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by Tuck » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:01 am
Esperanza fumbled with the key-card she had been given and clumsily pushed open the door to the hotel room. She was tired beyond belief and barely registered her surroundings as she sat down on one of the twin beds in the room, dropping her purse to her side and starring at the blank television set, almost as if she half expected it to talk to her and explain what the hell was going on. She took off her copper colored leather hat and shook out her long hair with a sigh.
She turned to her roommate, Beatrice, who was trailing in behind her, surveying the small but comfortable room.
"Bea..." she said slowly and deliberately, "Am I going insane?"
She paused for a moment.
"Are we all?"
by Zari » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:08 am
Bea rolled her eyes sat down on the other bed, and began unlacing her shoes. "Sleep now. Crazy-talk later. Deal?"
by Tuck » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:17 am
Esperanza watched as Bea took her shoes off. She felt an overwhelming flood of emotions swirling just beneath the surface of her mind. It was as though she was skating on a thin sheet of ice, beneath which were a thousand horrible things waiting to devour her whole. A tear began to slide down her face but she quickly wiped it away.
Now was not the time to let go.
She sighed again, she felt more tired than she ever had in her life. Drained.
"But..." she began, "Something happened tonight. Something happened to me. We all saw it. What happened to Steve... I did that. I don't know how, but I did. And this whole business with gods and monsters and... I feel like my whole world is collapsing..."
by Zari » Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:31 am
Bea kicked off her sneakers and collapsed backwards on the bed, pulling a pillow over her face and screaming into it briefly. Frustration abated, she chucked the pillow at Ronnie's head.
"Ronnie, honestly, I have no idea what to think right now. I know I saw crazy shadow-dudes shooting arrows at us, and at the same time I'm not sure if I trust what I saw. I still don't know if I believe the whole 'other gods existing' thing, any more than I believed the 'Steve's a vampire' thing. All I've got so far is that you evidently own an exploding coat, and my arm huts like a son of a bitch."
by Josh » Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:03 am
Before Esperanza could muster a reply, three precise knocks at the door stifled the discussion. Wearily crossing the hotel room, Esperanza, expecting Nils or Connie, drew back in surprise at the man standing in the doorway. Tall, handsome in a weathered way, he wore his pin-striped business suit like a uniform. Adding to the confusion, he wore a two horns on leather thongs around his shoulder, a well-worn fedora tipped slightly forward, and carried something unidentifiable in his left hand. He coughed before speaking, as though unused to it.
"Peace, Baldursdottir. I would have words with my blood. Stay or leave, as you will. Your father sends his regards, and congratulates you on your endeavor."
The man walked brusquely past Esperanza to take a seat next to the bed, looking intently at Beatrice. He seemed wistful for a bare moment, as though considering times long gone. At length, he sighed and spoke again.
"My apologies for the hour, dottir, I know you've had a long night. I know the feeling well. It is well past time you knew of your heritage, so I am here. You are my child, blood of the vigilant, nidr of the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge. I am Heimdall, and you are mine."
by Tuck » Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:09 am
Ronnie opened and closed her mouth a few times and stared wide-eyed as the man brushed past her and walked over to Bea. She stood there for a long moment as the man spoke, the doorknob still gripped tightly in her hand.
After a few moments she finally found the strength of mind to remember herself.
"I'll just..." she said and pointed awkwardly out the door into the hall. "I'll... I'm gonna get a soda."
With that she stepped out into the hall, unable to take her eyes off of the man until the door softly closed behind her. She shook her head, trying to clear it as she wandered down the hall, in search of a vending machine.
This was just getting weirder and weirder.
by Zari » Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:18 am
Bea had sat up at the knock on the door, and stood when the strange older man walked in. There was something about him that she couldn't quite shake, something eerily familiar even though she was sure they'd never actually met. He was large enough to seem out of scale with the rest of the room, 6'10 at least, and barely fit in the cheap wooden chair the hotel provided.
At his words, Beatrice blinked in shock, mouth hanging agape. Finally, she managed to get out, "You're shitting me."
by Josh » Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:44 pm
"I swear by the world ash I am deathly serious. I know you have heard of the war. Know now I shall be watching. Our time here is short, as it ever is, and I would prepare you as best I can."
At this, he leaned forward to set the object in his hand on the bed. Glancing down, Beatrice could see it was a knee brace, something she'd been intimately familiar with for a while now. This one, she noticed, seemed to be made of a dark, deep brown leather, expertly tanned and sewn.
"Trials await, dottir, and I would have you ready to meet them. I had Eitri's brothers create this, that you would join this fight on an even footing. The wyrm from whence it came shall need it no longer, I'd wager." His lip curled in a faint smile at the thought.
"A second gift I bear," he continued, taking off his hat. As he did so, it seemed at once both hat and helmet, in a style Bea vaguely recognized. As he laid it on the bed, however, it settled into the shape of a lacrosse faceguard, steel rather than plastic. "I've seen you wear such often, though these new games are somewhat a mystery to my eyes. It will keep its vigil for you, that danger shall never befall you unawares."
He unslung the smaller of his two horns, holding it a moment in consideration. "A third birthright I give, child, that aid be ever near. Simply call, and you will be heard." As he laid the horn on the bed, the horn changed, somehow, leaving a gleaming cell phone, covered in runes and swirls.
"It is the province of we gods to leave our children confused and conflicted, but I know well the importance of foreknowledge. Ask the questions I know you must have, Beatrice, and I will answer where possible." He sat back, straight-backed, almost wary, waiting for her reply.
by Zari » Wed Mar 03, 2010 2:14 pm
Bea whuffed and sat back down on the bed. "You're serious, aren't you? You're... you're really my father." At his nod, she sat pulled her knees up to her chest and frowned in thought. After a moment, she seemed to come to some kind of a decision, and she steeled her shoulders back and looked the god in the eye.
"Okay. Well. First things first, I suppose. Is this going to be the only time I see you, or are you going to be dropping in randomly from now on? Secondly, why now? Why leave me alone for so damn long--" her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. "What I mean is, were you even planning on any of this," she waved her hand at the gifts, "or did you just show up because the cat's out of the bag god-wise?"
"And what is UP with this whole god thing, anyway? What about GOD god, the God of Abraham, and Jesus? Is he real, or is everything I've been taught to believe a lie? And what about - what about my mother? Who is she, and what ever happened to her? Is she even alive?" Bea realized she was breathing heavily, the words having poured out of her in a flood. She shook her head briefly, then waited for her father's reply.
by Josh » Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:40 pm
The god seemed troubled by the first question, his face screwed up in consternation.
"You ask the hardest question first. I like that, even at my expense." He smiled wistfully. "I have a duty, even more than the rest of our family. The gates are watched, for the moment, but it is my duty to uphold. I will see you as often as able, Bringer of Joy, but I fear," he paused a moment to look Beatrice directly in the eyes. She could see the ancient and terrible knowledge there. "I fear it will be a long time before I see you again.
"Secondly, I am sorry to have waited so long to have this talk, though I had hoped it wouldn't be necessary this early. Your knowing of your parentage places you in danger. It was my hope you'd have longer to be glad in your ignorance. As much as you are the blood of a warrior," he smiled proudly, " I did not want to draft you into our war just yet. You are correct in saying the cat is out of the bag, though, and I would see you ready to stand at your companions' side. As hard as it may be to believe, I want the best for you, my dottir, but the All-Father knows our lot is ever one of battle. I will do all I can to keep you safe, but, moreso, I know that you would want the power to keep safe yourself and your friends."
"Thirdly, you have several questions in one. The first is a cyclical argument, one with which I can understand frustration. I am a god because I am a god. Some things simply are, dottir. Next, the god of Abraham and Jesus may not be the same one you think of as God. Something directs the actions of us all, and its name, whether Fate, destiny, God, or some other title, is immaterial. It is, and we cannot affect it, so I prefer to avoid its mention. Last, you've not been told a lie. Rather, you have not been told the entire truth, which may feel like small consolation. I am sorry, however hard that may be to believe."
"As to your mother...she was...is...special. Elise, she was unique. I see...a great deal, and I have never seen her like. Her death came as a shock, but she is well placed in Sessrumnir. Were my duties less consuming, I could have saved her, I fear. I see her as I am able, and she asks of you often. I think she is prouder than she can say, and I am sorry you've been without her."
Heimdall hung his head, sighing before heaving himself to his feet. Towering over Beatrice, he regarded his daughter with a grim smile.
"My time grows short, lagr halr. I would tell you to be safe, but I know that unlikely. I will, however, wish you well in the coming times. Know that I am watching, and I know you will prove worthy of these gifts."
He paused once more at the door, glancing back. "Be vigilant, dottir, and may the Norns guide you to glory."
He opened the door, nodded to a startled Esperanza, and disappeared down the hallway.
by Tuck » Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:02 pm
Esperanza pressed herself back against the wall as the man walked past her, towering above her head. Trembling, she turned and glanced into the room. Bea hadn't moved. She was sitting on the bed, staring at the chair in front of her, her mouth slightly open, her eyes wide and searching, although what she was looking for even she probably didn't know.
Esperanza clutched the bottle of water that she'd gotten at the vending machine down the hall. Perspiration dripped from it onto the hotel's threadbare rug. For a moment, nothing moved.
Slowly, quietly, Esperanza walked over towards the bed. She gently sat down next to her, putting one arm around her shoulder and resting her forehead against Bea's temple.
"It's ok, Mija." she said softly.
"It's ok."
~FIN~
Esperanza fumbled with the key-card she had been given and clumsily pushed open the door to the hotel room. She was tired beyond belief and barely registered her surroundings as she sat down on one of the twin beds in the room, dropping her purse to her side and starring at the blank television set, almost as if she half expected it to talk to her and explain what the hell was going on. She took off her copper colored leather hat and shook out her long hair with a sigh.
She turned to her roommate, Beatrice, who was trailing in behind her, surveying the small but comfortable room.
"Bea..." she said slowly and deliberately, "Am I going insane?"
She paused for a moment.
"Are we all?"
by Zari » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:08 am
Bea rolled her eyes sat down on the other bed, and began unlacing her shoes. "Sleep now. Crazy-talk later. Deal?"
by Tuck » Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:17 am
Esperanza watched as Bea took her shoes off. She felt an overwhelming flood of emotions swirling just beneath the surface of her mind. It was as though she was skating on a thin sheet of ice, beneath which were a thousand horrible things waiting to devour her whole. A tear began to slide down her face but she quickly wiped it away.
Now was not the time to let go.
She sighed again, she felt more tired than she ever had in her life. Drained.
"But..." she began, "Something happened tonight. Something happened to me. We all saw it. What happened to Steve... I did that. I don't know how, but I did. And this whole business with gods and monsters and... I feel like my whole world is collapsing..."
by Zari » Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:31 am
Bea kicked off her sneakers and collapsed backwards on the bed, pulling a pillow over her face and screaming into it briefly. Frustration abated, she chucked the pillow at Ronnie's head.
"Ronnie, honestly, I have no idea what to think right now. I know I saw crazy shadow-dudes shooting arrows at us, and at the same time I'm not sure if I trust what I saw. I still don't know if I believe the whole 'other gods existing' thing, any more than I believed the 'Steve's a vampire' thing. All I've got so far is that you evidently own an exploding coat, and my arm huts like a son of a bitch."
by Josh » Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:03 am
Before Esperanza could muster a reply, three precise knocks at the door stifled the discussion. Wearily crossing the hotel room, Esperanza, expecting Nils or Connie, drew back in surprise at the man standing in the doorway. Tall, handsome in a weathered way, he wore his pin-striped business suit like a uniform. Adding to the confusion, he wore a two horns on leather thongs around his shoulder, a well-worn fedora tipped slightly forward, and carried something unidentifiable in his left hand. He coughed before speaking, as though unused to it.
"Peace, Baldursdottir. I would have words with my blood. Stay or leave, as you will. Your father sends his regards, and congratulates you on your endeavor."
The man walked brusquely past Esperanza to take a seat next to the bed, looking intently at Beatrice. He seemed wistful for a bare moment, as though considering times long gone. At length, he sighed and spoke again.
"My apologies for the hour, dottir, I know you've had a long night. I know the feeling well. It is well past time you knew of your heritage, so I am here. You are my child, blood of the vigilant, nidr of the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge. I am Heimdall, and you are mine."
by Tuck » Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:09 am
Ronnie opened and closed her mouth a few times and stared wide-eyed as the man brushed past her and walked over to Bea. She stood there for a long moment as the man spoke, the doorknob still gripped tightly in her hand.
After a few moments she finally found the strength of mind to remember herself.
"I'll just..." she said and pointed awkwardly out the door into the hall. "I'll... I'm gonna get a soda."
With that she stepped out into the hall, unable to take her eyes off of the man until the door softly closed behind her. She shook her head, trying to clear it as she wandered down the hall, in search of a vending machine.
This was just getting weirder and weirder.
by Zari » Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:18 am
Bea had sat up at the knock on the door, and stood when the strange older man walked in. There was something about him that she couldn't quite shake, something eerily familiar even though she was sure they'd never actually met. He was large enough to seem out of scale with the rest of the room, 6'10 at least, and barely fit in the cheap wooden chair the hotel provided.
At his words, Beatrice blinked in shock, mouth hanging agape. Finally, she managed to get out, "You're shitting me."
by Josh » Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:44 pm
"I swear by the world ash I am deathly serious. I know you have heard of the war. Know now I shall be watching. Our time here is short, as it ever is, and I would prepare you as best I can."
At this, he leaned forward to set the object in his hand on the bed. Glancing down, Beatrice could see it was a knee brace, something she'd been intimately familiar with for a while now. This one, she noticed, seemed to be made of a dark, deep brown leather, expertly tanned and sewn.
"Trials await, dottir, and I would have you ready to meet them. I had Eitri's brothers create this, that you would join this fight on an even footing. The wyrm from whence it came shall need it no longer, I'd wager." His lip curled in a faint smile at the thought.
"A second gift I bear," he continued, taking off his hat. As he did so, it seemed at once both hat and helmet, in a style Bea vaguely recognized. As he laid it on the bed, however, it settled into the shape of a lacrosse faceguard, steel rather than plastic. "I've seen you wear such often, though these new games are somewhat a mystery to my eyes. It will keep its vigil for you, that danger shall never befall you unawares."
He unslung the smaller of his two horns, holding it a moment in consideration. "A third birthright I give, child, that aid be ever near. Simply call, and you will be heard." As he laid the horn on the bed, the horn changed, somehow, leaving a gleaming cell phone, covered in runes and swirls.
"It is the province of we gods to leave our children confused and conflicted, but I know well the importance of foreknowledge. Ask the questions I know you must have, Beatrice, and I will answer where possible." He sat back, straight-backed, almost wary, waiting for her reply.
by Zari » Wed Mar 03, 2010 2:14 pm
Bea whuffed and sat back down on the bed. "You're serious, aren't you? You're... you're really my father." At his nod, she sat pulled her knees up to her chest and frowned in thought. After a moment, she seemed to come to some kind of a decision, and she steeled her shoulders back and looked the god in the eye.
"Okay. Well. First things first, I suppose. Is this going to be the only time I see you, or are you going to be dropping in randomly from now on? Secondly, why now? Why leave me alone for so damn long--" her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. "What I mean is, were you even planning on any of this," she waved her hand at the gifts, "or did you just show up because the cat's out of the bag god-wise?"
"And what is UP with this whole god thing, anyway? What about GOD god, the God of Abraham, and Jesus? Is he real, or is everything I've been taught to believe a lie? And what about - what about my mother? Who is she, and what ever happened to her? Is she even alive?" Bea realized she was breathing heavily, the words having poured out of her in a flood. She shook her head briefly, then waited for her father's reply.
by Josh » Wed Mar 03, 2010 3:40 pm
The god seemed troubled by the first question, his face screwed up in consternation.
"You ask the hardest question first. I like that, even at my expense." He smiled wistfully. "I have a duty, even more than the rest of our family. The gates are watched, for the moment, but it is my duty to uphold. I will see you as often as able, Bringer of Joy, but I fear," he paused a moment to look Beatrice directly in the eyes. She could see the ancient and terrible knowledge there. "I fear it will be a long time before I see you again.
"Secondly, I am sorry to have waited so long to have this talk, though I had hoped it wouldn't be necessary this early. Your knowing of your parentage places you in danger. It was my hope you'd have longer to be glad in your ignorance. As much as you are the blood of a warrior," he smiled proudly, " I did not want to draft you into our war just yet. You are correct in saying the cat is out of the bag, though, and I would see you ready to stand at your companions' side. As hard as it may be to believe, I want the best for you, my dottir, but the All-Father knows our lot is ever one of battle. I will do all I can to keep you safe, but, moreso, I know that you would want the power to keep safe yourself and your friends."
"Thirdly, you have several questions in one. The first is a cyclical argument, one with which I can understand frustration. I am a god because I am a god. Some things simply are, dottir. Next, the god of Abraham and Jesus may not be the same one you think of as God. Something directs the actions of us all, and its name, whether Fate, destiny, God, or some other title, is immaterial. It is, and we cannot affect it, so I prefer to avoid its mention. Last, you've not been told a lie. Rather, you have not been told the entire truth, which may feel like small consolation. I am sorry, however hard that may be to believe."
"As to your mother...she was...is...special. Elise, she was unique. I see...a great deal, and I have never seen her like. Her death came as a shock, but she is well placed in Sessrumnir. Were my duties less consuming, I could have saved her, I fear. I see her as I am able, and she asks of you often. I think she is prouder than she can say, and I am sorry you've been without her."
Heimdall hung his head, sighing before heaving himself to his feet. Towering over Beatrice, he regarded his daughter with a grim smile.
"My time grows short, lagr halr. I would tell you to be safe, but I know that unlikely. I will, however, wish you well in the coming times. Know that I am watching, and I know you will prove worthy of these gifts."
He paused once more at the door, glancing back. "Be vigilant, dottir, and may the Norns guide you to glory."
He opened the door, nodded to a startled Esperanza, and disappeared down the hallway.
by Tuck » Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:02 pm
Esperanza pressed herself back against the wall as the man walked past her, towering above her head. Trembling, she turned and glanced into the room. Bea hadn't moved. She was sitting on the bed, staring at the chair in front of her, her mouth slightly open, her eyes wide and searching, although what she was looking for even she probably didn't know.
Esperanza clutched the bottle of water that she'd gotten at the vending machine down the hall. Perspiration dripped from it onto the hotel's threadbare rug. For a moment, nothing moved.
Slowly, quietly, Esperanza walked over towards the bed. She gently sat down next to her, putting one arm around her shoulder and resting her forehead against Bea's temple.
"It's ok, Mija." she said softly.
"It's ok."
~FIN~
