thearena | I want to reconcile the violence in your heart.

Entry tags:

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart.

Who| Loki & open [ + prompts for a few]
What| Loki is moving through the mall, meeting with some people. And, you know...participating in the arena.
Where| Escalator - The Authority [ + prompts ]
When| Week 4.
Warnings/Notes| Murder. Death. Typical brand of Loki Awful. As always, if a prompt is wanted, let me know!

[ OPEN ]

The past few days had been a little more eventful than he had ever wanted them to be. Between Dave dying (brutally, by his understanding), and then the general chaos of the days, he felt like maybe he should sneak around and go back to playing the game as he had the first time he was in the arena. He moves about the escalators slowly and carefully, trying to avoid the attention of any other tributes. He had to be careful, now. People were dying and he could easily be killed if he made a mistake. He wasn't going to make the same errors he had made in the last arena. He wasn't going to allow anyone to surprise him like they did before.

He moves from the bottom of the escalators, running up them as they moved. He kept his eyes open, his ears alert, and his body ready for a fight should one come upon him by any surprise. Once up a floor, he ran towards The Authority. He was fast, naturally, he had to be. He wanted to change his clothes and he hoped there would be something in the store for him to put on. He moved through it, pulling off his green tee as he moved and replacing it with a white one. He felt a little bit cleaner just by changing this up. He wore Dave's shades, not removing them as he moved out of the store and made his way back to the escalators.

He wanted to go up to the top floor. Check out those shops from home again.

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It wasn't that Loki was seeking out Eridan for the purpose of killing him. He knew that he wanted to see him at least one more time before this arena was over, and if it ended in violence, Loki didn't really care. In fact, he was sure that he would take some pleasure in a fight with him. It wasn't revenge, since he was sure the Capitol knew he didn't know who killed Dave, but it would certainly look like a much overdue interaction.

It was all part of the show. So he moved through the arena, keeping his eyes open for Eridan's face. The troll would be easy to spot, he knew. It made this entire thing all the easier for him.

He started his search at the fountain and made his way around, passing stores and glancing in as he did to check out things. He kept himself moving, and he kept his pace fast and was light on his feet as he moved.

The first thing he saw of Eridan's was his hair. He started towards him.

Eridan was certainly worse for wear.

He's gotten into quite a few scuffles by now, most of which he's come out on top. Though he's bruised and bleeding for his trouble. There was even a sizable hole ripped into one of his fins from a knitting needle.

Wonder who that could have been from.

When Loki came upon him, he wasn't in a store and he was without his gun, an earlier fight disarming him of it. Though he does have a bloody crowbar loosely held in one hand. He looked exhausted, and he very much so was. He had been careless this arena, more careless than he could have afforded. Eridan had greatly underestimated his contenders, and he knew he was a fool for it. He was paying for his arrogance, as was much the case as always.

Though, it hadn't left him without his awareness, at least. So with the sound of feet patting against the ground, he slowed his own gait, fins perked, hand clenching the crowbar tighter, his head turning to look in the direction of the sound--

--Loki.

He had interrupted his time with Dave, and now he was approaching him with unknown intent. It left Eridan apprehensive, wary; likely for a good reason. He had no reason to trust anyone at this point, least of all the man who seemed to be Dave's matesprit.

"I suggest you turn back now. I ain't in the mood to be dealin' with company." It was his only warning, issued with a glare that said try me motherfucker.

Loki was not too pleased with him, and that hadn't been a secret throughout the entire arena. Nor did he particularly like him when he first met him in the Capitol. Loki was typically pretty tolerant of individuals that maybe had less than savory personalities. He worked with them often in the past. Still, Eridan rubbed him the wrong way - and that much wasn't an act. The fact that he also seemed to have something going on with Dave only made adding it to the story far easier.

"I suggest you get up and make me leave you alone," Loki answered. He looked like he was trying to start a fight. Eridan was not in the best condition, and Loki was in a place in his anger where control wasn't going to be his strongest suit.

"If you thought I was company, you made a mistake. Friends are company."

There was certainly something menacing with the way Loki was approaching him. Threatening, in the least. It made Eridan's heart pump, and his knuckled turned white as he gripped the crowbar in his hand all the tighter. If he was looking for a fight, Eridan was ready to meet his challenge.

He was tired, wore, and injured. Regardless, he wasn't about to be a coward. He wasn't about to go down like some scared animal. He was a fighter, always was, and so if he was going to die, he'd leave his marks on Loki.

"Wery well." Was his curt reply, he turned to fully face Loki, his eyes narrowing, teeth bared in a snarl, "If you think you can kill me, I welcome you to try it, bottomfeeder."

With the challenge issued, Eridan started for him, despite his exhaustion, he was still pretty quick and lift on his feet. Before long he'd be upon Loki, crowbar raised to bring down on him a moment later.

Perhaps, had he been in his right state of mind, he'd have waited for Loki to strike, but at this moment in time, he didn't care. He wanted the Asgardian to bleed.

"Bottomfeeder?" Really? There's something about being insulted by Eridan that gets particularly far underneath his skin. He hates it. The only unfortunate thing about this entire situation is that if he successfully killed him - he would just come back - and he'd be outside of the arena. Free to harass everyone else.

"Think? No. I know I can," he said. He didn't really, but being confident in his skills would help. He needed to make sure Eridan understood that no matter what he said or did, Loki wouldn't be intimidated by him.

The crowbar, though, does give Eridan a bit of a one-up here. He'd have to disarm him to do what he needed to do. That crowbar came at him, and he moved back. Damn. Eridan was going to force him to the defensive. Loki came into this expecting to fight with his fists.

"A crowbar? Really? Don't want to fight with fists, feel it? How impersonal."

Harassing people is exactly what he'd do, too.

Loki's arrogance did nothing but irritate Eridan further, when met with someone of equal arrogance, it only made Eridan feel defensive and somewhat lesser. Partially because he knew deep down he was sort of garbage, but he'd bolster himself against any such claims outwardly, at least. Because he's fucking awesome and great and powerful, and anyone who thought otherwise was absolute rubbish.

The swing missing was a disappointment, but the fact that Loki seemed to be trying to talk him out of using it made this interesting. It just went to show that Loki understood his disadvantage. Unfortunately for Loki, most trolls didn't believe in fairness, and Eridan was one such troll.

Survival of the fittest was a troll's ideology, and if this crowbar left Eridan being the fittest, then so be it. May the strongest survive.

"I didn't realize you were such the romantic," He jested as he stared at Loki with a twisted sort of amusement, "But I gotta admit, impersonal means nothin' in the face a satisfaction when I break your fuckin' knees."

Another swing of the crowbar, but he didn't aim low, despite what his statement might imply. He was aiming for his midsection, wanting to maybe crack a rib of two, if his deceptive ploy worked.

He was trying to upset Eridan. That much was obvious. Anyone watching would know that Loki's goal was to get under his skin and push every button - or perhaps, figure out what the buttons were. Okay, so Eridan wasn't going to fall into the trap. Fine.

New plan, then. He looked around for a weapon. He needed something. No, he spent too much time looking around for something, trying to find something to fight back. In those few moments of distraction, Eridan landed that crowbar on his chest. Ouch. He was sure something has broken.

"I'm a major romantic. Asgardians are all about poetry," Loki answered. That wasn't true. "Poetry is important to us." And so was bashing in skulls.

Despite the rising pain in his chest, he charged him. It was a goal to knock him back. He would have to put all of his weight into it.

The connection of the hit was absolutely euphoric. Okay, perhaps an exaggeration, but the natural bloodlust that someone of Eridan's blood caste felt was answered with the strike, and the faint sound of something cracking beneath the hit was enough for him.

He made the mistake to be distracted by Loki's rambling. He wasn't even particularly interested, or maybe he was. Just a bit. Either way, he drew the crowbar back too slowly, didn't strike it forward fast enough, and before he knew what was happening, there was Loki upon him.

"--FUCK!"

The other male's body crashed into Eridan, and hard. Hard enough to make him stumble. Despite that, his hand clenched the bar harder, his mind yelling don't you let that fucking go don't you even dare. Regardless, the stumble left him pretty open for any other attack as he struggled to recover from the loss of balance.

Loki's fists went for the soft parts of the body (well, his face). The cheeks, nose, throat. Anything that could slow Eridan down, or stun him, would be good enough for him. Every movement agitated the pain where the Crowbar connected. He could feel his own breathing slowing when he fought him. His chest ached.

He was angry. He's sure he'd be happiest when Eridan bled.

"What. Nothing to say?"

Not that Loki had really given him a chance to say anything.

Loki was starting to feel much more like himself in the arena. His fight with Eridan had seemed to wake up that part of him again. He's carrying around a metal pole (it appears to be a part of a net for a child's hockey set) he had picked up on his last visit to The Authority. It was really a useful weapon for him. He could beat someone to death with it, if he was feeling particularly awful, but right now - he was feeling more of the quick and effective path.

After all, he had to make up for some time, and quantity did mean something one was in the arena. He had wasted a lot of time, and now his white shirt was stained with purple blood (now dry, of course).

He made his way through the mall, tapping the metal on the floors, a clanking sound echoing briefly. He wanted to see if anyone would either approach him, or divert their attention to him as a result of this. He considered every scenario, and plotted out his way around them.

He was on the hunt.

Since the lights went off, Kankri had felt some kind of tension. Apprehension. Surely something would happen to the Tributes still in the Arena, and enough of his friends were in the Capitol that it was driving him more than a little crazy worrying about what might be happening to them. After the ordeal of that awful Penny woman's death and the failed escape attempts, he had no reason to believe that the Capitol would not be visiting some kind of punishment on the Tributes. For all he knew, they were all being executed, and those still in the Arena would be left to die permanently. He didn't think that too likely - he understood by now their place in intimidating the populace without provoking a sense of personal outrage - but the possibility ate at him.

He was very on edge. And so, even though he was soundly asleep, when the metallic tapping came near he woke at once and grabbed his things, ready to flee from his hiding spot - which was nice but not quite tucked away from view enough for his liking.

Seeing that the other boy approaching him was a stranger, he did not relax. Just about everyone he'd met so far in this Arena had been pleasantly reasonable and non-aggressive, but that didn't mean others would continue the trend. He hadn't survived this long failing to be circumspect. Instead he stood, edged towards a pathway that might provide him an easy escape if he needed it, and softly called out, "Hello. I don't believe we've met."

Politeness had tended to get him pretty far with people, in his experience.

"We haven't, have we?" Loki asked. He watched the young man, he was on edge for a good reason. It wasn't like Loki was standing there to have a chat about the weather or make new friends. Certainly, it was the opposite. He didn't seem to care about the idea of a civil conversation right now. No, he was all for making this as quick as the other allowed him to make it. The harder he'd fight, the worst i'd be. It always was.

He tapped it against the ground again.

His eyes flickered a little dangerously as he watched him.

"I'm Loki," he said.

Tap.

"This isn't personal. It's just the way it is."

Tap.

And he's lifting that metal pole to swing and attack.

When the other boy says his name, Kankri relaxes - a fatal mistake. "Oh," he says lightly. "Dave mentioned you before! I'm Kankri, pleased t-"

And then he realizes that the boy is not relaxing or stopping with the introduction, nor lowering his makeshift weapon. Too late, he turns to flee, trying to duck the blow. It still strikes him hard and with enough force to knock him over, enough that he trips and falls flat on his face. He rolls over quickly, desperately trying to keep Loki in view even as he attempts to scramble out of his reach.

Loki knew that he should feel guilty for what he was about to do. And he almost stopped when Kankri mentioned Dave's name. He decided against it, though. He watches as he seems to try and shift away after knocking him on the head. That would at least slow him down. At the very least, though, he'd make an effort to make sure this went quick for the other.

He walked after him again, swinging to hit him with the pole again. Once he knew that he could deliver a killing blow, he would, but for now -- it was just a little bit for the cameras. Not too much, he didn't want to torture Kankri.

The pole strikes again, knocking Kankri flat. He flinches and then goes still, frozen in terror as he stares up at the other boy wide-eyed. His head is ringing from how the last blow rattled it around. This is it, some inane part of his brain babbles. That's as far as I go this time.

He wishes he could have seen Venus long enough to patch things up. He wonders if they'll even bother bringing him back this time.

After the successful hit, he turned the pole in his hand so he could use it to puncture. He's not fighting back, just flinching and freezing. It confuses Loki a lot. Everyone he's ever dealt with has fought so hard. Still, he considers stopping a moment. No one deserves to go down without a fight.

He changes his mind, though. At the very least, his lack of a fight would make this easy for him. Now, he goes for the heart with the end of a pole. His goal - to puncture.

Loki's hands still had Eridan's blood on them, and his shirt was stained from attempts to wipe them off. He knew he should wash-up and stop at the fountain, but he really didn't want to waste his time. He had taken his fair of hits and beatings. There was dried blood beneath his nose, and he could feel bruises forming on his body. He decided that he wanted to find Thor and speak with him. Whenever he did something that he knew he shouldn't be proud of (but couldn't find it in himself to feel sorry about), he found himself seeking out his brother. Thor always forgave him. Every time that he screwed up and led himself away from his attempts to be good (escape from the part he was shoved into), he was there. He's not entirely sure if he wanted to see him because of the role he was still playing, or if it was genuine.

Loki figured he'd sort that part out later. It didn't really matter. As long as everything seemed genuine.

He's moving through the mall, his pace slow so that he can be sure he doesn't miss his brother when he moves. Thor is an easy find. He's large and definitely not quiet. And sure enough, in his movements, Loki spots his brother. He's not quiet when he approaches, and even makes the point to announce his presence (it's not wise to sneak up on someone of Thor's size).

"I haven't seen you for awhile, Thor."

Edited 2014-09-22 04:42 (UTC)

Ever since Bro deigned it necessary to tell Thor about Dave, to warn him of Loki's emotional state, Thor has had his eyes peeled for him. He hadn't wanted to encroach too much, truth be told he's uncertain of what Loki might want from him. He doesn't know if he'd want to see him at all or if attempts at comfort will be rejected and scorned, but it's hardly stopped him before.

Finally, despite being the one to begin searching, it isn't Thor who finds Loki but Loki who finds Thor. He's about in the state Thor would have expected, acting casual when he looks anything but. Thor turns and takes in the signs of a fight, concern lighting his expression as he closes the distance between them.

"Loki.." He begins, but he's not really sure what to follow it with. Instead, he's moving a hand to tilt Loki's head upward, inspecting the bruise. "Did you have a score to settle?"

"Thor," Loki said. He wanted to see Thor a few moments ago, but now that his brother was here, he wasn't so sure. He didn't enjoy the feeling like he should be guilty over this. Thor was a bad idea. He pulled away when Thor moved his hand under his chin.

"I always have a score to settle. This person...deserved it. And now he's not in the arena any longer." He stared stubbornly right at Thor. His expression said that he wanted Thor to believe it. "And I feel better now." No, not really.

Thor hadn't meant to make it seem like he was nagging, because he genuinely understands. Of course, Loki has no idea that Bro informed Thor of the situation, Thor knows what it is to be so angry for someone.

"Of that I have no doubt." He says darkly, a brow raising as if to clarify that he isn't debating Loki on this. "Did they kill him? The boy from your dalliance?" He knows more than you give him credit for, Loki.

"I don't know," Loki answered. That was the truth. In fact, he believed that Eridan probably wasn't responsible for Dave dying. He just didn't seem...like he was actually capable of it (either by the fact that he seemed incompetent to Loki or that he just had a thing for Dave that he didn't quite understand).

"I don't know who killed Dave. It doesn't really matter." No. No it didn't.

Edited 2014-10-13 04:47 (UTC)

That fight had been - well, something. Loki had his own fair share of damage done to him, and he knew after a little bit of time, he would feel the bruises forming. He stepped away from Eridan's body, knowing that they'd come get it and clean it up soon. He didn't want to spend too much time here. He moved his hands over his shirt, clean before he had gotten into the fight. Now it was wet and stained.

He starts to head towards the food court. He needed water, and something to eat. Or at least to get away from here. It felt good while it happened, but Loki tended to regret things too little, too late. He dropped his weapon, and shifted Dave's glasses on his nose as he walked away from the scene.

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I want to reconcile the violence in your heart.

[ For Eridan | Wednesday ]

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[ For Kankri | Later in the Week ]

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[ For Thor | Later Wednesday ]

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[ For Bro | Post-Eridan fight ]