closed ♔ i've lived a lot of different lives, been different people many times

[jotun]

WHO || Loki Laufeyson & Natasha Romanoff
WHAT || Kidnapping.
WHERE || Moscow, Russia
WHEN || Night of June 7th onward.
HOW || Actionspam

[ The teleportation spell brings them to a chilly, but recognizable destination. Though it isn't exactly the same as the city that Natasha may recall, the Kremlin is impossible to misidentify, and that's precisely where Loki is headed.

Natasha's free will is returned to her the minute they arrive, leaving her slightly disoriented, and potentially questioning why she had even listened to his demands (pending a reasonable wisdom check). They touch down 500 yards from the front of the Kremlin. ]

Comments

[jotun]

I would think that obvious.

[ Three security officers charge down the walk towards them in a line as Loki steps right on past the boundary lines. He casts burning arc to take care of them quickly, and the same blast of fire that had killed Desai and shattered the glass case of the decanter springs forward to incinerate Guard A, arcing to Guard B and burning him terribly (atk 17, dmg 31 to Guard A, dmg 9 to Guard B). Guards B and C both draw their weapons, holding their ground to defend the government building.

Loki leads Natasha past the pile of Guard A's ashes :') Hope you have a strong stomach for the smell of burning flesh and watching people get incinerated in an instant, because he doesn't appear to be done. ]

This world is not mine any more than this country is yours. I intend to change that. You see, I've found Asgard, ah, inhospitable to my needs of late. [ He turns his head, considering her, raising to brush his hand against the side of her face. ] I would see them sated here.

[krasnayapautina]

[She glances down at the ashes of the guard who was cremated alive, but keeps the expression on her face as neutral as she can manage (will save 16).]

So, we're both more than a little bit disconnected from our homes. [The 'and? so what?' at the end of the sentence implied in her tone. It just doesn't seem like that big of a deal to her -- well aside from the fact that apparently because of it, he's cremating people alive, etc. That part is ... a problem, a huge one. And then a side-eye at the hand.] That hand is something you do want to keep, right? Because I've heard it's polite to ask before just taking something. [Though, the actual number of fucks she gives about these kinds of manners is in the negative numbers.]

[jotun]

[ A broad grin spreads across his face and he pulls his hand back, holding it up in an apologetic gesture of surrender. ]

My apologies. Rest assured, the next time I lay hands on you, it will because you ask it of me.

[ Yeah, he's into it. Worst of all, his grin makes it apparent that he isn't taking her seriously as a physical threat in the least. He gestures ahead to the guards. ]

Now. If you would be so kind.

[ Work, bitch. His ranged attack is killer right now. He pulls two daggers from his belt and flings them in quick succession at both guards (atk nat 20, 18 dmg to Guard B, 28 penetration damage to Guard C). They both drop with the daggers embedded in their chests, but there are certain to be more where they came from. It would seem he isn’t particularly concerned with her running off or being any kind of threat at all. Sorry, girl. ]

[krasnayapautina]

Doesn't that imply that a "next time" has to happen? [ l o l. ]

[While he's busy tossing daggers into guards like a psycho badass, she's taking a couple of steps back. If she finds she has to take off running in the other direction, not being so close might give her a head start. The only reason she hasn't taken off running in that other direction yet is because she's glancing around for the closest thing she can grab to carry as a weapon -- maybe something off a wall, whatever -- which, so far, isn't going quite as well as she'd hoped it would (spot 7).]

[jotun]

[ She doesn’t need a spot check to see the knives in the guards’ bodies as her best options. Which is lucky, because she’s not seeing shit with a 7. On the other hand, Loki’s sense motive of 17 means he is noticing her urgent attempts to runaway. ]

I loathe to make the same request twice, Agent Romanoff. [ And usually the second time involves magic. He truly doesn’t want to provide more arcane motivation for her allegiance, but he’s certainly not above it. ] I wouldn’t try to run, if I were you. You won’t get far.

[krasnayapautina]

[There she freezes, having been caught before she even got a start. Which also means she won't be jumping to make an obvious move on the knives yet, because hi predictable.] I thought the attempt would beat standing back and being whatever kind of pawn you have in mind.

[jotun]

Oh, I didn't bring you here to watch.

[ Three more security officers are running towards them! Loki lets out a breathy, cruel sort of laugh. ]

It's your help that I require.

[ Come on, gurl, be complicit in your own kidnapping, it'll be fun~~~ Also pretty convincing with his 30 diplomacy. ]

[krasnayapautina]

Seriously? Help with-- [She doesn't even finish that sentence because what even. And also because what the hell, with her will save of 6 she'll take him up on that offer of fun. Fun times to be had for all, yes. With the three new people running towards them, now, not later, is a super good time for those daggers, so she makes a run towards them -- even though this not how she was expecting to use them.]

[jotun]

[ Guard B jogs to a stop about 20 ft away, shouting in Russian at them to stop while holding his gun. Loki raises a hand and acid splashes in his face (dmg 3), burning him. The others use their full turns to get up to the same range that Guard B is in, so all of them are within 20 ft. and Natasha is free to close the distance. ]

Do make it quick. I have an appointment to keep.

[krasnayapautina]

Getting your hair and nails done, are you? I had other plans for today, too, you know. [You know, until SOMEONE rudely interrupted those, *siiiiiiigh*. Whatever, can't fix that, and there's no getting out of this unless she gets into it. So. Daggers now in hand, she moves to get right in their faces and swings the dagger in her right hand at one of the guards - guard c (attack 19; damage 3).]

[jotun]

I believe you'll find you enjoy mine far more.

[ Guard B tries to fire off a shot but he is actually blinded by acid right now so that's too bad—he misses Loki wildly, and Loki takes the opportunity to add some more acid to that burn (dmg 2). He'll intervene further if it appears necessary later, but for now he seems to simply be enjoying watching Natasha work. :')

He's just casually hanging back and letting Natasha get into melee like a gentleman. All the guards still stand, but Guard A raises his gun to fire and in doing so, provokes an attack of opportunity from Natasha because she is within 5 ft. ]

[krasnayapautina]

[Focusing quickly on guard A, Natasha takes the same swing with the dagger in her left hand that she'd just taken at guard C with the one in her right. (attack 14; damage 2 if it hits.)]

[jotun]

[ It hits! And keeps Guard A from taking her attack. Guard C is also not smart enough to take a 5-ft step back to keep from provoking this attack of opportunity despite JUST WATCHING GUARD A DO IT. Look at the 4 wisdom check. He also provokes one (and if that hits, Natasha is welcome to take her full turn afterwards—if it misses, he'll get to attack). ]

[krasnayapautina]

[Thinking she's Totally Got This by now, she tries to make the provoked attack -- however, when she tries to do so, it ... just doesn't go as well as she had assumed it would. WHOOPS. (attack 3.)]

[jotun]

[ He successfully manages to dodge the dagger and fire off a shot! Unfortunately, it appears his effort to dodge distracted him from his aim, because it fires off wide (atk 5) and misses Natasha considerably. So it's back 'round to her turn. ]

[krasnayapautina]

[After those last attempts on both of their parts, she lunges forward to try to take another stab at haha puns him because of her own last failed attempt. The longer this goes on, the more determined she is to get it finished. (attack 17; damage 2 if it hits.)]

[jotun]

[ It hits! Natasha's blade cuts through Guard C's neck and takes him down. Loki claps his hands together, jubilant, eating this up, when Guard B suddenly fires a shot that barely grazes Loki's cheek harmlessly (atk 20).

Loki draws a final dagger and closes the distance, stabbing it into Guard B's gut so that he — just as with Guard C — crumbles to the ground, unconscious.

Guard A suffers panicked decision paralysis, and his shot towards Loki goes wide (atk 18). ]

[krasnayapautina]

[At least someone's actually enjoying this?

With the dagger in her right hand, Natasha turns to go for a slash to the face area of guard A. (attack 14; damage 1 if it hits.)]

[jotun]

[ Hits! Loki holds out a hand, and a gust of cold air begins to converge into a single, icy dagger in it. Just as it finishes forming, the guard fires a precisely aimed shot at Natasha, getting her in the stomach for 16 critical hit damage. ]

[ ooc; plurk's down so i just wanna confirm! the dagger deals 1d4 damage and you add your strength modifier to it—so Nat's str mod is 0? since her sheet isn't posted anywhere I can't double check, so I just wanted to ask to confirm. ]]

[krasnayapautina]

[She swears loudly in Russian when she's hit, making her take a step back, and her right hand going to cover the wound, maybe slow the bleeding down some. A scar to match the other one on her side that she got at she-forgets-where because of she-forgets-why from she-forgets-whom. She'll let go of the dagger in her right hand so she doesn't accidentally stab herself with it as she's putting as much pressure on her wound as she can while in action, and move to take another attack at the guard (attack 5; damage 2 if it hits).]

[jotun]

[ yeah definitely not. but good try, gurl. luckily loki is here with his atk 25 to stab the ice dagger through this guy's throat for 10 damage + 5 cold damage. he's blue by the time he hits the ground.

with the last of the guards out of the way, they're clear to walk straight into the kremlin, and loki does, expecting natasha to follow at his side now that she knows how this shit's gonna work. ]

[krasnayapautina]

[She's walking a bit slower than she would have been five minutes ago, but yeah she's following because y e p it's probably easier for literally everyone if she just...does it willingly.]

Talk about making a grand entrance.

[jotun]

Ah, yes, you'd have forgotten that as well.

[ He seems entirely amused by that fact as he waves a hand to cast something over those working in the entrance. They all slump over, unconscious. At least he's paving the way for them. ]

I do have a penchant for sending a message.

[krasnayapautina]

I'm both ... extremely curious and extremely horrified to ask about what you know about us that I don't. [Good thing there's a time and place for everything, and both the time and place to ask that is not here and not now. Otherwise she would probably risk the "being horrified" part of that equation and ask.] Though, if I can offer you some advice while we're en route to your final destination: This is a terrible 'first date' and I would highly recommend many, many other courses of action. With anyone else that is not me. [No but really.]

[jotun]

You think I mean to court you, Agent Romanoff?

[ He looks positively amused by the notion. At this point, he's hanging back to offer color commentary while he waits for her to do what she does best. There's a reason he chose her to come along.

The interior of the Kremlin is being entirely made up by Tiffany right now because I don't think anyone in this game has been inside. SO surprise. There are five guards staggered down the hallway towards an elevator that requires a keycard. Behind the call desk, there are two more guards. ]