[In the shadows | Open]

[tricksandmischief]

Who| Loki Laufeyson (MCU) and open to all
What| Various exploration and fighting
Where| Inside the spaceport
When| Any time after the Cornucopia/First week
Warnings/Notes| May be violence


Clad in an appropriate green - although a very light green - as one of District Seven's tributes, Loki had reached the inside of the space port, but not without injury. The Cornucopia had been more brutal than he's expected and while he had come away with the needed cube and a case, it had been hard fought for. He hadn't even realised that the one he'd won it from was Steve Rogers, he only knew that it had been difficult enough as the man had been as strong as he and Loki's right arm and chest continued to pain him, even now. He was uncertain what the injuries were but they were hindering him and he wasn't pleased.

Once safely inside, he managed to find a temporarily safe spot to inspect what his prize was: within the case he found a phaser, 3 syringes with neurotoxin, pair of scissors, and flashlight. The scissors he was particularly happy about on first glance. Something sharp and weapon-like, especially good for someone used to using knife-like weapons. The rest he would figure out along he way. He was adaptable and enterprising and he would lurk in the shadows as much as he could. He would think nothing of literally backstabbing anyone here. His goal was survival and winning if he could, although his introduction to his first arena had shaken him a bit and dampened his cockiness.

But he was used to battles and he should treat this as such, when before he was treating it more like some flippant sort of game. It was time to be serious - and maybe put on something of a show to gain more favour.

He noticed, thankfully, that he felt stronger upon entering the spaceport too. He tested and also found that his illusions were back. Smirking, some cockiness returned and despite his injuries, he carefully made his way around the place to look for advantages and for his fellow tributes, hoping to pick them off one by one.

Comments

[loki and sam]

[celebrityskinned]

At this moment, Venus is traveling alone. Jet and Albert are her home base, but with her teleportation, they determined it best for her to pop out to the edges of the spaceport, scout it out for a while and then return.

She blinks into existence in a dark hallway, one with dark water or god-knows-what along the floor. Some kind of fuel, it smells like. The lights in this part of the spaceport don't seem to be functioning, but she checks the helmet she's kept on for the jumps and it tells her that the air here is breathable. She pops it off so she can sacrifice the safety of the helmet for peripheral vision.

She has no weapon, but she hears footsteps on each side of the hallway - both in the dark and around a corner with better lighting. For as janky as this place is, it must be a relatively popular thoroughfare through the Arena, maybe connecting two larger sections. She holds her helmet under her arm and listens, then chances to call out.

"Is anyone there?"

[sizeofyourbaggage]

Sam's alone, too - he's managed to hook up with a decent number of his friends and allies, but being in one place too long makes him a little antsy, especially when they need supplies. And when he's got others out there that he's worried about.

He might not have any powers, but he's far from helpless, particularly not with a few items from the Cornucopia at his side.

The one that's coming the most handy at the moment is the flashlight, since the lighting in the hallway he's walking down is terrible. Sam'd been a little worried about drawing attention to himself with it, but, well, better to risk it than run into something in the dark.

He's moving carefully as he goes, listening intently for signs of anyone else out there, and perks up a little when he hears what sounds like a familiar voice. Sam picks up his pace a little, raising the flashlight to about chest height to try to get a better view of the person there without blinding them, and - yeah, it's her.

"V," he calls back, pitching his voice a little lower since he's closer now. "It's Sam," he adds, but mostly as a warning, because when he stops in front of her he's absolutely planning on reaching out to pull her into a hug.

Until he registers that he's still hearing footsteps, which means she's not the only one out there, and settles for stopping next to her to listen again.

[tricksandmischief]

There is a pause in those footsteps when Loki hears one voice - then a second. In one hand he's carrying the scissors, in the other a syringe. He's uncertain what the contents will do but he's assuming for now it's something deadly. His eyes have adjusted well enough that he wasn't currently bothering with the flashlight he has.

He debates being stealthier but he has other tricks up his sleeve so he then keeps walking and he now comes into view. Or he seems to, halting to regard them

The Loki they will see is an illusion, while the real Loki assesses the situation and the threat, creeping near invisibly up around them, moving closer...

[celebrityskinned]

"Sam! Thank goodness!" The smile on her face is wide and seems bright even in the darkness of the hallway. She moves to embrace him, too, and stops short for exactly the same reason.

She squints in the dark, trying to make out the face ahead of her. As if out of habit, she moves the helmet in her hand in front of Sam like a sort of shield, not even really thinking about the fact that she's doing it or the fact that he probably doesn't need it.

The face she does discern is new to her, but familiar enough to remind her of how a teenage Loki and Dave Strider tied her to a chair while she screamed and cried for mercy. Her pulse quickens and races up her throat.

"Hello?"

[sizeofyourbaggage]

This time, when Sam lifts the flashlight to get a better look at who's out there, he raises it up high enough to shine in the person's face. If they're not trying to attack them, he'll apologize, but better safe than sorry. And then he's glad he did, because hell yeah he recognizes him, and there's something a little off about the way the light hits him.

He doesn't try to put Venus behind him or anything, the same way he'd never try to do something like that for Natasha, but he does take a half step away from her and turn a little bit, putting them in a better position to watch each other's back.

"Look who it is," Sam says, shifting his stance a little to be more ready to fight, as his free hand drops to one of his own syringes. "And me without my birds. Have you met Loki, V? He's pretty damn good with illusions and shit."

There's an edge to his voice as he says it. He doesn't know if Venus knows who Loki is, but he's still going to try to warn her to be on her guard without actually making an aggressive move.

[tricksandmischief]

Besides looking a little off, the light indeed also seems to have no effect on the illusion - no shielding of eyes of blinking at the sudden brightness, just smirking and distracting them away from the real danger.

Loki sidles up to the girl and swipes at her side, aiming to stab with the scissors. The movement makes him visible as he then turns toward Sam, not stopping to see if she was injured or managed to avoid it - maybe he just caught her clothing.

He darted forward after and attempted to push the syringe into Sam's arm.

[shedevilwithsword]

So, Sonja was very intrigued by this place, possibly more so than usual. That being said she still did not like it. The devices here were beyond her comprehension, and she went without her sword....again. She still kept the suit, of course, it had proven to be fairly useful, better than being naked, she supposed. Though she did find it constraining, it was just something to get used to.

Her plan this round? Find something useful and use it to pick her fights. She has already learned of the tricks that these mages loved to use, not that she should be surprised by it. Then she paused, were those footsteps she was hearing?

[tricksandmischief]

His confidence had been enhanced by the discovery of his powers being returned to him -or at least most of them, since he did not seem to be healing very well or very quickly and his Cornucopia injuries continued to plague him and made him clumsier. But he was nothing if not adaptable and agile when needed so he was not being overly stealthy right now. His quick reflexes or an illusion he trusted to get him out of a tight spot, despite the unknown internal wounds.

He rounded the corner, scissors in hand. They glinted even in the dim light.

[worldsaway]

Having rescued Carlos from the Cornucopia, Thor feels considerably accomplished. However there are many important people he has yet to face, he can't help but worry. This was a bigger bloodbath than the Arenas he'd seen prior. He knows many have died, but he doesn't know for sure who was among them.

He didn't spare time for the Cornucopia, choosing instead to bring wounded inside where they would not float away. He doesn't feel particularly worried about being unarmed, so he walks with confidence. All 6'6 of him is striding the halls in the skintight red spandex of the suits, glancing about carefully as he does on the look out for people familiar to him.

[tricksandmischief]

That red stood out - as much as his green - and coming from the other direction, Loki paused upon noticing Thor's approach.

"Well, well, well... You have survived this far," he noted. His voice could be taken as mocking but Thor may recognise a more pleased tone underlying that. The unspoken words being he was glad to see his brother was alive.

Scissors in one hand, Thor may notice Loki is favouring his left side and that his right arm appears to be held awkwardly as though he is in some pain with it.

[worldsaway]

It's funny how they seem to have found themselves dressed in their favoured colours despite a total lack of input. Even if the costumes are ridiculous, it adds a funny sort of familiarity to it all.

Any enjoyment Thor gains from that is lost quickly, Loki's words practically sail past his ears once he zeroes in on the fact that he's injured. The pleased tone is not lost on him, but it isn't his priority.

"It seems I can hardly saw the same for you." He closes in on Loki, inviting himself into his personal space. "What happened?" He isn't wasting words, apparently. Straight to the point, straight to what matters.

[tricksandmischief]

Loki waves his left hand airily; casually as if it were nothing.

"I just had a small disagreement at the... what do they call it? The Cornucopia?" It had been a fight with Steve Rogers, but he hadn't seen his face so was unaware of his identity. Regardless, he had inflicted as much damage and come away with the spoils. "Then there were some other unpleasant people around...," he chuckles as he goes on. "You are the first friendly face I have seen."

Although he is acting jovial, he is wary that Thor may also attack him at any moment and is prepared to fight back if need be. But he's hoping for at least a brief respite.

[worldsaway]

"Is that what they're calling it now?" Thor grumbles, just barely emulating the conversational tone that Loki is putting forward. He falls silent for a long moment, trying to grab at Loki so he can get a better look at his injury. He doesn't ask, of course, he just paws at him curiously because he knows Loki won't show him willingly.

"I'm glad to know you consider me friendly." He gives him a wry smile. "I suppose you didn't see who specifically was responsible, then?" He knows, but he might as well ask. He can't help but wonder whether Loki is being entirely truthful here, which seems like a damn stupid thing to wonder about if he's honest with himself.

[tricksandmischief]

Jerking back abruptly, Loki winces then hisses at the pain, his arm curling across his chest.

"Are you trying to finish me off? Brother against brother?"

His voice then becomes lower, for once sounding determined and more truthful in its tone. "I will not give them the satisfaction of watching that here."

The rebellious words may have been brought on by the pain.

So sorry for how hideously late this is

[fiercestwarrior]

The Aqua certainly was not a colour that Sif would normally have chosen to wear under most circumstances, but the fact that she was practically glowing did not bother her much, for she had her full strength now and felt as if nothing much could harm her.

Some part of her knew that it was not true, of course, and she already bore a few marks to prove it, but all the same she felt alive in a way that she had not done forth months, and she could not help but smile as she strode through the space port with all the confident arrogance befitting a warrior of Asgard.

No worries!

[tricksandmischief]

After a few unpleasant encounters, Loki was already looking the worse for wear. As he rounded the next corner he just about collided with one of the last people he wanted to see right now.

"Sif...," his teeth were clenched; he was looking tired and angry. His hands balled into fists and that's all he had right now as he'd lost much of what he'd picked up at the Cornucopia already. "Let me pass."

[fiercestwarrior]

"I was not trying to stop you."

She looked him up and down with her customary disdain, even more evident now since the thought that he might have his powers too was most troubling indeed. He had a certain tendency to not use them for purposes that she approved of.

Then again he ought to have done better than this in the arena if he was indeed in full possession of his powers. He did not look as if he was in particularly good shape, which was something of a surprise. She may not respect him much, but she would not call Loki a bad fighter.

[tricksandmischief]

In the time before powers had been restored, those first injuries had been sustained and continued to take their toll. He eyed her warily now, but with a hint of light mockery in his tone.

"Ah, but is that not what you are supposed to do here? Slay me as soon as you have sight of me?"

[fiercestwarrior]

"Are you going to give me a reason to?"

Not even if that man was Loki would she slay an injured person who had done nothing to endanger her.

She knew better than to underestimate him though, and her senses were all straining to detect any hint of trickery from him.

[tricksandmischief]

He gave a chuckle, but she may notice he also winced as if laughing did pain him. He attempted to hide it, straightening up with affected dignity.

"I am certain that you would love to try, would you not? Well, here is your chance."

He appeared to be offering her the first chance of attack, but she would be right not to trust him.

[wizardplease]

Lavender is not a color that Haruto would have picked out for himself. It does nothing for him. And it looks even worse with all that blood on it. It's not even nice and symmetrical, mostly spattered across his right side and arm. But he's gone and gotten it bandaged, and he's starting to learn how to work around the injury.

He'd been making every effort to be cautious in his explorations, but having to solve a giant light-up jumping puzzle to get from one science lab to the other was distracting. Especially when all that jumping around was doing nothing good to his messed-up arm. But he hits the last tile, the door swooshes open, and he forgets to cast a glance behind him before advancing forward. Maybe he'll find more supplies of some sort in this next room. Maybe.

[tricksandmischief]

There was somebody already here, checking the shelves and in every crevice for anything he could use. Loki did still have his natural powers but he'd lost all else he'd gained and he could do with another weapon or some other supplies. He didn't look to be in the best shape himself, although it was mostly bruising and some minor-looking cuts.

Internally, his chest and arm continued to bother him and he could do nothing about that. Other attacks had only inflamed the wounds. Something inside must have been badly damaged but he couldn't tell what and nobody was helping him.

He whirled around when he heard somebody approaching.

[wizardplease]

That wasn't what Haruto expected to see. That's not who Haruto expected to see, either. Though he looked to be having about as hard a go of it as he was, so far.

"...nothing good in here?" Haruto holds his hands out slightly to the sides, open, in a posture that's meant to be non-threatening. He doesn't want trouble if there doesn't have to be trouble. And one might wonder just how much trouble he's able to cause, with no apparent weapons and a right arm as injured as that.

[tricksandmischief]

Even injured, Loki was still strong but it was making him sloppy and jumpy.

"No. Nothing," he eyed Haruto warily, expecting another attack but not yet making a move for that himself. He felt a little cornered in here. He hoped that he would just leave without incident but if he stayed... well, there still was a show to put on and Loki would cater to that.

[wizardplease]

"There's too much 'nothing' in this place." Haruto side-steps from the doorway, moving further into the room to take a quick look around for himself. Maybe something had been overlooked. Maybe he'd spot something. Though it wasn't looking at all promising, even in as much as there being something to pry off the walls and take along.

He does notice the wariness, though. It's pretty obvious. "...I don't want a fight if there doesn't have to be one."