off at such a critical time, but he doesn't linger on the feeling long. He looks sheepish, then he grins, encouraged by the softness of her smile. Clearly now is a good time for joking around, Sif has deemed it so.

"And you do not." He observes, which is his friend way of saying you look good. "Did you travel well?"

[fiercestwarrior]

She walks up to him and takes the glasses off him only to put them on herself. Goofing around isn't her greatest skill, but with Thor it always becomes easier to manage somehow.

"I had some... interesting encounters."

One of which was a fight, something Thor can undoubtedly see the traces of.

[worldsaway]

Her attempts are fruitful, because it earns a genuine laugh from Thor. A low one, given the circumstances, but his face lights up with a smile that fades quickly with her answer.

Now that he's observing properly, he's seeing the signs of bruises and scrapes and his expression darkens once more. "Who?" He doesn't need to flourish his sentence with anymore than that.

[fiercestwarrior]

She smiles widely to hear Thor laugh, pleased that she can draw it out of him even here. Her own smile fades when his does, however, and she takes the glasses off with a shrug.

"I have no idea. A man who would have been a better fighter had he not already been covered in bruises, I imagine. He had a pair of knives but not much by way of clothing. Long, dark hair, stood about this tall..."

She indicates a spot in the air with her hand.

"Handsome fellow, very set on trying to kill me. I could not talk him out of it."

[celebrityskinned]

The one fight Venus had time and time again with her agent was about heels. She understood, of course, that wearing heels looked better on camera, that it made her butt "perky", that it showed off those calves. She also understood that in the midst of combat, a broken ankle would not only be potentially deadly, but far worse: humiliating. When she signed to the X-Statix and switched that agent for a new one, she finally had the freedom to switch her stilettos for flat boots.

But that doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy trying on heels when the opportunity presents itself, and the fact that she spent four years fighting in them means that she doesn't feel at all vulnerable as she slips some platforms on her feet and struts an aisle in Athlete's Foot. It also means she doesn't jump when she hears someone else in the store.

She takes a peek around the corner, losing herself a good six inches as she kicks off the peeptoes she's been trying on. The woman near her, trying on some doc martens, looks like someone out of the porn parody of Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Venus can't even help but say something, despite knowing that with her bruises and branded face, she isn't exactly the most attractive person in the Arena. "Oh, honey."

[fiercestwarrior]

"Sif," She corrects while she stands up, just in case the girl is looking for a fight. It doesn't seem like it, but one never knows in a place like this.

Sif doesn't appear to feel particularly threatened either, though she is far from underestimating Venus. A lifetime of being underestimated has taught her a lot about how dangerous it can be to do that.

[celebrityskinned]

"Not one for pet names?" Venus shrugs and stretches her feet. The cuts from running over oil and glass on her first night have started healing, but they're still sore, still red and pink and angry. She's been telling herself that her judicious use of lotions and bubble baths in the public bathroom sink have been helping, and at the very least they don't look infected.

She emerges from behind the aisle, kicking the peep-toes aside. The Roombas will clean them up.

"What's with the getup?"

[fiercestwarrior]

"It is better than what I was wearing before."

Offered with the hint of a shrug. She's not actually trying to look attractive here, she just happened to find things that were at least vaguely familiar in shape and feel to what she usually wears, even if her ordinary clothing and armor doesn't look at all as suggestive as her current attire.

[celebrityskinned]

Venus finds that awful hard to believe.

"Not a fan of Murdergames on Ice, then?" She starts going through sizes of another box of pumps, although she doesn't let her gaze wander far from Sif.

"Well, at least you don't look like a waif. You could probably throw a punch with arms like that, right?"

[fiercestwarrior]

Not that Sif got the reference, but she was wearing a Little Mermaid outfit. As in the Disney one.

A week was about as long as she was willing to stand walking around with purple seashells on her tits.

"I am not overly fond of it, no."

Sif's eyes never really wander far from Venus either, since she knows nothing of this girl and what skills she might have. This entire conversation might well be a ruse to catch her off guard and then kill her, something she does not intend to let happen.

"And I can indeed throw plenty of punches with these arms."

Her tone, while casual, suggests that she doesn't recommend Venus to find out just how hard those punches might be.